"Cousin Rin, are you alright? Why are you here all alone… crying?" Akari asked softly as she and Rei approached.
The moment Rin saw them, she quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile. "Hey, Cousin Akari. Hey, Rei. What are you two doing here? Weren't you supposed to be on your romantic date?"
Rei tilted her head, unimpressed. "That is the worst fake smile I've ever seen in my years of living."
Akari shot her a look, but Rei just shrugged. "We were on our date, yeah," she continued, her voice gentle now. "But then we saw you crying. What kind of people would we be to just ignore you?"
Rin's shoulders stiffened, and her forced smile trembled. "I wasn't crying. I just… had something in my eye."
Akari stepped closer, concern in her eyes. "What happened, Cousin Rin? I thought you were with Ice. Where is he, anyway?"
At the mention of his name, Rin's expression shifted. Akari noticed it immediately, that same distant sadness she'd seen before.
"Are you homesick again, Cousin Rin?" Akari asked softly.
Rin froze. Her lips trembled. "Me? Homesick? No, I'm not… I'm not feeling homesick, no, I—"
Her voice broke. She stopped mid-sentence, her walls finally cracking. Then, without warning, tears spilled down her cheeks.
Akari and Rei didn't say anything. They just stepped closer and wrapped their arms around her.
Rin's body shook as she cried into their shoulders. The sound of the river nearby filled the silence, gentle and steady, like it was guarding their moment.
She had never cried like this before. Not when her parents died. Not when she was left alone in that big, cold house. Back then, everyone else had been grieving, and Rin had no one to cry to. She had carried it all by herself.
But now, these two didn't ask her why. They didn't push her to explain. They just held her. Warm. Quiet. Steady.
And Rin let herself, and this time she didn't push them away.
.....
"Seriously, you two should get back to your date. I'm fine now," Rin said as the three of them walked side by side through the busy market.
"We always make time to see each other every day," Akari said with a warm smile. "So that's enough for us."
"Yeah," Rei added proudly. "Besides, we've had plenty of dates already, and we'll have more until we get married… and even after we get married."
She reached out and held Akari's hand. Akari's face instantly turned red. "You're such a romantic," she muttered, gently hitting Rei on the shoulder.
"A romantic you're in love with," Rei said, grinning wide enough to show her shining teeth.
Akari tried not to smile, but her blush gave her away.
"Okay then," Rin said, clapping her hands together. "Since your date is over, now you can help me plan my third date with Selene Kurosuki. It's tomorrow."
Rei's eyes lit up. "Wow, I love planning dates. But first, let's get some soba. You can't plan on an empty stomach."
"Oh, me too. I'm starving," Rin said quickly. "Let's find a food vendor nearby."
As they walked through the lively streets, Akari glanced at Rei and smirked. "And I hope someone doesn't set their shop on fire again."
"Hey!" Rei protested. "It's not my fault I burned that shop yesterday. Besides, you two started. I just wanted to fit in!"
Akari gave her a side-eye. "Sure, babe."
Rei froze mid-step, her face turning bright pink. Even Rin blushed a little at how natural it sounded.
"I think I like the word babe. From now on, call me that. Babe… my lady Akari," Rei said, half serious, half playful.
Rin laughed loudly. "You two look so cute together. If I had my phone, I'd take so many pictures of you! I'd hang them all over my room. You're my favorite couple!"
"You say a lot of weird things, Rin," Rei replied with a smirk. "But it's cool. I like this version of you better than the other one."
Akari nudged her with her elbow. "Hey, don't tease her."
Rei grinned, rubbing her arm. "Ouch. Fine, fine."
They kept walking until they found a cozy food stall near the end of the market. Lanterns hung above them, swaying gently in the wind, filling the air with the smell of grilled food and spices.
The three of them sat down, and soon, the vendor brought over steaming bowls of soba noodles, with side dishes neatly arranged on small trays.
They began eating, the mood light and easy. Laughter and chatter from the market mixed with the clinking of chopsticks.
By the time they reached their third bowl, Rin was the one who broke the silence. "So," she began, twirling her noodles, "who do you love most in your family? And who do you love the least?"
Rei paused mid-bite. Akari looked at her curiously. Then Rei smiled. "That's easy. I love my papa the most. He's my best friend. My least favorite? My aunt on my dad's side. She's the worst. She hates my papa just because he was born without powers. I can't stand people like that."
Akari nodded. "For me, it was my mama. She was my best friend before she passed. Then my father... least."
Rei blinked. "Wait, didn't you say you hated Shion? You called her the worst sister ever."
"Yeah," Rin added with a small grin. "You two can't even stand each other. How come Master Hoshino isn't your least favorite?"
Akari sighed and looked down at her bowl. "Honestly, we do fight a lot. We never get along because she treats everything like a competition. She always wants to be the best of the best. But I don't drag things like that. At the end of the day, she's my sister and my mother's first fruit. I guess I hate and love her at the same time." She poked her noodles thoughtfully. "If there's anyone I truly hate… it's my father. He's the real villain in my story."
Both Rei and Rin went quiet for a moment, watching her. Then they continued eating without pressing further.
"Okay then, Cousin Rin," Akari said after a while. "Your turn."
Rin almost choked. "Ehn? Me?"
Rei leaned forward with a grin. "You asked the question, so you have to answer too."
Rin looked between them, hesitating. But they had both opened up so honestly, it felt unfair not to. She cleared her throat and sat up straight.
"Well… I'd say my parents are my favorite. Both of them. I love them so much. And my least favorite is my dad's mother. She's literally the worst grandma on earth. If I could sacrifice one person to bring someone else back, I'd sacrifice my entire dad's side of the family to bring back my parents."
Akari blinked. "Wow."
Rei nodded slowly. "Looks like we're all bonding. But just to be clear, are you talking about your family from your other world or this one?"
"From my world," Rin answered quietly. "I don't remember much about Rin Kisaragi here. But… it feels good to talk like this. I've never really opened up to anyone before. Maybe only Selene, during our second date. But this feels nice."
Her smile softened, real and unguarded. "You two might be my best friends."
Akari and Rei smiled back, warmth in their eyes.
Then Rin's gaze drifted past them, her words fading as she froze. A familiar figure was walking toward them through the market. The crowd parted slightly, and the light hit her face.
Rin blinked once, twice, as if to be sure she wasn't dreaming. Her heart skipped. It was her.
Her lips curved into the widest smile she'd ever made.
"Kurosuki…" she whispered under her breath.