People were out, walking around just like me, but the only difference was my jar of pickled, boiled eggs. The air was calming, and for the first time since I got here, I was able to relax in a strange way. The houses around were on the high end, and it showed how much money uncle Ryuji actually had.  

I continued past all the expensive places and into a more casual home area. The houses looked more like mine and Mae-chan’s, a different world than Mary-san’s place. I counted the home numbers before reaching the place I needed. I rang the doorbell and waited…

“This is a nice place.”

I complimented.

The home reminded me of the past of Mae-chan’s place. There were bikes and even a swing set. One could see that there were children that lived here. Suddenly, to confirm my theory, I heard a bunch of voices bouncing around inside the home.

“Coming!”

A female voice made me stiffen up. I wanted to look as mature as I could to make a good first impression. When the door opened… I was shocked to see a fiery-haired child that I knew all too well.

“Onee-san?!”

“Sora-chan?!”

 

 

A bunch of little boys poked their heads at me. I was confused, and it seemed they were also. Sora-chan was dressed in a casual sporty t-shirt with yellow linings. She had short shorts on that made her look tomboyish yet relaxed. Her hair was slightly messy and it only added to her rugged charm. Sora-chan looked like she was a part of the boy's group for sure. 

“Who’s that, Sora-nee?”

One of them asked with a popsicle in his hand.

“Oh, she’s the Onee-san of my best friend.”

Sora-chan stepped out the door and turned to the three boys behind her.

“These are my three cousins, Madoka-chan. I’m visiting for the weekend.”

The odds of this were astronomically low. The three boys ran inside, pushing one another as they did. It seemed that they had lost interest in me. Still holding the jar of pickled, boiled eggs, I shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, it turns out that my… aunt knows your… ah, aunt and uncle, and she wanted me to give this to you guys."

I sighed.

“Huh?! So, these are where the pickled foods come from. I love these.”

Sora-chan took my hand and forced me inside. The house was warmer than outside, so it was nice.

"They aren't home right now, but they'll be happy to hear that you brought more of these. Ohhh, I want one right now.”

Sora-chan took the jar from me forcefully and opened it right at the door.

“Sora-chan! That’s impolite.”

“Eh, it’s my cousin’s home, Onee-san. I can eat wherever I want.”

She took out an egg and bit the top of it. As if someone shot her in the heart, the red-head fell to the floor and began rolling around. She was… beyond cute, and it made me want to bend down and pet her head.

“These are so good!”

Sora-chan cried as she sat on her bottom and looked up at me. She looked like an old monk as she crossed her arms and nodded with acceptance.

“You know my uncle and auntie would cut these up and put them in our bento boxes. I’m going to have to make myself a bunch of them before leaving today. You just made my day, Onee-san.”

I shrugged.

“Glad I could help… but it was my auntie… Auburn Mary-san that made them. Do you remember her from my birthday last month?”

I recalled that day I turned 17. Sora-chan was there, but it sounded like she'd never actually met Mary-san.

“You mean the foreigner woman with the beautiful long hair? Geez, your family is stealing all the good genes from us girls.”

Sora-chan puffed her cheeks as if that actually was making her upset. Suddenly, she bounced up.

“So, where are you going Onee-san?”

I rubbed my nose as I thought about it. I had… no idea where I was actually going. I was originally planning to go to the corner store to get some snacks, but I felt that would be rude since Mary-san gave me a nice breakfast that I hadn’t finished yet.

“Ah… you see Sora-chan…."

Her cousins were loud as they ran about upstairs. Noticing my discomfort, she took my hand, and we stepped outside. It was a nice feeling as the cold wind hit my skin again. Sora-chan shut the door and bit at her boiled egg again. That’s when it occurred to me that she wanted me to continue as she listened.

“I heard your family is having troubles. Hana-chan wouldn’t go into it… but she’s upset about something regarding you.”

Sora-chan confessed as she put one hand on her hip. In a hurry, she finished her egg. It was cute seeing her struggle to get it down. So, I pulled out a bottle of water and held it to her. Excitedly, she ripped it out of my hand and gulped it down. I was afraid she’d drown herself if she kept going. When the water bottle was empty, she took a deep breath and sighed with satisfaction.

“Sorry…”

Sora-chan apologized as she wiped her lips with her sleeve. I shook my head, leaned over, and wiped her cute lips with my handkerchief.

“No wonder why Hana-chan has to take care of you, Sora-chan. You’re so rowdy.”

I teased.

“Oh, do you like taking care of me too, Onee-chan?”

The middle-schooler teased back. I chuckled, not expecting her reaction.

"Aren't you a charmer?"

I pinched her cheeks, and she began battling me with all her might. All I could do was laugh as she waved her arms about. The cold wind blew, and it caused this hyper moment to calm down. Our hairs danced in the wind as I admitted to her.

“Yeah… I moved out of our home for a little bit, Sora-chan?”

“What?”

Understandably, she was confused.

“Yeah… some major problems arose, and for the time being, I'm… living with my auntie Mary-san.”

I stood back up and looked down at her. Sora-chan’s normally excited look was one of complete seriousness. She put her hand on her hips and stomped her foot.

“What happened?”

I shook my head.

"I'm… not ready to discuss that yet, Sora-chan. Sorry…"

She put her hand on her hip.

“… Yeah, I guess that would make sense. We aren’t too close like that, are we?”

I felt terrible, but it was the truth. I wasn't ready to tell the world that I was kicked out for falling in love with my mother's lover. Just the idea of saying it… made my mind all messed up.

“Listen, it’s more of… something between my mother and me. I’ll tell you one day when I’m ready, Sora-chan.”

Her eyes lowered as she approached me. Her small arms wrapped around me as she lay her head on my chest.

“Whatever happened, I’m sorry you’re going through rough times, Onee-san. You out of everyone don’t deserve to be sad.”

“Sora-chan?”

Her words felt so sympathetic. This was a side to Sora-chan that I hadn't experienced before. When I chatted with her, she was always a friend of my little sister. Rarely did I have a chance to interact with her in this way, and in this brief time, I could see why she and Hana-chan got along so well.

Sora-chan… was a sweet and caring girl for sure.

“If you need anything from me, my house isn’t too far away from here. I usually walk over here on the weekends and babysit my cousins so my auntie and uncle can go out alone.”

She rubbed her nose.

“Right now, I’m making 5000 yen easy!”

 

 

Sora-chan took pride in her job as she put her hands on her hips and smiled brightly at me. There was no stopping it. I had to pet her head, earning a giggle from her. She reminded me of a puppy as she swung her head back and forth. All she was missing was the bushy tail and occasional barks.

“Well, I’ll get going, Sora-chan.”

“Right! I’ll see you around. Oh…”

She took out her phone.

“Can we exchange phone numbers, Onee-chan? If I’m back over here, maybe we can hang out sometime?”

I handed her my phone, and she put in her number. But after a bit more fiddling around, she gave it back. Suddenly, my phone screamed out to me with a song I had never heard before. It sounded like a video game soundtrack, and it took me by surprise. It had a lot of harsh metal notes and sounded like something I wouldn’t listen to…

“That’s the boss theme to a game I’m super hooked on! Every time I call you, it’ll play!”

It would seem that when Sora-chan called me, I was engaged in a boss battle from then on.

 

"I… don't know what to say about that, but I look forward to your calls."

I teased.

We waved goodbye as I made my way back onto the sidewalk.