Chapter 112: Chapter 111: Fireworks (Part 2)

We arrive at Mii’s a bit after eleven. We head up to the door and press the intercom button. A few moments later, the door is opened by Hiro and he tells us, “Hi. Miyuki is in her room. Upstairs, first door on the left.”

I tell him, “Thanks,” and we head up to her room. After we knock on the door, she says, “Come in.”

We open the door and go in. “Hi, Mii.”

“Hi, Sora, Chinatsu. Where are your other sisters?”

“They’re waiting in the SUV for us. By the way, did your dad mention that you can’t tell anyone that I own TGR?”

She nods. “Good. I’d appreciate it if you kept that to yourself. I don’t need the headaches that people knowing about it would cause.”

She smiles. “Don’t worry, I’ll never tell anyone. I have a question, what should I bring to Okinawa? I really have no idea.”

“Well, how about you start by showing us what you thought about bringing.” She nods and we follow her over to her closet. After she opens it, I quickly glance at Chinatsu, whose eyes are just as wide as mine. Looking back at Miyuki, I say, “Excuse me for a second. I’ll be right back.”

I head downstairs to find Hiro. Once I have, I say, “You call that a girls wardrobe? All she has is a school swimsuit, two skirts and a few blouses, that’s it. Am I not paying you enough?”

“That’s not it, Sora. She won’t let me buy her clothes. She says she doesn’t need them.”

I sigh. “This won’t do at all. We’ll be going to some fairly classy places in Okinawa. Alright, I’m taking her shopping for a yukata, so I might as well buy her a decent wardrobe while we’re out.”

“Sora, you don’t need to do that. I have the money to buy her what she needs.”

I shake my head and tell him, “Save it. Trust me, if I can get her out of her shell like I want, you’ll be buying a lot more clothes in the future.”

“If you can do that, I’ll be happy to buy her all she wants.”

“Good. I’m going back up to get her then.”

As I turn around to go upstairs, the door opens and a boy walks in, saying, “I’m home.”

Hiro tells him, “Welcome home.”

He locks eyes with me and asks, “Dad, who’s the babe?”

I jump in to stop what Hiro could say and tell him, “I’m not ‘the babe,’ my name is Sora, a friend of your sisters.”

He snorts and says, “That mousy little girl doesn’t have any friends, especially ones that look like you.”

I turn to look at Hiro and quietly say, “And here’s another part of her issues.” I turn back to look at the boy. “I’ll thank you to keep your opinions about Mii to yourself. For your information, she has several friends and she’s going to the fireworks festival with us tonight as well as to Okinawa with us in a couple of days.”

“What? Dad, why are you paying for her to go to Okinawa, but won’t let me go to Kujukuri Beach?”

I tell him, “He’s not. We’re paying for her to come with us.”

He snorts again. “As if, you look like you spend all your money on clothes.”

Hiro growls out, “That’s quite enough, Shin. For your information, Sora comes from a prominent family. With a single word she could have me fired and make sure I never got a decent job again.” He looks astounded at what Hiro just told him. “Now, apologize for being rude.”

I shake my head. “Hiro, he doesn’t have to apologize since a forced apology is worthless. He’ll eventually learn that good manners go a long way. At least, he will if he wants more than a menial job, which by the looks of him and the way he talks is all he has the educational ability to do.”

Shin looks blankly at me and says, “Huh? Are you trying to be a smart ass?”

Hiro says, “Shut up, Shin, you already know the reason I wouldn’t let you go has nothing to do with money. It’s those so-called friends of yours, they’re nothing but trouble.”

I clear my throat. “Hiro, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go get Mii and my sister. We have a lot to do before we go to the festival.”

“Certainly.”

As I head back upstairs, I hear Hiro growl out, “Boy, watch how you talk to Sora and her family! Don’t you ever speak to her that way again!”

I think, ‘I seriously doubt telling that boy anything will do much good. He’s another Hiroaki Abe.’ In Miyuki’s room, I say, “I just had the distinct displeasure of meeting your brother.”

She gives me a lopsided grin. “Yeah, he’s kind of an ass.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Kind of? That boy has a PhD in being an ass.” Her bell-like laugh rings out making me and Chinatsu smile. I’d definitely love to hear her laugh like this more often. “Come on, Mii. We have several things to do before we go to the festival this evening.”

Hiro is still reading him the riot act as we leave the house. I’m surprised when Miyuki moves to my side opposite of them while hanging her head as if she’s trying to hide from something.

On our way, I explain to Miyuki that her wardrobe, or really it’s more like a lack thereof, won’t work and explain why. When I tell her that we’ll be buying her a new one, she smiles and says, “That would be nice. I simply never had a reason to bother having more than a few outfits before now. That’s why I wouldn’t let Dad buy me any since it would’ve been a waste of money.”

I reach over and squeeze her hand with a smile. “You have lots of reasons to dress well, now.”

Our first stop is Sakeya Kimono to get Miyuki a yukata. It takes us about half an hour to find one that is flattering for her. It’s a white yukata dress with a blue chrysanthemum print. We get a purple obi to go along with it.

Our next stop is Tokyo Solamachi. First stop here is Sakura Lingerie. We get her measured, and while I knew she was rather, umm, slender, I never expected her to be this petite since she ended up having a bust of 68, waist of 52, hips of 68 and she’s barely an A Cup. We get her a dozen lightly padded bra and panty sets of various colors and styles. We also get her a dozen pairs of stockings in several colors and styles.

Next up is Pacific Swimwear where we get her three tan-through bikinis. We also get all of us girls a couple of beach cover-ups.

The next part is a bit more time consuming since she is so small, which makes it a bit harder to find stylish clothes that fit, but we ended up with 20 skirts and 34 blouses to match them. 14 babydoll dresses, which she looks amazing in, 22 casual one-piece dresses, 12 much classier dress for going out in, 5 pair of hot pants and 12 blouses to go with them. For shoes, we got her 14 pairs of heels in various styles and colors, along with several pairs of sandals, 5 pairs of ankle boots and 3 pairs of knee boots.

I ought to mention that she wanted to get some jeans too, until I showed her what they did to her body lines in the mirror. Look, she’s tiny and jeans emphasize that. The dresses and skirts we chose for her are made to accentuate her curves and are much more flattering for her.

Did I spend a lot of money? Yes, quite a bit actually, but she needed all of this, badly. Next up is the hair salon. Of course, they’re covered up, but when the manager, who remembered us girls, saw us, she took her in herself. If you’re wondering why I brought her here it’s because her hair is all over the place in length and her bangs hang down to her nose. I ask the manager to cut it in a more flattering style, then put it up for the festival and do her makeup. Suffice it to say, the time we spend here makes a hell of a difference. I was so wrong when I described her as the average girl next door. She’s actually quite lovely once you get her hair out of her face and evened out. With her hair put up and makeup on, she's pretty enough that just about any boy would be happy to go out with her.

We talked while all this was going on and I’m fairly sure I figured out why she’s so small. When I say small, I mean it, she’s 145 centimeters tall and a whopping 38 kilograms! She doesn’t eat much at all. It sounds like it might be stress related because she says she never eats much at home. We’re definitely going to have to find a fix for that so that she’ll start eating properly.

From here, we stop to get something to eat and the way she eats here makes me think my guess about it being stress related is right. We stopped at McKing’s and we all get a cheeseburger, fries and something to drink. Not only did she finish what she ordered, but she also ate a large part of my and Chinatsu's fries as well.

We make it back to her place at a quarter to five and thankfully, find Shin gone. Chinatsu and I help her put everything up. I leave out a pair of sheer nude stockings, bra, panties, and her purple open-toe cross-strap sandals to wear with her yukata dress. We take her yukata and everything else she’ll need for tonight and load back up to go to our house.

On the way there, I text Ryu, ‘How did the search turn out?’

‘It wasn’t easy, but I found a guy who has always liked her and wants to go. His name is Hiroki Mori.’

A moment later, I receive a picture and take a look. He’s not someone I would be interested in, but I have to admit, he’s decent looking and looks to be a nice guy.

I look at Miyuki and ask, “Mii, do you know a guy by the name of Hiroki Mori?”

She smiles and nods. “Wow, I haven’t thought of him in a while. I went to primary school with him. We always got along rather well, why?”

“Ryu invited him along with us tonight and he mentioned to Ryu that he knew you.”

“It’ll be nice to see him again. I always liked him.”

“He said the same thing about you.”

Her eyes widen and her smile gets a little bigger. She mutters, “I wish he had said something then,” just loud enough for me to hear.

I wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her to me and I whisper, “Telling someone you like them isn’t an easy thing to do. At least you know now.” Her eyes sparkle as she smiles and nods. When we get to our house, I ask Miyuki, “Do you know how to tie an obi?”

She shakes her head and says, “No. This will be my first time wearing a yukata.”

I look at my watch and sigh since we’re running short on time. I tell my sisters, “Go ahead and get ready, I’ll be up soon.”

I lead Miyuki into the living room where Mama and Dad are.

Dad looks up and asks, “Sora, who might this be?”

“Dad, come on, you met her last night. This is Miyuki, Hiro’s daughter.” We giggle at his expression and say, “I know, right? A haircut and styling it, along with a bit of makeup makes a huge difference… Mama, I need your help. We’re running out of time and Mii doesn’t know how to tie an obi. Would you help her get dressed?”

“Of course. Go ahead and get ready, Sora.” She smiles at her as she stands, takes Miyuki’s hand and says, “Come with me and we’ll get you fixed up.”

Chinatsu is putting on her makeup when I get up to our room, she gives me a questioning look and I tell her, “Mama is helping Mii dress.” She nods and turns back to finish. I undress and start putting on my yukata dress. She finishes shortly before I’m done tying my obi and starts dressing. Once I have, I sit down and put on my makeup. Standing up, I double check myself in the mirror on the back of the door.

I text Ryu, ‘Go ahead and come over. We’ll be ready in a moment.’ Opening my closet, I grab a clutch, drop in my phone, makeup, and wallet. I look at Chinatsu and ask, “Ready?”

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She nods and twirls for me. “How do I look?”

Smiling, I tell her, “Absolutely gorgeous.” I pick up my sandals and we head out the door to collect everyone.

Downstairs, I find Mama has finished with Miyuki and she looks absolutely enchanting, but I think I have something that will add a bit to her outfit.

I set down my sandals and walk over, I take her hand and tell her, “Come with me for a moment, I have something for you.”

In our room, I gesture to the desk chair. She watches me as I open my bottom drawer, I sort through my jewelry box looking for one specific item. Finding it, I tell her, “Close your eyes.” I step up behind her, slip it around her neck and clasp it. “Okay, you can look now.”

Her eyes widen and she gasps as her hand goes to her throat to touch the amethyst choker I put on her. She looks up at me in the mirror with a dazzling smile and says, “This is the first time I’ve gotten a good look at myself since we got my haircut and makeup done. I’m not even sure this is me.”

I chuckle softly and tell her, “Mii, trust me, that’s you. You’re quite lovely. By the way, Hiroki is blind if his jaw doesn’t hit the ground when he sees you.”

She blushes and murmurs, “Thank you, but I’m nothing special.”

I’m a little harsh when I snap out, “Stop that! Don’t you ever put yourself down again, do you hear me?!” I take a breath, make her stand up and face the full length mirror on the back of the door. “Mii, look at yourself. You’re so far from ugly that it’s ridiculous. You’re a little on the small side, but you’re still quite lovely. I’m not going to lie and say that you’re gorgeous, but at the very least, you’re quite lovely. If we fix how you eat, then you’ll begin to fill out like you should have. Imagine what you’ll look like then.”

She has a hopeful expression as she looks in the mirror and asks, “Do you really think so?”

“You’ll find out that I don’t lie. I hate lies and liars. Even well meant lies can cause a lot of damage. I mean everything I told you.” I slip my arms around her neck to hug her from behind and quietly say, “Mii, tell me the truth about something.”

“Sure. What do you want to know?”

“Your brother. He bullies you at home all the time, doesn’t he?”

She looks down, nods slightly and murmurs, “It isn’t just him, it’s his friends too. They keep taking things further and further. This last time they stripped me down to my panties, laughed and made fun of me for having a ‘childish body’.”

To be honest, I absolutely furious, but I control myself and I turn her around to pull her against me. “I knew it.” I sigh and fight back my tears. “I don’t know how, but I’ll take care of this. For the moment, you’ll be spending the night here with us. I’m not going to allow you to go back to a house with him in it until I’ve had a chance to do something about it.” I gently rub her back. “Come on, let’s go downstairs. I need to talk to my parents for a bit before we go to the festival.” I paste a smile on my face, lean back to look at her and look at her to ask, “Are you excited to see Hiroki again?”

She smiles and says, “You bet I am. I’ve liked him for a very long time.”

I think about it for a few seconds and then tell her, “Mii, if it turns out you two still get along and you’d like him to come to Okinawa with us, you can invite him. His parents might not let him go since we’ll be leaving so soon, but if you want him to come, he’s welcome.”

She smiles sunnily at me and says, “Thank you so much, Sora.”

I nod, tell her, “You’re welcome,” and lead her downstairs to the living room. I look at my sisters and Ryu to tell them, “Give me a few more minutes.” I look at Mama and Dad. “May I speak to you in your room, please?”

In their room, I take a deep breath and tell them, “Mii will be spending the night with us tonight.”

Dad chuckles and asks, “Since when do you start telling us how things are going to be?”

I look him in the eye and state, “Since I found out that Mii’s brother and his friends have been bullying her at home. This last time they sexually assaulted her.”

Dad tenses and asks, “What?! Are you sure?”

Tears begin falling as I tell him, “95%. Dad, you didn’t see her body language when she told me. There are other little things I picked up on as well, but it all fits. It explains so many things. She barely eats at home from what she said and I think it’s all due to the stress from the environment.” I look at Mama. “You saw her when you helped her dress. She’s underdeveloped for a 13 year old. I’m not letting her go back there while that brother of hers is there! No one deserves this!”

Mama takes me in her arms and quietly says, “Calm down, Sora. We’ll do something about it.”

Dad asks, “Do you think Hiro knows anything about this?”

I shake my head and tell him, “No, it’s easy to see how much he loves Mii. I’m quite sure he knows nothing about it.”

He nods. “Okay. Why don’t you go wash your face and then go to the festival. Your mother and I will deal with this.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Mama follows me into the bathroom and cleans me up. “Feel better now?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m angry and feel like crying at the same time. I simply don’t understand how her brother could do this to her.”

She smiles sadly at me and says, “Sweetheart, I shouldn’t have to tell you that there are some sick people in this world, or it could be that he’s easily influenced by his friends.”

I look her in the eyes and adamantly state, “Mama, people like him shouldn’t exist.”

She nods. “You’re right, they shouldn’t, but they do and probably always will… Okay, take a deep breath for me and let it out.” I take a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Good. Now, show me that beautiful smile of yours.” I giggle and smile for her. “Much better. Sweetheart, go have fun with your sisters and friends. We’ll deal with this. Give me a hug.”

I give her a hug and hold on to her tightly as I whisper, “I love you, Mama.”

“I love you too. Now go on and enjoy yourselves tonight.” She grins at me. “You kids are cutting into my alone time with your father.”

I giggle and say, “Oh ho! Someone’s horny!”

She grins as she lightly smacks my butt, says, “Don’t be cheeky,” and laughs. “Even if you are right, you don’t need to say it,” which only makes my smile bigger.

We walk back out into their room and I see Dad is on the phone quietly talking. I wave at him and mouth, ‘I love you.’

He mouths, ‘I love you too’ back, and I go out to the living room where everyone is so we can go pick everyone else up. Everyone looks at me questioningly and I simply shake my head.

I take Miyuki’s hand and say, “Okay, let’s go. Sorry for the delay.”

We pick up Kei and Jim first and then Hiroki since he’s on the way to the park. Once we’re there and walking in, Ryu tells Chinatsu and me, “Move over to the side and let me get a picture of you two.”

Our not so small group moves over to the side as he takes our picture. That done, we continue making our way inside. Moving over beside Hiroki, I tap him on the shoulder and ask, “May I speak to you for a moment?”

He nods and I move away from the group as we walk along. “Hiroki, I’m not trying to be a bitch or anything, but if you’re here to play games with Mii, then leave now. She’s been hurt enough. I’m telling you right now, if you hurt her, I’ll kick your ass and don’t think I can’t do it either.”

He looks at me, fighting to keep from smiling. “Sora, right?” I nod. “I’ve liked Mii for a long time and I’m happy she’s got a friend like you to watch out for her, but I don’t plan to ever hurt or play games with her, okay?”

I nod and smile. “Good. I’m glad. You know she really likes you too? You should have seen her expression when I told her it was you that was coming,” which makes him smile. “Hiroki, if you plan to stick around, please, take care of her.” I look up at him with a pleading expression. “Please, she’s been hurt enough.” He merely nods in reply.

I walk back over to Miyuki and whisper, “If you really like him, get him. Don’t wait anymore. Waiting has already cost you a year and a half.”

Once we find a spot, we spread out our blanket and everyone takes a seat. When I take my normal position at Ryu’s left he quietly asks, “Do you want to explain what’s going on? You’ve been wound up all evening.” I shake my head. “Alright. Are you going to stare at Hiroki and Mii all night or are you going to pay any attention to the rest of us?”

Surging to my feet, I hiss, “What do you want from me?! I’m one girl! I don’t have all of the answers! Damn it, I’m doing the best that I can!” As I turn to walk off, he grabs my wrist and I snap, “Let me go!” When he doesn’t, I glare at him and growl, “Let me go or we’re done right this second!”

He shakes his head and gently says, “Sweetheart, you don’t mean that. I don’t know what has you so out of sorts, but if taking it out on me will help you feel better, then go right ahead.”

Chinatsu stands up and comes over to me to hug me. She whispers, “Breathe, My Love. Just hug me and breathe.” She doesn’t say anything else, she simply holds me as I attempt to reign in my rampaging emotions.

We stand that way for a good ten minutes before I blow out my breath and murmur, “Mii’s brother and his friends have been bullying her. This last time they sexually assaulted her.”

“Well, at least that explains it, no wonder you’re so overwrought.” She pulls back to look at me. “That still doesn’t forgive what you did to Ryu.”

“I know.”

“Come on, let’s sit down, the show will be starting soon.”

I sit down on Ryu’s left and hesitantly take his hand. When he looks at me, I say, “I’m so sorry, Honey. Basically, this is about bullying and you know how I feel about it. That still doesn’t give me the right to treat you that way.”

His gentle smile as he says, “I knew you didn’t mean what you said,” almost makes me cry.

I look down while fighting back my tears. “I’m still sorry for flipping out on you like that.”

He pulls me into his lap, makes me look at him and brushes the loose strands of my hair out my face. “If you think that you flying off the handle once in a while is going to drive us apart, you might want to think about it a little more.”

My heart flutters as I tell him, “I love you,” and wrap my arms around his neck to hug him.

He pulls me tight against him and murmurs in my ear, “I know. I love you too.”

The fireworks show starts a moment later, and I turn around to sit between his legs with my back resting against him. I move Chinatsu between my legs and she leans back against me.

I still keep an eye on Mii and Hiroki, although not as hawkishly as I was. They seem to be having a great time and she’s smiling and laughing a lot. At one point, I notice she’s holding his hand and leaning against him, which makes me think, ‘Good for you, Mii. I think you just might have gotten what you want.’

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