"Hey, Rika! Rika!" A brown-haired young man shook a redheaded girl sleeping in her bed vigorously, with a massive look of panic on his face
"Just five more minutes... " the redheaded lass mumbled sleepily. "I'm too comfortable."
"Come on, we've only got an hour!" The young man responded, urgency in his voice seeming to be almost tangible, as he yanked the girl upwards
"Really?!" She stopped trying to sleep and found herself jerked up rigidly… only to put her hand to her chest as she realised what had happened, and sighed, almost relieved. "Thank you… I owe you one, Ritsuka."
"As opposed to all the other 5000 times, you said you owed me, only to not make good on that?" The brown-haired youth chuckled as he shook his head and gave her some distance.
"Yeah, but you're my brother… You're SUPPOSED to help me… Besides, I'll pay you back the next 5000 times."
"Sometimes, it feels like you want me to think you're incorrigible. C'mon, get yourself ready."
The young lady finally arose, with a hearty stretch and practically sashayed out of bed, to start another day, despite whatever or whoever was determined to make life any harder for her. At the same time, her brown-haired sibling walked off to eat breakfast, as if it were a day like every other.
Soon enough, the two of them would make their way out of the house, leisurely gallivanting towards their destination. The weather wasn't particularly harsh, and they had known the area rather well, so they had decided to use their legs.
"Ahh… I'm glad to finally just relax, walk out, take in the nice fresh air..." Rika exclaimed, stretching her arms out exaggeratedly, sticking her tongue out as she took in the light breeze around her.
Ritsuka simply shook his head, causing his sister to raise an eyebrow.
"What?" Rika asked, a cheeky smile on her face. "You know the only reason why I was up late was because I was studying, right?"
"We both know the actual reason you're saying that. Honestly, pettiness only means something if you're facing the person you're slighting. That whole display is like insulting a person after they've walked away."
"Ooh… Citizen Ritsu, you're saying some real dangerous stuff… What'll happen to that good boy next door image you have? I can't IMAGINE the heartbreak everyone will feel."
"Maybe they'll realize that I'm only human too?" Ritsuka shook his head. "Honestly, I have zero idea why they keep that idea of me in their heads…"
The two finally arrived at a clinic of sorts, being greeted by a receptionist who was smirking at them, obviously used to their shenanigans.
"Ritsuka, Rika." The receptionist said, an eyebrow raised, and a smirk very much present on her face.
"Good morning… Are we late?" Ritsuka asked, his voice vaguely sheepish as he faced her.
"You're just fine. The doctor will see you soon."
The two walked into a room with a somewhat bored-looking doctor and plopped down on a pair of chairs, rolled up their arms, and presented their IDs, as if they were just racing to get their destination (within reason, of course)
"Alright, I'll make this quick, seeing as we already have all your info that's been filled out over the course. Were there any new medications or blood-related diseases either of you guys have acquired in the past few days?"
Both gave a resounding no, shaking their heads, the receptionist letting out a bored sigh. "IDs, please…" she muttered, trying to prop herself upright to appear presentable, as she made sure to confirm them.
"Alright then… End of the hall, it'll be the one on the right."
They were both taken to a larger, more drab, and bustling room, one with turquoise walls and nothing else, and then they plopped onto separate chairs, Rika reclining as if she were expecting a coconut drink to be served up to them, as they felt the pricking of the needle on their flesh, the tube and container filling with blood as they simply scrolled on their phones and waited.
"Handful today, isn't she?" A nurse muttered cheekily, joking around with Ritsuka as he rolled up his sleeve.
"Nah, she's actually quite harmless this time," Ritsuka replied, making sure his sister didn't hear, a good-natured chuckle exiting his lips as he spoke.
After the blood was drawn, the redheaded stepmenace simply reclined after taking some nearby candy and eating, pinching the food in between her fingers as she nibbled it leisurely, truly the epitome of fine dining…
"It's looking like you're intending to stay for a while," the doctor who withdrew their blood said, watching Rika relax.
"Not much is going on today, so it's best to take it easy," Rika said with a placid look on her face.
"Rika, we can't stay here all day. There's gonna be other people here too, y'know." Ritsuka looked at her, chuckling lightly
"It's fine, don't worry about it. It would be in your best interests not move around too much anyway after having your blood drawn. Relax," the doctor said, his voice kind and patient
"Yeah, Ritsuka… Home. Isn't. Going. Anywhere." Rika said through gritted teeth, her false smile straining as she pointed to the chair he was sitting in originally.
(Later that week…)
"Oi! You two!" A disgruntled female voice boomed out from downstairs, prompting the two to race downstairs, where they were greeted by a woman whose angry voice didn't match her attractive face. "I heard about some weird institute or whatever that wanted you. They're doing some closed deal to take you, so I agreed on your behalf since you're such good kids, and looking for freedom and all that." She said, a noticeable sneer on the last part. "You wanted to be free, right? Here's your chance."
Both teens grimaced at that statement and immediately nodded, their eyes filled with fear and shock. The choice was completely taken out of their hands, and now they were slated to go off to some unknown university of some sort.
"Nice to know you'd like it! …You two can leave now."
As they went back upstairs, they both shared the same thought:
'What did she just drag us into?'
Ritsuka sat down and exhaled heavily. "Maybe we could tell them no?"
"...She probably didn't even bother to remember their name. Typical. She's not gonna permit us to leave, but will just make us have an appointment with some random institute without our consent…"