All I Need Is My Sister

III : On The Balcony

Bits and pieces of these very few moments lingered in Nene's mind, starting from Aoi's collapse after sipping her teacup to the doctor's prognosis to the accusations and the decisions and the look on his face to finally, and most vividly remembered, the way her fingers dug into his ankles as she crouched on the floor, begging him to look at her one more time.

"Please," Nene gasped, fat tears rolling down her face as the refusal to accept her impending fate sank into her heart. "Please, you're the only one who's ever been kind to me."

"I'm the only one?" The beautiful blonde man muttered, a sardonic edge to the sound of his harsh voice. "Are you really going to say that, even now?"

"You don't understand," Nene pleaded, strands of her loose hair falling forward as she worked to hold in desperate sobs. "You don't understand. None of you understand. Aoi— Aoi— She—"

At the mention of her name, Teru pulled his leg away from Nene's grasp, leaving her hands bare and shaking as he turned to face her, looking down at her from above. There was an audible grin on his face as he speaked, but even Nene could decipher the mountain of contempt behind his words.

"What? Just what, Nene Yashiro, has Lady Aoi done to antagonize you? Though I don't know what you fear, I am absolutely certain that it has never happened. On the other hand, your transgressions against her with only your paranoia to defend you are clearly worthy of the penalty my father has handed you."

Nene trembled as she attempted to meet the gaze of the man she loved so misguidedly, and when his blue eyes, which were revered for their kind teal hue, looked as if they were callously frozen, more tears began to blur her vision.

Teru's expression did not falter, aside for the way his eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. His restrained chuckle cut through the cold air in the room. "Really. Just what goes through that head of yours?"

Without a further word or action, he turned on his heel and walked away, the remorseless echo of his footsteps meshing with the light-haired girl's muffled cries.

"I can't help you, Nene Yashiro. You've done this to yourself."

~~~

"Hmmm." Nene lightly swung her hips back and forth, taking in the way the skirt swayed back and forth with satisfaction. The beige served to complement the colour of her hair, and the floral lavender embroidery brought out the mirthful tone in her eyes. "I don't look bad."

Abruptly, she remembered the presence of her personal maid in the room and turned to face her, embarrassed by the fact that she had just blurted her subconscious thoughts out loud. However, her maid, being the employee of a prosperous family, carried out her job as usual, pretending as if nothing that happened in Nene's bedroom had anything to do with her.

"Are you ready to do your hair?" she asked neutrally.

"Ah, yes," Nene stammered, sitting down before the mirror.

After her hair was tied into an elegant low bun and she put on a couple accessories, Nene walked downstairs to meet Aoi by the doors of the manor.

As always, she was stunning: the lavender highlights of her dress emphasized the colour of her hair and eyes, with two soft strands of hair floating on the sides of her face helping to set an innocent, breezy atmosphere. Nene complimented her, as one typically would in the presence of such a beautiful woman, and Aoi's face brightened at her sincere words, giggling in response.

"Now that we're both wearing this dress, we really do look like sisters," Aoi marvelled, to which Nene nodded her head in agreement.

While internally admiring the similarities between her dress and that of her sister's, Nene quietly took interest in how differently things seemed to be going, even though only a week had passed. After all, that Aoi was wearing a lavender-coloured dress rather than the ocean-blue one she had worn in the previous timeline already began to stand out to Nene from the moment she watched Aoi walk down the stairs. Nene was sure that as soon as she entered the ballroom, though, the guest's reactions to her appearance would remain exactly the same—save for some surprise with Nene.