[color=#FFF83B]"Nee-...chan?"[/color]

The sound of Lumia's voice snapped Rui out of her sobbing. She slowly pulled Lumia's card away from her chest. The girl inside had only just woken up from her slumber. [color=#FFF83B]"...! Nee-chan, what's wrong?!"[/color] she immediately panicked upon seeing her commander's tear-stained self. Rui got up from her bed, grabbed a tissue or two to clean herself and only then gave her answer.

[color=#ffbae8]"S-sorry, it's... it's nothing, Lumia."[/color] sounded Rui's reply, cagey as always.
[color=#FFF83B]"It's not nothing! You were crying!"[/color]
[color=#ffbae8]"I'll be fine, Lumia. As long... as long as I keep winning,"[/color] Rui muttered, her voice still a bit shaky.
Lumia felt a sharp pain in her heart when she heard her commander talk like that. [color=#FFF83B]"Nee-chan, you..."[/color] Lumia tried to force out an answer, but nothing came. She looked off to the side. [color=#FFF83B]"Do you really want to make it come true that badly...?"[/color] she whispered to herself. The air was heavy between the two of them.

The air being heavy wouldn't stop Sora from coming through the door unannounced, though. [color=#ffbae8]"Sora? -ow!"[/color] Rui yelped in surprise, hitting her ankle against the foot of her desk.

[color=cornflowerblue]"Teach me how to win."[/color] Sora asked Rui, staring her straight in the eyes. She looked away [i]immediately[/i].

[color=#ffbae8]"E-even if you say that, right now is a little..."[/color] she uncomfortably shifted in place. Her brother had the most [i]awful[/i] timing sometimes. Rui thought up of a good excuse though. As if remembering something all of a sudden, she said: [color=#ffbae8]"Sorry! I haven't changed out of my uniform yet, and, and mom gets really mad if I don't! I need to get changed for dinner, so-"[/color]

...which, while not untrue, also meant she had to un- and redress. Rui's face steadily grew more embarrassed as she kept digging her hole deeper and deeper. [color=#ffbae8]"Get out of my room for a minute, please!"[/color] she hurriedly ordered him, shoving Sora straight back out of the room and leaning against her closed door. Heart still pounding, Rui yelled [color=#ffbae8]"Sorry, Sora! I really promise to teach you after dinner, okay?!"[/color] through her door.

[i]All[/i] of that just because she didn't want him to notice her swollen eyes.