“It’s about time,” said Ruri, the moment Ryu’s body shifted in his bed.

“Why are you here?” said Ryu, as he removed his headset and sat up.

He wasn’t all that surprised. Ruri had always had a thing for showing up without any notice. This time she was in his seat, legs crossed, and staring at him.

“Did you come home and login straight away? Don’t you have homework?” said Ruri.

Ryu ignored Ruri’s question and got off his bed, stretching his back afterwards. How long had he been online?

“How long have you been staring at me?” said Ryu.

“I’m not staring at you! It’s just Mum said she’ll be home late so we have to make dinner.”

“And staring at me was going to…?” Ryu waved his hands around, prompting Ruri for an answer, until he noticed her eyes look away. “Wait... could it be? Do you want me to cook?!”

The two siblings glared at one another until eventually someone gave way. That “someone” depended on which side it viewed from, as they both turned away at the same time.

“You’ve been acting differently,” said Ruri.

“Really?” said Ryu, facing his sister once again. “How so?”

Ruri didn’t look back, preferring to continue looking out Ryu’s window. The view wasn’t anything special, what with it being blocked off by the building next door, so Ryu figured it was a case of her not wanting to look at him.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“I don’t know,” said Ruri.

Ryu wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but the very fact Ruri hadn’t gotten up and left was evidence that she had more on her mind.

“Then how can you say I’m acting differently?”

Ruri spun around on Ryu’s chair and looked at his desk. His monitor was black, off to be precise, so there was nothing to see. She had her back to him so he couldn’t tell exactly what she looking at, but he could see her head moving back and forth, as if she was looking for something.

Her head stopped when she found it, and, without any hesitation, she reached out and grabbed it. A second passed before Ruri spun around and leaned forward, Ryu’s phone held firmly in her hands.

“Who’s Shizuka?!”

Ryu opened his mouth but stopped before he spoke. Who was Shizuka? A friend? Kouhai? Girl he’d met on the street?

“She’s-”

“So it is a girl…” said Ruri, glancing at Ryu’s phone. “Have you- have you, you know…”

Ryu raised an eyebrow.

“What? That’s none of your business. Why would I tell you?” said Ryu.

Ruri’s shoulders rose up and down as her breathing sped up.

“So she’s your-”

“She’s just a girl I helped, okay?”

Ryu got up and grabbed his phone, but Ruri’s grip was tighter than he expected. Her head tipped upward and her eyes rose towards his, looking him in the eye.

“Give it to me,” said Ryu, pulling on his phone.

“Or?” said Ruri, leaning forward and pulling back.

Ryu’s eyes jumped to Ruri’s lips before he backed away.

“Whatever,” said Ryu, letting go and leaving his room.

Ryu headed for the kitchen and glanced inside the fridge, sighing when he spotted how bare it was. There wasn’t a whole lot, but he could make do. Dot found a combination and Ryu set himself in motion. He found it relaxing not having to think, just act, as he followed Dot’s instructions.

“If only everything were so easy…” mumbled Ryu.