Work Text:
Ririka pressed the play button. Her mind went completely blank when the voice coming from her phone vibrated through the air.
How foolish, She internally screamed. She wanted to dash to Kirari, grab a fistful of her sister's collar and yell at her ear.
Even as her gasps and moans filled the room, Kirari was unfazed. Ririka gazed at her sister.
" What should we do? The file has been circulating throughout the school for days."
"If the situation worsens, I have been advised to claim that it was you."
"How did such a file exist in the first place?"
"I was away for family business, and I couldn't help but miss my secretary. So I made a call on my phone, which got a little spicy at the end."
"You were too careless. It will ruin your reputation as the leader of the clan."
"So it can't be me."
Ririka bit her lip, unable to respond. Kirari was still composed, standing in front of her stupid aquarium and watching those goddamned fish with an amused smile. The smile irritated Ririka to no end. Before she could collect her thoughts, she had stormed out of the student council room without excusing herself.
She had cleaned up Kirari's mess before, but it was when she still lived as Kirari's shadow, and she didn't have her own dignity to lose. Now she had her own life. She had friends, and she cared about how they would think about her.
However, she knew that if anything went wrong, she had to cover up for Kirari. She couldn't afford to see Kirari fall. Her sister was a mad mess. She had caused so much harm that she was loathed by so many people, and the only thing that kept her safe was the power she held. Once her reputation damaged and the support from their clan shaken, she would be put into immediate danger, along with people who were close to her, including Ririka.
It would be fine if Kirari hadn't called Sayaka's name. If there's only moaning, they could dismiss the whole thing with ease. Having Sayaka's name in the audio further complicated the matter. Sayaka and Kirari both had distinctive voices. With her name being said, it would be hard for the secretary to deny her involvement. Who spent the night with the girl was the only arguable thing.
It was all Kirari's fault. Ririka clenched her fists. And she had no choice but to deal with the aftermath.
She wandered through the campus, waiting for her anger to fade. Once she was ready to face her sister again, she headed back to the student council room. When she entered the room, Kirari was nowhere to be found. Sayaka was the only person in the room. The underclassman was sitting on one of the sofas, a pile of documents on the desk before her. Ririka walked towards her. Once she was standing before her, Sayaka immediately shot her head up.
"Vice president. How can I help you?"
"I just heard the recording." Sayaka's face went white, but she managed to keep her composure.
"The source of the audio has been found and punished. I've tried my best to eliminate the files on the Internet, but it's impossible to delete copies on personal devices. I apologize for my reckless act. I should have been more cautious."
“No, you have been cautious enough. It was Kirari's slip of the tongue. She should've known her personal devices are constant targets of hacking. And calling you through hotlines is more secure than contacting you via the Internet."
"It won't affect her status in school. Students will forget about this incident in weeks."
"It won't be that easy in our clan. Momobami is an extremely traditional family. The audio, especially one that caught her being submissive to her subordinate, is unimaginable to family elders. It can shatter her reputation and make people disrespect her. Kirari has been a tyrannical leader. She is not only feared but also resented. Once her grasp on the power weakens, at least half of the clan will turn against her. "
"…Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You've done enough. Things you did in the past few days were incredible. You have stopped the spreading of the audio and found the culprit who has caused this chaos. You've been really helpful. "
"What will happen to you?" Sayaka asked. She's too smart for her own good. Of course she would know that it would be Ririka to take the blame.
What would happen to her? Ririka tried to answer the question to herself. Last time she had been blamed for Kirari's wrongdoing was three years ago. As a result, she had been accused of shaming the family and locked up in a small room for a week. Momobami was an old clan, and the punishments carried out by the family members were old-fashioned, too. She was starved, beaten and scolded. Unlike her twin, she was no leader nor heir to any branches of the clan, so they showed no mercy to her.
However, the torment would be temporary. As long as Kirari remained in power, her status would eventually be restored, and the punishments she faced wouldn't be life-threatening. It's much better than letting Kirari lose her position and both of them be tortured to death by their bitter relatives.
"There would be some interrogations. I might be grounded for a week. Nothing more." There's no need to tell Sayaka the truth. Sayaka was affected by the incident as well. There were whispers and inappropriate comments whenever she walked past her peers. The poor girl had paid the price, and she's already struggling with guilt. Ririka didn't blame her, there's a serious power imbalance between the poor girl and her twin. There's no way she could turn down Kirari's request.
Kirari was the most unaffected. No one dared to spit a word in front of her. Ririka would even face the pressure from their clan for her.
They exchanged a few more words before Ririka dismissed herself. She went to her locker, gathered her things and headed to the front gate. Once she was near the gate, she saw a familiar blonde waving at her.
"You didn't join us for lunch today. What happened?"
"I was attending to some family business."
"Was it because of that stupid recording?" Of course Mary had heard it. Before she could realize, Ririka burst into tears. Mary must have heard her sniffing. She immediately took off her mask and wiped off her tears with a handkerchief. The gentle gesture only intensified Ririka’s sobbing .
When she was young, she had low self-esteem. She saw herself as a worthless human being who's destined to serve. So she could take the blame for others, enduring ruthless strikes and unwarranted accusations with ease.
But it had all changed. Now there's someone who cared about her. Their partnership was forced at first, but their bond deepened throughout the election. Mary adored her. She praised her for the intelligence and boldness she demonstrated in gambles. Mary viewed her as a worthy partner. And she knew that she could never take humiliations and physical pain like before once she had known the feeling of being loved.
She put her arms around Mary's waist, pulling her close.
"Please, no matter what you heard, don't leave me. Don't despise me."
"I haven't heard a thing about you. It's all about your psychopath sister and her secretary."
That would soon be changed. If they decided to confront their family, they would have to make rumors of Ririka and Sayaka spread in the campus, so their claim would sound convincing to the elders in their clan. It wouldn't be hard though. The secretary also spent a considerable amount of time with her since they both constantly followed Kirari around.
"Promise me you'll always stay by my side."
"I promise."
Ririka felt strong hands hugging her back and a gentle peck pressed in her hair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The drive to home was dreadfully long with Kirari sitting next to her.
They had remained silent for a while until Kirari suddenly brought her thumb to her sister's puffy eyes.
"You were crying."
"Nothing to concern."
"Sayaka has been crying, too. I could tell she has been stressed as well."
"Of course she has," the word slipped out of her mouth before Ririka could hold herself back.
"I apologize for my act. You were right. I should've been more careful. It won't happen again."
Ririka's eyes widened, surprised by the genuinity and seriousness in Kirari's tone. But she soon remembered that Kirari wouldn't get any punishment. She was the one who would shoulder the responsibility for her, getting hurt for mistakes she never committed.
"You don't have to apologize. Just don't try sex taping next time or you are going to get me killed."
From the corner of her eyes, Ririka saw a painful expression flashed through Kirari's face. It didn't move Ririka at all. The older twin turned her face towards the window, showing no intention to continue their conversation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the following week, Ririka had been minimizing her interaction with Kirari. She was preparing herself for the upcoming torment. More and more people started to question Kirari's ability to rule the clan. They had no choice but to use the last resort.
Rumors about Ririka and Sayaka were spread across the school. She wasn't informed of the exact date yet, but she knew she would soon be sent back to the Momobami estate she had feared for her entire life.
It was Wednesday. The morning was all about classical Japanese. Kirari hated the subject, so she often asked to be swapped with Ririka and took the whole day off, sacrificing Ririka's attendance. Another selfish act of hers, Ririka thought as she put on Kirari's usual makeup. She didn't bother to bid Kirari goodbye before she left the house.
The day went smoothly. And it was until the end of the day that she finally realized something was off.
She hadn't got any message from Kirari, who usually sent her memes unstoppingly when she was in class. She fetched her phone from her bag and called her sister's number. A robotic voice told her that the phone was out of the service area.
No, it couldn't be. She dashed towards the student council room, intercepting her sister's secretary on the way. She grabbed the girl's shoulders and asked for Kirari's whereabouts.
"The president said she has to attend to some private affairs today."
That was it. While Ririka was in school, Kirari went back to the estate as her. Ririka felt all her strength was drained from her body. The name of Momobami Kirari couldn't be tarnished, and she had to protect her sister's reputation at all cost. Heading to the estate and revealing the trick they played would definitely enrage their family and shatter the trust of the clan forever. They couldn't afford that.
Now bearing her sister's name, she had no choice but to stay in the campus and keep the school and their clan running.
Kirari couldn't take it. Unlike her, she was raised with pride. It should have been her. She was used to it. Her punishment may cause her pain, but it wouldn't be near to break her.
Sayaka stared at her confusedly. But her eyes soon lit up with realization. She let out an uncharacteristically cry and started to sob in Ririka's arms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ten days had passed. Kirari was finally sent back to their house near the campus. Her limbs became skinny and her back was covered with bruises. She would have to stay in bed for at least a week.
There were unpleasant rumors about her circulating in school, but it wouldn’t affect her friendship. Yomeko and Suzui didn't care about gossip, and she had spoken to Mary in private. She couldn't tell Mary about what happened in the last month, but the blonde seemed to be understanding.
Her cousins said horrible things about her, Momobami Ririka, when she attended a family meeting as Kirari; however, she could care no less about what they thought about her.
Ririka watched in awe as Kirari sat in her bed, still managing to smile at her. She pulled the younger twin into an embrace, careful not to touch any wound.
There were many people who regarded Kirari as a heartless psychopath, but Ririka knew better. She was just spoiled. She had been the head of the most powerful family in Japan ever since she was a young kid. There was no one to restrain her action nor to force her to face the consequences of her decisions.
She had been involved in family affairs and taken up habits from sadistic, powerful adults in their clan at a far too young age. But she was far from heartless. She cared about Ririka and Sayaka deeply, she just didn't know how to show it in the right way.