Seiko was a rich kid, who was used to getting what she wanted. She gets frustrated if she doesn't get it. This was what caused her to be unstable with her emotions.

This was what Syo had stumbled upon that day.

Seiko was always required to be composed, upholding her family name. But even so she needed moments to let herself loose. She was willing to use anything and anyone.

Basically, Seiko was a very messed up person.

I wish I knew all this back then.

***

"Thanks for walking me, Teruya-kun." Seiko thanked him as they stopped in front of her intimidatingly large house. Compared to this, his house was a mere anthill.

"U-um, yeah," Syo stuttered, staring up at the house, but then snapping his head back to face her.

"Um, is it okay if I call you by your given name?" Seiko asked meekly.

"Eh?" Syo blushed. "Um, yeah, sure..."

"Okay then, Syo-kun!" Seiko said, smiling brightly. "Then you can call me Seiko as well."

"Ah, yeah," Syo nodded avoiding eye contact. Seiko turned and was about to walk into her house, but then he suddenly called out to her. "Um!"

Seiko turned around, and Syo diverted his eyes. "If you have any troubles, ever, and you need something to talk too... You can rely on me, okay?"

Seiko stared at him for sometime, and then she let out a small laugh, making Syo look up. "Yeah, sure." Seiko said, and then she went into her house.

For a moment, Syo just stood there. Then slowly, a smile spread across his face, and he took a step back. This feeling of elation was something he had never felt before. He turned and started running, to let off the surge of adrenalin. He was grinning all the while as he ran home. He opened his mouth wide.

"ANEKIIIIIII!!!"

***

"Aneki."

Sora was drooping on the counter of the bakery, looking dead with a depressing aura around her. Shoya was trying to get her out of the way, so he could refill the tray of bread.

Sora very slowly turned to Shoya.

"Don't look at me like that!" he snapped.

"Shoya..." Sora mumbled, voice sounding dead. "Syo has a girlfriend..."

"Of course he does! You thought you could keep him close forever?"  Shoya snarled, shoving her aside and crouching to refill the bread tray.

"But he's my little Syo...." Sora cried, arms stretching out in front of her.

"Well guess what, Syo has a life outside family too." Shoya straightened up and dusted his hands. "He's gonna get a girlfriend–" Sora felt like the word stabbed her– "he's gonna do things with her–" she felt stabbed again– "get married–" she was stabbed again– "and move out." The final critical hit.

Sora slumped on the counter, completely destroyed.

"Yo Aneki," Souta called, poking his head out if the bakery's main kitchen, wiping his hands with a towel. "Get moving, or you'll be late for college."

Sora let out a groan, and Shoya and Souta deadpanned. Syo went running out of the kitchen, simultaneously pulling on his backpack. He pulled on his shoes, calling, "I'm off!"

"Have a safe trip!" Shoya and Souta called back, and Sora cried, "Syo..."

"Get moving," Shoya told her, whacking her head. "Your boyfriend must be waiting."

"Yes..." Sora said, finally getting up and dragging her feet. "Have a safe trip..."

***

Before he knew it, they had already been dating for three months.

Their relationship was going well. They spent a lot of time together, laughing and talking. There were low moments when Seiko was feeling off, and at those moments she would seek Syo out. He was glad that she was consulting him when she needed him. Soon enough, December rolled around.

Syo was exchanging texts with Seiko with the phone he had gotten for his 14th birthday, smiling a little.

"Hey Syo," Mirai said, peering over his shoulder.

"Yeah?" Syo asked, looking around at him.

"Don't tell me your planning on missing Haruna-chan's birthday for Date-san," Mirai told him.

Syo paused for a minute. "Oh, Haruna's birthday is on the 24th, right?" he mused.

"Right on Christmas Eve," Riku said, rather forcefully. "But it also happens to be a tradition for couples to hang out on Christmas, right?"

"Yes, but..." Syo thought for some time. He didn't really want to skip Haruna's birthday. He hadn't missed a single one since the day he was born. It felt wrong to suddenly skip one.

Riku studied his expression for some time. "You know, even though Haruna-chan is the most enthusiastic about this–" she nodded in the direction of him and his phone– "don't you think even she would feel lonely sometimes?"

"Yeah, it would be pretty obvious that she would miss her childhood friend who she had known forever, right?" Mirai added.

"You guys are right..."

"Heyyyy, everyone!"

They turned around to see Haruna and Katashi walking towards them, the latter carrying a bunch of bread.

"We got bread for everyone!" Haruna said cheerily, arming both hands with a bread each. "You get a melon bread!" She threw one at Mirai. "And you get a melon bread!" She threw the other at Syo. "And you get a veggie bread!" She threw one at Riku.

All of the breads had come flying at them at unbelievable speed, and only Mirai was able to catch his...with his face.

"Nice pitch..." he said, peeling the bread off his face and opening the packet.

Haruna laughed triumphantly, rotating her arm. Katashi handed her a curry bread, which she cheerily accepted. She opened the packet and happily sunk her teeth into the bread.

"Mmm..." she sighed. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

"Your birthday," Riku replied plainly, after retrieving her bread, which had hit a boy in the back of his head after it went rocketing over her shoulder.

"Hm, what about it?" Haruna asked. Then she gasped. "Don't tell me! Syo-chan, you're planning on spending it with Date-san?"

Syo, Riku and Mirai stared at her in surprise. Katashi curiously bit into his own bread, looking between them.

"How mean!" Haruna shouted, sending flying fists at Syo. "You meanie! How can you?!"

"No, no, no, I'm not planning on missing it!" Syo yelled, shielding himself. "Don't worry, I'm definitely not missing your birthday."

Haruna paused then backed away. "Syo-chan... I was joking, you know. I know couples usually spend Christmas or Christmas Eve together. It's fine."

"No, don't say it like that!" Syo cried. "But I never missed a single birthday!"

"It's fine, it's fine," Haruna reassured him.

"But..."

"You can think of it as payback!" Haruna suggested, winking.

"Payback?" Syo was confused.

"I missed one of your birthdays!" Haruna said. "Your zeroeth birthday!"

"No, I'm pretty sure you attended it from inside your mother's womb." Riku pointed out.

"Er..." Haruna was running out of reasons.

"Also, in that case, wouldn't both of you have missed Sonoda's zeroeth birthday?" Mirai asked.

"It's Katashi's fault for being born in March!" Haruna said boldly, and Katashi's eye twitched.

"Oy, Haruna-chan..." Katashi mumbled, a scary smile on his face.

"Gya! I'm sorry!" Haruna said quickly. "Katashi-chan must have been so lonely, right?"

Syo watched them, and then let out a laugh, making the four of them look around at him.

"Don't worry," Syo said reassuringly. "Haruna, I won't miss your birthday."

Haruna looked a little unsure. "Well, at the most you can invite her..."

***

"And so, since they are an important friend of mine, I really don't want to miss their birthday." Syo had just finished explaining to Seiko, who was listening quietly.

She was silent for some time. "Is it your childhood friend?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Seiko thought some more. "Sonoda-kun?"

"No, the other one." Syo replied.

"Okazaki-san?"

"Yes, Haruna." Syo nodded. "Oh, but she told me that you can come if you like!"

"No thank you." Seiko gave a quick reply, immediately shooting him down. "I'd rather not attend a birthday of someone I'm not even close to, with other people I'm not close to."

"Oh..." Syo looked down, but then perked up again. "We can meet up on Christmas–"

"I need to strictly spend that day with my family." Seiko said, smiling.

"Oh yeah, Seiko-chan has those types of families..." Syo mumbled.

They both stood in silence for some time, and then Syo finally broke it. "Well, it can't be helped, can it? We can meet up on the 26th, then?"

Seiko stared at him for some time, then smiled and said, "We can."

"Yes! Great!" Syo whooped. "See you, then."

"Yes, see you." Seiko waved as he left, but once he had turned around completely, she dropped her smile and her hand.

This was the mistake that completed changed everything.

***

"Happy birthday, Haruna-chan~"

"Thank you, thank you," Haruna said, accepting her gifts with a rather pleased expression on her face.

"But then again, don't you think karaoke is kinda basic?" Riku questioned, staring up at the karaoke place.

"Now, now, Riku-chan, don't sweat the details~" Mirai told her, pushing her in.

"Yes, let's sing our butts off!" Syo cheered, hooking his arm around Katashi's shoulder. "Hm? What's wrong with you?" he asked him, sensing Katashi's depressing aura.

"Oh, did you forget Syo-chan?" Haruna giggled, putting her arm around Katashi's shoulders as well. "Our Katashi-chan is tone deaf."

"Oh yes!" Syo laughed loudly, and Haruna joined in, both hugging Katashi's shoulders.

"They totally planned this, didn't they?" Riku muttered.

"They did." Mirai replied.

"Let's party!!" Haruna cheered.

"Please end my suffering..." Katashi mumbled, and Syo and Haruna happily dragged him into the karaoke place.

Time flew by like anything. Haruna was about to start her twentieth song, and everybody cheered loudly. Riku picked up a bowl of chips, and noticed Syo's phone ringing.

"Hey, Teruya-kun!" Riku tugged on his sleeve to get his attention. Syo looked around and Riku pointed at his phone.

It was a call from Seiko. Confused, Syo took the phone from her and walked out of their booth.

Syo answered the phone. "Hello?"

A male voice replied from the other side. "Is this Teruya Syo-kun?"

"... speaking." Syo replied.

"Ah..." the male voice stalled for some time, and then he sighed. "Seiko got into an accident."

***

"Where is she?!" Syo yelled, bursting into the hospital room.

A man who looked like Seiko's older brother looked up. "Ah... you're Syo-kun?"

"I am." Syo panted. "Where's Seiko-chan? Is she okay?"

"See for yourself." He stepped aside and drew back the curtain, revealing Seiko sitting up in bed, and staring out of the window. A food tray sat in her lap. She turned around and saw Syo, and then smiled gently.

"Hello, Syo-kun," she said.

"Seiko-chan! Are you okay?" Syo asked, approaching her bed. Her brother pulled the curtain around them again.

"I just broke my leg." Seiko told him. "I'm okay otherwise."

"Oh..."

They sat in silence for a while. Seiko broke it.

"You really came, huh?" she whispered.

"Huh?" Syo looked up.

Seiko turned in his direction, and the smile in her face was no longer gentle. It had a sense of insanity about it.

"Seiko-chan...?"

"See what happened when you weren't there for me?" Seiko asked, and she hardly looked or sounded sane anymore. "You weren't there for me, and here I am."

Syo backed away a little, scared.

"I always need you by my side, Syo-kun. You should never leave my side. You should care for me, and only me. You love me, right?" Seiko asked, eyes wide. She started searching for something in her tray with her hand, but she didn't look down at it.

"You love me, right?" she repeated. "That's why I always need you by my side. I need you to live. So, if I don't have you..."

She lifted her hand out of the tray, and she was holding a knife. She was about to drive it into the side of her neck.

"Seiko-chan!" Syo yelled, and he grabbed her hand, stopping her. The knife grazed her neck, and a tiny trickle of blood leaked out. However, a wide smile spread across her face.

"...I'll die, you know?"

To be continued...