Ch.20 Our True Feelings (3/7)

As we stepped down the hall, not knowing where anything is, we cautiously wandered around. The hallway was spacious and full of trees, serene pictures, charms that represented peace, and other therapeutic amplifiers. The carpet was soft as our getas clicked about, giving the overall atmosphere a warming sensation. This was pure bliss in the simplest of terms…

"Oh! Madoka-san, Koda-san!"

Like a firework went off nearby, I shot up in surprise. My calm mood broke that instant. When we turned around Risa-san was innocently standing there with a bundle of towels folded in her hands.

"Oh, hello Ms. Saitou-san."

Hana bowed. This situation felt a tad strange with a guest holding towels like an employee. I was curious about what she was doing…With a stretch she lazily set the towels to the side and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Where are you two heading?"

"We're getting souvenirs for our friends, Saitou-san."

Hana-chan giddied with excitement as she held my hands tighter. Saitou-san rubbed her cheek and gave us a charming smile that only she could have. That beauty was unmatched for sure.

"You both are so nice to do that for your friends! It's on the first floor to the east of the steps. You can't miss it if you walk down the long hallway. There should be signs that direct you."

"Thanks, Saitou-san!"

Hana hopped with glee. Her feet started bouncing with vigor. No doubt, my little sister was roaring to go. But before that…I wanted to bite and so I bit on my question. She piqued my curiosity and it seemed she had no intention of telling us what she was doing so…

"What are you doing with all those towels, Saitou-san?"

I asked, pointing to the towels now on the floor. With vigor, she picked them back up and rubbed them next to her face as a kitten would do to a scratching pad.

"My sister needed extra towels. She said she's going to do a few tricks to purify our room before our stay. Hehe!"

My mind instantly went to a creepy image of Saitou Saya-san with her arms held up to the heavens, summoning a strange beast to rain down judgment on this mortal world. In that plum purple yukata of hers like an occult villain in a manga she'd dance around that room of theirs calling upon demons from the underworld. As fast as that came it instantly vanished as my spine shivered.

Needless to say...Saitou Saya-san is doing strange things again. Maybe it'll be best if I avoid her this trip for sure. I'll also have to make sure she doesn't catch Hana-chan in her clutches. The last thing I want is for her to become some kind of strange sacrifice by her already obscure occult-like practices!

"Onee-san…what kind of tricks is Saitou Saya-san doing in there?"

"Let's not worry about that, Hana-chan. We have gifts to get!"

"R-Right"

I wrapped my arms around her shoulder now. That way if any tiger wanted to steal my little sister, I'd defend her with my life! Well…maybe I was being a tad overdramatic but I certainly felt more protective of her today because of her yukata.

"Ahh, I wanna hold Madoka-san like that!"

Saitou-san wined loudly.

"Huh? N-No! She's my Onee-san Saitou-san!"

"That's not fair then. Why do you get special treatment, Koda-san?"

I took a deep sigh as I pulled Hana-chan along with a nudge of her shoulder.

"See you later, Saitou-san!"

"Madoka-san! Before you go!"

The ponytail on my cheek kicked off me as I spun around back towards the tigress.

"Let's relax in the onsen together! Just. The. Two. Of. Us!"

The heat in my body began to rise instantly. That teasing in front of Hana-chan could seriously get her in trouble but Saitou-san seemingly didn't care. Instead of acknowledging her further, I escaped with a wave of my hand. A sorry attempt to cool off my body.

As we journeyed down the hallway only then did I become aware of how we might look to others like this. I was holding Hana-chan with my arm around her. We must have appeared less like an adult guiding a child and…something on the lines of extremely close friends at the least...

Hana-chan not looking like my sister and all…this could be seriously misinterpreted as something more, couldn't it? Or was that just all in my head?

"Hey, Onee-san…"

"What is it Hana-chan?"

"…This is our family vacation…right?"

"Yes, I guess so."

"Meaning it's a vacation for the two of us, right?"

I didn't understand what she was getting at, so I played along and nodded.

"We had your birthday, and everyone had their time with you…s-so..."

She blushed slightly as she gripped my arm all the tighter.

"This is our family time...don't forget that, Onee-san."

It was mindblowing how cute and needy Hana-chan was acting today. I wondered what angel got into her that made her angelic to the point that I want to do nothing more than protect her?

"Of course, Hana-chan. I'm all yours this trip!"

The main lobby was full of customers. From older men to younger like teenagers, elderly to children. As to make sure nobody approached Hana-chan in her glamorous outfit I pulled her closer to me.

"O-Onee-san?"

"You're too cute looking right now! I don't want the guys to get you and try to court you!"

My protective sister's side was starting to bloom. At any minute someone could approach and take her away and I wasn't going to allow that to happen! Not as though that was the only reason. I wasn't good with guys and I knew it. So, hoping that our closeness would shy any suitor away from us I held her tight. Her shoulders were thin…as if that if I put too much pressure on them that she'd break into a million pieces.

So, I lessened my squeeze only to be brushed up against closer by Hana-chan. She nuzzled her head into my side. That aroma of sweet flowers trickled in my nose to the point that I could almost taste it...

"…It's you who the guys will take from me, Onee-san."

"What?"

I barely made out her words, but she silently repeated them to my surprise.

"I…don't want you being taken from me, Onee-san. I'm supposed to protect you, remember?"

She was super serious, and it made me blush. Why were Hana-chan's good points bursting out of her like crazy today? I could hear a group of boys across the way chatting to one another. But they began to drown out as I focused all my attention on her.

"Then we'll protect each other, okay Hana-chan?"

I declared, wrapping my arm tighter around her. No matter how you put it, Hana-chan didn't want to be whisked away by a suitor. I didn't want that to happen either. We wanted to embrace each other's company right now. Despite the crowd around us our world only encapsulated each other's tender embraces. A perfect world for us where only our touches mattered.

When we finally made it to the store Hana-chan pointed to an area with a bunch of snacks. They were the kind that you'd find only when traveling, perfect for gifts for when returning to Hiroshima.

"Sora-san loves snacks. I think that'll be the best treat for her."

She announced, putting her nose up like Koda Mari-san. Gosh…she was super adorable that way. And with the air of a princess, I couldn't imagine anything else but her getting her way. She could want to buy a million of these gifts and I'd sell my soul just to make this little noble girl happy.

"Ah, that's Danjiri Taiko Hana-chan. Is that what you want to get her?"

With a sharp nod, she decided.

"Yep, Sora-chan will love it!"

"You're such a good friend, Hana-chan."

She smiled brightly at me. I wanted to rub her puffy-looking cheeks, but I held my impulses back. We're in a crowded store and it would certainly be strange if I started patting this girl like a puppy. So, I decided to take a rain check and do it once we get back to our room.

"Are you going to get something for your friends, Onee-san?"

I pondered. If I got something for Mae-chan I would have to get something for Sophia-san and Mihara-san else I'd never hear the end of it. I can already imagine Mihara-san hovering over me like the ghost she is…ready to haunt me with guilt with her crimson eyes. Plus they all gave me something for my birthday and it'll be mean if I didn't repay them in some way…

"Sure, would you help me pick something out Hana-chan?"

She nodded…

"Oh…Onee-san…"

I turned back to her who seemed to be staring at other gifts across the way.

"…Could I help you pick something out for Mihara-san?"

"Hm?"

"You said you want me to get along with her…and I want to do my best to make Mihara-san…get to…know me better too."

Here Hana-chan was, doing her best to make me happy. She was a kind and conscious person. Even though she still doesn't know why Mihara-san dislikes her…she's going out of her way to do something to aid the tension. From the first day I met her she's always been this way, hasn't she?

"Sure Hana-chan."

I agreed as we searched about the souvenir shop together. After picking out the items we agreed upon we made our way out of the establishment. In hand all the gifts that Hana-chan and I had bought.

"I'm sure they'd love it, Hana-chan. Thanks for helping me."

"Sure thing, Onee-san. I mean…even Conway-san gave me that manga. It's the least I could do to show my appreciation of it…"

She scowled.

"But she's still a jerk…who is super good at games, Onee-san."

I giggled. Now with all of that covered, we could go on with other plans.

"Should we go see if mom and Mari-san are ready to hit up the onsen?"

"Yeah, let's go Onee-san!"

Hana-chan tattered forwards a bit. Her arms now empty, I made my way up to her and locked them with mine. She wasn't getting away that easy. Me being the older sister I have to protect her from anyone who'd want to take her away on my watch.

"Eh?! Oh…sorry for rushing off, Onee-san."

"No, it's fine."

I chuckled. This might seem obvious but today felt like Hana-chan had always been my little sister from the beginning. It would be hard to imagine her as anything less now. She slowly merged into my life before I knew it. As we walked back down the guest halls my smile began to wane thinking further into my previous thought. What if Hana-chan wasn't my little sister? Couldn't that…be possible if I mess everything up with my feelings for her mother?

"Onee-san…Onee-san!"

"Huh?"

I must have been spacing out for a moment because Hana-chan's expression was a tad worrisome and it made my heart sink.

"...I don't know....but it feels as though you're still not telling me everything Onee-san."

"Huh? W-What do you mean, Hana-chan?"

She slumped her shoulders as she shrugged.

"You told me about mom and mom hiding things from you…and I don't agree with their choices at all…but…"

That's when her soft hair hit against my side.

"I…want to be the one you don't keep secrets from. Maybe…even the closest person to you…because you're my Onee-san."

Now alone in the corridor, I faced her. I think her neediness from when we first entered here finally came to light.

"Hana-chan…"

"Even though we live in the same house Onee-san…I feel like you're struggling with things I can't help you with. I mean…I know about your coma and how hard it is to adjust to life still but…"

Now she began to tear up slightly to my surprise. This tiny girl in a beautiful yukata that amplified her splendor was shedding tears because of my selfishness…

"I just feel…something is wrong and you…can't tell me Madoka-san. But what would be so bad...that you can't rely on me?"

Hana-chan is one hundred percent right. Like when Sophia-san hit the nail on the head after dinner on my birthday, here was Hana-chan realizing something was amidst too. Maybe I haven't realized it until now but my friends and my family are watching me just as closely as I watch them. That means in order to protect them I have to stay diligent…

"There is something that's...difficult for me to talk about Hana-chan…it's not that I can't rely on you though..."

I sighed.

"Actually Hana-chan...you might be the only person I can rely on in our family."

I admitted.

"Onee-san?"

"So…once I come to terms with it…I'll be sure to tell you everything...promise?"

For a moment she gazed at me then like a soldier she sharply nodded as she wiped her cheeks.

"You will, Onee-san?"

With my fingers, I helped her finish off those salty tears staining her adorable cheeks. The last thing I want is my lovely sister to be worried about anything. This is her family trip and Hana-chan should be the happiest out of all of us.

"Yeah, because I love you Hana-chan…I'll tell you everything."

Her eyes went wide as she looked at me. It made me slightly flustered knowing that I just said something so outwardly embarrassing. I guess even I was changing slowly. Here I am, sounding like Hana-chan when I first met her. This small discussion only amplified my determination. I needed to keep pursuing what I don't know. That means…I'll need to find the time to chat with my mom soon. Only then will I start to piece together how I want to go forward with these feelings for Mari-san.

As we made our way back to our room a certain mysterious burgundy-haired teenager sat arms crossed outside of her room. It was just a few doors from ours.

"Ah, there you are Nakagawa-san."

"Oh, Saitou Saya-san."

Instantly that image of her cultish version came back to mind. I erased it because it was a tad rude of me to picture her like that. With a light smile, she tilted her head.

"Risa Onee-san wanted me to wait until you both returned. Now that you're back, we all can go to the onsen together. Onee-san said she was going to get both your moms so don't worry about that."

"Oh, then I'll put our stuff away before we go Onee-san. Give me a second Onee-san!"

With that, Hana-chan trumped over down the hallway. She opened our room door and with a huff, she disappeared inside.

"She's such a good little sister, Nakagawa-san."

"Yeah…she deserves everything…"

Mistakenly I might have sounded a tad melancholic. That's when Saitou Saya-san approached suddenly. She bowed deeply causing me to back up slightly. I wasn't prepared for this so it startled me a little seeing Saitou Saya-san suddenly become so humble.

"Hey, now that we have a bit of time alone…I need to apologize to you personally, Nakagawa-san…"

She sighed deeply.

"I…might have done something bad…"

"Apologize for what, Saitou Saya-san?"

"It's about my Onee-san...Risa-san...and her feelings towards you..."