Citrus: Mei's Story vol. 3 - Rivalled Heart

IV. From Rivals to Sisters, From Sisters to...?

I spent my time walking home from the academy to ready myself for the look of disappointment on Yuzu's face as I told her the news, and yet I still found myself hesitating to enter in once I got to our apartment.
"It'll be alright. It's not a done deal that I'll miss it, just a potential problem we need to be ready for."
Though I whispered those words to myself for the twentieth time, it still felt like a poor excuse. I had promised to spend Christmas with her. I had said that I cleared my schedule for it. Now I was going back on my promise. I was going to lie to her face about the reason why too. I couldn't help but laugh to myself.
      And this is what Matsuri wanted...
I didn't need to think to hard to guess how it would go for them. Matsuri would be super excited and happy to get the day alone with Yuzu and telling herself that she's finally rescuing Yuzu from the evil version of me in her head. Yuzu would be likely trying not to go into her ball form yet won't be as enthusiastic as Matsuri would like. I would get brought up a few times and if Yuzu talks good about me... Matsuri will tell Yuzu what she thinks she's forced me to do, but word it like it's my choice and not because she's blackmailing me. After that, I couldn't guess. But I doubted Yuzu would be quiet about it for long. The biggest problem I saw with her plan— even if I wasn't going through with my own plan— was her assumption that Yuzu would give up on me or even allow me to go through with the situation if she believed Matsuri. The girl didn't know about Amamiya or that Yuzu made it a habit to get heroic in my life. Her view of romance and love was tainted by the experiences we both shared. She didn't know that there hasn't been a situation yet where Yuzu didn't come talk to about clarification of what she heard or saw. The only times she took longer was in situations where the problems stemmed from our poor job at communicating our romantic feelings. I let out a sigh. This one wrinkle in my gift to Matsuri was something that I couldn't fix for her. Regardless of how my part ended up, I needed her and Yuzu to stay on good terms. For both their sakes. I decided to set those worries aside for now, and entered our apartment.
The first thing I noticed while changing out of my street shoes was the festive music coming from the common room. The door was closed so everything was muffled, but it still made my heart twist a little at how excited they had to be. Judging by the shoes in the entry way, both Yuzu and Mother were here.
"I did it!!"
Yuzu's voice fought against the muffling effect of the shut door and background music, and I couldn't help but hear just how proud she was about something as I hung up my outermost coat. It was just a further bit of pain I had to endure as the price for helping Matsuri in the only way I knew I could. The only comfort I got however was the stray thought that because it was going to originally be just the three of us, Mother and Yuzu weren't going to go all out for the holiday. I held that as my one consolation: my absence wasn't going to ruin a big plan. And then I opened the door and saw what they were doing.
The entire common room was decorated in cheap but adorable Christmas finery. They had celebration poppers and banners and a tiny decorative tree with some old homemade ornaments. Even Kumagoro was dress for the holidays. Mother was sitting at the decorated table with a book of recipes in front of her and Yuzu stood nearby. There was the smell of baking in the air and several freshly cleaned plates and forks drying near the sink. It was shocking and beautiful to see. My heart felt like it had just been placed in a vice. Yuzu and Mother both looked at me, and beamed.
"Hi, Mei!"
"Welcome home, Mei!"
I was just about to respond when I suddenly noticed it. There, as the centrepiece of the table's decorations, was a gorgeous hand-decorated cake topped with frosting and strawberries and— building a little snowman buddy behind a hand drawn Merry Christmas card— was the precious little Ansoniko with a paper party hat on. Mother's voice was barely audible above my own heart screaming at me.
"How was student council?"
"Fine..."
I couldn't bring myself to stay even my typical stoically neutral. I felt like I was going to break down into sobs before I even told them anything. And it made it worse when Yuzu started speaking excitedly.
"We're getting ready for our Christmas party! What kind of cookies do you like?"
      This isn't everything?!
"If you have any requests, we can buy them tomorrow on the way home—"
It was while she was talking that I noticed the absolute worst thing I could have seen. Mother had her sleeves rolled up and in the same crisp clean clothes she wore for work, which was normal, but Yuzu was in her skirt blouse and bow from her school outfit and they looked disheveled. And on her arms I saw bits of drying frosting. Mother hadn't been the one who did the baking. Or the decorations on the cake which as I thought about it was similar to the filling in the crêpe I had enjoyed on our almost date. All signs pointed to one heartbreaking fact.
Yuzu made this, all of this, for me...
"Um..."
I couldn't let her speak anymore and further break my heart at what I had to do. I felt both their eyes turn to me with pure joyful interest, and I had to shut my eyes just to get the words out.
"I'm very sorry, but..."
My voice wouldn't stop shaking as I fought to keep everything together.
"Something came up with the student council."
      Every good lie may have some truth to it, but that doesn't mean they hurt any less!
"I don't think I'll be able to make it to the Christmas party tomorrow night."
      Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it! Why did you two have to be so amazing?! I love you both so much and I hate that I'm doing this to you!
"What?!"
Yuzu reacted instantly and with all the horrified sorrow that I also felt. Mother was more somber in her reaction.
"Oh dear."
I opened my eyes to take in my personal cost for helping free Matsuri. I saw the devastation on Yuzu's face at me breaking a promise and ruining her Christmas plans. Mother seemed more interested in what I was holding.
"Student council stuff? On Christmas Eve?! Can't you get out of it?"
No. I'm not going to be selfish and put my own desire to spend Christmas with Yuzu above rescuing Matsuri from the danger she put herself in.
My hand instinctively clenched around the wretched phone that was my key to freeing another girl from her own cage. Suddenly Mother's voice took on a strict authority as she spoke.
"Yuzu! Leave Mei alone!"
The room went quiet as Yuzu just stood there staring at me in stunned heartbreak. I did the only thing I could in the situation, I took responsibility.
"I'm really sorry..."
Mother attempted to console me as I bowed in apology but all I heard was Yuzu's passing footsteps and then the bathroom door close. I straightened and looked after her.
"So... what's going on?"
I looked from where I heard the shower start, to where Mother sat looking at me with only a serious look on her face.
"And let's be clear, the only reason I stopped her questions was because you look like you're about to cry and was only standing there because you wanted to punish yourself for something. So what is going on that you'll break both your hearts over? Because if it was anything to do with a simple student council it wouldn't take all day, not with how you are and how excited I saw you both for the past few days. So I know you lied."
I walked over, slumped into the sofa, rested my head in my hands, and started sobbing. After I was able to regain a little control of my tears, I started speaking.
"Do you know Yuzu's friend Matsuri?"
"Little Matti?! I remember her. Quiet kid at first, but had a mischievous streak and once Yuzu got involved she could get pretty loud... why?"
I gave her a sorrowful look.
"I recently learned that we have a very specific thing in common, but it's worse for them."
"Something in... oh, I see."
"I don't think Yuzu knows, and it's bad..."
"Something's happening tomorrow?"
I nodded while wiping away my tears.
"While she will be out with Yuzu."
"She didn't say anything about hanging out with anyone."
"Because she doesn't know that's what will happen yet."
"And what will you be doing instead of being out on the date with Yuzu like you want."
"Putting an end to the bad situation and freeing the girl."
"Why can't the authorities handle it? What can you do alone that an army of professionals can't?!"
I waved the phone dispassionately.
"I'm not working alone... and I can take her place for as long as I need to end the situation forever."
Mother grabbed my shoulders and shook me while she spoke.
"I can't have you risking your life so recklessly, Mei!"
"It's all I can do! She's our little sister, so she deserves a good Christmas too! I'm the one with the contacts, with the ability to plan what needs to be done, with experience with the type of people who do these things, and I'm the only one I am willing to risk who's pretty enough to act as a substitute in order to give her a better life than I had at her age!"
Mother wrapped her arms around me as we both cried. I couldn't hold it in any longer and whispered my screams to her.
"It's not fair! I was going to tell her!"
"What?"
"Yuzu... I was going to confess Christmas Eve after the party. I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend."
Her arms tightened around me and I felt her kiss the top of my head.
"I'm so proud of you, sweetie, but you need to promise me one thing."
She lifted my head to look me right in the eyes as she spoke.
"You don't get into anything you can't get out of. If you get grabbed, you fight and you run. No matter what you come back to her. Say it."
I immediately stopped crying and stared back at her.
"I have no intentions of making her a widow before we even get together. I will always return to my Yuzu."
"That's my amazing girl."
We stayed there for a while before I decided to go to our room and check in on the situation. As I passed the bathroom I stopped and touched the door. It took everything in me to not say anything to try to make things right. I felt for the spot where her lips would be if she suddenly opened the door, kissed my fingers and pressed the kiss into that spot as if to send it through the door and right to her. I then went as quick as I could to our room and spent my time waiting staring at the phone and wishing there was some other way so everyone could be together at the party instead of this mess with three hearts in the balance.
It was some time later when Yuzu finally came into the room. Right as she did the phone chirped with a notification.
"Mei, the bath's free."
"Okay, thanks."
I stared at the screen as my heart raced. Until just this moment I had felt I had the option to change my mind and alter the plan to let me still get to spend the day building up to my confession to the girl I loved. That feeling had died when the notification came. The plan was locked into place now and my anxiety about how everything would play out was beginning to rise.
"Hey, Mei..."
Yuzu... I love you... please be my girlfriend.
"Can't you just take tomorrow off?"
Please don't ask me that.
"Like, put it off till the next day or something?"
Sadly everything has been locked into place.
"I can't. There's something I have to do."
I stared at the message and memorised it.
'Tomorrow, the 24th. 2:00pm. At the big clock in the area outside the train station.'
I sent it on to Maruta, replied that I would be there, and then sent another message to Matsuri telling her the information so she could plan accordingly. Maruta was immediate in her reply.
'Understood, we'll go over everything before you need to leave from school tomorrow.'
I heard Yuzu flop onto the bed.
"Like what?"
Following your example and rescuing our little sister while she tries to destroy us.
I glanced to her phone almost a second before it chirped with a notification itself.
"Oh, it's from Matsuri."
Right on time.
"Hm? Let's go on a date tomorrow?"
It would be so much easier if you weren't such a brat... Little Matti.
"She wants to hang out on Christmas Eve?"
I need to make sure Yuzu goes.
"There's got to be someone else she could invite."
It has to be you, Yuzu... it can only be you.
Finally I knew what I could do to make sure Yuzu went and stuck by Matsuri no matter what happened. No matter Matsuri would do to mess things up for herself.
"Yuzu."
As I spoke, I stood from my desk and steeled myself for the hard day we all were going to have. Yuzu seemed excited and surprised to hear me speak.
"Yes! What?!"
Kiss her and tell her right now: I love you so very much and I want to be your girlfriend and more someday. But for now...
"I want you to go see Matsuri tomorrow."
"Eh?"
I couldn't look at her as I spoke because the temptation to kiss her passionately was too strong. There was something more important that needed to be said. So much so I was willing to make it be the last thing I said to the woman I loved.
"That girl needs you."
I left our room, and ran to the bathroom. After stripping out of my clothes I quickly started my shower. As the cool water covered my burning soul I let the rest of my sorrow and regret mix with the water as I forced myself to keep all my screams soundless. I hoped everything would go well for Yuzu and Matsuri's date, just because I planned to kiss Yuzu as soon as I would get home from solving Matsuri's problem. And I had no intention to stop kissing her and confessing to her until the sun rose on Christmas Day.