CHAPTER 11 - Forever February (1)

[GOOD LUCK CHARM]

"Are you nervous?"

After releasing his aim, Chiba cast a glance at Hayami, who was similarly holding a gun, arms firm towards the target.

"Yeah," he replied.

Tomorrow he would be taking the entrance exam to his dream school. He would be lying if he said that he was completely calm right now. That's why, to relieve the tension in his mind, he had asked his sniping partner to have a quick practice in the afternoon.

She lowered her gun and, then, inserted a hand inside her pocket. "Maybe this will help," she said as she fished out a miniature pouch –

– a good luck charm.

She tossed it towards him, which he seized with ease. "Thanks." He gave it a look, with a corner of his mouth turned up, before hiding it inside his pants.

'She said her exam is next week,' he thought. 'I should also give her one.'

"You will pass it."

He glanced at her, whose eyes became keener, filled with surety, as she added, "I'm sure of that."

***

He was struck-cold when he had waltzed in the living room and came upon his older sister, Emi, who has sharp azure eyes and long raven hair, sitting on the couch while working something on her laptop.

"Nee-san, you're home," he blurted out of shock.

Trotting down the stairs was their five-year-old sister, Hitomi, with shorter hair fixed into pigtails, color the same as them. Although her eyes were maroon-red like Chiba, its roundness and cheeriness did not hold an intense gaze.

"Onii-chan, welcome home!" Hitomi cried out with glee as her frail small hands clasped his legs.

An affectionate smile crossed his face as he stroked his sister's head, which disappeared right away when Emi had stood up, displaying her hourglass figure, with a serious expression.

"You know, Mom told me something unimaginable after I came back home from the university since it's our break," she began to say. With a hand on her hip, she sashayed her way to him.

Then she stopped before him, her height on an even level as him, as her face shifted. "When did you get yourself a girlfriend?!" she fussed.

This was why he dreaded her being here in this house.

"I don't have a girlfriend," he said firmly before walking past her.

Hitomi scuttled after him and begged him to play with her. Gently, he turned down since he needed to prep himself up for tomorrow. Pouting her lips, she dragged her feet to the living room to watch TV instead as he climbed the stairs.

Emi let out a huff when her eyes fell on the tiny object swaying from his bag. She sneered as her eyebrows rose.

"So what's that on your bag?" she queried, which halted him on his steps.

He looked down on his hand carrying his bag, then, at his sister. "A charm," he said flatly.

"I know what that is!" she groused. Shortly after, her smirk returned, crossing her arms as she leaned sideways on the wall. "So did your girlfriend give that to you?"

"She's not my girlfriend."

She finger gunned at him as if she had hit the bullseye. "Ah. That means 'she' actually exists." She stood upright on both feet before turning to the kitchen. "If you need love advice, you can ask your dear Onee-san," she proclaimed as her legs started moving.

Chiba breathed out exasperatedly. Again, this was why he did not want her to return. Every time she found something about his personal life she would poke fun at him for it. Like Karma and Nakamura.

He was lucky that he had gotten only questions from her today. But he knew that next time it would not be the same.