96 – Haruka ‘Hhan’ Ichikawa
<span style="font-weight:400">At the start of ss, Rika had an announcement to make on behalf of the student council. "Lately, there have been reports of students wandering the cityte at night. As a private school, students of Tsukiji High must represent themselves at their best on <i><span style="font-weight:400">and</i><span style="font-weight:400"> off campus. Please be aware of how your actions will reflect back to the school''s image and possibly harm its reputation."
<span style="font-weight:400">ssmates began to whisper, using one another in a teasing and joking manner. Rika shot a nce at me and Mio in particr. She definitely knew. We shrugged at her, and she suppressed an amused grin.
<span style="font-weight:400">"It''s fine if you want to go out in the evening," Sensei chimed in. "Tsukiji prides itself for giving students autonomy to make decisions for themselves. Just be careful not to make too much trouble that Principal Murata will consider taking that privilege way.
<span style="font-weight:400">The entire ss groaned.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You say that, Teach. But ain''t you the one always going to Gobi Soand every monday night?" Mio smirked.
<span style="font-weight:400">I smacked my face as the ss reacted with a drawn-out, "Ooooh!"
<span style="font-weight:400">That''s…! F-First of all, you must have mistaken me for someone else. Second, it''s perfectly okay for a healthy man to visit a soand!" he eximed, quickly turning red.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Sensei! What''s a soand?" an innocent female student raised a hand to ask.
<span style="font-weight:400">"It''s a— We''re not talking about this any longer. ss is beginning!" he dered.
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana had his head on the desk, buried in his arms.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What''s the matter?" I quietly asked him.
<span style="font-weight:400">I think it''s my fault. I might have… ran into a couple of faculty downtown when I was… doing the thing," he confessed.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You didpensated dating with a teacher?" Mio leaned over to ask.
<span style="font-weight:400">"No!"
<span style="font-weight:400">Since Mio and I helped out the other day, another set of students rotated to take our ce for today, leaving us with plenty of free time in the afternoon. There was little for us to do except wait. Yuriha was currently working with Kaede on the outfit designs. We weren''t due back to help the ss with Culture Day prep until tomorrow.
<span style="font-weight:400">I figured I''d drop by the kendo club. They haven''t needed me back due to how effective Selene was at disciplining them. She quite literally took over the club and Gouda had nothing to say about it.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was boot camp inside the gym.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You call that a swing? A newborn elf could fight better than you! Keep those arms and legs moving, or we''re staying another hour for practice." Selene went around barking threats and insults like handing out candy.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You''re really kicking them into shape, huh?" I remarked,ing up from behind her.
<span style="font-weight:400">Selene was wielding her own bokken and had it propped against her shoulder. She didn''t even wear her track jacket, it hung on her shoulders instead. The subus'' appearance had taken on a more delinquent-like look since thest time I saw her.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I''ve researched our foes, studied their habits. They are a force to be reckoned with. Nothing short of intense, rigorous training will prepare your men for battle," Selene said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"My men… Huh? What do you mean researched and studied?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"The two most formidable teams will be from Maguro High in Tokyo and Yoko-Midari Academy in Sapporo. They are trained by former kendo champions who are also hanshi 8-dan," she exined.
<span style="font-weight:400">I choked on my spit. Hanshi was the highest title a kendo practitioner could earn. But color me even more surprised that Selene went ahead and learned enough about kendo to know that. She put in more work than I ever could.
<span style="font-weight:400">On the other hand…
<span style="font-weight:400">"I''m d you''re taking this seriously… but could you not treat this like we''re going to war? It makes me uneasy…"
<span style="font-weight:400">"If we don''t take this seriously, how else can we bring you victory? Isn''t that right? We''re going to bring victory to Saeko no matter the cost!" Selene shouted to the club.
<span style="font-weight:400">"That''s right! For Saeko! For Saeko! For Saeko!" they repeated at the top of their lungs after each swing.
<span style="font-weight:400">I grabbed Selene''s shoulders. "Why are they fighting <i><span style="font-weight:400">for me</i><span style="font-weight:400">?!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"They need a reason to fight. You''re their reason," she answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">This suddenly became a lot more embarrassing.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Anesan! Some of the first years need to take a break. Kei might have sprained his wrist," Yuuto said.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Anesan…</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">They started referring to her like they were in a gang. Though Selene did exude that kind of aura about her.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yuuto, take Kei to the nurse''s office. We''re taking a five minute break and going right back into it!" she shouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">At least she cared enough for their health to know when to stop.
<span style="font-weight:400">"By the way, your sister expressed worry about youst night. Hatsumi wanted me to check if you will be going home tonight?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"She could have just text me." I checked my phone just in case, but found neither a call nor a text from her sincest night.
<span style="font-weight:400">I still had <i><span style="font-weight:400">that</i><span style="font-weight:400"> thing to do because Mio insisted we trypensated datingter.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I think Hatsumi wants to give you space," she said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hmmmm…" I red at Selene.
<span style="font-weight:400">She took a step back, wondering what offense she had caused me. "Y-Yes?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"You''re keeping your hands off my sister, aren''t you?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I swear I haven''t touched her! However… one night, she did give me a massage… It was heavenly." Selene shut her eyes to recall, then snapped back open upon realizing what she had confessed to. She proceeded to prostrate herself before me. "Nothing happened. I had no sinful intentions."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Guys, look!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Coach is performing a dogeza to Saeko!"
<span style="font-weight:400">"Do we bow, too?"
<span style="font-weight:400">We were drawing too much attention. It didn''t help that Mio wasughing her ass off at the sight of Selene''s deferration to me.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Don''t grovel while other people are around!" I tried to pull Selene back to her feet.
<span style="font-weight:400">"No, not yet!" Mio came between us and put her feet in front of Selene''s head. "Kiss it, and I''ll put in a good word to Hatsumi that you treat Saeko like a queen at school."
<span style="font-weight:400">"NO!" I screamed.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Done." Selene kissed both mine and Mio''s shoe like it was nothing to her.
<span style="font-weight:400">The power of love was something else.
<span style="font-weight:400">Selene got to her feet, shamelessly acting like she had done what anyone would have done if given the choice. She then red at the club members who had stopped to watch, putting them right back to practice.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Is there anything else?" she asked, eager to please.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Carry on…" I sighed.
<span style="font-weight:400">We left the gym so that the club could return to practice without any more distractions. Mio appeared distracted herself and lost in thought.
<span style="font-weight:400">"So, I''ve been thinking," she began. "Why don''t we convince Kana to stay as a girl instead?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"He''s going to freak out if you try to tell him that," I warned.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mio shrugged. "Kid''s pretty much rocking it being a girl at this point. Take me for example. I like fucking. Fucking''s what I do. I''d fuck all day if I could."
<span style="font-weight:400">"I feel like your point was lost in that sex-filled brain of yours." I squinted at her in an attempt to make sense of what she had said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Nnnhh… It made a lot more sense in my head," she groaned.
<span style="font-weight:400">We found Kana by the gate being hounded by three boys from ss. Just like when I first turned, he wasn''t used to the influx of attention. It used to be we talked about girls, video games, and other teenage boy topics. Now the conversations turned to flirtations andpliments instead, which Kana was being showered with.
<span style="font-weight:400">"C''mon, Kana! Let''s go to an arcade or karaoke. It''ll be our treat!" one of the boys urged.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I already told you, I have ns with Mio and Saeko," he protested.
<span style="font-weight:400">Thankfully, the low-field of magic we exerted around school continued to keep everyone under the impression Kana had always been a girl. The problem was, everyone who had been friends with Kana <i><span style="font-weight:400">now </i><span style="font-weight:400">saw <i><span style="font-weight:400">him as a girl</i><span style="font-weight:400">.
<span style="font-weight:400">To a bunch of desperate high school boys, that would definitely lead to some issues.
<span style="font-weight:400">"That''s even better! Us three boys and the three of you girls can hang out together," another pleaded.
<span style="font-weight:400">As soon as Mio and I caught up to Kana, we realized who was among the trio.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Geh. Kameshiro…" I made no effort to hide my repulsion.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What''s up, Saeko!" Kameshiro smiled. "Guess you couldn''t resist my—"
<span style="font-weight:400">I put my thumb and index in the air in front of him to make the ''this close'' gesture. He knew what that had meant. We both knew it was referring the <i><span style="font-weight:400">small</i><span style="font-weight:400"> threat I''d given him after we had sex in the custodian''s closet back then.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was enough to get him to m up. Being able to brag about having sex was apparently not worth having your dick outed as puny.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">You have no power here, Kameshiro,</i><span style="font-weight:400"> I mused to myself.<i><span style="font-weight:400"> The size of your dick is in the palm of my hands, and I have a lot less shame about sex now!</i><span style="font-weight:400">
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana hid behind me and stuck his tongue out at the boys, much to their disappointment.
<span style="font-weight:400">"If they wanna hang out, I don''t mind," Mio said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"REALLY?!" they eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Damn it, Mio!" Kana and I couldn''t believe her.
<span style="font-weight:400">We were just about to get rid of the pests—
<span style="font-weight:400">"Mio~"
<span style="font-weight:400">One of Mio''s gyaru friends waved both hands as she came down the sidewalk.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hhan, you''rete! We''re about to head out," Mio shouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Sowwy. I had to make it up to my bf that I couldn''t hang out with him today." The gyaru put a hand up to her mouth in the dick-sucking motion.
<span style="font-weight:400">The three boys who saw her make the gesture tensed up and clenched their thighs together.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What''s going on?" I asked Mio.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I talked to Hhan about thepensated dating thing. She said she was gonna show us some pointerster," she answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hmm? Is it just me, or is the group a lot bigger now? Oh, well. The more the merrier! We could use some pack mules." Hhan grinned.
<span style="font-weight:400">Herment earned a round of, "Eh?" from Kameshiro''s group.
<span style="font-weight:400">The seven of us took a train to Kobe to visit the Sannomiya shopping street. It was much longer than the one on the block with Isekai Gohan. <span style="font-weight:400"> spanned several blocks and was more than just one length of a street, but several upon which businesses collectively called the area.
<span style="font-weight:400">On either side of us, stores of all kinds lined the length of this pedestrian-only street, separated by an atrium that allowed sunlight to illuminate the area.
<span style="font-weight:400">Kameshiro and his friends, Ippei and Michio, were initially excited to be hanging out with us. Until Hhan kept her word and turned them into pack mules.
<span style="font-weight:400">"How… How much more is she nning to buy?!" Kameshiroined, struggling to carry six bags worth of new clothing from several outlets we had passed by.
<span style="font-weight:400">They all belonged to Hhan, who was apparently looking to buy new clothes anyway. The boys tagging along worked out in her favor.
<span style="font-weight:400">She and Mio were two peas in a pod. They got along so well, it made me a little jealous. Haruka Ichikawa preferred to go by Hhan at school, even got the faculty to start calling her that over her real name.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hhan was <i><span style="font-weight:400">the</i><span style="font-weight:400"> gyaru at school. Her hair was dyed blonde and gathered to the right side of her head to form a curly ponytail. ck roots could be seening back on the top. The school uniform was unbuttoned low enough that the upper part of her ck bra was showing. Nails were decorated with microbeads and painted in several colors. Aside from fake eyshes, she didn''t wear much makeup.
<span style="font-weight:400">Lost in thought, I identally walked into her back, not realizing she had stopped in front of a lingerie store.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Oh, no. I''m getting deja vu," I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I, uh… I kind of want to check out that sporting goods store instead!" Kana was about to turn and walk away, but Hhan threw an arm around his and my shoulder.
<span style="font-weight:400">"A girl''s greatest weapon is hidden underneath," she said, tugging us inside.
<span style="font-weight:400">"We''re… going to stay out here," Ippei said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yeah, I don''t think boys are allowed in a store like that," Michio added.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You guys are the ones who wanted to hang out!" Mio pushed the three of them in from behind.
<span style="font-weight:400">We emerged an hourter having purchased and changed into both the lingerie and new clothes. The outfits in Hhan''s bags turned out to be for us, and they fit like a glove.
<span style="font-weight:400">I was dressed in an ivory cardigan, ck skirt, and beret. Kana changed into a sleeveless hoodie dress and jeans. Meanwhile, Hhan and Mio were a drastic contrast. They looked like bimbos we picked off the street, wearing a light crop top and jean shorts.
<span style="font-weight:400">What we wore underneath, the lingerie Hhan specifically picked out for us to wear and wouldn''t take no for an answer, I couldn''t dare describe.
<span style="font-weight:400">Kana tugged on his hoodie ufortably,pletely red in the face.
<span style="font-weight:400">"How is it that I''m covered up… but it still feels embarrassing?" he asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Are you sure we can wear this? I can pay you back," I told Hhan.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Hey, it''s totally no sweat! We''re all like friends, right?" She smiled.
<span style="font-weight:400">No, it totally wasn''t no sweat. The price tags were still on the clothing when she gave it to us. These were designer brands. The beret on my head itself was worth 12,000 yen.
<span style="font-weight:400">Where did Hhan get all her money from? Was her family loaded?
<span style="font-weight:400">"S-So, where are we headed next on our date?" Kameshiro asked, eyes molesting every inch of our bodies.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Oh, we''re kind of thirsty. Could you three be the sweetest things and grab us something sweet to drink from Starbucks?" Hhan ced a hand on Kameshiro''s chest and fluttered her eyelids.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Of course! Come on, guys. Our girls are counting on us!" He straightened his back, and like a loyal dog, went to fetch. Ippei and Michio followed after him.
<span style="font-weight:400">When they turned the corner, Hhan was already moving on.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Wait, we''re ditching them?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">She spun around and put two fingers in my face. "First two rules about dating: if they don''t respect you, you don''t have to respect them; you can end a date <i><span style="font-weight:400">whenever</i><span style="font-weight:400"> you want."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Aw, shit. Don''t make her list out the next ten," Mio remarked, having seemingly already heard them all.
<span style="font-weight:400">We walked to the end of Sannomiya Center where it was mostly restaurants and food ces. Hhan appeared to be on the lookout for someone.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Is anyone going to tell us why we''re out here already?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Did Mio not tell you?" Hhan nced at Mio.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You were supposed to tell us something?" Kana asked her.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I was supposed to tell you guys something? Shit, I think I forgot," she said, rubbing the back of her head.
<span style="font-weight:400">We sighed simultaneously at her.
<span style="font-weight:400">"I got some cute boysing by to have dinner with. It might be intimidating because they''re in college, but they aren''t too much older than us. Just a casual date," Hhan exined.
<span style="font-weight:400">"D-D-Date…?" Kana stuttered.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What are you getting squeamish about? You''ve been doingpensated dating, haven''t you?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Yeah, but… with the same guy— not because I like him! I''m just too scared to go with anyone else…" he answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hhan smoothed out Kana''s tangled hair from him stressing too much. I was surprised he just let her do it. Maybe he was petrified. After all, the heart of a young boy still beat inside that female body.
<span style="font-weight:400">"That''s why we''re going together. Ya got nothing to be scared about," she assured him.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Heeyyy!" A group of four college-aged boys approached us.
<span style="font-weight:400">Their manner of dress was a lot more casual than ours. One of them even had a hawaiian shirt and sandals. <i><span style="font-weight:400">We</i><span style="font-weight:400"> were definitely overdressed for the asion despite our own outfits beingid-back.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What''s going on, Hhan! You said to bring a fourth, so we brought a kouhai from my circle. His name''s Tani," the guy in the hawaiian shirt said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hhan introduced everyone together. Beni was the guy wearing the hawaiian shirt. He appeared oldest out of the four. Then there was Tani, Yoshino, and Hikaru.
<span style="font-weight:400">We entered a korean barbecue restaurant and were seated in a private room. Some of us just clicked, and the pairs formed organically. Beni and Hhan appeared to be good friends from the start. Yoshino cozied up to me. Kana ended up with Tani, who came off a little too strong right from the get-go.
<span style="font-weight:400">As we took our seats, I noticed a missing pair.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Where''s Mio?" I asked Hhan.
<span style="font-weight:400">"She and Hikaru went straight to the love hotel," she answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Mio just skipped all the steps and went right to that?!" Kana eximed. He pinched the sleeve of my shirt and lowered his voice. "Can we sit next to each other?"
<span style="font-weight:400">"If you don''t want to do this, we can just tell Hhan," I whispered.
<span style="font-weight:400">He shook his head. "I''d feel bad. She and Mio went out of her way to set this up for us… I want to at least try."
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Hnngh!</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">I clutched my chest. Something about Kana turning into a girl that''s so damn cute. As a boy, he used to always look out for me. Now that he was the opposite gender, it was like a whole different person. I wanted to just take him home and throw him onto my bed.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yoshino poked my arm to get my attention. "If you don''t know what to get, I highly rmend the spare ribs. They have it marinated in this amazing sweet and spicy sauce."
<span style="font-weight:400">"Can I leave it to you to make the orders?" I asked, putting a hand on his arm.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Alright! I''ve been here many times, so I know exactly what all the good stuff are!" he eximed.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Let''s order some beer, too," Tani suggested.
<span style="font-weight:400">"You know we''re not old enough, right?" Hhan scolded him from across the table.
<span style="font-weight:400">"It''s fine! The ones who can will drink, and we won''t drink too much. I promise," he said.
<span style="font-weight:400">Dinner was going surprisingly well. Each of the boys even brought a gift.
<span style="font-weight:400">Yoshino had a lot to say about his degree in economics, but the topic— a boring thing to anyone else— held my interest because I was going to be in his ce in less than a year. Listening to his ranting gave me a heads up for what to expect.
<span style="font-weight:400">I spent my first two years in high school worrying about my self-image. Going to college would be a fresh start for who I really was.
<span style="font-weight:400">A subus whore— er, I meant woman!
<span style="font-weight:400">While everyone was having fun, I couldn''t help but wonder where Kameshiro and the others were. We didn''t have each other''s numbers. They must be scrambling around to find us. I recalled Hhan''s first lesson. Kameshiro was kind of an ass from the start, and we didn''t really talk much until I became a girl. There was also that incident in the custodian''s closet which, even though the sex felt good, I''d never forgive him for taking advantage of me for that.
<span style="font-weight:400">"How did you guys meet Hhan?" I asked Yoshino, breaking the flow of conversation.
<span style="font-weight:400">"We met her at a hostess club. Hhan and Beni hit it off, then she introduced us to her high school friends," he answered.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What…? You went to a hostess bar?" I turned to Hhan.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Ahaha! No, silly. I work at a hostess bar. Used to work at the Coliseum until it went up in mes, then moved onto Starlight," she said.
<i><span style="font-weight:400">Coliseum.</i>
<span style="font-weight:400">I gulped.
<span style="font-weight:400">That was Selene''s hideout. <i><span style="font-weight:400">Hhan</i><span style="font-weight:400"> worked there? We thoroughly destroyed that ce when a fight broke up.
<span style="font-weight:400">"<i><span style="font-weight:400">Ahem…</i><span style="font-weight:400"> How did you get away with working at a hostess bar while <i><span style="font-weight:400">still</i><span style="font-weight:400"> attending Tsukiji?" I asked, recalling my school''s strict part-time job policies. Mio and I had only gotten the paperwork through thanks inrge part to the student council.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hhan absent-mindedly swirled the sauce on her empty te with the fork.
<span style="font-weight:400">"My folks are kinda in a slump, so I do what I can to help, ya know? Mio… helped me convince the principal to let it slide. I owe her a lot for that. Now I''m making more dough than I know what to do with!" She shed a wide smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">Mio did that?
<span style="font-weight:400">It had to have started around May. Talk about being a saint. For being a subitch, she was a lot kinder than she let on back then.
<span style="font-weight:400">By the time dinner was winding down, and the boys were trying to get their flirt on, I noticed Kana shifting ufortably in his seat.
<span style="font-weight:400">"What can I do to convince you toe back to my ce?" Tani whispered to Kana, lifting his chin. The guy clearly had one too many drinks and forgot what personal space meant. Everytime Tani tried to touch Kana''s arm or thighs, he tried to brush him off, but that only served to encourage him.
<span style="font-weight:400">Not only did Tani continue groping Kana''s butt, he was being outright obvious about it. The shakiness in Kana''s couldn''t make it any more crystal clear he didn''t like it.
<span style="font-weight:400">I was about to use my aura to stop Tani, but Hhan moved faster than I could react. Her drink soaked him from the head down.
<span style="font-weight:400">"W-What the hell was that for?" Tani glowered at her.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Can''t you see you''re making Kanata ufortable?" she asked, returning his death stare with a re of her own. "Get the fuck out. All three of you. I''ll cover the bill, so be happy you at least got a free meal tonight."
<span style="font-weight:400">Yoshino and Beni gawked in disbelief.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Wait, <i><span style="font-weight:400">we </i><span style="font-weight:400">didn''t do anything though!" Beni said.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Beni and I should be cool, right?" Yoshino asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">Hhan was ruthless. "Tani''s drunk. You guys should take him home. Scram. Go!"
<span style="font-weight:400">The two less inebriated of the trio picked up their drunk, gropey friend and left the room. Once they were gone, Hhan scooted over to Kana''s side to make sure he was okay.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Sorry… I''m not used to this…" he said, casting his eyes to the table.
<span style="font-weight:400">I felt guilty. If I had acted sooner to stop Tani, the date wouldn''t have been ruined.
<span style="font-weight:400">"No, it''s my fault. I saw what was going on from the start and should''ve told Yoshino to stop his friend." I frowned, disappointed in myself more than anything.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Psh. You two have nothing to be sorry about." She waved a hand dismissively and put a gyoza in her mouth.
<span style="font-weight:400">"But weren''t they clients from your hostess job?" I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Eh, who cares? Boys like them are a dime a dozen, but you two are the only Saeko and Kana I know. Tell me again what the first two rules are?" Hhan rested her chin on her palm and waited for our responses.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Uh… If they don''t respect you, you don''t have to respect them?" I answered reluctantly.
<span style="font-weight:400">"And you can end a date whenever you want?" Kana added.
<span style="font-weight:400">"Good, good! Mio can''t even remember the first one. Anyway, there''s still a whole lot of food on the table. Who''s helping me finish?" she asked, licking her lips.
<span style="font-weight:400">I used to just pass off gyarus like Hhan as student delinquents who just cked and yed around. She became the first girl who wasn''t Hatsumi that I looked up to. I think I understand why Mio was such good friends with her. She was like a reliable older sister.