Chapter 5: A New Year! / Friends!

A few years passed.

“It’s still hard to believe it, My little Rin. I can’t believe it’s already time for you to start your first day of Middle School! Rin, dear, remember this. middle school is very different from how elementary school works.” Lime said, worried

“Mom, I’m going to be fine! And you’ve said that a lot already.” Rin said

“Lime, are you not going to mention how good she looks in that uniform? Isn’t it adorable! Though, Rin, remember, even if school is incredibly easy, do try your best.” Evan said

“Dad, the books in the study are really difficult to read, right? I couldn’t understand them at all the first times we went to the study. Remember how much you’ve already taught me? Science, math, biology, English, anything really. I’ll be fine! If not, I can just study more.” Rin said

“Yeah.. now that you mention it, understanding a lot of those books requires an education beyond high school, after all. Wait, no! I meant to say, don’t let work pile up. Make sure you do all your homework, or you can get a bad grade, smart or not. Don’t get lazy.” Evan said

“Daaad! I’ll be fine, do you really think I’m someone who would just forget to do my work? The only problem I have is having to wait until next year to have Renji go to school with me. Why can’t we be in the same grade?” Rin asked.

“Well, you can’t really do much about that, now can you. I’ll still be with him, though.” Said Rai, walking out of the kitchen.

“Oh, good morning Aunt Rai! Wait… how did you get in there?” Rin asked

“Ah. Well, uh.. I was actually asleep on the couch.” Aunt Rai said

“You really need to get some more rest, Rai.” Evan said

“Well there’s a lot I have to do for this job, compared to my last one.” Aunt Rai said. She had circles under her eyes.

“True, it does seem like a lot of work. But, you finish all of your work in barely an hour. You still have basically the same amount of free time as before.” Evan said, laughing

“Not really. I have to stay during school hours. Though I usually just play games until I need to do something. I still have the responsibility of being a normal principal. It’s just, I don’t have any work left to do after school is over. It might take me a bit, but I’ll eventually try to become the principal of the high school, too. I’ll be trying to time it so it matches up with Renjis graduation to there at least. I did say I’d watch over him. Besides, if I’m being completely honest, I was just super bored. I don’t really get much work, and they only call me for the difficult cases. At least now I have something to do.” Aunt Rai said

“It is a bit odd how you become the principal so quickly, though.” Lime said, a bit puzzled

“Oh. Right, I never told you the exact details of what I did before for my job, did I? I might tell you some stories later, there were some pretty cool parts. But because of what I did, I currently have quite the relationship with some pretty powerful people. I just used some of my contacts, and my skill.” Aunt Rai said

“That’s… you seem like you have a story of your own, huh? I figured you weren’t a normal person. What exactly did you do, though?” Evan asked

“As I said, I was a detective.” Aunt Rai answered

“Oh, wait, you used to be a detective, Aunt Rai?” Rin asked

“Yeah, I can tell you guys later, but isn’t it time for school?” Aunt Rai asked

“Oh, right. It slipped my mind. Apologies. Rin, dear, you hurry up.” Lime said

“But Renji isn’t ready yet.” Rin said

“I’ll walk him to school, don’t worry.” Aunt Rai said

“That makes me feel a bit better. I’ll go now, then! Thanks Aunt Rai!” Rin said, rushing off

“Rai… don’t you have to be at the school for stuff like morning announcements or something? I can’t really remember what my principal did.” Evan said

“That’s because you started doing her job for her, dear.” Lime said

“I set up a prerecorded message to play. And a few other things, so it’s all fine.” Aunt Rai said

~That same morning~

In the principles office:

Aunt Rai had set up a stuffed bear with a recorder on a timer in it, as well as a few other contraptions.

That wasn’t what stood out.

What stood out was the woman who was staring at the bear.

“Oh. Good morning principal Rai.” The woman said to the bear in the principal's chair

“...”

“NOT!!! Damnit, where did she run off to this time! While she may do her job, she doesn’t stay at the place where she’s working for very long, does she! I have to do morning announcements again! Ugh! Well… I guess she does do everything else almost perfectly. Actually, my job has gotten a lot easier since she became the principal.” The woman said

“Good morning, Shizu! Help me out with announcements, will ya? Well, I'm Assuming you just finished ranting but that’s fine.” A voice called out from the bear

“But a LOT more FRUSTRATING!!!” Shizu yelled

“Thanks Shizu.” The bear said. It repeated that over and over every ten or so minutes. Until Shizu threw the recorder out a window, at least.

And we cut back to our story with Shizus scream

“I swear to god I’m gonna-“ Shizu started

“Atchoo!” Aunt Rai sneezed, rubbing her nose

“Someone must be talking about me. Actually, probably yelling.” Aunt Rai said

“I’m ready” Renji said

“Then let’s go.” Aunt Rai said

They left the house and headed to Renjis school

“I’ll drop you off here.” Aunt Rai said, at the front of the school

“Gotcha!” Renji said

“Kay, I have to go before someone where I work gets mad. Have a good day, Renji.” Aunt Rai said

“You too, Aunt Rai!” Renji said, waving

Aunt Rai headed towards her school, towards her office, towards her probably really annoyed assistant.

“Oh god I’m going to get yelled at for this.” Said Aunt Rai

She walked onto school grounds.

“Oh, good morning principal Rai.”

Some greetings and similar stuff were said as she walked by the teachers and workers.

“Here, principal Rai. I wanted to thank you for your help the other day.” A teacher, Tomo, said. She handed Aunt Rai a bag of apples. They looked delicious, red and juicy. A mix of honeycrisp and Fuji apples that looked like jewels filled the bag.

“Thank you, Tomo. It wasn’t that big of an issue anyway, feel free to ask me again if a similar situation pops up.” Aunt Rai said

She headed to her office.

“Huh, being a principle really gets people’s respect. I never expected this. It actually feels rather nice. I should have done this ages ago.” Aunt Rai said

“Wait. I forgot about one thing, didn’t I?” Aunt Rai said

She got to the doors of her office and braced herself.

When she opened the door, there was a lot of yelling.

“Shizu, calm down already, Jeez! My ears are still ringing, and it’s been a minute already.” Aunt Rai said

“Apologies, principle Rai. I just needed to tell you how frustrating you are.” Shizu replied calmly

“.....”

“Fine, what’s the schedule for today?” Aunt Rai asked

“The usual. Oh. I guess there’s going to be a speech by you in a few days, though. To introduce yourself as our principal, I would assume.” Shizu said.

“Is it...mandatory?” Aunt Rai asked

“Is it mandatory? I would say it is, yes. There’s no way it isn’t. While the teachers have met you, none of the students have even heard your voice, let alone seen your face. At least stay for morning announcements once.” Shizu said

“I have to take my nephew to school. Besides, you’re better at it than me.” Aunt Rai said

“You’re too laid back. How in the hell do you manage to finish everything so quickly?” Shizu asked

“Because it’s easy? Well, it is to me anyway.” Aunt Rai said

“This is frustrating. Are you ever going to take this seriously?” Shizu asked

Aunt Rai thought for a moment

She laid back in her comfy swivel chair, and propped her feet up on the desk.

“No. I guess not.” She said, taking a bite out of one of the apples she had been given.

Rabid screaming ensued

School had been in session for a few months, and they just recently had been required to do a sudden nationwide exam.

“This is tiring.” Rin said, classes exhausted her horribly

“Aren’t you the smartest person in our school?” A voice asked

“Yeah. Your scores were incredible.” Another voice said

“Tori.” Rin said

“Yes?” Tori asked

She flicked tori on the head

“Tomi.” Rin said

“Yeah?” Tomi asked

She flicked Tomi on the head

“Ow! What was that for! I only agreed with Tori.” Tomi said

“And I only said you were smart!” Tori said

“You two. I’m trying NOT to stand out, remember?” Rin asked.

She sat on top of a desk.

“Yeah, fine. I agree, we did hear you say that. You’re probably the one who stands out most even without those scores, though. But who cares! Let’s go watch a movie this weekend.” Tori said

“Yeah, that sounds pretty good, but there’s other places to go. Is there anything else you want to do, Rin?” Tomi asked

“Huh? Uhh. Let me check my schedule. I might have practice with dad on Saturday.” Rin said

“You don’t talk about your family very often, except your brother. What about your dad? What’s he like? Also, Tori, our Sunday schedule should be free right?” Tomi asked

“Yeah, we have Sunday free. You, Rin?” Tori asked, flipping through the calendar on her phone

“Yeah, I’m good for Sunday. I don’t mind what we do.” Rin said

“Riiin. I asked you about your dad. Seriously, what’s he like? I heard he’s 19.” Tomi said

“Yeah! And that he’s smart. Well, mainly that he’s smart, rather than that 19 thing. People talk about your parents decently often.” Tori said

“Well, that’s their fault. First…well yeah, that’s around how old my dad is… but my moms around 25. As to how smart my dad is, how exactly did people learn about that? Also, you guys said my parents, plural. Is my mom famous too?” Rin asked

“Don’t people ask you stuff about it all the time? I’d be surprised if you didn’t hear about it. So yeah. Your dad being smart is already well known as an absolute fact. I mean the guy has a ton of certifications from colleges and other institutions, degrees, phds, you name it. How the hell would that not be well known.” Tori asked

“Well… that is true. My dad threw most of those in a trunk though, after he got bored of them. Why is my mom famous.” Rin said

“Oh. She’s really pretty. Beautiful. Kind. People call her a goddess. Now that I think about it.. while your dad does look good, he’s pretty sloppy with posture and stuff from what I heard. How exactly did your parents get together?.....wait. Hold on a second. You agreed with me when I asked if your dad was 19. How old were you again, Rin?” Tori asked

“Guh…. I’m 11, You know that. As for how they got together… That's a seriously long story. Ahem. What if I told you my dad was older than 19 then?” Rin asked

“I wouldn't believe you if I went based on just looks.. I mean, look at him! Even if he was somehow older than 20, there’s no way he could have a child thats 11 at his age! Same for your mother, too! What the hell happened?” Tori asked

“Seriously. Long story. Look, my dads older than 30, and my moms actually older than 40. There. I said it. Now that your wonder and excitement are gone can we start-“ Rin tried to finish

“Your mom is so not 40. That’s impossible. I barely believe she’s 25. What are they, immortal then?” A kid asked

A crowd had formed around them

“The hell?” Tomi asked

“....do you guys really want the crazy truth or something that makes sense.” Rin asked

“Tell us. The truth.” They said

“Yeah. You weren’t wrong. They are immortal. My dad said it was negligible senescence or something. Apparently I’m also going to stop Getting older around my moms age. Happy?” Rin asked

Rin sighed, everyone having gone quiet.

“Fine, I was kidding, whatever. They just look like that naturally. That’s your crazy truth.” Rin said

“Oh, that makes more sense. So it’s just luck”

“Wouldn’t that be genetics?”

“It’s still luck.”

everyone started chatting, eventually going back to how it was before

“Why did you lie?” Tori asked

“I dunno, they annoyed me, so I told them something insane, like my parents being immortal.” Rin said

“We meant why you lied at the end. You obviously weren’t kidding. Rin, we know you. You can’t fool us that easily. Mostly because it becomes kinda obvious whether you are lying or not. You don’t exactly have the best poker face.” Tomi said, poking Rin.

“Yeah, it does seem weird to know that your parents are immortal. Though you lied about some of the other stuff. Kinda. I think your dad has to be much older than 30 considering the way you were speaking when you said he’s over 30. That doesn’t really give us a max age.” Tori said, prodding Rin with a pen.

“Am.. am I really that easy to read?” Rin asked

“No. We’ve just known each other a long time.” Tori said

“Yeah, it’s been ages.” Said Tomi

“You guys are… yeah. Fine. I’ll admit that my family is.. a little weird. But other than dad, everyone else is pretty much normal. Renjis just a normal little boy, moms just a housewife..wait. Dads also a housewife... hold on.. ah, Nevermind. Aunt Rai is kinda strange, but a good kind of strange.” Rin said

“Aunt Rai? Whose that?” Tori asked

“Oh. Probably me, right Rin?” Aunt Rai asked, popping up right behind the two girls

“GAH!”

“ACK!”

Aunt Rai had startled the twins.

“Oh, good afternoon aunt Rai.” Rin said

“Good afternoon, Rin! Are these your friends?” Aunt Rai asked

“Yeah. I’ve known them for quite a while.” Rin said

“And you never had them come over? How bland.” Aunt Rai pouted

“Aunt Rai, you know that it isn’t the best idea to have others over who aren’t good with strange stuff. These aren’t Renjis friends. These guys are more towards the normal side of life.” Rin said

“You do have a point there. Our family is quite strange.” Aunt Rai said

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself. Hello you two, I’m principal Rai, Rins aunt. It’s nice to meet you.” Aunt Rai said

“Principal? Oh, I guess we haven’t met the new principal yet. Miss Shizu is the one who always does announcements” said Tori

“Ah. Yeah, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Tomi, this is Tori.” Tomi said

“Mhmmmm. Rin. These two seem like they would be great detectives!” Aunt Rai said

“What? Them?” Rin asked

“Yeah.” Aunt Rai said

“Well, our parents work in similar fields, so it’s not a stretch to say that we are used to that kind of work.” Tomi said

“Hey Rin.” Said aunt Rai

“Yes? What’s the matter?” Rin asked

“Um. I just noticed, but do these two have turquoise colored hair? That isn’t a dye. I can tell. They kept trying to get me to dye my hair in school, but I'm a natural blonde. That’s pretty cool.” Aunt Rai said

“Huh? Oh! Now that you mention it… that’s strange. Why didn’t I notice that before? Have you guys always had turquoise hair?” Rin asked

“Uh. Tori.” Tomi asked

“Tomi?” Tori asked

“Tell me. Did they just say our hair was turquoise?” Tomi asked

“Yeah, they can see it.” Tori said

“Huh. Well that’s not good. Hey Rin, I’m guessing you know nothing about this, but principal Rai, how did you notice our hair? It’s not… easy.” Tomi asked

“Well, I’ve worked with people that have hair just like yours. It’s pretty easy to spot blue hair, so I got used to recognizing blue hair in a crowd. Hmm. Wait a second. Ah!” Aunt Rai said, realizing something

“Are you Blues kids?” Aunt Rai asked

“Blue? Oh. Tori, that's moms nickname, right?” Tomi asked

“Yeah. But I only know that two people call her that. At least that’s what dad used to tell us.” Tori replied

“So... “ Tomi said

“So she knows mom.” Tori said

“Yeah. I know your mother. I used to work with her.” Aunt Rai said, smiling

“Wait, but, why is it difficult to notice their hair?” Rin asked

“Well, it was the same for Blue. She didn’t know, either. But at least people didn’t act like it was weird. They’re like the crazy kids in anime that never get questioned about their hair, but there’s actually a reason in their case. Plus, Blue said she couldn’t dye it. In fact, it feels cold and painful. She didn’t really cut her hair because it’s pretty sensitive. So it’s genetic?” Aunt Rai said, mumbling a little

“You… worked with our mom?” Tomi said

“And you call her Blue. Tomi, mom told us about her right?” Tori asked

“Yeah, you’re Rai right? Oh! Wait, Principal Rai! You are! mom was worried sick about you!” Tomi said

“Eh? Ah! Oops. Um. Well, that…… I completely forgot.” Aunt Rai said

“Mom did say that she tended to do that often.” Tori said

“Yeah, but mom said you haven’t talked to her in months!” Tomi said

“Ah…. there’s a reason for that… Rin, how long have I known you guys?” Aunt Rai asked

“I have no idea. At this point I can’t really remember a time where I didn’t know you. Years. I think that Renji was in first grade. So since I was in second grade I guess. Aunt Rai has always been there for us.” Rin said

“Yeah. You guys were tiny. It was adorable! I remember the time I first met you like it was yesterday! But I have been working on getting a job here during that time. It's kinda hard to keep up with everything.” Rai said

“Wait… Aunt Rai? you guys are related?” Tomi asked

“Uh. Not genetically or by family relations, but yeah. We consider aunt Rai to be family.” Rin said

“Oh. That sounds nice. I only have mom and Tori.” Tomi said

“Wait. What about your mother's sister? You should have an aunt, too.” Aunt Rai said

“Um. She does?” Tomi asked

“I-I don’t recall mom ever talking about that. Or telling us anything about that, sorry. Wrong Way to say it.” Tori said

“It isn’t often you fumble on words, Tori. What’s wrong?” Rin asked

“Well.. I never knew we had an aunt.” Tori said

“Yeah, mom said the rest of our family was gone. Even on dad's side.” Tomi said

“Oh. Um, I only knew that she had one. I don’t know if she’s still around. She’s like you and your mother. Blue hair. Hers looked like ice rather than your turquoise hair or your mother's dianite hair.” Aunt Rai said

The bell rang.

“Ah! Rin, let's go find Renji. Could you two say hi to blue for me? I have to go pick up my nephew.” Aunt Rai said

“Ah, sure. I’ll let her know. I’m pretty sure she thought you were dead. This might make her feel a little better.” Tori said

“Tell her to cheer up, she isn’t Blue if she has the Blues!” Aunt Rai said

“Oh. That’s pretty catchy.” Rin said

“I… I’ll tell her. Thanks. She may want to track you down and question you though.” Tomi said

“I’m not surprised. I’ll talk to her once she investigates me.” Aunt Rai said, smiling

Rin grabbed her bag, and they left, letting the two sisters have a little bit of time to themselves. It’s hard for someone to process all of that information at once.