At a karaoke bar
"Why are we here again?" Haru asked in monotone as she and the rest of the swim team sat in a room they reserved.
"Nagisa-onii-chan invited us." Kokoro answered, watching Nagisa sing a song with Rei. "And I'm glad we came, I'm having some much fun!"
"Haru-senpai, are you going to sing, too?" Gou asked.
"No, it would be too much effort." Haru replied coolly.
"Don't be like that, Haru-chan!" Nagisa said, finishing his singing with the other first year. "You're the only one of us who hasn't sang."
"I don't want to." Haru said,
"Don't be so stubborn, Haru." Makoto remarked.
"I refuse." Haru replied.
"Please, Onee-chan!" Kokoro begged, looking up at her older cousin with wide puppy dog eyes. "I really want to hear you sing!"
Haru stared down at Kokoro for a moment. Then she sighed. "Just one song. And it'll be short." She finally said.
"Hooray!" Kokoro, Nagisa, and Gou all cheered.
"Not even Haruka-senpai can say no to Kokoro-chan's cuteness, huh?" Rei asked himself.
"I already picked out a song for you." Kokoro told Haru.
"Don't do something like that without my permission." Haru said to her cousin.
"Just get up there and sing!" Gou exclaimed as she pushed Haru towards the small stage in the room.
'Such a pain in the ass.' Haru thought to herself.
"All you have to do is sing the words on the scene." Makoto told his childhood friend.
"I know that." Haru retorted, slight annoyance on her face.
"Do you're best, Onee-chan!" Kokoro cheered just as the music started to play.
Haru grabbed the microphone, looked at the words on the small scene, and inhaled a little bit.
"Katachi dake no doujou
dondake kasanetatte
karada wa shoujiki sa
tarinai mitasarenai"
The entire swim team just stayed where they were and stared at the young woman, amazed at how beautiful her voice was has she sang.
"Aitsu to shita yakusoku ili demo mamoritai
kutsuhi mo kyutto kataku musunde
inochi sae mo oshikunai, to ieru
negai ga omae ni wa aru no kai?
Oh, set me free
gisei mo itami mo doutte koto nai
Set me free
usotsuki yasashisa sore mo owari
kitai sareru koto ga seou koto ga
tsuyosa ni kawatte iku yo
ikiru imi wa owaru imi wa
atashi no naka ni aru to shitte iru kara
Please, set me free
doutte koto nai sympathy"
After finishing the song, Haru sighed and put the microphone back in place. She soon noticed that all of her friends and cousin were staring at her with wide eyes.
"Was I that bad?" Haru asked.
"No!" Gou answered without hesitation. "You were amazing, Haru-senpai."
"Onee-chan was super cool!" Kokoro declared, her two strands of hair twitching.
"Haru-chan could be a professional singer if she wanted." Nagisa remarked.
"That sounds like too much effort." Haru said.
...
The next day, at Samezuka Academy
"Why the hell are you here again?" Rin asked as he scowled down at Kokoro standing in front of him.
"Nice to see you again, too." Kokoro said, sarcasm obviously in her voice. "I came by because I wanted to show you something." She told him.
"What is it?" Rei asked.
"Yesterday, the swim team and I went to karaoke. It was a lot of fun. You should have heard the song Nagisa-onii-chan and Rei-onii-chan were singing together." Kokoro giggled.
"Get to the point already." Rin told her, feeling his patience wearing thin. "I have better things to do than listen to you beat around the bush."
"Such impatience." Kokoro remarked, crossing her arms. "I guess that's to be expected of a tsundere."
"Stop calling me that already, dammit!" Said tsundere yelled, glaring at Kokoro.
"Anyway..." Kokoro said, ignoring his glare, as she pulled out her phone. "I have a recording of Onee-chan singing. I thought you might like to hear it."
"Haru? Singing?" Rin questioned, doubt in his voice and on his face. "Don't tell me she sung in monotone." He said as he knelt down in front of Kokoro.
"Just listen." Kokoro told him as she played the recording.
Once the recording was over, Rin's eyes were wide in disbelief.
"Was that really Haru?" Rin asked.
"Yep." Kokoro replied. "Doesn't she sound awesome?"
"I-I guess she sounds okay..." Rin remarked.
"You come with us next. Maybe you and Onee-chan can sing a duet together." Kokoro invited.
Rin's face turned slightly red from her statement.
"Onii-chan, is your dere dere side showing?" Kokoro asked, immediately noticing the blush on his face.
"Shut up! Don't make me hit you!" Rin threatened, glaring at Kokoro.
"Oh, your tsun tsun side has come back." Kokoro remarked.
"You little..." Rin growled through his shark-like teeth.
"Well, would you look at the time?" Kokoro said as she looked at the time on her phone. "I need to get home. Bye, bye, Onii-chan." She said before she turned around and started to sprint to the academy's gates.
"You better run!" Rin called out as he stood up. "And stop coming here so much."
When she was at the gates, Kokoro came to a stop and turned around to face Rin. "I can do whatever I want, and you can't do anything about it!" She shouted. Then she turned around and ran away.
"Wait until I get my hands on you, you damn brat!" Rin yelled.
...
Later
"Onii-chan can be really scary sometimes." Kokoro sighed as she waited for the train that would take her home. "But, then again, he is a tsundere, so..."
Out of the corner of her eye, Kokoro saw a pair of birds flying in the sky.
'Those birds look happy.' Kokoro thought to herself. 'It's probably because they're free and can do whatever they want in the sky.' Then she smiled as she remembered the night she heard her cousin sing. 'I think that song suited, Onee-chan. One day, I know you and Onii-chan will be set free. Hopefully, I will be, too.'
With the same smile still on her face, the ten year old girl boarded the train, which had arrived a moment ago. She took a seat and watched the passing scenery as the train started to move, taking her home to her beloved cousin.
