Emi: “...long time no see”
We used to be close, but after years of no contact, and of course, you can’t help the awkwardness. We wouldn’t know how to start a conversation at this point, we’re not even prepared to meet each other like this. Who would even imagine their long-gone sister would appear out of nowhere at the most unexpected timing, i.e. first day of school?
Nojiri and Madoka just stared at us and somehow stepped in to break the awkwardness
Kurihara: “You guys know each other?”
Hirata: “Yeah… we…were friends?”
Yano: “Were?”
Nojiri noticed the past tense and made a question statement, but then Madoka just hit his side stomach with her elbow for being ‘insensitive’. I guess my psyche just influenced my speech pattern. I look back at Emi and she just had a forced laughing face… damn, I made the whole situation even tenser.
Hirata: “Ah no, sorry. It was just so long I don’t know where to begin”
I can’t make anything up, I can only be honest. This is pathetic.
Emi: “No-no don’t worry about it. I feel the same way. Anyway, I see you have friends here already, it would be unwise if I don’t introduce myself first here.”
She noticed the other's presence and assume they were my friends, can’t exactly deny that if they don’t reject that label either… I’m such a loner.
Emi shifted her seating posture to face them with a smile.
Emi: “Let me introduce myself, my name’s Emi Shiori”
…Shiori, I see. It’s understandable, in fact, it would be even more questionable if she still has the Koichi family name. She turns her head toward me.
Emi: “As you can probably guess, I.. was his friend… yeah, I know that sounds weird but we.. had circumstances.”
Circumstances. Yeah, that’s one way to put it.
But looking at this situation objectively, we can’t exactly stay like this forever. Like it or not, sooner or later we will interact more anyway since we sit directly next to each other. Better fix our relationship now or I might regret it later.
Hirata: “Hey uhm, Emi…I know this sounds weird… but if it’s okay with you, maybe we can start anew. I mean... it’s the start of a new school year and all so… maybe we can be friends again?”
Emi heard me and just held her laugh
Emi: “Hirata... You’re just as awkward as always… you never change”
I sense a bit more nuance in her last remark…positively. I can only smile defeatedly.
Emi: “But how can I say no to you after that heartful request? Well then, nice to meet you, I’m Emi”
She held her slender hand up to me, her face lighten up and eyes full of hope.
Hirata: “Nice to meet you too, I’m Hirata”
I answered her hand, shaking it as if it was a start of a new friendship to fix the broken past.
Hirata: “We have a lot of catching up to do”
Emi: “Too many and you’ll bore me to death”
Hirata: “And I know you’re prepared for it”
Emi: “Oh I will.”
We just had a small laugh… before she switched her demeanor and ask something else.
Emi: “Before I ask anything else… how is he?”
She didn’t mention any name but who else would she ask about if not my dad? What a great way to start our friendship.
Hirata: “Alive”
I know she doesn’t have the best impression of him, but she has the decency to at least ask about him. I only said the bare minimum, she wouldn’t need to know anything other than that… because she wouldn’t want to know anyway.
Emi: “I see…”
Hirata: “How about her?”
Emi: “Successful”
Hirata: “As expected”
I don’t expect anything else from that woman, she always has that potential, given a small chance and we all knew she would get it. Having a successful career is just a tiny part of everything else I imagined she will obtain in the near future.
Yano: “You guys are cryptic”
Madoka just stabbed him with her elbow again.
Kurihara: “Sorry, this guy is just an insensitive idiot. We’ll catch up with you two again later on. C’mon, come with me, you monkey”
Yano: “What monkey?!”
Soon after they left their seat, they made their way to introduce themselves to our other classmates. From their body language, I assume this is also their first meeting. They’re truly social butterflies.
Emi: “They seem like nice people”
Hirata: “They sure are”
Emi: “...honestly, I can’t imagine onii-chan would get any friend on his first day of school like that. You sure are lucky today. But still, are they really your friends or just your acquaintances”
Oh no… here’s that part of Emi
Emi: “Ya know, a small part of me was worried about your school life if I wasn’t there. Chances are you’ll be a loner again and I can’t help but shudder when I imagined that”
Hirata: “Oh come on, you can just not imagine that, and also… could you forget that embarrassing past of mine already? That was such a long time ago ”
Emi: “You’re telling me to forget you?”
Hirata: “No! I was just telling you to forget only that small specific thing about me”
Emi: “Oh no I cannot, I’m sorry dear onii-chan. But forgetting one part of yours mean I need to forget all about you”
Hirata: “You sound like a creepy over-bearing yandere sister”
Emi: “But I am a creepy over-bearing yandere sister”
I just stared at her like a dead fish, and she stared back at me with such vigor and sparkling eyes, but then she shifted her gaze to the front.
Emi: “But all in all, I’m glad to see you’re still alive, onii-chan”.
She smiles thin and you can feel her genuine feeling. From this sudden shift of mood and tone, I assume our little stupid chat just now was just a diversion to alleviate the awkward atmosphere.
She was such a kid but now I can’t help but look at a different person from back then.
Hirata: "It's great to see you've grown as well"
I stared at her side profile, it calms my mind to see her fleeting smile. And if I can be honest… she’s gotten even cuter than before. But immediately after, her face turned horror comically.
Emi: "Gasp. You're actually measuring your sister's growth? Disgusting"
Hirata: "Sigh. Glad to see you never change"
I guess her strong personality sticks through the years.
Our relationship, or rather, our sibling bond might not be as good as it used to be… but, slowly and surely, we will return to how we used to be, hopefully.
I don’t want to make the same mistake again.
