Reiki took big bites of the two slices of pizza he made into a sandwich with the toppings in between. Ketsueki threw all the boxes of pizza she was holding with her right hand as Sachi easily caught all of them mid-air. Ketsueki slightly turned her head sideways and said. “Place those on the dining table for me.” Namida finished off the pizza in her hand as she opened the top box, she said. “Consider it done.” The two of them made their way to the living room leaving the two of them alone.
Reiki was holding onto two pieces of crust Ketsueki placed a hand on her hip and thought. Now… How do I approach this? She watched her little brother finish off the crust he was holding, Ketsueki said. “How many did they give you?” Reiki gulped down a mouthful of food and said, “They gave me a hundred of the boxes and fifty of the dark chocolate block you took from me.” Ketsueki stared at him with wide eyes as she spoke to herself, she said. “You only gave me five.” Reiki had some breadcrumbs on the corner of his mouth as he pointed in the direction of the dining table.
He said. “I didn’t want to let your friends more how-” From the corner of his eyes, Sachi and Namdia were giving him a hungry gaze which made him physically flinch. Ketsueki quickly turned her upper body around as she glared at her friends and said. “Hey! You two! Living room!” The two girls dashed to the living room as the sound of Shiro’s confused voice followed, she said. “Namida-nee, Sachi-nee. What’s wrong?” The two of them heard Sachi’s voice, she said. “Shiro, can you get Reiki for me? I need to have a small talk with him for a minute.”
It was followed by Namida who spoke with a hint of haste in her tone, she said. “I just remembered that your little brother and I have something to talk about the gift we’ve been thinking.” Reiki pointed in the direction of the living room as he looked up at his older sister and said. “Shouldn’t you stop them?” Ketsueki shook her head sideways as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, she said. “It’s fine, they won’t get a single thing from me-. I mean you, you.” She let out a nervous laugh and stole a few glances at him.
Ketsueki's expression suddenly turned serious, she continued. “So, when am I going to get the rest?” Reiki stared at his older sister and said. “That depends if I need to bribe you again.” Ketsueki played with her fingers as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye, she said. “Do you know when would that be?” Reiki shook his head sideways and said. “That or I need an easy out from your anger.” He grabbed his older sister's hand, Reiki continued. “Let’s go to the living room before your friends do something drastic.”
The two of them made their way to the living room and saw Namida and Sachi sitting on the couch while Mio, Yuki, and Shiro stood behind the couch. Ketseuki glared at her friends and said. “Why are you two sitting on the couch?” Yuki waved the pizza she was holding, she said. “Aneki, it’s fine. I’m sorry to dine and dash but I didn’t tell my parents I dropped by a friend's place today.” Mio was holding onto a half-eaten eclair as she nodded in agreement and said. “She’s right, Ketsueki-nee. We’ve imposed on you enough and we don’t want our parents to worry.”
Ketsueki nodded at them in understanding, she said. “In that case.” She moved her gaze onto her little sister as she glanced at Shiro’s pudgy belly and continued. “... Shiro, show them the door…” Yuki saw Reiki staring at her friend's stomach and said. “Reiki, what are you going to make for Shiro’s dinner?” Reiki poked his little sister's bloated stomach a couple of times which made her puff her cheeks at him, he said. “Veggie sticks, mainly carrots, cucumber, and thin strips of bell pepper. Along with some peanut sauce.”
Yuki imagined the meal in her head and said. “That actually sounds good.” She took a bite of the pizza in her hands while Mio slightly mushed the eclair in her hands as she watched the whipped cream slightly ooze out of it. Mio said. “Considering how visible her stomach has grown, I’m surprised she gets to eat anything for dinner.” Shiro puffed her cheeks even bigger as she grabbed one of each of her friends' arms and dragged them to the front door. Yuki gave everyone a big smile as she used the hand that was holding onto a pizza slice to wave at them.
She said. “Aneki, Namida aneki, Sachi anekie. See you next time.” Mio turned her head sideways as she gave them a polite nod and said. “Sachi-nee, Namida-nee, Ketsueki-nee. Thank you for the elven chocolate.” Shiro dragged her friends to the front door while Reiki made his way to the dining table with the tall stack of pizza boxes on it. Ketsueki was about to take a step toward the dining table as Sachi and Namida placed a hand on their friends' shoulders. Namida said. “Ketsueki, you owe me a few favors.” It was followed by Sachi, she said. “We still haven’t discussed you using my expensive shampoo.”
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Outside The House
Shiro was leaning on the door while Mio stood beside her as they watched Yuki doing some stretches. Shiro let out a small yawn as she covered her mouth with her hand, she said. “Take care on your way back home.” Yuki let out a chuckle and said. “I’m pretty sure Mio is going to have her ride pick her up.” Mio was holding onto a half-eaten eclair with her right hand while she was holding onto a slice of pizza with her left, she pretended to take a bite out of the pizza which made her friend panic.
Yuki stopped stretching as she dashed toward Mio and spoke in a slightly panicked tone. Yuki said. “It was a joke! A joke!” She swiped the slice of pizza from her friend's hand and quickly took a big bite out of it. Mio and Shiro let out a laugh while Yuki enjoyed her pizza. Shiro smiled at her friends and said. “Just make sure to look at both sides of a street before you decided to sprint.” Yuki nodded at Shiro while chewing.
Mio finished off the eclair she was holding as she took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her mouth clean. Shiro moved her gaze onto her and said. “What about you, Mio? Did you already call your driver to pick you up?” Mio gave her a nod as she pointed at the street in front of the house, she said. “The car is already here.” A black vehicle slowly came to a halt in front of Ketsueki’s house, Yuki pointed at the car using the crust in her hand, she said. “It’s always scary how fast your ride picks you up.”
She quickly ate the crust in her hand as Mio waved at Shiro and said. “See you at school tomorrow.” Shiro waved back at her friend, she said. “Hopefully the teachers will still be busy with preparations for the tournament.” Yuki wiped her mouth using the back of her mouth and said. “You and me both Shiro.” Shiro smiled at Yuki as she waved at her and said. “Don’t run too fast.” The corner of Yuki’s mouth curled into a slight smile, she said. “At physical education or when I’m going back home?”
Shiro watched her friends make their way to the street while a man wearing a black suit opened the driver's seat and quickly opened the door for Mio. Yuki let out a short laugh and said. “Ojou-sama your carriage is prepared for you.” Mio placed one foot inside the car as she glanced at her friend from the corner of her eye, she said. “I hope you trip while running back home.” Yuki rolled her eyes and said. “I’m not Shiro.” Shiro who was leaning on the door shouted so her friends could hear her, she said. “I heard that!”
Yuki and Mio let out a laugh as Mio sat inside the car while the man held the door open for her. Mio said. “Be careful on your run, Yuki.” Yuki lazily waved her hand at her friend and said. “It’ll be fine, I do it all the time. Later.” She ran down the street leaving as the man closed the door he was holding and made his way to the driver's seat again. Shiro watched the black vehicle go down the street as the car took a right, she gave her pudgy stomach a couple of soft pats and said. “I wonder if I can convince Onee-chan to give me a piece of elven chocolate.”
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In The Living Room
Reiki was sitting on a chair by the dining table as he already emptied five boxes of pizza. He pretended to not hear anything from the three girls who were sitting on the couch as he opened another box of pizza and started devouring it. Namida placed an arm around Ketsueki's shoulder and said. “If I remember correctly, you owe me for leaving me alone with the captain because you didn’t want to deal with her.” Sachi used her thumb and index finger to grab a small amount of Ketsueki’s hair.
While pretending to look for split ends, Sachi said. “You nearly emptied my good bottle of shampoo.” Ketsueki moved her friend's arm away from her shoulder, she said. “You were just mad I left you alone with the commander.” She swatted Sachi’s hand that was pinching some of her hair, Ketsueki pointed at Sachi and said. “It’s just shampoo, how expensive could it be?” Sachi had a straight face as her lips curved into a slight smile, she said. “Eighteen thousand.” Ketsueki’s eyes had disbelief all over them while Namida gave her friend a side-eye stare.
Ketsueki said. “I’m guessing they add gold shavings to the bottle to increase the price.” Sachi tapped her friend's shoulder a couple of times, she said. “I’ll call it even if you give me another five boxes.” Namida leaned closer to Ketsueki as she spoke in a slightly hushed tone and said. “I’ll settle for four boxes.” Sachi rolled her eyes at her friend as she spoke with a hint of sarcasm in her tone, she said. “Of course, you’d settle for less since all you did was put up with leader.”
Namida’s eyes narrowed as she glared at her friend and said. “I don’t like the way you said that.” Reiki finished another box of pizza as he placed it along with the other empty ones on the dining table. He pretended not to hear the soft sound of sneaking that was slowly getting closer to him, Shiro was standing beside her older brother who opened another box of pizza. Shiro had some drool from the corner of her mouth as she watched her older brother inhale half the pizza, she poked her older brother’s arm and said. “Onii-chan, can you give me a slice?”
Reiki felt the glare he was receiving from his older sister who was sitting on the couch as he wiped some tomato sauce and some grease on his mouth. Reiki said. “Shiro, I don’t think an earful from Onee-chan in exchange for a slice is a smart decision.” The corner of Sachi’s lips curled into a slight smirk, she said. “Not my fault if you interpret my words in a different light.” Ketsueki let out a chuckle as she quickly placed a hand over her mouth to stop herself. Namida’s pupils faintly glowed as she glared at her friend and said. “I’m sorry, can you repeat yourself one more time?”
Shiro placed both her hands on her bloated stomach as she stared at it, she said. “Maybe I should walk around the house for a few minutes.” Reiki made a sandwich using two slices of pizza with the toppings in the middle, he said. “I agree, and maybe if you walk the house enough Onee-chan might give you a piece of elven chocolate for dessert.” Shiro’s eyes sparkled as she placed her hands on her hips, she spoke with a hint of determination in her voice and said. “Then I need to get started.”
Shiro started walking toward the staircase as Namida, Ketsueki, and Sachi pretended to get along as they had smiles on their faces. Ketsueki said. “What I was saying, I wouldn’t mind having a coffee maker in the break room.” Shiro slowly trotted her way up the stairs as the three of them listened to the sound of her footsteps getting farther away. Reiki finished another box and placed it with the other empty ones, he thought. Three, two, one. Namida pointed at Sachi and said. “I don’t need to hear that from someone who needs to work a night job!”
Sachi’s entire body slightly jolted while Ketsueki burst into uncontrolled laughter as she repeatedly slapped the couch while holding her stomach with her left hand. Sachi moved her gaze onto Ketsueki who couldn’t stop her laughter as she gave her a questioning gaze to which her friend responded by shaking her head sideways. Reiki thought. I never expected Namida to be the innocent one of the group. He devoured a slice of pizza while Ketsueki’s laughter slowly died down as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, she said. “That was a good laugh.”
She fanned herself using her hand while Sachi spoke through gritted teeth, she said. “I don’t get why having to work on the side for some extra cash is such a big deal?” Ketsueki’s lips curled into a big smile while Namida’s brows furrowed in confusion. Namdia said. “We make-.” Ketsueki placed a hand over her mouth as she gave her friend a glare and glanced at Reiki who already ate half of the pizza boxes. Sachi took a deep breath as she let out a stressed sigh, she said. “I know, but you have met my parents.”
Namida and Ketsueki thought of a mental image of their friends' parents. They had a hint of pity on their expressions, Namida said. “How pitiful, having leeches like those for a family.” Ketsueki pat Sachi’s arm in comfort and said. “Don’t worry, once you finish your preparations you can finally leave them alone.” Sachi massaged the temples of her head, she said. “Can we talk about something else?” All of their expression suddenly turned cheerful as the sound of footsteps got closer that came from the staircase Shiro managed to reach the bottom. Shiro’s breathing was slightly haggard as she wiped some sweat from her forehead.
Sachi reached her hand out and picked up one of the last few pieces of eclair on the coffee table, she said. “I wouldn’t mind having a tub in the bathroom.” Shiro slowly made her way to the dining table where her older brother was while Namida had a pondering expression on her face and said. “I think a fridge would be more reasonable.” Sachi and Ketsueki gave her weird looks while Namida was reaching for one of the last few pieces of millionaire shortbread on the coffee table. Namida noticed the odd looks her friends were giving her and said. “What?”
Shiro managed to reach the dining table as Reiki finished another box of pizza and placed the empty box along with the other empty ones. Reiki wiped the grease off his mouth, he gave his little a smile and said. “Good work.” Shiro leaned on the chair her older brother was sitting on as she face-planted on Reiki’s thigh while he placed another box in front of him and opened it. Reiki said. “Shiro, change into a different set of clothes. You don’t want to get sick.” Shiro grabbed her older brother's arm as she used it to help herself stand up.
Ketsueki’s gaze slightly narrowed as she stared at her friend, she said. “At times like this, I wonder how your thought process works.” Namida used the shortbread she was holding to point at her and said. “I can easily say the same thing to you when it comes to.” She pointed at Reiki who was devouring a slice of pizza as she used the shortbread to point at him. Ketsueki let out a scoff as she elbowed Sachi’s arm and said. “Can you believe this guy?” Shiro took a deep breath as she grabbed the green tunic her older brother was wearing.
Sachi was chewing while holding onto an eclair that had a bite taken out of it, she said. “Yes, I can believe what this guy just said.” Shiro stared at the tunic as she let go and used the short sleeves of her t-shirt to wipe off the sweat on her face, she said. “Yes, Onii-chan.” She trotted her way to the staircase while Ketsueki had a look of disbelief on her face before her expression turned back to normal. Ketsueki said. “Why bother drawing the truth as a lie.”
She turned her head sideways to watch her little brother finish another box of pizza, Ketsueki thought. Those were whole sausage, stuffed crust, and extra cheese… How big is his appetite now… No, did it get bigger? Sachi was listening to Shiro’s footsteps that were slowly getting farther away, Sachi said. “So about our little shampoo problem?” Namida waved her hand at her friend and said. “I think the more important matter is her ditching me alone with the captain.” Ketsueki waved her hand as an eclair flew into her palm as she took a bite out of it.
Reiki picked up a slice of pizza as he stood up from the chair and made his way to the couch. Sachi rolled her eyes at her friend and said. “We leave you with the leader all the time.” Namida who was about to take a bite of the shortbread in her hands stopped, she said. “Wait, what?” Reiki stood by the side of the couch as he took a bite of the pizza in his hand. Ketsueki wiped some whipped cream on the corner of her lip, she said. “Reiki, what’s wrong?”
He gulped down a mouthful of food and said. “Onee-chan, I was wondering how you managed to bring back this many boxes of pizza so quickly.” Ketsueki saw some cheese on the corner of her little brother’s mouth as she used her thumb to wipe it off, she said. “Oh, I have a friend who works there and asked for a favor.” She licked the cheese off her thumb while Sachi shook her head sideways while pointing at Ketsueki using the half-eaten eclair in her hand. Namida let out a soft mocking chuckle as Ketsueki glared at her friends from the corner of her eye as the two of them turned their heads to avoid her gaze.
Reiki had an odd look on his face, he said. “And they just had these lying around.” Ketsueki waved the eclair she was holding around and said. “I mean, she might have pushed back a few orders from other customers.” She had a small smile on her face as Reiki stared at his older sister and said. “Yeah, that’s the only way I can see you bringing this amount of food in a short period of time. He took a bite of the pizza in his hands.
Sachi placed her arm on the backrest of the couch as she ruffled Reiki’s hair which was styled straight. Sachi said. “Reiki, Namida may have eavesdropped on your conversation with your older sister.” Namida’s eyes widened as she elbowed her into the ribs which Sachi caught without even glancing in her direction. Sachi ignored Ketsueki's glare as she continued. “Is it true you have a few extra boxes of chocolate lying around?” She gave him a smile while Reiki finished off the pizza he was holding, Sachi continued. “Do you mind giving me a few more to your sister’s best friend?”
Namida let out a laugh as she slapped Sachi’s shoulder and said. “You are not Ketsueki’s best friend.” She gave Reiki a meaningful smile as she pointed at herself using the shortbread in her hands. Ketsueki shook her head sideways in disapproval while Reiki wiped his mouth using the back of his hand, he said. “If you two stop being desperate I’ll give you both another five boxes.” Sachi raised the half-eaten eclair into the air in victory, she said. “You're my favorite little brother!” Ketsueki’s eyes widened as she moved her gaze onto him and said. “Reiki?!” Namida placed her arm around Ketsueki's shoulders as she interrupted her, Namida said. “You need to learn to respect a man when he makes a decision.”