I sighed, turned, shifted around my bed. I couldn't sleep. I sighed again, drowned my face into the pillow to try and get some rest—but I couldn't!

What's he planning? The thought had haunted me all night. It was the day to leave for the tour and we were to be ready at eight... that left us only the morning to do whatever he had planned.

Unless...

But what could we do in America? Sure, we could run, but then what? We have nowhere to go...

"Nngh," I groaned in frustration, sprawled myself in defeat. My head had started to ache in the madness of thoughts, and that just made it harder to fall asleep. So instead, I decided for the next best thing I could do—swept away the blanket over me and...

Oliver...

＊＊＊

It was miserable, it felt like everything had just gone black, and "Len!" rang Rin's voice beside me, "wake up!"

Great, just as I finally got a bit sleep.

"Wake up!" She rang again, her tone laced heavily with irritation. Then as I opened my eyes to a thin slit, I could see the annoyance on her twisted visage. Fairly common sight. Last day I'd see it if Oliver's plan goes well.

A weird pang in my chest, why am I not as happy as I thought I would be about that.

I pondered as my breathing deepened. Then a voice answered from somewhere. She's still your sister.

It was then she groaned, "ugh..." waving her hands dramatically in exasperation. It looked almost as if she were about to give up when she walked out of my vision slit. But then I felt the shock of two hands on my back, pushing me, sending me afall to lay on the cold hard floor, supine, with my blanket flapping unhelpfully above me.

I shivered. The cold had crept up my back.

A bad one but yeah.

"See," she triumphantly called out, "you were awake!"

"Yeah," I raged, rubbing my head from the fall, "but you didn't need to push me like that."

"Well, learn to listen. Then, perhaps, I wouldn't need to resort to such measures."

I rolled my eyes, and of course, she took that offensively, leered to me with her cold blue eyes as her fingers ticked. "Now get ready! You have two hours before we leave."

"Alright alright! Now could you get out?"

"Yeah, but if I don't see you fully ready in two hours—"

"Then what?"

"Then I'll—" She twisted her face, grit her teeth in frustration, "just do it!" She yelled before leaving, waved her hands dramatically in her exit.

I sighed. Am I really going to miss her?

No...

Maybe a little...

I guess...

I shook my head, no use thinking about it now, so I changed to my button-up shirt, trousers and jacket, then packed up... nothing much. There wasn't anything that I'd really wanted to bring with me, so I left it at some clothes and my diary. After all, I am trying to start a new life,

I smiled, with Oliver....

＊＊＊

The clock showed eight, and by then everyone had gathered by the main hall to leave. I waited a bit, tapped my feet, looked around, then I waited again... but I couldn't see him! Where is he?

Just then he came, dragging his little suitcase behind him, a radiant smile on his face as he shone through the crowd, quietly making his way to Rin.

"Good. You're here just in time," she merely said in notice of his presence.

He fixed the hair behind his ear as he meekly replied to her, "Sorry," he panted a little, sitting himself cutely on top of his little luggage, "I woke up a little late so I had to rush packing up."

"It's fine. Come on, let's go." But the instant she touched his hand, Oliver quickly flinched away, his face painted in white realisation.

"I forgot something!" He shouted, running back to his room.

For a moment, I caught that her irritation got the better of her form, but quickly, masterfully she hid it, and only then did she reply in her best lady's voice, "okay, but hurry!"

We waited—and waited... and waited... some of us had considered fetching him, but nobody really dared to. It was only after half an hour that he finally returned with his suitcase in tow. Beads of sweat were rolling down his half-reddened face as he panted heavily for air.

What could've happened?

I could almost hear another sigh from Rin before she hastened us once more, "Come on, we're almost late." And for once, she was right. We were running almost half an hour late to schedule. We hurried onto the company limousine and made our way to the airport. By the time we arrived we had only an hour before the plane would leave.

"Come on! quickly!" Miku rushed us while Rin pulled my hand. I took every chance to steal a glance at Oliver while we were running. Then, to my surprise, he looked at me back with his playful smirk... then he winked. By then we were only two gates away.

Oliver approached Rin, then tugged on her shirt when we'd stopped just before the gate. She turned around and looked at him. My pulse raced as I watched the showdown unfold; Oliver stuttered as he brought himself to speak, "I-I need to go."

"Now?!"

He flinched, then nodded meekly.

"fine, but quickly!"

For a moment, he looked to me, then I saw his secret beckoning for me to come—so I quickly took the chance, "I need to go too!"

"Ugh!" She twisted to me, then her face once more, "fine!" She spat, "but be back here in five! The gate's closing."

But before I could reply, Oliver came in and raised his voice, "board first and wait for us inside, there's no way they'd stop us from getting in then."

Smart.

Miku shuffled with her bag, then quickly shoved our tickets to Oliver, "here, I don't trust Len with it, but you can guard him."

'Guard'? ...really?

He nodded and took it before running off to the direction of the nearest washroom. I followed behind him, catching up only to realise we had left our suitcases to them.

When we were finally out of their range, I neared him to whisper, "Oliver."

"Hm?" He perked, nodding for me to continue.

I had nothing important in mine, but "you left your suitcase."

To my surprise, he giggled. "Oh, Len," then, there, I felt that soft—his gentle touch as he took my hand in his. "Did you really think I put anything important in there?"

"But... those thirty minutes?"

"They were just to get us to be late, silly," He giggled again as we were now riding down the final escalator before freedom, "Otherwise they would never leave us – or rather, you alone."

I nodded blankly as my mind struggled to process everything that had just happened.

"I came here with nothing, remember?" He gleefully grinned—it was enough to calm the rush I was on, "I think I could live without anything I'd gotten since I came to... y'know."

I nodded again, "but where do we go now? Back to Shukijin?"

"mhm! Mum and dad'll surely help us from there."