After a short tram ride followed by a walk, they reached the home of the Shimada family. Yuna already cursed herself for choosing the strappy sandals because her feet ached.

The Shimada brothers had sporadically talked about video games and music - both topics that didn't interest the high-school student, so she sat or walked in silence.

Takeru took the lead and opened the front door. "I'm home," he called as he entered.

"Welcome home."

The older twin looked over his shoulder and grinned at his female companion. "We're a bit weird. As a warning." The blue-haired girl shrugged helplessly and looked at her boyfriend, who rolled his eyes snorting. All three got rid of their shoes, which pleased Yuna, as she hated to wear high heels.

"I'm in the kitchen," a woman yelled from a room to their left.

Takeru disappeared and replied, "Hey, Mum. They're both here."

"He really came?"

The apprentice laughed. "Yeah. And his girlfriend joined us too."

"Really? That's lovely. I want to see her." Yuna squinted at her roommate, and then a middle-aged woman stepped out of the room Takeru had entered. "Oh." With a friendly smile, the woman approached, surveying the girl from top to bottom. Immediately, Yuna noticed that the mother had the same eye color as her sons. "My dear... you are lovely." She turned to her son. "Well done, son. But you really should shave and cut your hair. You look like a bum."

"Mum...," Wataru said, but still had to smile. He approached his mother and hugged her. "How are you?"

Takeru came out of the kitchen, chewing on something in his mouth and leaned against the door frame. The mother said, "Much better, now that my little boy is here."

"Nice to meet you, Shimada-san," Yuna said, after sucking the words out of her gray cells. "My name is Yuna Masuda."

"And she speaks English too. I'm glad. I'm Satoko Shimada. Nice to meet you, Yuna-chan." The mother bowed to the blue-haired girl, who did the same. "That's a beautiful dress, you're wearing."

With a clumsy smile on her lips, the high-school student nodded.

"Your father isn't here yet, but I'm sure he'll be glad to see you, Wata." Satoko stroked her black hair. "Well, I'm heading back to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Boys, please offer the lady something to drink and show her around. Kiriko is in her room."

"Yes, Mum." The black-haired nodded once more to Yuna, then disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Why are you speaking English?" the blue-haired girl wondered.

"Told you we're weird." The older twin turned away. "Show her around, Wata."

The singer raised an eyebrow. "I don't live here anymore. I'm only a guest."

"Don't play the fool. Everything's the same except that I finally have my own room." Takeru climbed a flight of stairs and left the other two alone in the hallway.

Undecided, Wataru glanced at the furniture. He then squinted at his girlfriend. "Is there something you want to see?"

"We can check on your sister," the girl suggested.

"Okay. Let's go upstairs."

He led her to the stairs, and they climbed up. In the stairwell, which was twice bent at ninety degrees, some framed pictures hung on the walls. The high-school student took her time to look at the pictures.

It all started with a wedding photo of the parents. Yuna realized that Satoko had aged only a little bit and gained a bit of weight. The groom next to her looked very similar to her boyfriend's brother, though a lot older. Wataru would probably look like that in a few years if he cut his hair and beard.

After that followed some children photos. Two boys while playing in a sandbox. The boys cycling. Then came a photo with the two boys, who had a little girl sitting between them while eating ice cream.

"Are you coming, Yuna-chan?" Wataru's voice echoed from above.

"Yes." She continued to climb the stairs, her gaze catching on one of the last pictures. One of the boys was pictured with a girl on it. They both wore everyday clothes and smiled at the camera while holding hands. The girl had tied her black hair to two side braids just as Yuna always did. Her blue eyes were bright and Yuna could see a very fine shade of red on her cheeks.

The blue-haired also noticed the similarity with herself. "Was that Sakura?" she asked.

Her boyfriend climbed down the stairs and stood next to her. Silently he looked at the photo before nodding. "Yes."

"She was really cute."

"Yeah."

Yuna squinted over at him and realized that the corners of his mouth hung slightly down. She touched his forearm tentatively. "Do you miss her?"

For a moment he stared at the photo, then turned to her. "Sometimes I do. Is that weird?"

"No. Not at all," replied the high-school student hastily.

"I have a new girlfriend. Sometimes I feel like cheating on you when I think of her."

She gave a tortured smile. "She meant a lot to you. I understand that." Her smile widened. "For real."

"Did I tell you that you're fantastic?" As they smiled at each other, Wataru leaned over and pursed his lips.

"Onii-san!" a girl squeaked above them and rushed down the stairs. She threw herself from the side on the young man and cuddled him wildly.

Laughing, he turned to her and returned her hug. "Kiri-chan."

Her long, dark brown hair whirled through the air, whereupon she punched him against the shoulder. "You haven't called for so long. I was worried about you." She stared at him reproachfully.

"I was busy," Wataru said as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Hm." The girl looked past him at the blue-haired and gave her a hostile gaze. "Bet she's to blame."

Yuna wrinkled her nose. "What?"

Kiriko bared her teeth. "Leave my brother alone, witch." She kept clinging to the young man.

The high-school student flushed and hissed back, "I'm not a witch, you dwarf!"

Challenging, the younger girl leaned forward. "You're a guest. Behave."

"Kiri, it's enough," Wataru interjected, and the girl became more peaceful. "I really was busy." He looked at his girlfriend. "We hardly have time for each other."

Yuna stared at the girl with her lips pressed together and nodded. "I agree."

"I think she's stupid. Sakura was much nicer." The brown-haired girl ignored the high-school student and dragged her brother up the stairs. "Did you write a new song? I'm listening all the time to 'Sakura Sayonara'. It's amazing."

"I have work in progress," he confessed as he followed her.

Yuna looked after them, then snorted and climbed the stairs as well. On the landing, the youngster pulled the musician with her to the right where her room was. The blue-haired discovered more pictures on the walls, as well as a shelf with books. Undecided, she looked after her boyfriend, who disappeared through a door with his sister. Slowly she followed them and kept looking around. Through a door crack, she heard the sounds of shooting from a video game that Takeru was playing. Disinterested, she went on.

Finally, she stood in front of Kiriko's open door and watched the siblings as the sister sang to her brother sitting on her bed.

"Cherryblossoms, the tears of an angel coming down

Falling on my face, deep inside my heart

Cherryblossoms, the tears of an angel on the ground

Surrounding me, my soul's been to..."

As soon as she noticed Yuna, she stopped. "Get lost!"

"Kiri," Wataru reminded her. "Be nice to her." He turned to the blue-haired. "Please don't take it personally. So... this is my sister Kiriko." He looked at the younger girl again. "This is my girlfriend Yuna. Speak Japanese with her, okay?"

Pouting, the brown-haired girl confessed, "I don't like her."

"Kiri..."

"It's against father's rules. We're supposed to speak English at home. You know that." With her dark brown eyes the same color as Wataru's, she glared at the high-school student.

"She doesn't speak English very well. Make an exception, please, sweetie."

Annoyed, the girl snorted, "Fine. Sakura could at least speak English."

"I can speak some too," Yuna said. "And to make it clear, I don't give a fuck if you like me or not."

The singer rose from the bed. "Girls, be nice, okay?"

"Yes, Onii-san."

With a soft nod, the blue-haired agreed. "Good."

"Do you play an instrument?" The younger girl squinted to a keyboard that stood beside her cupboard.

"No."

Kiriko looked questioningly at her brother. "Where do you know her from?"

"We live together."

The girl's eyes widened and she looked quickly back and forth between the others. "What?!"

Suppressing a laugh, the high-school student nodded. "Yes. Sometimes we even sleep in the same bed."

Aghast, the brown-haired girl shook her head. "That's just gross." She squinted at Wataru. "And you kiss her too?"

Her brother laughed. "Just wait until you have your first boyfriend, Kiri. Then you'll see everything differently."

"I'm a lesbian," Kiriko claimed. "Boys are stupid."

"Hey." Laughing, the young man walked over to his girlfriend. "I'm a boy, too."

"You're my brother. I have to like you."

Theatrically, the musician raised his hands over his head. "I knew it. You don't really like me."

"Onii-san..."

"Ever kissed a girl?" Yuna asked, but the younger girl blinked in surprise before turning away and shaking her head.

Wataru laughed out loud. "And you?"

Mischievously, the high-school student grinned at him. "Could be that I kissed Hikari before."

"You're just inspiring my imagination, darling."

"Uhh... just leave my room if you say anything this weird." Kiriko shooed them out the door and closed it behind them.

The couple stood giggling outside the door and looked at each other. "She's a little beast," Yuna admitted.

"I can hear you!" roared through the door.

"I'm sorry she was so rude to you." Embarrassed, Wataru scratched his head.

Shrugging, the blue-haired girl went back to the stairs. "It's alright. No one's always super happy and stuff. She seems to really miss you."

He nodded approvingly, following her. "Seems so. I should spend some more time with her." They checked on Takeru, who was playing the same game Wataru and Kaito had played at the pension. The singer pointed down the hallway. "There's the bathroom and the bedroom of my parents."

"Okay." They climbed down the stairs, but Yuna stopped in front of the picture with Sakura, studying it again. "Do you think I resemble her?"

"You have the same hairstyle." He smiled over at her. "And she was also mean to me a lot."

The high-school student shrugged. "Bet you deserved that." She continued to stare at the photograph, then turned to her boyfriend. "Is that why you fell in love with me? Because I look like her?"