13: Good Morning
Next day came like a breeze and it's time for the second day of school.
When Erina and I went out from the comfort of our new house, I caught the sight of Asuna doing the same thing since she too have just closed the door to her home.
"Good morning, Asuna." I greeted her with a smile.
"Morning, Haru." The maroon haired girl yawned and rub her eyes in annoyance.
I chuckled at her response, "Not much of a morning person now, are we?"
"Yeah, mornings can rot in hell for all I care." Asuna said while she made her approach. "Ugh!! Seriously, why do class starts ridiculously early at eight? I'm dying out here, Haru!!!"
"If you have the energy to complain, then you are not dying as you claim to be." I sweat dropped at her overreacting.
While the Asuna and I were talking, I instantly felt something like a cold air running down my back.
"Onii-chan…" Not want to feel to be left out, Erina announced her presence as her smile was like the grim reaper ready to accompany me in the after life. "Who is she?"
"Ah." I instantly turned my attention to Erina. "This is our neighbor and also my classmate, Akatsuki Asuna. She's the one who gave us the beef stew yesterday. Asuna, this is Hanazono Erina, my little sister."
"A pleasure to meet you, Akatsuki-senpai." Erina bow her head down respectfully. "Thank you for the beef stew yesterday, it's very delicious and we very much enjoyed it."
"Your welcome, Erina-chan!!" Asuna grinned at her and looked at me for a brief moment. "Haru, I did not know that your sister is quite the cutie!"
"Cute is hardly the first thing to describe her." I whip back with a playful smile.
"Hey, I resent that!! I am cute!!" Erina glared at me with a proud posture.
"Oh, ignore that dense idiot, Erina-chan!" Asuna said to her and I glared at her in response to that, "I for one think that you are adorable!! Hey, Haru, if I marry you, then won't that make her my sister as well?"
"I suppose?" Was that a trick question? If hypothetically Asuna and I were to wed, then yes, that shall make Erina her sister-in-law.
"Splendid!! Oh, I always wanted a cute little sister!! Being an only child kind of suck, you know." Gone was Asuna's morning sickness and now she proceeded to get all too clingy with Erina instead.
"S-senpai!!?" Erina was shock at how close Asuna suddenly hugged her like a plushy.
"Ah, I could get used to this. You sure are soft and cuddly, Erina-chan." Asuna was in cloud nine.
While I'm quite amused at my sister's torment, this had unfortunately got to end since we are causing quite a ruckus and many were now eyeing at us like we are crazy or something along that line.
I flicked Asuna's forehead and she pouted angrily in response.
"Hey, what was that for!!?"
"As much as amusing this is, it's time that you stop harassing my little sister. We don't have time to dally around and we are causing a scene right here." I reprimanded her with a stoic look.
"Hehe, right, sorry about that, Haru." Asuna scratched her chin while grinning sheepishly.
"It's time that we head our way, Asuna. Luckily, school is at a walking distance and we can still enjoy our walk." I chuckled lightly as the three of us proceeded to our destination.
"You know…" Erina decided to barged in at our conversation and faced me with a suspicious expression, looking at me like I committed a war crime, "I can't help but notice Senpai calling you Haru? What was that all about? Hmm? And you calling her by her first name without any honorifics whatsoever. You sure seemed pretty close even when you just met yesterday."
Ah… yes, that one. I'm not sure if telling Erina the whole story about last night's affair is going to be the right move. Confessing would mark me as a bonafide pervert / peeping tom no question, even if it was accidental on my part.
An evil grin suddenly flashed on Asuna's face and I can't help but had a bad feeling as I gulped nervously.
"That Erina-chan." Asuna wagged her finger playfully, "is a secret just between your brother and I. But let's just say that he took something very special from me and we become closer that very night, hehehe."
An aura of unadulterated malice instantly engulfed Erina and her expression darkened murderously.
"O-nii-chan." This adorable girl that Asuna claimed to was starting to scare the hell out of me, "What… did… you… do?"
I quickly force to compose myself and sighed in response, thinking how troublesome this situation that I got myself in.
Damn it Asuna, do you really have to word it that way and ignite the flames?
******
Asuna got a good laugh from my misfortune shortly after and thankfully, diverted the impending crisis by saying that it was merely a joke.
Of course, we still did not say to Erina about the events that transpired last night since it really was a secret between Asuna and I.
"Moui, why don't you tell me?" Erina pouted as she thankfully returned to her usual bubbly self.
"Like I said, it's a secret. If Asuna wishes to keep it a secret, then we should simply respect her wish." I told her with a stern look.
Although, I'm not being completely honest since it was my wish as well to also be kept a secret.
But Erina does not need to know that, hence she grows suspicious yet again.
"Fine." Erina finally backed off.
"Hehe, thank you, Erina-chan." Asuna chirped happily. "Oh, and would you look at that, we're here."
Indeed, just around ten minutes of walking, and we finally arrived at the school gate.
The distance sure is quite convenient and I'm grateful at Asabe for providing us with a cozy home that was also near from school.
"Asuna!!! And… Haruto-san?"
As we enter the Academy, we were spotted coincidentally by none other than Himegi as she was also accompanied by Madoka at her side. The girl was quite surprised when Asuna and I arrived at the same time, no question.
"Hoohh, something smells quite fishy." Madoka looked at the both of us with utmost intrigued. "Haruchi and Asunachi, going to school together?"
"It's not going to be fishy starting today." I said without hesitation, "Asuna and I turned out to be neighbors. We just found out last night. And we just departed from our neighborhood at the same time."
"EHH!!??" Both of them were surprised by this revelation. "Really!?"
"You got that right, ladies." Asuna grinned and wrapped her arm around my shoulder, "Haru and I live next door."
I could have sworn I saw Madoka's right ear twitched upon hearing a certain name that was shortened.
"Haru, huh?" Madoka's silly grin was apparent for all to witness, "Since when are you two close for you to call him by a pet name? The last time I remembered, we met just freaking yesterday! Did I miss some sort of memo or something!?"
Himegi on the other hand was deadly curious, her serious expression boring right at Asuna and I, "I… I want to know too!"
"Hehe, shall I tell them, Haru?" Asuna gave me a playful look.
"Don't." I gave her a stern look. If Himegi, God forbid, finds out about this, then I may as well kiss my daughter's friendship goodbye.
Well, I'm perhaps sure that Himegi may understand the situation, given that it was all just an accident of me seeing Asuna naked, but nevertheless, I just don't want the troublesome implications that was going to accompany with it.
And I'm very certain that Madoka is going to be even more relentless with her teasing, that I can assume that much.
"Heeeh, tell us what?" The blue-haired devil herself was now probing us with the details.
"Oh, you know…" Asuna started twirling her hair like a shy maiden, "Haru made me feel what was like to be a woman last night."
"Gah!?"
The look on Madoka's face was priceless as her mouth hanged wide open with extreme shock.
It certainly was hilarious and I would be laughing here and now if I was not the one who was being the scorned of this delicate subject matter.
And when I turned my attention to Himegi, I was left stunned, and I could not help but ran a cold and nervous sweat on my forehead when I saw the expression that my own precious daughter was sporting right now.
Himegi's angelic face, now blank and emotionless…
And her eyes, once majestic as the clear blue sky…
… Was now devoid of any life…