“Teru! What are you doing here?”

Teru smiled at her sister as she stood with her hands slipped in her pockets, and looked around herself as she stood.

“Hey, that's my line, Aya. When was the last time you even came around these parts, eh? Owner must really be driving you crazy.”

“Oh, don't...” Ayame groaned; and quickly placed her head back in her hands. Teru chuckled. “I don't know what the hell I've gotten myself into.”

“Tell me about it,” Teru mumbled in reply; taking a seat up at the bar besides her sister. “I guess we're both really good at bad decisions.”

“No kidding. How is Hazuki, anyway?”

“Terrible. She won't leave me alone...I'm gonna break it off with her once I'm finished here.”

Ayame blinked as Teru sighed, and lit a cigarette of her own.

“For real?”

“Yeah...” Teru said through a groan of her own. “It's a little much for something I thought would be just a fling.”

Ayame couldn't help but smirk a little. Teru being clung to by various girls was always funny, if only because she never seemed to learn that women were crazy about her. She might enjoy the thrill of the chase, but she'd have to pay the price for toying with a woman's affections eventually.

“I thought you guys were...” Ayame mumbled. “Busy, so to speak.”

“Sex can only get you so far. I want a woman that loves me as much as I love her.”

Ayame chuckled as Teru pouted.

“That's surprisingly cute of you, Teru.”

“Hey, I can be plenty cute.”

Both sisters laughed, and Ayame took another reluctant sip of her whiskey as she rest her head on her hand.

“...It's always a relief to have you around,” she confessed suddenly, and unlike her usual emotional outbursts, this one wasn't laced with embarrassment. 

Teru arched an eyebrow; unused to hearing her sister so...straightforward.

“It's unlike you to be so candid, Aya.”

“Yeah, well...” Ayame paused. “I've had too much time to think lately, even for me.”

Teru eyeballed her sister as the two of them sat at the bar; absorbing the low hum of the jukebox in the distance, along with the varieties of smoke that hovered above them in a looming cloud.

“Chinami, huh?”

Ayame remained quiet. Teru exhaled her smoke in a draconian fashion.

“Ayame...I don't mean this how it's going to sound.”

“Oh, great.”

“But did you even tell her how you felt? You can't really blame her if she's got someone else.”

“I don't blame her...” Ayame quickly corrected, “but that doesn't mean it hurts any less.”

“Did you ask her where she went that day?” Teru replied. “She's barely said a word to me this past week. I think if anything she's probably feeling a little sore that mom docked her pay, but I get the impression she definitely knows you've had it with her.”

“...No, I've not asked her. But I hope whoever it was is worth it.”

Teru laughed quietly, and a cheeky look came across her face that Ayame recognized as a troublemaker's expression.

“What's with that look?”

“Wanna find out who it is? Let's kill them.”

“Hey!” Ayame interjected, to which Teru replied with a loud laugh of her own.

Embroiled in their myriad of bad life decisions, the Tokugawa twins sat at the bar talking about almost everything that had been going on in their lives these past two weeks. For the two of them, this was a surprisingly long bout of time where they had barely seen each other.

Owner was overbearing in a different way to being clingy - if Ayame had to label such a thing, it was definitely a need for control, whilst Hazuki just sounded...painfully insecure.

“...and that's what's happened,” Teru finished; and Ayame could hardly believe her ears at just how many times Teru had been asked by Hazuki where she was going or what she was doing.

“Wow. You need to get rid of her, Teru. She's crazy.”

“Yeah...” Teru replied. “I guess the first sign I should probably not have done anything was how she beat you up, right?”

Ayame laughed, loudly and sarcastically, as Teru smirked.

“Wow! You don't say?”

“Haha! Well, you know me...I'm unable to resist a good lookin' gal.”

Ayame sighed as she stared down at the amber liquid in her glass.

“...Teru...what should I do?”

Taken aback by another display of candid emotion from her sister, Teru placed a hand gently on her back.

“...Aya...”

“I don't know what to do...” Ayame finally admitted; placing her head in her hands. “I don't know what to do anymore.”

“...Is this a bad time to mention that mom wants us home for a meeting?”

Ayame's eyes widened, before her posture was stricken with a blow of hesitation.

“Ugh. What the fuck for?”

“Dunno. It's not just us though, so...sounds like she wants to do a family-wide kinda deal. Must be a pretty big announcement or whatever.”

“Does the fun never end? I want to get off the ride.”

Teru laughed at her sister's cynicism.

Ayame couldn't help but watch the sight of Kuro and Riza behind the bar, and felt a pang of longing in her heart. She had to do something about these feelings for Chinami; even in the midst of all the lust with Owner, nothing seemed to compare to the light and airy feeling of genuine affection.

Somehow, being informed all about Hazuki's insecurities and clingy behaviour lit a fire beneath Ayame; coupling that with Kuro's advice to get the hell out of this sticky situation with Owner, and that was a recipe topped off with alcohol for determination and conviction.

It felt almost like a relief to be able to think of Chinami Saizuki again.

...I have to do something... Ayame thought. Even if it's just talk to her.

Downing her glass of whiskey in one shot, she let out a sharp breath before slamming her hands down on the table and turning to Teru.

“A-Ayame?”

“C'mon,” Ayame replied, “Let's go get this horrible meeting over and done with. We've got our own lives to get on with, right?”

“Well, sure, but - hey, wait! Ayame!...Geez!”

“Where's the fire?” Kuro replied, walking back over to where Teru was sat as the door almost flew off of its hinges. “Hey, nice tattoo, kid.”

“Oh! Thanks!”

“Kuro! Don't encourage her. dammit!”

-

A wave of nerves and excitement overtook Ayame as she began to march towards the road closest to The Blue Canary.

If the last time she had been taken here by Chinami was anything to go by, that was exactly where she would be. It would be the first time Ayame had actually allowed Chinami to see her in the past two weeks, let alone hear her voice. She wasn't sure if she'd say anything tonight. It would certainly be embarrassing with Teru at her side, but...at this point, a huge part of her just didn't care how it looked anymore.

The night air was abuzz with the electricity of the nightlife. All around her, Ayame could see the neon lights, hear the laughter amidst the patrons of the city, and feel the cooling summer air that settled onto her skin with a pleasant buzz after the alcohol.

Whizzing around a street corner, Ayame found herself coming to a halt - and before her, just slightly in the distance, she saw the forelorn appearance of the driver that she secretly held inside her heart tightly.

“Chinami...!” she whispered underneath her breath, and found that Chinami didn't look up, even a little. She seemed totally engrossed in looking down at the ground and leaning back on her hands against the car.

What am I even supposed to say? Should I say it all?

Should I just say hi? Has she even noticed I haven't been around?

...

I guess I'll just show up.

Resolved in her flimsy logic to prevent further hurt, Ayame Tokugawa took her first few steps towards Chinami Saizuki for the first time in half a month.

Each step felt like a mile. Her mouth was a little dry from the anxiety. Her legs felt stiff with hesitation, as though she wanted to turn and run all over again. Self-preservation had always been something firmly ingrained in her, and a matter of the heart was no different. But even Ayame knew she couldn't avoid the issue forever - if only for the matter of her waning sanity.

The steps took her closer and closer; until, finally...

“...? Ah...!”

Chinami looked up; and Ayame felt her heart struck with arrows of love all over again.

Had it always been like this? Had she always noticed every detail of Chinami's appearance like this?

Her pale skin; her intense eyes...even the way she was breathing softly behind her mask.

“Ayame...!” Chinami greeted in surprise; and Ayame felt her heart warm at the sight that she was clearly happy to see her.

Oh, God. I really am in love with you. How did this happen?

“Hey,” Ayame replied with a smirk of her own, and Chinami's expression - even behind the mask - was clearly full of elation and relief. “I'm happy to get to see you again. It's been a while, right?”

I barely know you.

“Yes! Um...it is! Good, that is. Good to see you again!”

I barely know you, Ayame's thoughts began to round off, but I feel like I've always known you.

The two of them remained stationary, before Chinami's eyes darted across Ayame's frame. The sparkle of elation in Chinami's eyes began to dim somewhat upon the sight she had landed on. Ayame quickly, and in a futile attempt at subtlety, placed her hand on her neck.

“You have hickeys,” Chinami said directly.

Ayame felt a jolt of guilt wash through her body, even if there was no real reason to feel that way.

“Oh, yeah...”

“Who from?”

Whoa! So blunt!

“U-Uh...just...just some girl. Um. Well, actually, it's Owner.”

Dammit! Why didn't you lie?! I guess it really must be love!

Chinami's eyes narrowed, before Ayame noticed her shoulders become a little stiffer.

“Owner...” she grumbled with a dark tone, which did not go unnoticed by Ayame. As far as she could remember, this was the first time she'd actually heard Chinami angry - though much to her surprise, she felt like it wasn't anger directed at her. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“N-No...it's just a hedonistic thing. It's stupid, really.”

“...I see,” she replied; masking the traces of emotion in her voice. Ayame arched an eyebrow. That was suspiciously blunt, even for her. “How pathetic. Um, of her. Not of you.”

Ayame couldn't restrain a surprised chuckle.

“No, no...”

They both paused.

“So where have you been?” Ayame replied just as bluntly, and eager to change the subject. “I haven't seen you in a while.”

Chinami's exasperated expression began to fade from her eyes, before she eventually began to - finally - give Ayame the answer that she had been looking for.

“I have had to look after my sister.”

Ayame paused.

“Your sister...?” she asked, anxiously. “Did something happen?”

Chinami bowed her head a little.

“Ayame...” she began. “I believe I owe you an apology.”

“Huh?”

“The day of the funeral, I had to desert my post. I was reprimanded by both Akira and Owner, who both docked me of a week's pay...”

Ayame frowned angrily.

“By Owner? What the fuck? Don't worry, I'll get your money back.”

Chinami nodded politely.

“...Thank you, but you needn't trouble yourself on my account.”

“Seriously, it's no big deal. I can probably just steal it back, even. But what happened? Why'd you have to go in the first place?”

Chinami took a deep breath.

“...My sister got into a school fight. She was suspended for three days, so...I had to pick her up immediately.”