After Luna went back home from Midori's place-
"So?~ How was your date with Luna?"
"I told you, it was not a date."
"Uh huh, so then why didn't you invite me, huh?"
"I just didn't want Luna to feel overwhelmed is all."
"Sure~"
All I planned to do was to text Nicole of how it went, but then she just called me out of the blue. She's always been like this though, saying stuff like "It's too much work texting~ Let's just call~"
"Anyways, how was it?"
"It was... good."
"Good? 'Just' good?"
"Mhmm..."
"Pfft, hahahaha! I can hear the kind of face you're making, hahaha. Do you actually like her or something?"
"No- well... I don't know."
"Eh? Seriously?"
To be honest, I'm not really sure myself. But if I'm going to tell anyone, then it has to be Nicole. She's more experienced than me with these matters, so maybe she could help me sort it out.
"Gimme the deets. When did this start?"
"Well..."
Wait... If I talk to her about Yume, wouldn't that hurt Nicole? Luna said that Yume isn't interested in Kai, but the same can't be said for Kai...
"...There's this girl that Luna's been hanging out with lately."
"Uh-huh?"
"And whenever she talks about her, I get this weird, tight sort of feeling in my chest."
Even as I bring this up, this weird, tight feeling in my chest only gets worse. Thankfully, holding onto the blanket that Luna gave me during the movies seems to be helping with this strange feeling...
"Mmm, that's what we call jealousy, madam."
"I know, but I don't know if that's because I 'like' Luna or not... Before, when she was all alone, I felt happy being able to be close to her. It felt nice to be relied on, and also to rely on her..."
"Hmmm."
"So then when this girl just comes in out of nowhere it's just..."
"So you're saying I'm okay? You know, being around Luna."
"Eh? Er, yeah..."
It's not like Luna actively tried to hang out with Nicole. Besides, Nicole has a boyfriend, and she's very loyal. Yume on the other hand... I don't even know her...
"Aaaaagh! I don't know~!"
"Pfft-ahahaha."
"Can you stop laughing at me for once?"
"Sorry, sorry~ Hmmm. So you just want to be Luna's number one?"
"...Yes."
I guess when she puts it like that, I guess that's what it is...
"I never pinned you as the possessive type, haha. And you two aren't even dating."
"You think I'm being possessive?!"
"Yup! Ah, but I guess I'm also like that with you, but the other way around. Like I don't see myself getting close with someone as much as you."
"Hehe, don't let Kai hear that."
"Nah~ Kai comes second after you."
"Pfft-hehehe."
Being able to talk like this with Nicole is helping more than I thought. It's like she's slowly breaking down my problem bit by bit. She knows full well how much I can overthink or look too deeply into things. So having her break it down slowly like this really helps a lot.
"So, you think what I feel is just friendship?"
"Yup! Unless you're actually into girls?"
"I'm... I'm not sure. I've never really thought about it."
"Pfft, you've never even thought about romance before, Midori."
"True..."
"Well, do you have the urge to kiss her?"
"Eh?!"
"Come on. I told you to give me the details~"
I'm instantly reminded of the time of our truth or dare session where I kissed Luna on the cheek. I know it wasn't what Nicole wanted out of her dare, but it wasn't like I was opposed to the idea of kissing Luna on the lips. We're both girls, so we could play it off. The only reason why I didn't was 'cause of Luna's feelings herself. But was that 'really' the only reason?
Thinking about it now, I feel like maybe I'm more on the side of actually doing it rather than not, but that's only 'cause of the dare. If we're talking casually like when Luna was here... Did I want to kiss her?
"...I'm not sure."
"Oh come on~!"
"Really! I'm not sure!"
"Hahh, fine~"
"Anyways, it's getting late. We'll talk again tomorrow."
"Okay. Have a good night!"
"You too."
Ending the call, I stare up into the ceiling while laying down in my bed whilst still clutching onto Luna's blanket as I think about what Nicole and I had discussed. Do I want to kiss her? I guess to put it simply, I guess not, but it's not like I'm disgusted about the thought. I guess my biggest concern is that girl, Yume. But is it because she might be a love rival against me? Or is it that I'm just afraid of her taking my place at Luna's side? The latter seems more likely from what I feel.
What about Nicole though? I've kissed Nicole on numerous occasions on the cheek, but never have I thought about kissing her on the lips, and actually even now, I feel like I'd rather not kiss her on the lips unlike Luna, but that could be simply 'cause Nicole already has a boyfriend.
"Haaah!~ I don't know..."
I guess I'll just sleep on it... Ah~ But this blanket sure feels nice...
"...Hehe-"
The following morning, after one scary night-
The events of last night plays back in my mind as I wake myself up from my dream, still laying down on my "bed." Those guys... They were probably out to rob anyone at that time, but my mind can't help but be stuck on when that man's buddy pointed out my hair clip. That's the only thing that was in my hair so it couldn't have been anything else. Moreover, they got a lot more aggressive after the fact. What could that-
"-Hey."
Huh? Who's that-
"Get up."
Feeling a slight kick on my leg, I'm jolted up from my sleep as I'm immediately hit with the pain radiating from my right shoulder. It doesn't look like any blood seeped through into my shirt, but I probably should swap out the bandage.
"Are you listening to me? You're suppose to take out the garbage, not leave it here."
I follow his pointed finger to the trash bags I had filled last night.
"I didn't know where to put them."
"Outside! In the dumpster!"
He says that, yet it was too dark to even make it out. But I won't argue with him...
Biting through the pain in my knees and shoulder, I stand up from my "bed" and move over to the trash bags, taking them into my hands. The pain in my right arm quickly spikes as my face scrunches up a bit as I try to fight through it.
"Good. After you do that, we'll go for some food."
We? So then he wasn't lying about getting me something to eat? Just that thought alone made my stomach churn in pain as well at finally being able to get some food inside me.
"Hurry up. And don't forget to wash up and get changed. I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."
Huh? What is he talking about? Get "what" over with?
Another's perspective-
With the end of year exams having fallen upon us, it's usually a tense time for everyone in class, but for me, I don't feel anxious one bit. Although I guess I do feel a bit of incentive to try and push for a few perfect scores in hopes to impress Midori. She got me a bit pumped up when she claimed she could best me, so I need to show her just how good I am.
"Alright, that's time! Please hand the papers to the front."
With the first test over, I hand my papers to Midori who sat in front of me. She takes my papers with a smile before facing the front, passing my paper along with hers to the next person.
Sadly, I don't think I got a perfect score on this test. There's was only one question that I had a bit of issue with. There's still a chance though that I got it right, but I'll try and make sure that I'll ace the next test.
"How'd you think you do?"
Shin ends up whispering to me from the desk next to me.
"The same. You?"
"In other words, aced? Haha. Well... I'd say I passed at least."
"Pfft. You know you should be paying more attention in class. Might come back to bite you."
"Hah. I think I'll be fine. I'm more into sports anyways."
It's true that Shin is more of the sporty type, but I wouldn't pin my future on it. Oh well. It's his life, and I've given him many warnings already.
"I think he'll be fine, Luna."
"Hmm?"
Just then, Zhen, the transfer student, speaks up past Shin.
"Shin and I had a little study session over the weekend."
"Hnnng. And I thought we were going to play games. And don't tell her about that!"
So Zhen made sure that Shin studied over the weekend? I guess that saves me the trouble of trying to help. But why did Shin want to keep that a secret?
"Pfft, hehehe. Luna and I also had a study session on the weekend."
"Oh? Really?"
"Mhmm! Ah, well. It was more so Luna teaching me though."
"You could've invited us as well!"
"Yeah."
"Hehe. Then maybe before the next exams."
That'll have to be during our final year of high school... It's weird looking at it now. Before, I would sometimes get anxious about it, having only one more year left before setting off to find my sister. But now with her being so close, I feel like a lot of that weight has been lifted. I know where I'll be going, I know where to start, and that new revelation helps put me at ease.
After a short break, we begin our second round of tests as the classroom quickly fell into silence. The only sound being the pencils scratching away at all the papers. I guess this time they've given us math for our second one? Looking over the papers, I don't seem to find any problem question, so I feel confident that I can ace this one. That said, after I finish writing all of my answers, I double check a few of the longer questions to make sure I didn't miss anything. And sure enough, I did make a little slip up.
I end up fixing my error, and after another ten minutes had passed, we were once again asked to hand in our papers the same way as before. I watch as Midori stretches her arms up into the air as I end up doing the same by stretching my legs out from under my desk. Usually we'd have PE right about now so my legs feel a bit weird having not done it's expected exercise. I'll just do some running after school ends, or maybe even after the next test since it'll be lunch break.
"Hahh~ Hehe. I think I did pretty good, Luna."
Midori looks back behind her seat after giving our papers to the guy in front of her.
"You think you aced it?"
"Mmmm. I hope so? I blanked out on a couple questions so I had to guess."
"Well we'll know by Friday! Midori~ Let's compare our papers again."
The girl who sat next to Midori enters the conversation. If I recall she's one of her friends that sometimes sits with us during PE. I don't really know her that well though.
"Sure!"
"Hehe. Ah, Luna. If it's okay, I'd also like to compare with yours."
So she wants to also compare with mine? I've never really been asked that before from anyone.
"Okay."
But I give her a smile with my response, which seemed to have calmed down her nerves somewhat. I guess some people in the class still think I'm this so called "ice queen." Looking back on it though, I guess I was when compared to how I am now. But that's definitely 'cause of Midori's influence. Like even now, I'm also curious about how the others did, including the girl I just talked to.
The final exam of the day comes and goes, and with it came a loud sigh from everyone in the class. During exams, we're allowed to go home after lunch instead of taking more classes, just like last year. Some students skip out on lunch and go straight home during lunch break, which was something I did do before. However now, I find myself in the cafeteria with everyone else.
"Mm! So how'd you do, Nicole?"
"Hmmm~ I'd say I did okay. Hehe, I bet Shin flunked again?"
"Heh. You'd think so, but I think you'd be surprised!"
"What?"
"Just check the notice board on Friday."
Like what Shin said, our final scores are displayed on the notice board, but only the top 25 in each year group. I don't think I recall Shin's name ever being on that board, but I guess in his defense, I've never really bothered to check it all that much during the previous exams.
"Then what about our 'cool' beauty?"
"Huh?"
Nicole turns her attention to me as she said that. Cool beauty?
"Well Midori hates me saying your other nickname, so I thought I'd try to spread this one around instead, hehe."
So she's spreading yet another nickname? I don't think this one is any better, but do I seriously need such a nickname? Can't people just call me by my name instead?
"Jeez~ Do you really need to give Luna a nickname?"
Seems like Midori thinks the same way.
"Well for the entirety of high school, she's always been referred to 'that' nickname, so it'd be hard to just get everyone to completely back peddle, right? Think of this like a transitional nickname!"
"Pfft."
Hearing Nicole's explanation gets a chuckle out of me as we eat our food. A "transitional" nickname? Sounds ridiculous.
"See? Luna seems fine with it."
"Mmmm. Fine."
"I still think her previous nickname was better though."
But it seems like Kai, Nicole's boyfriend, seems to think otherwise. But the moment after he said that, Nicole elbows him in the side. Nicole sure can be aggressive at times, mainly towards Kai... I get it that she does it as a means to show her affection, but now I wonder if that could be a reason as to why Kai is trying to get with Yume behind Nicole's back...
"What?"
"That nickname has a negative stigma to it. So your opinion is invalid."
"Tch. Fine~"
"Uhm. Was it really that bad?"
Zhen now joins the conversation. I guess he hasn't been around here as long as the others so he wouldn't know about my "reputation."
"Oh yeah. Luna was seen as an untouchable being. Too perfect for anyone to talk to-"
Nicole ends up explaining it to Zhen, but I can't help but feel a bit embarrassed about being called "perfect." I'm definitely not... Someone like Midori would be more closer to perfect than someone like me.
"But I guess that didn't stop all those love letters, haha. Do you still get them by the way?"
She turns her attention back to me as the others also do the same.
"Not really. It's exam week after all."
After exams however is another story. Last year I remember getting a bunch just before winter break. It's probably 'cause of Christmas as it's famous for couples to spend time with each other. I however find it as quite a depressing time as all I can think of is my sister. I just hope this Christmas, and through our birthday that I can spend that time with Reina again...
"Mi-do-ri~"
Suddenly, another student comes by our table. Turning my head to face her, I notice her right away. I don't know her name, but she is our current president of the student council.
"Hmm? Ah~ Hey, hehe."
"Sorry to bother you, but did you finish writing your speech?"
Speech? What?
"Mhmm! I got it the draft done a couple weeks back."
"Great! I'll be looking forward to it. Ah- sorry everyone. Good luck on your exams!~"
With those parting words, the student council president walks off, leaving just as fast as she came. But now I'm far too curious what that was all about.
"Speech?"
So I ask.
"Ah~ It's just my opening speech for next year's student council president elections."
"You're running for presidency?"
"Mhmm! My father wants me to have the best chances after high school, so I figured I'd give it a go."
Is that why Midori wanted a bit of help with studying yesterday? I didn't know that Midori had other things going on. Pretty-
"Impressive, huh?"
Nicole steals the words from my thought as she wraps her arm around Midori, looking like a proud mother.
"Nn. I don't think I could do something like that."
"Really? I think you'd make a great student council president though."
Just like always, Midori tries to brighten up the air, or in this case; me. But I'm not really upset about it. I've never given the student council a thought until now.
"Thanks, but I'm not all that interested anyways."
"Hmmm. What about vice-president?"
Nicole however, adds more fuel to the conversation, almost like she's trying to push me to join the student council.
"If Midori wins, then you could run with her."
I guess I'll play along.
"What about you, Nicole? You seem quite interested."
"Me? Hah! I'd like to keep my free time."
"Don't worry about it, Luna. You don't need to run with me."
"...I'll think about it."
"Eh?"
Giving it some thought, it might actually be beneficial to me. Money is hardly an issue anymore, so if I could get into the student council, there might be more possibilities of finding my sister. Like maybe the student council has connections to Reina's school? I have no idea how it all works, but it could be worth thinking about during these exams.