firefly 【kurokiba ryou | shokugeki no soma】

02; DARLIN' COUSIN

•Hotaru's POV•

I sat on a bench, finally making it to one of the campus' grounds. It pretty much a field then a giant building right after it. I had to find my way to the Nakiri mansion. I opened the front pocket of my suitcase and pulled out my phone, the charm dangling as I opened it and scrolled down my contacts list. I didn't have many--less than ten, perhaps.

I clicked the third one, Gramps' number. An assistant or someone will pick up, I know that.
It rang for a moment before someone picked up. "Hello, Senzaemon Nakiri's personal assistant speaking," a man said from the other line.

"Hi, Keiji, it's Hotaru."

"Oh, hello, Miss Hotaru. Do you want to speak to your grandfather?"

"Naw, I just need someone to help me find where I'm supposed to go," I said, zipping the pocket on the suitcase up.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. Do you know where you are right now?" Keji asked.

"No idea," I said with a sigh. "I'll call you back--I'll ask someone."

With that, the conversation ended with me closing the phone and standing up. I grasped the handle of my luggage and looked around, searching for anyone to tell me where I was.

No one was there and so, I looked towards the giant building and took a long, deep, exasperated breath. "So much exercise..."

I was almost at the doors when a girl busted through them in a cloud of anger. "I can't believe that guy!" she grumbled, stomping towards me. Her blonde hair bounced at every tread they took and bumped their shoulders with mine. "Hey!" she turned to me.

"Hey~" I waved nervously.

"Lady Erina! Please wait for me!" another girl shuted and ran though the doors.

"Erina?" I questioned aloud then snapped my fingers as realization dawned on me. "Erina Nakiri!"

"That's right," Erina nodded and then stared at me skeptically. "You look familiar..."

"You know her, Lady Erina?" the girl asked. Maybe her attendant?

I pointed to my face. "It's me, Hotaru--your cousin!"

She gasped. "You go here?"

I chuckled. "Yeah. I kinda just got here, but I'm lost."

"You can ride with me and Hisako," she said and grabbed my hands in hers. "It's been so long!"

"I know, right?" I beamed.

"Hisako, can you call for a car?" Erina asked her assistant.

"Right away."

•••

Erina and me talked about what has happened to us while each of us were away from each other, though it was more her talking about herself than me.
I kept away from what happened to my mother by switching topics whenever family came up, and luckily, it worked.

"So, I heard that some camp thing is coming up soon?" I asked.

"Yes," Erina said, "tomorrow, actually."

"Tomorrow?"

She nodded. "Many of the students will be expelled. Will you be cooking?"

"Nope," I smiled. "I'm not cooking at all while I'm here."

She gaped at me. "But Totsuki is a cooking school, Hotaru."

"Gramps said that I only need to make memories."

"Why would he say that?"

I tapped my finger to my chin, thinking of an answer. "Probably because all my friends are virtual," I gave a lopsided smile and winked. "I have no social life, whatsoever!"

She was speechless. "You're kidding, right?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"That's not something to boast about," she sighed.

"But I reached level 30 on League of Legends in the first three or so days of playing it."

"That seems like it's a hard level to reach," her assistant, Hisako said, finally speaking up after observing us talking.

"It was--I stayed up for 33 hours before fainting from exhaustion. And I was 14, so it wasn't very healthy for me, especially since I had school during those times."

"Does your father know about this?" Erina asked.

"Of course," I huffed. "He's sort of the one who got me into gaming."

"Wow. How about your mother?"

"Oh, hehe..." I trailed off and looked outside the window. "Oh! Is that the place we're staying at?!" I pointed to a mansion just nearby.

Erina took a look, her attention now on what I was gesturing at. "Yep."

"Oooh~ It's pretty!" I gushed.

"Hah," Erina sat back in her seat. "It isn't much."

"Come on, it's awesome," I elbowed her in the side.

Hisako giggled and smiled. "I hope that you are comfortable here."

I nodded. "Thanks.