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─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
rin. Being friends with a popular girl still feels totally surreal. Seriously, it's like living in some teen drama.
Even though Aikawa and I have been friends for a while now, I still have these moments where I'm like, "Wait, she actually wants to be friends with me?"
It's wild. My other friends don't really get it because they're all way more popular than me. But that's not the point.
Here's the thing: I constantly feel like I'm doing something wrong. Take yesterday, for example. Aikawa invited me to this party that's happening tonight.
It sounded amazing, but I made up an excuse and said I couldn't go. And okay, the excuse was technically true, but still.
I actually wanted to go, but there's this part of me that keeps saying, "Don't get too close." It's like some weird instinct I can't shake off, and I just go with it without even thinking.
And just as I was wrestling with all this drama, my little sister burst in. She just got here from Aichi and was immediately unimpressed with my hospitality.
"Rin, I wanna do something other than rotting on your messy bed." she whined, sprawling out like she owned the place.
I tossed a pillow at her, trying to lighten the mood. "What do you wanna do then?"
She sat up with this look like she had a brilliant idea, but then she just shrugged. "I don't know, Rin. I'm going back home tomorrow, and if visiting you wasn't worth it, I'm telling Mom that you're failing all your classes."
She narrowed her eyes, clearly enjoying her power trip.
So now I've got my sister threatening to rat me out on one side, and on the other, I'm trying to figure out why being friends with Aikawa freaks me out so much.
My life is basically a sitcom, but without the laugh track.
"I'll figure something out," I muttered, determinedly leaving the realm of my room where my sister's complaints about boredom lingered like a dark cloud.
Children, always in need of entertainment.
As I neared the door, a rhythmic knock echoed through the apartment. Swinging it open, I was greeted by the sight of Aikawa standing there, a grin dancing on her lips.
"Hello." she chimed, her voice as cheery as ever. Momentarily thrown off guard, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"I thought I told you I was busy." I managed, my tone betraying a hint of confusion.
Before Aikawa could respond, my sister Mina, always the dramatic one, popped up behind me like a whirlwind of chaos.
"Oh my gosh, am I seeing a goddess right now?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in admiration as she took in Aikawa's presence.
Aikawa blushed, clearly taken aback by the unexpected compliment. "Your little sister?" she asked, casting a curious glance in my direction.
I nodded, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and amusement at Mina's antics. "This is Mina." I confirmed, making the introduction.
As they exchanged awkward waves, Aikawa's gaze returned to me, a knowing twinkle in her eye. "So, you said you were cleaning." she remarked, her eyebrow quirking up in amusement.
Caught off guard, I stumbled over my words. "I am. I was... I will be." I managed to mumble, mentally berating myself for the lackluster response.
Her lips twitched into a playful grin. "Well, how about I save you some time?" she suggested with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Before I could protest, three guys burst into my apartment, armed with an arsenal of cleaning supplies. My jaw dropped in disbelief as they set to work, Aikawa's laughter ringing in my ears.
"Don't worry," she reassured me, "I told them to clean everything except your room. And they'll get paid." she added, as if that explained everything.
Still reeling from the sudden turn of events, I could only nod dumbly, my mind struggling to process the crazy part of the situation.
"Aren't they from the soccer team?" I finally managed to stammer out, recognizing the familiar faces.
She nodded, a playful glint in her eyes. "They're JV." she confirmed, as if that made all the difference.
Meanwhile, Mina's eyes practically sparkled with excitement as she observed the scene unfolding before her.
"That's so cool." she breathed, clearly impressed by the impromptu cleaning crew.
With a pointed look, Aikawa turned back to me, her expression daring me to come up with another excuse. "Get dressed." she instructed, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"I have nothing to wear—" I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off with a flourish, producing a suit from seemingly out of nowhere.
My eyes widened in disbelief, momentarily forgetting how to form coherent sentences.
Before I could regain my composure, Aikawa was already one step ahead. "I still can't go. Who's gonna stay with my sister when I'm gone?"
But as if on cue, Aya appeared behind Aikawa, her presence a silent reassurance that my sister would be well taken care of in my absence.
"That's where I come in~" she chimed in, breezing past me and into the apartment with an air of confidence.
As the pieces of Aikawa's master plan fell into place, I couldn't help but feel a begrudging sense of admiration for her tenacity.
"This is insane." I muttered under my breath.
With a playful grin, Aya asked, "Ready for a makeover?" She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, clearly eager to dive into a realm of hair gel.
"No." I said firmly, inhaling deeply as if to brace myself for the impending onslaught of hair products.
"Did I hear a makeover!?" Mina exclaimed, just like a puppy on a sugar high. Aya nodded with enthusiasm. "I'm in!" Mina declared, her excitement infectious.
And just like that, I found myself outnumbered by two overenthusiastic kids, both eager to unleash their inner fashionistas upon my unsuspecting appearance.
"Come on, it'll be fun. Let's get you out of this place and into something fabulous!" Aya encouraged, her tone leaving no room for argument. I sighed, realizing that my fate was sealed.
With the combined force of Aya and Mina, I was practically dragged to my room, leaving Aikawa behind to supervise the cleaning crew that had taken over my tiny apartment.
Mina, ever the aspiring fashionista, had commandeered the role of stylist, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she surveyed her makeshift salon.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Makeover Madness!" Mina declared, brandishing a hairbrush like a scepter.
"Okay, but first, we need to shave off that little beard." Aya declared, pointing at my chin with a critical eye.
Mina giggled in agreement, adding, "And we definitely need to fix your hair—ooh, you need total fixing today, buddy."
I couldn't help but feel like I was being insulted, but with Mina and Aya's playful banter, it was hard to stay offended for long.
