Third Person View

Iyo was sitting on the her seat, thinking.

"Everyone has someone they're destined to be with." She thought. "Everyone is tied to someone, somehow."

"They are tied to that one person. Iyo's wish is to find that person. Iyo wants to find the perfect love."

She sweat dropped. "So why is Iyo wasting her time here with these people!?" She thought as she held playing cards.

"Iyo-chan, what're you thinking?" Arisa interrupted her train of thoughts. "It's your turn!"

They sat on the chairs as they were playing cards. "Do you not know how to play, or something?"

Iyo protested. "What Iyo wants to know is who her destined person is!! Iyo wants her perfect love!"

"Perfect love?" Sasahara spoke, his eyes still on his cards. "That's a harem, a harem."

Arisa blushed. "Well, I just want to find a nice guy!"

"E-eh? Well, that is the most prioritized thing..." Chiyuki followed.

"I just want a rational, normal girl." Sasahara said.

Iyo stood up. "Who cares what you guys think about love!!" She clenched her hands as she sparkled and blushed, "Iyo wants... Iyo wants a red string of fate!!"

"That's right. Iyo believes in the red string of fate. It is definitely something sacred and irreplaceable." She thought to herself.

"Even though there is a countless number of people in this world, you can only fall in love with one person."

"If Iyo can find this person, she'll definitely, definitely treasure him!"

"Iyo." Yamaguchi called her name.

"I'm going to hit you." His eyes didn't move from the papers he was holding.

Iyo flinched, her face turning blue. "Eep!" She screeched, feeling her older brother's intimidating aura.

"Ah, there they go again." Sasahara lifted his gaze from his playing cards.

Shougo, Igarashi, and Nanashima snickered at her.

Nagisa looked at her and smiled.

When it was time to go home, the group packed their things and walked out the library.

Iyo was also preparing to go home with her brother. Yamaguchi walked out of school, Iyo following not far behind.

"Brother, Iyo wishes to go home with Karma-senpai and Nagisa-senpai," Iyo spoke as she looked at her brother's back.

"No." Yamaguchi's answer was a short one, one that made Iyo fill with disappointment.

His little sister pouted at him, "Why?" She stopped walking. "Can't Brother see that Iyo enjoys being with them?"

Yamaguchi halted and turned to look at her. "'Them'? You mean 'him'."

"...So what of it?" Iyo looked down with a frown on her lips.

Iyo didn't think Yamaguchi would understand her. Unlike her, he didn't have any interest in love. She knew him all too well.

"Karma-senpai is Iyo's destined person!" Iyo shouted with quite a loud voice.

Yamaguchi looked at his sister in the eyes. "You... Didn't you say the same thing with all of the other guys you meet?"

Hearing this, Iyo stayed quiet.

The sudden gust of cold wind brushed both of their hair, making the leaves rustle.

"You only look at their appearances, wether they're ideal or not." The taller blonde never left her gaze. "Who'd fall for someone like you?"

His harsh yet monotonous voice made his little sister tear up. "What... is that..." She choked on her words, feeling a weird sensation in her throat.

The blonde girl looked at her older brother with glassy eyes, sniffling.

Iyo suddenly ran back into school, looking back at him. "I'm not telling Brother how to return home!!"

Yamaguchi flinched at her sudden statement.

She left her older brother and went in school again. She found a space in the school garden and sat down on one of the stair steps.

She wiped her tears with a handkerchief. "He's so mean! Why doesn't Brother acknowledge Iyo?"

"Iyo just wants to find the perfect love..."

She wept into her handkerchief and sniffled. "...Iyo is hungry. What should she have for dinner?"

The young blonde thought of her older brother's words again. "You only look at their appearances, wether ideal or not."

Iyo looked at the sky, putting her hands together on her lap. "Maybe... Brother had someone he liked."

"But if so... That person isn't by his side right now. Iyo's never thought of that before..."

She rested her head on her hand and looked into the distance. The wind felt cold against her wet cheeks.

"Iyo believes in the red string of fate. When we meet, it will be love at first sight, and we will compliment each other in every way." She pondered.

"The world is so big. There has to be someone that is like that. But I know that'll be very difficult for me. So if we somehow meet..."

"Oh, here she is! Guys, she's here!"

"...It'd be a miracle."

A boy was suddenly in her vision. Shougo smiled at her. "What're you doing here? You're such a stupid little sister!" Nanashima and Igarashi looked at her.

"Iyo-chan?" A familiar bluenette was also there with Karma. "What's wrong? I thought you went home already."

"Y-you guys!" Iyo exclaimed.

Shougo looked at her with a smile, "When we heard you ran off crying after being bullied by your brother, we had to come find you."

"I-Iyo wasn't bullied!" The blonde exclaimed as Nanashima pat her head.

"That's why... Iyo wants to create destiny with her fated person. I want the person I love... to be my destined one."

"Hey, commoners," Iyo said to the three boys. "Will Iyo find true love?"

"Who knows?"

"Dunno."

"Who cares?"

Shougo, Igarashi, and Nanashima said.

"...as snappy as always." Iyo looked at them.

Nagisa spoke up, "Iyo-chan... It's starting to get late. Do you want to go home?"

"It's dangerous at night, after all." Karma followed.

Iyo looked at the two. "Senpai..."

"Iyo." A couple of footsteps could be heard. Yamaguchi entered the scene, "Let's go home."

Iyo looked at her older brother and blushed. "Brother! You came to pick Iyo up?" Her eyes sparkled, knowing how rare the occasion is.

-Time skip-

"Iyo, you..." Yamaguchi started as they walked. "You should give up on Akabane."

The girl beside him replied with stubbornness. "No way. Karma-senpai is amazing."

"You... If you're a girl, you should go out with someone who likes you more than they like themselves." He continued.

"That... sounds like you're talking about Karma-senpai, right?" Iyo put her hands behind her back.

Yamaguchi flinched.

Iyo asked again. "So what should men aspire for?"

Yamaguchi looked forward and smiled, "That's most likely making the girl happy, don't you think?"

She looked at her brother. He had such a sincere smile on his face. Iyo can't remember the last time she saw her brother like that, if she has at all.

Perhaps she didn't know him as well as she initially thought.

"I don't know who Brother fell in love with, but..." She thought. "One day, we will fall in love again, because humans are beings that love."

"And when he does find someone he likes very, very much... This time, please make it so that she loves him back!"

"Because he is... the brother of Iyo."

Iyo put her gaze on her brother beside her and blushed. "Both of us should do our best, right, Brother?"

"Huh?" Yamaguchi looked at his sister with annoyance, his eyes half-closed.

The two of them walked down the road and headed home.
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Phew... Haven't written a chapter that long in a while!

Thanks for reading this chapter~