she wouldn’t be alone and have to be picked on as much. Yuri rushed up the stairs to the door and rang the bell. Lucinda answere

ything positive happen?” Lu

ork tomorrow,” Yuri explained, rushing into the kitchen to get

vourite person? I thought the ma

y favorite person after okaasan (mother),” she giggled and took on

oked at that man with the scar on his face?” she asked, distr

it’s not like she lacks empathy. In contrast, sometimes Yuri always asks the wrong que

a explained, shrugging to change the subject, fe

g in her response but getting the messag

stated shamelessly ogling the landlord’s son for the second time this week after declaring for

ood, “no he didn’t you’ve never just noticed him through his baggy clothes and since you’ve rejected

*

g her a mysterious appeal that blended in well with her milky-chocolate skin, her hair tousled about i

he looked and saw the girl standing extremely close to the dock like she was about to jump in. “hey, get-away, you’

o hold on to the girl’s hand before she drowns, Lucinda looks into her eyes and realises she had n

od left on them when she’d held on to the girl. She wanted to cry, scream, shout for s

ht. She wonders why she’s seeing this girl again in her dreams after

hen she came over. Taking a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, she sits on the kitchen stool. She pulls out h

*

ed on the counter. She's surrounded by an empty glass and cupcake wrap on the counter. She looked so

sked, brewing fresh coffee and bringing out some of the leftover miso soup, rice a

d fallen asleep in the kitchen. “Ohayo okaasan (good-morning mother),” she mumbled, wiping away the drool from her face with her sleeves. She carried her dishes to the sink, but

am she had last night, because she would be worried about her and she didn’t w

there dressed for work and ready to take Lucinda. “Why aren’t y

closing the door on Yuri’s face. She q

kitchen?” she asked dramatically, holding up the door

asked from the kitchen, t

it. “kasaan (mother), Cindy doesn’t want me to c

s smirks, saying ‘I win’. As Yuri waited patiently for Mrs. Hayashi to arra

well, I’ll join you tomorrow,” she explained, also taking a seat waiting for her mother to finish so that they could pray and eat to