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The next morning at school, Arisa arrived at her class and took her seat, her mind wandering. I wonder which class he will enter today, she thought, picturing Zul in her mind. I hope he will be my classmate, she murmured to herself with a hint of anticipation.
Suddenly, her best friend Miku approached her desk. "Hey, Arisa-chan, can I copy your homework, please? I forgot to do it yesterday," Miku asked with a sheepish smile.
Arisa sighed, shaking her head. "Huh, again? If you keep doing this, you won't understand what you're studying, Miku-chan." Despite her words, she handed over her notebook. "Here, just this time, okay?"
"Yeah, thank you, Arisa-chan!" Miku said, happy to receive it from Arisa. Before Miku could fully enjoy her relief, Elly suddenly appeared in the doorway, her presence as intense as always.
"Hey, Miku, trying to copy my big sis' homework again, huh?" she said, crossing her arms. "How dare you just ask her like that?"
"Geh! It's Elly! This is bad, I need to avoid talking to her," Miku whispered, panic flashing across her face.
"Where do you think you're going, huh? I'm not done talking to you yet!" Elly declared, her eyes narrowing.
Miku glanced at Arisa, her voice pleading. "Please save me, Arisa-chan. Your younger twin sister is so mean to me."
Arisa sighed and turned to Elly. "Elly-chan, leave her alone. Just let her copy it, okay?"
"Yeah, Arisa-chan, you're so kind—unlike you, Elly." Miku stuck out her tongue at Elly. "Blech! Arisa-chan likes me better anyway!" She then hurriedly returned to her seat to finish copying.
Elly frowned, clearly upset. "Onee-chan, you're too kind to others. Why don't you just say no to them?"
"It's just homework, Elly-chan. No need to argue about it," Arisa replied calmly.
"Fine, whatever," Elly muttered, still annoyed.
"Enough, Elly-chan. Go back to your class. We are about to start the first subject in a few minutes."
"Yes, yes, I'm going now," Elly grumbled as she turned to leave. On her way out, Elly grabbed a crumpled paper she found on the floor, smeared ink on it, and hurled it at Miku’s head.
"Take this," said Elly, throwing it.
"Ouch!" Miku turned around, glaring at Elly. "Damn you, Elly!"
Elly just laughed and dashed out of the classroom before Miku could retaliate.
"Geez, that's my little sister..." Arisa muttered, holding her forehead in exasperation.
A few minutes later, the teacher addressed the class, "Okay, everyone, please take your seats. We're about to start the class now. Before we begin, I'd like to introduce our new transfer student." Turning to the door, the teacher called out, "Please enter the classroom."
"Yes," replied the new transfer student as he stepped in.
Huh, Zul?! Arisa thought to herself, excited to finally see him at school.
The teacher continued, "Now, please introduce yourself."
The new student faced the class and began, "My name is Zul. I just moved to this area with my family a few days ago. Nice to meet you all."
"Whispers spread. 'His face looks different—is he a foreigner?"
Okay, Zul, please take a seat over there beside Sakamoto," the teacher instructed.
"Zul-kun, over here!" Arisa called out, waving from her place.
"Oh, you're here, Arisa-chan," Zul said with a smile.
More whispers erupted. "Eh, he already knows Arisa-chan?" Arisa was well-known because she was the smartest in her class. Her grades were excellent, and she always got first place in exams.
As Zul walked to his assigned seat next to Arisa, she leaned over and said, "You're finally here, huh? So we're classmates."
Yeah, I was worried I'd be alone here without anyone I know. Mind showing me around, after this?"
"Of course," Arisa assured him with a smile.
The teacher then began the lesson. Zul had to share a textbook with Arisa since he didn't have his own yet. By the fourth period, lunch break arrived.
Most of Zul's classmates approached him, eager to know more about their new peer. "Hey, Zul-kun, are you a foreigner? Your face looks a bit different from the rest of us," one of them asked curiously.
Zul explained, "No, I'm Japanese like you guys, but both my parents are from Malaysia. I was born here after they moved to Japan." After most of them asked Zul everything they wanted to know, they returned to their seats.
Then Miku chimed in, "Hey, how do you know Arisa-chan already? You just joined today, right?"
"Ah, I actually met her a day ago," Zul clarified. "My house is near hers in the neighborhood, so we're actually neighbors."
The classmates turned to Arisa for confirmation. "Is that right, Arisa-chan?" Miku asked.
Arisa nodded, "Yes, he's right. He is my neighbor."
"You seem close to Arisa-chan. Who are you?" Zul asked, turning to a girl nearby.
"I'm Miku, Arisa-chan's close friend," she introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you, Miku-chan," Zul replied politely.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching from outside. Miku noticed and stood up, seemingly planning something. The owner of the footsteps arrived, revealing herself as Elly, who ran into the classroom carrying food.
"Onee-chan, can I eat together with you today?" Elly asked, hugging Arisa from behind.
"Yes, yes, go ahead," Arisa replied calmly.
"Oh, it's you, Elly-chan," Zul said, surprised by her sudden appearance.
"Eh, Zul-kun, you're in onee-chan’s class!?" Elly pouted. "I thought we’d be classmates together."
"Don't worry, even if we're not in the same class, you can still see me during lunch break, right?" Zul reassured her.
"That's right, it's not a problem as long as I can see you at school," Elly agreed, brightening up.
Zul noticed his classmates mumbling about Elly. "Zul-kun, just ignore them, they're always like that," Elly said, unconcerned.
After finishing their meal, Elly stretched her arms with a satisfied sigh.
"Ah, I'm so full! Today's food was really delicious!"
She then grabbed her things and stood up.
"Okay, Onee-chan, Zul-kun, I'm heading back to class. See you later!"
But as she took her first step, someone grabbed her wrist from behind, stopping her in place.
"Wait a second! Where do you think you’re going?"
"Huh?" Elly turned around to see Miku gripping her hand tightly.
"Oh, it’s you, Miku?" Elly said, feigning innocence. "What do you want? Can you let go of my hand?" She tried to pull free, but Miku’s grip remained firm.
"Not until you apologize for what you did to me this morning!" Miku demanded.
"No way! Why should I apologize? Bleh!" Elly stuck out her tongue, mocking her.
"What did you just say!?" Miku growled, clearly irritated.
The two girls began to argue heatedly. Zul tried to intervene, "Hey, you two, please stop fighting."
"Zul-kun, just leave them. They're always like this when they meet," Arisa sighed.
As the classroom grew noisy with their argument, Arisa suddenly stood up and knocked on the table. Both girls fell silent.
"Both of you, enough," Arisa said firmly. "Miku, stop this. Elly, go back to class, or I’ll tell Mom about this."
"Alright, we'll stop now," both girls mumbled. Miku sat back in her seat, and Elly left without another word. They both seemed scared of Arisa.
Their classmates were shocked that Arisa had stopped the argument so easily. Zul was amazed at Arisa's ability to defuse the situation with just a few words. "I can't believe you stopped them with just a few words. That was so cool, Arisa-chan," said Zul.
"Actually, their usual arguments are not as bad as today, but they went too far this time. I needed to stop them before something worse happened. I'm sorry you had to see me like that on your first day here," Arisa explained.
Despite her young age, Arisa thought like an adult. She could solve problems with just her words, without resorting to physical confrontation. This maturity was evident in how she handled the argument between Elly and Miku.
Meanwhile, Elly, still fuming from her encounter with Miku, made her way back to her own classroom. "Geez, that Miku really makes me so angry," she muttered to herself. "If onee-chan hadn't interrupted earlier, I would have beaten her up for sure."
As Elly approached her classroom, she found a group of boys blocking the doorway, chatting among themselves. Without hesitation, she confronted them, her face set in an intimidating glare. "You guys are in my way. Move aside," she demanded, her voice carrying a clear threat.
The boys, startled by her fierce expression, quickly stepped aside to let her pass. "Erk, she looks pissed. Better give her way to enter," one of them whispered nervously to the others.
At the end of the school session that day, in Elly's class, a girl suddenly fell because a group of boys had deliberately made her trip.
"Ouch..." said the girl.
"Are you okay?" said the girl's friend. Then, turning to the boy, she said angrily, "What are you doing to her, Kudo-kun?"
"It's her fault for spacing out and not looking properly when walking," said Kudo, the boy who had made her fall. Kudo was known as a troublemaker not only in his class but also in their grade.
"You tripped her on purpose," said the friend again.
"Huh, I don't need your false accusations," said Kudo, and then he pushed that girl too.
The girl was almost about to fall again but was stopped because Elly suddenly caught her from behind.
"Are you okay?" Elly asked the girl.
"I'm okay," the girl responded.
"Crap, that's Elly," said Kudo's friends. "What are you doing, stopping it?"
"Shut up. This is not your problem," said Kudo.
Elly just glared at them. "What's with that glare? Do you want to get beaten up?" said Kudo. "Get her, guys," he commanded his friends.
"Elly-chan, watch out," said the girl.
Elly avoided their attack and punched them back, and a fight began that caused havoc in the classroom.
Meanwhile, Arisa and Zul were walking together to go home, passing in front of Elly's class. "What's this noise?" said Arisa. One of Elly's classmates said to her, "Arisa-chan, your sister got into a fight."
"Huh, again?" said Arisa. "Stop it, Elly. Enough," said Kudo and his gang, now scared.
"No, I haven't had enough. I was in a bad mood today," said Elly.
"Enough already, Elly-chan. No need to beat them up so much," the girl from earlier said, stopping Elly by holding her from behind. "Leave it. These guys went too far today," said Elly.
Arisa suddenly entered the class and asked her twin sister to stop, "Elly, enough. Stop it."
"Onee-chan..." said Elly, immediately stopping her actions.
"These girls are scary. Let's run, guys," said Kudo and his gang, grabbing their bags and running away.
"Elly, what are you doing? Why did you punch them? I've told you before not to get into fights so easily and to restrain yourself," said Arisa.
"This is not your problem. Don't act like you're my parents," said Elly, grabbing her bag and running away.
"Elly-chan," said Zul, chasing after her.
The girl Elly had helped earlier reached Arisa to explain what had actually happened.
"Arisa-chan, this is not actually Elly-chan's fault," she said, describing the actual situation.
"What? She actually helped you?" said Arisa, shocked.
"Yes, the boy started it first and wanted to punch her earlier, which caused the fight. Please don't be angry with her," said the girls.
"I see. Thanks for telling me that," said Arisa, feeling relieved. "So, I'm the one who's wrong here," she added, realizing her mistake.
Meanwhile, Zul, who had been chasing Elly earlier, managed to catch up with her at the school park. Elly had stopped, exhausted from running.
"Hey, Elly, wait! Why were you running earlier?" Zul called out as he approached her.
Elly turned to him, her voice tinged with frustration. "Why do you care? Do you want to yell at me too, like onee-chan? I know I made many mistakes today."
Zul shook his head, "No, I just wanted to catch up with you. Let's go home together."
"Before that, let's sit down on that bench first and catch our breath," Zul suggested, gesturing to a nearby bench.
As they sat down, Elly suddenly apologized, "I'm sorry, Zul-kun. You've seen me act like this on your first day here."
"Don't worry about it. Just calm down for now, okay?" Zul reassured her. Then he added, "Hey, you were actually helping that girl, right? That's why you got into the fight earlier. You wanted to defend those girls and yourself. Am I right?"
Elly looked at him, surprised. "Yes, but how did you know?"
Zul smiled, "I just guessed. I know you don't get into fights without reason, like the moment you saved me from the bullies two days ago. I trust you."
"Zul-kun, thanks for trusting me," said Elly, her voice softening.
Trying to cheer her up, Zul suggested, "Hey, how about you come to my house this evening? We can play like before."
Elly's face immediately lit up; her earlier upset forgotten in her excitement. "Really? Then I will be coming to your house soon!"
Just then, they heard a familiar voice calling out to them. "Elly-chan, Zul-kun!" It was Arisa, running towards them.
"Arisa..." said Zul.
"Onee-chan?" Elly said, surprised.
As soon as Arisa reached them, she jumped forward and hugged her younger twin sister tightly.
Confused by the sudden embrace, Elly asked, "Onee-chan, what's this for?"
Arisa, still holding onto Elly, began to explain, "I'm sorry, Elly-chan, for yelling at you earlier. I've heard everything from the girl you saved. You didn't start the fight. I'm sorry for blaming you. Can you forgive me?"
"Onee-chan..." Elly said softly, touched by her sister's apology.
After a moment, Elly grinned mischievously. "Alright, I will forgive you, but only if you treat me to an ice cream on our way back home."
Arisa chuckled at that. "Haha... what's up with that?"
"Understood, I will treat you," Arisa agreed, smiling.
Zul watched the sisters with a warm smile. "Good for you guys, you made up with each other."
After they had made it to their house, Arisa and Elly were holding hands together, with Zul accompanying them. They stopped at a convenience store to buy ice cream as promised.
While enjoying their treat, Elly turned to her sister. "Onee-chan, Zul-kun asked me to come to his home to play. Do you want to join us?"
"Eh, is it okay, Zul-kun?" Arisa asked, looking at Zul.
Zul nodded with a smile. "Sure, why not? I was actually planning to ask you too."
From that day on, the relationship between these three had become much closer. They were always together when going anywhere, except at school where they were separated into different classes. At school, Zul seemed close to Arisa because they were in the same class. However, outside of school, when playing, Zul spent more time playing with Elly.
The Sakamoto family—along with twins Arisa and Elly—and Zul's family had grown close since Zul transferred to the twins' school a few months earlier.
A few weeks later, the two families decided to have a picnic together in the mountains to strengthen their bond.
As they reached the picnic area, both fathers immediately set about preparing the barbecue. Meanwhile, Arisa, despite being only ten years old, was helping her mother and Zul's mother with the cooking.
"Wow, Arisa-chan! You're only ten, but you can cook already?" Zul's mother said, clearly impressed.
Arisa blushed slightly. "I asked my mother to teach me," she replied modestly.
Mrs. Sakamoto chuckled. "She begged me so much to teach her cooking. How could I refuse?"
As they continued preparing the meal, Mrs. Sakamoto looked around, her brow furrowing. "By the way, where did Zul and Elly go? Lunch is almost ready."
She turned to her husband. "Honey, have you seen where Zul and Elly went?"
Mr. Sakamoto pointed towards a nearby forest. "I saw them heading that way. Should I call them back?"
Before he could move, Arisa stepped forward. "I'll go get them, Dad. You stay and finish the barbecue."
"Thanks, Arisa-chan. I'm counting on you," her father said with a grateful smile.
"As Arisa left, Zul's father chuckled. 'She’s quite mature for her age, huh?'"
Mr. Sakamoto nodded. “More than I expected."
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Elly had found a tall tree that caught her eye. With the agility of a squirrel, she scrambled up the trunk and out onto a sturdy branch.
"Zul-kun, come up here!" Elly called down excitedly. "The view is amazing!"
Zul stood at the base of the tree, his face etched with worry. "Elly-chan, that's so dangerous! Please come down!"
"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe," Elly assured him, though her precarious perch suggested otherwise.
Suddenly, they heard a familiar voice. "Elly-chan! Zul-kun! Where are you?"
"Oh, it's onee-chan!" Elly called out. "We are over here, onee-chan!"
"Arisa-chan, we are here!" Zul shouted, waving to get her attention.
Arisa approached them, relief washing over her face as she spotted Zul. "There you are. What are you doing out here? The food is ready, let's head back." Then she paused, looking around. "Wait, where's Elly-chan?"
Zul remained silent, simply pointing up at the tree branch where Elly was perched.
Arisa's eyes widened in shock as she spotted her twin sister high up in the tree. "Elly-chan! What are you doing up there? It's dangerous! Come down right now!"
"But onee-chan, the view is so nice from up here!" Elly protested.
"I don't care about the view," Arisa said firmly. "It's not safe. Come down this instant!"
As Elly began to carefully make her way down the tree, Arisa turned to Zul. "Why didn't you stop her?" she asked, exasperation clear in her voice.
Zul looked down sheepishly. "I tried, but you know how she is when she sets her mind on something."
Arisa sighed, nodding in understanding. It was true, her twin sister could be incredibly stubborn when she wanted to be.
Elly admired the view when—CRACK!—a branch snapped. “Aaah...!” She fell. Zul rushed to catch her, but she crashed onto his back.
Arisa, hearing the commotion, ran towards them. "Hey, both of you, are you okay?" she called out, worry evident in her voice.
Zul winced slightly as he responded, "I am okay, but I have some scratches."
Elly, despite the situation, let out a chuckle. "Oops, sorry Zul-kun. I never expected that branch to suddenly break, hahaha!"
Arisa's concern quickly turned to frustration. "Why are you still laughing after what happened, you idiot?" she snapped at Elly. "What if Zul hadn't caught you, or if you'd landed on the ground? You could have been seriously injured!"
Zul, ever the peacemaker, tried to calm the situation. "Relax, Arisa-chan. No need to get upset now."
Suddenly, their parents came rushing over, having heard the loud bang. Zul's mother, Julia, asked urgently, "Hey, you guys! What happened here?"
Arisa's mother chimed in, "Why are you so late? The food is ready, you know."
Arisa immediately reported the situation to her mother. Elly then said, "Onee-chan, what were you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Elly, but you've gone too far today. I can't cover for you this time," said Arisa.
Mrs. Sakamoto, upon hearing the story, approached Elly with a mix of anger and worry. Without warning, she slapped Elly across the face.
"Again? Why do you always do such stupid things?" Mrs. Sakamoto scolded, her voice trembling with emotion. "You always make me worry about you! Why can't you be a good girl like your sister?"
Elly, stunned by the slap and her mother's words, stammered, "But mom, I... I..."
"No more excuses," Mrs. Sakamoto cut her off. "Now, go back to our picnic spot. We need to talk."
Tears welling in her eyes, Elly shouted at Arisa, "Onee-chan, you stupid!" before running back to the picnic area.
Zul's mother turned her attention to her son. "Zul-kun, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, mom. Just a few scratches," Zul reassured her.
Mrs. Sakamoto, realizing the trouble her daughter had caused, apologized to Zul's mother. "I'm so sorry, Miss Julia. My daughter has caused trouble for your son today. I truly apologize for that."
Julia waved off the apology with a kind smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad nothing worse happened to her."
All of them returned to their picnic site after that, and Elly got yelled at by her mother again.
Elly kept silent and sulked as she walked away from her mother. After she left, Mrs. Sakamoto sighed. “Geez, this girl... why is she so hard-headed?”
Mrs. Julia approached with a concerned look. Mrs. Sakamoto noticed her and forced a small smile. “Oh, Mrs. Julia, sorry you had to see that. I lost my temper.”
Mrs. Julia shook her head. “It’s fine, but... was that really necessary?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I know you’re worried about Elly-chan, but do you think comparing her to Arisa-chan helps?”
Mrs. Sakamoto hesitated. “I didn’t mean to compare them. It just... slipped out.”
“I know,” Mrs. Julia said gently. “But even if you don’t mean it, words like that can hurt.”
Mrs. Sakamoto exhaled, rubbing her temples. “She’s been distant lately. No matter what I say, it feels like she won’t listen.”
Mrs. Julia placed a hand on her shoulder. “Just give her time. And next time, try to talk to her without comparing.”
Mrs. Sakamoto nodded. “You’re right. I won’t do that again.”
Just then, Mr. Julia called out, “Lunch is ready. Let’s go.”
As they started having their lunch meal, Arisa turned to Zul with a warm smile. "Here, Zul-kun, for you," she said, offering him some food.
"Thanks, Arisa-chan," Zul replied gratefully.
Elly followed behind Zul silently, taking her food from Arisa without saying anything. Instead of joining the family gathering, she decided to eat alone at the side.
Zul noticed Elly eating by herself and decided to approach her. "Elly, can I join you to eat here?" he asked gently.
Elly just nodded while continuing to eat her meal. Both of them remained silent for a while, the only sounds being the distant chatter of the family and the rustle of the breeze through nearby trees.
Suddenly, Elly broke the silence, her voice tinged with sadness. "I'm sorry, Zul-kun. If I had listened to you and onee-chan earlier, none of this would have happened to you," she said, her eyes downcast.
"This? Don’t worry. I’m just glad I caught you," Zul said with a smile.
Elly hesitated before asking, "Hey Zul, am I not a good girl unlike Onee-chan?" She remembered her mother's earlier words comparing her unfavorably to Arisa.
"What are you talking about, Elly? Of course you're a good girl," Zul reassured her. "You have your own unique personality - playful, adventurous, and doing things your own way. Your big sister has her own personality too. Don't bother with comparisons, okay?"
"Thanks, Zul," Elly said, her mood lightening. "You've changed so much. You're no longer the same Zul who used to cry like a baby when I first met you a month ago."
"Really? I never noticed," Zul replied, surprised. "Maybe your words back then moved me. You're the one who said I shouldn't cry and should stay strong because I'm a boy, remember? After that, I thought I needed to change and be strong just like you, Elly."
"Oh, I forgot about that," Elly chuckled.
Zul then added, "Also, Elly, you should actually apologize to your big sister instead of me. She did what she did earlier because she was worried about you, you know."
Elly nodded, "Yes, you're right. I should apologize to her for not heeding her warning and for being harsh and calling her stupid before."
"Zul, come with me," Elly suddenly said, standing up.
"Huh? Why do I have to come with you too?" Zul asked, confused.
"Just follow me, don't complain," Elly insisted.
"Alright, I'll follow you," Zul agreed, thinking to himself, I'm sure she's just shy to apologize on her own. That's why she's asking me to come with her.
Elly hesitated before asking, "Hey Zul, am I not a good girl unlike Onee-chan?" She remembered her mother's earlier words comparing her unfavorably to Arisa.
"What are you talking about, Elly? Of course you're a good girl," Zul reassured her. "You have your own unique personality—playful, adventurous, and doing things your own way. Your big sister has her own personality too. Don't bother with comparisons, okay?"
"Thanks, Zul," Elly said, her mood lightening. "You've changed so much. You're no longer the same Zul who used to cry like a baby when I first met you a month ago."
"Really? I never noticed," Zul replied, surprised. "Maybe your words back then moved me. You're the one who said I shouldn't cry and should stay strong because I'm a boy, remember? After that, I thought I needed to change and be strong just like you, Elly."
"Oh, I forgot about that," Elly chuckled.
After finishing their lunch meal, both sets of parents were talking with each other and enjoying the natural view around them. Elly and Arisa's father was chatting with Zul's father, while their mothers also conversed. Zul’s mother snapped photos, including one of Arisa reading under a tree.
Meanwhile, Arisa sat alone near them, engrossed in her favorite book. Elly slowly approached Arisa, with Zul following behind.
"Onee-chan..." Elly said tentatively.
"Huh, what is it?" Arisa replied without looking up.
She's not looking at me. I think she's angry, Elly thought to herself. Aloud, she asked, "Are you angry with me?"
"Of course I'm angry with you. You didn't listen to what I said earlier, and you called me stupid," Arisa said, still focused on her book. "Do you want to say more? If not, go away for a bit. I've lost focus on my reading."
Arisa-chan... Zul thought to himself, concerned.
Suddenly, Elly slapped the book Arisa was reading.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Arisa said, upset.
Elly abruptly hugged Arisa and apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Onee-chan. It was my mistake. I should have listened to you before. I'm sorry for calling you stupid too. Can you forgive me?" She began to cry.
"Elly-chan," Arisa sighed. "Yes, yes, I forgive you. But please don't do it again. You made me so worried, you know?" She gently petted Elly's head.
"Okay, I understand," Elly replied, sniffling.
I'm glad you two made up, Zul thought, a tear escaping his eye as he watched the sisters reconcile.
"Huh? Zul-kun, are you crying too?" Arisa noticed, surprised.
"Shut up, it's just dust in my eyes," Zul said, hastily wiping away the tear.
"What are you guys doing? Wait, are you crying, Elly-chan? Did Zul-kun make you cry?" Zul's mother approached them with her camera.
"Oh, this is nothing. Zul-kun didn't make me cry," Elly said, wiping her tears.
"Here, use my napkin to wipe your tears," Arisa said, offering it to Elly.
"Mom, why are you accusing me suddenly?" Zul protested.
"Sorry, sorry, I was just joking," Zul's mother chuckled.
"Hey, you guys, why don't you stand over there together? I want to take a photo of you all right now," Zul's mother suggested.
"Let's go, Zul-kun, Onee-chan!" Elly said happily, dragging them by pulling both Zul and Arisa's hands at the same time.
"Wait, Elly-chan!" Zul and Arisa exclaimed simultaneously.
The three of them stood together with a beautiful forest view in the background. "Okay, smile!" Zul's mother said as she took their photo.
"Yes, this is a very nice photo," Zul's mother commented, pleased.
"Mrs. Julia, can I take a look at it too?" Arisa asked excitedly.
"Of course, here, take a look," Zul's mother replied, showing her the camera.
Meanwhile, Elly turned to Zul. "Zul-kun, thanks for before."
"Oh, it's nothing special like I said earlier," Zul replied modestly.
"I feel you're somehow just like a big brother to me, even though we're the same age," said Elly.
"Really!? Is that what you think? Hahaha!" Zul chuckled. "I also consider you as my little sister."
"Then I'm counting on you, 'Onii-chan'," said Elly.
"Who are you calling 'Onii-chan'?" said Zul.
Both of them laughed with each other after saying that. Arisa smiled as she watched them laughing.
"Hey, why don't you accompany me to town tomorrow after school? Let's play games at the arcade," Elly suggested.
"Oh, that's a great idea. Alright, I'll join you tomorrow," Zul agreed.
After that, they all continued to enjoy the picnic and the nice nature of the forest around them before heading back to their houses in the evening.
208Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wXSGeXZw6
To be continued…………..Futagomonogatari III
ns18.189.171.154da2
