Onee-san, Onee-sama...

Cultural Show & Tell!

Basically, anyone who wants to, can go up and share something cool about their homeland. A performance, a story, a tradition—whatever!

And of course, I am raising my hand SO HIGH.

Because—HELLO!—there are so many things I want to tell them about Japan!

My arm waves like a flag until finally—

I get picked.

I light up. I'm about to step forward when—

Tap.

A gentle touch on my shoulder. I turned to see one of the council members.

She doesn't say it too loudly, but it's clear: I need to go with her.

...Eh?

I blink, confused. But she's serious.

So—well. I let someone else took my turn.

...~•~...

Jisoo is not okay with this.

She doesn't say much, but I know.

Her fingers clutch the white tiger plushie she picked as her prize.

She doesn't like being left alone in a crowd. She doesn't like this.

🇯🇵 But I smile at her anyway. "Jisoo-ya... I'll be back soon." I tried to reassure her.

🍓 Her lips press into a thin line—I poke the plushie. ⛅

🇯🇵 "Just hold onto this really tight, okay?"

🇰🇷 "Kemi—"

🇯🇵 "I'll come back and I'll find you." — "Promise."

🇰🇷 ". . ."

...~•~...

[Moon Ji Soo]

A promise.

It's just a few light words. Anyone could say it and forget about it like it's nothing.

A promise breaks easily. That's why I don't believe in promises... I refuse to hold onto it.

And yet... I found myself holding onto this little promise she gave me.

Just like that.

Just like that, something clicks.

I trust her.

I don't know why, but I do.

And as Kemiko walks away, I clutched the plushie tighter.

The event continues. Without her.

...~•~...

The monorail doors slid shut with a soft hiss. Kemiko swung her legs under her seat, looking up at the Onee-san beside her. The she had saw eart... short hair, sharp eyes, and a clipboard tucked like it was her lifeline. Her fingers tapped anxiously against it as she checked her watch again.

⛅ "Onee-san, are you always this... uh... busy?"

The council girl blinked, then let out a long sigh. "Unfortunately."

⛅ "You look like you have a million homework."

"I wish it was just homework," the girl muttered, rubbing her temple. "I have to organize the entire students affairs rotation, report to the Head of the department, make sure the event runs on time, and now—" She shot Kemiko a side glance. "Now I'm sneaking a nine-year-old out of the fun meet."

⛅ "Not sneaking! I'm helping."

The council girl let out a tired chuckle. "Helping, huh?"

⛅ nodded eagerly. "Onee-san said I'll meet the security student councils, right?"

⛅ "That means I made big trouble or..." — "I can help solve big trouble." — "Make me sound important."

"You're very important." The older girl gave a small smile, then checked her watch again.

Kemiko watched her curiously. "Ne Onee-san, do you always check time?"

📋 "...Kind of."

⛅ "Why?"

📋 (sighed) "Because if I don't, everything falls apart."

⛅ "Ehh!? Everything?"

📋 "Yes. Everything." — "Chaos. Disaster. The whole school might burn down."

⛅ "Oh no." (concerned wide eyes.)

📋 (Plain face) "I was joking."

⛅ "But you looked so serious, Onee-san."

📋 "That's my default face," said flatly.

Kemiko giggled, swinging her legs.

⛅ "Ne, Onee-san, are you always serious?"

The girl stared at her clipboard, then sighed again. "Not always."

⛅ (tilted her head) "Then when?"

The older girl tapped her pen against the clipboard, thinking.

📋 "...Maybe when I'm not babysitting tiny informants?"

⛅ "You sit on babies?!!" 🙀

📋 "What!? No—"

⛅ "Sitting on babies, no good. It's better to sit on a chair, or the floor."

📋 "No, Kemiko. I'm not—"

⛅ "Babies are small." — "You'll squish them to flat mochi!"

• • •

She tried not to laugh but—Alas~

She rubs her temple.

📋 "Babysitting means watching over them, not literally sitting on them!"

⛅ "Ah... Sou sou." — "Eeh!?" — "Onee-san, I am nine!"

📋 "Oh, my mistake. Guiding a highly valuable child informant."

⛅ (nodded firmly)"Better."

📋 (smirked a little) "You're a handy dandy handful."

She checks her watch again, "Great, we're almost 3 minutes behind schedule." (-_-)

...~•~...

The monorail slowed to a stop, and the doors opened with a soft chime. The student council girl stood up, checking her clipboard one more time before glancing down at Kemiko. "Alright, little agent. Let's get to work."

Kemiko hopped down from her seat, giving her a playful salute. "Hai, Captain Onee-san!"

📋 "Just call me Aria."

⛅ "To the girls' dorm, Arianee-san!"

...~•~...

As soon as I step into the dorm's security room, I know one thing for sure.

These Onee-samas are cool. Like, really cool.

Then, one of them looks at me.

She has this firm and sharp gaze. Her posture is perfect—Her aura... Whoa~

Oh.

She must be the leader.

"Is this her?" the leader asks, and whoa, her voice is strong.

Aria Onee-san nods. "Yep. This is Hakachi Kemiko."

I straighten up. "Konnichiwa! Onee-sama!"

The leader studies me for a second before giving a small nod.

🇬🇷 "Welcome, Hakachi Kemiko. I'm Selene Myron."

Selene Myron. Even her name sounds powerful.

Then, someone scoffs from the side. "She's tiny."

I turn to the speaker—a really tall girl with crossed arms and a face like she's bored of everything.

Aria sighs. "Thanks for your valuable input, Ivana."

🇨🇿 (shrugs) "Just saying."

⛅ "I'm not tiny, Onee-sama! I'm compact and young.”

A laugh bursts out from another Onee-san— short, messy black hair, with purple tips and bright eyes. She's lounging against the table, spinning a lollipop between her fingers. "I like her."

Selene gives her a look. "Of course you do, Sienna."

🇸🇬 (winks) "What's not to like?"

🇨🇿 "She's nine," Ivana deadpans.

🇸🇬 (smirks) "And already cooler than you, Iva."

Ivana glares, but before she can say anything, another girl sighs.

🇮🇳 "Can we focus?"

She's the calm-looking Onee-san who's been quietly watching me this whole time.

Selene nods. "Right. Kemiko, this is my team." She gestures at them one by one.

🇬🇷 "The wall over there is Ivana Kolar."

🇨🇿 (Ivana grunts)

🇬🇷 "The one that won't stop talking? Sienna Ling Ho."

🇸🇬 (grins) "I'm Ana Lingpop, to you!" (playful lollipop salute)

🇬🇷 "The one actually trying to keep us on track? Meher Sharma."

🇮🇳 (nods once)

🇬🇷 "The one standing in the back, pretending she's not here? That's Sarnai."

I blink and turn—and gasp.

There's a girl in the shadows, half-hidden behind a screen, watching me with the quietest eyes ever.

Did she just appear there?!

🇬🇷 "Altansarnai Bataar."

⛅ "Whoa," — "Are you a ninja, Sarnai Onee-sama?"

She blinks once. "No."

⛅ "You didn't make a sound—"

🇲🇳 "Didn't need to."

Okay. Now she sounds like my brothers in Japan... Sugoi!

🇬🇷 "And lastly, our strategist—Beatriz Ribeiro."

Beatriz Onee-sama, is the girl with a head scarf on. She gives me a small nod, like she's already figured out my entire life story just by looking at me. (Well... Ofc not really.)

🇸🇬 "Hey Trix, say something..."

🇧🇷 *fake cough* "Ana calls me Trix despite her being the true trickster of this team."

🇸🇬 "Oi, I'm just chill... y'all so tense lah." — "I'm keeping the balance of nature."

🇬🇷 "We're team Griffin of G94."

🇸🇬 "Let's work together and have fun, Kemi-chan!" Sienna Onee-sama chimed. I love her energy ✨

🇨🇿 "Sienna..."

🇸🇬 "What? You know I wanted a little sidekick."

🇨🇿 "Seriously, c'mon."

🇸🇬 "Yeah... whatever lah!"

⛅ "Un! Let's do our best, Onee-sama!"

...~•~...

"So," Selene says, crossing her arms, "you're the one who dropped the red candies."

I nod quickly. "Un! I leave them at every door after I knocked."

Beatriz Onee-sama leans forward slightly. "And you did that because think you're being watched?"

⛅ "I don't think... I feel it. Something feels weird."

The team exchanges glances.

🇸🇬 "Sharp," Sienna Onee-sama mutters with a lollipop in her mouth.

🇨🇿 (leans back) "Alright, so what's the plan?"

Selene Onee-sama, looks at me again.

🇬🇷 "Kemiko, we need you to tell us everything you've noticed. Every detail, no matter how small."

I take a deep breath.

Okay.

These Onee-sans... Onee-samas... are really cool.

And I want to help.

So I tell them.

I tell them about my visit to the Boys' side with Hyundae vouching for me today.

I tell them about me feeling watched since I enter the Boys' area and how I still feel it occasionally, even tho I'm not there anymore.

I tell them about any other unusual things that happened since this afternoon.

...~•~...

By the time I finish, the room is quiet.

Meher Onee-sama is already pulling out a notepad, writing things down. Beatriz's eyes narrow slightly—like she's already forming theories. Ivana mutters something under her breath. Sienna bites and chews on her lollipop as she thinks.

And Altansarnai? She's in the room with us, of course. She just prefers to be one of the shadows of the room.

🇸🇬 "Seriously, what kid are you, Kemi-chan?"

⛅ "...Japanese?"

She let out a surprised laugh in return. "No, I mean—"

But before Sienna Onee-sama can finish her words—

Someone enters the room. I don't know how to explain it. It's like the air itself stops to listen.

...~•~...

🇫🇷 "My my... Everyone gathered here already."

She walks in like the world itself makes space for her.

🇫🇷 "Is this Hakachi Kemiko Infront of me?"

⛅ "Hai! Hakachi Kemiko n'desu." (bows politely)

🇫🇷 "Ah... Une vraie petite dame." [Ah... A true little lady.]

⛅ "Eh?"

🇫🇷 "Nothing, little one." — "Just appreciating such fine etiquette."

⛅ *blink blink* "Are you a princess or something, Onee-sama?"

🇫🇷 "A princess?" *amused* "I'm merely a star that refuses to fall."

Kemiko can feel my eyes sparkling as I listen to her. Selene Myron on the other hand. *deadpan*

🇬🇷 "Adèlaïde."

The French lady who just arrived knew exactly what she's doing. She gave Selene a subtle side glance, a faint smirk on her face. Ignoring Selene, she turns her attention back to Kemiko.

🇫🇷 "But tell me, would you bow if I told you I were a queen?" — "Mon ensoleillé." [My sunny one.]

Selene lets out a slow breath.

🇬🇷 "You shouldn't be here, Empress."

🇫🇷 "That's why I'm here." she replies smoothly. "Incase you miss me, dear Myron."

Selene took a deep breath, crossing her arms.

🇬🇷 "This is a Team Griffin matter." — "Team Adel shouldn't mingle out of will."

She turns to properly look at Selene.

🇫🇷 "Look around, dear Myron." — "Do you see my team in sight?"

No. She came alone... She came personally, without being assigned.

🇬🇷 "What now, Adèlaïde?"

🇫🇷 "Just consider me a borrowed claw." She tilts her head slightly. "Or an extra feather."

🇸🇬 "An extra feather huh, Vivie?" (playfully mutters)

🇫🇷 "It's Geneviève, you're welcome."

Ivana snorts. Meher scribbles something down without looking up, while Beatriz who's sitting beside her reads what she's scribbling. Sarnai just shakes her head slightly, like she expected this.

Selene rolls her eyes but doesn't argue further.

Which means... The 'Empress' is staying.

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