A Family Meeting!

Although Sora and Suzuka had mellowed after the death of their parents, there was still lingering tension between them. They were barely tolerating each other existence, and their animosity toward each other spoke the volume of their dislike of each other.

Haru was aware of this. Actually, he understood that he was the reason for their severe rivalry.

'This is troublesome,' Haru thought in exasperation.

From Haruka's memory that Haru had assimilated, the reason behind their passive-aggressive behavior was something that happened in their childhood.

A while after the event that strained Haruka's relationship with Suzuka, Sora joined their family. When Haruka saw Sora, who looked like a fragile, pretty doll, he was hopelessly smitten.

Haruka felt like he had recovered a missing piece he never knew existed; he felt complete with Sora's presence close to him. He came to realize that his eagerness to please Suzuka was something he did to fill the emptiness because of his twin's absence.

With the accident that strained his relationship with Suzuka still fresh in his mind, Haruka then focused his attention on his twin sister he just met. They had lived separately for years and finally met and lived together; he was eager to connect with her.

As expected of a child he was at that time, Haru disregarded Suzuka, who was utterly at a loss by their strained relationship, and tried to get closer to Sora. It destroyed the fragile foundation for a familial bond that they had.

At the same time, Haruka didn't know how he should think about his twin sister. In his perspective, Sora was a stranger, yet she was also someone precious to him. Haruka didn't know how to treat Sora.

Moreover, Haruka's falling out with Suzuka was still fresh in his mind. Thus, he was unable to treat Sora as his "sister." It was the root of Haruka's forbidden romantic feeling for Sora.

Then, as they grew up, Haruka became very close to Sora. Their closeness unintentionally alienated Suzuka, who could only watch them from a distance.

As they grew up, Haruka then became conscious of Suzuka's blossoming charm. He couldn't stop himself from getting smitten by Suzuka, though he was also in love with Sora at the same time.

Simultaneously, Sora and Suzuka harbored feelings toward Haruka. They then became aware of their feelings for Haruka, which created friction in their already tense and unstable relationship. They had confronted each other many times after they realized that they were rivals in love. Haruka's position was an observer, more or less.

Haru felt exasperated when he realized that.

'My predecessor is a damn useless, indecisive imbecile!' Haru cursed Haruka in his mind.

Whenever Sora and Suzuka confronted each other, Haruka always stood at the side and watched his two little sisters fighting. At least, it was how it looked in the third person's point of view.

In truth, Haruka was between a hard place and a rock. He feared to upset them if he stopped their catfight. Although he tried to be the middle ground between the two headstrong and willful girls, they always ended up lashing out at him whenever he tried to stop their fight.

Something like that often happened when their parents were still alive. Since then, Haruka would watch his sisters' confrontation in silence and only stopped them if they got physical in their fight.

Haru understood how messed up Haruka's relationship with his sisters. He also felt annoyed because it felt like he was fixing someone else's mistake.

Haru strongly believed that someone must fix their own mistake. His independence in his previous life heavily influenced his way of life. Thus, he despised fixing someone's else problem.

'But it can't be helped...' Haru helplessly thought.

Although Haru abhorred fixing someone else's mess, he couldn't disregard the passive-aggressive confrontation of his loved ones. Moreover, it happened in front of him.

After experiencing the joy of having loved ones, though it only happened in a short time, Haru wanted Sora and Suzuka to treat each other well. He wanted the three of them to live in harmony.

Haru disliked troublesome matters. He didn't want to have a stressful life. Thus, he was going to fix his sisters' confrontational behavior towards each other.

'Then, let do this!' Haru made up his mind and then did something.

*CLAP!*

Haru clapped, creating a loud sound that immediately took Sora's and Suzuka's attention. They turned their heads at Haru with an expression that conveyed their annoyance mixed with confusion.

Before they could lash out at him, Haru overtook them. "All right!" Haru declared sternly, "No fighting! No passive-aggressive confrontation! No exchange of malicious barbs or insults! I'm sick of it! We don't have parents anymore! There are only three of us left in this family! If you keep this shit, don't blame me if I forcefully straighten you two!"

Sora and Suzuka were dumbstruck; their eyes opened wide, and their bottom jaws hung loosely.

Haru then pressed for their answers, snapping them out of their shocked state. "Am I understood?!"

"Y-yes..."

"U-understood..."

Sora and Suzuka involuntarily stuttered; they were intimidated by the serious expression and the stern voice of Haru for once in their life.

***

Dinner in Kasugano Family passed tensely nowadays. There was no merriment nor casual talk in the middle of the procession, which was a common occurrence when a close-knit family had dinner together.

In the past, it wasn't like this. It only became like this after the unfortunate death of Mr. and Mrs. Kasugano.

This time dinner also passed tensely. However, the cause was different. Several things stood out before and after dinner.

First, Sora and Suzuka were behaving very docile. There was no passive-aggressive exchange between the two, and it really stood out when they dropped their usual passive-aggressive routine.

Second, Sora had voluntarily prepared the table before dinner and cleaned the table as well as washing the dishes after dinner. Such a thing stood out because she wouldn't do it usually. After all, Sora had become lazy and withdrawn after the death of Mr. and Mrs. Kasugano, and she often ignored her obligations and responsibilities without hesitation.

Third, Suzuka was brewing tea and coffee with her back facing the dining table. At first glance, nothing seemed unusual. However, if you know where to look at, you would realize that something was indeed wrong with Suzuka tonight: her movement was too rigid, and such a thing was unusual!

Lastly, the only boy in the room was alternating his watch on Sora's and Suzuka's backs. His view was sharply scrutinizing the girls' movements as if trying to find a mistake to exploit. It was the behavioral pattern of a strict adult who was searching for a reason to scold troublemakers.

Sora and Suzuka were behaving like obedient children because they didn't want to make Haru angry again. They had gotten a heavy dosage of scolding from Haru, and it shocked the girls and made them scared.

Of course, Haru preferred not to make them afraid of him. However, he must be strict with them so they wouldn't fight in front of him.

Haru also felt guilty for scaring them, but he hid it behind his calm expression. He understood that Haruka's assimilated emotions and feelings were the sources of his guilt because Haru's predecessor, Haruka, had spoiled his sisters too much that he didn't mind being the girls' metaphorical doormat.

But alas, Haru wouldn't accept such humiliation. Haru, after all, was a prideful boy. He had a bottom line, which he wouldn't ever relinquish even if it was for his new sisters that he came to love. It was the byproduct of his independence in his previous life.

Before long, Sora finished her dishwashing. After drying her hands with a towel, she returned to the table and then sat on her chair. She kept her face low because she was unable to meet Haru's gaze. Sora was wearing her usual white-themed Gothic Lolita dress. However, she let her silvery-white hair down.

The scolding that Haru gave her and Suzuka was still fresh in her mind. It had affected her so much because Haru never scolded her like that. She was also scared of being hated by Haru.

A while later, Suzuka finished brewing tea and coffee. She went to the table while carrying their drinks on a wooden tray. She had changed her attire. She was wearing a tosca-green cardigan over a frilly shoulderless yellow dress that stopped at her mid-thighs. Just like Sora, she let her long purple hair down.

Suzuka served everyone's share; the tea was for herself and Sora, while the coffee was for Haru. She received "Thank you" from Haru and Sora, after which she sat on her chair and put the wooden tray on the table.

Haru sipped his coffee silently, his expression still bland as ever. It was another proof that Haru was different from Haruka. Unlike Haru, who loved coffee, Haruka disliked coffee. Haru was a coffee addict because he needed caffeine to operate in his previous life. It was a habit he was fond of and wanted to preserve in his new life.

At the same time, Sora and Suzuka glanced at Haru furtively. It's obvious they noticed Haru's choice of drink, but they kept their opinion to themselves.

Haruka put his cup on the table. Simultaneously, Sora and Suzuka braced themselves. They had heard from Haru that there would be a family meeting after dinner, and it was time to start it.

"All right, let's start this family meeting," Haru declared.

Right after that, Sora and Suzuka unconsciously straightened their posture and turned their head to Haru.

Haru gazed at his sisters alternately and then said, "Let's talk about the main topic of this meeting. You two are very sensitive and extremely perceptive if it is something related to me, correct? Therefore, you two must have sensed the change in my behavior and personality. Well, I never actively tried to hide it from you. Anyway, this sudden change must confuse you two, so I want to talk about it now before a disastrous misunderstanding appears in the future."

Sora and Suzuka exchanged uncertain gazes, and for once, their short exchange wasn't passive-aggressive. They then turned their heads to Haru and waited for his next words.

"Sora, Suzuka, do you believe in magic and reincarnation?"