Girls have settled down at their homes again.

As soon as she got home, Yui was

greeted with a tons, and tons of food and she blisfully slipped into her old life again, warm
like fluffy, bunny slippers she put on her toes as soon as she entered the house.
Her mother and father were there, too. I havent told you about them until now,
because they were really not important for the story, but I guess this is as good as time as any.
Mother, Tomoe Hirasawa, has a long, brown hair, just like her two daughters do.
Thirty-seven now, she is used to telling that shes in her best years now. Thats why she
travels so much, leaving two girls at home a lot of the times. The reason for this, a hidden
reason, is because of her early marriage, which left her with strong wish to experience youth,
which was taken from her.
Its not like she did not wanted to get married, but in her mind it was maybe a rushed decision.
Still, two daughters which shes having now are definitively worth of all the years she
couldve had.
Her father, Haru Hirasawa, would be at home if hes not giving his everything to work
for the sake of his two daughters. Since the work hes having leaves him overseas a lot of the
times, he is rarely at home. You can definitively say that Yui is attached to her sister more than
to her own father. After all, her first words, after Go-han, were Ui.
Two sisters are definitively used to living alone. Their parents were at home literally
only on holidays and few weeks at a summer vacation. In the beginning, it was hard for Yui to
grasp that her Ma and Pa are not coming for a whole year. She was crying, being all alone by
herself and that times, she had only Ui. Maybe this is the reason why Yui behaves so childish
at a times.
While Ui took on herself the role of the parent, Yui was a child all of her life, never
experiencing real meaning of taking responsibility for herself.
Right now, kotatsu in the living room was full of food, and Yui hurried up to grab a
piece of meal.
Yui-chan, please wash your hands before eating! Tomoe smiled, warming her legs under the
kotatsu. It was cold outside after all.
Alright, Okasan-dono! Yui slammed her forehead on the ground.
My, Yui-chan! Im not that old! her mother almost seemed offended.
Ui came from the upstairs, holding a mobile phone, while Yui still held her forehead down on
the ground.
Nee-san, Azusa called. She said that Mio, Mugi and Ritsu plan to drop a party at Mugis. You
and me were called, and Jun-chan will also be there.
Ooh, Azunyan is working hard! Yui raised her forehead from the ground, musing in
happiness.

At Azusas, atmosphere was really bright right now. Her mother and father really gave
all from themselves so girl can accommodate herself well in her old surroundings.
But still, I cant wait to meet with my friends again and experience happiness, like we all
experienced few years ago.

Azusa thought to herself, sitting on the red sofa in her living room, warming herself up in a
large, fluffy blanket.
Azu-chan, are you cold? Do you want some tea? Sawako asked, sitting next to her. Azusas
heart felt stung for a moment. There was somebody else who called her like that, and she
realized that she already misses him. And there were two more weeks left.
Azusa realized right now how much he meant to her.
After she met him, she was still slow to trust people around her. She thought her heart is
weak, undeserving of love, so she hid it from the others. She even tried to brush him off, but
he always tried again, and again.
When she learned about his true nature, first thing she thought is that hes going to hurt her
friends, and set her mind to learning just what are his true motives. But that morning together
with him it changed her mind. She found out he is earnest, and involuntarily her heart
opened to him.
That is when the ignoring started. Maybe she would lose her interest, if he did not suddenly
grew so cold, only wanting him more, and more. It was because of his nature, she later found
out, but it still hurt her. He obviously never wanted to leave for good, always hanging around
her, but he was battling his own nature. He wanted her to love him, but havent had any
courage.
In the end, he decided to confess his feelings and with the help of her friends, they
finally ended up together.
He taught her to cherish her friends, to protect that which she cares about. To feel better about
herself. So in the end, she could only say: Mother, Im fine. looking down at the floor,
suddenly feeling a bit depressed.
You miss him, right?
Of course, Sawako knew that face. She knew the best how was it to miss somebody. In
Sawakos case, that person never came back. His face was now only visible in her dreams.
I think I should not bother myself so much with negative thoughts, mother. Im fine. Azusa
smiled.
Suddenly, her mobile phone buzzed and she took it from the table.
We are coming, Azunyan! mail message said, from Yui.
And Azusa felt her heart warming up again.

At Mios, things were not so lively. Mios parents really loved her, but her
overprotective father had that kind of My daughter is going to be the smartest kid and I
wont let it be different attitude, so she grew up always forced to give the best of herself,
never showing weaknesses.

Instead of being greeted with happiness and nice words, after they got back home first
question her father asked was:Mio, have you passed all of your exams? in usual and strict
voice.
So she only said yes, sighed, and went to her room to change herself. After all, this night was
a new years day. And she still remembered the promise theyve made to Sawako-sensei,
about coming to her place. Mio planned to do this before getting to Mugis.
Even after all of this time, Mios room was still clean. Probably it was her mothers
doing, and Mio laid herself down on the neat, modern looking bed, staring at the ceiling. In
her mind right now there was Ritsu and all of the things which have happened until now.
Suddenly, she felt the tears finding way down her beautiful face.
Mio, what is wrong with you?
She asked herself in her mind, but tears were still falling. She felt her heart breaking,
something which obviously laid deep down in her heart, tearing her inside. But why? What
was that feeling inside of her?
She tried thinking about the reason why she suddenly felt that sadness. But answers were not
near. Digging inside of herself, inspecting that cluster of emotions in her heart, she found out
envy. That hurtful feeling, of wanting to have something which somebody else already has.
Looking behind, she always was alone in her pain. Since she was only child,
socializing was never her thing. And she used to sit in her room quietly, reading, when other
children played outside. Even when she went to the school, she never made many friends.
When Ritsu met her, truly she was in the state of being lonely like never before.
And now, when she became adult, feeling happened again. Of course, she had Ritsu, and other
girls. Friendship is a wonderful thing, girls felt like her other family. But many times her
mind wondered beyond that line. Wouldnt it be nice to be loved?
After all, Azusa was in love with Akira and watching two of them for Mio sometimes felt
really hard. Even Mugi had Etsuko. Yui was deeply in love with food, and her little sister was
more than enough to make her happy. Ritsu was Ritsu Mio could not even imagine that girl
having somebody for herself.
No offense, Ritsu.
I want to have somebody. she said in a voice, being unrecognizable to herself.