*CLICK*

“Hmmm... if we’re having a sleepover, tea would be good, but more importantly, we’ll need to talk about what comes next,” Rui murmured as we entered my apartment. I sighed softly in relief while removing my shoes in the genkan. Well, not my shoes.. They were lent to me. I heard Rui and Ume doing the same.

*CLICK*

I padded into my apartment with a sense of relief. “Um... I need to clean up... I’d be extremely embarrassed if... ouch!” Rui rapped the back of my head with her knuckles.

“Nonsense, silly,” Rui admonished me. “We’re not your dates. It’s about relaxing, even if it has to start with tidying up all your mess.” If this isn't dating, what were those kisses about? Did they mean anything? I blushed, recalling them.

Ume walked past me with a little laugh. “You’re so funny, Susumu. Just relax. The makeup looked nice, but it was ruined the moment you cried your eyes out. Why don’t you bathe?” she suggested gently.

“No! Not yet. I’ll clean up his face with some hot water,” Rui interrupted abruptly. “I assume you have hot water, right?” She eyed me, concerned.

“Why?” Ume continued, “A nice bath would be a good idea! If I’d had a day like this, I knew I’d want one."

“Just don’t, Susumu. Not yet. You... aren’t ready.” Rui walked to me and gently took my arm, pulling me deeper into my apartment.

“W-why? I’m exhausted... Ume-chan’s right..." I mumbled.

“No, don’t worry about that. More importantly, do you have any spare futons?” Rui asked.

“Aren’t you worried he’ll attack us?” Ume grinned. “He’s a hot-blooded young man, after all.”

“I wouldn’t do anything.” I sighed. “First off, I’m exhausted. Secondly, I’m a virgin. Thirdly, I wouldn’t know what to do!” Wait, those last two reasons were pretty much the same thing… They looked at each other as though they had the same thought I did.

I blushed and yelled. “Oh... no... my neighbors..." I practically fell over. Not only would they have heard my pitiful recital, they’d have been disturbed by it. “Y-you win, Rui..." I sighed and slumped around the corner to open my closet. I reached into the other side of it apart from where I kept my clothes to remove the spare futon. Reiko-chan might have come over at some point, I thought. “There’s only one, but I assume you won’t mind sharing it.” I yawned.

“I’ll make tea!” Ume chimed chipperly. “Why don’t we push his futon up against this one. Someone can lay in the middle and be extra snuggly warm. I’m fine with it if it’s Susumu.” I heard her feet thump lightly towards my kitchenette.

“Nope! You sleep in the middle, Ume!” Rui protested, “I’ll sleep on one side and Susumu sleeps on the other. You seem more comfortable with the idea.”

“I really don’t care.” I blushed. It was a lie, of course. The idea of sleeping between two girls overloaded my brain.

“RuiRui, start tidying up while I start the hot water,” Ume suggested. “You help us as much as you can, Susumu. But I can tell how tired you are. Your heart rate is relaxing from all that excitement.”

I jumped and nodded. Of course, I won’t let them do everything! It’s my mess! I scurried to start picking up assorted garments strewn about my tatami flooring. Rui joined me in my effort, but as she did her nose wrinkled. “It smells a little sour in here. You’ve been sweating a lot. You haven’t used cleaning products lately.”

“I’m sorry!!!” I yelped and bowed repeatedly. “I’ll get right on it.”

“Don’t worry.” Ume winked as she dashed from the kitchen with her arms full of cleaning supplies. “I got your cleansing products. Finish putting things away and I’ll handle polishing things until they shine! I have an incredible surplus of energy around this time of night. I can tell you two are more tired, so depend on me to do the more strenuous parts. You can count on me!”

She formed a heart shape with her fingers and dropped everything. We stared at her and Ume glanced down, tilting her head. She chose to ignore it by resuming her recital. “My kind is nocturnal by nature, so I’m always full of energy right around now!” Oh… okay… Rui nodded repeatedly.

I set to folding clothes, hearing Ume’s noisy flurry of activity around us. Rui’s feet tapped against the tatami as she jumped around and straightened things. By the time I finished folding clothes into a pile for washing later, I looked over my shoulder to note that my apartment had changed. Everything was as clean as it was months ago, back when I cleaned regularly. Due to a lack of regular watering, my plants were wilting.

“I’m so sorry, everyone!” I bowed deeply. “Thank you for your help. It probably won’t amount to much, doing this though. I won’t be able to stay here for much longer. My employer will fire me for sure. I dare not call him or see him face to face.” I shook my head.

“Why not?” Ume asked, but then my tea kettle started whistling. She rushed to the kitchen.

“Ah... because of my face,” I tried to explain as I anxiously scratched at my scalp. “I was supposed to be there this morning. I promised him I’d make up for all the slacking off. It took all the energy I had in me to motivate myself yesterday morning, but then Noh-face attacked me. Without my face, am I really still the same person? Can I claim my old identity? And the police might be knocking on my door soonish.”

“Awwww, you’re so beautiful! Of course anyone would forgive you with a face like that,” Ume said, making soft noises as she finished preparing tea for us.

“That’s true… but the police won’t." Rui laughed wryly. “This means, however, Ume-chan, you won’t get to see how horrible he used to look.”

“That’s a shame, and you’re right,” Ume murmured as she glided into my living room.

“Just forget my awkward face,” I sighed. “My face is dead and gone.”

“There’s a magical thing that can fix this little problem of yours, Susumu-san. It’s called plastic surgery… but I guess going back to looking the same won’t really help you." Ume nodded as she poured our tea and set the tray down on my low table.

“Don’t you dare!” Rui yelled. “Don’t put any strange ideas in his head by suggesting plastic surgery!” She sighed and facepalmed, and then peeked at me between her fingers. “No, don’t worry about it, actually, I don’t think he ever would do it,” she added in a softer tone.

“Why would you say that, loli-oni? Are you implying that I wouldn’t have the balls to get my face cut up? Do you think I can’t cope with some pain after everything?” I flared up, glaring at Rui.

She returned my glare, multiplied, but she stopped and sighed softly. “We can’t keep beating around the bush. I know you don’t understand yet, Susumu. You’ll understand why I said that once we clean you up a bit. Sit down on your futon,” she commanded.

My glare faded to a wry smile. She’s so much like Reiko-chan in many ways. Rui nodded and lifted her cup of tea to her lips. “Pass me a towel, please Ume-chan.” She sipped the tea gently with another soft sigh.

Ume nodded and reached for a towel leftover from the cleaning. “I think I know what you’re thinking. The cleanser on this towel should help a bit.”

Rui tipped her teacup and poured a bit of it onto the white towel which was smudged up from cleaning with it. The tea soaked into it to gradually as it spread through the fabric. Chemical odors faintly wafted from it. Rui stopped a moment to take another soft sip from the cup. She smiled at Ume. “Your tea truly is splendid, Ume-chan!”

“I’m so happy you like it so much!” Ume bounced and grinned. “Don’t forget that it’s Susumu’s favorite brand. I just put all my love into it!” She took a sip from her own cup, seeming to be extra happy. It’s just the cheapest green tea I could find...

Rui smiled warmly in my direction as she raised the towel to my face and started gently dabbing it over my face. It felt warm. The scents wafting up from that towel were peculiar. I closed my eyes, relaxing. It felt so soothing, almost as though my mother was the one doing it.

“Have a few sips of your tea, Susumu. Relax a little.” Rui placed a cup in my hands. I guided it up to my lips and enjoyed a refreshing taste of it. It was the best tea I’d ever had, somehow. It tasted better than ever. There was no comparison between this tea and what I brewed. Tears started falling from my eyes on their own. This lonely room was filled with warmth. It had always been so empty. All that was here was my empty and futile hopes for a happier future.

“My, my... why are you crying?” Ume asked me softly. An arm fell across my shoulders. I opened my eyes to see Rui’s caring eyes. She held something in her hands. The compact. Her face was filled with compassion.

“Are you ready?” she asked softly, offering it again to me. I accepted it in my free hand, and Rui gently took my cup away from me. “These cups are too cute to allow them to be broken.” I’d bought a tea set that I thought Reiko-chan would like. If we’d remained friends, if she’d let me near her, I’d have given them to her as a marriage gift at least. I always dreamed these cups would press against her pillowy lips. I felt more tears fall from my eyes after I opened the compact. I wiped my eyes and beheld myself without all of the makeup.

...........

..................

“R-Reiko-chan...” I stared at myself, stunned. My face was hers. I took a deep breath and tears flowed from my eyes. Losing strength, I collapsed onto my tatami.