Futari No Uta (Our Song)

Chapter 1

"Onii-chan! Wait!"

That's me, Iroha Kahoko, crying out as my brother was about to leave with his bike. He's Iroha Kazuki by the way. I was in my first year at Omotesando High School (16 years old), and Kazuki was in his second year (17 years old). Yes, we're about only a year different from each other, so we're very close. We lived alone in a beautiful house as our parents always had international affairs involving their company. They were very busy, but they never lost sight of us.

Every time our parents weren't around, my role in the house was like Kazuki's mother. I cooked, cleaned, prepared bento for both of us, and everything else. Even though we come from a background of corporates, we mostly spent our weekends busking in the streets and carnivals in Harajuku, or places nearby. No, we never asked for money. We just want other people to have fun listening to our music. Kazuki and I really love music. So we wanted to share it to the world, or just with people nearby.

My brother was very popular in school. Everyone loved him. Well, who would ignore a kind, friendly person like him? Meanwhile, I was well-known because of my brother. Everyone (except for my classmates) never actually knew my name. 'Iroha Kazuki's little sister' they would only call me. Seniors would sometimes come to me to ask about my brother. I would NEVER tell them so that they wouldn't try to bother us. When I meant us, I meant the both of us.

I, however, lived in a small group of society, laying low, and away from the big crowd that hoarded Kazuki. I didn't have many friends, you see. And didn't need so many either. I just needed Mizu-chan, Chi-chan, and my classmates in class 1-B -- including Maruyama Tsubasa, the guy who would always sleep in class. Although I never talked to him much.

Touyama Mizuki and Murai Chiyo, also known as 'Mizu-chan' and 'Chi-chan', are my best friends since birth. Our mothers before us were best friends as well, which kind of makes it an eternal vow until we could pass it down to our children and onto the future generations to come. We would be inseparable, no matter where we would be. They're the only ones who were already used to Kazuki since they've been seeing Kazuki since little. I think they got bored time after time.

Despite being inseparable with those two girls, I was also stuck to my dear brother. I really love my brother. What? No, don't get the wrong idea. I did not fall for him. I love Kazuki as how I'm supposed to love a sibling, that's all. But really, I love him more than anyone in this whole universe would. I looked up to him in almost everything.

Unfortunately, that's basically the problem. When you enter high school, finding love is crucial. Even Chi-chan and Mizu-chan already started to fall for someone. I personally didn't even care about all that, as was used to live my life around only my 'Onii-chan' (brother).

"You need to seriously fall in love, Kahoko," Mizuki urged.

"Yeah! Or you won't move even an inch forward in your life. You can't live with your brother forever, you know," Chiyo agreed.

I became deep in thought after that. Well, they were absolutely true. I can't be with Onii-chan forever. The boys in school seemed nice but I couldn't get myself to fall in love with either of them. Or maybe I just didn't know them very well.