February 8-9, 2022
Word: Review
Inside the comfort of the air conditioned cafe secluded from the public, the weary mind of Ito Seiji after a mental battlefield was soothed by the sweet taste of a cat themed chocolate milkshake. Ahead of him was Nakagawa Saki eating one cream puff to another while wearing a blissful expression and crumbs pasted beside her mouth. While the two indulged in their special privileges as the 'master,' Hasegawa Maho, the waitress in a maid outfit, served the other 'masters,' with a grin on her face.
Truly, it was a peaceful day.
However, the final examination before summer vacation is right around the corner. The test would determine whether they are able to enjoy their youth with summer's delight, or suffer in the hands of supplementary lessons because of an unfortunate failure of grades. Yet, they paid no heed to such troubles, enjoying the scarce days of the weekend.
"Ah," Seiji stared at the ceiling, staring at the spinning fan.
The others' ears perked up, lending their attention to him as their carefree nature lingered.
"That's right, the finals are tomorrow," Seiji said, talking to Saki. "Have you prepared for the test?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, their peaceful world shattered, leaving only anguish in their naive little minds. Saki stopped stuffing her mouth with pastries while Maho stood beside them with a tray in her hand. With a long deep breath, they let out a fatigued moan in unison. In between them, Seiji tilted his head with a question mark above his head.
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In the middle of the afternoon sun, the two good female friends walked side-by-side while the lonely otaku limped behind them. Maho hugged Saki's arm as they chatted while Seiji let out a groan. It was the typical position of the three friends walking together minus the inconvenient groaning.
"We just passed the library," Seiji stressed his words over the sound of vehicles passing by beside them. Drowned out by the noise, Seiji assumed it did not reach their ears. Moving closer behind them, he raised his voice and asked, "Can't you study somewhere else other than someone else's home?"
Looking over her shoulder, Maho said, "What's the harm in studying at your house anyway? Not to mention how conveniently close it was from my workplace. Why did you not tell me? I could have dropped by every once in a while."
"I didn't deserve to know. Besides, I don't need your company," Seiji said, zipping past the two.
Maho pouted, mouthing unpleasant things behind his back.
Watching from the sidelines, Saki giggled at the amusing interaction between two newly formed bonds, friends who knew each other throughout the spring. Saki was blessed to have such friends. However, she wondered why her heart stinged from the sight of the two blissfully talking to each other.
"Welcome to the Ito residence," Seiji greeted with a lifeless expression, visibly distressed by the thought of two female classmates entering his safe haven.
Saki's train of thought went off the rail as she heard the sudden formal greeting. To their surprise, they were before the open gates of the Ito Residence. The eyes of the two sparkled in fascination as they darted around the area. A snow white house designed with the uniqueness of modern architecture impressed the sly red fox and the little kitten with its vastness.
Seiji opened the door open for them to enter, like a gentleman holding the door for the lady. With a quick greeting saying "please excuse me for my disturbance", they made their way to the genkan containing a few indoor slippers including slippers for guests. While everyone changed into appropriate slippers, Saki's eyebrow raised, gazing at the pair of black heels.
"He lives with a woman?" Saki thought, running simulations inside her head about an imaginary lover of Seiji. Feeding each other in the dining room, watching horror movies in the living room where the lover clinged to Seiji, bathing together in the washroom, and sleeping together on the same bed. Thinking of such situations made her blood boil.
Shaking off the thought of a lover living together with Seiji, she darted around the entrance and noticed the resemblances between her house and his. Both followed the same layout. To the left was the stairs to the second floor, to the right was the door to the restroom, and in front of them was the door to the living room. An exact replica.
Seiji guided them to the stairs. He informed them that his room is upstairs. Nodding, they followed his footsteps. As they made their way up the stairs, the sound of running water echoed throughout the halls, perking the ears of the owner of the house. He frantically turned towards the two and placed his index finger above his lips, warning them to be quiet.
"Let's hurry to my room," he whispered.
Stepping foot on the second floor, a hall connected to different doors greeted them. Opposite the stairs was the entrance to the washroom, with a door sign decorated with adorable drawings of flowers. Switching their gaze to the otaku sneaking through the halls like a crab, a faint giggle left their mouth. Seiji's ears perked, glaring at the two.
"Didn't I tell you to keep your mouth shut?" Seiji whispered aggressively. "Stop looking around and follow me."
"What's with all the fuss anyway?" Maho said with a hand on her waist. Her voice bounced around the halls.
The running water abruptly stopped, making the ever distressed Seiji flinch as a chill went down his spine.
"Are we playing a game only an otaku like you know about?" Maho teased with a grin.
"Now now," Saki tried to calm Maho from teasing Seiji by gently rubbing her back.
Seiji, agitated, waved his hands like a teacher calming two student delinquents from fighting each other. Running off his mouth with excuses, he reasoned to the two in an attempt to convince them to silently go into his room. Nevertheless, the stubborn attitude of Maho, who required a valid answer, refused to move an inch. Eventually, the washroom entrance creaked open.
"Did Seiji leave the television on again?" Kotone asked herself, scratching the back of her head.
Beyond the washroom door was the voluptuous body of a woman wearing a short bathrobe. Her long hair was still damp from the bath, dripping droplets of water on the carpeted halls. Tilting her head, she switched her gaze from the flustered face of Maho, covering her face, to the furious face of Saki, glaring daggers at the sudden appearance of the new character.
"Ara, how unusual. Seiji brought guests. Hello, nice to meet you," Kotone beamed, greeting everyone with a bow while wearing a bathrobe. Because of how loose her clothing was, her cleavage was shamelessly displayed.
"Nice to meet you too," Saki said as she glanced at Seiji with a twitching eye.
"N-Nice to meet you," Maho stuttered, flustered until now.
Now that the cat's out of the bag, Seiji regained his composure. With a deep breath followed a sigh of disbelief.
"How long are we gonna stand here wasting our precious time that could be used for studying. Isn't that what we're here for?"
Both of his guests nodded, turning away from the half-naked woman peeking out from the washroom and following his footsteps. Regardless of how desperate he was, the miserable formula of the Ito household must proceed. A sniffle caught their attention, turning their heads from curiosity.
"Since when did Seiji become such a playboy? I thought I was the only one for you!" Kotone said. The gaze of her almond shaped eyes lowered like a dejected maiden in love, weeping from the sudden revelation of another lover.
Saki stared daggers at Seiji. Noticing her gaze in the corner of his eye, he immediately refuted.
"Stop messing around and get dressed. Aren't you embarrassed by your unsightly appearance?" Seiji scolded, ignoring her crocodile tears while holding the door for the others. "If you excuse us, we have to review the materials for the upcoming test."
He pointed his fingers downwards and waved them towards himself, signaling his guests to enter his abode. The flushed Maho slightly bowed in respect towards Kotone as she entered the room, Saki followed while keeping her glare towards a beautiful lady who rested her body on the washroom door frame. Kotone winked and sent a kiss flying towards Seiji with a wave afterwards. Furious, Saki turned towards Seiji with her piercing gaze and deliberately stomped on his foot. He suffered immense pain as Seiji closed the door behind him.
As Seiji let out a sigh of relief, Saki slammed her palm against the door, cornering him. His eyes widened as her face drew closer to his, instinctively changing his gaze away from hers. The memory of the passionate kiss between them emerged, flushing his cheeks in a deep shade of red. While Seiji became red because of a memory, Saki became red in anger.
"Care to explain?" Saki said, moving her face closer. "Who was she?"
"Saki…"
"I need an explanation!"
"... your face, it's too close," Seiji said, flustered.
Saki noticed how close her face was to his. Her cheeks turned red, this time because she was embarrassed rather than furious. Taking a step back, she swiveled and turned her back towards him. Watching in the sidelines, Maho covered her face from the second hand embarrassment.
"Cute," Maho thought, regardless of how awkward the situation was.
"So?" Saki Said, she looked over her shoulder. "Who was she?"
Seiji cleared his throat, trying to hide his blushing face.
"Ito Kotone. My troublesome older sister who loves to mess with me since time immemorial," Seiji explained as he made himself home, taking a seat on his bed.
"Sister…" Saki whispered.
Saki felt relieved as those words reached her ears, letting out a sigh of relief. Cooling down, she reluctantly sat on the cushion near the short-legged table located in the center of the room. She gestured to Maho to sit as well, to which Maho sat on the cushion to the left of Saki.
"Now that's out of the way, I'm surprised you have such a beauty of a sister," Maho said. "Is that why you're so used to our antics?"
"She loves to pull on my leg with various methods. You two follow the same childish formula so it doesn't really bother me that much," Seiji replied, stretching his arms to a bookshelf crowded with manga beside the bed. Grabbing various books on the bottom section of the shelf was the study material they came for and put it down on the table.
"What does that even mean?" Saki said, scattering the books.
"Nevermind that, your room sure looks normal for someone who watches anime passionately," Maho said, darting around the room.
"I'm the type who would rather watch an episode late at night than buy various blu-rays to watch it in one go after all."
"Did someone mention my name?" Kotone peeked inside the room while still wearing a bathrobe.
"Nee-san! Can you not disturb us? Also, did I not say to get dressed?"
As the back and forth continued, the sun went down in the horizon. At the end of the day, they were not able to review for tomorrow's examination.