“Cobalt, I really like you. Will you go out with me?”

  “I like you, too, Chiyo! Sure, I’ll go out with you!”

  Aqua watched the confession unfold from his perch on a second story window of their middle school. Behind him was an empty classroom. Other students were crowding the steps of the school’s front entrance, surrounding Cobalt Hoshino and Chiyo Okazaki. The mob hollered out cheers. They tossed colorful confetti, enthusiastically applauded, and shouted congratulations.

  Ruby was next to Aqua, recording the event with her phone. No doubt she also badgered some of her friends to mingle with the others and record it up close. Ai wouldn’t be back in Tokyo from her latest film until Sunday, so Ruby must be planning on compiling footage for a showcase of Cobalt’s first ever romantic endeavor to share with her.

  Chiyo Okazaki was more Ruby’s and Cobalt’s friend than Aqua’s, but he knew her well enough to know that Cobie was in good hands. She was the first to shut down unfavorable gossip when brought to her attention, even stern against Ruby who periodically got lost in the spiciness of a rumor. Aqua sometimes saw Chiyo at the Strawberry Productions office, lending a hand in Elemental Orel along with Cobalt’s other friends. Chiyo even helped elderly strangers cross the street out of the kindness of her heart. All-in-all, she was a genuinely good person. It was a match made in heaven.

  She was lucky to have Cobalt, too. Girls his age were starting to blush out of embarrassed infatuation near him instead of solely at his energetic innocence. He never hesitated from complimenting someone’s beauty or personality no matter the circumstances. Everyone in the Hoshino family had imparted what advice they could to Cobalt about the wonders and woes of being in a relationship, and he decided to have his first with Chiyo Okazaki.

  Aqua was happy for his little brother.

  Ruby still had hearts in her eyes as she watched the scene below. “Do you know how long I’ve been planning this?” she asked, rhetorically so, but Aqua still responded.

  “The better part of a year, if my math’s right.”

  Ruby lost her lovey-dovey air and scowled at him. “Don’t patronize me. You’d be playing matchmaker for Cobie, too, if you had the time.”

  That’s where they had to disagree. “I actually don’t think he needed a matchmaker. He’s a likable guy, and he would’ve found the confidence to take the initiative and confess to a girl he liked at his own pace.”

  “And if that girl he confessed to happened to be a bad influence on Cobie?”

  She was really overthinking this… a sentiment coming from Aqua of all people. “Cobalt tells us everything. We’d ask for more context on the state of their relationship, investigate further, and give him advice whether or not to continue pursuing a girl.”

  “That would only be reacting to a potential problem girlfriend. I put in the leg-work beforehand to save us the pain from any floozies or attention hounds trying to snuggle up to Cobie for impure reasons.”

  Aqua doubted the circle of friends Cobalt made this year would ever allow that. The Hoshino triplets have run the entire gauntlet of benevolent, neutral, and malicious classmates throughout their schooling as the children of a celebrity. Now at thirteen-years-old, they had carved a respectable reputation and a decent following from their current peers. Or rather, Ruby and Cobalt had done their part solidifying their social circles. Aqua’s aloofness had earned him admirers from afar, mostly for his acting roles and partially from his relation to his siblings.

  “Chiyo was already friends with Cobalt since our last year in elementary school,” Aqua pointed out.

  “And I’ve confirmed she’s still the best partner for him now that we’re in our second year of middle school!”

  “… It’s all moot anyway,” Aqua said, looking back down at the newly declared couple. The crowd around them dispersed. Cobalt and Chiyo held hands as they trotted toward the front gate. “They're together now, and it's up to them to make it work.”

  “… Are you jealous that Cobalt found a girlfriend first?” Ruby suddenly asked. Her voice lost its previous snark.

  “Not at all,” Aqua shared honestly. “I’m not interested in playing a middle school romance.”

  “I mean, I can start making a list of the 3rd-years –”

  “On second-thought, double-down on matchmaking for Cobalt. He’ll appreciate all the help you can give him.”

  Ruby groaned in frustration. “It doesn’t even have to be a girlfriend. You need more friends, Aqua! Like, real friends you genuinely enjoy talking to and hanging around with. You only have work friends, whether it's for studying for exams or for your acting.”

  She wasn’t wrong. He only occasionally dabbled in childish diversions with his equally childish classmates. Aqua had better things to do with his time, the majority of his true interests and hobbies too unrelatable for actual thirteen-year-olds. Besides, as Aqua informed his sister, “I have all the real friends I need in my family.”

  Ruby scoffed, angling her hair to hide her flattered smile.

  “And I’m seriously not entertaining the idea of getting a girlfriend at this age,” Aqua affirmed. “It’s already awkward enough with my body going through puberty again.”

  “... Sorry, I should’ve been more considerate about your circumstances.”

  “It’s alright. You just want us to be happy. I already am.”

  That was a little white lie.

  He’ll be more confidently at peace once his ultimate goal was achieved.

  “You know,” Ruby said nonchalantly, “I’ve finally grown past the age that I was when I first died.”

  Aqua’s entire body froze. He quickly darted his eyes to his sister. She appeared as calm and composed as ever, gazing at the Tokyo cityscape.

  “It won’t be long until mom lets me revive B-Komachi and begin my idol career. I’m getting higher scores during karaoke sessions with my friends more consistently now, too. It’s like all my dreams are coming true, one after the other. Cobalt’s getting to live his dreams, too. Elemental Orel’s doing well, Shin’s visiting Tokyo more often, and now Cobie even has his first girlfriend.”

  She set aside her phone and faced Aqua with an earnest look in her starry eyes.

  “What are your dreams, Aqua? Really?”

  Aqua privately applauded Ruby for her performance.

  It was honest, to be sure, but Aqua was raised by Ai as much as her. He knew she was intentionally using subtle techniques to improve her chances of fishing for more information. It was an unspoken acknowledgement between them that Ruby had died in her previous life at a young age. Finally admitting her age at the time of her death was an admission of her trust in Aqua.

  She really thought they were family, reincarnated and all.

  Unfortunately, although Aqua thought the same of her, he could never reveal his ultimate goal. They switched between talking jokingly and seriously about protecting Cobalt all the time, but Aqua also had a responsibility to divert danger away from his little sister, especially from the dark path that inevitably lay ahead of Aqua in eliminating their father.

  “As a generality,” Aqua answered, “my dream is to see my family happily live out their dreams.”

  Without missing a beat, Ruby followed up with, “What about selfishly?”

  “Becoming an exemplary doctor and an accomplished actor, of course.” That was no lie, yet Ruby still was not satisfied.

  “What else do you dream about?”

  “I dream about justice.” And vengeance.

  Ruby scrutinized Aqua a few more seconds longer

  She soon sighed with her surrender. “Fine… You can keep being vague about what you really want.”

  To tease Ruby just a tad, Aqua broke character to grin smartly at her. She mocked him by sticking out her tongue before returning to their classroom cleanup duties.

  Aqua pondered on the rest of the family’s reactions to Cobalt’s new girlfriend. They were already aware of his friendship with Chiyo, so it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise. Ai will be approving and likely joke about getting grandchildren down the line. Ichigo might be overly paranoid that Cobalt will follow his mother’s footsteps a little too closely and become a parent too soon, and thus Ichigo would be working hard to drill repetitive, clear-cut lessons into Cobalt’s head on restraint, discipline, and mutual respect; if Ichigo can make time in his own hectic schedule, that is. Aqua could easily picture the ever busy Miyako smiling fondly and wishing Cobalt luck before going back to work.

  If not legally, Shin Hoshigami was practically a member of the Hoshino/Saitou family by way of informal adoption by Cobalt, and officially associated through his contract as Clayman Animations with Strawberry Productions. He was more than likely the person Cobalt was most excited to inform about this new development.

  Shin will probably be jealous but nonetheless happy for Cobie.

  “Are you going to just let me do all the work, mister bigshot actor?”

  Aqua shook his head out of the clouds and joined his sister. “Impatience isn’t a good look for you, miss wannabe idol,” he retorted , avoiding the marker thrown at his head.

  Cobalt marched through the Strawberry Productions office with a giddy strut in his step. He politely returned the greetings by the scouts and other talents in the building, but his main priority was the man of clay occupying one of the rooms in the back.

  Cobalt told him the good news.

  “What?!”

  His reaction was… energetic!

  Clay – the moniker which Cobalt was eventually told to call Clayman by if he wasn’t going to use Shin – had been editing one of his videos on a Strawberry desktop. They also did animations in this part of the office; half the room was set up with props, miniatures, and clay figures easily rearranged with the surrounding lights and cameras. Mom had wanted a separate space for both Clay and Cobalt to do their work on their animations outside of the house, and Clay had jumped at the chance to work in a more professional setting. Whenever Clay visited Tokyo, Cobalt was with him in this room working together, just like how Cobalt had pictured it when Clay first joined Strawberry.

  Leaning back on a swivel chair, the seat tilting from his imbalanced weight, Clay stared at Cobalt with wide eyes and his mouth was agape. “You’ve got a girlfriend now?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Since when?”

  Cobalt retraced his steps in his head. “Uh, technically around lunchtime last week,” since that had been when he and Chiyo actually talked about getting together for real, “and officially when school ended yesterday!” Because when Chiyo had spoken to Ruby about being with Cobalt, Ruby had pushed for her to do the whole confession bit. Cobalt had thought it would be fun and had been happy to oblige. “We’ve scheduled our first real date for this weekend!”

  “... Give me a second.” Clay spun around and coughed, the back of his chair facing Cobalt. Clay did this sometimes, turning away to recompose himself like how an actor sometimes did to turn their character on or off. Cobalt did that, too, whenever he did on-camera acting. Mom, Aqua, Yura Katayose, and most other real actors Cobalt has met were usually more subtle about their transformations.

  When Clay faced Cobalt again, he was nothing but smiles. “Hey, congrats on getting yourself a girl!” He threw a playful punch at Cobalt. Snickering, Cobalt deflected the jab and exchanged a few more hits and dodges with him. “You think she’s a keeper?”

  “I hope so. Her name’s Chiyo. She’s my first girlfriend, and I’m her first boyfriend.” Cobalt whipped out his phone. “Here’s a picture of her.” He thought she was pretty, though she wasn’t the prettiest girl in their class. That spot was automatically reserved for Ruby, but from the way Clay’s grin widened, he must recognize some of the same objective beauty Cobalt had also seen.

  “She’s adorable, kid,” Clay said, making Cobalt more confident that he made the right choice. “Right up your alley. Growing fast, ain’t ya?”

  “Yup! Even Aqua’s never had a girlfriend before. I thought because he’s so mature and cool-headed, he’d have gotten a girlfriend first.”

  Clay frowned. “He’s never had a girl with him before?”

  “Nope!”

  “So he’s never given you personal advice on how to treat a girl.”

  “Well, not directly. He gave me the same practical advice that Ruby, mom, grandpa, and aunt Miyako tell me, to be nice and sensible and stuff. Ruby’s given me more advice as a girl –”

  “That’s fine and dandy,” Clay interrupted, taking off his headphones and putting the computer to sleep, “but you’re gonna need more than your nice guy act or cinnamon roll schtick to get anywhere worthwhile with your first girl.”

  Cobalt perked up. “Are we going out for another life lesson?”

  His favorite part of Clay staying in Tokyo, outside of their collaborations on their YouTube channels, was when the two of them spent time around the city together. A few months ago, mom had started letting them go out without needing a chaperone in Aqua or someone else. Cobalt showed Clay his favorite shops and hangout spots, Clay showed Cobalt some of his own preferred venues he’d taken a liking to over the course of his Tokyo visits, and Cobalt got to hear an unfiltered Clayman impart his wisdom.

  Clay always seemed like he held himself back when he was around Cobalt’s family. Like he was censoring himself. Ruby had stopped glaring at Clay for his constant curses, but Clay still wore a partial front most of the time.

  Maybe with Clay being a fan of mom as an idol, he was emulating her, since mom used to hide her love for Cobalt and his siblings during Cobalt’s earliest memories. That would mean Cobalt was super special in Clay’s eyes to open up his true self when they were alone together!

  “You can bet your lovable skull we’re gonna have a life lesson,” Clay confirmed, grabbing his coat. “One of the most important ones you’ll have in your entire life. By the time we’re done, you’re going to be the best boyfriend your girl could have ever asked for.”

  “Oh, boy!”

  Clay used to drag Cobalt by the arm during these excursions, but now that Cobalt was a little older, keeping up behind Clay’s swift steps was easy.

  There was more activity in the office than usual with people constantly moving through the halls, carrying equipment or boxes full of equipment. A spike in new internet personalities signing with Strawberry had prompted orientation sessions and the need for more tools to help the new guys begin advancing in their careers. Some renovation for part of the building was also scheduled today. The front entrance was the busiest, delivery people constantly walking in and out. By the door was grandpa Ichigo, looking between a clipboard and his phone as he directed everyone.

  Grandpa Ichigo was the Executive Manager of Strawberry Productions now. He worked less with the talents and studio producers, leaving that stuff to aunt Miyako, who was officially the permanent President of Strawberry. Ichigo handled the management over Strawberry’s non-talent employees like the scouts or off-screen tech people, though Aqua and Clay have mentioned how Ichigo still used his old connections as the former president and mom’s old agent to leverage favors and work for their company.

  “Hi again, grandpa Ichigo!” Cobalt greeted.

  “Hey Cobie, Shin,” Ichigo acknowledged. He was more focused on directing the delivery people, but he slowly turned to Cobalt and Clay as they put on their shoes. “Where are you two going? I thought you were going to be doing more editing until dinner?”

  Cobalt proudly pounded his chest. “Clay’s going to teach me how to be a good boyfriend!” He had wanted to tell grandpa Ichigo the news directly, too, but grandpa hadn’t been in the office yesterday, and Clay had taken priority today.

  Nearby lady talents and workers cooed. The male ones chuckled softly. Clay blushed but stood his ground as he met grandpa Ichigo’s questioning gaze without flinching. “It’s his first girlfriend. He already said yes to her confession. He needs a little advice to make sure he doesn’t crash and burn before he even gets to first base.”

  For a second, Cobalt was worried grandpa Ichigo was going to make them stay and do the work they said they would do today. Fortunately, he seemed to understand there should be a special exception. “Well, Ai’s kids were bound to start dating eventually.” He gave clearance at the door for the boys to leave. “I’m happy for you, Cobalt. Whatever you do, don’t stay out late or get into any trouble. I’m trusting you on this, Shin. Ai, Miyako, and I don’t want to hear about Cobalt inadvertently inviting a drug dealer into the office again, or something to that level of absurdity.”

  Oh, that was one of Cobalt’s favorite adventures to adapt for Elemental Orel!

  He never actually took any of the dealer’s drugs, of course. He wasn’t that dumb.

  “You can come with us, grandpa!” Cobalt offered. “You must have your own advice, too.”

  Cobalt heard Clay suck in a sharp breath. Ichigo shook his head. “No, you boys go bond.” He grabbed Shin’s shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear, though Cobalt was able to hear him. “The shop east of Ai’s favorite cafe gives good deals on the volumes with the best art.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  With that, Clay and Cobalt were out the door, strolling down the Tokyo streets under the warm afternoon sun.

  “Are we going to be picking up more manga?” Cobalt asked. “I’m already caught up on Sweet Today.”

  Clay snorted, walking briskly as he typed something on his phone. “Old man thinks we’re gonna buy books. I could’ve just shared some links I’ve got saved if it was really about that. No, what I’m gonna get you today is a teacher, Cobie.”

  Now Cobalt was shaking in anticipation!

  They walked for maybe a half hour or more, in the opposite direction of mom’s favorite cafe. Eventually, they entered a neighborhood Cobalt had never been in before. Nothing looked weird, just unfamiliar. He saw signs for a few restaurants that looked neat. Oh, there was also a hotel that looked like one of those lovey-dovey places mom had banned him from ever visiting! He once thought they were playground castles made bigger for tourists, but apparently they were only for grown-ups to enter.

  Clay brought him to a building around the block from the hotel. Stepping inside, Cobalt was hit by low lighting intercut by bright overhanging bulbs placed over booths, dining tables, and a couple pool tables. A giant colorful radio in the corner was playing music. The place looked kinda like an old-timey western saloon! There was a bar with a collection of bottles, decorative glass, framed photos, and even a giant barrel.

  There were a lot of pretty ladies here, too. None as pretty as mom, or Yura, or aunt Miyako, but the men around them looked happy to be eating or drinking with them!

  “Don’t give your real name,” Clay said quietly as he guided him inside. “No Cobalt or Hoshino better leave your lips. To everyone in here, I’m Clay, and you’re Orel.”

  Cobalt matched his volume to Clay’s. “Are we going undercover?”

  “Think of it like that, sure.” His voice returned to normal when they reached the bar. “Welcome to Tavern Shinon, kid,” Clay said as they sat by the end of the bar. “Better known as the Sin Club if you know the right people. Lucky for you, you know me.” Clay waved at the bartender: another pretty lady, this one with blond hair a shade lighter than Cobalt’s. “This here’s Shion Sano, who pretty much runs this fine establishment.”

  “Hi, Miss Sano! My name is Orel!” And boy, did calling himself Orel instead of Cobalt feel great! He needed to ask mom again if he can legally change his name when she got back from work.

  “So I’ve heard,” the pretty lady said with an amused, weary smile. “Nice to meet you, Orel. Just call me Sano.”

  “Okay!”

  Clay knocked his fist on the bar top. “Give him some lemonade. I’ll have my usual.”

  Sano rolled her eyes as she pulled out a pair of glass cups. “You’re lucky your boyfriend paid extra for your tab,” she said as she walked away and perused the stack of bottles on the wall behind her.

  Cobalt looked up at…

  No. Orel. He was Orel now.

  Orel looked up at Clay with admiration. “You have a boyfriend, Clay? Even Ruby doesn’t have one, and people ask her out all the time!” Especially over the past year, when Ruby has had to fight barely any bullies. Many of his classmates have asked Orel for advice on how to confess to her. Not that he could help them much since she was going to be an idol like mom, and idols couldn’t publicly have boyfriends like how Orel was openly treating Chiyo as his girlfriend. “Is your boyfriend going to teach me how to be a good boyfriend, too?”

  A wincing, conflicted expression spread across Clay’s face. “No. Don’t listen to Sano. She was just kidding. We’re here to find you a girl.”

  “But I already have a girlfriend.”

  “Exactly! Your first girlfriend!” Sano returned, a bottle in one hand and a pitcher of lemonade in another. She poured into the boys’ respective cups before leaving. “Thanks, Sano,” Clay acknowledged shortly before taking a large sip.

  Wait a second. Orel paused to sniff the air. “Why are you drinking alcohol? Aren’t you too young?”

  Clay sighed happily as he set down his glass. “The place is called Sin Club for a reason. Besides, it keeps me inspired. Worked wonders for my dad. Why wouldn’t it for me?”

  Well, everything between school and Orel’s family has told him that he shouldn’t be drinking liquor until he had two twos in his age… but if Clayman needed it to fuel his inspirations, then that’s what he needed! No question about it!

  “I only let loose like this when I’m in Tokyo. It’s all good. Now listen up, little man.” Clay drank again. “I was maybe two years older than you when I had my first girlfriend.”

  Orel gasped. “Really? Why didn’t you ever say anything since then?”

  “Well, I was her first, and we didn’t last. We were both back to doing it solo before long.”

  Orel moaned in sympathy. “Gosh. I’m so sorry for you, Clay. What happened?”

  Clay took a deep breath. He was going to do a speech. Orel gave his mentor all of his attention.

  “You see, women are ultimately selfish creatures, Orel.” Clay dipped his finger in his cup and swirled the drink in a circling current. “They want and want and want, and then take as much as they can get away with. Just… look at the women in your life! Ruby and your mom are all about stealing the spotlight on the stage or on the silver screen. They gotta be the hottest, the cutest, the superstars of the show, so that they’ll be the ones running it, if not already.”

  Hmm, Clay was right about Ruby wanting to be the star of her shows in music and dancing a lot of the time. She was going to be an idol! Plus, there were all the boys wanting to ask her out.

  Mom, on the other hand, has said that she’s at a point in her career where she was fine with not being the main star of the shows and movies she gets parts in. Side roles were alright, so long as it was paid work and a script with dignity. She was treating acting more as a job than as a dream, Orel had observed. Although, maybe Clay had a point about mom stealing the spotlight but off-camera. Lots of people on film sets, even beautiful actresses in their own right like Yura Katayose, could never keep their eyes off mom for very long.

  Aunt Miyako also sort of fit? She was the President of Strawberry Productions who replaced grandpa Ichigo, so she was “running the show” instead of him. It was also the president’s job to be selfish, getting as much money out of their talents and their contracts as possible.

  “A lot of women are like that,” Clay went on. “To get what they want, more often than not they use innocent boys like you and me, squeeze us dry of our value. Sure, it can be fun. You’ll think it’s fun. They can teach you things you never thought possible. But once they use you up, unless you’ve got something more up your sleeve, they can easily toss you out without a second thought about your own wellbeing.”

  Sano walked by them again. “Real classy of you, Clay.”

  Clay slammed a handful of dollar bills on the bar top and slid it to Sano, shooing her away. “Privacy, Sano. Please.”

  As Sano left again, Orel mulled on Clay’s words a little more before responding. “It sounds like you’re talking about a gold digger. Mom taught me, Aqua, and Ruby about them: people wanting to hang out with us just to get our money.” It had taken a while before Orel better understood the difference between an exploitative gold digger, an unfortunate homeless beggar, and regular people just networking with a mix of politeness and a practical want for a favor. He was pretty sure he got the gist of it now. “Chiyo isn’t a gold digger, though. She’s too nice and honest.”

  “Ah! But if you’re not careful, if you don’t keep her happy, she might transform into a gold digger and catch you by surprise!”

  Golly, he was right! Orel’s overheard stories from his aunt and grandpa of former associates of Strawberry who used to be good people before trying to screw the company of Strawberry’s fair share of profits! Betrayal from a friend was never something Orel has ever gone through himself, and he definitely didn’t want to ever experience it!

  “Oh, no!” Orel cried. “Then how do I make sure Chiyo doesn’t become a bad person? How do I keep her honest?”

  Clay smirked at Orel. “The easiest way is to never show her your bad sides. Like how Ai always stays on top of things under that veil of cutesy, sparkly positivity. Nobody with half a brain cell and a beating heart would ever stab her in the back.”

  Now Clay was just completely wrong on that front. “That’s not true. Ryosuke would’ve done it.”

  “Who?”

  “Mom’s stalker. The one who stabbed me.” Orel tapped his scar for emphasis. “He would’ve stabbed her in the back. Literally, and probably metaphorically, too.” Did Orel not tell Clay about Ryosuke? Clay must know about the whole stalker ordeal if Orel ever explained the scar, but did Ryosuke’s name never come up?

  “Uh…” Clay looked uncomfortable, so Orel must’ve forgotten to give him the complete story. After swallowing another swig, Clay moved on, taking more sips after each pause in his speech. “Anyway! Orel… About Ai… My point is… that people love Ai because of her charisma, purity, and perfection as an idol carrying over to Ai the actress. Even to today, years after her retirement. Chances are, this Chiyo girl confessed to you because you’re just a ball of kindness and stupid innocence unfurling all the time. You’ve got your own brand of purity that makes girls swoon for you, only Chiyo is the one who decided to shoot her shot and score bigtime. You get me?”

  “I think so…”

  “If you start showing your bad sides… how gullible or slow you get sometimes… the reckless things you do… your own ignorance in how to even be a good boyfriend… then Chiyo’s own well of kindness that might’ve caught your interest will start to go down. The bad will begin outweighing the good in her eyes. She’ll refuse to listen to you after you’ve already opened your heart to the first girl in a long time who offered to hear you out… She’ll humiliate you, and you’ll be alone again.”

  That bitter tone sounded familiar.

  Clay’s glass finally ran out. As he waved at Sano, Orel studied him. Clay had one of his legs wrapped around the single leg of his bar stool. His other leg pushed against the bar wall, keeping himself balanced since he was leaning too much forward with his bottom on the edge of the seat. He placed his elbow on the bar top and rested his cheek on his knuckles. After Sano refilled their drinks, his gaze followed her as she sauntered over to another customer.

  It wasn’t just Clay’s voice, Orel realized. It was also his posture and mannerisms.

  “You’re starting to look and sound like how aunt Miyako used to talk sometimes,” Orel said, “back before we met you.”

  Clay blinked distractedly. “I remember she was a drinker, too, before she wussed out and tempered herself.”

  Orel nodded. “You sound just as negative and resentful as she used to be.”

  He hadn’t understood it too well at the time, and Orel still had issues with accepting it. How aunt Miyako was supposedly a bad wife to grandpa and how Ichigo was apparently a bad husband to her. Why Miyako had to swear off drinking despite being so much more honest, talkative, and willing to listen to Orel ramble whenever she got really drunk. How she needed to find other ways to relieve stress instead of letting the bitterness trickle out through the funky smell of alcohol in her breath.

  Clay called aunt Miyako a wuss, and that was not nice, but if drinking and drowning in bitter waters was what Clay needed for stress relief, just like how aunt Miyako had needed it, then Orel should let him swim. Miyako had become more amenable to a younger Orel’s questions about life, ultimately leading them to Clay himself, so a drunken Clay just might give Orel the advice he needed to successfully navigate his new relationship.

  “I don’t know exactly what you went through with your first girlfriend,” Orel said with the same soft understanding he’d heard mom use on functional alcoholic Miyako many times, “but Chiyo is different. We promised to be honest with each other. I don’t want to see her become a gold digger, but I also don’t want to hide any side of me, good or bad.”

  Clay scoffed. “You want to find happiness through love. That’s the whole point of life, to feel good… That’s why you talk up a storm to every silly schmuck you meet, kiddo. You want to be friends with anyone and everyone…”

  Resting his arm over Orel’s shoulders, Clay pushed the two of them closer together, filling Orel’s vision with a look of… of sour emotions on Clay’s face.

  “What makes your new girlfriend so special?” Clay asked lowly. “If it hadn’t been her, this Chiyo chick… you’d have accepted the confession of at least a dozen other willing girls, I’m sure.”

  … There was a special reason why Orel chose Chiyo and why she chose him. Even genius Aqua or social butterfly Ruby didn’t know about their secret pact.

  “I’m not supposed to tell anyone this,” Orel said, “but you and Chiyo don’t go to the same school, so it should be fine.” He took a deep breath. “Chiyo’s parents are getting a divorce.”

  Clay was nonplussed. “What does that have to do with –”

  “Her parents don’t love each other anymore. She wants to understand why.” Just like how Orel still struggled to understand the divorces in his family. He’s heard stories of other people’s divorces on TV and from the occasional classmate, but none had told their tales as generously or compellingly as Chiyo. “Chiyo has her own selfish motivations by being in a relationship with me. She also knows I want to learn about love, too. I still don’t get why grandpa Ichigo and aunt Miyako don’t love each other anymore, but Chiyo’s just as interested as me to see if we can have a romantic relationship and succeed where they failed.”

  Orel had even considered becoming a dad to aid his studies in better understanding love. His mom had said his dad hadn’t wanted to be a father, so Orel toyed with the idea of trying it out himself. True love conquered all, as it had worked out for mom, her motherly love for her children and her love as an idol for her devoted fans keeping them safe from being too hurt by Ryosuke. True fatherly love might have been what was needed to save Miyako’s and Ichigo’s marriage. It might have even been enough to have prevented Ryosuke from hurting Orel and from killing himself, if mom’s ex-boyfriend had been with them that day to stop the stalker.

  But from the talks Ichigo, aunt Miyako, and mom had hosted for Orel and his siblings about how babies were actually made, becoming a real father was off the table for him. So, with pretty good ideas already on what it meant for a mother and a child to love each other, Orel committed himself to experiencing true romantic love between a boy and a girl instead.

  “If you took a cynical look at things, we’re both using each other,” Orel conceded, “but we’re being honest about it. Our friendship is real. Chiyo likes how I help lead study sessions with our classmates when Aqua’s too busy. She works with Ruby more often now to help me plan promotional videos in between our big animation releases. We like each other as friends. We want to see how things would change if we became more than that.”

  By the time Orel was done with his spiel, Sano had made her rounds again, refilling his lemonade and dropping Clay another liquor bottle. She set down the pitcher of lemonade behind for Orel.

  Wow, Clay was actually going through his drinks much faster than aunt Miyako ever did! This must mean he was really inspired by Orel’s speech!

  “… You're only as stupid as much as you let yourself be, Orel,” Clay said, making Orel sit up with pride. “You’re smart and selfish in your own secret ways, just like your mom. Never forget that.”

  “I learned a lot from my family, and from you.”

  Clay chuckled with a smirking leer. “I appreciate that, kid.” He drank again. “But – and hear me out, here – But in spite of all that talk about being honest and learning, you don’t want to disappoint Chiyo, right?”

  “… No, I don’t.”

  The thought of disappointing Aqua last year with his bad acting had been another terrifying ordeal Orel never wanted to go through. Orel cared about living up to the expectations of the good people in his life. Chiyo was one of them.

  Clay spun around in his chair, halting himself by planting his hands on the bar top. “You want her to be happy,” he said. “Making others happy is what makes you happy. That’s the reigning philosophy on Elemental Orel.”

  “It is, for the most part, yeah.”

  “Therefore, there’s still worth in playing up your good sides to keep everyone in the relationship happy.”

  “… I don’t want to lie,” Orel stressed, “or manipulate her. I’m not good at those things anyway.” He loved being the creative mind behind Elemental Orel, but he was no expert smooth talker or a skillfully shrewd businessman like the rest of his family.

  “Not consciously yet, you’re not…”

  “What?”

  Clay didn’t clarify. “We’re not going to hide the fact that you’re inexperienced in the matters of love. We’re going to give you a headstart, and your Chiyo chick will be all the more happy when you shower her with real love for the first time. She’ll think you’re a prodigy, naturally good at this sort of thing, and so completely worth sticking around for.”

  “What headstart?”

  Someone tapped Orel’s shoulder.

  Turning around, he was met with another pretty lady – no, a pretty girl in a lady’s fancy clothes. She looked about Clay’s age, so probably in high school. She also had blond hair.

  “Hey there. Ayane Miyashita,” the pretty girl introduced herself, speaking at a fast pace. “You’re in my seat.”

  “Oh. Sorry, Miss Miyashita.” Because Clay was already at the end of the line of bar stools, Orel had to move to the next one over so that the girl sat between them. Orel was about to grab a free chair from an empty table to saddle next to Clay when the pretty girl grabbed Orel’s face. She made him look straight in her eyes, her brows narrowing as she examined him.

  “Just Ayane, boy. Why are you even here so early? The free chicken wings don’t get served until another hour.”

  Orel gasped. “The Sin Club gives free food?” He should have one of his future dates with Chiyo at this place! Her parents hadn’t been cooking enough food or giving her enough money to buy her own meals lately, too busy with their divorce problems.

  “Good to see you, Ayane,” Clay slurred out. He placed a hand on her arm, which she shook to release his grip. Still smiling, he poured part of his bottle into Orel’s half-empty lemonade. Ayane drank from it. “This is Orel. Orel, this fine lady will be teaching you how to satisfy a woman.”

  Really? So she was going to be his expert teacher! “Nice to meet ya, Ayane!”

  Ayane gave Orel another once-over before returning to Clay. “This is the guy you were talking about?”

  “Yeah.”

  At the sound of a whistle, Orel looked over to Sano down the bar. She slid him a new glass over the wood. She winked while Orel waved in appreciation, pouring himself more lemonade from the pitcher. People were so nice in the Sin Club!

  “Younger than the usual boys who treat me,” Ayane muttered as Orel turned back to his two teachers. “How old is he?”

  “Young enough to have only gotten his first girlfriend today.” Clay pulled out his wallet and handed her some dollar bills. “Old enough for even some high school girls to be giving him looks.” Clay leaned around Ayane and waggled his eyebrows in a funny way at Orel.

  As Orel drank, Ayane inspected him again before nodding to herself. “Alright. He’s cute enough.”

  “I want him to know what he’s in for once he gets closer to his girl.” Clay looked like he was about to drop his slightly bigger body onto Ayane, as if to hug her and use her for support. She extended a hand against his chest, keeping him in his own seat. Clay continued talking like he wasn’t denied a hug. “He has to surprise her, make her never want to stop coming back for more after their first time, so he needs little nudging to know what to do once he gets to that point with his girlfriend.”

  Ayane squeezed Orel’s cheeks. It’s been a while since a pretty girl or a pretty lady last did that. It was a little annoying, but Orel didn’t stop her. “You know as well as I do,” she said to Clay, “that your first relationship doesn’t mean it’ll be either of their first time clicking boots with someone. Especially for shy, overthinking pups in middle school.”

  “You don’t know Orel like I do. He’s a go-getter. Problem is that he can come off too strong, or he throws a powerful strike that’ll only go into the gutter. He and his family have been good to me, so I want him holding all the advantages he can carry when he lunges for the prize.”

  Smiling, as Ruby liked to say, was Orel’s default facial expression, but he did his best to brighten it up tenfold to solidify a good impression on his prospective mentor in the art of first-time romances. “I’m looking forward to you teaching me how to be a good boyfriend, Miss Ayane!”

  It was a successful move, Ayane giving her own passionate smile. “I’ll teach you a lot more if you throw in a little extra.”

  “Hey,” Clay chimed in, resting his head on the bar. He propped his elbow to raise his hand and loosely point a finger at Ayane. “Don’t you start asking him for more money. Gold diggers are a big no-no for Orel.”

  “Who said anything about money? It all depends on his performance and his willingness to –”

  “No, don’t say anything else. He’ll just get more confused.”

  Orel’s declaration of “I’m a good student, though! My grades are now in the top –” was ignored and cut short.

  “Go out and teach him,” Clay said, slipping Ayane more money. “Make him a man. And – And do it at your place!”

  Ayane looked at him with bemusement. “The tavern’s around the corner from a hotel for a reason.”

  “Yeah, the one with shit beds and cold showers. I want his first time to be comfortable. Smooth. Make him confident, but be honest about it. Tell him how to improve. Hype him up to do an even better job once he and his own little lady get down and dirty.”

  Ayane gave a sarcastic laugh, capturing Orel in a one-armed hug. Orel guessed she preferred the sweet and sour smell of lemonade more than the funky smell of liquor Clayman was radiating. “Never did I think you’d be such a supportive big brother, Clay.”

  “I’m very good at it! Maybe take a page out of my book and learn how to be a better big sister for your brat.”

  Flashing the money between her fingers, Ayane said with a smirk, “I already do.” She looked down at Orel. “Stick close to me, kid. If anyone on the way asks about us, I’m your home tutor.”

  Orel shimmied to take his cup and drink without risking spilling any on Ayane. “Are we going somewhere?” he asked her.

  “Pay more attention. You and I are going to have a good time together at my place.”

  Orel frowned. “I’m not supposed to go into a stranger’s home without –”

  “I’ll vouch for her,” Clay pitched in, winking at him. “Trust me to trust her to take excellent care of you.”

  “… Okay!” Aqua and Ruby usually had to interview their classmates before they let Orel visit their houses, and it sounded like Clay had already done his interview for Ayane! Orel brought back his smile as he set it on her again. “I promise to be a good student, Miss Ayane!”

  Ayane surprised him by roughly pulling him closer in their hug. Orel had to plant his feet and dig in to keep himself from just completely slamming his body against her. “Damn, Clay,” she said, the sound of her voice slightly muffled to Orel with him pressed against her. “You weren’t so wrong about this little ladykiller.”

  “See?” Clay reached around to ruffle Orel’s hair. “Have fun, kiddo!”

  Orel slithered upward to look over Ayane’s shoulder at Clay. “But how long will this take? I still have a curfew, and it sounds like this lesson will take a lot of time to get right.”

  “I’ll come up with an excuse,” Clay dismissed easily. “Don’t worry, Orel. Just enjoy yourself and make sure Ayane enjoys her time enough that she’ll want to give you follow-up lessons.” Clay faced the wall across from the bar, taking another deep swig. “And don’t worry about me either. I’m gonna stay here a while…”

  “Okay!” Functional alcoholic Miyako had also needed her alone time between drinking, too. Mostly for long naps. “Thanks for all your help, Clay!”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Ayane said impatiently, “we’re all very thankful…” She stood up from her bar stool. Orel was about to follow, but she sat him back down. “Give me five minutes. I gotta call my sister and tell her to clear off if we’re doing this at my place.” She caressed a finger down the side of Orel’s face. It tickled, so he laughed, and Ayane matched his giggles. “Stay right here, okay, Orel?”

  “Okay!”

  Appeased, Ayane stepped away to have her private phone call.

  Orel was about to start asking Clay more questions, but as Orel’s gaze strayed to a clock on a wall, he was reminded of something he wanted to ask someone else.

  “Hey, Miss Sano,” Orel called out. She gave her farewells to another bar patron before coming over.

  “Just Sano, Orel. What can I do for you?”

  “Do you give free chicken wings on the weekend, too?”

  “No, sorry. Just on Fridays. You can’t order and reserve any wings early, either.”

  “Oh, that’s okay…”

  Sano went back to work. Orel took out his phone and brought up his messages with Chiyo.

  He didn’t need to tell her about his impending tutelage under Ayane, but Chiyo could at least get some free food today for her and her baby sister! She was also probably with Ruby right now, so Ruby could join Chiyo, eat together or pick up food to-go at the Sin Club, and help Clay home once he was happy with his level of drunkenness. Just like how mom used to support functional alcoholic Miyako through the house.

  Orel could hardly wait to show Chiyo just how good of a boyfriend he can be!