After a long day, a quite annoying one, Chika was finally home. The only thing she wanted to do now was lay down and sleep. Although Chika hadn't been in a good mental state the last months, she tried to hide it as much as possible. She had enough problems as it was already, and going to a psychiatrist wasn't gonna help her in any way, or at least this was what she thought. The idea of having to pay for expensive pills and sessions constantly stressed her out, and she did not want to be treated like some mental case. And so, here she was. Constantly faking smiles.

"Ah, Chika, are you home already? Come here and stop slacking around, I need some help to get dinner ready." Mito, the older sibling called out from the kitchen. The younger sister let out a sigh and walked towards the kitchen.

"What do you need help with?"

"Could you cut the green peppers over there into pieces?"

"Sure, I can do that."

As she washed her hands and took a knife from one of the kitchen drawers, she felt her sister's eyes on her. Chika tried to ignore it, but as some minutes went by, Mito did not look away. At this point, it was obvious Mito wanted to say something and waited for Chika to asked why she was starting. And so, she did.

"Ah, well..." Mito looked as if she had trouble to get the words out, looking through the window with a confusing expression. Chika waited for Mito to continue her phrase a bit impatiently, and after a good 5 minutes that seemed like forever had passed, she finally spoke up.

"Are you okay? I know this past month has been hard for you and well.. you just seem.. different. I mean, I get that no one would be just fine after losing someone but.."

Crap.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Chika said with a smile. She knew she shouldn't lie to her sister, and it was not easy to lie to someone who cares about you. But if she told Mito everything, she would obviously end in some sort of mad house. Not only that, but her heart was not feeling strong enough to handle this type of questions. If she expressed her feelings.. she would definitely break down crying, and she did not wanna cry.

"Okay then.. don't worry about chopping the peppers anymore. I can do it myself. You look tired, so go rest for a little."

Chika nodded and headed upstairs to her room. She wasn't hungry, so she decided to head straight to bed. She plopped down on the mattress while she allowed her eyelids to fall down. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard Riko's voice.

"Chika-chan, aren't you gonna talk to me?"

She froze as she heard the girl. She had been longing to hear her soft voice again, but not like this. Not again.

"Y-you're not real.."

"Chika! Stop being silly, of course I'm real, I'm right here! Can't you see me?" Riko walked towards Chika and cupped her chin, lifting her face to get her attention. "See? 100% real."

"R-riko-chan.." with a desperate look, Chika extended her hand to touch Riko and bring her close, but the red haired girl backed away.

"You didn't answer the question I asked last time. Why didn't you save me?"

And for a brief moment, it was as if Chika had forgotten how to breathe. She could hear her heartbeat in the silent room, shaking slightly as Riko waited for an answer. Chika looked down, fighting the tears that threatened to start falling.

When she had finally gathered the courage to look up, Riko was nowhere to be seen. Gone, once again. Chika wasn't even sure if what had happened now was real or not, but there was one thing she was sure about. Riko, gone or not, would keep stepping on her heart, that was her only detriment.