Ugly Bastard System

After getting out of the hospital ward, The Kobayashis and Ruri decided to go back home. During the ride back home, Takeshi peeked at Ruri's face.

She still looked sad. It didn't suit her.

"Mom! Dad! Can you drop me and Ruri near the public library?"

"Hm? Now?"
"Yes!"
"My my~ our Takeshi's already at that age~"
"Children sure grow up fast..."
"Hm? What age? The library is open to kids younger than us."
"...or maybe not."
"I-I'll go too!"
"Hm? Miki, today is the day for your violin lessons, remember?"
"...oh. Un."

Miki slumped down in her seat. She liked playing violin. Ruka sensei even said to her that she had real talent in it.

Takeshi looked at Ruri. "You'll go with me, right? Ruri?"

Ruri did not say anything, just silently stared at him dumbfoundedly.

She was not really in the mood for doing anything. She wanted to just go home and sleep all day. This is what she usually did when she was sad.

Then again, she hadn't been this sad for a few months. The last time she felt sad was on her parents' death anniversaries.

But she couldn't say no to Takeshi. Not when he was looking at her with such bright and clear eyes.

Were they always like this? Or do they seem a little brighter today? Or is it because she was feeling too much gloomy?

She did not know why, but she wanted to have that brightness.

"Un. I'll go."

Takeshi smiled.

His smile also seemed brighter than usual.

 

---

 

Dum.

Takeshi put a book in front of Ruri and sat beside her.

"...What is this?" She whispered. Talking loudly was not allowed in the library. They cause any trouble and the librarian aunty would kick them out.

"The key to the answer." Takeshi grinned. Ruri read the title.

MORSE CODE FOR DUMMIES

She still looked confused.

Takeshi simply took out the paper that had the color code written on it.

RBBBGBBBGR
RRGRRRRGRR
GGGRBRGRRG
BRBGRRBGRB
BBGBBBGBRR
RGRRBGGGRR
RGRBGRRGBR
BGBRBBGBBB
GBRBRBBGGG

Ruri's eyes got bigger. "Don't tell me..."

"Yep! It's exactly what you think."

Ruri instantly opened the book and started reading it.

Morse codes had three distinct symbols: Dot or a shorter sound or a sound with shorter interval, Dash or a longer sound or a sound with longer interval, and space—which was basically a much longer interval. 

Three colors.

"How the hell was I supposed to figure this out?!!" She toned down because someone shushed her, "and how do you know it? Why didn't you tell me back then?!!"

"I didn't know either! I just asked Gojima uncle and he figured it out!"

"Oh. He figured it out huh." Ruri looked frustrated, then she sighed.

"Okay then, let's see what it actually says, shall we?" She started to translate the colors to dash and dots.

Takeshi smiled. She was already looking better. This is what Ruri should be like.

Always bright and cheerful, and a smile that overshone the sun itself.

He would always protect that smile.

"Hmm... this doesn't make sense... did I accidentally swapped the dashes with dots? Let me write the other down too...

.--- --- ... .... .. / .-. .. -.- ..- .--- --- -... ..- / ... .- .. -.- -.-- --- -.-.--

 

"Hmm... the first one is J... then comes O..."

Eventually, the whole sentence was decoded by Ruri, who stared at it, her eyes twitching.

JOSHI RIKUJOBU SAIKYO!

Girls' Track and Field Club is the Best!

"I had to suffer this whole time for this?!!!"

"Ruri! Quiet..."

"Kuhum!"

They both froze and looked behind.

The librarian aunty was standing behind them. She didn't look happy.

 

---

 

"Wow. I did not think we wouldn't even get a second chance."

"That obaasan is quite notorious for her stubbornness."

"Well, at least we managed to learn what the password was. But Morse code, huh... sounds interesting. I know I've seen it in detective movies... but never actually thought of learning it. Maybe I should give it a try."

"Hm. Sure."

"Hm."

They walked silently for a while. Ruri was walking in front, with little bounces in her step, and Takeshi was watching her contently. Then Ruri suddenly stopped.

"...Takeshi kun."

"Hm?"

"...Thank you."

Takeshi looked at her for a moment. Ah, she was smiling.

"You're welcome!" He also smiled back with genuine happiness.

'Wow... since when he could smile like that?'

She knew the answer. He always could. Its just she was only noticing it recently.

She was not always the happy go lucky girl everyone thought. Her life was stripped of all the light, all the color that day.

It was Takeshi kun who brought back the the light.

She was just the moon, and Takeshi kun was her sun.

'Ah, I really do li—'

Then she remembered what that oneesan said.

'That kid... will surely grow up to look extremely handsome within 2 to 3 years. You better reign in him before other girls become serious in romance and start noticing him.'

The question was, how? The boy in front of her was a bit too dumb for that.

But she decided to be just a little bold, just for today.

She slowly walked up to and stood in front of him.

"R-Ruri? What—"

Ruri was not bold enough. A kiss on the cheek was all she could manage right now. But that was a start, right?

"Hurry up, Takeshi kun! Or we will be late!!!" She ran, with her face redder than a tomato; while Takeshi stood, frozen like a statue.

It took him a few seconds to register what happened.

"EEEEEEEHHHHHH?!!?!!!?!?!?!???"

 

---

 

A young boy stood in front of his parents casket, crying. He was being consoled by a girl, who was his elder sister. She also had tears in her eyes, but she did not wail. She had to be strong for both of them. Both of their parents were orphans, with no relatives. And now they were orphans too, and they only had each other.

"Don't worry Masaya. Your onee-chan will always be there for you." The girl embraced her with shaking voice and teary eyes.

Since then, they were always together. The little boy loved his elder sister, and his sister also loved him.

But their loves were not exactly the same.

He saw her as more than just his sister, but to her, he was always the cute, pitiful younger brother.

The boy buried all of his feelings deep in his heart, but it all broke loose one night.

That night his sister returned home drunk. She just started her college, fell in love and got her heart broken.

He just wanted to comfort her and ease her pain. But he had a lot pent up, and she was drunk and sought comfort.

And so, they crossed a line they should not have.

The next morning, when his sister realized what happened, she was angry and upset. He was scared that she would hate him and leave him all alone, but she didn't. She loved him and did care for him, and thus, she forgave him.

After all, they only had each other. She needed to be there for him, and he was also the home where she could always return to.

So, she forgave him again, and again, and again, and again. It was the start of a twisted relationship of forbidden love, lust, pity and a sickening mutual dependency.

But they both knew that it wouldn't last forever.

Eventually, the sister found someone she wanted to be with and married him.

She always kept in check with him, but that intimacy was not present. She tried to hook him up with other girls too, but he only had eyes for him.

But he could not do anything about it but to bury everything again. He knew that he would again erupt one day.

Eventually, her sister gave birth to a beautiful child—that inherited all of her beauty, and the dirty blood of that vermin.

They became more and more distant. The boy felt the darkness inside him growing.

Everytime he saw her with that vermin, he felt his blood boiling. And that accursed child was the living proof of the union between his sister and that disgusting lump of meat and bone.

One day, it became unbearable. All the darkness he buried deep within, erupted.

He found out that his sisters husband would be taking the child to a doctor, while his sister would be busy with work.

So he sabotaged their car.

Little did he know that his sister changed her plan all on a sudden and joined them.

 

---

 

Sunohara woke up from the nightmare he had always had. It was not usually the time for him to sleep, because usually he would be working at his job.

But he did not have it anymore.

He was fired because the company had to... 'restructure' due to the recent economic bubble burst.

He had to find a job for him and his beloved niece—the only living proof of his sister's unrivaled charm and beauty.