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Tomoe was only supposed to be out for an hour at most that morning for an errand, but upon witnessing the sidewalks teeming with litter, she ended up picking up the trash that inconsiderate people had left behind until noon. Litterbugs, as she called them, were among her most hated kinds of people. People who have no care for the preservation of the beauty and cleanliness of the environment.
"All these people defacing Mother Nature," she grumbled, bending over to pick up a candy wrapper. "The audacity…"
Tomoe placed the wrapper in a plastic bag and sighed. Her back was starting to ache from all the trash collecting, and her sweat, caused by the heat of the midday sun, had made her shirt damp. She retreated under a tree growing by the side of the road to rest where she saw even more waste scattered around the roots.
"My goodness!" she exasperated. "I really hope these litterbugs get punished!"
As Tomoe bent over to grab a small empty water bottle halfway in the soil, something suddenly collided into her, causing her to topple over and fall on the ground. "Argh!" she cried out, hitting her side on the pavement. A hand reached out to her to help her up, followed by a cheery female voice.
"Oops! Sorry, Tomoe! I didn't see you there!"
Kokoro helped Tomoe dust off the dirt and gravel that had stuck to the back of her shirt. She was out in the streets skipping gleefully spreading love and cheer as usual, with little care about looking at where she was going. "You dropped something, too!" she said pointing at the plastic bag on the ground now with its contents strewn across the sidewalk. "Oh, were you picking up trash, Tomoe? Wow, you're such a good citizen!"
"Come on!" shouted Tomoe, about to take her anger out on Kokoro before sighing and keeping her cool. "I'm tired of picking up people's waste! Everywhere I go, there's always garbage in every corner! Do people even know that trash bins exist?"
"Oh," she said, seeing Tomoe punch the air in anger and disappointment. "Don't feel too bad…"
Kokoro straightened her posture and put her hands on her hips. "Maybe we should get something to eat, Tomoe! You must be very hungry after being a model citizen!"
"Well, I would love to, but…" Tomoe sighed pointing at the trash bag that spilled behind her. "I gotta get this cleaned up first. I haven't eaten lunch yet, but I'll have to decline for now. Maybe some other time instead?"
"Oh, that?" Kokoro giggled. "Don't worry about the litter, my friends can handle it for you!"
"I really appreciate your help Kokoro, but I can just do it by myself."
Tomoe turned around to grab her plastic bag, only to see that three people in dark suits and shades were standing behind her, all of them holding their own bags.
"I suggest you take Kokoro-sama's request, Udagawa-sama,” one of the suits told Tomoe. “We'll make sure to take care of this per Kokoro-sama's request," Right afterward, they started cleaning up the mess that Kokoro accidentally caused, along with the other pieces of garbage they encountered nearby.
Tomoe was still taken aback by the suits but quickly shook herself back to reality with a new level of vigor. "Ah, Kokoro, I guess this means I'm free now. Would you be up to grab some ramen then?"
"Sure! Let's go!"
Kokoro suddenly grabbed Tomoe by the wrist and began running down the street. "H-Hey, wait!" she exclaimed as she was dragged behind, trying to let go of the strong grip clamping down on her. "M-My hand… oww…"
Their travelling brought them by the local park, where adults and children alike were enjoying the beautiful scenery of flowering trees and perennial bushes. Beside the park was a line of eateries where one could grab a quick bite. Tomoe knew that those restaurants served good, cheap ramen, so she was glad that Kokoro had brought her here.
Tomoe flashed a smile at one of the workers as she entered a small and cozy restaurant; she visited this place often enough that many of the employees knew who she was. "I'll have this one," she said showing Kokoro one of the options pictured on the food ticket machine. "How about you, Kokoro?"
"This one!" she replied, pointing at a picture showing a bowl filled with dark red broth.
Tomoe gulped. "Are you really sure you want to order that? That's one of the spiciest ramen I've ever eaten!"
"Yep!"
"Okay…" she sighed, placing the order and pulling out her wallet before Kokoro stopped her with a thousand yen bill in hand.
Once their orders were ready, they took a seat at an outside table and began to eat. Tomoe watched as Kokoro slurped down the broth from hell like she was drinking a glass of water. "This tastes super good, Tomoe!" she exclaimed, with red broth streaming down her chin. Tomoe handed her a paper towel to wipe with, absolutely astounded at how unaffected Kokoro was.
"So Kokoro, how has your summer been?" she asked.
"Oh! Summer has been super fun!" she exclaimed. "My friends and I went to an island in the middle of the sea to go treasure hunting in a deep, dark cave! And we ended up finding ancient dinosaur fossils! That trip was so much fun~”
“What?!” she blurted out, almost spraying broth all over her shirt.
“What’s wrong, Tomoe?”
“T-That sounds a bit too… outrageous…”
Kokoro shook her head. “Nope! You can ask my friends if you want to!”
“Uh huh,” Tomoe nodded, still doubting the truthfulness in her statements.
As the two girls savored their delicious ramen, Tomoe caught a familiar face in the corner of her eye while watching the people at the park. An orange-haired girl was walking groggily down the park paths with a slouch to her posture and her hands in her pockets. She could not tell for sure from the distance, but it was clear to her that the girl's expression was the opposite of happy.
"Hey, she's from Kokoro's band," she thought to herself.
Kokoro must have seen the familiar face approaching them as well, for she stood up and began waving in her direction. "Hagumi! Over here!"
Upon hearing Kokoro's gleeful tone, Hagumi looked around and spotted Kokoro. She straightened her posture and waved back with a smile before running as fast as she could towards them.
"Hello Kokoron!" she greeted with a beam. "Oh, hi Tomo-chin!"
"Hiya, Hagumi!" said Kokoro, inviting her for a seat. "Would you like to eat lunch with us?"
“Nah, Hagumi is okay!” Hagumi shook her head before sitting beside Kokoro. “But Hagumi still enjoys just being with her friends!”
“That’s great, Hagumi! Tomoe and I enjoy the company!”
Tomoe was about to object to the sudden addition of another person but instead decided to face towards the newcomer. “So Hagumi, what brings you to the park today?”
“Oh! I just wanted to take a walk outside! The weather’s really nice today, and the air in the park always smells so fresh!”
“It is rather cool today,” remarked Tomoe looking at the leaves of the trees gently swaying in the breeze. The colder than usual winds had tamed summer’s belligerence that day; it was the perfect weather for a stroll in the park. Especially for the energetic, nature-loving Hagumi, whom one would usually find running around with a happy smile on her face. That was what Tomoe expected when she saw the orange-haired girl in the park, so she was surprised to find her walking lackadaisically, more so her sudden change of emotion upon approaching them.
“Are you sure you don’t wanna join us?” Kokoro asked one more time, coaxing Hagumi to sit in the chair beside her.
“It’s okay! I’ll just eat when I get home! Bye-bye!”
As Hagumi bade them goodbye, Tomoe noticed a hesitation in her movements as she walked away. Indeed, she stopped just a few steps later, turning her head back at her friends, and then towards the park. She shook her head weakly before returning to their table.
“Actually, maybe lunch with Kokoron and Tomo-chin isn’t so bad!” she gleamed; however, her smile was now more insincere.
“Yay!” Kokoro cheered, raising her fists into the air.
Tomoe kept an eye on Hagumi while she ate the dish that Tomoe recommended to her. There was really something off about the girl, she thought as she observed her. While Hagumi chewed the food in her mouth, her gaze was distant; either she was just tired from her activities or she was thinking deeply about something. She also seemed to eat at a faster pace than what Tomoe was used to and even finished her meal quicker than her despite being a few minutes late. She did not even remark on the flavor of her food or how full she was afterward and continued staring into the distance, occasionally looking side-to-side upon catching sight of moving people. Kokoro did not seem to notice the unusuality in Hagumi’s behavior, but Tomoe did, and she knew very well that Hagumi was not okay.
Kokoro emptied the last of the contents of her bowl into her mouth and let out a small belch. “Yummy! That was super fun!”
“Ah, this place never ceases to impress me,” uttered Tomoe, leaning back on her seat. “Hagumi, how did you find your meal?”
Hagumi snapped out of her abstracted state and turned her head towards Tomoe. “Oh! Hagumi liked the food!” she replied, having nothing else to say.
“Hey! Let’s go to the park!” Kokoro suggested, standing up. “But first, I have to take a bathroom break!”
As Kokoro skipped to the restrooms, it was time for Tomoe to ask Hagumi about how she was feeling. She sipped from her glass of water before moving her seat closer to Hagumi and looking at her with concerned eyes.
“Is there something bothering you, Hagumi?” she asked. “You don’t look well today…”
The orange-haired girl’s only response was to glance at Tomoe before lowering her head and sniffling. Little teardrops started forming on the side of her eyes which she quickly wiped off with her fingers.
“Hey,” she said, patting her on the shoulder. “You can’t let Kokoro see you like this. She’ll become sad too…”
Hagumi nodded, rubbing her eyes. “Sniff…”
Tomoe’s big sister instincts then started acting up. “You can tell me all about it later if you want. Maybe I can help.”
Sooner than Tomoe had expected, Kokoro returned to their table. “Did I miss anything between you two?”
“No no, we’re completely alright here! Nothing to worry about, hehe…” Tomoe has never been a good liar, but Kokoro has always been a bit too dense.
“Well if that’s the case, then what are we waiting for? Let’s go already Tomoe! Hagumi! The park is waiting and it wants us to play!”
“Hey, umm… Kokoro?” Tomoe decided to speak up.
The blonde girl tilted her head. “Hmm? What is it you need, Tomoe?”
“I think we should head home for today. I’m pretty exhausted from all my trash-picking, and Hagumi here also told me she was getting a bit tired already.” Tomoe pointed at Hagumi who just looked at her in confusion. “Ah! Why don’t we just drop you by your house first then I’ll drop off Hagumi. We live just a street apart after all!”
“Eh?"Hagumi tilted her head. "Tomoe, Hagumi is still fin—!”
Tomoe nudged Hagumi’s shoulder and gave her a wink, which made Hagumi realize what she was doing. Meanwhile, Kokoro thought for a moment before she finally fell for the drummer’s lie.
“Sure! We can’t have fun if we’re already tired! Let’s go home, Tomoe! Hagumi!”
As the vocalist grabbed both of their hands, Hagumi could only mouth a ‘thank you’ to Tomoe as they got dragged by Kokoro who was back to gleefully skipping without a care in the world. Thankfully, she slowed down the moment they neared her house where they met with the suits at the gate.
“Tsurumaki-sama, I hope you had a nice day,” one of the suits bowed.
“Yep! It’s always fun to be with my friends!” Kokoro turned around and hugged Tomoe and Hagumi before being escorted by two of the suits inside. “Bye-bye Tomoe! Bye-bye Hagumi!” She waved back at them before disappearing into her huge mansion.
“That Kokoro can really never catch a break now, does she?” Tomoe panted as she waved goodbye.
“Mmhmm! Kokoron is so full of energy all the time! She can even catch up to Hagumi!” Hagumi nodded with a smile on her face that quickly left.
“Ahem,” the remaining suit cleared her throat as she called for the attention of the two teenagers. “We apologize for any intrusions from Tsurumaki-sama, but we do hope that you had a nice day with her, Udagawa-sama, Kitazawa-sama.”
At that point, the last suit has also entered the Tsurumaki residence, leaving the two of them alone together. They then began to amble in no particular direction. While Hagumi shuffled her feet, Tomoe stared at the azure sky, cerebrating about what to do next.
"So, Hagumi…" It was Tomoe who broke the silence. "Would you like to go to the park for a bit?"
Hagumi nodded silently. Her hand clutched her other arm as she slowly moved closer to Tomoe; she responded by putting her arm out and wrapping it behind Hagumi and holding her shoulder. Hagumi was silent for the rest of their walk where her usual overflowing energy was visibly missing and her head hung in despair. Tomoe didn't peep a single word either; her big sister instincts knew that she should wait for Hagumi to feel comfortable before she talks.
The gentle flowing breeze continued caressing the park when they arrived. For someone to feel so gloomy on such a lovely day was almost unacceptable. Tomoe and Hagumi sat together under a tree beside the playground, where even in the middle of the afternoon quite a few kids were still playing. A familiar jingle could be heard which was then followed by the sound of children running and begging their parents for money.
An idea popped into the drummer’s head. “Ah! Hagumi!” Tomoe’s voice broke Hagumi out of her sad trance. “Would you like some ice cream? It’ll be my treat!”
“Uuu… Tomo-chin, are you really sure?” Even in times of hardship, Hagumi’s mind was still dead set on helping others over herself. “Don’t worry, Hagumi can pay! I still have some allowance left!”
Hagumi started patting her clothes to look for her wallet, but Tomoe’s hand just held hers. A wide grin flashed upon Tomoe’s face when the bassist looked up to her, before promptly getting dragged to the ice cream truck. “So, Hagumi, any particular flavor you’d like?”
Hagumi spent a few moments staring blankly at the menu. “Ohh, any flavor will do…” she answered, still feeling diffident from Tomoe’s kindness. “Thank you, Tomo-chin!”
So Tomoe bought two chocolate-flavored popsicles and gave one to Hagumi, who tore the wrapper off and stared at the frozen treat inside. “Hagumi has never had ice cream in a long time!” she exclaimed, taking a lick from the side of the popsicle. “Mmm! Yummy!”
“Of course. Ice cream will always be a favorite of the young and old,” stated Tomoe.
The pair returned to their spot under the shade and enjoyed their dessert in silence, the happy laughs and shouts of the kids the only sounds keeping the environment alive. Hagumi was first to finish her pop and even asked Tomoe to buy another one before the ice cream truck left. Once Tomoe had finished hers, she laid her back on the tree trunk and placed her hands behind her head, opting to take a quick nap for she was tired from her day’s work. Just before she fell asleep, however, Hagumi suddenly scooched closer to her and rested her head on her shoulder.
“Tomo-chin?” she muttered without turning her head.
“Hmm? What is it, Hagumi?”
“T-Thank you… for today! Hagumi really enjoyed being with Tomo-chin! With you, it still feels like onii-chan’s still here…”
“Onii-chan?” Tomoe asked, sensing the change in the tone of her voice. “Why? What happened?”
Hagumi hesitated for a while before she was ready to speak, her reticence finally disappearing. “Onii-chan left us because he was fed up with Mama and Papa’s fighting… He told me he was going to come back and—and he told me to stay strong while he was gone, but that was almost a month ago! Now there’s no one to be there for Hagumi whenever Mama and Papa start fighting again…”
Tomoe became shocked by what she was hearing. “Hagumi…”
“I don’t wanna go home today, Tomo-chin… Nobody’s going to welcome me back anyway! And even if I did, Mama and Papa would still be angry at each other and forget all about me! Hagumi misses onii-chan so much… he was the only person that really ever loved and cared for me…”
Once the bassist could no longer hold back her tears, Tomoe could only find herself heavy heartened and filled with sorrow as the poor girl started crying next to her. Nobody else knew the problems the bright, lively, always-smiling Hagumi had to face every single day. She had never talked about her feelings to anyone up until that point. To live in such a broken household must have taken a big toll on Hagumi and her brother. One would always see Hagumi outside of her home because she simply does not want to stay at home. Now that the single most important person in her life was gone, Hagumi was left completely defenseless. Nobody was there to help her cope with her problems and pains.
It was all clear to Tomoe now: Hagumi’s smiles were only there to hide the feelings of depression that she had been going through for the longest time.
Tomoe lifted her body up and hugged Hagumi tightly, the only thing she could do in that situation. “Shh… It’s okay…” she said, trying to console the sobbing girl. “I’m sorry… I don’t know how to help…”
Of course, Tomoe had no idea how to help; it was difficult for her to empathize with Hagumi. After all, while her family does have disagreements every now and then (usually due to antics caused by the two sisters), they all still loved each other. Even whenever Ako causes trouble, Tomoe would always be there to help her and so will Ako if Tomoe needs her. To her, Ako was growing up to be a wonderful woman. Sure, she might still have her chuunibyou tendencies, but the loving family she has is allowing her to mature and be as ‘cool’ as Tomoe.
Maybe that was what Hagumi was missing: a family to be there for her. A family to care for her. Tomoe could see Ako in Hagumi’s place, always relying on the older sibling to be there for them. But how would Ako be if Tomoe wasn’t there for her? Tomoe wouldn’t want to see Ako sad and hurting because she wasn’t there for her little sister. She bit her lip, knowing that that was what Hagumi was currently experiencing. Worse for her was that Hagumi did not even have parents that truly loved her. Tomoe could not imagine how painful it must have been for Hagumi to lose the last family member that cared for her.
But maybe, maybe there was a way. It couldn’t be too late to change things, right? Tomoe has always been the kind of person who would go out of their way to help someone, even if it meant she’d suffer for it. Even the disagreements she had with Afterglow were all because she wanted the group to stay together. If Hagumi’s birth family couldn’t help her, maybe… just maybe… Tomoe could still fill that hole in Hagumi’s life.
“Hagumi…” Tomoe broke the hug as her hand moved to hold the girl’s head. “Would you be busy tonight?”
“Tomo-chin?” Hagumi looked up to the taller girl, wiping her tears. “No, Hagumi will just hide in her room so I won’t hear Mama and Papa fighting…”
“Well, fufu… Whaddaya say?” A smirk formed on Tomoe’s face. “Wanna stay at ours for a while?”
“H-huh? A-are you sure, Tomo-chin?” A sniff came from Hagumi but tears no longer flowed from her eyes. “Wouldn’t Hagumi just be a bother?”
“Oh don’t worry about that, you can stay in my room if you want to! Oh, I think we even have an extra guest room, after all.” The smirk on her face turned into a bigger grin. “Plus, I’m sure Ako would absolutely love someone to play with!”
Hagumi lit up. “R-Really?”
Tomoe nodded with reassurance. “It’s the least I can do to help.”
Happiness returned to Hagumi’s face as she hugged the drummer back. “T-Thank you so much, Tomo-chin! No words can describe how happy Hagumi feels right now!”
Tomoe smiled. Hagumi was just like her younger sister in many ways.
“Let’s go to your new home then, Hagumi,” she said, standing up. “Ako must be getting worried about me staying out so long.”
It did not take long for the two of them to go back for Tomoe’s home was only a few blocks from the park. Hagumi watched shyly behind Tomoe as the latter unlocked the door to a house that looked much nicer than Hagumi’s. A cheery voice met Tomoe once she opened the door.
“Onee-chan!” Ako ran up to Tomoe to give her a hug. She had gotten off her computer just to be able to welcome her sister back. “What took you so long? You were supposed to be back hours ago!”
“Oh, something came up. But I’m thankfully done with it. Are Mom and Dad home?”
“Not yet…”
“Okay, good. Because…” Tomoe rolled her eyes upward. “I need you to help me explain something…”
“Oh? What is it?”
Tomoe stepped aside to reveal Hagumi hiding behind her, who instinctively looked down to avoid Ako surprised gaze. “Well, Hagumi here wants to stay with us for some time, because she can’t really go back home…”
“I-It’s okay if Hagumi can’t stay…” Hagumi whispered.
“No, Hagumi!” Ako responded with a smile. “You can stay for as long as you want! We’re always open to helping friends in need!”
Hagumi looked back at Ako and beamed. “T-Thank you!”
“Yay!” Ako dragged Hagumi inside into her room, where she had left her game running, with Tomoe following closely behind. “Come on, Hagumi! I’ll teach you how to play Neo Fantasy Online with me and Rinrin!”
“U-Uhh-” she replied, somewhat stunned by the rapid unfolding of events.
“Fufu, finally! A servant of the great queen enters her domain! Thou shall prosper under the countless nights of… errmmm… playtime!”
“A-Ako-chin?” Hagumi tilted her head.
“She means sleepover, Hagumi.” Tomoe whispered to the confused girl. “Now you two have fun together while I rest. Just call me when you need anything.”
Hagumi gave one last smile of gratitude before she was distracted once again by Ako tugging on her sleeve. “Here, Hagumi! Let’s make your new account!”
“Oh, I can already imagine the new ‘gamer’ Hagumi after all this,” Tomoe giggled to herself, closing the door behind them. She settled her exhausted body on the sofa and took a nap; that is until Hagumi gently shook her awake a few minutes later.
“Tomo-chin?” she asked. “Where can Hagumi take a shower?”
“Over there,” she answered pointing towards a door. “Wait, do you have extra clothes on you?”
A sheepish grin formed on Hagumi’s face. “Err…”
Tomoe stood up, walked into Ako’s room to get one of Ako’s shirts and a pair of shorts, and laughed as she tossed them to Hagumi. “Don’t forget the left knob is hot water, Hagumi Udagawa.”