Near the clock tower, a long way from the sea, a man was standing; judging by the way he was looking around restlessly, he was waiting for someone. He glanced at the watch on his wrist several times; he'd arrived ten minutes too early for their agreed meeting time.
However, it turned out he didn't need to wait those ten minutes, as the sound of light footsteps could be heard approaching from behind. "Oh? You're here already?" A girl's light-toned voice approached; the man, named Romeo, immediately turned round and saw the girl who was now his girlfriend.
"Ah, yes, I've only just arrived actually," he said—it was a lie; in fact, he'd been waiting for twenty minutes because he'd been too impatient to get on with their first date after they'd started dating. "You look lovely." The night before, he'd read a dating guide and was ready to put what he'd learnt into practice.
"Thanks, you too," replied the girl named Juliet. Neither of them mentioned it, but they were well aware that they were wearing exactly the same clothes they wore every day; for some reason, they always wore the same outfits, as if there were no other clothes in their wardrobes. "So… where shall we go first?"
"How about the cinema?" Romeo suggested; according to the book he'd read, a man mustn't look confused—they must be able to make decisions. "I've heard there's a good film on at the moment!"
"Oh? The one called *Stay With Me*, right?" Juliet guessed, and Romeo nodded in agreement; they then turned around and walked towards the nearby cinema. On the way, they chatted casually and their fingers brushed against each other until, eventually, their hands were clasped together.
"You know, my dad often tells me stories about hell—but I don't believe a place like that exists"
"And why don't you believe it?"
"I mean, it's as if he's always hiding something from me, and no matter how hard I try, I still can't get an answer from him"
Without realising it, they found themselves right in front of the cinema; they both walked in in sync, immediately bought their tickets and made their way to the screening room where the film was being shown.
Throughout the film, Juliet never moved her head even an inch—her eyes were fixed on what was in front of her, whilst Romeo frequently stole glances to her left and slowly, inch by inch, brought his hand closer until their fingers touched.
Luckily for Romeo, however, that moment was a particularly poignant one and Juliet's hand instinctively clasped his firmly before squeezed it, sending a jolt through Romeo's entire body and making him stand up straight. His dark eyes glanced over to see the girl beside him sobbing softly, whilst her boyfriend felt terribly awkward.
Just as the film was reaching its closing credits, Juliet hadn't let go of Romeo's hand and, instead, let out a deeply satisfied sigh; she immediately turned to him and asked, "What did you think of the film? I loved it! I wish I had a friendship like that!" But Romeo had to think for quite a while, as Juliet's sudden touch had caused him to lose focus on the story.
"Yes, it was really good. Do you like this sort of film?" The two of them stood up and walked out of the cinema, still clutching each other's hands tightly.
Juliet pondered; she tried to recall all the films she'd watched before, but she seemed to be struggling to remember. "I… like funny films!" she said confidently.
"Oh? Really?" But just as they stepped out of the cinema, they heard another girl calling Romeo's name, causing them both to freeze in their tracks.
"R-Romeo, I didn't expect to bump into you here." Juliet's red eyes darted sharply in that direction; they spotted a girl with light grey hair styled in low twin tails—her blue pupils seemed to tremble, though her lips formed a smile.
"Oh?! Snow! Enjoying a bit of a break too, are you?" Robin greeted her very warmly, but before Snow could reply, she let out a high-pitched shriek as she sensed a terrifying aura behind Romeo; she glanced over and saw Juliet staring at her with eyes red and shining like a predator that had locked onto its prey.
Her blue eyes darted downwards and she realised almost immediately, "Um—sorry, but I've got to get a move on so I don't miss the film I'm here to see!" She let out an awkward laugh before sprinting, at an unnaturally fast pace, into the cinema.
"Huh, she's acting strangely, isn't she, Juliet?" Romeo turned round and Juliet immediately broke into her usual innocent smile—she lifted her head and gave a slight nod as if she had nothing to do with it.
"Who's that girl, Romeo?"
"Hm? Oh, I haven't introduced her yet, have I? She's Snow White—one of Mother's children and also a friend of mine."
"Just a friend?"
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"'I suppose so'?!"
"I mean, she's my partner in defeating Miralda, even though she did more than I did—so I suppose I still owe her one."
"Oh, is that so?"
Juliet pulled her hand away and walked off—each of her steps sounded heavy, as if she were deliberately stamping on the ground to crack it. Seeing this, Romeo immediately ran after her. "Wait!" His fingers grasped the girl's right hand, but inadvertently pulled at the glove she was wearing instead. "Huh?"
Juliet turned round and her eyes widened; she immediately pulled her hand away and hid it before running off—Romeo's eyes, still fixed on the road, stared at the glove, then he snapped his head up to see that Juliet had already vanished.
Romeo already knew what had happened, yet he was still astonished by his girlfriend's speed. He picked up the glove and wiped it clean before folding it and tucking it into his pocket. "I've got to catch up with her," he muttered, and a blue light began to appear, forming a masquerade mask.
Once the masquerade mask was in place, covering half his face, he immediately sprinted off, dodging everyone so as not to accidentally collide with passers-by.
Romeo's eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings, and they came to an immediate halt when he spotted a familiar figure; he turned sharply and dashed towards her—he saw Juliet hiding in an alleyway; she was panting and felt safe now. "That was a close call," she breathed.
"He nearly saw my right hand," she quickly pulled another glove from her pocket and immediately covered her hand with the black fabric. "This is simply a disgrace," she clutched her hand tightly.
"No, it isn't," Romeo's voice made Juliet jump in surprise; she turned round immediately and backed up until her back was pressed against the high wall of the alleyway. "So that's why I'm not allowed to hold your right hand?"
Juliet looked to her left, but Romeo's hand shot out and his palm struck the wall, immediately drawing her attention back to the man in front of her. "E-Eh?" Juliet stammered, her voice trembling; she was startled yet struggling to hold back a smile—one could tell clearly just from the blush on her cheeks.
"Everyone has flaws, and that's not a disgrace we should be ashamed of"
"If anyone mocks you just because of your flaws, they're actually the ones with far greater flaws but who don't dare to show them"
"So, please don't be ashamed of what you consider this 'disgrace', because no matter what—I will still love you with all my heart."
Hearing Romeo's speech made Juliet's face as red as a tomato; she couldn't say a word until her whole body went numb—she'd never expected Romeo to say something like that to her.
"Juliet, can you hear me?"
But the girl really couldn't hear him because her mind was in such a turmoil now; when Romeo's finger touched Juliet's cheek, she was startled as if she'd touched a scorching hot cauldron. "Are you ill? Shall I take you to hospital?!" Romeo became extremely panicked and at a loss as to what to do.
"N-No! I'm fine," the girl turned her face away, her reddened eyes glancing aside, and her fists clenched tightly as if trying to hold back all the emotions she was feeling at that moment. "It's just… I just didn't expect what you said to me."
She found the courage to make eye contact with her boyfriend again. "But… Thank you, Romeo," she offered a faint smile, which immediately made the young man's heart race. "I suppose it's all right if you're the one seeing it."
Juliet raised her right hand and her left fingers began to pinch the fabric of the glove. "Oh my, oh my, at least find a quiet spot if you want to get cosy." Romeo initially thought it was Juliet's voice, but her mouth was closed when the voice came out.
They both turned towards the entrance to the alley and spotted a girl with blonde hair and ruby-red eyes—exactly like Juliet's. Their gaze was immediately drawn to the long right sleeve of her tattered shirt, which fluttered easily in the wind as there was nothing to hold it in place.
"…Big Sis?"