"Ryuko, dinner will be ready soon!" Sukuyo's voice rang out from the lower floor of their new family home, a splendid townhouse with two floors, a basement, and plenty of room to spare for the Mankanshoku family plus the Matoi-Kiryuin sisters.

Ryuko, in her room, dropped her tote bag on the floor next to her desk, shucking off her letterman jacket and tossing it onto her bed. "Gotcha, Mom," Ryuko called back over her shoulder. Humming to herself with a small smile, the girl plunked herself down at her desk and turned on the overhead lamp stationed in the top left corner. The late daylight still shone in through her window, but it would be dusk soon, and Ryuko didn't want to mess any of her lines up. Cracking her fingers, Ryuko opened the journal lying on her desk, and picked up her pen.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Today was a good day. Mako and I ditched classes to hang out around the shopping district; don't get pissy with me, I'm pretty much in the clear to pass this year! Anyway. We found this really great café and we had lunch there. Their pastries were sublime! I'm not so sure you would appreciate it though, since every bite was flaky and wonderful and I spilled crumbs with every bite. It would take an hour with the lint roller to get all the stuff off of you! It would be so worth it though. The lemon danishes were absolute perfection and I feel kind of bad that you can't consume anything but blood.

After we finished up there we headed to a stationary store. I got this new pen I'm writing with right now, and Mako got to buy the pencil crayons and inking pen she'd had her eye on for weeks. She was smiling so hard once the cashier handed them over to her I was terrified her face would split! But at the same time, I smiled a lot too. I'm so happy she got to buy what she'd been wanting for so long. She deserves everything in this world, especially if the Kiryuin estate is paying for it. I mean, all the cash Satsuki has isn't gonna dry up any time soon. Even after buying this house, she didn't even blink when Mako got her eye surgery; and that was expensive as hell!

Speaking of Satsuki, she and Sanageyama won the Kendo tourney last weekend. The competition didn't stand a chance, the suckers. I wouldn't be surprised if my sister could outshine the best swordsman in all of Japan. We've exchanged blades with her before, I'm sure you remember. Just her spirit is enough to subdue even the toughest opponent. I'd pity whoever has to fight her. And don't even get me started on Uzu! The guy is brutal. Nonon is right, calling him a wild monkey. Remember when he beat the shit out of us? That was a wild ride I never wanted to get on again.

Anyhow, Satsuki and Nonon caught up with Mako and I when we about to hit the arcade. Surprisingly, Satsuki didn't chew us out. She acted as if nothing at all was wrong and played a round of House of the Dead with Mako while Nonon and I hit up the racing games. We had a good time, the four of us. Nonon won enough tickets to get a giant Supersoaker that she can barely hold up. I'll have to get one for myself too. Summer vacation is right around the corner. Shame you won't be around to hit on all those cute swimsuits that'll be hitting the beach. The summer lineup is fantastic this year, or so Inumuta says. He's been drooling over some new Speedo that's being unveiled next week. I never figured him for a fashionista. That seemed more like Iori's thing.

Ah, shit. Sorry, Senketsu. I have to cut this short. Mom, or Sukuyo to you, made her classic croquettes for dinner tonight, and they're both calling my name. After that, I have a score to settle with Mako during Monopoly. I hope I don't end up throwing the board across the living room again... Mako gave me the cold shoulder for a whole day, and it was horrifying. Even Mataro was shaking in fear. Don't get between that girl and her properties.

Wishing you were here,

Ryuko

Ryuko blew across the settling ink to make it dry faster. Leaning back in her chair, she smiled, answering back to Satsuki's call when her older sister knocked on her doorframe and summoned her for dinner. The younger sibling stood from her seat and unravelled the scarf she had forgotten was around her neck. Squeezing the soft, carmine fabric tenderly in her hand, Ryuko brought it up to her nose, eyes lidding part way.

"Ryuko?" Satsuki called to her again. Ryuko snapped out of her sudden daydream, lowering her scarf.

"Huh? Yeah." Ryuko shook her head and smiled, closing her journal, placing her pen off to the side, and folding the scarf on top of the leather cover of her diary. "Let's go, sis." Ryuko smiled at her disarmingly once she had clicked off her desk light off, and they both wandered back downstairs for dinner.