"And you're sure you both will get along without me?" Midori looked at the younger sister.
"I told you, Midori-san. We'll be fine. I have everything under control," Yuna assured her with conviction.
"I'm not worried about you, Yuna-chan." The nurse's gaze fixed on the blonde.
"To be honest, I was quite self-reliant before the disaster, Midori-san." Yui underlined her statement with a smile.
"I just don't want to mess this up. I'm responsible for you."
Yuna took a step forward. "Don't worry. You should take care of yourself and your baby. We get along very well on our own. Besides, Ayumi and Wataru are here too."
The older one gave herself beaten with a sigh. "You are right. I think these are just the hormones and my mother instinct. Okay, I'll go home now."
"Get home safe, Midori-san."
"When do we see you again?" Yui asked.
"I don't know. You can call me at any time if you need something."
"You know ... even if you're our legal guardian, I feel like we should help you. With your situation."
The black-haired woman smiled broadly. "You're a real sweetheart, Yui-chan. I'll be fine."
"Well ... we're now a family, aren't we?" Yui hesitantly explained.
Yuna rolled with her eye. Yui was still not a grownup. In contrast to herself.
"I'm glad you see it like that, Yui-chan. How about we meet on my next day off?"
"That sounds good. Right, sister?"
"Yeah, yeah. We'll see."
The youngest looked at her sister with a reproving look.
"That would be great," Yuna corrected herself.
"Okay, you two. Sleep well and I wish you a good start tomorrow at school."
"Until then." Yuna walked past Midori.
"I'm sorry." Yui smiled slightly embarrassed.
"It's okay. She believes she doesn't need anyone anymore. I admit, she has done very well in the last few months. She accepted me only reluctantly as your legal guardian, because you would have been bothered by some official."
The blonde shrugged. "Still ... she could be more friendly to you."
"It's okay. She's just like that. She surely takes good care of you, Yui-chan."
"She does."
The nurse and the middle-school girl looked at each other. The young one shifted hesitantly from one foot to the other as she turned her gaze to the ground.
"Come here." Midori spread her arms out to Yui. The girl went into the embrace and clung to the woman. "If you can't sleep, call me, okay?"
"I don't want to trouble my sister. Can't you give me a sleeping pill?"
Midori shook her head gently. "No, Yui-chan. You have to learn to deal with your dreams without medication."
"I can't remember them most of the time. I just wake up panicked ..." the blonde breathed.
"That's fine. If you want, you can live with me and you just visit another school."
"I don't want to disappoint Yuna," Yui said.
"She certainly understands it."
"Maybe. Eventually, I can really sleep better when we are together again."
A gentle smile graced the mouth of the black-haired. "I hope so."
"Okay." They released the embrace. The girl smiled warmly at her guardian. "See you, Midori-san."
"See you, Yui-chan."
The nurse left the middle-school girl in her room. The blue-haired was not to be seen anywhere, but Ayumi and Nobu sat in the living room, talking. The black-haired joined them.
"So. I'm going home now, Ayumi-san. Um ..." She looked at the drummer.
"Muso, Omura-san." He smiled kindly as always.
"Thank you, Muso-san. Have a nice evening." She turned to the redhead again. "Please take good care of the girls."
The hostess waved off. "They will be fine. Take care of yourself and your little treasure, Midori-san."
"I will. See you hopefully."
"Definitely."
Midori left the pension. Although she didn't feel a hundred percent sure of it, Yuna could really take care of herself. Probably the two Masuda girls were going to perform wonderfully without her. She didn't want to impose on them, so she just had to trust them.
***
Yuna sucked at Wataru's lower lip once more, then she broke away from him. She took another breath. Slowly his lips approached hers.
"I really have to go now," she whispered.
"You don't want that."
He put his left hand on her neck and brought her head back closer to his, as he fondled with her hair. They kissed again. Their tongues touched, played with each other, then the high-school girl finished the kiss.
"For real. I have to go to Yui. And tomorrow is school."
"You can sleep here with me." He brushed a strand from her face.
"I don't want to leave her alone."
"Surely she'll be just fine." Again his hand went to her neck.
"No." Yuna lifted herself from him. She sat on him as he lay back on his futon, and could feel his excitement distinctly. "That's enough. Let's stop now, before you get too pushy again."
"I?" He grinned broadly.
"Yes, you." Actually, she wanted to be angry at him, but how could she hold against him that he was totally in love with her?
"Fine. We have time. We've only been together for three months." The young man stretched and folded his hands behind his head.
"I just don't want that yet, okay? We don't have to argue about it."
"I don't argue at all. I've said, that it's okay."
Her red eye narrowed. "It's the way you say it."
"I won't argue with you now. Go to your sister. See you tomorrow."
"You'd lose anyway." She bent down and kissed him again. Wataru put his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. She grabbed his wrists and squeezed them away. "Sleep well, Wata."
"You too, Yuna."
The blue-haired rose from him, got up, and adjusted her clothes. He tickled her by the calf, so she scouted a step away and looked down over her shoulder at him. He grinned at her broadly.
"Dream something beautiful, Wata."
"I know who I'll dream of."
She stretched out her tongue and left his room. The high-school girl peered into the living room and after she couldn't spot anyone, she crept to her room.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Yuna drove around and stared at her red-haired roommate, who had apparently waited with her arms folded in the corridor next to Wataru's room door. "Go to sleep."
"Listen ... It's not my business, what you two do ..."
"I agree. It doesn't concern you, Ayumi-san." The blue-haired stretched out her chin defiantly.
"I just want you to protect yourself, okay?"
"You don't need to tell me, okay? You're not my mother."
A sigh came from Ayumi's mouth. "Yuna ..."
The high-school girl put her hands on her hips. "I'll be careful. I don't want that yet, so don't worry."
"It can happen faster than you're willing to admit."
"What do you want to hear from me? At the moment, I don't want any ... you know."
The older woman came over to the girl and looked her in the eye. "And he?"
Yuna grimaced, avoiding Ayumi's gaze. "Yes, but ..."
"Boys can be really stubborn. Just make sure you're safe when you do it, okay?" She touched the blue-haired's wrist. "Promise me that."
"So, I don't end up like Midori?"
"Yes. That too."
The girl nodded. "I don't want that either. I hate children. That would be the worst thing for me. I'll be careful. I promise."
Ayumi smiled contentedly. "I don't want anything else. Sleep well. I think Yui is still awake and waiting for you." She patted the cheek of the high-school girl and went past her. "Good night."
"Yes, you too."
Yuna followed her conversation partner, who disappeared into her room, until she arrived at her own room door. Before her hand touched the door knob, she stopped.
Today would be the first night with Yui since the disaster. She knew that the blonde still had trouble sleeping and was haunted by nightmares. Could she help her sister?
She sighed and entered the room. Yui had prepared her futon, lay in it and read in a book. When her sister entered the room, she put her bookmark in and closed it. She looked up expectantly to the older one.
"So?" the blonde asked.
"So?"
"When do I have to go to school?"
"Oh yes ..." Yuna hurried to the desk and tried to grab Yui's timetable, but it was gone. "Wait ..." She began to search the table, then she shuffled through a pile of correspondence. "I have it here somewhere ..."
"It's okay. I've already taken everything," Yui admitted.
The older girl turned around. "What?"
"I was bored."
"Why didn't you say so?"
The blonde grinned broadly. "I wanted to see how you react."
"You little bitch. It's time for bed."
"Didn't we want to talk?"
The blue-haired looked into the determined eyes of her sister. She couldn't avoid it. No longer.