"Uhm, excuse me?"
After walking past each other, Angel stopped in her tracks at the sound of Maria's voice.
She turned around, and her eyes sparkled as she saw Maria staring back at her.
「She's as beautiful as the day I met her.」
Angel couldn't help but gaze into Maria's deep brown eyes and notice her black hair—had it gotten longer? It framed her face so perfectly.
Angel's heart skipped a beat. Sure, she knew she was pretty, but Maria? Nghhh, seeing her again after so long made her heart melt into a puddle!!
"W-What is it?"
Angel tilted her head, studying Maria. Maria seemed to be looking at her so intently... What was she thinking?
"Your hair—it's so pretty! Did you get it dyed across the street?"
Maria pointed toward the row of salons across the street.
Angel glanced behind her. Oh, right, there were salons there. But thankfully, her hair wasn't dyed at all. It was naturally silver, a fact she was oddly proud of.
"No, no! This is natural!"
Angel waved both hands frantically, as if denying some grave accusation.
"I see... Can I touch your hair? Ah, wait! Where are my manners? I'm Maria—Maria Mendoza."
Maria extended her hand, ready for a handshake.
Angel didn't hesitate. She shifted the carton bags from her right arm to her left and shook Maria's hand firmly.
"I'm Angel Ramondez. And about my hair... sure, you can give it a touch."
"Really???"
Maria's eyes lit up like fireworks. She hadn't expected Angel to agree so easily.
Wait—Ramondez? Huhhhh?!
Before Maria could reach out to touch Angel's hair, her eyes widened in realization.
"Wait, wait! Ramondez? Are you related to Joseph Angelito L. Ramondez?"
「Ah, shit. This is it.」
Angel forced an awkward smile.
「I guess I have to keep up the "I'm his sister" facade...」
She sighed deeply inside, bracing herself.
"I'm his little sister."
「That's unbelievable」
Angel thought. Maria would hardly buy that, right?
But when Angel looked at Maria's face, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Oh my goshhh?! Is that true? You're Joseph's little sister?? How cuteee! Omg, omggg!"
"!!!"
「Can't breathe!」
Before Angel could even process what was happening, she was pulled into a tight, suffocating hug.
"Mhppph… c-can't breathe—!"
Angel quickly tapped Maria's back, prompting her to release her grip.
"A-Ahh! S-Sorry, sorry!"
Maria frantically apologized, bowing up and down like a malfunctioning bobblehead.
"Are you really his little sister?? Weird… Joseph never told me he had a little sister."
Angel let out a small laugh. Of course, Maria hadn't heard of her—because she's Joseph! This was just an excuse to make her situation more believable.
"I… I am."
Maria's eyes sparkled even brighter.
"Uuuu~ but your hairrr! Your hair! It's silver! Are you a halfiee? Why is your hair silverrr?"
…Is her hair really that interesting? No, more importantly—how the fuck is she supposed to explain it?!
"Uh… no, I was born from the same parents as Joseph, so…"
Maria tilted her head, looking puzzled.
Confused?
Awed?
Both?
"Ehhh~? That doesn't make sense! You totally won the genetic lottery by a long shot."
She crossed her arms, looking skeptical. Joseph's supposed little sister? With silver hair and blue eyes? How is that even possible?
"…It's just how it is."
Angel let out an awkward laugh, scratching the side of her neck,
"Hmmm… like that, huh? Well… I guess I won't pry further."
Maria sighed, then suddenly perked up again.
"Well, you were fun to talk to, Angel! Do you have a socmed?"
Socmed?
Oh.
Social media.
"Uhh, yeahh!"
Angel pulled out her phone, switched on her mobile data, and opened Facebook.
"Here."
"Ehh? You use Facebook?"
Maria gasped, covering her mouth as if Angel had just revealed she still used dial-up internet.
"…Is that wrong?"
Angel tilted her head.
"No, no, it's not wrong, it's just… you're so like your big brother."
"Well, I am his little sister, so—"
"I meant, you guys are so alike."
「Well, that's because we're the same person-」
Anyway. Maria pulled out her phone and started typing. Moments later, Angel got a friend request.
"Ah, got your friend request."
Angel glanced up at Maria.
"Is that so? I'm glad! Well, I really have to go now. It was really nice meeting you!"
Maria beamed, then pointed behind her at the racks of second-hand clothes.
"Ah, right, right… nice meeting you too."
Angel smiled and waved.
"Make sure to add me, okayy? We should hang out sometime!"
Maria grinned before turning on her heel and heading up to the second floor of the building.
「Wow. That was… interesting.」
Angel shifted some of the carton bags from her left hand to her right, trying to balance them better.
「Though, it is kinda concerning how easily Maria believed me… What made her trust me so fast?」
Angel could only wonder as she stepped outside the ukay-ukay.