"Tell, tell me please!" Akari said as she sat down with Rin and the other cousins in the maidens' club, sipping their refreshments.
"Seriously, cousin Akari—stop," Rin said, rolling her eyes.
"I need info, you need to fill my cup!" Akari shot back, grinning.
"What cup are you trying to fill?" Suki asked, raising a brow as she sat beside Akari. The other three cousins leaned in curiously, sensing trouble.
Akari suddenly turned to them with a mischievous smirk. "Hey, cousins! Cousin Rin here has a cup to fill!"
Mai, Suki, Koko, and Hana all gathered closer, holding their cups of refreshment like it was some secret ritual, waiting for Rin to spill.
"Okay, cousin Rin—spill the tea," Koko said, and the rest nodded their heads eagerly.
"Oh, this damn gossip is what I hate," Rin muttered under her breath, looking completely defeated. Akari sat back with a victorious smirk that screamed: Got you, cousin. No escape.
"What do you want me to say, guys?" Rin sighed, shoulders sinking.
"Umm… maybe tell us about the first time the Ice Queen kissed you," Akari said in a teasing, low tone.
"Woah…" the girls gasped together, leaning forward in unison, eyes sparkling like they'd just struck gold.
"Ugh, damn you, bit**!" Rin muttered, her cheeks burning red as she buried her face in her hands.
She peeked through her fingers, groaning. "Okay… the first time she kissed me was in… my room."
"Ohhh, I knew it!" Akari jumped in, smirking. "It always starts in the bedroom. Too many things happen in bedrooms." Her tone carried enough fire to make Rin's blush worse.
"Then how did you feel after that? What happened next?" Akari pressed, eyes gleaming like she was chasing the truth.
Rin lifted her head and glared. "Why are you so hell-bent on knowing how I felt? And nothing else happened after that, so don't you dare go further."
"Seriously, cousin Rin, we want to know what happened next," Hana added, leaning closer.
"Ehn!" Rin snapped, crossing her arms like a stubborn child.
She finally muttered, "Nothing. That was just… my second kiss with the second person and—"
"Cough! Cough!" Suki suddenly broke in, coughing into her hand as she folded her arms. She gave Rin a sly look. "Sorry. I thought I just heard something else."
"Second kiss…?" Koko frowned, confused. "But cousin Rin has kissed a lot of girls. And she's even gone beyond kis—"
"Cousin Koko!" Rin's eyes flew wide open, her mouth dropping.
Mai, panicking, quickly reached out and shut Koko's jaw.
"She must still be playing that memory loss game," Mai blurted, almost too fast.
"Yes!" Rin snapped her fingers like she had just been saved. "Exactly that!"
She took a small breath, then continued, her tone lighter at first.
"I mean… my first kiss was unexpected. I sacrificed it to cover up two lovers," she said, throwing a look at Akari—who only rolled her eyes.
"But then this second kiss…" Rin hesitated, her voice dropping, "it came out of the blue. And then it repeated. Like she has to kiss me anytime she sees me."
Her words slowed as the girls leaned in, quietly listening.
"At first I wasn't trying to like it." She almost whispered this part.
"Then she said seven dates to show me love, and if I don't fall… she'll let me go."
Her voice shifted again, betraying her. "The second date hasn't even happened yet. And I don't know why my heart races every time she's around. But I need to win. No matter what."
The table fell into silence for a beat.
"So you're also playing a game with the ice queen. That's cool," Suki finally said, sipping her drink like it was nothing.
"Yes. It's a game, and I need to win." Rin's words came quick, as if she wanted to convince herself more than them.
"So then—tell me, cousins. What was I like before my memory loss?"
"Ugh." Akari groaned, picking up her cup. "I just want the details about your kissing adventures with the queen, not your Casanova lifestyle." She stood, stretching her arms. "I'll go refill my drink. You better finish the story before I get back, so we can keep hearing the tea."
And with that, she walked away from the table, leaving the others buzzing with curiosity.
"Okay, who is telling the story!" Rin said, glancing around.
"Me! Me!" Koko raised her hand happily, her grin too wide. She leaned forward and spoke like she was about to tell a horror story.
"The Rin Kisaragi before the memory loss was everyone's dream gal—the girls, the boys, even the creatures all fell for her beauty."
Koko made a dramatic gesture with her hand as she went on.
"When Rin Kisaragi saw you, and she liked you, the next day you'd wake up in her bed. And then, bye-bye!"
"Ehn! So Rin Kisaragi is a slut!" Rin blurted, making the girls stare at her.
"What…" Mai said slowly.
"What does slut mean?" Hana tilted her head.
"Nothing! Just—continue, cousin Koko," Rin muttered quickly.
Koko smirked and continued.
"Then one night she ended up in an Akarawa's bed—when she was supposed to not. But Rin kept seeing her. Then one night Rin broke the poor Akarawa's heart. But the Akarawa wasn't going to let go of that beauty. She even snuck into the maiden club just to see her—"
Koko leaned in, lowering her tone. "But then she met another cousin… and fell in love with her instead. And Rin Kisaragi was jealous, because everyone was supposed to be in love with her and not—"
"Okay, okay, stop!" Rin cut in, waving her hands. "I know the rest of what happened after that. You don't have to summarize the entire plot of The Price of Love."
The girls all looked at her, their eyes narrowing in unison, like they were trying to solve a puzzle.
"What? Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Rin asked, her voice a little too defensive.
"Game over," Mai said flatly.
"Do you actually have memory loss—or what exactly happened to you?" she pressed.
"Yes. You usually don't sound like this. Your mannerisms have changed a lot," Hana added, frowning.
"And… you don't like cousin Akari," Suki said, cutting in sharply.
"What?" Rin blinked at her.
"Yes." Koko leaned forward, her tone serious now. "Maybe Sayuri was right. You're acting strangely. You've been hanging out with cousin Akari more than with us. And you're even supporting your ex and cousin Akari—aka the girlfriend snatcher."
"The other day you made me your successor," Mai said, pointing at her, "even when we all know you'd never do that. Because you want to stay single forever, so you can be the head forever!"
"Yes!" Rin tried to hold her ground. "That's why I want to win this game and not get married to the Ice Queen—so I can become the head forever! And I'm just pretending to like cousin Akari, remember?"
She was using their own words against them, trying to defend herself, but the doubt in their eyes made her throat tighten. If anyone could figure out she wasn't the real Rin Kisaragi, it was these four cousins. They were the ones she spent the most time with in the maiden club. And they didn't look convinced at all.
What would the real Rin Kisaragi do at this moment? she thought desperately.
Her gaze shifted to Koko, who was absentmindedly fiddling with her hands. Rin suddenly reached forward and held them.
"Oh, cousin Koko… are these new nail designs?" she asked with a sudden softness.
Koko blushed. "Yes, I got them recently."
Rin lifted both hands and kissed them, the girl's blush deepening. But one of the cousins wasn't having it.
"Wow… your hands are so soft, cousin Koko," Rin said, eyes locked on her face. "I wonder if your lips are too…"
She leaned in slowly, tilting toward Koko's lips.
"Ehh—!" the three cousins gasped, their voices overlapping, as Rin was about to kiss Koko.