[Video public]

[helenchanted]

Ahh...uh...

[Miki is trying to keep a straight face but this is harder than she thought.]

...umm I think that Minami is gone. W-well no. Not 'I think'. I know she's gone since her room is occupied by someone else, so I guess she returned to our world...

[Her best friend is gone but she...she doesn't think she could leave herself just yet. Not with what she's gained here.]

I kinda need to clear my mind a bit...

Anyone want to do something?

Comments

[helenchanted]

[She looks at Minako for a few seconds, her mouth frozen in a disbelief before she bursted out laughing.]

Ha ha...I-I'm sorry. It's just that I had a similar problem too...although I knew exactly what they wanted. It must drive the girls up the wall that Aki doesn't have a clue...although it's their own fault for not telling him anything outright!

[You have no idea how dense your brother is about love Miki. NO idea. Yet the image of her brother being surrounded by all these girls and not understanding why is just too amusing...yet she suddenly shifts gaze and her voice is much more serious. Almost...annoyed.]

Of course, that entirely depends if were they doing it just because he was popular, or because they actually liked him....

[Uh-oh that's pure sibling worry coupled with her own bad memories.]

[greatseal]

Well, I don't think he talked to any of them enough for them to really know him... Although, some probably had real crushes. [And sometimes she just felt bad for the girls, considering Akihiko never even bothered to learn the names even of the most persistent ones.] But, you had fans following you around?

[...Were they boys or girls?]

[helenchanted]

...That bad huh. [Wow she had a lot of work to do, then.]

Yeah. I didn't call them fans before either. I guess when you start winning tournaments you attract a lot of crowds...the good and the bad. I have to admit...all the attention did get to me. I wanted to be everyone's friend...I never had any as a child...to be surrounded by so many and be the popular girl at school...

[She shakes her head again, grinning. The memory isn't as painful telling her now.]

Fortunately, Minami grounded my feet down to the earth again and helped me realize that a hundred false friendships were not worth a single true friend. I purposefully lost a tournament that year to see what would happened. She was right; the minute I wasn't the best, they don't look at you the same. A guy I had liked just wasn't around anymore...

[Miki looked at Minako again before speaking.]

I won back all my titles a few months after, of course. The fans came back, but that's all they were to me then...fans.

[greatseal]

Popularity isn't bad, but not if you're going too far just to attain it...

[She's guessing there's more to Miki's story, but there's no point making her recount a bad time when she gets the gist of the story already.] I'm glad you and Minami are such good friends.

[helenchanted]

Yeah exactly! I think I just wanted to be everyone's friend a little too much...

[She smiles.]

Well I suppose all the Arisato's are like that!

[helenchanted]

...well most of them.

[Strega...]

[greatseal]

Minato might have lost sight of it for a while, but he's a good person.

[Sorry Miki, but she'll defend her sibling forever...

or at least until she actually gets to meet that version.]