The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 78~♫

 Freya showed an agreement.

Ueno's head snapped away from the other girl. Naming the cat? It had never crossed her mind. It was stray, and they would part anyway. She would get bored soon. Maybe not today, but tomorrow for sure. That's how she was. Changing things as they came like socks.

A hand landed on her shoulder, and she met an encouraging smile. Freya bobbed her head, signaling her everything would be okay.

"I... never named anything." The girl whispered, and an unfamiliar feeling of embarrassment enveloped her. "I don't know how." She stared at the cat, which licked her babies. The stripes caught her attention the first time, and now they seemed to be even more noticeable.

"Taiga..." Ueno mumbled. "Since she looks a lot like tigress... but that's stupid."

Freya shook her head, giving her thumbs up.

Ueno then gave more cat food to Taiga and changed the water. Outside of the hut, the awkward atmosphere returned. A dry throat prevented Ueno to speak her mind, to ask the burning question.

Freya turned around as if she felt the intense stare on her back. She pointed toward the hut, at herself, and then she tracked her lips from right to left.

"Come again?" Ueno blinked.

Freya scratched on her cheek, pondering about how to express her intentions. She again pointed toward the hut, covered her ears, her eyes, and then her mouth.

The familiar trio of monkeys came to Ueno's mind. With a shivering voice, she said, "You won't... tell anybody? Really?"

She gave her thumbs up.

Recovering a bit of her cold attitude, Ueno looked away, folding her arms. "Thanks," she muttered, glancing at waving Freya, who headed to the park.

Taiga's voice came from inside the hut as if telling it's going to be okay.

\\_(''>_<'')_//

'This was... strange.' Freya entered the school. 'I would never think—'

"Freya-san!" Rigaku's voice cut her thoughts, and she spun around. "There you are!" He stopped in front of her, resting on his knees and gasping for air.

'Oh, crab! I forgot I was supposed to meet them in the canteen!'

The oldest Kamini wiped his forehead. "Did something happen? Your uniform is dirty."

Freya's eyes widened as only now she noticed dirt and grass' juice over her shirt and blouse.

"Did Ueno-san try anything?" He pushed his glasses up, entering angry older brother mode, ready to rip enemies into pieces.

Freya clenched her fists and shook her head, her hair turned into a mist. 'Well, she was involved, but not the way you think.'

"Really?" It didn't seem he trusted her, taking into account Freya too often hesitated to be honest about her problems. Not that any of the other brothers were any better.