HINA’S POV

I stared blankly at my phone screen for a while before I reluctantly kept it aside, then finally took my bath.

~Swwshh!

The hot water trickled down from my head to my feet. I really missed him a lot.

Then the scene that day played in my mind.

***

Drip! Drip! Drip!

The rain was falling heavily and nine year old me sat down at the gate totally at a loss. Everybody’s parents had come to pick up their child and left. Only me and a boy stood at the gate under the heavy downpour holding the straps of our backpacks as if it was our last glimmer of hope.

"Hi... Where do you stay?" The boy suddenly approached me and asked.

"Uhm..." I fumbled at my words trying to answer. He was a stranger though we seemed to be in the same class, I was taught not to tell a stranger my address but seeing that he was just a kid like me I just felt a strange sense of calm and comfort making me lessen my guard down.

Then I quietly told him where I lived.

"I know where I live but my mom says I should always wait for her... Since our parents are not coming I’m going to help you go to your home."

"No don’t worry my mom will come pick me up..." I said timidly trying to refuse his offer. But he held my hands firmly and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry from what you told me my house is close to yours. I’ll walk you there and go home..."

Without waiting for my response he dragged me away. He talked and joked around as we walked under the rain. I would laugh at his silly jokes and honestly I was feeling much better and totally forgot that my mom forgot to pick me up.

Before I knew it I was home. He waved me goodbye before turning the other direction, it seemed his home truly was just a few blocks away.

"Thank you very much." I said shyly.

"No problem..."

"Can I ask what your name is...?"

Ever since I could remember I was always shy and timid but for some reason around him I became very open like a book. "I’m Morikawa Hina by the way..."

He smiled and replied: "Kurosawa Reiji..."

***

~Swwshh

After a while the water turned off. I stepped out with a towel wrapped around my body. The water still clinging to my skin.

The moment I stepped out I saw Rei’s hoodie I had carried. A small helpless smile formed on my lips.

I picked the hoodie up hugging it tightly. "I miss you so much..."

"Eww..."

I turned my head only to see Yuki standing at the door looking at me with a disgusted look. I knew she never really liked Rei, but hearing someone insult him felt strangely unbearable to me.

"Don’t say that..." I hugged the hoodie tighter. Maybe because she was my sister I didn’t act rashly just now.

Yuki just rolled her eyes at me or rather rolled her eyes at the person who couldn’t let go of Reiji. I knew that ever since I found out I loved Rei I couldn’t help but shut everything around me out.

I did feel bad for ignoring her all this time. Maybe I can use this time and make it up to her and also bring her to like Rei-kun.

"Onee-chan auntie said you should hurry up that you’re going to be late." Yuki paused for a second before adding. "It’s a dinner night so you should wear a nice dinner gown and not that idiot’s hoodie."

I wanted to refute but seeing that Yuki was in an evening dress proved she didn’t make it up just for me not to wear my beloved hoodie.

I gave a helpless sigh before going to my wardrobe but before I could open it I heard Yuki’s voice.

"Here... Auntie said I should give you this." Yuki said handing me a shopping bag and the brand was also a famous one.

A warm smile bloomed on my lips as I accepted the gift.

It wasn’t only Rei-kun, his entire family always treated me warmly like I already belonged with them.

Honestly, if not for this whole "men disappearing" problem, Rei and I probably would’ve gotten married already.

"Tell Mom thank you for me..."

***

YUKI’S POV

’I don’t know why but I can’t stand seeing my sis being so obsessed with that idiot.’ I thought to myself as I walked through the lavish hallway of the hotel heading downstairs.

The entire place looked ridiculously expensive. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling while soft music echoed quietly through the luxurious hall.

When I arrived downstairs, everyone was already gathered around the large dining table.

"Ara... Ara... Yuki-chan you look so beautiful." Auntie Kaori smiled elegantly while sipping wine.

A faint blush appeared on my cheeks, was I really looking that good?

"Hurry up and sit down!" Yuna waved excitedly.

The dinner went by surprisingly peacefully. Most of the conversation was between Mom and Auntie Kaori while the twins kept talking nonstop about random things.

Meanwhile Onee-chan kept secretly staring at her phone every few minutes like some lovesick idiot.

Seriously, was she really that addicted to him?

After dinner, Auntie suddenly clapped her hands together.

"Since we’re all together, let’s play a game."

"A game?!" The twins’ eyes instantly sparkled.

Before long, the hotel staff brought out several board games and card games.

The twins were ridiculously competitive.

"Cheater!"

"You cheated first!"

"I saw you move two spaces!"

"I did not!"

The two started fighting instantly while everyone laughed helplessly.

Even Onee-chan slowly started smiling more naturally after getting dragged into the games by the twins.

For a brief moment, she actually looked relaxed.

But every now and then...

Her eyes still drifted toward her phone.

"...Hopeless." I muttered under my breath.

Still, seeing her smile like that somehow didn’t feel too bad.

’When did it even start...?’

Then the buried memories from that day surfaced in my mind.

The racing tournament Mom came to cheer me on.

After I successfully won the competition, Mom and I were planning to celebrate with Onee-chan. But the storm came without warning.

Mom was so worried about Onee-chan and tried contacting her teacher, but the call didn’t go through. She tried contacting Dad too, but his number wasn’t going through either.

After the rain subsided, we managed to get a cab home.

Thankfully, Onee-chan was already in the house.

But soon word came that Dad had been hit by a truck. The rain made it hard for the driver to see and he ran a red light, crashing straight into Dad’s car.

We had to move away for a year to live with our grandparents, but after a while they died too.

Maybe because everyone kept leaving us, I just wanted to hold onto Onee-chan even tighter so she wouldn’t disappear too.

When we returned to Hoshito, we moved into a new apartment instead of our old one.

Then it happened.

Onee-chan, who had always been there for me and cared for me, slowly started to slip away.

I didn’t notice it at first until that baka came home and I saw the way Onee-chan cherished him...

It made me angry and at the same time jealous.

After a while I got to know his family and their two little sisters.

I had always resented him and wanted nothing to do with him.

But when I met Auntie Kaori and the twins, I strangely ended up liking them a lot.

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to accept him.

"I won!!!!" Yui’s excited scream cut through my thoughts, pulling me back to reality.

My gaze instinctively swept through the room landing on Hina who was busy staring at her screen!

This time the phone screen was on and she seemed to be looking at something or rather someone. And I wonder who that could be?

After the game ended the twins had already fallen asleep, mom and auntie was busy discussing something and onee-chan seemed to be in a hurry to go to her room.

Something smelt fishy.

’If this idiot is going to stare at his photo still she fall asleep andgrows more attached am going to be pissed.’

Then I suddenly got an idea. My lips curved up slightly. I stood up and whispered something to mom and auntie ad their eye’s sparkled with extreme joy.

Mom immediately dragged Hina to sit down and collectd her phone while a staff toon the twins to their room. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

We all kept our phone in a box and the game started. I couldn’t help but feel even more overjoyed, though the game was extremely embarrassing, it was fun seeing onee-chan not thinking about that baka for once.

***

"Achu! Achu! Achu!" Meanwhile Reiji laid on the bad looking completely drained, sneezing all day.

"How could I catch a cold? I thought my immune system was as strong as my body... Achu!"

—Well, it’s not a cold but Yuki thinking about you...