Masquerade

Chapter 12: Love Drama (Pt. 1) - The First Page

Shiuhua was not okay today.

While I was making breakfast for both of us, there was a knock. When I opened the door, I surprisingly met Shiuhua carrying his luggage, greeting me gently.

" Can I stay with you for a few weeks?"

Since the middle of our semester, this had happened for a few days and I couldn't believe that this had affected him a lot. Whenever I mentioned his issue, he always told me to change the subject without any explanation. I empathized with him because I was experiencing the same thing as him and I was solving the same problem.

The thing was, before our school years, Sakutaro and I moved to the dormitory quickly without noticing the instructions for our rooms. Thinking about this, we were so embarrassed after finding out our mistake that without help from the student council president, we might have been lost and had to sleep outside for a week.

Our dorm room was F-225 in the Flower Apartment, one of four main apartments in the Royal Academy. According to the tour guide, there were, in fact, eight, but half of them could only be seen through the secret tunnel. Because of the changes in the map to fit the modern era, as well as the magic in each room used to fit the students depending on their personalities when both of us became curious and surprised rather than cautious and suspicious. We were so stunned that while I used my phone given by my uncle to take pictures of the now modern building around the traditional school, Sakutaro became chilled and enjoyable since it was his first time visiting the school. During our visit, I suddenly smirked happily but scornfully as I thought that it would be fair for them if they lived in my period, I secretly whispered: " Let's see who is the most beautiful of all... Hahaha..." as I acted like a royal by using my right hand to lift my left hand under my chin and laughed maliciously, to Sakutato's perplexity, who still did not understand what happened around us. I had no idea that I was one of the last students going to the dormitory while the number of rooms was full until the next day, on our Sunday, I was called to receive a package by my step-siblings giving me the necessary things for my school years after hearing me passing the entrance exams and my course started next week when I turned left to see someone outside.

Yes, it was. I meet them again. My friends. From being classmates, we had become roommates in different rooms without any reason. Coincidentally, they were also receiving packages from their families.

" NICOLAS MOREAU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" I pointed at him.

" I WAS ALSO ASKING THE SAME QUESTION?! YUKIKO KUROSAKI!!" He pointed at me.

" Calm down, you two." Said Cheol Hwa worrying both of us. " You can make up now. You don't have to be annoyed just because of this tiny problems."

" He is right. You should take a break and talk before everything becomes worse. That way —"

" NO WAY! NONE OF THIS WILL HAPPEN! WE DON'T WANT TO TALK!" We were so annoyed with the awkwardness that we both took our packages quickly to our room and closed the door so strongly that stunned the others, including Sakutaro, who was standing there, taken aback. What was going on a while ago?

" Are you okay?" Shiuhua asked.

" Yeah..." It took him minutes to move, unable to say a word clearly. " ... I am fine. Don't worry..."

______________________________

After their years of training at Tower Academy, my siblings, Fuji and Himari, finally got their certificates and studied at the prestigious schools they wanted. Fuji with Mathematics and Science courses at Hideyoshi Middle School and Himari with Fashion and Medicine at St. Ageha Academy. His fiancée and I wondered a lot about this. The separation was good for them physically but not mentally. According to her, when she met him for their families' marriage discussion, to her horror, the only thing she saw in his eyes was none other than emptiness and sadness. Although it was difficult for them, they had no choice but to study a subject that even they did not understand what it was.

To make it worse, I learned from my sister's friends that while I was studying at Music Academy, at Tower Academy, she was falling in love with the student council president, whose name was Masahiro Kirarin. According to what I researched, he was known as the best student at Tower Academy, especially when he was good at sports and had high scores in every subject, which made me quite jealous of him. However, unlike what I was considering, my brother thought differently. I did mention this because despite being rivals, according to him, both of them could not underestimate each other when I asked hard questions ( They said that my quiz was so hard that they had to give up due to the metaphorical side in the ideas of the questions, and I had no idea what they meant despite our level difference.), and he did not consider it. However, whenever we mentioned the love between Kirarin and my sister, his expression changed. This proved to be very real when I took his place temporarily in their classes for his health issues, which was so difficult due to not learning anything beforehand that my sister taught and assisted me in studying better. My brother could be jealous, we couldn't deny it, but we had never thought that it would soon take that further. I followed his instructions by asking her several questions and of course, she answered all of them in detail as if she had taken them seriously. However...

" Onee-san, next question."

" Okay."

" Do... Do... Do you love... Senpai?..." I looked closely and tried to tell her flexibly because I knew that this was one of the worst parts that I had ever seen. What kind of question was that?

" Yes, I do. And I don't need you to know who I love." Knowing that her brother had not given up, even though it was her privacy, he still did not let her go, she answered coldly.

" Okay. I see. But before we went home, can I tell you something?"

" Sure. What is it?"

" I don't know what to say but Onee-chan seems to be in desperate need of help. I don't want to tell you this because both of you have made the distance, I can't complain but... but..."

" I see what you are thinking. I knew what my situation was. But thinking about what you said, I have never thought of it, either."

According to Himari, she had seen him acting like that before us. And she was glad that there were people who knew her issue and she was not alone. She needed freedom and not to be dependent on the others. She did not understand why her brother still had that outdated viewpoint. If so, why didn't he change? To our concern, this may have caused issues that not just her or his fiancée, but I was also affected as well, although it was indirect. She knew this right from the beginning, and after our long conversation on our phone during my time at Music Academy, I finally understood why she asked our grandfather to send me away and asked me to only visit them once a year, and it was even okay when I did it from time to time. It seems like their private issues had affected all of us, so much so that when Himari realized that she must not let any of her loved ones get involved, she did everything, even risky challenges, in exchange for their safety. She kept that promise to save everyone until now even when she was in danger because after learning from Sakutaro that her younger brother was studying at the famous school in Himemiya and he was doing well, she smiled lightly and happily when she saw the smile on his small face, knowing that she had helped the others more than what she expected to be.

The only problem she had right now had happened in front of her. The one who would give her the opportunity. The day she would take revenge for those who stole her precious days. Her enemy, her brother, Fuji, in other words...

Fujiki Kurosaki.