Chapter Sixteen: The Big Sister Has Had Enough

With a click, Chitose heard the front door open. "Oh, Chi, you're back already? I would've thought you'd be gone… longer…" As she walked to the entryway to greet her little sister, Chitose saw Chiyo standing there, her eyes red and looking a bit puffy. Noticing her big sister, Chiyo looked at her.

"I guess..." she said, putting on a very fragile smile. "Mi-chan… really does hate me, after all." "Chi…" Chitose said, at a loss for words. "I think I'll just like, stay in my room for today, 'kay?" Chiyo said, going to walk past Chitose. Instead of getting by though, Chitose grabbed Chiyo's wrist and pulled her into her arms. "Big sis?" Chiyo let out. It wasn't necessarily unusual for them to hug each other, but this time was so sudden that it caught Chiyo off-guard.

"...Just tell me what I can do for you," Chitose said softly. "Want me to beat her up?" "No, of course not…" Chiyo said in just as soft a tone, her voice getting muffled by Chitose's shoulder. "I'm… pretty sure it's over anyways…"

Chitose pulled away just enough so she could see Chiyo's face. It was an incredibly sad expression for a face usually so happy. It was an expression that hurt Chitose's heart. "Are you really gonna give up?" she asked. Chiyo shrugged lightly. "What else can I do? You should've seen her sis… The way Mi-chan was screaming at me… it kinda felt like something else was botherin' her, but it also really felt like she totally meant what she said."

No matter how much a person loves someone, there's a limit to how far that can carry them. For Chiyo, who loved Michi more than almost anyone, she had always been able to fall back on her feelings whenever Michi reacted poorly toward her. But, now that those feelings were more or less in the very center of their current conflict, Chiyo was left with nothing except heartbreak.

Was her heart truly broken? It was hard to say. Most likely, Chiyo could recover with some time and a conversation with Michi that didn't devolve into yelling. Though, with the amount of damage caused, there was certainly doubt. Could Chiyo still say she loved Michi? Could she really act like Michi hadn't said what she said? Or, did she have to accept that she was actually hated now?

"Hey, why don't I make ya somethin' tonight?" Chitose suggested. "I'll make your favorite." "Thanks, but I'm not really hungry…" Chiyo said quietly, looking down at the floor. Her entire store of energy was drained. What reason was there to be so excited and happy without someone to share it with?

Before, Chiyo had spent a lot of time with different guys in an effort to fill the void of loneliness. It worked, to a degree, but Chiyo was always aware that it wasn't enough. Regardless, she tried her best to use that as fuel, along with spending time with Haruna and Jasmine. Yet it was always obvious she needed something more.

When Chiyo found Michi, it was like everything she wanted had appeared before her. Here was someone who was loyal to a fault. Here was someone who would never lie to her. Here was someone who she could trust with even her closest secrets and inner-most thoughts. That was the girl Chiyo saw as soon as she started to get to know Michi, and it was all of those qualities that she fell in love with.

Now, it wasn't as if Chiyo didn't see the negative. She saw Michi's stubbornness and rude remarks, but Chiyo simply chose to believe in the better parts of the girl. She knew that Michi was actually kind, that she cared a lot about the people close to her. If she didn't, then she'd have no reason to get so mad about people "betraying her" or "leaving her behind."

Unfortunately, no matter how much Chiyo wanted to believe in Michi, there was always that one major underlying issue, and it was one that was currently rearing its head. With the news of Haruna and Kanako's relationship, mixed with the levels of intimacy Chiyo had been pushing, Michi just couldn't take it anymore. To Chiyo, it seemed like the girl had been pushed too far, resulting in cataclysmic reactions. Creating distance, and now going as far as to hate Chiyo, were both a part of that.

With Michi digging at the core of Chiyo's heart, how could the gal hope to recover? Some time? Just how much time would it actually take? A decent conversation with Michi? How was that supposed to happen when the girl went as far as kicking Chiyo out of her apartment?

So many doubts swirled in Chiyo's head, and they continued to do so as she fell down onto her bed. She had walked away wordlessly from her sister, though Chitose hadn't tried to stop her either. "I'm kinda happy about that," Chiyo thought. "Usually, I'd wanna talk it all out with her, but right now… I really just wanna be alone…"

And alone she was. In the mess of her room, Chiyo laid still on her stomach, her head and face pointed at the wall. For a while, she didn't really think about much of anything. Then, finally, a question came to mind. "What is love anyways?" This wasn't so much an existential question or a revelation to Chiyo as much as it was a basic wondering formed from her doubt.

For most of her life, it was perhaps fair to say that Chiyo had been searching for an answer to that question. Her parents, while not necessarily bad at being parents, weren't there nearly enough for her, which also resulted in not enough love. Chitose tried to fill in that meter with her own love, but there was only so much a big sister could do when trying to replace a set of parents. Then there were all of the men that Chiyo had been with. Most nights had been pleasurable, yes, but if Chiyo was asked if any of those nights involved any sort of genuine love, the answer would be no.

In all case, she would never be able to find an answer. What was love to her? Was it something that Chiyo could hope to find? If she hadn't found it in parents, siblings or sex, then where else was she supposed to look? By process of elimination, Chiyo figured it out. Romantic love. That was what she needed.

In order to find that, she kept doing what she had been doing. Surely one of those guys could be a good fit for her, right? But, in every instance, Chiyo was wrong. She'd consider each one in her head, but by the end of the night (or subsequent morning), she already knew that it wouldn't work out. Nearly every guy she was with was just in it for the sex, and for the very few that had a little more interest than that, Chiyo couldn't even muster up fake feelings to give them and try out actual dating.

With so much hope lost, it only made sense that Chiyo would keep asking the question "What even is love?" Every attempt she had made to find the answer so far had failed, and with no future prospects, things had been looking bleak for her.

And then, a miracle happened. Of course, it wasn't literally a miracle. One person meeting another is rarely considered as such, but to Chiyo Wakabayashi, a girl who had been searching on some level for the answer to what love was for her and if it was even attainable, finding Michi Fukuhara was a dream come true.

And now, right before her eyes, that very dream seemed to be shattering. The tiny hope she had had was snatched from her, and even the dream of having the exact person she needed in her life was becoming farther away. "This really sucks…" Chiyo muttered.

To be so negative was quite unusual for Chiyo, but there just seemed to be no positive way to look at things. Truly, it felt as though everything was falling apart. "...should I just give up?" she wondered. "I mean, I already knew Mi-chan would never accept my feelings. And, like, she basically just rejected me at her home, so…"

While not officially a rejection, there was no denying it felt like a rejection of some sort. Although, rather than it being a rejection of love, it felt more like a rejection of Chiyo as a person. That was something Michi had always done, but the level she took it to this time made Chiyo wonder if that really was the last time she'd ever get to interact with Michi.

"Maybe it's for the best," she thought. "I should've just been happy with having a close friend. If I hadn't pushed things so far, then maybe…" Chiyo let her thoughts trail off. Really, even if she had done nothing, Michi probably would've been just as mad as she already was. The only difference would've been that Chiyo probably wouldn't have gotten told that she was hated. Instead, she could've tried to talk to Michi without her feelings being involved, and ultimately, brought about a more harmonious result. And yet…

And yet.

No matter how much Chiyo tried to reason with herself, her heart just wouldn't listen. It throbbed painfully against her chest whenever the thought of giving up her feelings crossed her mind. Then, in the opposite direction, it raced when she imagined Michi's expression. Her angry-but-not-really-angry face, her blushing face… her smiling face. All of those expressions, all of her mannerisms, all of the things that made Michi who she was… there was no way Chiyo wanted to live without being able to experience all of that again.

But did any of that matter? If she tried to go talk to Michi, there was a pretty high likelihood that the girl wouldn't even listen. After her last attempt, Chiyo was even more anxious than before. Though, in a way, this time was better too. It felt like there really wasn't anything left to lose. To Chiyo, it seemed like their relationship might already be over anyways, so why not try one last-ditch effort?

"One more time…" Chiyo muttered, sitting up. "I'll try one more time." She still had no energy, nor much of an appetite, but even so, Chiyo could feel just the smallest of flames burning within her. Deciding to call it a flame of passion, she took a bit of solace in that.

*****

The night did not prove restful. Lying in bed, Chiyo's eyes were open, not a hint of sleepiness to be found. Her mind was just too busy, with thoughts of everything that could go wrong swirling in her head. To resolve herself to go to Michi's apartment again was one thing, but passing the time in between then and now was another. When all she could do was wait, it was only natural that Chiyo's mind would begin to spiral a bit thanks to the anxious feelings she had.

Having already gone over them a thousand times (or so she felt like), Chiyo got up. Looking at the time, she saw it was one in the morning. "Maybe getting something to drink will help," she thought. So, leaving her room, she headed to the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Ice tea… milk… lemonade? That's random. What else… ah, here we go!"

Reaching into the back, Chiyo pulled out something she had been storing. In her hand was a bottle filled with a clear pinkish liquid. It was yet another novelty item she had found. This time, the item was from a line of products were their advertising was "don't judge by the look." Basically, every bottle tasted the opposite of how it looked. If it was red, one would assume cherry or strawberry, but instead they got blackberry. In Chiyo's case, what would've been something like pink lemonade or watermelon, was actually banana.

Standing in the kitchen, Chiyo drank half the bottle before putting it back. "Huh?" she let out. "Why am I feeling more awake?" Curious, she checked the bottle. "Ah crap…" she groaned. In the bottom right corner of the label, it stated that there was a shot of caffeine in every bottle. "I forgot about thaaaat," Chiyo lamented. "Now I'll never get to sleep!"

With any potential drowsiness now eliminated, Chiyo didn't really have any desire to go back to bed. That left sitting in the dark in the living room as her only other option. That, or…

Turning and walking into the hallway, Chiyo stared at the door. A year ago, it wouldn't have been unusual for her to be going out at this time. With makeup put on and clothes that were sure to attract eyes, Chiyo had spent many nights walking around town (sometimes with Jasmine), looking for the next set of sheets she was going to crawl under.

Now, those days were long behind her, but something itched at Chiyo. Was it the caffeine, or did she actually want to go out? Honestly, she didn't really have much of a desire to get in bed with anybody at the moment, but the idea of getting some fresh air sounded like a good one. So, grabbing a light jacket and changing back into her previous outfit, Chiyo headed out into the late-night air.

"So cold!" she said as soon as she shut the door. "Geez, is it like, ever gonna get warmer?" It was still only April, but not being a Hokkaido native, Chiyo still wasn't used to the longer winters. Her jacket was also hardly enough to keep her warm, but as is the case with most gyarus, Chiyo prioritized style over warmth. Although, when she had tried explaining the importance of that to Jasmine, her fellow gal had refused, stating "I'd rather be warm than be a guy magnet."

Walking down the street, Chiyo thought back to those nights of her past. Before, she would've been so excited to see what would happen. Now, she couldn't care less. "It's funny how things change, huh?" Chiyo said, watching her breath float through the air.

Not much later, she arrived in downtown. Of course, pretty much everything was closed, but there were a few establishments still open. A couple of bars still had their lights on, and sitting outside of one were a couple of drunk, middle-aged men. Chiyo had to laugh to herself when she saw them. She had tried to hit on them all at one point or another, but if she remembered right, two of them were married, and one kept telling her that straight-laced office ladies were what got him going.

Aside from those three, Chiyo was pretty sure she had either tried or done most of the guys in town. Being a minor, sometimes it had taken some convincing, but with the sex drive she had had, she usually got the hesitant ones to come around. She was always sure to insist it would be "their little secret."

Going past another bar, Chiyo peered inside. She had managed to sneak in a few times, but normally she ended up getting kicked out. That is, until she seduced the bar owner. Then she was able to come and go as she pleased. At the time, that had been an accomplishment that Chiyo had been proud of. Now, it just felt scummy.

"Seriously, what the hell was I so damn smug about?" she admonished herself. If she remembered correctly, she would've been 16 when she pulled that off. "It's like I was shapin' up to be a pro or somethin'…" She had come out for some fresh air, but it was beginning to feel like the more Chiyo walked, the more she was getting reminded of her shameful past.

As bad luck would have it, another, more brutish reminder happened to come around. "Ehhh? Yo, is that Chiyo?" a man called. Being in his early 30s, he had a fair amount of black stubble on his face to go with his short but messy, black hair. Not improving his appearance at all was his outfit, a ratty flannel shirt, brown jacket and a pair of old jeans. Being as drunk as he was, it was like the man was a walking billboard for what not to become in life.

If Chiyo had to rank all of the guys she had slept with, she could say for certain this man in particular would've ranked in the bottom five. Not only was he a bad lover, but he was just a pathetic person in general. Chiyo didn't usually like to judge others, but even she couldn't help but feel that way about him. Really, the only reason she had even gone with him in the first place was because it had been a very boring night, and he was the only option available. "Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I kept avoidin' this guy," Chiyo thought.

"I have seen you aaaages girl. Y'know, I tried calling you, but like, I think you gave me the wrong number? Anyways, now that you're here, why don't you come with me! We can have all kinds of fun."

"Shouldn't you be getting home, mister?" Chiyo said, trying to keep up a playful attitude. The last thing she needed was a fight, but it was difficult to act in front of someone she wanted nothing to do with. "I'm sure you've got things to do tomorrow. Get some rest, ya?"

"I bet I'll sleep a lot better with you next to me," the man leered. It took everything inside of Chiyo to not visibly cringe. Admittedly, a part of her had been worried that going out might result in a relapse. If someone handsome guy came up to her and swooned her a bit, would she go with him? That had been her worry, but after encountering this drunk, Chiyo was beginning to feel certain a relapse wouldn't happen. "If this is the kind of quality that's waiting for me, then no thanks," she thought. "True love is totally better than this."

Regardless of her current feelings though, she still had to get out of this situation. "Sorry, but I'm all tapped out tonight," Chiyo lied. "Maybe next time." "C"mon, don't be like that. Every girl's got at least three rounds in 'em," the man said. "Where'd ya here that? From the slut on the corner?" Chiyo said, her irritation slipping into her speech. "Ain't that common knowledge?" the man asked rhetorically.

At this point, Chiyo had had enough. "Just go home man," she said, trying to walk away. Unexpectedly, the man lunged after her, grabbing her wrist. "Hey, don't'cha wanna have some fun?" "I just told you I'm spent. Now let go," Chiyo said coldly. "Ooooh, I love that look in your eyes," the man drooled. "...Gross," Chiyo said, finally letting her true feelings out.

Suddenly, Chiyo felt herself get spun around, so she was back to facing the man. "God, I never get tired of starin' at that rack of yours. I miss how it felt so much. Just lemme get one squeeze in." "Ugh, no! Get away from me!" Chiyo cried.

At the same time, a car screeched to a halt. Being too distracted by her current predicament, Chiyo didn't see who it was that came out, but soon enough, she heard a loud voice.

"Hey, creep!"

The next thing Chiyo knew, as soon as the man turned around, a fist was meeting his face. With it being such a blindside blow (plus the man's intoxicated state), he easily toppled over. Now standing in his place was a tall girl with short, navy blue hair. All she was wearing was a thin, black tank-top and short shorts to match, along with a red and black flannel she had thrown on. To confirm the conclusion that she had come from her bed, she was wearing a pair of charcoal grey slippers.

"Big sis…" Chiyo said, relieved that someone came to her aid. However, that feeling was not shared. Chitose gave her a stern look. "Chi," she said. "Get in the car." As soon as she heard her sister's voice, Chiyo knew she was in trouble. "...okay," she said. "But what about-" "I'll take care of this idiot. Just do as I told you."

Doing just that, Chiyo headed for the car. Then, Chitose went into the bar and told the owner what was going on. After that, she came out with two men behind her, who then picked the guy up and dragged him back into the bar. With that taken care of, Chitose then headed back to her car, where the driver's side door was still hanging wide open because of how much of a hurry she had been in.

Slamming it shut once she was back inside, she put the car back in drive and began heading down the road. Chiyo, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at her nervously. "Um-" "Don't say a word," Chitose said sternly. So, Chiyo did as she was told. The two of them drove in silence for a while, following the road all the way until they got out of the downtown area and into the fields. Once they got there, Chitose pulled over and turned off the car. With nothing around and only a singular street lamp above them, Chitose finally broke the silence.

"Just what the hell were you doin' out here Chi?" she asked. Chiyo didn't answer right away. She had said she had just wanted to get some fresh air, but she kept wondering if maybe a part of her had hoped some guy would pick her up. When Chitose saw Chiyo stay quiet, she went on.

"I thought you were done with this shit," Chitose said. Chiyo could hear the frustration in her voice. "Sneaking out late, sleeping God-knows-where with who knows who?" "I guess we've never really talked about that huh? Sorry for keeping it a secret," Chiyo said, but Chitose just laughed bitterly. "A secret? Ya seriously thought this was a secret? Everybody in town was talkin' about how some gyaru slut was sleeping her way through Iwanai! You seriously think I didn't know, especially when you were always disappearin' in the middle of the night?!"

Chiyo fell silent, but Chitose went on. "God, Chi! Do you know how freaking worried I was when you were out like that? I thought I was gonna wake up one morning and find out some nut job murdered you! But I never wanted to say anything because I didn't wanna sound like our parents, y'know?"

Chitose paused, then continued. "I tried, Chi. I tried, so damn hard, to be the parent and big sister you needed. But like, how am I supposed to do that when I don't even know where ya are half the time?" Tears were forming in the corner of Chitose's eyes. In all the time Chiyo had known her big sister, she couldn't recall a single time she had seen her cry.

"When I found out you fell in love with someone, I was over the moon for ya. Ya stopped screwing every guy around, so finding out that you loved someone made your sudden 'lack of drive' make sense. I thought 'oh, so that's why she stopped.' I was grateful. More than anything, I was so grateful to whoever it was that got ya to stop. Guy, girl, it didn't matter. You could've fallen in love with a freaking rock Chi, and if that was what did it, then I'd be all for it."

"And look, I know things aren't goin' great with Mi-chan right now. And, I have no idea just what you were doing out here so late. I hope it's not what I think it was, but if it was, then please, Chi… I'm beggin' ya, don't put me through that again. I can't stand hearin' about how good my baby sister is in bed, and I hate havin' to worry all night. I never said anything before, but things are different now. You're a little older. You've matured. You've got someone you love. So I want ya to think more about your actions, instead of falling into old habits, 'kay? For both our sakes."

It had been quite some time since Chitose had given Chiyo a lecture like that. In fact, Chiyo was certain the last time it had happened was when Chiyo had first moved in with her big sister. In an effort to tame Chiyo a bit, Chitose had had a similar discussion with her. This time though, it was different. Chitose wasn't just trying to play the parent role; she was speaking from the heart. It was obvious in her tone and her words just how much trouble Chiyo had been causing Chitose all these years. For so long, Chitose had been holding back her feelings, all for the sake of letting Chiyo be free, but Chiyo had never once stopped to consider just how much that could be hurting the sister she adored so much.

"I-I'm sorry…" Chiyo said weakly. "I'm so sorry, big sis… I didn't… I didn't mean to cause so much trouble…" Now, tears were forming in her eyes as well. Gently, Chitose placed a hand on Chiyo's head. "I love ya, Chi, and I love living with ya. I just wish things could've gone a little smoother in the past, y'know?" "Sorry…" Chiyo said meekly. "It's fine. I shouldn't have vented like that at you either," Chitose said, giving a weak smile. However, Chiyo wasn't satisfied with that.

"You should've!" she cried. "I don't want you to have to hold back because you're afraid of being like our parents! You could never be like them! You've always… always… been the one who cared the most about me… I think I still love mama and papa, and I'm grateful for what they did for me as a kid, but… most of the things I've need to know in life, you taught me. You taught me about fashion, how to study, and how to be cool!"

"Can someone even teach that?" Chitose wondered aloud, blushing out of embarrassment. Ignoring that, Chiyo looked her big sister right in the eyes. "In the end, you're the one that's raised me, big sis. So, you should never have to feel like you can't say what you think you need to say."

"Geez," Chitose said, scratching the back of her head. "When did you go and get all grown-up?" "I'm not grown up at all…" Chiyo said quietly. "Yeah, I guess grown-ups don't sneak out like you do," Chitose teased. "Speaking of which, you still haven't explained to me why you were out here." "Ah," Chiyo said. "I couldn't sleep, so I got something to drink, but then I realized it had caffeine in it, so I decided to go for a walk, and… yeah."

Chitose sighed, but Chiyo asked her a question before she could speak. "How did you know where to find me?" "I got pretty good at listening for when you would sneak out the front door," Chitose said, drawing an "urk…" from Chiyo. "So as soon as I heard it, I started wonderin' where ya might be going. At first I thought it would be Mi-chan's, but then I kept thinkin' and realized you might be doing something stupid, so I rushed out the door and drove up here. Finding you when I did was just lucky."

"T-Thanks for bailing me out there," Chiyo said, though Chitose fixed her with a curious look. "Say, Chi," she asked tentatively. "That guy… in the past, you didn't…?" "...I did…" Chiyo admitted. "Chi…" Chitose said with a disappointed look. "I can't believe your standards are so low…" "He was the only guy around that night, okay?!" Chiyo cried. "So if the only drink available was sewer water, you'd drink it?" Chitose asked, getting a "uuu…" out of Chiyo.

Starting the car back up again, Chitose got it turned around and started heading toward their house. "Hey, why'd ya take us out here anyways?" Chiyo asked. "Partly because it was a straight path," Chitose said. "But also because if you had tried to run away from the conversation, it would be a lot easier to catch you on a country road than in town." "That makes sense," Chiyo said.

For a while, they rode in silence, but unlike before, the atmosphere was much more comfortable. While staring out the window, Chiyo thought back to her encounter with that man. Of course, he was completely repulsive, but beyond feelings like that, there had been one that had been even stronger in Chiyo in that moment. More than anything, she had wanted to see Michi.

*****

After an unexpectedly eventful night, Chiyo awoke with a small, but hopeful feeling inside her. Realistically speaking, she knew that going to see Michi again would probably just make things worse, but there was just something inside Chiyo that told her she should try at least one more time. So, putting on a simple, yellow skirt with some loose socks below, and a light grey sweater on top, Chiyo headed for her front door once more.

"Chi," Chitose said, stopping her. "Are you sure about this? I know you said before going to bed that you wanted to try, but…" Worried for her sister, Chitose wondered if she should really be letting Chiyo put herself in a situation that she could get hurt in. But to her surprise, Chiyo turned to look at her and smiled. It was the first earnest display of happiness Chitose had seen from Chiyo in a while.

"Even if she hates me… I just can't give up on her. I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment, huh?" Chiyo said. Chitose smiled back at her. "You've never really been a girl who learns her lesson." "I can't really tell if that's supposed to be a compliment or not," Chiyo said, but she didn't give it any more thought. With a wave, she left.

While Chiyo was happy with her choice, there was still plenty of worry. She had a lot of "what if" questions running through her mind. What if her relationship with Michi somehow actually got worse? What if Michi completely ignored her? What if Chiyo couldn't get through to her at all? All of these questions threatened to swallow her up, almost making her want to stop in her tracks.

And yet, she didn't. Step by step, Chiyo moved onward. "I have to try," she kept telling herself. No matter what, she didn't want to leave things how they were. Were her motives selfish? Absolutely. Chiyo knew that she was mostly doing this for herself. She needed Michi. She had to have the girl she loved in her life.

But, a part of Chiyo felt like she was also doing this for Michi. This was a girl who was practically isolated in her life. She pushed away her friends, and her family wasn't any good either. If Chiyo left her too, Michi would have no one left. "If I'm not there for her, then who else will be?" Chiyo thought.

It was with all of this in mind that Chiyo arrived at Michi's apartment complex. Staring up at her floor, Chiyo took a deep breath. "Here I go," she said before walking up to the building. Climbing the stairs, she reached the right floor, then went down the outdoor hallway to find Michi's door. Once she found it, Chiyo knocked.

"Mi-chan?" she called. "It's Chiyo. I know like, you probably don't wanna see me, but… I really want to see you." Silently, Chiyo waited for any sort of response. As she expected though, there was none. "Yeah… I thought so," she said. For a moment, she thought about leaving, but Chiyo shook her head. "No way. I'm already here, so I can't quit now."

"Mi-chan, if ya don't come open the door, I'm just gonna sit out here until you do!" Chiyo shouted. It was a childish approach, but Chiyo thought it might be effective against Michi. She knew how kind she actually was, and she wouldn't want Chiyo sitting outside until it got cold out. "If nothing else, she won't want me to bother the neighbors," Chiyo thought.

The gal waited for a while, but there was still no response. "C'mon, Mi-chan, are ya really being this stubborn?" Chiyo called through the door. "Just openin' up a crack will work- eh?" Thinking of trying to open the door herself, Chiyo had grabbed the knob and turned. To her surprise, the door actually opened. "It's unlocked?" she said aloud.

Slowly swinging the door open, Chiyo looked inside. There were no lights on, which made Chiyo wonder if anybody was home. "Mi-chan?" she said, but still, it was quiet. Walking in, Chiyo shut the door behind her. "Mi-chan, you home? You really should like, lock your doors and stuff. It's dangerous not to." Chiyo kept talking, but she still didn't hear anything.

Reaching the living room, Chiyo looked around. "It's way too dark in here," she said, deciding to search for a light. Once she did, she flipped it on, which triggered a weird sound. It almost sounded like a groan. "Huh? What was that?" Chiyo said, trying to find the source. There was nothing in the living room, so she went to look in the kitchen.

"Mi-chan!"

Lying on the tiled floor was Michi. Chiyo rushed over to her. "Mi-chan, are you okay?!" she said in a panic. Shaking her a little, all she got were more groans. Just to be thorough, Chiyo reached out her hand and felt Michi's forehead. "She's burning up…" she mumbled. "But what should I do? If she's hurt anywhere, I don't wanna make it worse by moving her…"

Then there was the worry still in Chiyo's head. If Michi woke up and found Chiyo in her apartment, that was bound to go over poorly. "What should I do…?" Chiyo repeated. She wanted to take care of Michi, but Chiyo was sure Michi would get mad as soon as she saw the gal. A sick person getting angry certainly wouldn't be good for their health.

With no other ideas coming to mind, Chiyo took out her phone and made a call.

*****

"...What an idiot."

"Don't say that big sis, that's mean."

Standing over Michi now was Chitose, a look of annoyance and disappointment on her face. "C'mon, that's the only thing to say here, right?" she said. "Who gets so sick to the point of passing out and does it in their kitchen?" "Mi-chan lives alone. She was probably trying to make food for herself," Chiyo said. "Still…" Chitose said, then she looked at Chiyo. "Are you sure about this? I mean, me taking care of her."

Chiyo had called Chitose because she needed someone to take care of Michi, since she probably couldn't (or more accurately, shouldn't) do it herself. Plus, Chitose was probably the only person Michi would listen to at this point. At the very least, Chiyo knew that Chitose could handle Michi if she woke up in a bad mood. Although, she felt a little bad subjecting her big sister to Michi's sharp tongue.

"I don't think anybody else can do this," Chiyo said. "Including me…" "Chi…" Chitose said. "Alright, don't worry about it. Besides, I've got a few things I wanna say to this girl anyways." "Please don't be too hard on her," Chiyo pleaded, but she could tell Chitose was ready for a fight. "Maybe this was a bad idea…" she thought, though it was certainly too late now. With Michi now in Chitose's care, Chiyo took her leave.

*****

"Mm… huh?" Michi let out, confused. She was currently in her bed with the covers over her. "What's going on?" she said weakly. "I remember going to make something for dinner last night, and then…" Nothing. Her mind was a blank. "Did I go to bed without remembering I did it?" she wondered. However, now that she was fully awake, Michi became aware of something cool on her forehead. "What's this?"

Feeling the object, she felt a rectangular shape, and it was soft. "Is this a cloth? Why is it wet?" Then, it finally hit Michi just how miserable she felt. As soon as she tried to sit up, she could feel how sore her body felt, and she immediately felt dizzy. Flopping back down, Michi began piecing it together.

"Did I get sick?" she thought. Her throat felt a little sore too, and when she went to take a deeper breath, she coughed. "My nose is running too…" Michi grumbled. "But still… I think I remember not feeling the greatest last night, but… did I really get myself back in bed and put a towel on my head?"

"Oh, you're awake," a voice said. With the fever going strong, Michi's vision was unfocused. Staring at the doorway of her bedroom, she could only seem to tell it was a girl. "...Chi...yo?" she said weakly. "Not quite," the girl said, walking closer. It was then that Michi could tell it was in fact a Wakabayashi, but not the one she had expected. "Chi...tose…" she said, sounding a bit disappointed. "What are you… doing here?"

"Taking care of you, obviously," Chitose stated. "Okay, but… how did you get in here?" Michi asked. "Your door was unlocked," Chitose explained. "Chi came here to talk to you again, but when you didn't answer, she tried the door and it opened." "Oh…" Michi said. Most likely, the reason it was still unlocked was because Michi hadn't locked it after she had screamed at Chiyo to leave. Part of that reason was because she just hadn't gotten to it, but a small, quiet part of Michi wondered if maybe she had left the door unlocked, hoping Chiyo would come back.

"Then, Chi found ya lying on the ground and panicked, so she called me. She wanted to take care of ya herself, but she was afraid you'd yell at her again," Chitose explained. Michi said nothing in response, so Chitose went on.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised you got sick," she said. "I saw the inside of your trash can. Lotta cup noodles in there." "...I haven't had much of an appetite," Michi muttered. "Yeah? And what about your sleep? Probably not getting enough of it, right?" "...so what if I'm not?" Michi said bitterly. In reaction to that, she got a flick to her forehead as Chitose removed the towel for a fresh one. "Ow!"

"Now's not the time to give me an attitude girl," Chitose said, sounding irritated. "If you're gonna be that way, I'll pour hot sauce into your porridge." "...sorry," Michi muttered, not doubting for a moment Chitose would not only go through with her threat, but she'd also probably make Michi eat it. "That's better," Chitose said, satisfied.

After that, Chitose disappeared for a few more minutes before she eventually returned with a bowl on a tray. "Here," she said, setting the tray over Michi as the girl sat up. "...I don't have much of an appetite," she said, repeating her previous sentiment. "You passed out because of garbage food and not getting good sleep, not to mention all the stuff that's probably stressing you out. Trust me, you may not think it, but you need this food right now," Chitose told her.

"Are you a doctor or something?" Michi asked. "I have a lot of science courses in college, so medical stuff comes up sometimes. But like, most people know as much as what I just told you," Chitose said. "Now eat." "...It's still too hot," Michi complained. "What, ya want me to blow on it for you? Just because Chi probably would doesn't mean I will," Chitose said scornfully. "You don't have to be so mean about it..." Michi mumbled, earning herself a glare from Chitose. "Mean?" she repeated. "Just you wait Mi-chan. I'm gonna show you mean."

Michi had no idea what that meant, but it certainly instilled some fear in her. For some reason, she was naturally more submissive to Chitose. It had been that way ever since they had met. So, hearing a threat like that definitely made her worry. In an effort to prolong the coming doom, Michi made sure to eat her porridge slowly.

Unfortunately, it wasn't slow enough. Before she knew it, it was gone, proving Chitose's point that Michi was actually pretty hungry. Setting her spoon down, Michi nervously looked at Chitose. "Are you mad at me?" she asked, trying to maintain a defiant attitude but failing. "You're damn right I'm mad at you," Chitose said.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she went on. "All Chi's ever done is be nice to you, and you respond to that by screaming at her? How damaged are you? Chi's always going on about how you're just stubborn, but you mean well. Honestly, I don't see it. Stubborn? Sure, you could call it that, but it's also just you being a bitch."

Michi's eyes went wide as she felt her anger coming to a bubble. However, she didn't get the chance to get a word in. "Everybody has their limits Mi-chan, and I've reached mine with you. My sister, for who knows what reason, seems to really like you. If she wants to spend her time with someone who she's not trying to screw, then that's fine by me. But lately, it seems like all she does is look depressed after she talks to you."

"With how things had been goin', I really thought that maybe Chi was right about you. Maybe you are the kind girl that's just difficult to get along with. Chi kept lookin' happier and happier too, especially after the cultural festival."

"And now, all I keep hearing about is how you're being distant with her and pushing her away, telling her you hate her. Chi's pretty forgiving. It's honestly amazing how big of a heart that girl has. And really, I don't think she'll ever give up on you, no matter how much you scream at her."

"But me? I've had it. I can't stand watching this shit anymore. Chi keeps forgiving ya and showin' ya kindness, and you just keep spitting in her face. So I'm gonna put my foot down: Stop hurting my little sister. And if ya don't, I'll make sure you get exactly what you keep sayin' ya want."

"W-What does that mean?" Michi finally said. Chitose stared at her. "It means I'll keep Chi out of your life. You're always sayin' how much she annoys you, aren't ya? Well, I'll just take care of that problem, and then you'll have nothing to complain about. In fact, I might as well just start now, because I doubt your gonna change your ways any time soon."

Standing up, Chitose went to leave. "Wait!" Michi called, quickly reaching out to grab her arm. Because of the swiftness of her actions, it caused the tray over her to fall off the bed and onto the floor, along with the bowl. With a great clatter, the dishware, along with the girl herself, fell to the ground. All the while, Chitose just stood there and watched. Where Chiyo would've moved in to help, Chitose felt no need to do so. Not for the girl who had caused her little sister so much pain.

"Please… don't do that…" Michi said weakly, her body shaking. "I know, okay? I know… I shouldn't have said what I said. That's why I haven't been getting much sleep… I can't stop thinking about that… or about Chiyo… or about that night during the cultural festival… I just don't know anymore! I don't know what I'm supposed to think anymore, and I'm afraid of letting Chiyo get any closer! Because… because… that would mean…"

Michi's voice fell off, and her head dropped. "...I can't let things change more than they already have…" She fell silent, leaving Chitose to stare down at her. Finally, Chitose let out a loud, long sigh. "Haaaah… you're seriously hopeless, ya know that?" "…" Michi remained silent, having no response.

After that, Chitose prepared a few more things for Michi, then left the apartment. As she did, she found herself wondering what she should do. "I can tell how confused she is," she thought. "But is that really enough to justify how she's been acting?"

"Should I really… let her be anywhere near Chi?"

End of Chapter Sixteen.