In the cold of the winter day, we walked holding each other's hands. It felt like a normal day, with nothing wrong between us or our family, but in reality, I'd have to separate from her at the end of our time together. Something that should never have to happen… 

“My mom and your mom aren’t talking to one another again. They’re being like children, and nothing is going to get resolved if they keep acting this way.”

Hana-chan exploded. I had to calm her down, but it seemed she’d been holding in this frustration all night.

“Yeah, I spoke with Mari-san in the morning.”

“Oh, you did?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, she wanted to tell me that she’s going to start taking charge and see what happens.”

I recalled the chat with Mari-san just this morning. She sounded like a completely different person at times. When she told me that she wasn’t going to allow mom to change my schools, I believed her because she said it with confidence. Mari-san… seemed to want to change for the better, and I want to support her in that.

"… Mom still feels for you, Madoka-chan."

Hana said as she looked up at me.

"She does… but she did admit that she'll have to sort out her feelings for Ayumi before she decides anything."

As we waited for the train to arrive, our hair blew in the wind. Hana-chan leaned on me as she weathered the cold alongside me.

“Onee-chan…”

“Yes, Hana-chan?”

“When I spoke with mom at the shopping district a few weeks back… she couldn’t tell me her feelings or even explain to me what was going through her mind.”

She closed her eyes as if recalling that terrible memory.

"Then when we got ice cream… she cried and apologized over and over to me."

 

 

“Mari-san…”

With a shake of her head, Hana-chan’s eyes popped open.

“I wonder if mom would tell me her feelings now, Onee-chan. She was so bottled up that day… but it feels like she wants to express herself better…”

I squeezed her hand.

“Are you saying that you want to chat with your mom again when you get the chance?”

“Yeah, that’s just what I want to do, Onee-chan.”

The train finally arrived during our conversation. People began flooding in and out, and Hana-chan and I were no different. We swam in the sea of people, but like having a rope to keep you from drifting off to the great sea, Hana-chan and I kept together. When we finally reached a good spot to stand, we locked arms.

 

 

“You’re not coming home tonight, are you Onee-chan?”

“I actually was asked to come over to Sophia-san’s place. She needs help with something… regarding Taylor-sensei.”

Excitedly, Hana-chan turned to me.

“Oh?! How did it turn out for her? Is… is everything alright?”

Hana-chan looked like a bunny as she jumped, waiting for me to answer her. Sadly, I couldn’t, so the only thing I did was give her a shrug of my shoulders, shooting down any excitement she had.

“No idea… she was being berated by our classmates the entire day, and she wasn’t in the mood to speak to us about it in public.”

“I guess that would make sense. I mean… did you see all the views that stunt got online?”

“Actually, I haven't looked it up yet. It’s… kind of surreal knowing that we had a part in something like that, Hana-chan.”

That day at the STARS concert feels like a fever dream. Emotions were high, and we actually got them on stage to show the world their feelings. But since all the hype died down, at least for the people involved, we have to clean up the mess we've made. I wasn't certain what Sophia-san wanted to chat with me about, but it was important enough for her to want me over her place. Thankfully the timing was perfect…

"Well, whatever happens, Onee-chan, I hope Sophia-san the best.”

My little sister nodded, causing her hair to flop about. I had to pat her because of her good nature.

"Yeah, me too. I'm sure it'll all work out for her. And when it does, I'll ask if we can all have a sleepover again. I know you and Sora-chan had fun that day.”

“Oh, really?! Did you see Sophia-san’s collections of anime?!”

The flower’s eyes shined like the stars on a clear night. I wouldn’t have mind having another sleepover like before… without the stress of school.

As the train pulled us along, our conversation died down momentarily. It wasn’t awkward, I think we just needed the mental rest. My little sister still had her arm around mine as we waited for our stop. When we arrived at the shopping district, I got out along with Hana-chan, and we walked hand in hand inside.

"Well, I have until 7 o'clock. I have an idea of what we should do to relax."

“Oh, where are we going, Madoka-chan?”

Our fingers merged as I took her around the mall with me. We went down the escalator and made our way to the lower part of the mall. I’m sure Hana-chan was questioning where I was going, and I wanted to keep that a surprise for her. I could hear her small feet click on the floor behind me. As I pulled her along, Hana-chan spoke up.

“Are we… going to the arcade?”

“Nope.”

I squeezed her hand softly as I turned the corner… revealing a large bowling alley.

“Oh, this place.”

The entrance was wide, and the establishment was brand new… to a point I guess. It seemed to have opened around two weeks ago with the brand name, "Lucky Hit." I've heard of this place. It's popular across all across Japan, but for the first time, they opened a location in Hiroshima. I'm not much of a bowler… if at all, but that's the reason why I decided to come here.

It would give us a chance to relax and do a horrible game of bowling while figuring out what we were going to do.

“This is going to be fun!”

Hana-chan exclaimed as she took the lead and walked inside. She was admiring the new feel of the establishment as we walked up to the desk.

“We would like to buy a lane for 1 hour.”

I stated. The man punched in the times and took my money. It was times like this that I got a sense of pride from having my job at the Red Roses. It made me feel like an independent woman as I could take out my hard-earned cash and make my little sister happy.

“Don’t we change our shoes?”

“I think so…”

Clearly, Hana-chan and I were out of our element in this newfound world of bowling. We removed our shoes and put on the establishment's given ones. When I picked out my little sister's shoes, they were super small compared to mine, and it made me squeal a little.

“Awww, look at them.”

“G-Give them over to me, Onee-chan!”

I teased her a little by dangling them above her. Suddenly, the little soldier pushed her head into my stomach, causing me to lunge back. I… I had to collect myself as I realized she just punished me in her own… unique way.

“S-Sorry Hana-chan. I went a bit far there.”

“Hehe.”

She beamed as she took the shoes out of my hand. We both got the bowling shoes on and made our way to the lanes holding each other's hands. There were a lot of people here, mostly older though. The lines were bright and looked to be recently waxed. There had to be around 15 lanes so I took out my ticket to see which one we were in.

“Ah, we have lane 7.”

Hana-chan took the lead as she walked me over to the lane. There were a group of bowling balls we could choose from directly behind our lane. So, we walked up to see which ones would fit us.

“Hm… mom never took me bowling before.”

"Yeah… I didn't do this much either. I think I came once with Mae-chan’s family, and I can't remember ever hitting a pin."

Cautiously, we chose what felt to be the "right" weight for us. As we got to our lane, we looked at the panel that came with it.

“How about we just roll as one person?”

I explained. Competition is nice, but I think Hana-chan and I needed companionship more than anything.

“Ohhh, I love that idea, Onee-chan!”

“What should our name be, Hana-chan?”

She pondered for a moment. Without telling me she walked up the name panel and began punching in what she believed fit us best.

“MadoxHana.”

I looked at the name, but before I could say anything, my cute little sister pressed [send], and there in front of everyone our relationship status changed from sisters to a couple in an instant.

“There we go!”

Hana ignorantly said as she hopped like a bunny. I didn’t want to break the mood, so I tilted my head and smiled back at her.

“Okay, should I go first or you?’

“You! I want to see Onee-chan destroy those pins.”

I shrugged as I dragged my body to the line. The bowling ball was kind of heavy, and I felt off-balance.

 

 

As I looked around I could see people doing certain stances before rolling the ball down the lane. Noises of pins being assaulted by the bowling balls rang out around us only drawing me into the world of the game. I copied the motion of another player to the side of me. The ball rolled pitifully down the lane and drifted to the right. It went into the gutter… completely missing every pin.

“Eh?!”

I was mortified as the win pins stood proudly on the other side of the lane.

“Oh no.”

Hana-chan murmured as she stepped up the plate. By the rules, Hana-chan would have to hit the pins and gain points for us since I messed up. The MadoxHana pair was starting out at a bad place…

 

 

“Here we go!”

Hana-chan cried as she pushed the bowling ball on the lane. It slowly rolled as it reached the pins on the other side. After a crash, all the pins fell down, effectively sparing us.

“Wow, Hana-chan! Good job!”

I grabbed her from behind and began swinging her around.

“Onee-chan! S-Stop!”

As she snuggled into my arms, the excitement died down. I set her down and looked into her eyes. The guilt of me leaving her alone yesterday started forming. I needed to bring it up… so I did.

“Hana-chan… I…”

What I wanted to say was still swirling around in my mind. But I wanted to do my best to express what needed to be said.

“I don’t think I can come home any time soon, Hana-chan…”

Her eyes went wide as she held her chest.

“What?”

I held my arm, trying my best to ease what I wanted to tell her. But no matter how I had to phrase it, it needed to be said.

“Mom and Mari-san need time to think about everything and come to their own conclusions… and I think it would be best if I gave them that.”

Hana-chan crossed her arms.

“Do you even know where you are going to stay? What, are you going to couch surf like those bums in movies?”

I shook my head.

"No… I… I have an idea of what I need to do. Tonight I’m going to stay over at Sophia-san’s place… but after that, I'll have to decide what I'm going to do. I… already have an idea, but I have to think about it more tonight."

She looked to the side… and with a slight hiccup, she asked…

“B-But what about me, Onee-chan?”

It was clear she was pained. This was something I’m sure she knew that had to happen but didn’t want to accept it. So, I took her in my arms and firmly told her my feelings.

“We will always be together, even if we are apart for a little while.”

“Madoka-chan?”

“I want you to know that despite what’s going on… or what may happen to our family that you will always be my little sister. We are strong because of each other, and a bit of distance will never keep us apart.”

 

 

I held her hand as I looked her in the eyes.

"From the first day, I met you… you have been strong and caring… I have admired you for that."

Her mouth opened slightly as I recalled a not-so-distant past.

“You, Hana-chan… have been the key reason why I was able to adapt to everything. I… I love you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“…”

She began to blush, and I might have gone overboard, but I kept going.

“I know it will be hard… not being able to see each other when we get home for a while…”

I put my hand on her head, and she moved around gently, embracing it.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re apart. Because nothing can shatter what we have.”

I smiled.

“Remember when you went on that field trip and we were apart for that time?”

“Yes, I remember.”

Hana-chan said coyly.

“Well, think of it like I’m just on a field trip from the house. But don’t worry, I’ll be back. I’ll visit. You can even come to visit me, and we can have sleepovers on the weekend all the time."

That’s when I grabbed her hand and got down to her level.

“Because nobody will ever take you away from me. We… will always be together, Hana-chan.”

“… Madoka-chan.”

I could see more tears forming in her eyes.

“I-I wasn’t worried about you leaving… I-I was m-more worried that over time our closeness might fade and… I-I didn’t want to lose you.”

“That will never happen. MadoxHana is forever, Hana-chan.”

I held her tight. I’m sure people around us were wondering why a girl who looked like she was in elementary school was crying. Maybe we were ruining the mood of their game, but that didn’t matter to us.

Our sisterly bond was stronger than anything. We just had to get through all this chaos… and that was by working together, feeling each other’s emotions, and pushing forwards.

“Don’t worry, you have me for life, Hana-chan.”

“Madoka-chan… O-Onee-chan…”

After she got her tears out, I looked her in the eye and turned towards the bowling game.

 

“You still want to bowl?”

I asked, knowing her answer already.

“This game is stupid.”

She confessed.

“Yeah, let’s go to the arcade or something cooler.”

Hand in hand we left the bowling alley together.