Home - Afternoon, 3:33 PM
(A week after the cleaning duty together)
I pushed the door open with my back. As soon as the door swung open, I stepped inside with a light feeling.
There was a smile that had refused to leave my face since earlier, making my cheeks a little sore, but I didn't care. Today was truly... perfect.
I walked with a rhythmic step, almost like I was doing a little dance.
"Nico again, huh?" Mom's voice broke the silence from behind the refrigerator door.
I smiled, my steps freezing on the cold kitchen tiles. "H-how did Mom know? I haven't even said anything yet."
Mom closed the refrigerator door with her shoulder, looking at me with a chuckle. "Your face is like an open book, Kirana. And it's filled with Nico's name."
I pulled out a dining chair and sat down slowly. My chest felt full of happiness that I wanted to spill out immediately.
"Yes, Mom. Today... I had cleaning duty with Nico again." I laughed softly, letting the afternoon's memories replay in my head.
"During break, Nico and I got tasked with returning textbooks to the library. Imagine, Mom, I was carrying a stack up to my chin, so I had to walk on my tiptoes just to see the path ahead. It was incredibly heavy, my arms felt like they were about to fall off." I demonstrated the stiff position of my hands from the heavy load.
"Nico walked beside me. He was carrying an equally tall stack, but he did it casually. And as we walked down that long hallway, my eyes caught something very rare."
"Something rare?" Mom asked. Her hand poured iced chocolate into a glass. The sound of ice cubes clinking against the glass distracted me for a moment.
"His hair, Mom! Usually, his bangs are messy, covering his forehead almost down to his eyes, but today... his hair was neatly combed and styled with gel."
"Wow, a miracle finally happened," Mom teased casually while sliding the glass of iced chocolate toward me.
I turned to her. "Thank you, Mom," I said. "I almost walked into a flower pot because I was so focused on staring at his hair. I immediately teased him, 'Wow, look at your hair! You actually combed it.'"
I smiled fondly, remembering his shy, prideful expression at that moment. "He turned his face away and said softly, 'Yeah. There's a bossy girl who told me to do it.'"
I bit my lip to hold back laughter in front of him. That bossy girl he meant... yeah, that's me.
I took a sip of the iced chocolate, letting the coldness cover my warming cheeks. "Strangely, I wasn't offended at all. Instead, I felt like little fireworks were exploding in my chest. He actually listened to what I said. That means... he cares, right, Mom?"
Just as I was getting lost in the clouds, a deep voice suddenly emerged from behind the living room sofa. "Nico? The guy who won the volleyball inter-class competition yesterday?"
"Cough!"
I choked, almost spitting the iced chocolate out of my nose. I wiped my mouth with a tissue and turned toward the source of the voice.
"Y-you know him? And..." I stared at a face that had appeared from behind the sofa, complete with a guilty grin. Yes, that one annoying creature, my older brother.
"Since when have you been there, Gerry?"
"Before you came home, I was already here, you know," he said casually while adjusting his sitting position to be fully visible. "I don't know him personally, I just heard the rumors. I go to that school too, idiot. Did you forget?"
(Gerry illustration below)
Gerry stretched his body. "The kids in my year were all talking about his performance during the competition yesterday. They said his spike was deadly. Too bad I didn't watch because I was assigned as a committee member for the basketball competition."
"But it's fine. Because in basketball, I met a guy who had a feint that was really satisfying to watch. Um, what was his name? Oh, right! Victor!" He smiled at the memory.
I walked toward the living room and dropped onto the sofa next to him. "I almost forgot that you're also my upperclassman at school. Hey, Victor is in my class, you know."
"Really?"
"Yes," I nodded.
"Anyway," Gerry said with a mischievous grin starting to spread at the corners of his lips, "Continue your story about Prince Charming who made you so dazed that you didn't even notice your own brother's presence."
Thump!
I threw the sofa cushion right at his annoying face.
"Gerry!"
Gerry laughed out loud while easily brushing the pillow aside. Mom just shook her head at our behavior from the dining room.
I ignored Gerry's lingering laughter. "But, even though his hair was neat, I noticed his uniform, Mom. It was still untucked as usual."
I remembered our conversation in the hallway earlier. "'Um, aren't you going to fix your uniform too? Even though the same bossy girl told you to do it,' I joked at that time."
"He just glanced briefly at his hanging uniform. 'No. Just the hair is enough.'"
"'Why? If you fixed it, you'd look like a model student. Just look at the student council kids,' I coaxed, imagining how cool he would look if he dressed according to the rules."
"His expression suddenly turned horrified. 'That's exactly what I'm worried about,' he answered shortly."
"My eyebrows shot up. 'What do you mean?'"
"'You think my appearance is some kind of rebellious teenager phase? No. It's to separate myself from those who prioritize image over substance.'"
I paused for a moment, then turned to Gerry, then to Mom who had now joined us on the sofa. "Mom, Gerry, I'm one of those examples, aren't I? A disciplinary officer who skips duty?" I said weakly.
"Yeah, probably," Gerry said, grabbing an apple from the table and taking a bite. "But at least you made up for your mistake. In his eyes, maybe you're a little different. (Crunch, crunch.)"
"Thank you, Gerry, for the consolation," I teased.
"I'm not consoling you. If he was disgusted by you, he wouldn't have cared about what you said and combed his hair." Gerry tossed the remaining apple core toward the kitchen trash can with perfect accuracy. Plop!
I was silent for a moment. Gerry had a point. That made me... a little relieved.
"Oh! I just remembered one more thing..." I continued with renewed enthusiasm. "When we were walking in the hallway, a group of girls we passed were whispering and stealing glances at him. I couldn't resist teasing him again, 'Look at that, they're all staring at you. It must be because of that hair!'"
"Then?" Mom said, raising an eyebrow, curious.
"Ugh, suddenly he got all cool and said, 'I know. That's why I don't comb my hair, so people won't be mesmerized by me.' He tilted his smile, glanced at me for a moment, then just sped up his pace."
"I just gaped at his unbelievable confidence."
"'HUH?! WHAT KIND OF CONFIDENCE IS THAT?!'"
"He was already inside the library, shouting while laughing, 'Bossy girl, hurry up and come in! Are you just going to stand there?!'"
Gerry and Mom laughed in unison hearing that. Mom even wiped the corner of her eye. Gerry grinned widely. "I think I'm going to like this guy. Hahaha!"
"And you like him too, right?" Mom teased.
"Hah?! No!" I denied instantly.
"You do, though," Gerry grinned.
"No!"
"It shows, you know."
"Gerry, stop! Don't start!"
"Come on, just be honest. You like him, don't you?"
"I-I DO! A LITTLE!" I looked down, blushing.
"Ahahaha." Gerry laughed in satisfaction, celebrating his small victory. "Don't worry, Kirana. If a guy has already combed his hair for you, soon he'll also give you his heart. Ke ke ke."
"What are you even saying, Gerry!" I immediately grabbed the sofa cushion and showered Gerry with merciless blows. Thump! Thump! Thump!
Gerry just laughed out loud while trying to fend off my attacks with his hands, while Mom sipped her tea peacefully, watching our afternoon drama with lingering laughter.
In the middle of the commotion and the thumping sounds of the pillow, why was I secretly smiling?
"Kirana? Aren't you performing with the choir tomorrow?" Gerry said.
"Oh my gosh! I forgot!" I said. Thump! I hit him one more time and quickly headed to my room. "I need to practice in my room!"
(For some reason I can't insert an image here, but you can open this link in a new tab for an illustration of Kirana's character).
KIRANA MELIORA - https://www.image2url.com/r2/default/images/1777465738394-ab17f80e-a662-4d37-9f49-56f863b48871.png
VICTOR - https://www.image2url.com/r2/default/images/1777466027310-4bc5c2f7-1540-49cb-8564-e0d6e5f0325d.png
NICOLAS -
https://www.image2url.com/r2/default/images/1777465936104-69390a09-75ec-4243-9eb8-ad54a87f73c9.png
GERRY -
https://www.image2url.com/r2/default/images/1777466085487-0097799f-5733-4676-bf0f-79abac681fce.png