Sleepover and the Past!

After everyone had finished eating and Shikaru rinsed his mouth with cold water, Saki casually brought up his ear piercing."Hey, make sure to take that piercing out before you sleep. You always forget, and then you end up wearing it to school. Aren't you planning on getting another one on the top of your ear too?"

"Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me—I nearly forgot. And yeah, I've been thinking about getting another one for a while now, but I haven't saved up enough for it yet."

Yasuna's eyes widened in surprise and she quickly turned her head to see if they were just messing with her. But no—they weren't joking. Shikaru was actually taking off his piercing. She blinked, honestly shocked she hadn't noticed it sooner. In her defense, he hadn't worn it to school the last two days, so unless she'd visited their house, she wouldn't have seen it.

Accepting that fact, she turned her gaze to Saki, who was already staring at her with a suspicious glint in her eyes. Yasuna let out a long, dramatic sigh, surrendering to her fate. She knew Saki had probably planned every step of this. It was like she could see the future, and Yasuna stood no chance.

Trying to change the subject, she asked where she could find a futon to sleep on. The room suddenly froze.

Yasuna blinked, confused by everyone's reaction. "A futon?" she repeated, unsure what she'd just triggered.

Shikaru's dad spoke softly, as if saying something sacred. "A futon… you say?"

The realization struck her like lightning. "Wait… we don't have an extra futon, do we?"

Everyone fell dramatically to the ground, apologizing in sync as if this had happened before. They were even about to send Shikaru out to fetch one when Yasuna raised her hands to stop them.

"It's fine! Really!" she insisted.

Then, without missing a beat, she proposed something completely ridiculous. "What if I just sleep on the floor? That solves all our problems, doesn't it?"

Everyone stared at her like she'd lost her mind—but she looked perfectly serious.

Everyone's jaw dropped so fast, it was like Yasuna had committed a crime."Have you lost it, Yasuna? I'm sleeping on the floor and you're sleeping on my bed, and that's final."

Saki's voice rang with sudden firmness, leaving no room for argument. Everyone in the room nodded in agreement, and with Shikaru backing her up, Yasuna felt like she had no choice—he couldn't possibly be wrong, she thought.

A few minutes later, Shikaru's family went home, and it was time for bed. Yasuna and Saki headed up to her room. Just as they said, Saki laid out a few pillows and slept on the floor, while Yasuna took the bed.

Since she hadn't planned on staying the night, Saki lent her some clothes to sleep in. The balcony window let in a soft gust of wind, and with the room quiet and peaceful, it was finally time—Saki had been waiting all day to ask Yasuna a certain question.

With no hesitation, she asked,"So why do you like Shikar—I mean, Irishki—so much? Is he really that handsome? I'll admit he has a good personality, but that's about it."

Yasuna shot up from the bed, looking down at Saki with flustered disbelief. Saki, of course, had expected that.

"What do you mean that's all?! Miss Inaru, you've known Mister Irishki your whole life. You must have developed feelings for him at some point! And come on, what's not to like—his smile, the way he looks when he's angry, how he talks—everything!"

Smirking, Saki got up and opened her computer. Clicking into a folder titled Battle Scars, she scrolled until she found the image she was looking for.

"Come here," she said.

Yasuna obeyed, peering over her shoulder. What she saw made her collapse to the ground, gasping for air.

"I-I-Is that Irishki's back? And why does it have so many claw marks and scratches? What happened to him?!"

The image was horrifying—his entire body covered in blood, arms limp, torn clothes, and deep wounds. The ground beneath him soaked red, with what looked like pipes strewn around. It was brutal. If she hadn't been told it was him, she wouldn't have recognized him.

Saki leaned back in her chair, unfazed, yawning."So, what do you think of him now? Do you still think you like him? Or even think he likes you back after seeing all that?"

Yasuna sat frozen, her face pale with fear. She had never imagined he'd gone through something like that.

Saki didn't add anything more—she already knew what Yasuna's reaction would be, and she didn't want to push her further. Quietly, she shut her laptop and got ready to sleep.

But just as she was about to lie down, Yasuna's voice broke the silence.

"Yes… Yes, I do believe he can love me. And I still love him—no matter what happened in the past, it's over now. I have no intention of letting him go. He's the only one I want. If he needs help, I'll be there. I'm willing to do anything. I'd sell my soul if it meant he could live a happy life."

Saki sat upright on the floor, smiling. Then she jumped on Yasuna like a doll, wrapping her arms around her with joy.

"Well then, you better treat him right, alright?! He's sensitive when it comes to emotions. And one last thing—"

She pulled away and lay back down.

"—you better not steal my friend away from me, got it?"

Yasuna wiped her teary eyes with tissues from the desk."Can I at least have Irishki? Don't hog him all to yourself, okay?"

She sniffled, then added,"What is he to you anyway? You don't seem like you like him or anything—you mostly just hang around him. Or is there something I need to know?"

Not moving, Saki replied softly,"You could say he's my prince in shining armor. I don't like him romantically… yet I can't stay away. He's the only one who helps me. And he's funny, sometimes."

Yasuna giggled, realizing she had nothing to worry about if Saki's knight in shining armor was also kind of a goofball.

They talked so long it was already past midnight. Saki finally got up and closed the balcony window before lying down.

Meanwhile, in Shikaru's room, he was up playing video games. Out of nowhere, he sneezed three times in a row.

"It's just a dumb myth," he muttered, remembering that sneezing three times supposedly meant someone was in love with you. He brushed it off.

Eventually, even he fell asleep.

"Wake the hell up! You forgot to wake me up, Saki! Now we're going to be late for school again—and it's your fault!"

The loud screech echoed through the room. Yasuna blinked awake, groggy, and turned her head toward the sound. There, on the balcony, stood a shadowy figure.

Before she could process what was happening, her eyes darted to the clock.7:50 AM.

She let out a small gasp, tumbled out of the bed, and hit the floor with a thud as she scrambled to wake Saki.

"Ugh... what the hell…" Saki groaned, stirring reluctantly.

Meanwhile, Yasuna struggled to both get up and make out who was yelling at them.

"Miss Ohana! Get ready quick or we'll be late—again—because someone didn't wake us up!"

The voice snapped, unmistakably Shikaru's.

Saki winced, her eyes barely open. "Don't blame me—I was up late last night!"

Then, blinking a few times, she muttered, "Wait, why are you even at my window? You hate climbing through windows."

"I had to come through the window!" Shikaru shot back. "If I didn't, we'd be late. Again."

Before Yasuna could respond, he was already gone, climbing back into his room.

There was no time to waste. Yasuna rushed to get ready—clothes, hair, everything in place. It was already 8:10 AM.

Saki, on the other hand, looked like she'd just opened her eyes. She hadn't even touched her hair.

Suddenly, with no warning, Shikaru burst through the window again—this time even louder.

"Oh my lord, get up! Do your hair, get dressed—I'm not waiting another second!"

Saki rolled over dramatically. "Why don't you dress me and do my hair? I'm too lazy to move around right now. Not like you care anyway."

Yasuna was stunned. Did she really just say that? Dress her up? Do her hair?

Shikaru's patience snapped."We're not kids anymore!" he shouted. "We've grown up! We don't have time for stupid crap like this!"

With one last frustrated groan, he climbed back out the window."Be ready by 8:20 or you're dead!"

And somehow—by miracle or fear—Saki managed to get dressed and ready in another room within minutes.

They all met right at the deadline.

"Finally you two are here," Shikaru said, exasperated. Then, changing his tone suddenly, he turned to Yasuna with a polite smile.

"And Miss Ohana, I am so sorry you have to deal with her. I promise, she's getting a serious scolding when we're alone."

Yasuna blinked at the sudden shift.

"For now," he added, "let's rush to school!"

And with that, they all bolted down the street. Their feet pounded against the pavement, matching each other stride for stride as they poured all their energy into getting there on time.

And in the end… they reached school.

That was the bright side.

The downside?

They were still five minutes late. Right on the dot.