บท 33: Crystal's Home
Barely two hours after she had finally managed to sleep, the blaring of an alarm bell rudely startled Crystal awake.
Groggily dangling her legs from the bed after slamming the offending table clock with hatred, the girl was greeted by the curious eyes of her 'early bird' mother, who usually woke up at five.
"You're up early today? It's six o' clock, and it's Saturday, you know."
Crystal sighed as she regretfully recalled the reason for an early alarm on Saturday. Hormones and the teenage brain, a deadly combination indeed.
"I know, mom, but my friends are coming over today."
The middle-aged lady looked shocked, as if still unable to believe that yesterday evening wasn't a dream.
"Those cute girls from yesterday? They're really your friends?!"
The blonde girl rolled her eyes.
"Mom!"
Even if she hadn't made any friends, it wasn't as if she 'couldn't' do it, right? Why is her mom always making it seem like that was the case?
Her mother rubbed her nose, as if finally realizing her daughter must be embarrassed. "Ahem, I mean, of course. Of course, they're your good friends. Best friends even, given they're the only ones."
"Mom…"
The older lady almost smacked her forehead. No wonder her daughter was socially awkward.
"I, uh, that's totally not what I wanted to say! Anyway, it looked like they really liked the shortcakes I made earlier, should I make some more?"
The young blonde shrugged, looking unconcerned. Having eaten her mother's cooking all her life, it had long since lost its novelty to herself, but that was probably not the case for the two girls who would be coming by.
"Uh, up to you. They'll probably not eat too much. Rich girls have to maintain their figures and all, probably."
Her mother wagged her finger, disapproval clear on her face. "Hey, what did mommy teach you before? It's not right to stereotype people like that, especially your friends!"
Crystal blinked. Silently reflecting on herself for a moment before nodding, her mother did have a point after all.
"Uh, okay, mom. I'm sorry. I'm not wrong about not overdoing it though, am I? Don't make too much."
The older lady snorted. "I think you're severely underestimating their diet. That thin looking girl looked so happy while chomping down the shortcake yesterday, I'm sure she will happily gobble it up even if I made two, no, three times as much today!"
The heroine waved her hands, trying to dissuade her mother. "Uh, that's not—"
But it was futile, because the lady was already lost in her own world.
"No, actually, you know what, I'll make five times as much! How can I let my daughter's only friends leave unsatisfied?"
Crystal rolled her eyes as she watched her suddenly motivated mother stomp her way downstairs to the restaurant kitchen. Clearly, the large-scale endeavour was too much for the small one on the third floor.
"I hope she doesn't end up making Emilia fat."
She paused.
"But… fat Emilia would also be very cute. Um. Oh no, what the hell am I thinking?!"
Crystal slapped her forehead, blaming the strange thoughts on her sleep deprived brain.
But it was usually after these moments of absurdity that her mind became unprecedentedly clear, making her regrets even more prominent.
Just what was she thinking? What could be worth more than an extra hour of blissful sleep on a holiday morning?
Saturday mornings for Crystal had always been her solace from the entire week's headaches. There would be no school the next day, and she could even occasionally sleep in if she so desired.
In her overly packed and self-imposed schedule, it was the one day she had always allowed herself to be indulgent and selfish. After all, Crystal knew the importance of not burning herself out. How could she give it up?
Unfortunately, her illogical decisions throughout the week had come back to haunt her on this day. Why couldn't she resist approaching Emilia that day? Why did she pay her so much attention? Why did she agree to tutor her, despite having a whole mountain full of reasons to not do it?
Most importantly, why couldn't she bring herself to sleep last night?
Forcing herself to go through her morning routine, the fatigue she felt did not fade away even after soaking in the bathtub for almost thirty minutes. If anything, it made things worse, so she could only get out and finish dressing up.
Crystal casually picked a worn-out yellow sundress from her cupboard before draping it on. Only she knew how much she had obsessed over what she would wear today last night. She dragged her feet back towards the mirror, staring blankly at her reflection.
Glaring at the deep, dark circles around her eyes that were clearly visible even without a closer look, Crystal found herself wondering if she should try to put on make up for the first time in her life.
She even contemplated calling Emilia to tell her she's sick or something, but couldn't bring herself to do it.
Besides, would it even work on someone as impulsive as Emilia? She'll probably come over to 'nurse' her or something, which would just make her situation worse.
The heroine sighed.
"Anyway, it's probably better to have dark circles than to have botched up make up on my face."
As for asking her mother for help, that was of course impossible. Crystal never asked anyone for help unless she had no choice.
Just as she despondently walked out of the bathroom, her mother's voice echoed from downstairs.
"Crystal! Your friends are here!"
The blonde girl's head snapped towards the clock in shock.
"So early? I thought they'd come by around ten or so, but they're surprisingly diligent."
Crystal tried to appear nonchalant as she descended the stairs. In sharp contrast to the bored expression on her face, the young girl's heart was thumping wildly.
As she finally arrived at the ground floor, she found her mother fussing over the two 'guests'.
Her eyes quickly passed over Dixie, who was looking quite neat and diligent in her white shirt, blue ribbon tie and knee length blue skirt. But whoever it was that arranged Emilia's appearance today should probably be given some award.
If she had met her on the streets, even the ever astute Crystal would have thought she must be Emilia's distant relative, because although their appearance was similar, the aura they gave off was completely different.
The hair she had only ever seen in a meticulously arranged waterfall braid was pulled up in two childish looking pigtails in green scrunchies, looking fluffy and cute.
The emerald green short jumper along with the white undershirt gave her a slightly tomboyish look, but the jumper's shorts barely managed to cover the girl's butt, and didn't cover her legs at all.
The tantalizingly long and flawless legs undid almost all of the tomboyish charm that had been so 'deliberately' set up, and it gave the onlooker a feeling of violation. If Emilia's proportions had been just slightly off, it might even appear gaudy.
Perhaps that was the most ingenious part of the getup. The contrast between the girl and her clothes created an inimitable impression, like a beautiful girl trying to appear like a tomboy, but even if she fails, it's cute.
If it was an accident, it was just funny. But if it was deliberate, then it was a bit too terrifying.
'Anyway, Emilia in casual clothes is cute! No wait, I-I mean, as expected of expensive clothing, it looks good on, um, anyone. Yeah.'
Even the heroine knew how flimsy that excuse was, because the quality of clothing in this type of getup mattered very little. In fact, cheaper clothing might enhance this type of look even more.
Crystal's mom smiled widely as her daughter approached. Although it made her wrinkles appear deeper, her expression somehow gave off a feeling of comfort, like home.
"I'll leave you cute little girls alone, okay, call me if you need anything more!"
Although the heroine could understand that her mother was only thinking of her well-being, it didn't make her feel any less embarrassed.
Emilia smiled at her, bright and cheerful. "Hi~ Crystal, good morning!"
Dixie also nodded towards her, though she seemed to be focusing more on the 'offerings' that Crystal's mother had left them with.
"Morning, Emilia, Dixie. Uh, don't mind my mom, please. She's just happy to have you two over."
Emilia's eyes were glittering in amusement. "What do you mean 'don't mind'? Your mom is super nice! She even served us cake again!"
Looking at the six plates full of nothing but fattening deserts, Crystal's mind spun.
"U-Uh, eat in moderation."
Emilia tilted her head, confused. "Hm?"
Feeling the heat rising on her cheeks, the heroine could only rapidly shake her head and pick up a spare spoon to dig in herself.
"I-I mean, we have a lot to go over, so let's finish quickly."
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