The Eternal Summer
- Thread starter Paladinoras
- Start date
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Chapter 4 part 2 – Birthdays Were Created To Kill My Wallet
April 12th, 9:34 AM, Minami-cho, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
I rifled through the contents of my rather thick wallet quickly. One…two…three…four, I slowly counted, making sure that no paper bills were glued together or folded. “Hmm, so I have 80 000 yen in total, this should do it…” I muttered to no one in particular. It was the morning of April 12th, 10 days before Natsumi Hinata’s birthday, and therefore today, I decided that I would go out and get a present for her. Obviously, I know nothing about the inner workings of a girl’s mind, so I wanted to ask a girl to tag along with me….problem is, I am not particularly close with any girl, so who the hell can I ask to go with me???
After some deep contemplation, I realized that I could really only choose between two people: my younger sister, Hitomi…and the vocalist of my band, Natsumi Kuroyuki, or Nacchan, as I’d like to affectionately call her. While I love my sister with all my heart, I don’t trust her enough to let her accompany me to do something that might impact my lovelife. My parents were pretty conservative about these things, and technically, I am not supposed to have a girlfriend till I graduate from high school. But heyyy, what they don’t know won’t hurt em, right??
And so therefore, I find myself walking along the streets of Minami-cho on a Sunday morning, heading towards Natsumi’s house. I had called her the night previously asking if she wanted to go with me, and she had responded yes rather enthusiastically. But strangely, right after I told her that I was gonna go there to buy a present for a girl, she instantly said that she changed her mind and didn’t want to go after all.
So I had to swallow my pride and beg.
And beg.
And beg.
And beg.
Thankfully, after about 30 minutes of continuous persuasion and begging, she gave in and said that she’ll tag along, but to not expect much from her. She hung up immediately afterwards. Ahh, I might have pissed her off or something but who cares!!!
With these happy thoughts in my mind, I walked towards the gate of Natsumi’s house, whistling a jovial tune. However, my mood was not to last. As I slowly walked past the entrance, I could hear loud voices emanating from the house. Screaming voices, to be more precise. I couldn’t really identify who were the owners of the voices from here, but I can certainly tell that it was the voice of a man and a young woman. “Shut up, what do you know about my life??!!” The muffled voice of a man could be heard. “You are such a loser! You don’t deserve to be called a parent!” The girl responded, screaming shrilly.
Wait…that voice…isn’t that…Natsumi?
“You bitch! How dare you talk to me like that! All you do is play around with your goddamned guitar all day, what do you know about anything??!!!” The man raised his voice even further.
“That guitar has taught me more about life than you ever will, you bastard!” The girl added a few decibels to her voice as well.
“THAT’S IT!!” The man roared, and suddenly, a black box was thrown out from the second floor, shattering a window.
“Wow” I exclaimed, having managed to barely evade the black box, which landed on the asphalt with a loud bang. I recognized it immediately as Nacchan’s guitar box, the one I carried not so long ago.
“NOO!” I could her Natsumi exclaiming. Through the broken window, I could hear her voice clearly…and see what was unfolding right in front of me. Natsumi was standing face-to-face against a tall, bulky man who appeared to be intoxicated and very angry. Her father…or at least her parental figure, I guess.
Natsumi suddenly disappeared from view and I could hear footsteps gradually coming closer towards the front door. The door was slammed open well afterwards, and Nacchan came running out, tears streaked across her face. “Ehh..” I began. She looked at me and I could tell she was surprised. I guess this was not how most people would like to be seen… “Let’s go.” She said quickly, and walked…well, more accurately, ran out from her house. “DON’T COME BACK!!!!” The man yelled out again.
Oh boy, what did I get myself into now…
I picked up her guitar casing, which was in very bad shape, and quickly followed after her.
“Uhh…” I tried to say something…anything, but the words just wouldn’t come. What words were appropriate for a situation like this anyway? “I…I don’t want to talk about it” she murmured, barely opening her mouth. “Uhh, ok.”
And so we walked on silently towards the train station. I had planned to go to Shimizu for this special occasion, but taking into account what just happened…I decided to make a detour and boarded the train towards Nihondaira. Natsumi noticed this, and it seemed like she wanted to comment, but instead, she remained silent. I can see why she would be confused, Nihondaira is famous for its scenic view, not shopping centres, but there was a special place there that I just had to go to.
April 12th, 10:47 AM, Nihondaira, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
“Ahhh, the view here is spectacular! I can see why people love this place so much” I exclaimed loudly as soon as I got out of the train station, trying to coax a comment out of Nacchan’s lips, but she didn’t respond. She gave a small, bitter smile, her lips refusing to part. I sighed, and quickly walked along the streets of Nihondaira.
Lush green hills and a wide, expansive field can be seen from where I stand. Of course, the cream of the crop, Mount Fuji, can also be seen from here, spectacularly reaching towards the heavens. I have seen the mountain over a hundred times already…but I’ll never get bored of it. I guess it’s not the national symbol of Japan for nothing. All of this is lost on Natsumi’s eyes though, as she appeared to be in a trance of some sort, her eyes staring blankly into the distance. “Hello???” I waved my hands in front of her face repeatedly. She looked at me for a few seconds with an empty look and walked on.
Okay, this situation requires some extreme measures.
“I love you…” I silently whispered in her ear. Now, I was expecting a rather violent outburst from her, but I was so desperate to get a reaction out of her, I didn’t really care. However, Natsumi just gave me that same blank look, her eyes gazing far off into the distance. “Sorry, did you say something?” she murmured emotionlessly.
AHHHHH, WHAT IS THIS??? NOT EVEN THAT GETS A REACTION??? DEAR GOD!!!!
Deciding that any further attempts to try and coax a response from her would be about as fruitful as trying to kill an elephant with a feather, I remained silent for the remainder of the trip. Natsumi didn’t even once try to break the silence along the way. Thankfully, my destination wasn’t so amazingly far away, so we managed to reach there within 15 minutes. The place in question was a small, two-storey building with a small sign on the roof which read “Kuroyuki Music Shop”. The building would have looked quite normal and inconspicuous if it was located in any city in Japan….which is why this building is unique. It is, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere.
Nihondaira, one must understand, is a place for sightseeing, and for that reason, there are very few shops located here, mostly selling souvenirs. The Kuroyuki Music Shop, however, is located dead center in Nihondaira. Imagine a gigantic dinner plate with a small piece of meat in the center and nothing else around it, and you would roughly get the idea of how the shop is located. To no one’s surprise, very few people know that this shop exists. Kazuhiko does, god knows why, and that is how I have become a loyal customer here over the years. Meeting the owner has always been a rather…disturbing experience, though.
Sighing loudly, I opened the door to the shop and walked in. Natsumi followed suit. The interior of the place is about as different as it could possibly be compared to its outer appearance. I swear to god, first time I walked in here, it felt like I went into a time machine and was transported back to the 70s. The walls were lined with some freaky velvet-coloured material which was soft to the touch, and a gigantic, glittering disco ball was hanging from the wall, revolving at a slow speed, shining its multi-coloured lights towards the room. Posters of the Beatles, the Ramones, and even the Beegees were plastered to the wall. And the cream of the crop, disco floors, floor tiles that changes colour from white to blue when someone steps upon it. But of course, it is a music shop, and so, along the left and right walls of the room were dozens of very expensive and rare guitars hanging from the wall.
“OHMAIGAT!!! KEN-CHANNN!!!!” A high-pitched voice suddenly emanated from behind a large wooden table.
Oh god, not this again.
The owner of the voice was well…the owner of the shop, an obese, bulky, man by the name of John Morrison. Not his real name, quite obviously, considering he is Japanese, it’s an amalgam of Jim Morrison and John Lennon, two of the rockers he admired the most. So far, nobody has been able to figure out what his real name is. And oh, he has a gigantic afro on his head, which, to be honest, I can’t tell whether it’s authentic or just a really good wig.
“You came back!!!” he yelled out dramatically. “How’s Florry doing? You treating her well?”
“Ehh…yeah, Florry is fine…” I replied hesitantly. Florry was what he nicknamed my guitar, which is a Les Paul Gibson Florentine type, the day I bought it.
“Great!!! Oh, and I see you brought your girlfriend with you today!! How sweet! What can I do for you then??” he spluttered out quickly, words coming out from his mouth like bullets from a machine gun.
“She’s not…” Before I could finish, John cut me off midway, staring at the battered guitar case in my hand.
“OHMMAAAAAIIIGGGGGAAAATTTT!!!! IS THAT FLORRYYY???? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO IT?? I’LL KILL YA BOY!” I was taken aback by this sudden outburst, Kazuhiko did say that he was eccentric, but this was just…well, psychotic.
“It’s not…” I barely had time to open my mouth before he yanked the guitar case from my hand and opened it.
“Oh, it’s not Florry after all…but this guitar is in pretty bad shape, you own this, Ken-chan?” He asked me calmly, his mood suddenly normal again. What a guy.
“That’s what I was trying to say, goddamit! Let me finish!” I yelled out. “That guitar belongs to the girl here, she’s the vocalist of my band, I wanted to ask you if you can help me fix it!
John mused over my request for a while. He slowly took out the guitar from the casing and well…it didn’t look good.
“Oh..” I can hear Natsumi weakly exclaiming from beside me. Her pink Fender Stratocaster was well…destroyed. The neck had been snapped in two, leaving the strings hanging around. The multitude of knobs to regulate volume, bass and treble were all cracked, some even falling out from the body of the guitar when John held it up. The headstock of the electric guitar was also pretty much destroyed, the tuner which Natsumi had used so many times was barely holding on, almost dropping off.
“So can you fix it?” I asked John quietly, fearing that his response would be a bad one
“Well…” John scratched his head, well, afro, for a while “It’s not impossible, yeah, but honestly, I think that you would be better off buying a new one.”
“At its current state, I would pretty much have to replace 80% of all the parts in this guitar for it to be running as smoothly as it once had. I can’t even guarantee that either, an impact like that would have warped the body of the guitar, so the string formations and all would be compromised.”
“All in all, to answer your question, yes, I can fix it, but it’s gonna cost you a lot, plus it probably won’t sound the same as it used to” John concluded calmly.
Natsumi took the news hard; I can tell that she was already on the verge of crying. I can hear her irregular breathing, and the shuffling of her feet. The guitar must’ve meant a whole lot to her.
…Sigh
“How much to fix it?” I asked.
“Wow, you are seriously considering it? Well, hmm…cause it’s you, I’d say 89 000 yen.”
My jaw dropped at his statement.
“WHAT THE HELL? A BRAND NEW FENDER STRATOCASTER ONLY COSTS 59 000 YEN!”
“Yeahh, well, fixing it ain’t easy, plus I have to order some of the parts from the States. Shipping ain’t cheap, ya know.”
“B-b-but!” I spluttered, not really sure how to argue against him. He knows guitars pretty well, and if he says that the guitar needs parts from out of the country…then it needs parts from out of the country.
“It’s okay, Ken” Natsumi suddenly whispered from behind me “I don’t have the money for it anyway, even if it’s for a new Fender, let alone to repair this one.”
“But you loved that guitar!!” I argued.
“It can’t be helped” She replied, tears already beginning to form on the side of her eyes.
“Fine, I’ll pay for it!” I turned around and took out my wallet without a second though, taking out a few paper bills. I can’t pay em all in one go, but I think John will take a downpayment of 80 thousand.
“DON’T” Natsumi yelled out from behind me. “I-I can’t make you do that, Ken, thanks for the offer, but..” Her tears were already flowing out, each droplet falling slowly towards the ground. “I’ll never forgive myself if you pay to fix that guitar.” She managed to say, in between her sobs.
“You can always pay me back, you idiot, I am not kind enough to splash out 89 000 yen on you ya know” I joked around, trying to cheer her up, but she just swayed her head from left to right, the universal sign for “no”.
I was going to try and persuade her again, but my cellphone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, ringing once. A text message.
“Uhh, excuse me”
I know I have the worst timing and dramatic-situation-sensitivity in the world, gimme a break.
<<From: Yukimura Tanaka>>
<<Subject: Yoo>>
<<Hey dude, 3 days to go before our dearest vocalist’s birthday. Have you bought anything for her? If ya haven’t, call me up, let’s go and get her something. Bring your sister along, you and I both know we’re hopeless when it comes to girly crap.>>
<<Message End>>
…
So her birthday is in three days? Holy crap, how could I have totally forgotten about that???
I closed the lid of my phone and looked at Natsumi again. She was still crying, although with less intensity, and she looks like she has barely enough energy to stand up. She has always been the cheerful one in the band, so I didn’t expect such an extreme reaction from her… I guess everyone has a weak side after all.
I looked at my wallet again. I have 80 000 yen...I haven’t thought about this before…but if I buy anything for Nacchan right here and now, then…well, I wouldn’t have enough money to get the other Natsumi anything decent for her birthday. But on the other hand, I have known Nacchan for more than 2 years now, and we are together in a band, while I barely knew Natsumi… On the other hand, Nacchan did say that she won’t be able to forgive herself if I paid to fix her guitar, so I would probably be doing her more harm than good. But my band won’t be complete without her… and if she doesn’t play the guitar then it will greatly disrupt our songs.
Oh god, what the hell am I supposed to do…
I glanced at Natsumi again, who is now sitting on a chair, her eyes completely red from all the crying. She was staring blankly into space again with the same expression she had on this morning. Obviously, if this goes on, it won’t have good effects for her mental health.
….Damn it
I slowly turned around to face John, a thousand thoughts raging about in my head, and pointed at the black and white Stratocaster hanging in the wall behind him.
“Wrap that up, I’m buying it.”
Relationship hell, here I come.
I rifled through the contents of my rather thick wallet quickly. One…two…three…four, I slowly counted, making sure that no paper bills were glued together or folded. “Hmm, so I have 80 000 yen in total, this should do it…” I muttered to no one in particular. It was the morning of April 12th, 10 days before Natsumi Hinata’s birthday, and therefore today, I decided that I would go out and get a present for her. Obviously, I know nothing about the inner workings of a girl’s mind, so I wanted to ask a girl to tag along with me….problem is, I am not particularly close with any girl, so who the hell can I ask to go with me???
After some deep contemplation, I realized that I could really only choose between two people: my younger sister, Hitomi…and the vocalist of my band, Natsumi Kuroyuki, or Nacchan, as I’d like to affectionately call her. While I love my sister with all my heart, I don’t trust her enough to let her accompany me to do something that might impact my lovelife. My parents were pretty conservative about these things, and technically, I am not supposed to have a girlfriend till I graduate from high school. But heyyy, what they don’t know won’t hurt em, right??
And so therefore, I find myself walking along the streets of Minami-cho on a Sunday morning, heading towards Natsumi’s house. I had called her the night previously asking if she wanted to go with me, and she had responded yes rather enthusiastically. But strangely, right after I told her that I was gonna go there to buy a present for a girl, she instantly said that she changed her mind and didn’t want to go after all.
So I had to swallow my pride and beg.
And beg.
And beg.
And beg.
Thankfully, after about 30 minutes of continuous persuasion and begging, she gave in and said that she’ll tag along, but to not expect much from her. She hung up immediately afterwards. Ahh, I might have pissed her off or something but who cares!!!
With these happy thoughts in my mind, I walked towards the gate of Natsumi’s house, whistling a jovial tune. However, my mood was not to last. As I slowly walked past the entrance, I could hear loud voices emanating from the house. Screaming voices, to be more precise. I couldn’t really identify who were the owners of the voices from here, but I can certainly tell that it was the voice of a man and a young woman. “Shut up, what do you know about my life??!!” The muffled voice of a man could be heard. “You are such a loser! You don’t deserve to be called a parent!” The girl responded, screaming shrilly.
Wait…that voice…isn’t that…Natsumi?
“You bitch! How dare you talk to me like that! All you do is play around with your goddamned guitar all day, what do you know about anything??!!!” The man raised his voice even further.
“That guitar has taught me more about life than you ever will, you bastard!” The girl added a few decibels to her voice as well.
“THAT’S IT!!” The man roared, and suddenly, a black box was thrown out from the second floor, shattering a window.
“Wow” I exclaimed, having managed to barely evade the black box, which landed on the asphalt with a loud bang. I recognized it immediately as Nacchan’s guitar box, the one I carried not so long ago.
“NOO!” I could her Natsumi exclaiming. Through the broken window, I could hear her voice clearly…and see what was unfolding right in front of me. Natsumi was standing face-to-face against a tall, bulky man who appeared to be intoxicated and very angry. Her father…or at least her parental figure, I guess.
Natsumi suddenly disappeared from view and I could hear footsteps gradually coming closer towards the front door. The door was slammed open well afterwards, and Nacchan came running out, tears streaked across her face. “Ehh..” I began. She looked at me and I could tell she was surprised. I guess this was not how most people would like to be seen… “Let’s go.” She said quickly, and walked…well, more accurately, ran out from her house. “DON’T COME BACK!!!!” The man yelled out again.
Oh boy, what did I get myself into now…
I picked up her guitar casing, which was in very bad shape, and quickly followed after her.
“Uhh…” I tried to say something…anything, but the words just wouldn’t come. What words were appropriate for a situation like this anyway? “I…I don’t want to talk about it” she murmured, barely opening her mouth. “Uhh, ok.”
And so we walked on silently towards the train station. I had planned to go to Shimizu for this special occasion, but taking into account what just happened…I decided to make a detour and boarded the train towards Nihondaira. Natsumi noticed this, and it seemed like she wanted to comment, but instead, she remained silent. I can see why she would be confused, Nihondaira is famous for its scenic view, not shopping centres, but there was a special place there that I just had to go to.
April 12th, 10:47 AM, Nihondaira, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
“Ahhh, the view here is spectacular! I can see why people love this place so much” I exclaimed loudly as soon as I got out of the train station, trying to coax a comment out of Nacchan’s lips, but she didn’t respond. She gave a small, bitter smile, her lips refusing to part. I sighed, and quickly walked along the streets of Nihondaira.
Lush green hills and a wide, expansive field can be seen from where I stand. Of course, the cream of the crop, Mount Fuji, can also be seen from here, spectacularly reaching towards the heavens. I have seen the mountain over a hundred times already…but I’ll never get bored of it. I guess it’s not the national symbol of Japan for nothing. All of this is lost on Natsumi’s eyes though, as she appeared to be in a trance of some sort, her eyes staring blankly into the distance. “Hello???” I waved my hands in front of her face repeatedly. She looked at me for a few seconds with an empty look and walked on.
Okay, this situation requires some extreme measures.
“I love you…” I silently whispered in her ear. Now, I was expecting a rather violent outburst from her, but I was so desperate to get a reaction out of her, I didn’t really care. However, Natsumi just gave me that same blank look, her eyes gazing far off into the distance. “Sorry, did you say something?” she murmured emotionlessly.
AHHHHH, WHAT IS THIS??? NOT EVEN THAT GETS A REACTION??? DEAR GOD!!!!
Deciding that any further attempts to try and coax a response from her would be about as fruitful as trying to kill an elephant with a feather, I remained silent for the remainder of the trip. Natsumi didn’t even once try to break the silence along the way. Thankfully, my destination wasn’t so amazingly far away, so we managed to reach there within 15 minutes. The place in question was a small, two-storey building with a small sign on the roof which read “Kuroyuki Music Shop”. The building would have looked quite normal and inconspicuous if it was located in any city in Japan….which is why this building is unique. It is, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere.
Nihondaira, one must understand, is a place for sightseeing, and for that reason, there are very few shops located here, mostly selling souvenirs. The Kuroyuki Music Shop, however, is located dead center in Nihondaira. Imagine a gigantic dinner plate with a small piece of meat in the center and nothing else around it, and you would roughly get the idea of how the shop is located. To no one’s surprise, very few people know that this shop exists. Kazuhiko does, god knows why, and that is how I have become a loyal customer here over the years. Meeting the owner has always been a rather…disturbing experience, though.
Sighing loudly, I opened the door to the shop and walked in. Natsumi followed suit. The interior of the place is about as different as it could possibly be compared to its outer appearance. I swear to god, first time I walked in here, it felt like I went into a time machine and was transported back to the 70s. The walls were lined with some freaky velvet-coloured material which was soft to the touch, and a gigantic, glittering disco ball was hanging from the wall, revolving at a slow speed, shining its multi-coloured lights towards the room. Posters of the Beatles, the Ramones, and even the Beegees were plastered to the wall. And the cream of the crop, disco floors, floor tiles that changes colour from white to blue when someone steps upon it. But of course, it is a music shop, and so, along the left and right walls of the room were dozens of very expensive and rare guitars hanging from the wall.
“OHMAIGAT!!! KEN-CHANNN!!!!” A high-pitched voice suddenly emanated from behind a large wooden table.
Oh god, not this again.
The owner of the voice was well…the owner of the shop, an obese, bulky, man by the name of John Morrison. Not his real name, quite obviously, considering he is Japanese, it’s an amalgam of Jim Morrison and John Lennon, two of the rockers he admired the most. So far, nobody has been able to figure out what his real name is. And oh, he has a gigantic afro on his head, which, to be honest, I can’t tell whether it’s authentic or just a really good wig.
“You came back!!!” he yelled out dramatically. “How’s Florry doing? You treating her well?”
“Ehh…yeah, Florry is fine…” I replied hesitantly. Florry was what he nicknamed my guitar, which is a Les Paul Gibson Florentine type, the day I bought it.
“Great!!! Oh, and I see you brought your girlfriend with you today!! How sweet! What can I do for you then??” he spluttered out quickly, words coming out from his mouth like bullets from a machine gun.
“She’s not…” Before I could finish, John cut me off midway, staring at the battered guitar case in my hand.
“OHMMAAAAAIIIGGGGGAAAATTTT!!!! IS THAT FLORRYYY???? WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO IT?? I’LL KILL YA BOY!” I was taken aback by this sudden outburst, Kazuhiko did say that he was eccentric, but this was just…well, psychotic.
“It’s not…” I barely had time to open my mouth before he yanked the guitar case from my hand and opened it.
“Oh, it’s not Florry after all…but this guitar is in pretty bad shape, you own this, Ken-chan?” He asked me calmly, his mood suddenly normal again. What a guy.
“That’s what I was trying to say, goddamit! Let me finish!” I yelled out. “That guitar belongs to the girl here, she’s the vocalist of my band, I wanted to ask you if you can help me fix it!
John mused over my request for a while. He slowly took out the guitar from the casing and well…it didn’t look good.
“Oh..” I can hear Natsumi weakly exclaiming from beside me. Her pink Fender Stratocaster was well…destroyed. The neck had been snapped in two, leaving the strings hanging around. The multitude of knobs to regulate volume, bass and treble were all cracked, some even falling out from the body of the guitar when John held it up. The headstock of the electric guitar was also pretty much destroyed, the tuner which Natsumi had used so many times was barely holding on, almost dropping off.
“So can you fix it?” I asked John quietly, fearing that his response would be a bad one
“Well…” John scratched his head, well, afro, for a while “It’s not impossible, yeah, but honestly, I think that you would be better off buying a new one.”
“At its current state, I would pretty much have to replace 80% of all the parts in this guitar for it to be running as smoothly as it once had. I can’t even guarantee that either, an impact like that would have warped the body of the guitar, so the string formations and all would be compromised.”
“All in all, to answer your question, yes, I can fix it, but it’s gonna cost you a lot, plus it probably won’t sound the same as it used to” John concluded calmly.
Natsumi took the news hard; I can tell that she was already on the verge of crying. I can hear her irregular breathing, and the shuffling of her feet. The guitar must’ve meant a whole lot to her.
…Sigh
“How much to fix it?” I asked.
“Wow, you are seriously considering it? Well, hmm…cause it’s you, I’d say 89 000 yen.”
My jaw dropped at his statement.
“WHAT THE HELL? A BRAND NEW FENDER STRATOCASTER ONLY COSTS 59 000 YEN!”
“Yeahh, well, fixing it ain’t easy, plus I have to order some of the parts from the States. Shipping ain’t cheap, ya know.”
“B-b-but!” I spluttered, not really sure how to argue against him. He knows guitars pretty well, and if he says that the guitar needs parts from out of the country…then it needs parts from out of the country.
“It’s okay, Ken” Natsumi suddenly whispered from behind me “I don’t have the money for it anyway, even if it’s for a new Fender, let alone to repair this one.”
“But you loved that guitar!!” I argued.
“It can’t be helped” She replied, tears already beginning to form on the side of her eyes.
“Fine, I’ll pay for it!” I turned around and took out my wallet without a second though, taking out a few paper bills. I can’t pay em all in one go, but I think John will take a downpayment of 80 thousand.
“DON’T” Natsumi yelled out from behind me. “I-I can’t make you do that, Ken, thanks for the offer, but..” Her tears were already flowing out, each droplet falling slowly towards the ground. “I’ll never forgive myself if you pay to fix that guitar.” She managed to say, in between her sobs.
“You can always pay me back, you idiot, I am not kind enough to splash out 89 000 yen on you ya know” I joked around, trying to cheer her up, but she just swayed her head from left to right, the universal sign for “no”.
I was going to try and persuade her again, but my cellphone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, ringing once. A text message.
“Uhh, excuse me”
I know I have the worst timing and dramatic-situation-sensitivity in the world, gimme a break.
<<From: Yukimura Tanaka>>
<<Subject: Yoo>>
<<Hey dude, 3 days to go before our dearest vocalist’s birthday. Have you bought anything for her? If ya haven’t, call me up, let’s go and get her something. Bring your sister along, you and I both know we’re hopeless when it comes to girly crap.>>
<<Message End>>
…
So her birthday is in three days? Holy crap, how could I have totally forgotten about that???
I closed the lid of my phone and looked at Natsumi again. She was still crying, although with less intensity, and she looks like she has barely enough energy to stand up. She has always been the cheerful one in the band, so I didn’t expect such an extreme reaction from her… I guess everyone has a weak side after all.
I looked at my wallet again. I have 80 000 yen...I haven’t thought about this before…but if I buy anything for Nacchan right here and now, then…well, I wouldn’t have enough money to get the other Natsumi anything decent for her birthday. But on the other hand, I have known Nacchan for more than 2 years now, and we are together in a band, while I barely knew Natsumi… On the other hand, Nacchan did say that she won’t be able to forgive herself if I paid to fix her guitar, so I would probably be doing her more harm than good. But my band won’t be complete without her… and if she doesn’t play the guitar then it will greatly disrupt our songs.
Oh god, what the hell am I supposed to do…
I glanced at Natsumi again, who is now sitting on a chair, her eyes completely red from all the crying. She was staring blankly into space again with the same expression she had on this morning. Obviously, if this goes on, it won’t have good effects for her mental health.
….Damn it
I slowly turned around to face John, a thousand thoughts raging about in my head, and pointed at the black and white Stratocaster hanging in the wall behind him.
“Wrap that up, I’m buying it.”
Relationship hell, here I come.
- Nov 15, 2011
- 392
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Subscribed! :) Now I have something interesting to read when Im on the train! (Just readed the first Chapter, so can't really comment about the Story I think, but you have catched me already as reader, which is a good sign :D)
- Nov 4, 2010
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Thanks for the kind words. And yeah, I strive to be better and better so I hope all readers will support me ;D
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
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Chapter 4 part 3 – Birthdays Were Created To Give Me Chest Pains
April 12th, 13:47 PM, Nihondaira, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka
Note to self: Before acting heroic and buying a very expensive gift for a friend, make sure that I don’t have to carry it around due to said heroism or that it is so light that I won’t mind carrying it. If not, you might end up carrying two Fender Stratocasters plus their respective casings on each hand. Like what I am doing now.
Now, I am pretty sure a lot of people out there have never carried an electric guitar before, but let me be the first to say that it is, in no way whatsoever, light. Even the basic beginner electric guitars with minimal decorations and equipment can weigh up to 3 kilograms, not counting the casing. When the casing is included, it can go up to 5 or 6 kilograms. A Fender Stratocaster usually weighs 4 kilograms at minimum…so at best, it weighs 6 kilograms with the casing. Don’t get me wrong now, I am not some wimpy kid who never works out, I can handle 6 kilograms on each arm. But of course, things are never that simple.
Natsumi’s old Fender Stratocaster was basically stock, except for the pink paintjob, but the casing…Oh god, the casing. On each side of the rectangular box, she had attached about a dozen different key chains, and not the basic plastic key chains either, but the incredibly-heavy-and-unnecessary-metal-thing key chains. She had also inserted a metal layer inside of the casing itself, to protect the guitar from external impact. Of course, in the end, it didn’t help any, and honestly, I thought that it caused more damage in the end. With all these mods, it weighed more than 10 kilograms in total, and John had “kindly” given me some “extra accessories” for the new Stratocaster I had just bought too.
In conclusion, 10 kilograms on my right hand, 9 on my left hand.
And I have to walk for at least 30 minutes from John’s shop to go back to the train station.
Oh, and best of all, I haven’t eaten lunch. Terrific day I am having here.
Natsumi herself haven’t said anything since we left the shop. She had argued, of course, and fiercely at that, about how I am being such an idiot and that I shouldn’t waste my money on buying another guitar that will probably get broken sooner rather than later. But well, her fault for not being specific. She said not to FIX her guitar, she never said anything about buying her a NEW guitar, I mean, I am not a very smart man here, if she’s not being very specific I might just interpret it the wrong way... At any rate, it’s her birthday in three days anyway, a new guitar now, a new guitar then, what’s the difference, I reasoned to her. After hearing that, she finally gave up and grudgingly accepted the guitar.
But of course, being the incredibly grateful and appreciative person that she is, she has decided to remain silent for the whole trip back. I would try to break the silence, but carrying 19 kilograms’ worth of weight tends to take the breath out of one’s lungs. “Need…food” I finally grunted, not wasting any energy to form a full sentence. Natsumi didn’t say anything in response; instead, she took a detour and headed towards a nearby okonomiyaki stall.
There is a god after all
I quickly grabbed a seat, making sure that I placed the guitars in a safe location, and ordered two portions of the largest meat okonomiyakis that the shop had. In retrospect, I probably should have ordered a smaller one first and used that to check the taste, but by that point, I was so hungry that I would have eaten the okonomiyaki even if it had dead rats in them. Natsumi, who was sitting right beside me, ordered a small vegetable okonomiyaki. “Not hungry?” I asked calmly, trying to break the ice. “I’m fine” Natsumi answered curtly and maintained her silent treatment. “Your treat, by the way.” I joked, trying to lighten the mood, which is nothing short of utterly depressing right now. “Yeah..you wasted enough money today” she murmured slowly.
…Well, so much for lightening the mood.
“It’s not wasted, it’s probably the best investment I have ever made!” Natsumi turned around and glared at me. “You are such an idiot, you know that…” She stated plainly, giving me an annoyed look. Now, I have never been, and prolly never will be, the short-tempered type, but even this is too much for me. “Wh-what? Idiot?? I spent 60 thousand yen and that’s all you can say?!! Can’t you think of something else…like, oh, I dunno, THANK YOU??” I shouted at her, unable to repress my voice any longer. “I didn’t ask for it!” Natsumi yelled back, both of us standing up now.
Two things were going through my head at that time, A, to passersby, it must’ve looked like I was sexually harassing Natsumi, and B, I obviously need to learn more about the inner workings of a girl’s brain. If possible.
“You are hopeless, you know that!” I said, exasperated. “Shut up, you’re the idiot!” I decided that continuing this conversation would have a disastrous effect on our already strained relationship, so I held my tongue and stayed quiet. Natsumi didn’t pursue the matter as well, and so we spent the rest of the afternoon chomping down on okonomiyaki, giving each other the silent treatment. The okonomiyaki was delicious, by the way, the best I have ever tasted in my life. Gotta come to this place again when I have the time.
April 12th, 17:57 PM, Shizuoka Station, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
After a painfully long train ride, made even more painful by the hanging silence and tension in the air, we managed to return to the city. Natsumi’s house and mine are on two different directions, and I am in no mood to walk her home, screw gentlemanliness and all that crap, so I was about to hand her the two guitars and go back home when I suddenly remembered her father’s words. “Don’t come back here again!” The words echoed in my mind, and it seems that Natsumi felt the same way, as she was shuffling her feet, unsure of what to do.
“..Can you come home tonight?” I asked her. “I am not sure…” She was a strong girl, she always had been, but for once, I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. “….Do you have a place to stay then?” I asked her again. “I…am not sure” Natsumi repeated her statement.
Well this is turning out to be a really swell day.
“If..you really have no place to go to, you can stay to my place, at least for the night.” Natsumi turned around and looked at me in a weird way, her face blushing furiously. “Y-you pervert. I am not gonna sleep in a guy’s room, you idiot!” After hearing that, I can feel my facial temperature heating up too. “Th-that’s not what I meant, you retard, I was talking about my house, not my room!” I exclaimed, trying to make the situation less awkward. “O-oh…but where else can I sleep if I go to your house?” She asked slowly, regaining her composure. “My sister’s room, where else?” Natsumi pondered over the matter for a few seconds. “But then..where will your sister sleep?” She questioned me again. “Don’t sweat it, she can always sleep in my room, or even my parent’s room, if it’s really that bad.” Natsumi considered my offer again.
“You sure it’s absolutely ok for me to go to your house?”
“Yea, of course, what are friends for, right?”
“Your parents won’t mind..?”
“They’re not at home right now, mom is visiting a hot spring over the weekend and dad is on a business trip, so it should be fine.”
“You won’t do anything weird to me while I am sleeping, right?”
“Wh-what, what kind of guy do you think I am??”
“The perverted type.”
“Gahh, I changed my mind, go sleep under a bridge and die.”
“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.” Natsumi laughed at my statement. For the first time in the whole day, I was finally able to see her smiling face. Radiant, as always. “But..you are absolutely, positively, undoubtedly sure that it is fine for me to go to your house, right?” I gave her an irritated look. “Haven’t you been listening? Yes, it’s fine, so come on already. I’m going right now, so better make up your mind fast” Without waiting for her answer, I trudged down the road leading to my house, an excruciatingly heavy guitar case in each hand. Terrific. As expected, Natsumi came running towards me. “Hey…Ken,” She started. “You’re welcome” I cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say. “..Yeah” she said softly, quietly walking beside me.
April 12th, 19:57 PM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
“…I knew it, you are a pervert after all! You planned this all along, didn’t you??!! PERV!” Natsumi gave me a disgusted look, filled with malcontent. “Wh-whattt? For the millionth time, I told you that I had no idea that this was gonna happen!” I complained. “LIES!!! How can you not have an idea that your sister and parents are gonna be gone??! You live in this house, don’t you?!” Natsumi retorted, not accepting my reasons so easily. “Well…yeah, but I never listen to anything they say, plus you saw the note, it was a spur-of-the-moment kinda thing with Hitomi!” I argued again.
How did we get into that situation, you ask? Well….basically, it’s because my fate loves uniformity. The night of the day must go on the same way as the day did...as in being completely unexpected and horrific. As soon as I reached the house, it became obviously clear that no one was present in my house. I called out my sister’s name for a few minutes, but no response was heard. Well…she was probably taking a bath, or so I reasoned, so after putting the guitars safely in my room, I went to the kitchen to get me and Nacchan something to drink, and then quickly settled down on the living room, watching TV and chatting with her.
5 minutes passed… she still hasn’t come out.
10 minutes passed….I called her name out again, but still no response
20 minutes passed….this is getting weird
So you know, being the attentive, caring older brother that I am, I decided to go check the bathroom…but there was nobody there. Well, that’s fine, I convinced myself, she is probably out buying some stuff or was relaxing in her room. But as I checked her room, right then and there, I knew that the day wasn’t gonna end well. Plastered on the door leading to her room was a small piece of paper, filled with the typically neat and easy-to-read handwriting of Hitomi.
Dear Nii-san
I am gonna be away for the night studying for Monday’s uber-difficult test, so take care of yourself, okay? ^^
P.S. There is food in the fridge, you know how to microwave something, right? If so, then great, if not, then, oh well, starve ^^
P.P.S I am locking my room, so don’t even think about going in there to do some creepy guy stuff, okay? ^^
From that note, I can conclude two things:
A. My sister could be a diabolically evil person when she wants to.
B. I am alone. In the house. With a girl. My age. Alone. Alone. ALONE!!!
…. Ehh…
OMGWTFBBQSAUCE, HOW COULD HAVE THIS HAPPENED????
I stared at the note in my hand, and walked back towards the living room. Natsumi is not gonna take the news well…
And so here I am, arguing over my pervy-ness with the vocalist of my band. “Fine, fine, I give, I’ll go sleep in the living room, you go use my bed.” I conceded, deciding that this time, being a gentleman is the right course of action to take. Natsumi was not in a very compromising mood though. “E-ehh, sleep in your bed?? What is THAT supposed to mean? You’re gonna do something weird to me, right??? Right?? I know all your pervy tricks, Ken, I am not gonna fall for that!” …Quit pushing it, dear, even gentlemen have their limits. “For the last time, I am not a PERVERT!!! So make up your mind, it’s getting late, if you don’t wanna stay here, then we gotta go find you a hotel.” I said exasperatedly. “H-hotel…but I don’t have enough money…” she murmured, ashamed of her own financial status.
“Then, shut up and go sleep. Just let me get my stuff first…” I half-expected Natsumi to complain again, but I guess showing her the gravity of her situation snapped her back to reality. I walked towards my room and cleaned up as much as I possibly could. I wasn’t expecting visitors, especially female ones, so my room was a total pigsty. Guitar picks were scattered everywhere, and my underwear was strewn all over the place. I picked those up and tossed them under the bed. Crude, but effective.
I picked up a few pieces of clothing and walked out of the room, only to find the front door to my house wide open and Natsumi….well…
Gone.
....Today sucks.
Note to self: Before acting heroic and buying a very expensive gift for a friend, make sure that I don’t have to carry it around due to said heroism or that it is so light that I won’t mind carrying it. If not, you might end up carrying two Fender Stratocasters plus their respective casings on each hand. Like what I am doing now.
Now, I am pretty sure a lot of people out there have never carried an electric guitar before, but let me be the first to say that it is, in no way whatsoever, light. Even the basic beginner electric guitars with minimal decorations and equipment can weigh up to 3 kilograms, not counting the casing. When the casing is included, it can go up to 5 or 6 kilograms. A Fender Stratocaster usually weighs 4 kilograms at minimum…so at best, it weighs 6 kilograms with the casing. Don’t get me wrong now, I am not some wimpy kid who never works out, I can handle 6 kilograms on each arm. But of course, things are never that simple.
Natsumi’s old Fender Stratocaster was basically stock, except for the pink paintjob, but the casing…Oh god, the casing. On each side of the rectangular box, she had attached about a dozen different key chains, and not the basic plastic key chains either, but the incredibly-heavy-and-unnecessary-metal-thing key chains. She had also inserted a metal layer inside of the casing itself, to protect the guitar from external impact. Of course, in the end, it didn’t help any, and honestly, I thought that it caused more damage in the end. With all these mods, it weighed more than 10 kilograms in total, and John had “kindly” given me some “extra accessories” for the new Stratocaster I had just bought too.
In conclusion, 10 kilograms on my right hand, 9 on my left hand.
And I have to walk for at least 30 minutes from John’s shop to go back to the train station.
Oh, and best of all, I haven’t eaten lunch. Terrific day I am having here.
Natsumi herself haven’t said anything since we left the shop. She had argued, of course, and fiercely at that, about how I am being such an idiot and that I shouldn’t waste my money on buying another guitar that will probably get broken sooner rather than later. But well, her fault for not being specific. She said not to FIX her guitar, she never said anything about buying her a NEW guitar, I mean, I am not a very smart man here, if she’s not being very specific I might just interpret it the wrong way... At any rate, it’s her birthday in three days anyway, a new guitar now, a new guitar then, what’s the difference, I reasoned to her. After hearing that, she finally gave up and grudgingly accepted the guitar.
But of course, being the incredibly grateful and appreciative person that she is, she has decided to remain silent for the whole trip back. I would try to break the silence, but carrying 19 kilograms’ worth of weight tends to take the breath out of one’s lungs. “Need…food” I finally grunted, not wasting any energy to form a full sentence. Natsumi didn’t say anything in response; instead, she took a detour and headed towards a nearby okonomiyaki stall.
There is a god after all
I quickly grabbed a seat, making sure that I placed the guitars in a safe location, and ordered two portions of the largest meat okonomiyakis that the shop had. In retrospect, I probably should have ordered a smaller one first and used that to check the taste, but by that point, I was so hungry that I would have eaten the okonomiyaki even if it had dead rats in them. Natsumi, who was sitting right beside me, ordered a small vegetable okonomiyaki. “Not hungry?” I asked calmly, trying to break the ice. “I’m fine” Natsumi answered curtly and maintained her silent treatment. “Your treat, by the way.” I joked, trying to lighten the mood, which is nothing short of utterly depressing right now. “Yeah..you wasted enough money today” she murmured slowly.
…Well, so much for lightening the mood.
“It’s not wasted, it’s probably the best investment I have ever made!” Natsumi turned around and glared at me. “You are such an idiot, you know that…” She stated plainly, giving me an annoyed look. Now, I have never been, and prolly never will be, the short-tempered type, but even this is too much for me. “Wh-what? Idiot?? I spent 60 thousand yen and that’s all you can say?!! Can’t you think of something else…like, oh, I dunno, THANK YOU??” I shouted at her, unable to repress my voice any longer. “I didn’t ask for it!” Natsumi yelled back, both of us standing up now.
Two things were going through my head at that time, A, to passersby, it must’ve looked like I was sexually harassing Natsumi, and B, I obviously need to learn more about the inner workings of a girl’s brain. If possible.
“You are hopeless, you know that!” I said, exasperated. “Shut up, you’re the idiot!” I decided that continuing this conversation would have a disastrous effect on our already strained relationship, so I held my tongue and stayed quiet. Natsumi didn’t pursue the matter as well, and so we spent the rest of the afternoon chomping down on okonomiyaki, giving each other the silent treatment. The okonomiyaki was delicious, by the way, the best I have ever tasted in my life. Gotta come to this place again when I have the time.
April 12th, 17:57 PM, Shizuoka Station, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
After a painfully long train ride, made even more painful by the hanging silence and tension in the air, we managed to return to the city. Natsumi’s house and mine are on two different directions, and I am in no mood to walk her home, screw gentlemanliness and all that crap, so I was about to hand her the two guitars and go back home when I suddenly remembered her father’s words. “Don’t come back here again!” The words echoed in my mind, and it seems that Natsumi felt the same way, as she was shuffling her feet, unsure of what to do.
“..Can you come home tonight?” I asked her. “I am not sure…” She was a strong girl, she always had been, but for once, I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. “….Do you have a place to stay then?” I asked her again. “I…am not sure” Natsumi repeated her statement.
Well this is turning out to be a really swell day.
“If..you really have no place to go to, you can stay to my place, at least for the night.” Natsumi turned around and looked at me in a weird way, her face blushing furiously. “Y-you pervert. I am not gonna sleep in a guy’s room, you idiot!” After hearing that, I can feel my facial temperature heating up too. “Th-that’s not what I meant, you retard, I was talking about my house, not my room!” I exclaimed, trying to make the situation less awkward. “O-oh…but where else can I sleep if I go to your house?” She asked slowly, regaining her composure. “My sister’s room, where else?” Natsumi pondered over the matter for a few seconds. “But then..where will your sister sleep?” She questioned me again. “Don’t sweat it, she can always sleep in my room, or even my parent’s room, if it’s really that bad.” Natsumi considered my offer again.
“You sure it’s absolutely ok for me to go to your house?”
“Yea, of course, what are friends for, right?”
“Your parents won’t mind..?”
“They’re not at home right now, mom is visiting a hot spring over the weekend and dad is on a business trip, so it should be fine.”
“You won’t do anything weird to me while I am sleeping, right?”
“Wh-what, what kind of guy do you think I am??”
“The perverted type.”
“Gahh, I changed my mind, go sleep under a bridge and die.”
“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.” Natsumi laughed at my statement. For the first time in the whole day, I was finally able to see her smiling face. Radiant, as always. “But..you are absolutely, positively, undoubtedly sure that it is fine for me to go to your house, right?” I gave her an irritated look. “Haven’t you been listening? Yes, it’s fine, so come on already. I’m going right now, so better make up your mind fast” Without waiting for her answer, I trudged down the road leading to my house, an excruciatingly heavy guitar case in each hand. Terrific. As expected, Natsumi came running towards me. “Hey…Ken,” She started. “You’re welcome” I cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say. “..Yeah” she said softly, quietly walking beside me.
April 12th, 19:57 PM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
“…I knew it, you are a pervert after all! You planned this all along, didn’t you??!! PERV!” Natsumi gave me a disgusted look, filled with malcontent. “Wh-whattt? For the millionth time, I told you that I had no idea that this was gonna happen!” I complained. “LIES!!! How can you not have an idea that your sister and parents are gonna be gone??! You live in this house, don’t you?!” Natsumi retorted, not accepting my reasons so easily. “Well…yeah, but I never listen to anything they say, plus you saw the note, it was a spur-of-the-moment kinda thing with Hitomi!” I argued again.
How did we get into that situation, you ask? Well….basically, it’s because my fate loves uniformity. The night of the day must go on the same way as the day did...as in being completely unexpected and horrific. As soon as I reached the house, it became obviously clear that no one was present in my house. I called out my sister’s name for a few minutes, but no response was heard. Well…she was probably taking a bath, or so I reasoned, so after putting the guitars safely in my room, I went to the kitchen to get me and Nacchan something to drink, and then quickly settled down on the living room, watching TV and chatting with her.
5 minutes passed… she still hasn’t come out.
10 minutes passed….I called her name out again, but still no response
20 minutes passed….this is getting weird
So you know, being the attentive, caring older brother that I am, I decided to go check the bathroom…but there was nobody there. Well, that’s fine, I convinced myself, she is probably out buying some stuff or was relaxing in her room. But as I checked her room, right then and there, I knew that the day wasn’t gonna end well. Plastered on the door leading to her room was a small piece of paper, filled with the typically neat and easy-to-read handwriting of Hitomi.
Dear Nii-san
I am gonna be away for the night studying for Monday’s uber-difficult test, so take care of yourself, okay? ^^
P.S. There is food in the fridge, you know how to microwave something, right? If so, then great, if not, then, oh well, starve ^^
P.P.S I am locking my room, so don’t even think about going in there to do some creepy guy stuff, okay? ^^
From that note, I can conclude two things:
A. My sister could be a diabolically evil person when she wants to.
B. I am alone. In the house. With a girl. My age. Alone. Alone. ALONE!!!
…. Ehh…
OMGWTFBBQSAUCE, HOW COULD HAVE THIS HAPPENED????
I stared at the note in my hand, and walked back towards the living room. Natsumi is not gonna take the news well…
And so here I am, arguing over my pervy-ness with the vocalist of my band. “Fine, fine, I give, I’ll go sleep in the living room, you go use my bed.” I conceded, deciding that this time, being a gentleman is the right course of action to take. Natsumi was not in a very compromising mood though. “E-ehh, sleep in your bed?? What is THAT supposed to mean? You’re gonna do something weird to me, right??? Right?? I know all your pervy tricks, Ken, I am not gonna fall for that!” …Quit pushing it, dear, even gentlemen have their limits. “For the last time, I am not a PERVERT!!! So make up your mind, it’s getting late, if you don’t wanna stay here, then we gotta go find you a hotel.” I said exasperatedly. “H-hotel…but I don’t have enough money…” she murmured, ashamed of her own financial status.
“Then, shut up and go sleep. Just let me get my stuff first…” I half-expected Natsumi to complain again, but I guess showing her the gravity of her situation snapped her back to reality. I walked towards my room and cleaned up as much as I possibly could. I wasn’t expecting visitors, especially female ones, so my room was a total pigsty. Guitar picks were scattered everywhere, and my underwear was strewn all over the place. I picked those up and tossed them under the bed. Crude, but effective.
I picked up a few pieces of clothing and walked out of the room, only to find the front door to my house wide open and Natsumi….well…
Gone.
....Today sucks.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
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Ah it's been a year already since I posted this here. I hope that it'll be done by 2012 :p
Thanks for the support and Merry Christmas everybody!
Thanks for the support and Merry Christmas everybody!
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Chapter 4 part Finale: Sakura グッバイ
April 13th, 12:04 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
“Wait, wait, so let me get this straight, you spent 60 THOUSAND Yen on a girl who you aren’t romantically interested in…” Kazuhiko said slowly. “But who you eventually fought for anyway, to the point where you now look like a bad piece of rotten meat, and said girl ended up sleeping in the same room as you..” Kazuhiko stopped for a moment. “Okay, that last part kinda shocked me a little bit, but never mind, miracles do happen after all. I mean, compared to turning water into wine and parting the Red Sea, having you stay in the same room with an attractive girl is one of God’s lesser miracles, but nonetheless, still amazing.” I gave a very venomous look towards Kazuhiko and threw a piece of bread at him, which he deftly caught and swallowed.
“Anyways, in light of the following events, I just have one single question to ask you..” Kazuhiko leaned in towards me and lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “Umm…Ken, you’re not …gay, right?”
“Wh-WHAT???” I spluttered loudly “HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT?”
“Well, I mean, let’s just look at the situation here, you had an attractive girl over in the same room as you, you just saved her life, and you didn’t take advantage of that? I mean, that’s even better than getting her drunk! ”
“YOU DUMBASS, NOT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD HAS YOUR SICK MINDSET!”
“No, not everyone, only healthy heterosexual males…which is why I had to ask..”
“HEALTHY HETEROSEXUAL MALES MY ASS, IT’S MORE LIKE CRAZY HORNY BASTARDS LIKE YOU!”
“Umm, could you like…kinda keep your voice down, you’re kinda attracting negative attention here…”
“SCREW Y---“ I paused and observed my surroundings, which have turned eerily silent. Everyone who had been noisily eating only a few moments ago have all stopped to glare at our table. “Umm…sorry.” I said meekly and sat back down, giving Kazuhiko a vicious stare. “Look what you made me do! And no, I am a healthy heterosexual male!” Kazuhiko merely grinned in his typical Kazuhiko-esque way at my reaction. “It’s so easy to get a rise out of you, you know Ken?” He told me calmly, that same stupid grin still plastered across his face. “Go die.” I barked, and proceeded to waste my anger out on a particularly hard piece of meat.
“Oh yeah, by the way, I forgot to tell you something.” Kazuhiko took out his famous black book and flipped through the pages. “I told you that Hinata-chan’s birthday is on the 22nd right?”
“…Yeah, so?” I said cautiously.
“Umm…it’s actually on the 17th, in other words…” He closed the book and gave me an apologetic look. “…this Friday.”
....
…….
“AAAARRRGHH” I screamed, grabbing Kazuhiko by the neck and strangling him. “YOU BLITHERING IDIOT, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THE DATES MESSED UP??!!!”
“I-I’m sorry. C-can’t breathe” Kazuhiko squeaked, trying to pull my arms away from his neck. “BASTARD, JUST GO DIE!” I roared, but released my hands eventually. With great reluctance.
While Kazuhiko gasped for air, I tried to absorb this new nugget of information that has suddenly befallen me. Okay, so he got the date wrong by five days…no biggie, I can always buy a present within that time. But right..I’m broke. Hmm, I wonder if I’ll be able to find a decent shop that sells the kinda stuff she likes tomorrow. But…oh yeah, I’m broke. Nevertheless, I still can’t decide whether to buy her that necklace thing or that gigantic stuffed doll I saw a few days ago. But....wait, I’m broke.
In conclusion, I’m broke.
“You’re broke, aren’t you” Kazuhiko echoed my thoughts perfectly. “It’s not hard to figure out, Ken, don’t give me that face” He continued, ignoring my scowling face. “Stratocasters ain’t cheap, even I know that, and you didn’t have the brainpower to consider paying in installments… If I had to make a wild guess, I’d say that you have about 4000 yen left in your wallet.”
He’s right…as usual.
“I know I’m right, Ken, I amaze myself sometime…now, I do realize that the latest piece of information that I have given you might have messed up your plans a little bit…so in retribution, I am prepared to lend you all of the money I have in my wallet right now.” Kazuhiko handed me his wallet, which appears to be an expensive and Italian, to me. This unexpected act of compassion from him stunned me. I mean, Kazuhiko actually doing something about his screw-ups?? Next thing we know, pigs will start to fly!
Grinning like a moron, I opened his wallet and took out all of the bills inside.
Which, in total, amounted to about 2800 yen.
Note to self: When it comes to that idiot, don’t even think about getting my hopes up.
“…There’s 2800 yen here, Kazu…” I told him matter-of-factly. “Well, 2853 yen, to be exact, I am pretty sure there are a few coins in the side pocket…” CRACK! The sound of my knuckles reverberated around our table, conveying my message clearly. “W-w-well, I didn’t know what you expect from me man, I-I mean, I ain’t Bill Gates ya know, I-I don’t have that much m-money, and …BYE!” After saying that, Kazuhiko ran away and disappeared almost instantly. Normally, I would have got up and chased after him…but my legs are busted and I can barely move. Last night’s injuries were still very very fresh…
Sighing loudly to myself, I inspected his wallet again. Hmm…maybe I can sell it for a decent sum of money if I meet the right buyer. Rifling through the side pockets, which had pictures and numbers of dozens of girls, I suddenly noticed that there is a small, nearly invisible zipper on the main pocket. I rubbed the inner material of the wallet gently….I can feel the unmistakable texture of paper within. Money perhaps?
My bandaged hands were way too large to be able to grip the zipper, so I borrowed a hair-clip from one of the girls in my class and slipped the small needle into the tiny hole located in the upper part of the zipper. Pulling it slowly, careful not to dislodge the hairpin, I finally discovered what Kazuhiko might have truly meant, when he said “all the money in his wallet”. For in that hidden enclave, half a dozen 10 thousand yen bills were present, just itching to be used.
“Hmph, I guess he’s not all bad after all.” I muttered to myself, taking those precious bills and safely transferring them to my own wallet.
Now…what to buy for Natsumi…
April 16th, 17:04 PM, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
“So basically, you have no idea what present to give her..” Kazuhiko’s voice crackled over the phone lines. “And after I gave you all that money? You disappoint me, Ken..”
“Well, I can’t help it dude!! Seems like you know a lot more about her than me anyways, with all your research, sorry, stalking, so it’s only logical that I’ll ask you.” I responded to his statement testily.
“You know, Ken, that bet is kinda stupid, if you really have no interest in her then don’t bother trying.” Kazuhiko suddenly made a shocking statement. “I mean, it was a bet we made when we were young, don’t really matter. I was just hoping that you’d get a girlfriend before the end of your high school career you sad, sad soul.”
I thought about what he said for a while. Why…am I even doing this? Do I really like that girl, or was it just out of necessity? Was a stupid, immature, bet really the only thing that is motivating me to do something like this? Am I that shallow that I would chase after a girl just to please my own ego? The questions which I really should have asked myself months ago suddenly rushed into my mind. Are my emotions really that unbearably pathetic?
“…From that silence, I see that you are thinking of the matter deeply.” Kazuhiko sighed loudly, the sound coming off as static through the phone lines. “Maybe I’m the worst person to hear this from, but hey, chasing after a girl who you have no feelings for is like trying to buy a Ferrari, you are probably not gonna get one in the end, and you would have wasted a lot of time trying...”
“…So if you don’t feel anything when you look at her, why force it.” Kazuhiko finished what just could be the first time that I have ever heard him speak so seriously. He sighed again. “Well, okay then, I take it you won’t be going after he—“.“No.” I suddenly cut him off. “I am not as shallow as you, bastard. I don’t know when it happened, but I am pretty serious about this, so don’t bail on me now.” I told him firmly. I can hear Kazuhiko snorting from the other side of the line. “Well, aren’t we the bloody romantic…” he muttered. “Fine, leave it all to me. I’ll buy the present for her, all you have to do is give it to her when the time comes.”
“W-wait, I have all your money, how can you buy anything for her??” I asked Kazuhiko quickly, taken aback by his previous statement.
“Geez, Ken, if I had to spend 60 000 yen on each girl I wanted to date, I’ll be wearing my underwear right now, it’s the thought that counts.” Kazuhiko explained in a rather annoyingly cocky tone.
“So you’re just saying you’re cheap, right?”
“Effective money usage, Ken, not cheap. Anyways, I gotta go, I’ll set things up, no worries.” After saying that, Kazuhiko disconnected, probably off to another one of his insane escapades. I looked morosely at the phone screen and sighed. This whole relationship thing is NOT easy. Suddenly the phone rang again, it was Kazuhiko.
Weird, he doesn’t usually call someone twice within a short space of time. And a guy at that too.
“Yea, what’s up?” I questioned him quickly, expecting a rather grim response, like he is too broke or is in a bar fight, or one of the girls he dated has a boyfriend with a 4th degree black belt and Kazuhiko is getting the beating of a lifetime as we speak.
“Sorry forgot to ask, that vocalist of your band…Natsumi Kuroyuki was it? She sounds HOTTTT, can I have her num—“ I disconnected the call immediately. It would be a cold, cold, freezing day in hell before I introduce my precious vocalist to that insane girl-consuming predator. Walking home, I cannot help but feel apprehensive for the coming day. The days has passed me by quickly, and tomorrow is already Natsumi’s birthday…what surprises will that day hold for me? I sincerely hope that Kazuhiko’s brain, for one miraculous moment, functions as how a human being’s should, and buy a proper present for her.
..Please?
April 17th, 06:30 AM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
So here we are. The promised day. The day to end all days. Probably one of the most important days in the 17 years that I have spent on this earth. Well, okay, I am being too dramatic there, but yeah, today is very important. And I rest all of my hopes upon the shoulders of my best friend, Kazuhiko!
My god, I didn’t realize how hopeless that sounded… Well…Kazuhiko hasn’t disappointed me so far, well, not spectacularly at least, so it should all work out. Should.
Which is why I am going insane right about now. Kazuhiko had promised to come earlier in the morning to give me the present which he had purchased, but it’s half an hour before the school starts and he hasn’t even showed up yet! Damn him, I should’ve known that I can’t rely on him! I’ve seen dead people who are more punctual than him! I need…I need a plan B!! But…I haven’t bought anything and I just can’t skip class, there is this major history test on the third period! Oh come on, Ken, history grades or the girl you like, it’s not a very difficult choice. But then again, this test is 20% of the final grade, if I miss it, how am I gonna make up for the lost marks. Oh god, I am in a moral dilemma here…
Thankfully, Kazuhiko walked through the door at that exact moment. Perfect timing too, 5 more minutes and I would have mentally imploded. “Here.” Kazuhiko handed me a rather large plastic bag. “All you need is there.” I peeked inside the plastic bag, which contained a large, meticulously-wrapped, pink box. “What’s inside?” I asked him. “That’s for her to know and for you to never find out.” Kazuhiko told me mockingly. “But I guess you’ll see for yourself, she will probably open the box in front of you, like she usually does.”
Deciding to trust his judgement, I safely stored the plastic bag underneath my table and took my seat, ensuring that my bag and feet are strategically placed so that no one can directly see the plastic bag. The birthday girl herself hasn’t arrived, which is great, because I didn’t have to make up an excuse about why Kazuhiko gave me a large plastic bag in the early hours of the morning.
And so the day starts…
April 17th, 12:30 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
PRRINNNGG!!! The piercing sound of the bell signaled the beginning of our lunch break. I had pondered deeply about the best time of the day to give her the present, and I whittled it down to two possible candidates: During our lunch break, or after school hours. After school had been my primary choice when I came to the sudden realization that I have no idea where she lives or when she leaves the school compound. I can’t very well stalk her all day, so it’s either now or never!
Problem is, I have no idea where she eats lunch. I really should think things through next time…if there IS a next time, that is. However, I do have a pretty confident idea of where she’ll be…. It should be at the place where we first talked to each other…the roof.
Praying to the gods that I am right, I rushed up the stairs leading to the roof, the plastic bag in my hands feeling a lot heavier than it normally should. To be perfectly honest, I have no other idea of where she’ll be besides the roof, so if she’s not here, I would be forced to go on a wild goose chase.
Fortunately, Natsumi Hinata was indeed at the roof, standing at the exact same spot 2 months ago when I first truly met her, staring serenely at the expansive view before her. I felt kind of guilty disturbing this peaceful scene, but heyy, it’s for the greater good!! “Umm, excuse me, Hinata-san..?” I started, trying to attract her attention. Natsumi turned and was mildly surprised to see me there, her eyes widening slightly. “Oh, Yamazaki-kun, what are you doing here?” She asked me calmly. “Oh, well, uhh, I was looking for you, and I figured you would be here.” I answered honestly.
“Oh?” Natsumi ‘s face clearly showed her confusion “And just why would you look for me? If it was really important, you could have just called me you know. That’s what modern technology is for, right?”
Oh…right, why didn’t I think of that. Damn dysfunctional brain…
“Uhh…right.. Anyways!” I decided to change the topic, before she figured out that I was a complete moron. “It’s your birthday right, Hinata-san? Happy Birthday!” I said in an enthusiastic tone, handing her the large plastic bag I was holding. “And of course…your present!”
“Oh..” Natsumi was visibly shocked, but pleasantly so. She gave a small smile and chuckled. “I totally forgot it is my birthday today… You are the first person to wish me today, you know, Yamazaki-kun? With a present too! Well…thank you! I really appreciate it!” She flashed me another one of her charming smile, and I swear to god, I would literally buy her a present each day just to see that smile again. It would be worth every bloody cent.
“So…what’s inside of this thing?” Natsumi asked me while inspecting the box carefully. “Umm…it’s a secret! You’ll just have to open it and find out for yourself!” I told her confidently, trying to hide the fact that I am about as clueless as her about the contents of that present box.
“Mmm, mind if I open it right now?”
“Uhh…sure, I guess, presents are meant to be opened, right?” I gave a nervous laugh. Despite of myself, I am actually quite curious about what was inside that box.
Natsumi deftly unwrapped the box and lifted the lid, revealing…..mangas..?
Seriously, Kazu? The best idea you could think of as a present for a 17 year old girl are volumes of mangas? A shonen manga at that?
…I am so gonna kill you. If I survive Natsumi’s wrath, that is..
Natsumi was speechless; she must’ve felt deeply insulted that I gave her such a crappy present. Her mouth was wide open like a fish out of water, but no words came out. Is it that bad???
“Umm..Hinata-san, about the present..” I tried to apologize, but she cut me short. “W-what is…this??!!!” She exclaimed loudly. “W-well…uhh, I can explain...”
I can’t…actually.
“Th-this is…” I braced myself for impact; the words coming out of her mouth won’t be very pleasant… “AWESOMEE!!!” She yelled out excitedly
“HOW DID YOU KNOW I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS MANGA VOLUME FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS???” She took one volume out, looking at it gleefully. It was well…Bleach. THE Bleach, the manga about Shinigamis and Hollows and Zanpakutos. It turns out that she had been an avid fan of the series, but her collection lacks the manga volumes 6 to 15…and that was what the box contained. Well, and a plushie of Kon, the adorable mascot of the Bleach series.
“THANK YOUUUU, YAMAZAKI-KUN, THIS IS THE BEST PRESENT ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN MEEE!!!” She said eagerly, unable to hold back her joy.
Then, she hugged me.
It had to be one of the top 5 moments of the year so far, definitely, if not THE best. Her sweet scent, the feel of her soft skin against mine…my sensory organs are getting overloaded.
Which is why I was more than a little disappointed when she released me from her hug, blushing furiously. I didn’t blush though, I’m proud to say. Well, that’s probably because my brain was overloaded and couldn’t order my face to blush. I must’ve looked like an idiot…seems like whenever I am around Natsumi I make myself look stupid. But hey, it was worth each and every second.
I spent the rest of the lunch break talking with her, enjoying the moment.
April 17th, 17:30 PM, Minami-cho, Shizuoka
I whistled as I walked along the street leading to my house. And why shouldn’t I? Everything had worked out beautifully; it couldn’t have gone better if I had planned it beforehand. Natsumi’s happy, I’m happy, everybody’s happy!!! Suddenly my phone rang loudly, signaling the arrival of a new mail. I flipped open the lid and looked at the sender, it was Kazuhiko.
<<From: Kazuhiko>>
<<Subject: I know>>
<<I’m awesome, right? Don’t need to say it. ^^>>
<<Message End>>
…. For once I agree with him…yes you are, Kazu.
Yes, you are.
“Wait, wait, so let me get this straight, you spent 60 THOUSAND Yen on a girl who you aren’t romantically interested in…” Kazuhiko said slowly. “But who you eventually fought for anyway, to the point where you now look like a bad piece of rotten meat, and said girl ended up sleeping in the same room as you..” Kazuhiko stopped for a moment. “Okay, that last part kinda shocked me a little bit, but never mind, miracles do happen after all. I mean, compared to turning water into wine and parting the Red Sea, having you stay in the same room with an attractive girl is one of God’s lesser miracles, but nonetheless, still amazing.” I gave a very venomous look towards Kazuhiko and threw a piece of bread at him, which he deftly caught and swallowed.
“Anyways, in light of the following events, I just have one single question to ask you..” Kazuhiko leaned in towards me and lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “Umm…Ken, you’re not …gay, right?”
“Wh-WHAT???” I spluttered loudly “HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT?”
“Well, I mean, let’s just look at the situation here, you had an attractive girl over in the same room as you, you just saved her life, and you didn’t take advantage of that? I mean, that’s even better than getting her drunk! ”
“YOU DUMBASS, NOT EVERYONE IN THE WORLD HAS YOUR SICK MINDSET!”
“No, not everyone, only healthy heterosexual males…which is why I had to ask..”
“HEALTHY HETEROSEXUAL MALES MY ASS, IT’S MORE LIKE CRAZY HORNY BASTARDS LIKE YOU!”
“Umm, could you like…kinda keep your voice down, you’re kinda attracting negative attention here…”
“SCREW Y---“ I paused and observed my surroundings, which have turned eerily silent. Everyone who had been noisily eating only a few moments ago have all stopped to glare at our table. “Umm…sorry.” I said meekly and sat back down, giving Kazuhiko a vicious stare. “Look what you made me do! And no, I am a healthy heterosexual male!” Kazuhiko merely grinned in his typical Kazuhiko-esque way at my reaction. “It’s so easy to get a rise out of you, you know Ken?” He told me calmly, that same stupid grin still plastered across his face. “Go die.” I barked, and proceeded to waste my anger out on a particularly hard piece of meat.
“Oh yeah, by the way, I forgot to tell you something.” Kazuhiko took out his famous black book and flipped through the pages. “I told you that Hinata-chan’s birthday is on the 22nd right?”
“…Yeah, so?” I said cautiously.
“Umm…it’s actually on the 17th, in other words…” He closed the book and gave me an apologetic look. “…this Friday.”
....
…….
“AAAARRRGHH” I screamed, grabbing Kazuhiko by the neck and strangling him. “YOU BLITHERING IDIOT, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET THE DATES MESSED UP??!!!”
“I-I’m sorry. C-can’t breathe” Kazuhiko squeaked, trying to pull my arms away from his neck. “BASTARD, JUST GO DIE!” I roared, but released my hands eventually. With great reluctance.
While Kazuhiko gasped for air, I tried to absorb this new nugget of information that has suddenly befallen me. Okay, so he got the date wrong by five days…no biggie, I can always buy a present within that time. But right..I’m broke. Hmm, I wonder if I’ll be able to find a decent shop that sells the kinda stuff she likes tomorrow. But…oh yeah, I’m broke. Nevertheless, I still can’t decide whether to buy her that necklace thing or that gigantic stuffed doll I saw a few days ago. But....wait, I’m broke.
In conclusion, I’m broke.
“You’re broke, aren’t you” Kazuhiko echoed my thoughts perfectly. “It’s not hard to figure out, Ken, don’t give me that face” He continued, ignoring my scowling face. “Stratocasters ain’t cheap, even I know that, and you didn’t have the brainpower to consider paying in installments… If I had to make a wild guess, I’d say that you have about 4000 yen left in your wallet.”
He’s right…as usual.
“I know I’m right, Ken, I amaze myself sometime…now, I do realize that the latest piece of information that I have given you might have messed up your plans a little bit…so in retribution, I am prepared to lend you all of the money I have in my wallet right now.” Kazuhiko handed me his wallet, which appears to be an expensive and Italian, to me. This unexpected act of compassion from him stunned me. I mean, Kazuhiko actually doing something about his screw-ups?? Next thing we know, pigs will start to fly!
Grinning like a moron, I opened his wallet and took out all of the bills inside.
Which, in total, amounted to about 2800 yen.
Note to self: When it comes to that idiot, don’t even think about getting my hopes up.
“…There’s 2800 yen here, Kazu…” I told him matter-of-factly. “Well, 2853 yen, to be exact, I am pretty sure there are a few coins in the side pocket…” CRACK! The sound of my knuckles reverberated around our table, conveying my message clearly. “W-w-well, I didn’t know what you expect from me man, I-I mean, I ain’t Bill Gates ya know, I-I don’t have that much m-money, and …BYE!” After saying that, Kazuhiko ran away and disappeared almost instantly. Normally, I would have got up and chased after him…but my legs are busted and I can barely move. Last night’s injuries were still very very fresh…
Sighing loudly to myself, I inspected his wallet again. Hmm…maybe I can sell it for a decent sum of money if I meet the right buyer. Rifling through the side pockets, which had pictures and numbers of dozens of girls, I suddenly noticed that there is a small, nearly invisible zipper on the main pocket. I rubbed the inner material of the wallet gently….I can feel the unmistakable texture of paper within. Money perhaps?
My bandaged hands were way too large to be able to grip the zipper, so I borrowed a hair-clip from one of the girls in my class and slipped the small needle into the tiny hole located in the upper part of the zipper. Pulling it slowly, careful not to dislodge the hairpin, I finally discovered what Kazuhiko might have truly meant, when he said “all the money in his wallet”. For in that hidden enclave, half a dozen 10 thousand yen bills were present, just itching to be used.
“Hmph, I guess he’s not all bad after all.” I muttered to myself, taking those precious bills and safely transferring them to my own wallet.
Now…what to buy for Natsumi…
April 16th, 17:04 PM, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
“So basically, you have no idea what present to give her..” Kazuhiko’s voice crackled over the phone lines. “And after I gave you all that money? You disappoint me, Ken..”
“Well, I can’t help it dude!! Seems like you know a lot more about her than me anyways, with all your research, sorry, stalking, so it’s only logical that I’ll ask you.” I responded to his statement testily.
“You know, Ken, that bet is kinda stupid, if you really have no interest in her then don’t bother trying.” Kazuhiko suddenly made a shocking statement. “I mean, it was a bet we made when we were young, don’t really matter. I was just hoping that you’d get a girlfriend before the end of your high school career you sad, sad soul.”
I thought about what he said for a while. Why…am I even doing this? Do I really like that girl, or was it just out of necessity? Was a stupid, immature, bet really the only thing that is motivating me to do something like this? Am I that shallow that I would chase after a girl just to please my own ego? The questions which I really should have asked myself months ago suddenly rushed into my mind. Are my emotions really that unbearably pathetic?
“…From that silence, I see that you are thinking of the matter deeply.” Kazuhiko sighed loudly, the sound coming off as static through the phone lines. “Maybe I’m the worst person to hear this from, but hey, chasing after a girl who you have no feelings for is like trying to buy a Ferrari, you are probably not gonna get one in the end, and you would have wasted a lot of time trying...”
“…So if you don’t feel anything when you look at her, why force it.” Kazuhiko finished what just could be the first time that I have ever heard him speak so seriously. He sighed again. “Well, okay then, I take it you won’t be going after he—“.“No.” I suddenly cut him off. “I am not as shallow as you, bastard. I don’t know when it happened, but I am pretty serious about this, so don’t bail on me now.” I told him firmly. I can hear Kazuhiko snorting from the other side of the line. “Well, aren’t we the bloody romantic…” he muttered. “Fine, leave it all to me. I’ll buy the present for her, all you have to do is give it to her when the time comes.”
“W-wait, I have all your money, how can you buy anything for her??” I asked Kazuhiko quickly, taken aback by his previous statement.
“Geez, Ken, if I had to spend 60 000 yen on each girl I wanted to date, I’ll be wearing my underwear right now, it’s the thought that counts.” Kazuhiko explained in a rather annoyingly cocky tone.
“So you’re just saying you’re cheap, right?”
“Effective money usage, Ken, not cheap. Anyways, I gotta go, I’ll set things up, no worries.” After saying that, Kazuhiko disconnected, probably off to another one of his insane escapades. I looked morosely at the phone screen and sighed. This whole relationship thing is NOT easy. Suddenly the phone rang again, it was Kazuhiko.
Weird, he doesn’t usually call someone twice within a short space of time. And a guy at that too.
“Yea, what’s up?” I questioned him quickly, expecting a rather grim response, like he is too broke or is in a bar fight, or one of the girls he dated has a boyfriend with a 4th degree black belt and Kazuhiko is getting the beating of a lifetime as we speak.
“Sorry forgot to ask, that vocalist of your band…Natsumi Kuroyuki was it? She sounds HOTTTT, can I have her num—“ I disconnected the call immediately. It would be a cold, cold, freezing day in hell before I introduce my precious vocalist to that insane girl-consuming predator. Walking home, I cannot help but feel apprehensive for the coming day. The days has passed me by quickly, and tomorrow is already Natsumi’s birthday…what surprises will that day hold for me? I sincerely hope that Kazuhiko’s brain, for one miraculous moment, functions as how a human being’s should, and buy a proper present for her.
..Please?
April 17th, 06:30 AM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
So here we are. The promised day. The day to end all days. Probably one of the most important days in the 17 years that I have spent on this earth. Well, okay, I am being too dramatic there, but yeah, today is very important. And I rest all of my hopes upon the shoulders of my best friend, Kazuhiko!
My god, I didn’t realize how hopeless that sounded… Well…Kazuhiko hasn’t disappointed me so far, well, not spectacularly at least, so it should all work out. Should.
Which is why I am going insane right about now. Kazuhiko had promised to come earlier in the morning to give me the present which he had purchased, but it’s half an hour before the school starts and he hasn’t even showed up yet! Damn him, I should’ve known that I can’t rely on him! I’ve seen dead people who are more punctual than him! I need…I need a plan B!! But…I haven’t bought anything and I just can’t skip class, there is this major history test on the third period! Oh come on, Ken, history grades or the girl you like, it’s not a very difficult choice. But then again, this test is 20% of the final grade, if I miss it, how am I gonna make up for the lost marks. Oh god, I am in a moral dilemma here…
Thankfully, Kazuhiko walked through the door at that exact moment. Perfect timing too, 5 more minutes and I would have mentally imploded. “Here.” Kazuhiko handed me a rather large plastic bag. “All you need is there.” I peeked inside the plastic bag, which contained a large, meticulously-wrapped, pink box. “What’s inside?” I asked him. “That’s for her to know and for you to never find out.” Kazuhiko told me mockingly. “But I guess you’ll see for yourself, she will probably open the box in front of you, like she usually does.”
Deciding to trust his judgement, I safely stored the plastic bag underneath my table and took my seat, ensuring that my bag and feet are strategically placed so that no one can directly see the plastic bag. The birthday girl herself hasn’t arrived, which is great, because I didn’t have to make up an excuse about why Kazuhiko gave me a large plastic bag in the early hours of the morning.
And so the day starts…
April 17th, 12:30 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
PRRINNNGG!!! The piercing sound of the bell signaled the beginning of our lunch break. I had pondered deeply about the best time of the day to give her the present, and I whittled it down to two possible candidates: During our lunch break, or after school hours. After school had been my primary choice when I came to the sudden realization that I have no idea where she lives or when she leaves the school compound. I can’t very well stalk her all day, so it’s either now or never!
Problem is, I have no idea where she eats lunch. I really should think things through next time…if there IS a next time, that is. However, I do have a pretty confident idea of where she’ll be…. It should be at the place where we first talked to each other…the roof.
Praying to the gods that I am right, I rushed up the stairs leading to the roof, the plastic bag in my hands feeling a lot heavier than it normally should. To be perfectly honest, I have no other idea of where she’ll be besides the roof, so if she’s not here, I would be forced to go on a wild goose chase.
Fortunately, Natsumi Hinata was indeed at the roof, standing at the exact same spot 2 months ago when I first truly met her, staring serenely at the expansive view before her. I felt kind of guilty disturbing this peaceful scene, but heyy, it’s for the greater good!! “Umm, excuse me, Hinata-san..?” I started, trying to attract her attention. Natsumi turned and was mildly surprised to see me there, her eyes widening slightly. “Oh, Yamazaki-kun, what are you doing here?” She asked me calmly. “Oh, well, uhh, I was looking for you, and I figured you would be here.” I answered honestly.
“Oh?” Natsumi ‘s face clearly showed her confusion “And just why would you look for me? If it was really important, you could have just called me you know. That’s what modern technology is for, right?”
Oh…right, why didn’t I think of that. Damn dysfunctional brain…
“Uhh…right.. Anyways!” I decided to change the topic, before she figured out that I was a complete moron. “It’s your birthday right, Hinata-san? Happy Birthday!” I said in an enthusiastic tone, handing her the large plastic bag I was holding. “And of course…your present!”
“Oh..” Natsumi was visibly shocked, but pleasantly so. She gave a small smile and chuckled. “I totally forgot it is my birthday today… You are the first person to wish me today, you know, Yamazaki-kun? With a present too! Well…thank you! I really appreciate it!” She flashed me another one of her charming smile, and I swear to god, I would literally buy her a present each day just to see that smile again. It would be worth every bloody cent.
“So…what’s inside of this thing?” Natsumi asked me while inspecting the box carefully. “Umm…it’s a secret! You’ll just have to open it and find out for yourself!” I told her confidently, trying to hide the fact that I am about as clueless as her about the contents of that present box.
“Mmm, mind if I open it right now?”
“Uhh…sure, I guess, presents are meant to be opened, right?” I gave a nervous laugh. Despite of myself, I am actually quite curious about what was inside that box.
Natsumi deftly unwrapped the box and lifted the lid, revealing…..mangas..?
Seriously, Kazu? The best idea you could think of as a present for a 17 year old girl are volumes of mangas? A shonen manga at that?
…I am so gonna kill you. If I survive Natsumi’s wrath, that is..
Natsumi was speechless; she must’ve felt deeply insulted that I gave her such a crappy present. Her mouth was wide open like a fish out of water, but no words came out. Is it that bad???
“Umm..Hinata-san, about the present..” I tried to apologize, but she cut me short. “W-what is…this??!!!” She exclaimed loudly. “W-well…uhh, I can explain...”
I can’t…actually.
“Th-this is…” I braced myself for impact; the words coming out of her mouth won’t be very pleasant… “AWESOMEE!!!” She yelled out excitedly
“HOW DID YOU KNOW I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS MANGA VOLUME FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS???” She took one volume out, looking at it gleefully. It was well…Bleach. THE Bleach, the manga about Shinigamis and Hollows and Zanpakutos. It turns out that she had been an avid fan of the series, but her collection lacks the manga volumes 6 to 15…and that was what the box contained. Well, and a plushie of Kon, the adorable mascot of the Bleach series.
“THANK YOUUUU, YAMAZAKI-KUN, THIS IS THE BEST PRESENT ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN MEEE!!!” She said eagerly, unable to hold back her joy.
Then, she hugged me.
It had to be one of the top 5 moments of the year so far, definitely, if not THE best. Her sweet scent, the feel of her soft skin against mine…my sensory organs are getting overloaded.
Which is why I was more than a little disappointed when she released me from her hug, blushing furiously. I didn’t blush though, I’m proud to say. Well, that’s probably because my brain was overloaded and couldn’t order my face to blush. I must’ve looked like an idiot…seems like whenever I am around Natsumi I make myself look stupid. But hey, it was worth each and every second.
I spent the rest of the lunch break talking with her, enjoying the moment.
April 17th, 17:30 PM, Minami-cho, Shizuoka
I whistled as I walked along the street leading to my house. And why shouldn’t I? Everything had worked out beautifully; it couldn’t have gone better if I had planned it beforehand. Natsumi’s happy, I’m happy, everybody’s happy!!! Suddenly my phone rang loudly, signaling the arrival of a new mail. I flipped open the lid and looked at the sender, it was Kazuhiko.
<<From: Kazuhiko>>
<<Subject: I know>>
<<I’m awesome, right? Don’t need to say it. ^^>>
<<Message End>>
…. For once I agree with him…yes you are, Kazu.
Yes, you are.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Chapter 5 part 1 – Aurum Initium
May 1st, 12:24 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
“No way I’m going if it’s gonna be a sausagefest.” Kazuhiko stated plainly, much to the dismay of our school’s star shooting guard, Nagayuki Sanada. “Oh, come on, mann, it’s gonna be epic!!! It’ll just be me, you, Ken here, and a few other basketball team members, it’s our BONDING time!!!” Nagayuki said enthusiastically, enthusiasm which didn’t transfer to Kazuhiko unfortunately. “Uhh…well, you can have your umm…”bonding” sessions with them as much as you want, but me, I need female contact.” Nagayuki laughed uncomfortably, obviously somewhat disturbed by Kazuhiko’s comment. Well, I don’t blame him, he disturbs me sometimes and I have known him for over 10 years now. “But there are only reservations for 6 people, see, so if we bring girls along…” Nagayuki tried to reason, but of course, reason has never worked well with my friend. “Then cut three guys and bring three girls. How hard is that??” Nagayuki pondered over Kazu’s suggestion for a while, before nodding slowly and muttering some incoherent words. “Well, fine then, but I have to approve the girls you bring, okay?”
“Hmph, I guess I’ll go with that. But I swear, if you bring ugly girls, I’ll…” Kazuhiko trailed off, leaving us to finish the sentence with our imaginations.
Wow, does my opinion count? At all? Did these guys just completely ignore me? Damn it.
How did this happen you ask? Well...I am not sure either. Kazuhiko and I were casually walking to our usual lunch table at the cafeteria…only to find Nagayuki sitting there, waving his hands like a madman. Both of us weren’t sure what he wanted, so we decided to hear him out for a while. It turns out that Nagayuki is planning a trip to Fujiyoshi, the reputedly beautiful, yet incredibly expensive bath house in the northern part of Shizuoka, for May 3rd to 6th, a.k.a Golden Week. I have never been there myself; my family has neither the money nor the time, so this came as a major shock to me.
Kazuhiko was skeptical though. “Who’s…going?” He had asked hesitantly when Nagayuki finished his explanation. “Oh…just 6 people, me, you, Ken there, and three of my favourite members from the basketball team.” Nagayuki had stated passionately. “Wait, who’s paying for all this? Onsens ain’t cheap.” I had interjected, finances being my main worry. “Oh, no need to worry; I have connections, so we’ll be able to stay there for free.” Nagayuki had planned this entire thing out well, I see. Moments before I was about to say yes, Kazuhiko added his perverted, ego-centric opinion…and that’s how the whole thing started.
“So who do ya plan to take?” I asked Kazuhiko as soon as we were alone. “Hmph…haven’t really decided, but it’s pretty obvious who are you gonna take right?” Kazuhiko grinned and playfully elbowed me in the chest. “Yeah, yeah..” I muttered. Natsumi would be my first pick obviously, and he knows that all too well. “Maybe I’ll bring one of those insanely slutty types…should be fun seeing how they are when they are in the onsen.” Kazuhiko said dreamily, god knows what is going on inside that head of his. “Bring someone reasonable, for crying out loud. Someone who’s not psychotic.”
“And just what are we talking about here?” A voice suddenly spoke out from behind me. “Oh shit” I whispered, and rightly so, for at that exact moment, a sharp blow landed on my back. Painful, obviously. “Jesus, Pres, do you really have to greet people like that..?” I groaned, my face twisted in pain.
“Oh come on now, that’s just how I greet people who I like!”
“Gee, I’d hate to see how you greet people you hate…”
“Crybaby.”
“Trap.”
“I see no love is lost between you two…” Kazuhiko said calmly, gleefully watching our stupid banter.
The owner of the voice was none other than Mayumi Azai, my Class President, and an old childhood friend of mine. Well, childhood friend would be an understatement really, more like…babyhood friend, if such a thing exists. The both of us had known each other before we could even say a single word, so needless to say, we are close friends. Or well, were, at least, somehow we had drifted apart since I entered high school. But we still hang out on the odd occasion, so I guess we remained close.
And from all the years that I have known her, she had developed a habit for punching me in the back as a form of greeting. Painful, totally un-feminine, and honestly, kinda emasculating, but nevertheless, she kept on doing it. To my eternal regret. However, take nothing away from her, Mayumi is one of those girls guys can’t help but hate and love at the same time. I guess you can say she’s gorgeous, although I honestly can’t see it, gets amazing grades, has been the class and student council president for two straight years, plus she is pretty tall, at 168 cm. Yet her domineering personality and rather…sadistic treatment of guys makes it hard for any level-headed male to get close to her. I am special in that sense, I suppose.
“Oh, Bakazu, you are still alive, I hoped that you would be dead by now.” Mayumi told Kazuhiko emotionlessly. “Ahh, yes, sorry dear President, but I won’t die yet… I am still waiting for the time when you turn dere-dere and tell me that you love me with all your heart.” Kazuhiko replied nonchalantly, obviously baiting her. “Well..in that case..” Mayumi’s voice suddenly turned to an incredibly cute tone. “I love you, Kazuhiko-kun!”
For better or for worse though, Kazuhiko was still standing, fine and dandy. “Tsch, I thought you said you’ll die.” Kazuhiko gave a small chuckle and grinned. “And I will, Mayumi darling, in 40 years or so, at least.” Kazuhiko calmly commented. “You’re hopeless…” grumbled my childhood friend. Thankfully, they couldn’t argue any further, as a member of the student council suddenly called on her to ask for her signature for some official documents. She quickly said goodbye and left, clearly taking her position very seriously.
“She’ll be the end of you, that girl.” Kazuhiko commented as soon as she was out of earshot. “She’ll kill you a whole lot sooner before she kills me.” I replied, grinning sardonically. “True, but she meets you a whole lot more, so the chances even out.” We both laughed at his comment and was about to enter our classroom when Nagayuki suddenly appeared behind us, draping his hands between our shoulders. “DUDE, YOU KNOW MAYUMI??” He asked excitedly. I am not exactly sure which one of us he is referring to…but eitherway, this is getting weird. “DUDE, ever heard of PERSONAL SPACE??!” Kazuhiko yelled out in disgust, yanking Nagayuki’s long arms away from his body. I followed suit.
“Never mind that!!! You guys know her?” Kazuhiko asked again with the same excited tone. “Uhh…yeah, she’s a childhood friend of mine…why?” I questioned him carefully. He gave a gigantic grin, looking very much like a complete idiot, and unexpectedly gave me a bear hug. “THIS IS PERFECT!!! THE CHANCE THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!” he exclaimed loudly, swinging me around like a rag doll. “L-let me go, you insane freak!” I shouted at him. This is totally attracting negative attention on me. “Oh, sorry, sorry!” Nagayuki quickly let me go and I fell down on the ground, gasping for air.
“What…the…hell…was…that…for…?” I panted, between my greedy gulps for sweet oxygen. “Well…can we do this somewhere more private?” Nagayuki asked me quietly, pointing to a secluded corner in the classroom. “Fine, fine..” I quickly stood up and walked over to the designated spot, waiting for his explanation. “Umm…I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but I have fallen in love with the class president!” Nagayuki announced proudly.
My god, I think that someone rammed a basketball to his head. Hard.
“Uhh…you sure about that..? Like, you are positive that it’s HER right? Mayumi Azai, right?” I asked again, just to make sure that I was not hallucinating from lack of oxygen. “Yes, definitely.” Nagayuki reaffirmed his statement. “Ever since this school year started, when we have been given the amazing privilege of being led by Mayumi-chan…I have fallen for her beauty, her brains, and of course, her PERSONALITY!!!”
….Okay, he MUST be insane.
“Well…uhh, yeah…about that…” I started, trying to point out that while Mayumi is indeed beautiful and smart, she is an insane, masochistic , honorary-dude-kinda-girl, but Nagayuki interrupted me before I finished my sentence. “Her very presence, it’s like, like, a cool breeze of wind in the oppressive heat of summer! A gust of cold air flowing straight through my heart, opening spaces I didn’t even know existed!”
What, you’re poetic now??? Really??? For her??? This…this…this is what people call simple love, isn’t it? He is a simple kinda guy, so I guess he has a simple kinda love. Simple…as in how a lost puppy would fall in love at the first person it sees, even if the person turns out to be an insane dog-rapist.
“I guess…you want me to ask her to come with us to Fujiyoshi then..?” Nagayuki’s stupid grin became even larger and nodded his head repeatedly. “Well, I’ll try my best, but no promises there..” I told him half-heartedly. “THANK YOU MAN!!!! I OWE YOU BIG TIME FOR THIS!!!!!” He shook my hand profusely and walked back to his seat cheerfully, whistling a TV showtune. I swear, that man is a basketball genius, but he’s a complete idiot when it comes to females. Sighing and scratching my head in wonder, I took my seat beside Kazuhiko and waited patiently for the day to end.
May 1st, 15:30 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
“YESS!!! Another boring day over!!!” Kazuhiko yelled loudly, as the bell signaling the end of school rang loudly across the halls. “Oh shaddup Toyama, you are the exact reason why Japanese teens these days are degenerating even further. All you do is play, play, play, and you girls, ohhh, don’t even get me started with you people! Seems like your skirts exponentially get shorter every year that passes by!! I bet you are purposely doing this to attract stares from any random guys that passes by, huh??!!! My god, you are no different from those Kabukicho show girls who…” My homeroom teacher, the much-despised Shikanosuke Majima continued to rant, but no one was actually listening, in fact, some of the braver students have managed to leave while Majima was too engrossed in his social criticisms.
After 5 minutes of continuous ranting, god knows how he can last that long, he finally released us, muttering to himself as he walked back to the teacher’s lounge, probably coming up with some new way to show how much he despises us. Bastard. Eitherway, I walked lazily to the front gate of the school, picked up my shoes and yawned loudly. “Sleepy there, Yamazaki-kun?” Natsumi Hinata’s sweet voice suddenly assaulted my ears. “Yeah, I guess our awesome homeroom teacher is trying to motivate us in his own special, awesome way, but my brain generally prefers praises over neurotic rants.” I said jokingly. Natsumi gave a small chuckle and put on her shoes. “Hey, can you walk with me for a while?” She suddenly made a startling request.
….Today is a beautiful day.
“Well, sure, I don’t mind…where to?” I asked her, trying to hide my excitement at the prospect of spending time with a girl I admire.
“Mmmm….my house, if you don’t mind, I need help carrying these.” Natsumi lifted up a large bag of groceries. “I don’t think I’ll be able to bring everything on my own, so lend me a hand, will ya? Well, actually, my house is a bit too far, just the station would be fine.”
“Oh, sure, it’s not a problem.” I lifted up the bag of groceries and walked out of the school together with Natsumi. Beautiful day indeed.
“Soo, Hinata-san, where do you live?” I asked her.
“Oh, in Shimizu-ku, not that far away really, about a 10 minute walk from the station.”
“Ahh…you live with your parents there?”
Natsumi remained silent for a while before finally answering. “No, I live alone.” She said curtly, and even my intoxicated brain can sense that I shouldn’t pursue this matter further.
“I see..” I muttered, and walked on silently, trying to enjoy the moment while it lasted. Then it suddenly struck me, this is one of the best opportunities I will ever get to ask her about the onsen trip thing!
But…when am I gonna get the opening to bring the matter up? I mean, I can’t just talk about it from nowhere, I need a starting point, a base of operations from where I can launch my offensive towards the subject matter! Sides, I don’t think the words will come out properly if I ask straightaway; my mind is not in a very…stable state right now. And I don’t have much time left either…both of us reached the station already, and her train was minutes away from arriving!
“By the way, what were you talking about with Sanada-kun earlier in the morning?” Natsumi suddenly asked, giving me the opportunity that I so badly desired! I knew that the fates would pull through for me! THANK YOU, NATSUMI-CHAANNN!!!
“Oh, well, he was asking me to go on a trip with him for Golden Week.” I replied casually, trying to sound calm. “Interesting...where to, if I may ask?” Natsumi questioned me again. “Fujiyoshi, that place on the northern part of Shizuoka, I heard that it’s quite relaxing.” I answered carefully, promoting the place while not sounding too enthusiastic. “Oww, isn’t it expensive there?”
“Pretty expensive, but Sanada-kun said that he would cover all the living expenses and whatnot, so I guess it wouldn’t cost TOO much.”
“Wow, Sanada-kun is a pretty awesome guy, eh… Who’s going anyway?”
THERE! THE OPENING! TIME FOR A FULL ASSAULT!!!!!
“Well, we haven’t decided yet. Toyama-kun and I is a definite, but we need three girls, so I was wondering who I should bring…” I stopped for a while and looked at Natsumi.
NOW! Time for the killer blow!
“You wanna come along with us, Hinata-chan?” I popped the question instantaneously, not sounding too casual, but not too desperate either. THIS IS PERFECT!
Natsumi looked at me for a while, deep in thought. “You sure you don’t wanna be alone with Sanada-kun? You two looked pretty cozy just now.” Natsumi answered back jokingly with a large smile on her face. Well, at least I thought she was joking.
“Wh-what???!!!” I spluttered. “WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT! I AM NOT LIKE THAT! I LIKE GIRLS, OKAY?? FEMALES, I AM HETEROSEXUAL! COMPLETELY STRAIGHT AND NORMAL!” I yelled out loudly, visibly flustered.
Natsumi laughed loudly at my reaction. “Ahahahahaha, my god, Yamazaki-kun, it’s so easy to get a reaction out of you, you know?” She poked my head with her index finger, pushing it back. “You should fix that character trait of yours, you know? Girls don’t like neurotic guys.”
“Well, then don’t say stupid things to me!” I retorted, pretending to be annoyed. “Hahahaha, fine, fine, sorry, but it was too good a chance to resist” Natsumi managed to say in between her laughing sprees.
But of course, one must always find an opportunity in the darkest of moments… and in this case, I have the perfect solution. “Hmph, apology not accepted!” I told her firmly. “To make up for your… transgressions, you are stuck with me for the rest of Golden Week! Oh yes, you heard me, you are going on that trip with me and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Natsumi stopped laughing and looked at me straight in the eyes. “How does calling you gay equal me going with you on a trip…?” I waved my hand about dismissively. “Silence, knave, your arguments will not be heard!” Natsumi sulked for a while but soon, that same mischievous smile that decorated her face just seconds ago returned. “Weeeeelllll, okay then, I’ll go with you, but you know what, Yamazaki-channn?” She asked me in a falsely cute voice. “Wh..at..?” I asked her suspiciously, my instincts telling me that I won’t like her response very much.
She told me.
And I didn't like her response, not one bit.
“No way I’m going if it’s gonna be a sausagefest.” Kazuhiko stated plainly, much to the dismay of our school’s star shooting guard, Nagayuki Sanada. “Oh, come on, mann, it’s gonna be epic!!! It’ll just be me, you, Ken here, and a few other basketball team members, it’s our BONDING time!!!” Nagayuki said enthusiastically, enthusiasm which didn’t transfer to Kazuhiko unfortunately. “Uhh…well, you can have your umm…”bonding” sessions with them as much as you want, but me, I need female contact.” Nagayuki laughed uncomfortably, obviously somewhat disturbed by Kazuhiko’s comment. Well, I don’t blame him, he disturbs me sometimes and I have known him for over 10 years now. “But there are only reservations for 6 people, see, so if we bring girls along…” Nagayuki tried to reason, but of course, reason has never worked well with my friend. “Then cut three guys and bring three girls. How hard is that??” Nagayuki pondered over Kazu’s suggestion for a while, before nodding slowly and muttering some incoherent words. “Well, fine then, but I have to approve the girls you bring, okay?”
“Hmph, I guess I’ll go with that. But I swear, if you bring ugly girls, I’ll…” Kazuhiko trailed off, leaving us to finish the sentence with our imaginations.
Wow, does my opinion count? At all? Did these guys just completely ignore me? Damn it.
How did this happen you ask? Well...I am not sure either. Kazuhiko and I were casually walking to our usual lunch table at the cafeteria…only to find Nagayuki sitting there, waving his hands like a madman. Both of us weren’t sure what he wanted, so we decided to hear him out for a while. It turns out that Nagayuki is planning a trip to Fujiyoshi, the reputedly beautiful, yet incredibly expensive bath house in the northern part of Shizuoka, for May 3rd to 6th, a.k.a Golden Week. I have never been there myself; my family has neither the money nor the time, so this came as a major shock to me.
Kazuhiko was skeptical though. “Who’s…going?” He had asked hesitantly when Nagayuki finished his explanation. “Oh…just 6 people, me, you, Ken there, and three of my favourite members from the basketball team.” Nagayuki had stated passionately. “Wait, who’s paying for all this? Onsens ain’t cheap.” I had interjected, finances being my main worry. “Oh, no need to worry; I have connections, so we’ll be able to stay there for free.” Nagayuki had planned this entire thing out well, I see. Moments before I was about to say yes, Kazuhiko added his perverted, ego-centric opinion…and that’s how the whole thing started.
“So who do ya plan to take?” I asked Kazuhiko as soon as we were alone. “Hmph…haven’t really decided, but it’s pretty obvious who are you gonna take right?” Kazuhiko grinned and playfully elbowed me in the chest. “Yeah, yeah..” I muttered. Natsumi would be my first pick obviously, and he knows that all too well. “Maybe I’ll bring one of those insanely slutty types…should be fun seeing how they are when they are in the onsen.” Kazuhiko said dreamily, god knows what is going on inside that head of his. “Bring someone reasonable, for crying out loud. Someone who’s not psychotic.”
“And just what are we talking about here?” A voice suddenly spoke out from behind me. “Oh shit” I whispered, and rightly so, for at that exact moment, a sharp blow landed on my back. Painful, obviously. “Jesus, Pres, do you really have to greet people like that..?” I groaned, my face twisted in pain.
“Oh come on now, that’s just how I greet people who I like!”
“Gee, I’d hate to see how you greet people you hate…”
“Crybaby.”
“Trap.”
“I see no love is lost between you two…” Kazuhiko said calmly, gleefully watching our stupid banter.
The owner of the voice was none other than Mayumi Azai, my Class President, and an old childhood friend of mine. Well, childhood friend would be an understatement really, more like…babyhood friend, if such a thing exists. The both of us had known each other before we could even say a single word, so needless to say, we are close friends. Or well, were, at least, somehow we had drifted apart since I entered high school. But we still hang out on the odd occasion, so I guess we remained close.
And from all the years that I have known her, she had developed a habit for punching me in the back as a form of greeting. Painful, totally un-feminine, and honestly, kinda emasculating, but nevertheless, she kept on doing it. To my eternal regret. However, take nothing away from her, Mayumi is one of those girls guys can’t help but hate and love at the same time. I guess you can say she’s gorgeous, although I honestly can’t see it, gets amazing grades, has been the class and student council president for two straight years, plus she is pretty tall, at 168 cm. Yet her domineering personality and rather…sadistic treatment of guys makes it hard for any level-headed male to get close to her. I am special in that sense, I suppose.
“Oh, Bakazu, you are still alive, I hoped that you would be dead by now.” Mayumi told Kazuhiko emotionlessly. “Ahh, yes, sorry dear President, but I won’t die yet… I am still waiting for the time when you turn dere-dere and tell me that you love me with all your heart.” Kazuhiko replied nonchalantly, obviously baiting her. “Well..in that case..” Mayumi’s voice suddenly turned to an incredibly cute tone. “I love you, Kazuhiko-kun!”
For better or for worse though, Kazuhiko was still standing, fine and dandy. “Tsch, I thought you said you’ll die.” Kazuhiko gave a small chuckle and grinned. “And I will, Mayumi darling, in 40 years or so, at least.” Kazuhiko calmly commented. “You’re hopeless…” grumbled my childhood friend. Thankfully, they couldn’t argue any further, as a member of the student council suddenly called on her to ask for her signature for some official documents. She quickly said goodbye and left, clearly taking her position very seriously.
“She’ll be the end of you, that girl.” Kazuhiko commented as soon as she was out of earshot. “She’ll kill you a whole lot sooner before she kills me.” I replied, grinning sardonically. “True, but she meets you a whole lot more, so the chances even out.” We both laughed at his comment and was about to enter our classroom when Nagayuki suddenly appeared behind us, draping his hands between our shoulders. “DUDE, YOU KNOW MAYUMI??” He asked excitedly. I am not exactly sure which one of us he is referring to…but eitherway, this is getting weird. “DUDE, ever heard of PERSONAL SPACE??!” Kazuhiko yelled out in disgust, yanking Nagayuki’s long arms away from his body. I followed suit.
“Never mind that!!! You guys know her?” Kazuhiko asked again with the same excited tone. “Uhh…yeah, she’s a childhood friend of mine…why?” I questioned him carefully. He gave a gigantic grin, looking very much like a complete idiot, and unexpectedly gave me a bear hug. “THIS IS PERFECT!!! THE CHANCE THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!!!” he exclaimed loudly, swinging me around like a rag doll. “L-let me go, you insane freak!” I shouted at him. This is totally attracting negative attention on me. “Oh, sorry, sorry!” Nagayuki quickly let me go and I fell down on the ground, gasping for air.
“What…the…hell…was…that…for…?” I panted, between my greedy gulps for sweet oxygen. “Well…can we do this somewhere more private?” Nagayuki asked me quietly, pointing to a secluded corner in the classroom. “Fine, fine..” I quickly stood up and walked over to the designated spot, waiting for his explanation. “Umm…I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but I have fallen in love with the class president!” Nagayuki announced proudly.
My god, I think that someone rammed a basketball to his head. Hard.
“Uhh…you sure about that..? Like, you are positive that it’s HER right? Mayumi Azai, right?” I asked again, just to make sure that I was not hallucinating from lack of oxygen. “Yes, definitely.” Nagayuki reaffirmed his statement. “Ever since this school year started, when we have been given the amazing privilege of being led by Mayumi-chan…I have fallen for her beauty, her brains, and of course, her PERSONALITY!!!”
….Okay, he MUST be insane.
“Well…uhh, yeah…about that…” I started, trying to point out that while Mayumi is indeed beautiful and smart, she is an insane, masochistic , honorary-dude-kinda-girl, but Nagayuki interrupted me before I finished my sentence. “Her very presence, it’s like, like, a cool breeze of wind in the oppressive heat of summer! A gust of cold air flowing straight through my heart, opening spaces I didn’t even know existed!”
What, you’re poetic now??? Really??? For her??? This…this…this is what people call simple love, isn’t it? He is a simple kinda guy, so I guess he has a simple kinda love. Simple…as in how a lost puppy would fall in love at the first person it sees, even if the person turns out to be an insane dog-rapist.
“I guess…you want me to ask her to come with us to Fujiyoshi then..?” Nagayuki’s stupid grin became even larger and nodded his head repeatedly. “Well, I’ll try my best, but no promises there..” I told him half-heartedly. “THANK YOU MAN!!!! I OWE YOU BIG TIME FOR THIS!!!!!” He shook my hand profusely and walked back to his seat cheerfully, whistling a TV showtune. I swear, that man is a basketball genius, but he’s a complete idiot when it comes to females. Sighing and scratching my head in wonder, I took my seat beside Kazuhiko and waited patiently for the day to end.
May 1st, 15:30 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
“YESS!!! Another boring day over!!!” Kazuhiko yelled loudly, as the bell signaling the end of school rang loudly across the halls. “Oh shaddup Toyama, you are the exact reason why Japanese teens these days are degenerating even further. All you do is play, play, play, and you girls, ohhh, don’t even get me started with you people! Seems like your skirts exponentially get shorter every year that passes by!! I bet you are purposely doing this to attract stares from any random guys that passes by, huh??!!! My god, you are no different from those Kabukicho show girls who…” My homeroom teacher, the much-despised Shikanosuke Majima continued to rant, but no one was actually listening, in fact, some of the braver students have managed to leave while Majima was too engrossed in his social criticisms.
After 5 minutes of continuous ranting, god knows how he can last that long, he finally released us, muttering to himself as he walked back to the teacher’s lounge, probably coming up with some new way to show how much he despises us. Bastard. Eitherway, I walked lazily to the front gate of the school, picked up my shoes and yawned loudly. “Sleepy there, Yamazaki-kun?” Natsumi Hinata’s sweet voice suddenly assaulted my ears. “Yeah, I guess our awesome homeroom teacher is trying to motivate us in his own special, awesome way, but my brain generally prefers praises over neurotic rants.” I said jokingly. Natsumi gave a small chuckle and put on her shoes. “Hey, can you walk with me for a while?” She suddenly made a startling request.
….Today is a beautiful day.
“Well, sure, I don’t mind…where to?” I asked her, trying to hide my excitement at the prospect of spending time with a girl I admire.
“Mmmm….my house, if you don’t mind, I need help carrying these.” Natsumi lifted up a large bag of groceries. “I don’t think I’ll be able to bring everything on my own, so lend me a hand, will ya? Well, actually, my house is a bit too far, just the station would be fine.”
“Oh, sure, it’s not a problem.” I lifted up the bag of groceries and walked out of the school together with Natsumi. Beautiful day indeed.
“Soo, Hinata-san, where do you live?” I asked her.
“Oh, in Shimizu-ku, not that far away really, about a 10 minute walk from the station.”
“Ahh…you live with your parents there?”
Natsumi remained silent for a while before finally answering. “No, I live alone.” She said curtly, and even my intoxicated brain can sense that I shouldn’t pursue this matter further.
“I see..” I muttered, and walked on silently, trying to enjoy the moment while it lasted. Then it suddenly struck me, this is one of the best opportunities I will ever get to ask her about the onsen trip thing!
But…when am I gonna get the opening to bring the matter up? I mean, I can’t just talk about it from nowhere, I need a starting point, a base of operations from where I can launch my offensive towards the subject matter! Sides, I don’t think the words will come out properly if I ask straightaway; my mind is not in a very…stable state right now. And I don’t have much time left either…both of us reached the station already, and her train was minutes away from arriving!
“By the way, what were you talking about with Sanada-kun earlier in the morning?” Natsumi suddenly asked, giving me the opportunity that I so badly desired! I knew that the fates would pull through for me! THANK YOU, NATSUMI-CHAANNN!!!
“Oh, well, he was asking me to go on a trip with him for Golden Week.” I replied casually, trying to sound calm. “Interesting...where to, if I may ask?” Natsumi questioned me again. “Fujiyoshi, that place on the northern part of Shizuoka, I heard that it’s quite relaxing.” I answered carefully, promoting the place while not sounding too enthusiastic. “Oww, isn’t it expensive there?”
“Pretty expensive, but Sanada-kun said that he would cover all the living expenses and whatnot, so I guess it wouldn’t cost TOO much.”
“Wow, Sanada-kun is a pretty awesome guy, eh… Who’s going anyway?”
THERE! THE OPENING! TIME FOR A FULL ASSAULT!!!!!
“Well, we haven’t decided yet. Toyama-kun and I is a definite, but we need three girls, so I was wondering who I should bring…” I stopped for a while and looked at Natsumi.
NOW! Time for the killer blow!
“You wanna come along with us, Hinata-chan?” I popped the question instantaneously, not sounding too casual, but not too desperate either. THIS IS PERFECT!
Natsumi looked at me for a while, deep in thought. “You sure you don’t wanna be alone with Sanada-kun? You two looked pretty cozy just now.” Natsumi answered back jokingly with a large smile on her face. Well, at least I thought she was joking.
“Wh-what???!!!” I spluttered. “WE ARE NOT LIKE THAT! I AM NOT LIKE THAT! I LIKE GIRLS, OKAY?? FEMALES, I AM HETEROSEXUAL! COMPLETELY STRAIGHT AND NORMAL!” I yelled out loudly, visibly flustered.
Natsumi laughed loudly at my reaction. “Ahahahahaha, my god, Yamazaki-kun, it’s so easy to get a reaction out of you, you know?” She poked my head with her index finger, pushing it back. “You should fix that character trait of yours, you know? Girls don’t like neurotic guys.”
“Well, then don’t say stupid things to me!” I retorted, pretending to be annoyed. “Hahahaha, fine, fine, sorry, but it was too good a chance to resist” Natsumi managed to say in between her laughing sprees.
But of course, one must always find an opportunity in the darkest of moments… and in this case, I have the perfect solution. “Hmph, apology not accepted!” I told her firmly. “To make up for your… transgressions, you are stuck with me for the rest of Golden Week! Oh yes, you heard me, you are going on that trip with me and there’s nothing you can do about it!” Natsumi stopped laughing and looked at me straight in the eyes. “How does calling you gay equal me going with you on a trip…?” I waved my hand about dismissively. “Silence, knave, your arguments will not be heard!” Natsumi sulked for a while but soon, that same mischievous smile that decorated her face just seconds ago returned. “Weeeeelllll, okay then, I’ll go with you, but you know what, Yamazaki-channn?” She asked me in a falsely cute voice. “Wh..at..?” I asked her suspiciously, my instincts telling me that I won’t like her response very much.
She told me.
And I didn't like her response, not one bit.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Next update will be the next time there's a February 29th!
Just kidding :p
Chapter 5 part 2 - Nagayuki gets Impaled
Just kidding :p
Chapter 5 part 2 - Nagayuki gets Impaled
May 3rd, 13:25 PM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“Welcome to Fujiyoshi guys!” Nagayuki proudly announced as soon as we exited the train station, a grueling 8 hour trip from our native Shizuoka City. Needless to say, most of us weren’t in a good mood. “BASTARD! 8 HOURS??? 8 HOURS? YOU WOKE ME UP AT 5 IN THE MORNING TO SIT ON A TRAIN FOR 8 HOURS???!!! I CAN’T FEEL MY ASS RIGHT NOW!” Kazuhiko yelled out, his eyes bloodshot, and his usually carefully prepared exterior completely scrapped. He has never been, and never will be, I suppose, a morning person, and you can pretty much deduce that from looking at him now. “Dying already, Bakazu?” Mayumi Azai, our vicious class president, mocked him. “If I knew it was this easy, I would have arranged for a class trip to Tokyo by train a longggg time ago.”
And yes, Mayumi has indeed joined us in our trip. I had expected her to refuse whole-heartedly and break Nagayuki’s heart, but she was instead….kinda enthusiastic about going. Nagayuki was elated, short to say. This is probably why he isn’t exhausted at all right now.
“Ahahaha, funny there, Azai-san.” Nagayuki laughed rather too desperately. Mayumi pretty much ignored him though and read the nearby signpost, which had directions to the onsen. From the looks of it, it shouldn’t be too amazingly far away, but I can’t be sure. “Approximately how long does it take to go from here to the onsen..?” I asked Nagayuki. “Oh, not that far away, about 45 minutes I think.”
….Awkward silence.
“YOU UNIMAGINABLE BASTARD!!! 45 MINUTES!! I CAN’T EVEN FEEL MY LEGS!” Kazuhiko protested loudly, apparently not having enough strength to walk, but enough to scream his lungs out. “Welll, it IS a basketball camp originally…what did you expect? This is supposed to be a warm-up exercise.” Nagayuki explained calmly, unfazed by Kazuhiko’s childish rants. “Sidesss, the time will pass by fleetinglyyy, we have good company after all!” That stupid hopeful look he had when I told him that Mayumi was coming, decorated his face once again. “45 minutes ehh…well, good luck with that, Yamazaki-kun!” Natsumi patted me on my shoulders and threw her incredibly oversized luggage at me. “There is a lot of fragile and expensive stuff in there, so don’t carry it roughly. I might get mentally traumatized if any of em breaks, okay??” That false sugary-sweet cute voice…oh, how painful and powerful it is.
….Oh sweet Natsumi, you are far too evil. Who in this world could have reverse-blackmailed someone to carrying their bags for her…? Right after I had asked her to come with me for this trip, she had replied simply that either I carry her bags for her or she can’t possibly go. After the initial offer, I can’t possibly back down!! It’s my manly pride! And so here I am now, carrying one large camping backpack and a huge, grossly oversized trunk filled with god-knows-what. This seems wrong somehow…
“I am not gonna walk for another 45 minutes. Period.” Kazuhiko finally stated, his tone flat and dead. “Awwwhh, is my dear Kazu-chan tired? Do you need me to carry some of your bags for you?” crooned Kaede. Oh right, well, I guess even SHE needs an introduction. True to his word, Kazuhiko brought the single most airheaded and bimbotic girl he could possibly find. Her job here is simply to do one thing, massively boost Kazuhiko’s ego. And in that respect, she does own. Kaede Rikako is pretty simple to imagine really, just imagine the single most beautiful girl you have ever met, and then think of the single most mentally deficient person you have ever met. Combine the two together and you will roughly have an image of how she is. Oh, and of course, she needs to dress in the sluttiest way possible.
“No, no, it’s okay, I’m just exhausted.” Kazuhiko reassured her, using the last shred of decency he has left in his tank I suppose. “Isn’t there a way around this? No buses? Or trains? Or hell even taxis?? I’ll literally give my whole wallet away just to not walk!” Nagayuki merely shook his head. “This place is pretty much deserted, buses do come by every once in a while, but nothing’s coming for the next two hours or so.”
“Gah! It’s Golden Week! How are people not supposed to come here for Golden WEEK!!!” Kazuhiko whined again, unwilling to accept his fate. “It’s a friggin onsen right?? Aren’t people supposed to come here for rest and relaxation or something??? IT SHOULD BE CROWDED! BUSES!”
“I completely agree!” Kaede chirped in, obviously not having any idea what the conversation is about, but just supporting Kazuhiko for the hell of it.
“Well…I guess if you feel THAT much strongly about it, I can arrange some transport…” Nagayuki muttered to himself for a while. “Gimme a minute, let me make a phone call for a bit.” He deftly took out his cellphone and dialed a number. “Hello? Yes, is this the Fujiyoshi onsen? May I talk to Suzaku please?”
A short pause.
“Ah, Suzaku-kun, one of our members has fallen sick because of the trick, can you arrange for someone to pick us up here? Yeah, right in front of the station. Sorry for all the trouble, and thanks.” Nagayuki disconnected the call and turned towards us. “A car is coming to pick all of us up, so just wait patiently.”
“YES!” Kazuhiko exclaimed joyfully. Kaede clapped her hands excitedly as well. Reminds me of that bunny I saw at the petting zoo when I was a kid… Cute, but completely clueless.
May 3rd, 15:05 PM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“Oh…my…god..” I said slowly, in awe of the hotel I would be staying in. It wasn’t incredibly large, not like those massive hotels one would see in pictures of Las Vegas, in fact, this place is not even a hotel, it’s an inn, but it has that distinct Japanese charm and quality. There are no TVs in the gigantic entrance hall, only simple chairs and couches, most filled by chatting guests. The view is spectacular, and the sea can be seen from any part of the inn, but of course the main spectacle has to be the massive rotenburo, or outdoor spring, filled with dozens of people bathing away.
“Welcome to Fujiyoshi. I take it that you are Sanada-san’s companions?” A formal voice suddenly spoke from behind us. I turned around to face the owner of the voice. It was a young man dressed in a neatly tied kimono, probably not any older than me, pretty short, about my mouth-level I’d say, and he is well, incredibly underwhelming, to tell you the truth. I expected a tall, formal business-man-esque person to come greet us, but I guess you can’t judge a book by the cover. “Ohh, Suzaku-kun, you don’t need to be so formal with us!!!” Nagayuki laughed raucously and patted him on the back. Suzaku, I guess that’s his name, seems to be used to these kinds of situations. “I am afraid I do, Sanada-san, as long as you are here, you are guests of this establishment, and therefore you shall be treated as such.” He stated firmly, curbing Nagayuki’s enthusiasm. “Psch, you’re hopeless! This is why no one believes you when you say you are 17!” Nagayuki protested.
“Yes, well, eitherway,” The man…well, teenager I guess, called Suzaku turned to face us, completely ignoring Nagayuki. “Welcome to the Fujiyoshi Ryokan, my name is Nichijou Suzaku, and I will be your host for the remainder of your trip. Pleasure to meet you.” He bowed deeply.
Well…awkward much? This man is stiffer than a dried out wooden board.
“For the ladies, please go to the receptionist counter and change into your yukatas, which are provided by us of course, and as for the gentlemen, you may choose to use a kimono or proceed to wear your normal clothes, although it is strongly recommended that you use the kimono in order to get the authentic Japanese experience.” Suzaku told all of us calmly. “Once you are done, please proceed to your rooms to check if anything is missing, your luggages will precede you, no worries.” Suzaku then pulled out a folded piece of paper from inside his kimono, and handed each of us one copy. “That is a map of our establishment, please do not hesitate to use it to find your rooms and to traverse around here. I am afraid I must be off soon, so I cannot accompany you, but do enjoy your time here.” After those final parting words, Suzaku walked off towards the onsen, followed by a few waitresses.
“Wow…I guess he is top dog of this place eh..” I said, honestly quite shocked that a kid my age could be running an onsen so smoothly. “Hahaha, he does have that effect on people sometime… Suzaku is the son of the owner, see, so he helps out here from time to time. Wouldn’t believe that he is in the same grade as us, eh?” Nagayuki said, a hint of admiration in his tone. “Anyways, let’s go to the room already, don’t you wanna check it out??” He excitedly ran off towards the halls, not even stopping to look at the map Suzaku gave him. I guess he must be pretty confident with his memory…
5 Minutes Later
“Here we are guys.” Nagayuki said as we reached a large traditional sliding door, fitting the overall theme of the inn, pure, untainted tradition.
“Are you…sure?” Kazuhiko asked suspiciously. “I mean, you just dashed off without looking at this map, how are we supposed to know we’re in the right place.”
“Oh come on now, I’ve been a regular customer here for the past three years! Suzaku always registers me in the same room every single year, it’s sort of our little tradition.” Nagayuki assured us.
“Well, I guess the worst thing that can happen is that we go in the wrong room and get stared at for being impolite…” I reached out for the door handle. “So we might as well try our luck!” I slid the door open aside, and for the umpteenth time in my very unfortunate life, I didn’t realize just how wrong I could be. Getting stared at wasn’t the worst possible thing that could happen, not even close. More like the opposite really.
For all three of us couldn’t help but just stand there in the hallway and stare at our very beautiful, very smart, very shocked, and very naked class president standing still in the middle of the room. Well, okay, not COMPLETELY naked, she was still wearing her undergarments after all, but in the end, the overall outcome was no different. Three guys, almost-naked-girl, what else could happen? We just stared on in shock, none of us managing to formulate a proper sentence. Mayumi was also too surprised to be embarrassed, angry, or any combination of the move. Silence ensued for what appeared to be an eternity, before Kazuhiko made an atypical Kazuhiko comment, i.e, brainless and having very painful consequences.
“Wow, Pres’ got a killer body.” He remarked. That single statement was enough to snap Mayumi back to her senses, which meant severely painful repercussions for us. “YOU PERVERTS!” she yelled out, the colour of her face turning bright red, and hurled anything she could get her hands on towards us.
Good news: There weren’t that many things around her to throw at us. Bad news: The only thing she could hurl at us were sharp metal knives.
“HOLY SHIT, A KNIFE! THAT WAS A KNIFE, WASN’T IT??! YOU JUST THREW A FUCKING KNIFE AT ME!” I yelled out loudly while trying my best to evade her deadly knife throws. “I DON’T CARE, DIE, DIE, DIE ALL OF YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOTS!” Mayumi yelled back fiercely, flinging even more knives towards my direction.
Okay, more good news: All of the knives missed me. Bad news: The knives didn’t miss Nagayuki.
One of them had impaled itself directly on his upper shoulder, and another on his left thigh. “I-I’m sorry, but I don’t like it rough, Azai-san.” Nagayuki managed to say before collapsing on the wooden hallway, causing even more panic among us.
30 Minutes Later
“So let me get this straight, you guys walked in on her changing…and then she tried to kill all of you?” asked Natsumi.
“I’d say you’re oversimplifying things a little bit there, but yeah, you got the basic points.” I replied.
“It’s their fault! Who the hell walks in on an inn room without knocking first! Or at least ring the bell or something!” Mayumi argued, obviously still miffed about the whole incident.
“How the hell are we supposed to knock on a sliding door…” Kazuhiko muttered under his breath, inviting a fierce glare from my childhood friend.
“AND YOU!!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMMENT IN THIS!”
“Oh come on Pres, don’t be like that, what I said back then was the truth, yo.”
“IT WAS COMPLETLEY RUDE AND INAPPROPRIATE!!!!”
“Fine, you have a ridiculously flat chest and overall unattractive body, happy now?”
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME, YOU SICK PERVERT??!!”
“What do you want from me, woman??!! I say you’re hot, you throw knives at me, I say you’re ugly and you get agitated! Make up your mind, girl!”
By this point in time, Mayumi’s mouth was nearly frothing in anger. You gotta hand it to Kazuhiko; he really knows how to drive someone insane.
“I must apologize for this whole situation.” Suzaku suddenly interjected. When he heard of Nagayuki’s…unfortunate accident, he had rushed to our rooms with remarkable speed and brought the inn’s doctor with him too. His wounds weren’t that serious apparently, the knives didn’t impale far into the skin, plus the knives were small to begin with anyway, so Nagayuki should be able to manage a full recovery by tomorrow.
Although….I don’t think that his physical state is the one that the doctor should be examining. For the past fifteen minutes, he had been sitting in the corner of the room all alone, cradling his head in his arms and slowly rocked his body back and forth, muttering something along the lines of “ahaha…naked…haha…ha…naked…haha…ahaha…haha…haha…”, in repeat. But I digress.
“I completely forgot to tell you that all of you are assigned to the same room, so guys should watch out, and vice versa.” Suzaku continued. “Usually, Nagayuki only brings the basketball team, and they are all guys, so this kind of problem never takes place.”
“One question though,” I chirped in, cutting him off momentarily. “Mayumi, why were you….not wearing anything..?”
“Well….that’s….” she hesitated to answer for a while. “I wasn’t feeling comfortable wearing the yukata…so I decided to take it off, but that’s beside the point!” She tried to dismiss the idea.
“So, in short, because there is not a single trace of femininity in you?” Kazuhiko quipped, before dashing out of the room, giving Mayumi no chance to kill him I suppose.
“Kazuuuu, waittt!!!” his date…whatever her name was, groaned, getting up and chasing after Kazuhiko while still wearing her yukata.
“Anyways…” said Natsumi, “Suzaku-kun, you said that all of us are assigned to the same room….so does that mean all of us will be sleeping together in the same room?”
“Oh..” Suzaku scratched his head for a short moment. “Well….yes.”
“WHHHHHAAAATTT???!!!” Mayumi exploded. “TH-THA-THAT’S INSANE! I CAN’T SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THESE HORNY BASTARDS!”
“I-I’m sorry, but it’s Golden Week, there are simply no other rooms available right now, and I assure you, the bedroom is pretty big, you can put a safe distance away from the guys.” Suzaku tried to alleviate the situation.
“B-B-BUT!! BUT!!!!” Mayumi tried to argue, but she simply couldn’t come up with the words.
“Just relax.” I told Mayumi “I’ll make sure no one gets close to you…then again I don’t think anyone here wants to get close to you in the first place.” She gave me the usual “I’ll-kill-you” glare.
“Once again, I am sorry for this mix-up…well, I’ll be taking my leave now, please enjoy the remainder of your stay here.” After saying that, Suzaku then stood up and briskly walked out of the room.
I looked around the room we were in. Now that all the panic was gone, I noticed that the room we were in was well…huge. It had to be at least 15 tatami mats in total, and that’s the bare minimum too. In fact, to say that this is our room would be quite a mistake…it is only ONE of the rooms. On the right side of the room, there is another sliding door, leading to another large room consisting of six futons spread on the floor, our “bedroom” so to speak. The room we were currently in is more of the living room, although it barely had any furniture. One big table in the middle pretty much dominated the whole room; there were no TVs, or any other modern equipment for that matter. A small calligraphy scroll hung in the far left side of the room, not really sure what it says, but it was probably some philosophical thing. The walls were covered with clean, pure white wallpaper, making the whole area look both elegant and rather…scary at the same time.
Although I don’t think that anyone in their right mind would want to stay indoors in the first place. Outside our room, we have our own personal hot spring, believe it or not. Our very own pool of hot, steaming water ready to use anytime we feel like it. To conclude… this place is heaven on earth. I can’t imagine how expensive the usual room rate will be. Nagayuki better not end up screwing up the prices, or I am gonna end up washing plates here for the rest of the month.
“So what are we gonna do now?” Natsumi inquired. She looked incredibly stunning in the hotel’s pink yukata, like a classical Japanese beauty. Her hair had been let down loosely, nearly reaching down to her waist. I found that strangely attractive. But I digress.
Come to think of it…what ARE we going to do? I had expected basketball genius over there to come up with a proper itinerary, but with his current mental state, I don’t think he can even walk to the bathroom, let alone exit the hotel. This can’t be good…
Suddenly, Suzaku rushed back in, as if he forgotten something. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you, Nagayuki never plans for anything the first day around, so please, all of you should just rest and socialize. If you want food, feel free to use room service. It’s on the house, consider it as my personal apology.” Suzaku said, before bowing down deeply once again and leaving the room.
“Well…at least we got free food… Maybe you should walk around naked more, Mayumi.” I teased my childhood friend.
“N-not you too! Shut up, Ken!” she told me angrily, before pouting her lips and walking away, closing the door to the bedroom roughly, leaving Natsumi and me alone.
“Great first day, eh…” I muttered.
“Ahaha, the best, definitely.” Natsumi chuckled. “It wasn’t all bad though, at least the yukata is nice. The whole place is beautiful too, have you seen the view from here?”
“Well, no, not quite actually, when I got here, SOMEONE threw knives at me, so the view was kinda in the back of my head, after you know, surviving.”
“Shut up, it’s your fault!” Mayumi’s muffled screaming could be heard from the next room.
“You two are pretty close aren’t you?” Natsumi said, her mouth stretched in a bemused smile.
“Uhh, well, I knew her for 16 years now, so I guess you can say that.” I answered.
“Hmm, interesting..well, eitherway!” Natsumi suddenly stood up. “You have to see the view here! Come with me!” She exclaimed, grabbing my hand and yanking it to try and get me to rise up
“Alright, alright, slow down!” I groaned, but got up and followed after her anyways, her hands still intertwined with mine.
Damn, I love this place.
“Come come!” Natsumi kept on telling me as she took me outside, and well, let’s just say I could see what all the fuss was about. Past the onsen, past the small wooden fence which enclosed the whole area, the view was simply spectacular. I didn’t realize it, but this inn is located on top of a mountain, so, there is a stunning view on the shore and the ocean. I can see small houses perched on top of the cliffs along the outline, and the horizon was spectacular.
“Mmm, Suzaku-kun did say that the best view to see the horizon is from the biggest mixed bath here… Let’s go there sometime!” Natsumi told me excitedly.
“Sure, sure.” I replied calmly.
Wait, did she just say MIXED bath?
As in, girls and guys together?
In one bath?
Seriously?
Is this a dream? Someone…slap me please?
Now, I would have been perfectly fine to just stand there and try to remember what my name was and decipher the words Natsumi had just spoken, but Nagayuki suddenly crawled out from the inner room, and said something along the lines of, “Food’s here…naked…ahaha…haha…food…haha”, before crawling back in.
“Well, let’s eat then, Yamazaki-kun!” Natsumi cheerily said, apparently not noticing that the words that she had just spoken were very powerful indeed.
The rest of the day passed without incident, we all basically just stayed in the room and talked with each other (Nagayuki was still dazed though, so he doesn’t count). Kazuhiko eventually came back at around 3 PM, his date nowhere to be found. When I questioned him on her whereabouts, he simply shrugged and answered, “She was trying to talk to a rabbit statue when I left her” The discussion stopped there.
Mayumi also came out from the bedroom soon after Kazuhiko returned, and it was pretty obvious that she just took a long nap, with her hair all ruffled up and her clothes all messed up. Kazuhiko went on to comment that she looked even MORE sexy now, and she pretty much tried to kill him again. Thankfully, Suzaku had removed any and all potentially harmful objects from the room (The knives were originally there to help us eat, Suzaku took it away…together with the forks…and even the spoons), so she had nothing to throw at Kazu. Too bad she decided to try and choke him to death instead.
Ah, yes, an incident-devoid day indeed.
Well, at least someone didn’t get killed. Yet.
Surprisingly enough though, everything was fine by nightfall. Kazuhiko was hurled off to the furthest top right corner of the room, far far away from the girls, where he could do no damage, while Nagayuki and I were stuck on the right side of the room. The futons were arranged horizontally across the middle of the room see, so basically there were three on the left side, and three more on the right side, divided by an imaginary vertical line down the middle. Mayumi added as much space as possible between our futons, ‘Any of you guys touch me, and I’ll kill you and drag you back from hell just to kill you again’, so the girls were supposedly safe. There was this completely uneasy atmosphere in the room when the lights were turned off though.
Well, I slept well enough though. Even with Nagayuki babbling quietly to himself beside me like a drugged up maniac. Oh wait, he is, never mind then.
….I hope tomorrow is better…
“Welcome to Fujiyoshi guys!” Nagayuki proudly announced as soon as we exited the train station, a grueling 8 hour trip from our native Shizuoka City. Needless to say, most of us weren’t in a good mood. “BASTARD! 8 HOURS??? 8 HOURS? YOU WOKE ME UP AT 5 IN THE MORNING TO SIT ON A TRAIN FOR 8 HOURS???!!! I CAN’T FEEL MY ASS RIGHT NOW!” Kazuhiko yelled out, his eyes bloodshot, and his usually carefully prepared exterior completely scrapped. He has never been, and never will be, I suppose, a morning person, and you can pretty much deduce that from looking at him now. “Dying already, Bakazu?” Mayumi Azai, our vicious class president, mocked him. “If I knew it was this easy, I would have arranged for a class trip to Tokyo by train a longggg time ago.”
And yes, Mayumi has indeed joined us in our trip. I had expected her to refuse whole-heartedly and break Nagayuki’s heart, but she was instead….kinda enthusiastic about going. Nagayuki was elated, short to say. This is probably why he isn’t exhausted at all right now.
“Ahahaha, funny there, Azai-san.” Nagayuki laughed rather too desperately. Mayumi pretty much ignored him though and read the nearby signpost, which had directions to the onsen. From the looks of it, it shouldn’t be too amazingly far away, but I can’t be sure. “Approximately how long does it take to go from here to the onsen..?” I asked Nagayuki. “Oh, not that far away, about 45 minutes I think.”
….Awkward silence.
“YOU UNIMAGINABLE BASTARD!!! 45 MINUTES!! I CAN’T EVEN FEEL MY LEGS!” Kazuhiko protested loudly, apparently not having enough strength to walk, but enough to scream his lungs out. “Welll, it IS a basketball camp originally…what did you expect? This is supposed to be a warm-up exercise.” Nagayuki explained calmly, unfazed by Kazuhiko’s childish rants. “Sidesss, the time will pass by fleetinglyyy, we have good company after all!” That stupid hopeful look he had when I told him that Mayumi was coming, decorated his face once again. “45 minutes ehh…well, good luck with that, Yamazaki-kun!” Natsumi patted me on my shoulders and threw her incredibly oversized luggage at me. “There is a lot of fragile and expensive stuff in there, so don’t carry it roughly. I might get mentally traumatized if any of em breaks, okay??” That false sugary-sweet cute voice…oh, how painful and powerful it is.
….Oh sweet Natsumi, you are far too evil. Who in this world could have reverse-blackmailed someone to carrying their bags for her…? Right after I had asked her to come with me for this trip, she had replied simply that either I carry her bags for her or she can’t possibly go. After the initial offer, I can’t possibly back down!! It’s my manly pride! And so here I am now, carrying one large camping backpack and a huge, grossly oversized trunk filled with god-knows-what. This seems wrong somehow…
“I am not gonna walk for another 45 minutes. Period.” Kazuhiko finally stated, his tone flat and dead. “Awwwhh, is my dear Kazu-chan tired? Do you need me to carry some of your bags for you?” crooned Kaede. Oh right, well, I guess even SHE needs an introduction. True to his word, Kazuhiko brought the single most airheaded and bimbotic girl he could possibly find. Her job here is simply to do one thing, massively boost Kazuhiko’s ego. And in that respect, she does own. Kaede Rikako is pretty simple to imagine really, just imagine the single most beautiful girl you have ever met, and then think of the single most mentally deficient person you have ever met. Combine the two together and you will roughly have an image of how she is. Oh, and of course, she needs to dress in the sluttiest way possible.
“No, no, it’s okay, I’m just exhausted.” Kazuhiko reassured her, using the last shred of decency he has left in his tank I suppose. “Isn’t there a way around this? No buses? Or trains? Or hell even taxis?? I’ll literally give my whole wallet away just to not walk!” Nagayuki merely shook his head. “This place is pretty much deserted, buses do come by every once in a while, but nothing’s coming for the next two hours or so.”
“Gah! It’s Golden Week! How are people not supposed to come here for Golden WEEK!!!” Kazuhiko whined again, unwilling to accept his fate. “It’s a friggin onsen right?? Aren’t people supposed to come here for rest and relaxation or something??? IT SHOULD BE CROWDED! BUSES!”
“I completely agree!” Kaede chirped in, obviously not having any idea what the conversation is about, but just supporting Kazuhiko for the hell of it.
“Well…I guess if you feel THAT much strongly about it, I can arrange some transport…” Nagayuki muttered to himself for a while. “Gimme a minute, let me make a phone call for a bit.” He deftly took out his cellphone and dialed a number. “Hello? Yes, is this the Fujiyoshi onsen? May I talk to Suzaku please?”
A short pause.
“Ah, Suzaku-kun, one of our members has fallen sick because of the trick, can you arrange for someone to pick us up here? Yeah, right in front of the station. Sorry for all the trouble, and thanks.” Nagayuki disconnected the call and turned towards us. “A car is coming to pick all of us up, so just wait patiently.”
“YES!” Kazuhiko exclaimed joyfully. Kaede clapped her hands excitedly as well. Reminds me of that bunny I saw at the petting zoo when I was a kid… Cute, but completely clueless.
May 3rd, 15:05 PM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“Oh…my…god..” I said slowly, in awe of the hotel I would be staying in. It wasn’t incredibly large, not like those massive hotels one would see in pictures of Las Vegas, in fact, this place is not even a hotel, it’s an inn, but it has that distinct Japanese charm and quality. There are no TVs in the gigantic entrance hall, only simple chairs and couches, most filled by chatting guests. The view is spectacular, and the sea can be seen from any part of the inn, but of course the main spectacle has to be the massive rotenburo, or outdoor spring, filled with dozens of people bathing away.
“Welcome to Fujiyoshi. I take it that you are Sanada-san’s companions?” A formal voice suddenly spoke from behind us. I turned around to face the owner of the voice. It was a young man dressed in a neatly tied kimono, probably not any older than me, pretty short, about my mouth-level I’d say, and he is well, incredibly underwhelming, to tell you the truth. I expected a tall, formal business-man-esque person to come greet us, but I guess you can’t judge a book by the cover. “Ohh, Suzaku-kun, you don’t need to be so formal with us!!!” Nagayuki laughed raucously and patted him on the back. Suzaku, I guess that’s his name, seems to be used to these kinds of situations. “I am afraid I do, Sanada-san, as long as you are here, you are guests of this establishment, and therefore you shall be treated as such.” He stated firmly, curbing Nagayuki’s enthusiasm. “Psch, you’re hopeless! This is why no one believes you when you say you are 17!” Nagayuki protested.
“Yes, well, eitherway,” The man…well, teenager I guess, called Suzaku turned to face us, completely ignoring Nagayuki. “Welcome to the Fujiyoshi Ryokan, my name is Nichijou Suzaku, and I will be your host for the remainder of your trip. Pleasure to meet you.” He bowed deeply.
Well…awkward much? This man is stiffer than a dried out wooden board.
“For the ladies, please go to the receptionist counter and change into your yukatas, which are provided by us of course, and as for the gentlemen, you may choose to use a kimono or proceed to wear your normal clothes, although it is strongly recommended that you use the kimono in order to get the authentic Japanese experience.” Suzaku told all of us calmly. “Once you are done, please proceed to your rooms to check if anything is missing, your luggages will precede you, no worries.” Suzaku then pulled out a folded piece of paper from inside his kimono, and handed each of us one copy. “That is a map of our establishment, please do not hesitate to use it to find your rooms and to traverse around here. I am afraid I must be off soon, so I cannot accompany you, but do enjoy your time here.” After those final parting words, Suzaku walked off towards the onsen, followed by a few waitresses.
“Wow…I guess he is top dog of this place eh..” I said, honestly quite shocked that a kid my age could be running an onsen so smoothly. “Hahaha, he does have that effect on people sometime… Suzaku is the son of the owner, see, so he helps out here from time to time. Wouldn’t believe that he is in the same grade as us, eh?” Nagayuki said, a hint of admiration in his tone. “Anyways, let’s go to the room already, don’t you wanna check it out??” He excitedly ran off towards the halls, not even stopping to look at the map Suzaku gave him. I guess he must be pretty confident with his memory…
5 Minutes Later
“Here we are guys.” Nagayuki said as we reached a large traditional sliding door, fitting the overall theme of the inn, pure, untainted tradition.
“Are you…sure?” Kazuhiko asked suspiciously. “I mean, you just dashed off without looking at this map, how are we supposed to know we’re in the right place.”
“Oh come on now, I’ve been a regular customer here for the past three years! Suzaku always registers me in the same room every single year, it’s sort of our little tradition.” Nagayuki assured us.
“Well, I guess the worst thing that can happen is that we go in the wrong room and get stared at for being impolite…” I reached out for the door handle. “So we might as well try our luck!” I slid the door open aside, and for the umpteenth time in my very unfortunate life, I didn’t realize just how wrong I could be. Getting stared at wasn’t the worst possible thing that could happen, not even close. More like the opposite really.
For all three of us couldn’t help but just stand there in the hallway and stare at our very beautiful, very smart, very shocked, and very naked class president standing still in the middle of the room. Well, okay, not COMPLETELY naked, she was still wearing her undergarments after all, but in the end, the overall outcome was no different. Three guys, almost-naked-girl, what else could happen? We just stared on in shock, none of us managing to formulate a proper sentence. Mayumi was also too surprised to be embarrassed, angry, or any combination of the move. Silence ensued for what appeared to be an eternity, before Kazuhiko made an atypical Kazuhiko comment, i.e, brainless and having very painful consequences.
“Wow, Pres’ got a killer body.” He remarked. That single statement was enough to snap Mayumi back to her senses, which meant severely painful repercussions for us. “YOU PERVERTS!” she yelled out, the colour of her face turning bright red, and hurled anything she could get her hands on towards us.
Good news: There weren’t that many things around her to throw at us. Bad news: The only thing she could hurl at us were sharp metal knives.
“HOLY SHIT, A KNIFE! THAT WAS A KNIFE, WASN’T IT??! YOU JUST THREW A FUCKING KNIFE AT ME!” I yelled out loudly while trying my best to evade her deadly knife throws. “I DON’T CARE, DIE, DIE, DIE ALL OF YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOTS!” Mayumi yelled back fiercely, flinging even more knives towards my direction.
Okay, more good news: All of the knives missed me. Bad news: The knives didn’t miss Nagayuki.
One of them had impaled itself directly on his upper shoulder, and another on his left thigh. “I-I’m sorry, but I don’t like it rough, Azai-san.” Nagayuki managed to say before collapsing on the wooden hallway, causing even more panic among us.
30 Minutes Later
“So let me get this straight, you guys walked in on her changing…and then she tried to kill all of you?” asked Natsumi.
“I’d say you’re oversimplifying things a little bit there, but yeah, you got the basic points.” I replied.
“It’s their fault! Who the hell walks in on an inn room without knocking first! Or at least ring the bell or something!” Mayumi argued, obviously still miffed about the whole incident.
“How the hell are we supposed to knock on a sliding door…” Kazuhiko muttered under his breath, inviting a fierce glare from my childhood friend.
“AND YOU!!! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO COMMENT IN THIS!”
“Oh come on Pres, don’t be like that, what I said back then was the truth, yo.”
“IT WAS COMPLETLEY RUDE AND INAPPROPRIATE!!!!”
“Fine, you have a ridiculously flat chest and overall unattractive body, happy now?”
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME, YOU SICK PERVERT??!!”
“What do you want from me, woman??!! I say you’re hot, you throw knives at me, I say you’re ugly and you get agitated! Make up your mind, girl!”
By this point in time, Mayumi’s mouth was nearly frothing in anger. You gotta hand it to Kazuhiko; he really knows how to drive someone insane.
“I must apologize for this whole situation.” Suzaku suddenly interjected. When he heard of Nagayuki’s…unfortunate accident, he had rushed to our rooms with remarkable speed and brought the inn’s doctor with him too. His wounds weren’t that serious apparently, the knives didn’t impale far into the skin, plus the knives were small to begin with anyway, so Nagayuki should be able to manage a full recovery by tomorrow.
Although….I don’t think that his physical state is the one that the doctor should be examining. For the past fifteen minutes, he had been sitting in the corner of the room all alone, cradling his head in his arms and slowly rocked his body back and forth, muttering something along the lines of “ahaha…naked…haha…ha…naked…haha…ahaha…haha…haha…”, in repeat. But I digress.
“I completely forgot to tell you that all of you are assigned to the same room, so guys should watch out, and vice versa.” Suzaku continued. “Usually, Nagayuki only brings the basketball team, and they are all guys, so this kind of problem never takes place.”
“One question though,” I chirped in, cutting him off momentarily. “Mayumi, why were you….not wearing anything..?”
“Well….that’s….” she hesitated to answer for a while. “I wasn’t feeling comfortable wearing the yukata…so I decided to take it off, but that’s beside the point!” She tried to dismiss the idea.
“So, in short, because there is not a single trace of femininity in you?” Kazuhiko quipped, before dashing out of the room, giving Mayumi no chance to kill him I suppose.
“Kazuuuu, waittt!!!” his date…whatever her name was, groaned, getting up and chasing after Kazuhiko while still wearing her yukata.
“Anyways…” said Natsumi, “Suzaku-kun, you said that all of us are assigned to the same room….so does that mean all of us will be sleeping together in the same room?”
“Oh..” Suzaku scratched his head for a short moment. “Well….yes.”
“WHHHHHAAAATTT???!!!” Mayumi exploded. “TH-THA-THAT’S INSANE! I CAN’T SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM WITH THESE HORNY BASTARDS!”
“I-I’m sorry, but it’s Golden Week, there are simply no other rooms available right now, and I assure you, the bedroom is pretty big, you can put a safe distance away from the guys.” Suzaku tried to alleviate the situation.
“B-B-BUT!! BUT!!!!” Mayumi tried to argue, but she simply couldn’t come up with the words.
“Just relax.” I told Mayumi “I’ll make sure no one gets close to you…then again I don’t think anyone here wants to get close to you in the first place.” She gave me the usual “I’ll-kill-you” glare.
“Once again, I am sorry for this mix-up…well, I’ll be taking my leave now, please enjoy the remainder of your stay here.” After saying that, Suzaku then stood up and briskly walked out of the room.
I looked around the room we were in. Now that all the panic was gone, I noticed that the room we were in was well…huge. It had to be at least 15 tatami mats in total, and that’s the bare minimum too. In fact, to say that this is our room would be quite a mistake…it is only ONE of the rooms. On the right side of the room, there is another sliding door, leading to another large room consisting of six futons spread on the floor, our “bedroom” so to speak. The room we were currently in is more of the living room, although it barely had any furniture. One big table in the middle pretty much dominated the whole room; there were no TVs, or any other modern equipment for that matter. A small calligraphy scroll hung in the far left side of the room, not really sure what it says, but it was probably some philosophical thing. The walls were covered with clean, pure white wallpaper, making the whole area look both elegant and rather…scary at the same time.
Although I don’t think that anyone in their right mind would want to stay indoors in the first place. Outside our room, we have our own personal hot spring, believe it or not. Our very own pool of hot, steaming water ready to use anytime we feel like it. To conclude… this place is heaven on earth. I can’t imagine how expensive the usual room rate will be. Nagayuki better not end up screwing up the prices, or I am gonna end up washing plates here for the rest of the month.
“So what are we gonna do now?” Natsumi inquired. She looked incredibly stunning in the hotel’s pink yukata, like a classical Japanese beauty. Her hair had been let down loosely, nearly reaching down to her waist. I found that strangely attractive. But I digress.
Come to think of it…what ARE we going to do? I had expected basketball genius over there to come up with a proper itinerary, but with his current mental state, I don’t think he can even walk to the bathroom, let alone exit the hotel. This can’t be good…
Suddenly, Suzaku rushed back in, as if he forgotten something. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you, Nagayuki never plans for anything the first day around, so please, all of you should just rest and socialize. If you want food, feel free to use room service. It’s on the house, consider it as my personal apology.” Suzaku said, before bowing down deeply once again and leaving the room.
“Well…at least we got free food… Maybe you should walk around naked more, Mayumi.” I teased my childhood friend.
“N-not you too! Shut up, Ken!” she told me angrily, before pouting her lips and walking away, closing the door to the bedroom roughly, leaving Natsumi and me alone.
“Great first day, eh…” I muttered.
“Ahaha, the best, definitely.” Natsumi chuckled. “It wasn’t all bad though, at least the yukata is nice. The whole place is beautiful too, have you seen the view from here?”
“Well, no, not quite actually, when I got here, SOMEONE threw knives at me, so the view was kinda in the back of my head, after you know, surviving.”
“Shut up, it’s your fault!” Mayumi’s muffled screaming could be heard from the next room.
“You two are pretty close aren’t you?” Natsumi said, her mouth stretched in a bemused smile.
“Uhh, well, I knew her for 16 years now, so I guess you can say that.” I answered.
“Hmm, interesting..well, eitherway!” Natsumi suddenly stood up. “You have to see the view here! Come with me!” She exclaimed, grabbing my hand and yanking it to try and get me to rise up
“Alright, alright, slow down!” I groaned, but got up and followed after her anyways, her hands still intertwined with mine.
Damn, I love this place.
“Come come!” Natsumi kept on telling me as she took me outside, and well, let’s just say I could see what all the fuss was about. Past the onsen, past the small wooden fence which enclosed the whole area, the view was simply spectacular. I didn’t realize it, but this inn is located on top of a mountain, so, there is a stunning view on the shore and the ocean. I can see small houses perched on top of the cliffs along the outline, and the horizon was spectacular.
“Mmm, Suzaku-kun did say that the best view to see the horizon is from the biggest mixed bath here… Let’s go there sometime!” Natsumi told me excitedly.
“Sure, sure.” I replied calmly.
Wait, did she just say MIXED bath?
As in, girls and guys together?
In one bath?
Seriously?
Is this a dream? Someone…slap me please?
Now, I would have been perfectly fine to just stand there and try to remember what my name was and decipher the words Natsumi had just spoken, but Nagayuki suddenly crawled out from the inner room, and said something along the lines of, “Food’s here…naked…ahaha…haha…food…haha”, before crawling back in.
“Well, let’s eat then, Yamazaki-kun!” Natsumi cheerily said, apparently not noticing that the words that she had just spoken were very powerful indeed.
The rest of the day passed without incident, we all basically just stayed in the room and talked with each other (Nagayuki was still dazed though, so he doesn’t count). Kazuhiko eventually came back at around 3 PM, his date nowhere to be found. When I questioned him on her whereabouts, he simply shrugged and answered, “She was trying to talk to a rabbit statue when I left her” The discussion stopped there.
Mayumi also came out from the bedroom soon after Kazuhiko returned, and it was pretty obvious that she just took a long nap, with her hair all ruffled up and her clothes all messed up. Kazuhiko went on to comment that she looked even MORE sexy now, and she pretty much tried to kill him again. Thankfully, Suzaku had removed any and all potentially harmful objects from the room (The knives were originally there to help us eat, Suzaku took it away…together with the forks…and even the spoons), so she had nothing to throw at Kazu. Too bad she decided to try and choke him to death instead.
Ah, yes, an incident-devoid day indeed.
Well, at least someone didn’t get killed. Yet.
Surprisingly enough though, everything was fine by nightfall. Kazuhiko was hurled off to the furthest top right corner of the room, far far away from the girls, where he could do no damage, while Nagayuki and I were stuck on the right side of the room. The futons were arranged horizontally across the middle of the room see, so basically there were three on the left side, and three more on the right side, divided by an imaginary vertical line down the middle. Mayumi added as much space as possible between our futons, ‘Any of you guys touch me, and I’ll kill you and drag you back from hell just to kill you again’, so the girls were supposedly safe. There was this completely uneasy atmosphere in the room when the lights were turned off though.
Well, I slept well enough though. Even with Nagayuki babbling quietly to himself beside me like a drugged up maniac. Oh wait, he is, never mind then.
….I hope tomorrow is better…
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Been a while, but yeah, here you go guys.
Chapter 5 part 3 – Kazuhiko Becomes A Man
Chapter 5 part 3 – Kazuhiko Becomes A Man
May 4th, 06:25 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
My father once told me that the first thing you see when you wake up will decide how the rest of the day will play out.
Well, in that case, my day should be spectacular.
Or incredibly painful, depends how you look at it.
For when I woke up today, the first that greeted me was the sight of my class president’s sleeping face. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, in fact it’s wonderful!
But well…what the hell was she doing here???!!!
My first instinct was to scream loudly and get up, but I quickly pressed my hands on my mouth to stop me from letting out even the smallest of sounds. I am not exactly sure how my childhood friend and I ended up in such a weird position, but one thing is sure, if I wake her up, there is going to be pain. A lot of pain. I shuffled around my futon, trying to find a way to rise, but just as I was about to sit up, I felt a strange sensation on my stomach. The night had been cold, and my whole body felt frozen, but there was one warm sensation in the middle of my abdomen.
I lifted my head and looked at my stomach. And well, waddya know, Mayumi’s arm, covered in her pajamas, was lying oh-so-snugly across my belly. I sighed and laid my head back against the pillow. Obviously, I can’t move NOW, if I move her hand, she’ll wake up for sure. I turned towards her and cursed silently at her sleeping face. “Always giving me trouble, eh, Mayumi?” I murmured quietly.
You know, I haven’t really noticed it before, but my childhood friend had certainly grown to become a pretty gorgeous girl. Looking at her sleeping face, I can’t help but think of how she used to look like…and how she looks now. The difference was astounding. If someone pointed a gun at me now and asked me between Natsumi and Mayumi, who is the more beautiful girl, I don’t think I would be able to give a proper answer. They are…well, different types of beauties.
Natsumi, well, needless to say, being the school idol, is beautiful in her own right, but her beauty is more…refined, in a sense. She is not exactly the high-maintenance type, who would try on twenty four different kinds of make up just to determine which one looks better on her, but she realizes that she is attractive, and is not afraid to use it to her advantage. As I have painfully learnt.
Mayumi, on the other hand, she is more of the “pure” beauty type. She doesn’t necessarily know or care that she is gorgeous, and as far as she’s concerned, if guys want to swoon over her…well, actually she’s not concerned at all, which probably explains why Nagayuki is climbing up one steep hill chasing after her. However, it is exactly that uncaring flair, that uninterested charm, which makes her all the more attractive. Yet, of course, being my childhood friend, I don’t think I can ever see her that way…
But being a healthy, heterosexual male, I can’t help but to find her peaceful, sleeping face, ludicrously cute. Her mouth was half-open and her usually neat hair was ruffled and messy. A far-cry from the perfect student image she has at school. I was tempted to take a picture of this and use it for any future blackmail purposes, but psch, my cellphone is outside and I don’t think that this particular scene is so bad anyways.
Suddenly, she wriggled imperceptibly in her sleep, muttering something that sounds like “munya-munya”, and a flock of hair dropped down on her face, over her eyes. An unfortunate blemish on an otherwise perfect image. My hand unconsciously began to reach towards her face, pulling that bangle of hair and moving it backwards, away from her face. Her nose wrinkled slightly and for a moment there, it seemed like she would wake up, but she just gave a lazy sigh and continued her slumber.
I instinctively pulled back my hand. What the hell was I doing just now? Was it some kind of reflex which I have developed over the years from reading all those goddamned girly shoujo mangas my sister forced me to read? Not cool, Ken, not cool. Especially because she is Mayumi, that girl you knew even before you could walk, Ken! Damn it! And besides….even if I had wanted to make it happen, after what happened five years ago, I don’t think it’s a possibility…
I sighed again and turned back to look at the ceiling. Her face is cute and all…but all of this is making me forget about the most important thing any person must do in the morning.
I need to pee. Badly.
I squirmed around in my futon, trying to find some Houdini-esque way to escape her hold, but to no avail. She virtually has me pinned down, a death lock, damn her!
Then all of a sudden, her eyes opened slightly. Just a small slit, but it was all I needed to realize that the time of reckoning had arrived. “Mmm, munya munya…morning Ken…” She murmured lazily.
Okay, seriously what the hell does “munya-munya” means? Is that a legal word?
Err…anyways, after saying that, her eyes closed again, and for a short moment there, I thought that I was off the hook. Then…it finally struck her.
“Wait, KEN?” Her eyes shot wide open. “W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU –“
Seeing an opportunity, I jumped off the bed and dashed towards the bathroom which was on the other room, ignoring that flabbergasted look on my childhood friend’s face. Sorry, dear, but when nature calls, I gotta answer!
After relieving myself, I stepped out of the bathroom and found Mayumi’s incredibly pissed face staring back at me. “W-WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?” She asked me angrily. “Err…obviously, I was peeing.” I answered back in a rather patronizing tone. Not a good call, Ken. “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!! YOU…YOU PERV!” She scolded me loudly.
“Hey, weren’t you paying attention? You were on MY bed, not the other way around.”
“So what, are you saying it’s MY fault?”
“It’s nobody’s fault…you were just unable to resist my devilishly attractive charm I suppose.”
“W-WHAT DEVILISHLY ATTRACTIVE CHARM? IDIOT!”
“HEY, YOU’RE THE ONE THAT CAME ON TO ME MAN!”
“DON’T FLATTER YOURSELF, MORON!”
“DON’T CALL ME A MORON, YOU LATE-NIGHT PREDATOR!”
“W-WHAT?? OBVIOUSLY YOU DRUGGED ME OR SOMETHING AND CARRIED ME OVER TO YOUR BED!”
“HOW THE HELL CAN I DO THAT??”
Our mindless argument continued on for another 3 minutes or so, serving as an alarm clock for the others. We didn’t realize that the walls were thin…and voices seep through it quite easily, so basically the rest of the group could hear our not-so-witty repartee. Kazuhiko was the first to come out of the bedroom, his usually-perfect hair a complete bird’s nest and his eyes completely bloodshot. Not a morning person, as it seems.
“Dudes…if you wanna have a lovers’ quarrel, don’t do it so early in the morning…please..” He drawled before literally dropping down on the floor and sleeping again.
Nagayuki was next to come out, his eyes frighteningly manic. “K-Ken…YOU BETRAYED ME!!!” He roared, before charging forward and ramming me head-on, stepping on Kazuhiko’s prone body in the process. “What the hell?!” Both of us screamed in unison. All of the air in my lungs was forced out by Nagayuki and I fell down on the ground hard. I don’t get scared by a lot of things, but the sight of a 190+ cm toned dude sitting on top of you and about to beat you senseless tends to scare anybody with a sane mind.
Yeap, a totally uneventful and normal morning.
May 4th, 08:14 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“I’m starting to think that this trip just wasn’t meant to be” Natsumi said as we all gathered around the large table in the living room. “I mean, first day, Nagayuki gets wounded, and now he in turn wounds someone…. Hmm, this could be that karma thing…”
“Karma my ass.” I stated in a dead tone.
“What he said” Kazuhiko echoed my statement.
“Ahaha…yeah, about that, I’m sorry, bro, I wasn’t thinking straight so I was just, you know…yeah…” Nagayuki scratched his head in shame.
“How the hell did you end up next to me anyways? Dear god…” I asked Mayumi while pressing an icepack to my swollen cheek.
“I…I dunno, sleepwalking maybe..?” She replied hesitantly. I guess even she could tell that her response was a weak one.
“She was rolling around the whole damn room, Ken.” Kazuhiko interjected. “It’s less of sleepwalking as it is sleep..drifting. She was practically writhing around like a fish the whole night, I guess she found your chest to be rather comforting. Damn, I should’ve taken advantage of her last night when she came near ME…”
“YOU WHAT?!”
“Hey, don’t hate the playa, hate the game. In this game, you just gave me an open goal from 3 yards away.”
“W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? PERVERT!”
“Careful now, Pres, you might just develop high blood pressure…”
“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! AND IF I DO GET HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, IT’LL BE CAUSE OF YOU! PERVERTED IDIOT!”
“Oh well, the more tsun she is now, the more dere she’ll be later…” Kazuhiko finally said, shrugging his shoulders.
“I AM SO GONNAA—“ Mayumi started, but I quickly cut her off before this typical Mayumi-Kazuhiko repartee gets out of hand. “Nevertheless, the day moves on. What do you have planned for us today Nagayuki?” I turned towards our school’s star shooting guard, hoping for a well-planned itinerary of things to do.
Obviously, I hoped too much, way too much.
“Hmm, ohh, planned?” Nagayuki had a perplexed look on his face. “Well, usually I’d have a training regimen which involves jogging for 2 hours, running for 1, and overall weight training for the next 3 hours. But you’re not the basketball team, so…” He shrugged. “Do whatever you feel like, I guess.”
“W-w-wait, what??!” I spluttered out. “You had absolutely NOTHING planned for us???!!! I thought you had a week to prepare for this!!”
“Err…I wasn’t sure that you guys…actually wanted to go. But no worries!!!” Nagayuki said excitedly. “This place is awesome, sides there’s nothing in Fujiyoshi anyways. You guys should just enjoy the hot springs. Check out the mixed bath or something, it’ll be great!”
Kazuhiko’s ears perked up at the sound of the words “mixed” and “bath” being put in one sentence. “Wow wow wow there buddy… Did you just say mixed bath? As in a bath where both guys and girls can enter? Like, for HUMANS right?!” Nagayuki nodded his head.
“DEAR GOD, KEN, THIS IS THE MOMENT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR ALL MY LIFE! WE ARE SO GOING THERE!!! IT’S GOING TO BE LEGEN- Wait for it…- DARY!” Kazuhiko exclaimed gleefully, like a little schoolgirl who had just found her long lost Barbie doll. It’s quite concerning…
“Well, go ahead if you want Kazu, just come meet me in the men’s bath by 2 PM, I got something I need to talk to you guys about.” Nagayuki told us seriously, then got up and walked back to the bedroom to get some more shut-eye. Kazuhiko pretty much dragged me to the mixed rotenburo after that, claiming that we were going to attain our full manhood today. Apparently, he had forgotten that he brought a date here, although to be perfectly fair to him…I don’t think his date has enough brainpower to remember her name and his at the same time.
“Today, my friend, we walk one small step towards that bath-house. One small step, yet it is one giant step in our path to manhood… ARE YOU READY, KEN???!!!” Kazuhiko announced as soon as we reached the main entrance of the mixed rotenburo.
“Err…whatever you say dude.” I replied half-heartedly. I know that this whole mixed bath thing is supposed to be some kind of manga/anime staple where it is defined as being the top dream of any heterosexual dude… but well, I am honestly quite cynical about the whole situation. I can’t let go of this feeling on the pit of my stomach that Kazuhiko’s dream will be destroyed to tiny bits and pieces the moment he enters that room.
Kazuhiko took a deep breath…and it was time. He slowly stepped up to the sliding doors which led to the inner bath-house, and with one big excited squeal, slid it open roughly. “IT IS TIME!”
….And my feeling was right. It’s not that there weren’t any females in the rotenburo, in fact, there was quite a lot of them.
Old ladies. With their kids. It was all quite sweet actually, but well, sweet is not what Kazuhiko had in mind when the words “mixed” and “bath” came to mind.
“Well, bro, go and be a man!” I pronounced loudly, forcefully pushing Kazuhiko inside and closing the sliding door immediately after, laughing my ass off as I walked away.
Today’s not so bad after all.
May 4th, 14:04 PM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito City, Shizuoka
“So, guys, I have an announcement to make…this might shock you guys, but I did not bring all of you here for nothing…” Nagayuki said slowly, trying to get his point across as clearly as possible.
Kazuhiko, Nagayuki and me were all relaxing in our private hot spring on the terrace of our inn room. Nagayuki had placed a big, rather embarrassing sign on top of the dining table to inform the girls that we were using the hot spring and unless they want to see us naked (or join in, Kazuhiko added to the sign afterwards), they shouldn’t go to the terrace. We had originally planned to have our little meeting on the men’s bath…but seeing so many pruned up old male bodies horrified Kazuhiko (It’s like watching a really bad horror movie!) and well, after suffering in the mixed bath earlier this morning (The old ladies all talked to him and made him help them bathe their children), I decided I should give him a break. Nagayuki didn’t care much, so well…we ended up being here.
“That’s obvious…” I answered. “I mean, not to say you are not a nice guy, but no one is gonna splash this much cash for nothing.”
“Exaclly, Ken, so basically, wait for it, I hope all of you are not surprised, but the actual reason…that I invited all of you here…is so that…”
“….You want to make us join the basketball team, right?” Kazuhiko interjected, in that typical deadpan tone he loves so much.
“WRONG! I want to invite you to join the basketball tea---…yea, you’re right, Kazu…” Nagayuki trailed off, sounding dejected. Man, this guy is way too simple to be alive. “Eitherway…what do you say guys? Are you interested? After seeing you guys play on that game, I knew that I just had to bring you guys in. You guys are epic man! With you on our team, our strength will increase at least threefold! Shizuoka High can legitimately pose a challenge for the Interhigh title!!!” Nagayuki added enthusiastically.
“Err…well…” To be honest, while I am pretty good at basketball, it’s not my favourite sport. On the other hand, I didn’t want to disappoint Nagayuki, who had so graciously brought us here…so I decided upon the best possible course of action. “I guess I’ll join if Kazu there joins.”
HAH! Great statement there, Ken, you passed on the bullet to your useless bum of a friend who would sooner die than join a team! I have to say, I really do think brilliantly sometimes.
“Well, sure I guess, I don’t mind.” Kazuhiko stated.
“Awww, I’m sorry to hear that, see, Sanada-kun, he doesn’t want to—WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WHAT?”
Kazuhiko gave me a weird look. “What are you so surprised about? Joining a team is a good way to get a girl’s attention yo. I can totally increase my attractiveness by a few points…and yes, I know that you think that is not possible, but yes.”
“B-b-but!!!” I spluttered, trying to find a decent argument. “You hate to join teams! You think it’s a massive waste of time!”
“Well, people change, my dear Ken, and sides, nothing like a good trophy to get a girl’s attention.”
“Couldn’t you find some other way?!!!”
“Well, it’s the easiest, sides, don’t you feel sorry for Nagayuki? He did all this and you are going to say no??” Kazuhiko said in a patronizing tone.
Damn it, he used my counter-measure against me! He fired the bullet right back into my heart! Damn you, Kazuhiko! Damn you!
“Well…if he joins, then I guess…I will…too..?” I shrugged. Not much of a choice left, is there? And sides…who knows, I might actually enjoy this.
“MY BROTHERSSS!!!” Nagayuki suddenly exclaimed, rising up and giving us a bear hug with each of his arms. Oh god, he was naked. Oh please no. Oh god why. NO!
“HOLY SHIT! LET GO OF ME, YOU GAY BASTARD! I’M NOT INTO MEN!” Kazuhiko roared, struggling to break free, but it was all for naught. Years of basketball training had made Nagayuki ridiculously strong, and it would take a miracle for either of us to break free.
“Guys, I read the sign, but I really need to take—oh..” Natsumi suddenly appeared, obviously perturbed by the incredibly strange scene in front of her. “O-oh…I’m really…really sorry! SORRY!” She closed the sliding door and walked back into the room.
“WAIT, HINATA-SAN, IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!” I yelled out to the girl I admired, kicking Nagayuki in the part where it hurts most. I figured that must work. And it did. He squealed and let go of us, and in a moment of short-thinking, I dashed into the terrace and opened the sliding door, wanting to explain the weird situation I was in to Natsumi….but I absolutely forgot that I was only wearing a towel, wrapped around my waist.
Natsumi and Mayumi were inside the room, and they stared at me for a few seconds.
….Awkward silence.
“YOU FUCKING EXHIBITIONIST PERVERT! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!” Mayumi shrieked, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and throwing them to me, as if it was a shuriken.
“HOLY SHI-“ I instantly slid the door back in, and fell on my knees, covering my head with my hands. A very unmanly position, to be scared by chopsticks, but well, Mayumi used to be the lead captain of the girls softball team back in middle school, and I am not taking my chances. And sure enough, a chopstick pierced through the thin sliding door and would have taken one of my eyeballs out had my hands not been there to cover them.
Great day I’m having here.
May 5th, 12:15 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito City, Shizuoka
“Urrghh, damn, I gotta pee..,” I groaned to no one in particular and slowly got up from my futon. Everything was dark, but my eyes soon adjusted to the dimly-lit room. No more surprises tonight I suppose, Mayumi is still sleeping peacefully on her side of the room, so I guess this morning’s incident won’t happen again. As I looked around the room however, I noticed that Natsumi’s and Kazuhiko’s bed were empty. Hmm, that’s strange.
Eitherway, my main priority here is to get to the bathroom fast, so I carefully got up from my futon, my legs still very much asleep, and trudged on towards the bathroom on the living room. I did what I had to do, but as I stepped out of the bathroom, I could faintly hear whispering voices outside of the room. Who the hell could be talking at this time of night? Wait, wait, no, it can’t be… Natsumi is outside with Kazuhiko??!! That bastard!
I silently approached the closed sliding door which separated the outside terrace with the inner quarters and pressed my ears against it, careful not to alert them. “Does it matter?” I could hear Natsumi’s muffled voice from outside. “Well of course it is, stupid!” Kazuhiko replied, his voice equally muffled.
“What difference does it make?”
“You can’t just let go of it so easily.”
“Quit telling me what to do, Kazuhiko!”
“I’m not telling you what to do, I’m telling you what you SHOULD be doing!”
“Stupid, what would you know about anything?”
Their banter continued on for a few minutes. Honestly, I couldn’t make heads or tails of what they were talking about, but it seemed to be a pretty touchy subject. Kazu kept on pressing her to do SOMETHING, I’m not sure what, but Natsumi was being pretty stubborn about it.
“After all this time, you are still that same old stubborn, short-sighted girl!” Kazuhiko finally snapped, unable to hold his annoyance any longer.
Wow, hold on a second there, buddy. All this time?? Just how long have you known her, Kazu? What secrets have you been hiding from me? What could possibly be – OH CRAP!
In all my excitement listening to their convo, I accidentally knocked my head on the thin sliding doors. The sound wasn’t incredibly loud, but it was enough to alert them. “Wait…did you hear that?” I could hear Natsumi say. I swiftly got up and tried my best to dash to the bedroom as soundlessly as possible. Fortunately, I was able to make it in time and I jumped into my futon, covering myself in the blanket and pretending to sleep.
About ten minutes later, I could hear both of them entering the room. From the sound of their footsteps, I could tell that neither of them was particularly happy.
I never did fall asleep that night; my mind was far too stunned to shut down. Just what is their relationship?!
My father once told me that the first thing you see when you wake up will decide how the rest of the day will play out.
Well, in that case, my day should be spectacular.
Or incredibly painful, depends how you look at it.
For when I woke up today, the first that greeted me was the sight of my class president’s sleeping face. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, in fact it’s wonderful!
But well…what the hell was she doing here???!!!
My first instinct was to scream loudly and get up, but I quickly pressed my hands on my mouth to stop me from letting out even the smallest of sounds. I am not exactly sure how my childhood friend and I ended up in such a weird position, but one thing is sure, if I wake her up, there is going to be pain. A lot of pain. I shuffled around my futon, trying to find a way to rise, but just as I was about to sit up, I felt a strange sensation on my stomach. The night had been cold, and my whole body felt frozen, but there was one warm sensation in the middle of my abdomen.
I lifted my head and looked at my stomach. And well, waddya know, Mayumi’s arm, covered in her pajamas, was lying oh-so-snugly across my belly. I sighed and laid my head back against the pillow. Obviously, I can’t move NOW, if I move her hand, she’ll wake up for sure. I turned towards her and cursed silently at her sleeping face. “Always giving me trouble, eh, Mayumi?” I murmured quietly.
You know, I haven’t really noticed it before, but my childhood friend had certainly grown to become a pretty gorgeous girl. Looking at her sleeping face, I can’t help but think of how she used to look like…and how she looks now. The difference was astounding. If someone pointed a gun at me now and asked me between Natsumi and Mayumi, who is the more beautiful girl, I don’t think I would be able to give a proper answer. They are…well, different types of beauties.
Natsumi, well, needless to say, being the school idol, is beautiful in her own right, but her beauty is more…refined, in a sense. She is not exactly the high-maintenance type, who would try on twenty four different kinds of make up just to determine which one looks better on her, but she realizes that she is attractive, and is not afraid to use it to her advantage. As I have painfully learnt.
Mayumi, on the other hand, she is more of the “pure” beauty type. She doesn’t necessarily know or care that she is gorgeous, and as far as she’s concerned, if guys want to swoon over her…well, actually she’s not concerned at all, which probably explains why Nagayuki is climbing up one steep hill chasing after her. However, it is exactly that uncaring flair, that uninterested charm, which makes her all the more attractive. Yet, of course, being my childhood friend, I don’t think I can ever see her that way…
But being a healthy, heterosexual male, I can’t help but to find her peaceful, sleeping face, ludicrously cute. Her mouth was half-open and her usually neat hair was ruffled and messy. A far-cry from the perfect student image she has at school. I was tempted to take a picture of this and use it for any future blackmail purposes, but psch, my cellphone is outside and I don’t think that this particular scene is so bad anyways.
Suddenly, she wriggled imperceptibly in her sleep, muttering something that sounds like “munya-munya”, and a flock of hair dropped down on her face, over her eyes. An unfortunate blemish on an otherwise perfect image. My hand unconsciously began to reach towards her face, pulling that bangle of hair and moving it backwards, away from her face. Her nose wrinkled slightly and for a moment there, it seemed like she would wake up, but she just gave a lazy sigh and continued her slumber.
I instinctively pulled back my hand. What the hell was I doing just now? Was it some kind of reflex which I have developed over the years from reading all those goddamned girly shoujo mangas my sister forced me to read? Not cool, Ken, not cool. Especially because she is Mayumi, that girl you knew even before you could walk, Ken! Damn it! And besides….even if I had wanted to make it happen, after what happened five years ago, I don’t think it’s a possibility…
I sighed again and turned back to look at the ceiling. Her face is cute and all…but all of this is making me forget about the most important thing any person must do in the morning.
I need to pee. Badly.
I squirmed around in my futon, trying to find some Houdini-esque way to escape her hold, but to no avail. She virtually has me pinned down, a death lock, damn her!
Then all of a sudden, her eyes opened slightly. Just a small slit, but it was all I needed to realize that the time of reckoning had arrived. “Mmm, munya munya…morning Ken…” She murmured lazily.
Okay, seriously what the hell does “munya-munya” means? Is that a legal word?
Err…anyways, after saying that, her eyes closed again, and for a short moment there, I thought that I was off the hook. Then…it finally struck her.
“Wait, KEN?” Her eyes shot wide open. “W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU –“
Seeing an opportunity, I jumped off the bed and dashed towards the bathroom which was on the other room, ignoring that flabbergasted look on my childhood friend’s face. Sorry, dear, but when nature calls, I gotta answer!
After relieving myself, I stepped out of the bathroom and found Mayumi’s incredibly pissed face staring back at me. “W-WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING?” She asked me angrily. “Err…obviously, I was peeing.” I answered back in a rather patronizing tone. Not a good call, Ken. “THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!! YOU…YOU PERV!” She scolded me loudly.
“Hey, weren’t you paying attention? You were on MY bed, not the other way around.”
“So what, are you saying it’s MY fault?”
“It’s nobody’s fault…you were just unable to resist my devilishly attractive charm I suppose.”
“W-WHAT DEVILISHLY ATTRACTIVE CHARM? IDIOT!”
“HEY, YOU’RE THE ONE THAT CAME ON TO ME MAN!”
“DON’T FLATTER YOURSELF, MORON!”
“DON’T CALL ME A MORON, YOU LATE-NIGHT PREDATOR!”
“W-WHAT?? OBVIOUSLY YOU DRUGGED ME OR SOMETHING AND CARRIED ME OVER TO YOUR BED!”
“HOW THE HELL CAN I DO THAT??”
Our mindless argument continued on for another 3 minutes or so, serving as an alarm clock for the others. We didn’t realize that the walls were thin…and voices seep through it quite easily, so basically the rest of the group could hear our not-so-witty repartee. Kazuhiko was the first to come out of the bedroom, his usually-perfect hair a complete bird’s nest and his eyes completely bloodshot. Not a morning person, as it seems.
“Dudes…if you wanna have a lovers’ quarrel, don’t do it so early in the morning…please..” He drawled before literally dropping down on the floor and sleeping again.
Nagayuki was next to come out, his eyes frighteningly manic. “K-Ken…YOU BETRAYED ME!!!” He roared, before charging forward and ramming me head-on, stepping on Kazuhiko’s prone body in the process. “What the hell?!” Both of us screamed in unison. All of the air in my lungs was forced out by Nagayuki and I fell down on the ground hard. I don’t get scared by a lot of things, but the sight of a 190+ cm toned dude sitting on top of you and about to beat you senseless tends to scare anybody with a sane mind.
Yeap, a totally uneventful and normal morning.
May 4th, 08:14 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“I’m starting to think that this trip just wasn’t meant to be” Natsumi said as we all gathered around the large table in the living room. “I mean, first day, Nagayuki gets wounded, and now he in turn wounds someone…. Hmm, this could be that karma thing…”
“Karma my ass.” I stated in a dead tone.
“What he said” Kazuhiko echoed my statement.
“Ahaha…yeah, about that, I’m sorry, bro, I wasn’t thinking straight so I was just, you know…yeah…” Nagayuki scratched his head in shame.
“How the hell did you end up next to me anyways? Dear god…” I asked Mayumi while pressing an icepack to my swollen cheek.
“I…I dunno, sleepwalking maybe..?” She replied hesitantly. I guess even she could tell that her response was a weak one.
“She was rolling around the whole damn room, Ken.” Kazuhiko interjected. “It’s less of sleepwalking as it is sleep..drifting. She was practically writhing around like a fish the whole night, I guess she found your chest to be rather comforting. Damn, I should’ve taken advantage of her last night when she came near ME…”
“YOU WHAT?!”
“Hey, don’t hate the playa, hate the game. In this game, you just gave me an open goal from 3 yards away.”
“W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN? PERVERT!”
“Careful now, Pres, you might just develop high blood pressure…”
“DON’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! AND IF I DO GET HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, IT’LL BE CAUSE OF YOU! PERVERTED IDIOT!”
“Oh well, the more tsun she is now, the more dere she’ll be later…” Kazuhiko finally said, shrugging his shoulders.
“I AM SO GONNAA—“ Mayumi started, but I quickly cut her off before this typical Mayumi-Kazuhiko repartee gets out of hand. “Nevertheless, the day moves on. What do you have planned for us today Nagayuki?” I turned towards our school’s star shooting guard, hoping for a well-planned itinerary of things to do.
Obviously, I hoped too much, way too much.
“Hmm, ohh, planned?” Nagayuki had a perplexed look on his face. “Well, usually I’d have a training regimen which involves jogging for 2 hours, running for 1, and overall weight training for the next 3 hours. But you’re not the basketball team, so…” He shrugged. “Do whatever you feel like, I guess.”
“W-w-wait, what??!” I spluttered out. “You had absolutely NOTHING planned for us???!!! I thought you had a week to prepare for this!!”
“Err…I wasn’t sure that you guys…actually wanted to go. But no worries!!!” Nagayuki said excitedly. “This place is awesome, sides there’s nothing in Fujiyoshi anyways. You guys should just enjoy the hot springs. Check out the mixed bath or something, it’ll be great!”
Kazuhiko’s ears perked up at the sound of the words “mixed” and “bath” being put in one sentence. “Wow wow wow there buddy… Did you just say mixed bath? As in a bath where both guys and girls can enter? Like, for HUMANS right?!” Nagayuki nodded his head.
“DEAR GOD, KEN, THIS IS THE MOMENT I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR ALL MY LIFE! WE ARE SO GOING THERE!!! IT’S GOING TO BE LEGEN- Wait for it…- DARY!” Kazuhiko exclaimed gleefully, like a little schoolgirl who had just found her long lost Barbie doll. It’s quite concerning…
“Well, go ahead if you want Kazu, just come meet me in the men’s bath by 2 PM, I got something I need to talk to you guys about.” Nagayuki told us seriously, then got up and walked back to the bedroom to get some more shut-eye. Kazuhiko pretty much dragged me to the mixed rotenburo after that, claiming that we were going to attain our full manhood today. Apparently, he had forgotten that he brought a date here, although to be perfectly fair to him…I don’t think his date has enough brainpower to remember her name and his at the same time.
“Today, my friend, we walk one small step towards that bath-house. One small step, yet it is one giant step in our path to manhood… ARE YOU READY, KEN???!!!” Kazuhiko announced as soon as we reached the main entrance of the mixed rotenburo.
“Err…whatever you say dude.” I replied half-heartedly. I know that this whole mixed bath thing is supposed to be some kind of manga/anime staple where it is defined as being the top dream of any heterosexual dude… but well, I am honestly quite cynical about the whole situation. I can’t let go of this feeling on the pit of my stomach that Kazuhiko’s dream will be destroyed to tiny bits and pieces the moment he enters that room.
Kazuhiko took a deep breath…and it was time. He slowly stepped up to the sliding doors which led to the inner bath-house, and with one big excited squeal, slid it open roughly. “IT IS TIME!”
….And my feeling was right. It’s not that there weren’t any females in the rotenburo, in fact, there was quite a lot of them.
Old ladies. With their kids. It was all quite sweet actually, but well, sweet is not what Kazuhiko had in mind when the words “mixed” and “bath” came to mind.
“Well, bro, go and be a man!” I pronounced loudly, forcefully pushing Kazuhiko inside and closing the sliding door immediately after, laughing my ass off as I walked away.
Today’s not so bad after all.
May 4th, 14:04 PM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito City, Shizuoka
“So, guys, I have an announcement to make…this might shock you guys, but I did not bring all of you here for nothing…” Nagayuki said slowly, trying to get his point across as clearly as possible.
Kazuhiko, Nagayuki and me were all relaxing in our private hot spring on the terrace of our inn room. Nagayuki had placed a big, rather embarrassing sign on top of the dining table to inform the girls that we were using the hot spring and unless they want to see us naked (or join in, Kazuhiko added to the sign afterwards), they shouldn’t go to the terrace. We had originally planned to have our little meeting on the men’s bath…but seeing so many pruned up old male bodies horrified Kazuhiko (It’s like watching a really bad horror movie!) and well, after suffering in the mixed bath earlier this morning (The old ladies all talked to him and made him help them bathe their children), I decided I should give him a break. Nagayuki didn’t care much, so well…we ended up being here.
“That’s obvious…” I answered. “I mean, not to say you are not a nice guy, but no one is gonna splash this much cash for nothing.”
“Exaclly, Ken, so basically, wait for it, I hope all of you are not surprised, but the actual reason…that I invited all of you here…is so that…”
“….You want to make us join the basketball team, right?” Kazuhiko interjected, in that typical deadpan tone he loves so much.
“WRONG! I want to invite you to join the basketball tea---…yea, you’re right, Kazu…” Nagayuki trailed off, sounding dejected. Man, this guy is way too simple to be alive. “Eitherway…what do you say guys? Are you interested? After seeing you guys play on that game, I knew that I just had to bring you guys in. You guys are epic man! With you on our team, our strength will increase at least threefold! Shizuoka High can legitimately pose a challenge for the Interhigh title!!!” Nagayuki added enthusiastically.
“Err…well…” To be honest, while I am pretty good at basketball, it’s not my favourite sport. On the other hand, I didn’t want to disappoint Nagayuki, who had so graciously brought us here…so I decided upon the best possible course of action. “I guess I’ll join if Kazu there joins.”
HAH! Great statement there, Ken, you passed on the bullet to your useless bum of a friend who would sooner die than join a team! I have to say, I really do think brilliantly sometimes.
“Well, sure I guess, I don’t mind.” Kazuhiko stated.
“Awww, I’m sorry to hear that, see, Sanada-kun, he doesn’t want to—WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WHAT?”
Kazuhiko gave me a weird look. “What are you so surprised about? Joining a team is a good way to get a girl’s attention yo. I can totally increase my attractiveness by a few points…and yes, I know that you think that is not possible, but yes.”
“B-b-but!!!” I spluttered, trying to find a decent argument. “You hate to join teams! You think it’s a massive waste of time!”
“Well, people change, my dear Ken, and sides, nothing like a good trophy to get a girl’s attention.”
“Couldn’t you find some other way?!!!”
“Well, it’s the easiest, sides, don’t you feel sorry for Nagayuki? He did all this and you are going to say no??” Kazuhiko said in a patronizing tone.
Damn it, he used my counter-measure against me! He fired the bullet right back into my heart! Damn you, Kazuhiko! Damn you!
“Well…if he joins, then I guess…I will…too..?” I shrugged. Not much of a choice left, is there? And sides…who knows, I might actually enjoy this.
“MY BROTHERSSS!!!” Nagayuki suddenly exclaimed, rising up and giving us a bear hug with each of his arms. Oh god, he was naked. Oh please no. Oh god why. NO!
“HOLY SHIT! LET GO OF ME, YOU GAY BASTARD! I’M NOT INTO MEN!” Kazuhiko roared, struggling to break free, but it was all for naught. Years of basketball training had made Nagayuki ridiculously strong, and it would take a miracle for either of us to break free.
“Guys, I read the sign, but I really need to take—oh..” Natsumi suddenly appeared, obviously perturbed by the incredibly strange scene in front of her. “O-oh…I’m really…really sorry! SORRY!” She closed the sliding door and walked back into the room.
“WAIT, HINATA-SAN, IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!” I yelled out to the girl I admired, kicking Nagayuki in the part where it hurts most. I figured that must work. And it did. He squealed and let go of us, and in a moment of short-thinking, I dashed into the terrace and opened the sliding door, wanting to explain the weird situation I was in to Natsumi….but I absolutely forgot that I was only wearing a towel, wrapped around my waist.
Natsumi and Mayumi were inside the room, and they stared at me for a few seconds.
….Awkward silence.
“YOU FUCKING EXHIBITIONIST PERVERT! DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!” Mayumi shrieked, grabbing a pair of chopsticks and throwing them to me, as if it was a shuriken.
“HOLY SHI-“ I instantly slid the door back in, and fell on my knees, covering my head with my hands. A very unmanly position, to be scared by chopsticks, but well, Mayumi used to be the lead captain of the girls softball team back in middle school, and I am not taking my chances. And sure enough, a chopstick pierced through the thin sliding door and would have taken one of my eyeballs out had my hands not been there to cover them.
Great day I’m having here.
May 5th, 12:15 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito City, Shizuoka
“Urrghh, damn, I gotta pee..,” I groaned to no one in particular and slowly got up from my futon. Everything was dark, but my eyes soon adjusted to the dimly-lit room. No more surprises tonight I suppose, Mayumi is still sleeping peacefully on her side of the room, so I guess this morning’s incident won’t happen again. As I looked around the room however, I noticed that Natsumi’s and Kazuhiko’s bed were empty. Hmm, that’s strange.
Eitherway, my main priority here is to get to the bathroom fast, so I carefully got up from my futon, my legs still very much asleep, and trudged on towards the bathroom on the living room. I did what I had to do, but as I stepped out of the bathroom, I could faintly hear whispering voices outside of the room. Who the hell could be talking at this time of night? Wait, wait, no, it can’t be… Natsumi is outside with Kazuhiko??!! That bastard!
I silently approached the closed sliding door which separated the outside terrace with the inner quarters and pressed my ears against it, careful not to alert them. “Does it matter?” I could hear Natsumi’s muffled voice from outside. “Well of course it is, stupid!” Kazuhiko replied, his voice equally muffled.
“What difference does it make?”
“You can’t just let go of it so easily.”
“Quit telling me what to do, Kazuhiko!”
“I’m not telling you what to do, I’m telling you what you SHOULD be doing!”
“Stupid, what would you know about anything?”
Their banter continued on for a few minutes. Honestly, I couldn’t make heads or tails of what they were talking about, but it seemed to be a pretty touchy subject. Kazu kept on pressing her to do SOMETHING, I’m not sure what, but Natsumi was being pretty stubborn about it.
“After all this time, you are still that same old stubborn, short-sighted girl!” Kazuhiko finally snapped, unable to hold his annoyance any longer.
Wow, hold on a second there, buddy. All this time?? Just how long have you known her, Kazu? What secrets have you been hiding from me? What could possibly be – OH CRAP!
In all my excitement listening to their convo, I accidentally knocked my head on the thin sliding doors. The sound wasn’t incredibly loud, but it was enough to alert them. “Wait…did you hear that?” I could hear Natsumi say. I swiftly got up and tried my best to dash to the bedroom as soundlessly as possible. Fortunately, I was able to make it in time and I jumped into my futon, covering myself in the blanket and pretending to sleep.
About ten minutes later, I could hear both of them entering the room. From the sound of their footsteps, I could tell that neither of them was particularly happy.
I never did fall asleep that night; my mind was far too stunned to shut down. Just what is their relationship?!
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Been a while...but here's the update! XD
Chapter 5 part 4 – Last Train Home
Chapter 5 part 4 – Last Train Home
May 5th, 08:25 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“I can’t believe that it’s our last day here already…” Natsumi groaned, as we all prepared to eat breakfast.
“Yea, I mean, we didn’t do much here, but I have to say that the onsen is very refreshing.” Mayumi chirped in, grabbing a piece of toast from the middle of the table.
“Refreshing my ass…” Kazuhiko muttered under his breath. The trip had been very great for all of us, but him apparently. Probably because one of his biggest dreams in the whole entire world had just been absolutely shattered in front of his face. I take credit for that. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t define ‘refreshing’ as helping a bunch of old hags get a bar of soap…”
“It’s karmic retribution, Bakazu.” Mayumi said patronizingly. “After all those women you toyed around with, now you’re the one being toyed with. By a bunch of old hags too! It’s perfect!”
Heh, just another typical mellow morning. The trip had been rather fun, I must admit. I mean, sure, I honestly didn’t get that far with Natsumi as much as I’d liked, or get to know her…as much as I wanted, but hey, we had a moment! Although in the end, I think I got to know Mayumi a little bit too well….and I didn’t even think that was possible after knowing her for the best part of 15 years. Kazuhiko would never admit it, but I think he actually enjoyed his time here. As for his date….I have no idea to be perfectly honest. In the entire duration of our stay, I think I only talked to her 3 times, and let’s just say it wasn’t the most interesting conversation I ever had. She basically defines how a bimbo should be…her vacant, trusting stare, her sluggish, unencumbered mind...they were all perfect traits of how a bimbo should be. So it was no surprise that Kazuhiko liked her.
“Our train leaves at 11 today guys, so I guess we should be heading off from this hotel in two hours time. I suggest all of you start packing now.” Nagayuki announced shortly after we all had finished eating breakfast.
“Aww, I can only enjoy this room for another hour? That kinda sucks.” Mayumi complained to no one in particular, but apparently Nagayuki took it personally.
“W-well, Azai-san, it’s more like an hour and 47 minutes if you look at it.” He pathetically said, I guess trying to somewhat comfort her, but it was about as effective as using a bug spray to try and kill a rat. “Yeah yeah, don’t be such a smartass.” Mayumi responded in her usual brisk way. She obviously didn’t realize it, but the expression on Nagayuki’s face pretty much said it all, she had driven a sword right through his heart, and it hurt.
Meh, he’s a simple guy, he’ll get over it.
“Eitherway, we have mid-terms in 2 weeks, so all of you should start studying.” Mayumi continued, completely killing the mood inside the room.
“Dude, you just killed the mood. It’s supposed to be happy time, and now all I’m gonna think about on the way home is which subject to study first.” Kazuhiko told her, visibly annoyed.
“Psch, I’m the class president, what do you expect?! It’s my job to remind you of important academic events.”
“Right, I’m sorry, I forgot you perpetually have a stick up your ass.”
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME, JERKWAD?!”
“You heard me, darling, you are an uptight little girl and there’s nothing you can do about it. Woohoo.”
“WHY I OUGHTA—“
“STOP STOP STOP! IT’S OUR LAST DAY HERE GODDAMIT!” I cut them both off, unwilling to accept that my last few hours on this hot spring heaven will be wasted hearing these two continue with their none-too-intelligent banter.
“Psch, fine..” Kazuhiko muttered. “But just remember pres, no matter how much you study, you’ll never beat me~~~” After saying so, Kazuhiko disappeared back into the bedroom.
Heh, I forgot about Kazuhiko’s trump card, his grades. For all his frivolity, for all his mentally deficient statements, Kazuhiko is one of the most brilliant students I have ever met in my whole entire life. He has averaged in the mid 90s for every single subject he had enrolled in since the beginning of high school, which is quite amazing in the cutthroat Japanese education system. But I swear to god, I have never seen him study. Ever. Some bastards get all the luck, I guess.
“DON’T BE SO COCKY, BAKAZU!” Mayumi roared. Ah, yes, I remembered how their current relationship started… Mayumi had studied her ass off for last semester’s finals, barely getting out of her whole room for one whole week while exams were going on. Kazu, on the other hand, was taking it in his usual relaxed manner and even had dates planned out after the test was done! Mayumi had been so sure that for once, she would be the top student in our whole year, but no such luck. Kazuhiko easily outperformed her for seven different subjects, and Mayumi’s best effort was to merely tie Kazuhiko’s score of 94 for History. Short to say, Mayumi exploded after reading the results and couldn’t accept how she could have been defeated by a perverted moron who never studied. (Well, in her point of view at least) And Kazuhiko, being well…himself, gloated the whole day, and one thing led to another..and here we are now.
Eitherway, I better start packing…the train will leave soon. I stole a quick glance at the outdoor hot spring one final time, and groaned loudly as I packed.
A small part of me died that day.
May 5th, 09:55 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“…And please check for all of your belongings after the trip has finished. Thank you” The voice of the train attendant fizzled out to static as she finished her announcement. It’s been a fun trip, but this is it. This is the time when we all must go home and return to our boring mundane lives.
Oh, and mid-terms in 8 days. Damn it.
“So, did you guys enjoy the trip?” Nagayuki asked us as soon as the train departed from the station. The six of us were all in one cabin, me, Kazuhiko and Nagayuki sitting down on one side while the girls were all sitting on the chairs directly opposite of our position.
“Well, it was fun, I enjoyed it at least” Natsumi commented, looking out at the window dreamily. “I can’t believe it’s over so soon though…”
“Yeah….we’ll have to go back to school and all…Golden Week is not even over yet and I already miss it!” Mayumi added, sounding very disappointed.
“Oh, and here I thought Pres is one studying machine hell-bent on constantly working hard to achieve an impossible goal: beat me in anything.” Kazuhiko replied, which earned him a very murderous glare from my childhood friend.
“Oh yeah, by the way guys, you should thank Suzaku for all of this when we return to school. He’s been a big help, I honestly say this would have been impossible without him.” Nagayuki suddenly told us. “Thanks to him, we only had to pay a few thousand yen for a few days’ stay in an awesome hotel like that.”
Heh, well, for once, Nagayuki said something sensible. Suzaku had indeed been a big help throughout our stay, and I can’t imagine what would’ve happened had he not been there to help us all the time. He even slashed the cost of our stay due to Nagayuki getting injured…although it was all really Mayumi’s fault. I felt kinda bad exploiting it, but hey, I’m broke! I wouldn’t have had enough money for train ticket if I had paid the full cost! Although, admittedly, I do feel kinda guilty for leaving our hotel room in as sorry a state as we did…
“Yeah, I guess having an inn-owner as a dad has its perks huh?” Natsumi mused out loud.
“Indeed…too bad my dad is only a salaryman, otherwise I’d be living in heaven everyday!” I said jokingly.
“Well, my dad is a mathematician…pretty interesting job, I’d say” Kaede suddenly took all of us by surprise.
“Wait…wait…your dad…is…A MATHEMATICIAN?!” I blurted out, unable to believe my ears. How can it be that the daughter of an intelligent man end up being like…well, like THAT.
“Yeah, he just released his thesis lately…what was it again…the use of classic mathematical equations in modern calculus applications was it?”
….There is no god in this world.
“How about you, Mayumi, what do your parents do?” Nagayuki asked, trying to hide his excitement. I guess for him finding out as much information he possibly could about dear Mayumi is beneficial, but man…he had no idea of the repercussions.
“Oh, me? My parents passed away 5 years ago… I am pretty much living alone now.” Mayumi answered curtly, clearly unwilling to expound further on her past.
“O…oh..” said Nagayuki, stunned that he had brought up such a sore subject by accident. In fact, the entire cabin remained silent; none of us really had a proper reply. Even the usually witty and snide Kazuhiko remained silent. I guess even he knew when to shut up. Of course, being her childhood friend, I knew about the whole story…in fact I was part of it. It was a horrible time for both me and her, and I’ll forever be grateful that she managed to grow up well…normally.
“Oh, I’m sorry guys, I didn’t mean to kill the mood.” Mayumi spoke out after the silence was too much for even her to bear. “It happened a long time ago, and I got over it, so it’s okay guys, don’t worry about me.”
Stupid, how can the mood ever recover after you say something like that…
Well, at any rate, all of us were exhausted after the long trip anyways, so before we knew it, all of us had fallen asleep, me included. The train trip itself was going to last 6 to 8 hours, so we might as well get some shut-eye in the meantime. As I closed my eyes, the world of dreams welcomed me, and everything turned dark. Wonderful.
May 5th, 19:25 PM, Shizuoka Train Stop, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
“Urgh, thank god all of that is over…I am never riding a train that long EVER again…” Kazuhiko moaned as we all disembarked from the train. “Stop being such a girl, Bakazu” Mayumi replied in her usual vicious tone. “Well, he has a point ya know…I can barely feel my ass right now…” I commented dryly, lazily lifting my luggage. For some reason, I didn’t want any of this to end. Life the past few days had been weird…and occasionally painful, but it was enjoyable.
“Well, we ate dinner on the train…so I guess all of us might as well go straight home now.” said Nagayuki. “I don’t want to be responsible if any of you girls get raped. Mayumi-chan, I’ll walk ya home!”
“What? Oh, you don’t have to, Ken’s house and mine is in the same direction, in fact, it’s like…two houses apart, no worries” Mayumi answered truthfully, crushing the dreams of our school’s star basketball player yet again.
“B-b-b-but!” Nagayuki spluttered, trying to find a decent excuse.
“In fact, I am pretty sure your house and Natsumi-chan’s is in the same direction, why don’t you walk her instead? A pretty girl like her would surely attract some predators.” Mayumi continued, piling even more disappointment.
“Nah, actually my house is in the opposite direction from Sanada-kun’s…although if I remember correctly, Kaede-chan’s house there should be closer.” Natsumi corrected Mayumi, and well…at this point in time, you just gotta feel sorry for Nagayuki. He’s like an unwanted piece of baggage being tossed around.
“Hmm? Oh yeah, that’s about right.” Kaede said absent-mindedly, obviously not knowing what is going on in this conversation.
“Ah, it all works out then. My house is about two blocks away from Hinata-san’s, so I guess I should go with her.” Kazuhiko suddenly chirped in, shamelessly abandoning his date for the trip. Well, then again, this is Kazuhiko; I don’t think he can legally feel shame. “Well, Kaede, take care, I’ll be going now!” Then, he disappeared, walking away into the darkness with a bemused Natsumi following him after saying her goodbyes to us.
“Well, we’ll be taking our leave too then!” Mayumi announced, yanking my hand and practically dragging me down to the street leading to our houses, leaving a very distraught and confused Nagayuki standing in the station platform, asking the gods what he did to deserve such a punishment…
May 5th, 19:37 PM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
The sky was clear tonight, the moon radiating its warm glow towards the ground. Kinda reminiscent of that night when I ran frantically around here looking for the other Natsumi… I wonder how she’s doing now; I haven’t really talked to her since that night. I guess I should call her as soon as I can… As my mind began to wander however, it was quickly snapped back into reality by another pretty girl walking by my side, my precocious childhood friend Mayumi Azai.
“So, Ken…did you enjoy the trip?” She asked me, trying to make small-talk.
“Yeah…I guess it was fun, although you tried to kill me a few times.”
“Hey, you were asking for it. Exhibitionist pervert.” Mayumi said those words softly, as if she meant it as a pseudo-compliment.
“Haha, yeah. We haven’t really spent time together since we started high school, have we?”
“Yeah, why did we drift apart again?”
“Circumstances I guess. After we enrolled, you met your own group of friends, and me mine. In fact, I am pretty sure that throughout my freshman year, Kazuhiko was the only thing that bonded us. Kinda ironic.” I said jokingly, trying to make light of the situation. In truth, it wasn’t circumstances that drove us apart. Mayumi had simply been…avoiding me, ever since we started freshman year. I don’t know why, and I didn’t quite dare to ask her.
“Ahaha, yeah, you know a relationship is straining when a guy like HIM is our only bond.” Mayumi replied, chuckling slightly. A gentle night wind blew and her hair fluttered slightly in the wind, the moon giving me enough light to see the rather sad expression written across her face.
The both of us remained silent for a while, just taking one step after another towards our home, not knowing what else to say. The both of us had been through many things together, some being particularly bad ones, and those experiences acted as a double-edged sword. On one hand, we knew each other like the back of our hands, our happy childhood memories ensuring that. Kids may grow up, but in the end, their characters and quirks never changes as the years go by. But on the other hand, there was an unbridgeable chasm among our hearts, formed by the painful experiences we share… and can never discuss.
“Mid-terms soon eh, Mayumi.” I finally said something to break the deadlock, the silence being too depressing for me to handle.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve studied hard for it. That rat-bastard is not gonna beat me this time.”
“Hahaha, it seems like you made it your life’s goal to beat Kazuhiko.”
“Right now, it’s definitely in the top 5”
“Oh really? What are the others?” I asked, amused by her strange sort of childish competitiveness.
“Oh, well, let’s see, number 5 is to be able to play a musical instrument…” Mayumi started, contemplating on her list.
“You could always ask me to teach you the guitar.” I offered, but she curtly refused. “Nah, too many people play the guitar…I wanna play something unconventional…like a cello!”
“If you say so…” I gave in, even more amused at her.
“And number 4 is to get a pet dog…” Mayumi continued, her facial expression clearly showing how much she longed to get a dog.
“Hah, you like cute things after all. Here I thought you were all for pragmatism and all that.” Mayumi looked at me strangely, as if she didn’t know whether to be offended or happy. She settled with a mix of the two. “I’m still a girl, you idiot. And sides, I don’t plan to get one of those stupid midget dogs…no, I’m getting the big fluffy type! To help me guard the house!”
“Wow, you really are a kid at heart, aren’t you?” I teased her.
“Shut up, and well, number 3 is to beat that insane womanizer in those damn exams. I can’t believe there is a god otherwise…”
“Mmhmm, and then? What’s the top two?”
“Number two..is that I want to go to a Budokan concert! The atmosphere there looks amazing…I’ll be happy if I can experience it even once.”
“Heh, then wait till I send you the tickets to my band’s Budokan special.” I said cockily, grinning like an idiot.
“Haha, confident in our skills now are we? Well, I’ll be waiting then, if you say so.”
“Go ahead…so what’s the first one then? What’s the one final thing you have to do in your life before you die? What great dream does my childhood friend have? World peace?” I teased her yet again, although I am honestly curious.
“The number one thing I’d like to do…” Mayumi trailed off, saying something in a very weak voice which I wasn’t able to catch.
“Sorry, what did you say? I didn’t quite get you there.” I approached her, trying to get a better listen.
“I…I want you to forgive me for what I did, Ken” Mayumi finally said what has been locked inside her heart for these past few years. I stopped walking, stunned by what I just heard, and Mayumi turned towards me, her eyes barely able to hold back the tears which was about to flow out freely. Mayumi has never been the emotional type, and I can tell she is making a large effort just to be able to say the words she just said.
“Look, Mayumi, I already told you, it’s not your fault. There’s nothing to feel guilty about.” I replied gently, careful to not tread on her delicate feelings.
“But…but…you nearly died because of me! There is no way…no way that you could not hold a grudge against me.”
“I made my choice, and well, yes, I had to suffer a lot for it, but I had no regrets… Neither should you, Mayumi”
“Yeah….but, but, if it wasn’t for me, if I had been stronger…”
“Don’t be stupid... You were going through a rough time back then. And sides, I’m the guy here, don’t say stupid things like that. Think of my ego!” I told her while slightly smiling.
“You’ve always been stupid like that….” Mayumi muttered, while chuckling and wiping the tears off of her eyes. “It’s just that…it’s been…you were…”
Seeing my usually fierce and vicious childhood friend like this was painful for me, so I instinctively grabbed her face and forced her to look into my eyes. Heh, her eyes had always been so beautiful, they had so much life in them….but her spark had disappeared. Her radiant eyes were now lifeless, devoid of feeling. Did I really cause this? “Hey, listen to me here.” I told her firmly. “Quit blaming yourself, it’s not your fault, nor is it anyone else’s. Just…go back to being the Mayumi I know, the Mayumi I love to be with.”
She nodded a few times, and sobbed a few times…then she did what was to be the highlight of my entire night.
She hugged me and cried her eyes out.
As she weeped in my arms, I didn’t know exactly what to do. I am not sure males come pre-programmed with instructions on how to handle a situation like this. So I did what any sensible guy would do, I just err…stood there and stroked her hair. Hey, any other guy would have done the exact same thing! As she let out her tears, I just let her be. I didn’t say a single word…they were useless. Words cannot justify the rawness of the outburst of pure emotion taking place right in front of me.
….While this is all taking place, I can’t help but remember an old fighting game I once played. Every time I played that game, I would always come close to beating the final boss…then the game would bitchslap me and come out with a brand new, tougher opponent with the annoying words “A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS” flashing across the screen.
Well, they’re flashing now. Long and hard.
“I can’t believe that it’s our last day here already…” Natsumi groaned, as we all prepared to eat breakfast.
“Yea, I mean, we didn’t do much here, but I have to say that the onsen is very refreshing.” Mayumi chirped in, grabbing a piece of toast from the middle of the table.
“Refreshing my ass…” Kazuhiko muttered under his breath. The trip had been very great for all of us, but him apparently. Probably because one of his biggest dreams in the whole entire world had just been absolutely shattered in front of his face. I take credit for that. “I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t define ‘refreshing’ as helping a bunch of old hags get a bar of soap…”
“It’s karmic retribution, Bakazu.” Mayumi said patronizingly. “After all those women you toyed around with, now you’re the one being toyed with. By a bunch of old hags too! It’s perfect!”
Heh, just another typical mellow morning. The trip had been rather fun, I must admit. I mean, sure, I honestly didn’t get that far with Natsumi as much as I’d liked, or get to know her…as much as I wanted, but hey, we had a moment! Although in the end, I think I got to know Mayumi a little bit too well….and I didn’t even think that was possible after knowing her for the best part of 15 years. Kazuhiko would never admit it, but I think he actually enjoyed his time here. As for his date….I have no idea to be perfectly honest. In the entire duration of our stay, I think I only talked to her 3 times, and let’s just say it wasn’t the most interesting conversation I ever had. She basically defines how a bimbo should be…her vacant, trusting stare, her sluggish, unencumbered mind...they were all perfect traits of how a bimbo should be. So it was no surprise that Kazuhiko liked her.
“Our train leaves at 11 today guys, so I guess we should be heading off from this hotel in two hours time. I suggest all of you start packing now.” Nagayuki announced shortly after we all had finished eating breakfast.
“Aww, I can only enjoy this room for another hour? That kinda sucks.” Mayumi complained to no one in particular, but apparently Nagayuki took it personally.
“W-well, Azai-san, it’s more like an hour and 47 minutes if you look at it.” He pathetically said, I guess trying to somewhat comfort her, but it was about as effective as using a bug spray to try and kill a rat. “Yeah yeah, don’t be such a smartass.” Mayumi responded in her usual brisk way. She obviously didn’t realize it, but the expression on Nagayuki’s face pretty much said it all, she had driven a sword right through his heart, and it hurt.
Meh, he’s a simple guy, he’ll get over it.
“Eitherway, we have mid-terms in 2 weeks, so all of you should start studying.” Mayumi continued, completely killing the mood inside the room.
“Dude, you just killed the mood. It’s supposed to be happy time, and now all I’m gonna think about on the way home is which subject to study first.” Kazuhiko told her, visibly annoyed.
“Psch, I’m the class president, what do you expect?! It’s my job to remind you of important academic events.”
“Right, I’m sorry, I forgot you perpetually have a stick up your ass.”
“WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME, JERKWAD?!”
“You heard me, darling, you are an uptight little girl and there’s nothing you can do about it. Woohoo.”
“WHY I OUGHTA—“
“STOP STOP STOP! IT’S OUR LAST DAY HERE GODDAMIT!” I cut them both off, unwilling to accept that my last few hours on this hot spring heaven will be wasted hearing these two continue with their none-too-intelligent banter.
“Psch, fine..” Kazuhiko muttered. “But just remember pres, no matter how much you study, you’ll never beat me~~~” After saying so, Kazuhiko disappeared back into the bedroom.
Heh, I forgot about Kazuhiko’s trump card, his grades. For all his frivolity, for all his mentally deficient statements, Kazuhiko is one of the most brilliant students I have ever met in my whole entire life. He has averaged in the mid 90s for every single subject he had enrolled in since the beginning of high school, which is quite amazing in the cutthroat Japanese education system. But I swear to god, I have never seen him study. Ever. Some bastards get all the luck, I guess.
“DON’T BE SO COCKY, BAKAZU!” Mayumi roared. Ah, yes, I remembered how their current relationship started… Mayumi had studied her ass off for last semester’s finals, barely getting out of her whole room for one whole week while exams were going on. Kazu, on the other hand, was taking it in his usual relaxed manner and even had dates planned out after the test was done! Mayumi had been so sure that for once, she would be the top student in our whole year, but no such luck. Kazuhiko easily outperformed her for seven different subjects, and Mayumi’s best effort was to merely tie Kazuhiko’s score of 94 for History. Short to say, Mayumi exploded after reading the results and couldn’t accept how she could have been defeated by a perverted moron who never studied. (Well, in her point of view at least) And Kazuhiko, being well…himself, gloated the whole day, and one thing led to another..and here we are now.
Eitherway, I better start packing…the train will leave soon. I stole a quick glance at the outdoor hot spring one final time, and groaned loudly as I packed.
A small part of me died that day.
May 5th, 09:55 AM, Fujiyoshi, Futo, Ito-City, Shizuoka
“…And please check for all of your belongings after the trip has finished. Thank you” The voice of the train attendant fizzled out to static as she finished her announcement. It’s been a fun trip, but this is it. This is the time when we all must go home and return to our boring mundane lives.
Oh, and mid-terms in 8 days. Damn it.
“So, did you guys enjoy the trip?” Nagayuki asked us as soon as the train departed from the station. The six of us were all in one cabin, me, Kazuhiko and Nagayuki sitting down on one side while the girls were all sitting on the chairs directly opposite of our position.
“Well, it was fun, I enjoyed it at least” Natsumi commented, looking out at the window dreamily. “I can’t believe it’s over so soon though…”
“Yeah….we’ll have to go back to school and all…Golden Week is not even over yet and I already miss it!” Mayumi added, sounding very disappointed.
“Oh, and here I thought Pres is one studying machine hell-bent on constantly working hard to achieve an impossible goal: beat me in anything.” Kazuhiko replied, which earned him a very murderous glare from my childhood friend.
“Oh yeah, by the way guys, you should thank Suzaku for all of this when we return to school. He’s been a big help, I honestly say this would have been impossible without him.” Nagayuki suddenly told us. “Thanks to him, we only had to pay a few thousand yen for a few days’ stay in an awesome hotel like that.”
Heh, well, for once, Nagayuki said something sensible. Suzaku had indeed been a big help throughout our stay, and I can’t imagine what would’ve happened had he not been there to help us all the time. He even slashed the cost of our stay due to Nagayuki getting injured…although it was all really Mayumi’s fault. I felt kinda bad exploiting it, but hey, I’m broke! I wouldn’t have had enough money for train ticket if I had paid the full cost! Although, admittedly, I do feel kinda guilty for leaving our hotel room in as sorry a state as we did…
“Yeah, I guess having an inn-owner as a dad has its perks huh?” Natsumi mused out loud.
“Indeed…too bad my dad is only a salaryman, otherwise I’d be living in heaven everyday!” I said jokingly.
“Well, my dad is a mathematician…pretty interesting job, I’d say” Kaede suddenly took all of us by surprise.
“Wait…wait…your dad…is…A MATHEMATICIAN?!” I blurted out, unable to believe my ears. How can it be that the daughter of an intelligent man end up being like…well, like THAT.
“Yeah, he just released his thesis lately…what was it again…the use of classic mathematical equations in modern calculus applications was it?”
….There is no god in this world.
“How about you, Mayumi, what do your parents do?” Nagayuki asked, trying to hide his excitement. I guess for him finding out as much information he possibly could about dear Mayumi is beneficial, but man…he had no idea of the repercussions.
“Oh, me? My parents passed away 5 years ago… I am pretty much living alone now.” Mayumi answered curtly, clearly unwilling to expound further on her past.
“O…oh..” said Nagayuki, stunned that he had brought up such a sore subject by accident. In fact, the entire cabin remained silent; none of us really had a proper reply. Even the usually witty and snide Kazuhiko remained silent. I guess even he knew when to shut up. Of course, being her childhood friend, I knew about the whole story…in fact I was part of it. It was a horrible time for both me and her, and I’ll forever be grateful that she managed to grow up well…normally.
“Oh, I’m sorry guys, I didn’t mean to kill the mood.” Mayumi spoke out after the silence was too much for even her to bear. “It happened a long time ago, and I got over it, so it’s okay guys, don’t worry about me.”
Stupid, how can the mood ever recover after you say something like that…
Well, at any rate, all of us were exhausted after the long trip anyways, so before we knew it, all of us had fallen asleep, me included. The train trip itself was going to last 6 to 8 hours, so we might as well get some shut-eye in the meantime. As I closed my eyes, the world of dreams welcomed me, and everything turned dark. Wonderful.
May 5th, 19:25 PM, Shizuoka Train Stop, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka
“Urgh, thank god all of that is over…I am never riding a train that long EVER again…” Kazuhiko moaned as we all disembarked from the train. “Stop being such a girl, Bakazu” Mayumi replied in her usual vicious tone. “Well, he has a point ya know…I can barely feel my ass right now…” I commented dryly, lazily lifting my luggage. For some reason, I didn’t want any of this to end. Life the past few days had been weird…and occasionally painful, but it was enjoyable.
“Well, we ate dinner on the train…so I guess all of us might as well go straight home now.” said Nagayuki. “I don’t want to be responsible if any of you girls get raped. Mayumi-chan, I’ll walk ya home!”
“What? Oh, you don’t have to, Ken’s house and mine is in the same direction, in fact, it’s like…two houses apart, no worries” Mayumi answered truthfully, crushing the dreams of our school’s star basketball player yet again.
“B-b-b-but!” Nagayuki spluttered, trying to find a decent excuse.
“In fact, I am pretty sure your house and Natsumi-chan’s is in the same direction, why don’t you walk her instead? A pretty girl like her would surely attract some predators.” Mayumi continued, piling even more disappointment.
“Nah, actually my house is in the opposite direction from Sanada-kun’s…although if I remember correctly, Kaede-chan’s house there should be closer.” Natsumi corrected Mayumi, and well…at this point in time, you just gotta feel sorry for Nagayuki. He’s like an unwanted piece of baggage being tossed around.
“Hmm? Oh yeah, that’s about right.” Kaede said absent-mindedly, obviously not knowing what is going on in this conversation.
“Ah, it all works out then. My house is about two blocks away from Hinata-san’s, so I guess I should go with her.” Kazuhiko suddenly chirped in, shamelessly abandoning his date for the trip. Well, then again, this is Kazuhiko; I don’t think he can legally feel shame. “Well, Kaede, take care, I’ll be going now!” Then, he disappeared, walking away into the darkness with a bemused Natsumi following him after saying her goodbyes to us.
“Well, we’ll be taking our leave too then!” Mayumi announced, yanking my hand and practically dragging me down to the street leading to our houses, leaving a very distraught and confused Nagayuki standing in the station platform, asking the gods what he did to deserve such a punishment…
May 5th, 19:37 PM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
The sky was clear tonight, the moon radiating its warm glow towards the ground. Kinda reminiscent of that night when I ran frantically around here looking for the other Natsumi… I wonder how she’s doing now; I haven’t really talked to her since that night. I guess I should call her as soon as I can… As my mind began to wander however, it was quickly snapped back into reality by another pretty girl walking by my side, my precocious childhood friend Mayumi Azai.
“So, Ken…did you enjoy the trip?” She asked me, trying to make small-talk.
“Yeah…I guess it was fun, although you tried to kill me a few times.”
“Hey, you were asking for it. Exhibitionist pervert.” Mayumi said those words softly, as if she meant it as a pseudo-compliment.
“Haha, yeah. We haven’t really spent time together since we started high school, have we?”
“Yeah, why did we drift apart again?”
“Circumstances I guess. After we enrolled, you met your own group of friends, and me mine. In fact, I am pretty sure that throughout my freshman year, Kazuhiko was the only thing that bonded us. Kinda ironic.” I said jokingly, trying to make light of the situation. In truth, it wasn’t circumstances that drove us apart. Mayumi had simply been…avoiding me, ever since we started freshman year. I don’t know why, and I didn’t quite dare to ask her.
“Ahaha, yeah, you know a relationship is straining when a guy like HIM is our only bond.” Mayumi replied, chuckling slightly. A gentle night wind blew and her hair fluttered slightly in the wind, the moon giving me enough light to see the rather sad expression written across her face.
The both of us remained silent for a while, just taking one step after another towards our home, not knowing what else to say. The both of us had been through many things together, some being particularly bad ones, and those experiences acted as a double-edged sword. On one hand, we knew each other like the back of our hands, our happy childhood memories ensuring that. Kids may grow up, but in the end, their characters and quirks never changes as the years go by. But on the other hand, there was an unbridgeable chasm among our hearts, formed by the painful experiences we share… and can never discuss.
“Mid-terms soon eh, Mayumi.” I finally said something to break the deadlock, the silence being too depressing for me to handle.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve studied hard for it. That rat-bastard is not gonna beat me this time.”
“Hahaha, it seems like you made it your life’s goal to beat Kazuhiko.”
“Right now, it’s definitely in the top 5”
“Oh really? What are the others?” I asked, amused by her strange sort of childish competitiveness.
“Oh, well, let’s see, number 5 is to be able to play a musical instrument…” Mayumi started, contemplating on her list.
“You could always ask me to teach you the guitar.” I offered, but she curtly refused. “Nah, too many people play the guitar…I wanna play something unconventional…like a cello!”
“If you say so…” I gave in, even more amused at her.
“And number 4 is to get a pet dog…” Mayumi continued, her facial expression clearly showing how much she longed to get a dog.
“Hah, you like cute things after all. Here I thought you were all for pragmatism and all that.” Mayumi looked at me strangely, as if she didn’t know whether to be offended or happy. She settled with a mix of the two. “I’m still a girl, you idiot. And sides, I don’t plan to get one of those stupid midget dogs…no, I’m getting the big fluffy type! To help me guard the house!”
“Wow, you really are a kid at heart, aren’t you?” I teased her.
“Shut up, and well, number 3 is to beat that insane womanizer in those damn exams. I can’t believe there is a god otherwise…”
“Mmhmm, and then? What’s the top two?”
“Number two..is that I want to go to a Budokan concert! The atmosphere there looks amazing…I’ll be happy if I can experience it even once.”
“Heh, then wait till I send you the tickets to my band’s Budokan special.” I said cockily, grinning like an idiot.
“Haha, confident in our skills now are we? Well, I’ll be waiting then, if you say so.”
“Go ahead…so what’s the first one then? What’s the one final thing you have to do in your life before you die? What great dream does my childhood friend have? World peace?” I teased her yet again, although I am honestly curious.
“The number one thing I’d like to do…” Mayumi trailed off, saying something in a very weak voice which I wasn’t able to catch.
“Sorry, what did you say? I didn’t quite get you there.” I approached her, trying to get a better listen.
“I…I want you to forgive me for what I did, Ken” Mayumi finally said what has been locked inside her heart for these past few years. I stopped walking, stunned by what I just heard, and Mayumi turned towards me, her eyes barely able to hold back the tears which was about to flow out freely. Mayumi has never been the emotional type, and I can tell she is making a large effort just to be able to say the words she just said.
“Look, Mayumi, I already told you, it’s not your fault. There’s nothing to feel guilty about.” I replied gently, careful to not tread on her delicate feelings.
“But…but…you nearly died because of me! There is no way…no way that you could not hold a grudge against me.”
“I made my choice, and well, yes, I had to suffer a lot for it, but I had no regrets… Neither should you, Mayumi”
“Yeah….but, but, if it wasn’t for me, if I had been stronger…”
“Don’t be stupid... You were going through a rough time back then. And sides, I’m the guy here, don’t say stupid things like that. Think of my ego!” I told her while slightly smiling.
“You’ve always been stupid like that….” Mayumi muttered, while chuckling and wiping the tears off of her eyes. “It’s just that…it’s been…you were…”
Seeing my usually fierce and vicious childhood friend like this was painful for me, so I instinctively grabbed her face and forced her to look into my eyes. Heh, her eyes had always been so beautiful, they had so much life in them….but her spark had disappeared. Her radiant eyes were now lifeless, devoid of feeling. Did I really cause this? “Hey, listen to me here.” I told her firmly. “Quit blaming yourself, it’s not your fault, nor is it anyone else’s. Just…go back to being the Mayumi I know, the Mayumi I love to be with.”
She nodded a few times, and sobbed a few times…then she did what was to be the highlight of my entire night.
She hugged me and cried her eyes out.
As she weeped in my arms, I didn’t know exactly what to do. I am not sure males come pre-programmed with instructions on how to handle a situation like this. So I did what any sensible guy would do, I just err…stood there and stroked her hair. Hey, any other guy would have done the exact same thing! As she let out her tears, I just let her be. I didn’t say a single word…they were useless. Words cannot justify the rawness of the outburst of pure emotion taking place right in front of me.
….While this is all taking place, I can’t help but remember an old fighting game I once played. Every time I played that game, I would always come close to beating the final boss…then the game would bitchslap me and come out with a brand new, tougher opponent with the annoying words “A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS” flashing across the screen.
Well, they’re flashing now. Long and hard.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Chapter 5 part Finale – Numbers
May 13th, 06:25 AM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
Exams. Amazing how that single word can send chills down any student’s spine. The dreadful 3 hour long marathons where student’s brains are pushed to their absolute limit and breaking point, where student’s brains are forced to regurgitate every single seemingly pointless fact they learnt throughout class. Some would say if the student is well-prepared, they shouldn’t fear exams, but those are lies. You can prepare for an exam about as well as you can prepare for Chinese Water torture. You just can’t.
Which makes it all the more irritating that Kazuhiko was reading the latest edition of Shonen Jump instead of his notes this morning, which marked the start of our mid-semestral exams. “Dude, what the hell are you doing…?” I asked him rhetorically as I took out my notebook and frantically flipped the pages, trying to do some last-minute memorization work. “Mmm…I’m just checking up on Bleach and Naruto. I swear, I think Tite Kubo is doing this on purpose…” He answered nonchalantly without even taking his eyes off the book.
“You do realize we have exams today right?” I asked him again.
“Yeah, we start off with Biology then go on with Maths, no big deal.” He replied, eyes still glued to his copy of Shonen Jump.
“Then shouldn’t you be like…you know…STUDYING?”
Kazuhiko finally lowered his book down and looked at me. “Come on Ken, we both know I don’t study. Especially not last minute, and especially not when I have the latest copy of Shonen Jump in my hands! Now shut up while I find out what happens to Ichigo…” He told me in an irritated voice before covering his face with the manga yet again.
This guy is hopeless. Hopeless I tell you. Well, screw it; my grades are more important than his anyway. I stole a quick glance at the classroom and the usual pre-exam rush mode was on. Nearly every single student were fully absorbed in their last-minute studying, trying to jam as much data into their heads as possible before the inevitable happened. Of course, the usual “we-have-no-chance-of-graduating-so-why-bother” group of students was also there, playing with their PSPs while the others studied. I turned towards Mayumi, who was seated right next to me and she seemed strangely tranquil, looking outside the window calmly while twirling her favourite pen with her right hand.
“Hey, Mayumi, you’re ready?” I called out to her, expecting either a feisty response or a frosty glare. I didn’t get either as it turns out, as she didn’t even bother turning towards me. “Helllooooo, Mayumi? Are you even listening to me??” I called out to her again. Still no reply. Feeling a bit worried, I walked over to her table slowly and tapped her shoulders. Still no response. I carefully leaned in and looked at her face.
“Gaahhh” I exclaimed, freaked out by her facial expression, or should I say, lack of one. Her eyes were completely blank, like those of a zombie, and her mouth kept on muttering random scientific words in quick succession. I guess this was the legendary “pre-exam-shutdown-mode” that Mayumi often used to retain as much of her memory as possible. Veeerrrryyyy creepy. I slowly backed off towards my table, careful not to bring out any unnecessary reaction from her. I don’t think she turned to a zombie, but I’m not taking any chances here, I played Left 4 Dead, I know how insane they can suddenly be.
Suddenly, the opening bell rang, indicating the dreaded start to our exams. Nearly instantly, Mayumi snapped out of her exam-induced coma and a murderous look replaced her blank facial expression. She must want to ace this bad. Her “rival”, on the other hand, looked as uncaring as ever and groaned that he couldn’t read his Shonen Jump anymore. This ought to be interesting.
2 Hours and 30 Minutes Later
“No more! PLEASE! NO MORE!” Nagayuki screamed as soon as the biology test was over. Right, for all of his skills as a basketball player, Nagayuki has always been one of the less academically gifted students in this school. Not like I can’t relate to him though, the biology exam was freakishly long and hard. I think that I did pretty well, but I really can’t be sure. Kazuhiko sure was though.
“Ahhh~~” Kazuhiko groaned as he stood up from his seat and began to do some light stretching. “That was fun.” He continued in a relaxed tone, before sitting himself back down and taking out his copy of Shonen Jump, picking up right where he left off before the test.
“Dude….” I began as I walked over to his table. “Don’t you ever get nervous? I mean…this is our mid-terms ya know, it’s a pretty big deal.”
Kazuhiko gave me a strange look. “Ken, bro, you’ve known me for what, 8 years? Have I EVER gotten nervous for tests like these?”
“Well…come to think of it, no”
“There’s your answer right there.” Kazuhiko dismissed me, returning all of his attention to the manga he’s reading. I wouldn’t give up though.
“Why then?” I asked him point-blank.
“Hmm? Why what?” Kazuhiko answered in a nonchalant tone. “WHY YOU’RE NOT NERVOUS OBVIOUSLY!” Mayumi’s voice suddenly spoke out from behind me, nearly causing my heart to leap out from my chest.
“Dear god, don’t surprise me like that!” I told her off, but she ignored me, walking over to Kazuhiko and staring at him as if he was the worst guy to have ever walked on the face of the earth. Although to be fair, he probably is the worst guy to have ever walked on the face of the earth to Mayumi. “I mean, some people aren’t nervous because they studied last night and know they can handle the exam questions…” Mayumi started. “But YOU, YOU just hang around the arcade all day before the test and come here…then proceed to READ A FREAKIN MANGA 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE TEST! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!”
“Jealous much, President-chan?” Kazuhiko playfully teased my childhood friend, and just as he expected her to, Mayumi exploded and began to launch a very angry rant towards Kazuhiko and his “study habits”. Pah, good luck with that Mayumi, Kazuhiko has no study habit…he’s just that smart. Some bastards get all the luck. I decided to ignore the two while they’re engaging in their none-too-intelligent banter and walk over to Natsumi’s seat. Its owner was calmly gazing outside of the class window, looking as calm and tranquil as she usually is.
“So what did you think of the test, Hinata-san?” I asked her, trying to start a conversation. Natsumi turned towards me and gave a small grin. “I think I did pretty well… I expect to get somewhere between 90 to 95 for this test.” She said such a ridiculous thing as if it was the most common thing in the world. A ball of hot lead suddenly formed in my throat, and I ran out of words to say. Ninety…to Ninety-FIVE?! WHAT KIND OF BIONIC HUMAN ARE YOU NATSUMI-CHANNNN???
“Err…that’s nice.” I finally said, after overcoming my initial shock. “You must have studied a lot for this test huh?” Natsumi mused over my question for a while. “Nah, not really. I’ve always been able to absorb concepts rather easily, so I don’t find biology, or any subject for that matter, all that hard to be perfectly honest.” She said what most people would perceive as a very cocky statement with a perfectly straight face.
“I…I see” I replied downheartedly. What else can you say to a statement like that? I guess her averaging a sky-high GPA isn’t a fluke after all. Damn, is there something this girl isn’t good at? It’s kind of intimidating to be honest; I can see why she hasn’t had many suitors despite her stunning good looks. These days, boys my age want easy girls, girls they can get with no effort and therefore dump with the same level of effort…prime example being that idiot sitting next to me. “Well, good luck for Math then Hinata-san! Although it seems like you don’t need it much.” Natsumi gave a small grin at my remark and wished me good luck as well. I sat myself back down and watched the minute hand of the clock move painfully slowly as I braced myself for the Math test coming up soon…
May 13th, 16:15 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
“So how’d you think you did today?” Kazuhiko asked me as we both exited the school compound.
“Could’ve been better, could’ve been worse. I think I should’ve done pretty well though.” I replied truthfully. The tests weren’t as hard as I expected them to be…but they were still hard nonetheless. Whoever invented the idea of exams should die a painful death… a long, slow and painful death. “I expect you would hit the high 90s again? As usual…” I commented dryly at Kazuhiko’s sure-to-be stellar academic performance.
“Well, I always aim for a perfect 100, but I guess so.” said Kazuhiko, with the same look on his face that Natsumi had on hers when I talked to her this morning. “I think I might have screwed up a little bit on that last part about exponential differentiation, but oh well, not like I’m planning to be a mathematician anyways.”
“Right, your life’s dream is to be a gigolo.” I mocked Kazuhiko playfully.
“Not really, but if I am one, I’m sure your mom would pay a hefty price for me.”
“Heh, punk.”
The both of us continued our usual boyish chatter for a few minutes as we headed towards the train station. Kazuhiko’s house is in the eastern part of Shizuoka while mine is in the western part, so unfortunately we couldn’t spend much more time together. While we waited for our respective trains to arrive, I finally brought up the thing that’s been bothering me ever since we came back from the hot spring trip.
“Dude, what’s your relationship with Natsumi?” I went straight to the point, not wasting any time with small talk. Kazuhiko looked at me impassively before sipping on the can of coffee he bought minutes ago. “Why are you asking?” He replied my question with another.
I took a deep breath and told him about how I overheard his conversation that fateful night on the onsen trip. “You’re holding something back from me, Kazu, and screw the bet, I’m actually doing this cause I want to be with her, so if you better tell me everything.” I said in a slightly threatening tone. “I’m not gonna ask her out in June to find out that she’s already dating YOU.”
Kazuhiko sipped on his coffee once more and sighed. “I guess I’d have to tell you about us eventually.” He began reluctantly. “The truth is Ken…I’ve known Natsumi for quite a while now. Since I was a small kid in fact.”
“Wh-what?? How did you know her?!” I demanded an answer. Kazuhiko scratched his head, obviously unwilling to divulge that particular piece of information.
“Well, bro, to be perfectly honest…she’s my not-so-distant cousin.”
“SAY WHAT? SHE’S YOUR FREAKIN COUSIN? YOU MADE A BET OVER YOUR OWN COUSIN?! WHAT KIND OF A MAN ARE YOU?!” I spluttered, completely taken aback by Kazuhiko’s revelation.
“W-w-wait…” A thought suddenly came to me. “You wrote that she might have connections to the underworld…and you’re her cousin, so that means… HOLY SHIT KAZU, YOU’RE YAKUZA! YOU EXTORT MONEY FROM OLD SHOPOWNERS AND SNORT COCAINE!”
“Wh-what the hell are you saying you idiot!” Kazuhiko reacted immediately. “I just wrote that in to scare you, you idiot! That part’s not true!”
“Wh-why should I trust you now huh? Oh my god, I bet after you take this train you are gonna stop over some shop owned by some nice old couple and threaten them to fork up some cash!”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU RETARD?!”
“TH-THEN YOU’RE GONNA TORTURE AN OPPOSING GANG MEMBER AND SLOWLY CUT THEM TO PIECES WHILE HIS FAMILY WATCHES!”
“HOLY SHIT KEN, WHAT KIND OF MOVIES ARE YOU WATCHING??!!”
“Oh, I’ve been marathoning the Yakuza games on the PS2… I KNOW HOW YOU GUYS WORK!”
“Don’t be stupid Ken, do I look like someone who would work for the Yakuza to you?!”
“Well…you could be one of their covert gigolo informants! YOU GUYS ARE EVERYWHERE! DON’T LIE!”
“OH GOD YOU’RE HOPELESS! FINE, I’M YAKUZA, TELL ANYONE AND I’LL KILL YOU!”
“Wow wow wow dude… You don’t really mean that right? I’m your best friend of 8 years here!” I toned down a bit, honestly a little afraid for my life. “Damn it Ken, I’m not even a yakuza! Sides, Natsumi is a pretty distant cousin from me, if you speak from the blood.” Kazuhiko revealed more information yet again.
“O-oh, right, makes sense, no yakuza lord in his right mind would hire you, haha..ha” I spoke out half-jokingly. You can never be sure with Kazuhiko; he always somehow manages to find a way to surprise the hell out of you.
“Eh, wait, but then” I suddenly remembered. “What were you talking about with her that night? About her not wanting to do some-“
“Oh boy, there’s my train, gotta go, bye Ken!” Kazuhiko didn’t allow me to finish my question as he jumped up from his seat and practically dashed towards the train, entering and sitting down right next to a cute girl from a different high school. As the train slowly left the station, he turned towards me, grinned and put two thumbs up, undoubtedly a sign that he had found himself a new toy to play with, before turning back and chatting with the girl sitting next to him. What a bastard…well, I’ll get him next time.
As I walked home, however, I was in for a rude shock. My phone had vibrated incessantly during my train ride, and out of etiquette, I didn’t pick it up, however now that I am in the open road, I calmly took it out and flipped it open. Oh, a few missed calls from my sister, I wonder what could be so important, she usually just waits until I get home before telling me anything…unless if it’s really important. I dialed her number and waited for a connection to be established.
“He-hello? Nii-san, you there?” Hitomi’s flustered voice emanated from the speaker.
“Yeah, what’s up?” I replied, not expecting her response to be particularly bad. Boy was I wrong.
“Nii-san, you have to get to the hospital quick! It’s Natsumi-neechan…she’s been hospitalized, and Tanaka-senpai said that she was going to be operated or something, I can’t be sure though. Eitherway, come quick!”
My phone clattered on the ground as I lost control over my senses for a few seconds. “Nii-san? You there?!” Hitomi’s muffled voice called out for me, snapping me back to my senses. I picked up the phone and began to run back towards the station. “Hitomi, give me the name of the hospital, I’m coming as soon as I can.” I told her firmly, willing myself not to panic. My sister can’t afford to hear me panic…she’s already in a pretty bad state, and for my usually quiet and calm sister, it must’ve been something spectacularly bad that made her this way.
Damn it! What could’ve happened to her! As I kept on running, only that singular question remained on my mind…rewinding itself again…and again..and again.
Exams. Amazing how that single word can send chills down any student’s spine. The dreadful 3 hour long marathons where student’s brains are pushed to their absolute limit and breaking point, where student’s brains are forced to regurgitate every single seemingly pointless fact they learnt throughout class. Some would say if the student is well-prepared, they shouldn’t fear exams, but those are lies. You can prepare for an exam about as well as you can prepare for Chinese Water torture. You just can’t.
Which makes it all the more irritating that Kazuhiko was reading the latest edition of Shonen Jump instead of his notes this morning, which marked the start of our mid-semestral exams. “Dude, what the hell are you doing…?” I asked him rhetorically as I took out my notebook and frantically flipped the pages, trying to do some last-minute memorization work. “Mmm…I’m just checking up on Bleach and Naruto. I swear, I think Tite Kubo is doing this on purpose…” He answered nonchalantly without even taking his eyes off the book.
“You do realize we have exams today right?” I asked him again.
“Yeah, we start off with Biology then go on with Maths, no big deal.” He replied, eyes still glued to his copy of Shonen Jump.
“Then shouldn’t you be like…you know…STUDYING?”
Kazuhiko finally lowered his book down and looked at me. “Come on Ken, we both know I don’t study. Especially not last minute, and especially not when I have the latest copy of Shonen Jump in my hands! Now shut up while I find out what happens to Ichigo…” He told me in an irritated voice before covering his face with the manga yet again.
This guy is hopeless. Hopeless I tell you. Well, screw it; my grades are more important than his anyway. I stole a quick glance at the classroom and the usual pre-exam rush mode was on. Nearly every single student were fully absorbed in their last-minute studying, trying to jam as much data into their heads as possible before the inevitable happened. Of course, the usual “we-have-no-chance-of-graduating-so-why-bother” group of students was also there, playing with their PSPs while the others studied. I turned towards Mayumi, who was seated right next to me and she seemed strangely tranquil, looking outside the window calmly while twirling her favourite pen with her right hand.
“Hey, Mayumi, you’re ready?” I called out to her, expecting either a feisty response or a frosty glare. I didn’t get either as it turns out, as she didn’t even bother turning towards me. “Helllooooo, Mayumi? Are you even listening to me??” I called out to her again. Still no reply. Feeling a bit worried, I walked over to her table slowly and tapped her shoulders. Still no response. I carefully leaned in and looked at her face.
“Gaahhh” I exclaimed, freaked out by her facial expression, or should I say, lack of one. Her eyes were completely blank, like those of a zombie, and her mouth kept on muttering random scientific words in quick succession. I guess this was the legendary “pre-exam-shutdown-mode” that Mayumi often used to retain as much of her memory as possible. Veeerrrryyyy creepy. I slowly backed off towards my table, careful not to bring out any unnecessary reaction from her. I don’t think she turned to a zombie, but I’m not taking any chances here, I played Left 4 Dead, I know how insane they can suddenly be.
Suddenly, the opening bell rang, indicating the dreaded start to our exams. Nearly instantly, Mayumi snapped out of her exam-induced coma and a murderous look replaced her blank facial expression. She must want to ace this bad. Her “rival”, on the other hand, looked as uncaring as ever and groaned that he couldn’t read his Shonen Jump anymore. This ought to be interesting.
2 Hours and 30 Minutes Later
“No more! PLEASE! NO MORE!” Nagayuki screamed as soon as the biology test was over. Right, for all of his skills as a basketball player, Nagayuki has always been one of the less academically gifted students in this school. Not like I can’t relate to him though, the biology exam was freakishly long and hard. I think that I did pretty well, but I really can’t be sure. Kazuhiko sure was though.
“Ahhh~~” Kazuhiko groaned as he stood up from his seat and began to do some light stretching. “That was fun.” He continued in a relaxed tone, before sitting himself back down and taking out his copy of Shonen Jump, picking up right where he left off before the test.
“Dude….” I began as I walked over to his table. “Don’t you ever get nervous? I mean…this is our mid-terms ya know, it’s a pretty big deal.”
Kazuhiko gave me a strange look. “Ken, bro, you’ve known me for what, 8 years? Have I EVER gotten nervous for tests like these?”
“Well…come to think of it, no”
“There’s your answer right there.” Kazuhiko dismissed me, returning all of his attention to the manga he’s reading. I wouldn’t give up though.
“Why then?” I asked him point-blank.
“Hmm? Why what?” Kazuhiko answered in a nonchalant tone. “WHY YOU’RE NOT NERVOUS OBVIOUSLY!” Mayumi’s voice suddenly spoke out from behind me, nearly causing my heart to leap out from my chest.
“Dear god, don’t surprise me like that!” I told her off, but she ignored me, walking over to Kazuhiko and staring at him as if he was the worst guy to have ever walked on the face of the earth. Although to be fair, he probably is the worst guy to have ever walked on the face of the earth to Mayumi. “I mean, some people aren’t nervous because they studied last night and know they can handle the exam questions…” Mayumi started. “But YOU, YOU just hang around the arcade all day before the test and come here…then proceed to READ A FREAKIN MANGA 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE TEST! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!”
“Jealous much, President-chan?” Kazuhiko playfully teased my childhood friend, and just as he expected her to, Mayumi exploded and began to launch a very angry rant towards Kazuhiko and his “study habits”. Pah, good luck with that Mayumi, Kazuhiko has no study habit…he’s just that smart. Some bastards get all the luck. I decided to ignore the two while they’re engaging in their none-too-intelligent banter and walk over to Natsumi’s seat. Its owner was calmly gazing outside of the class window, looking as calm and tranquil as she usually is.
“So what did you think of the test, Hinata-san?” I asked her, trying to start a conversation. Natsumi turned towards me and gave a small grin. “I think I did pretty well… I expect to get somewhere between 90 to 95 for this test.” She said such a ridiculous thing as if it was the most common thing in the world. A ball of hot lead suddenly formed in my throat, and I ran out of words to say. Ninety…to Ninety-FIVE?! WHAT KIND OF BIONIC HUMAN ARE YOU NATSUMI-CHANNNN???
“Err…that’s nice.” I finally said, after overcoming my initial shock. “You must have studied a lot for this test huh?” Natsumi mused over my question for a while. “Nah, not really. I’ve always been able to absorb concepts rather easily, so I don’t find biology, or any subject for that matter, all that hard to be perfectly honest.” She said what most people would perceive as a very cocky statement with a perfectly straight face.
“I…I see” I replied downheartedly. What else can you say to a statement like that? I guess her averaging a sky-high GPA isn’t a fluke after all. Damn, is there something this girl isn’t good at? It’s kind of intimidating to be honest; I can see why she hasn’t had many suitors despite her stunning good looks. These days, boys my age want easy girls, girls they can get with no effort and therefore dump with the same level of effort…prime example being that idiot sitting next to me. “Well, good luck for Math then Hinata-san! Although it seems like you don’t need it much.” Natsumi gave a small grin at my remark and wished me good luck as well. I sat myself back down and watched the minute hand of the clock move painfully slowly as I braced myself for the Math test coming up soon…
May 13th, 16:15 PM, Shizuoka High School, Shizuoka
“So how’d you think you did today?” Kazuhiko asked me as we both exited the school compound.
“Could’ve been better, could’ve been worse. I think I should’ve done pretty well though.” I replied truthfully. The tests weren’t as hard as I expected them to be…but they were still hard nonetheless. Whoever invented the idea of exams should die a painful death… a long, slow and painful death. “I expect you would hit the high 90s again? As usual…” I commented dryly at Kazuhiko’s sure-to-be stellar academic performance.
“Well, I always aim for a perfect 100, but I guess so.” said Kazuhiko, with the same look on his face that Natsumi had on hers when I talked to her this morning. “I think I might have screwed up a little bit on that last part about exponential differentiation, but oh well, not like I’m planning to be a mathematician anyways.”
“Right, your life’s dream is to be a gigolo.” I mocked Kazuhiko playfully.
“Not really, but if I am one, I’m sure your mom would pay a hefty price for me.”
“Heh, punk.”
The both of us continued our usual boyish chatter for a few minutes as we headed towards the train station. Kazuhiko’s house is in the eastern part of Shizuoka while mine is in the western part, so unfortunately we couldn’t spend much more time together. While we waited for our respective trains to arrive, I finally brought up the thing that’s been bothering me ever since we came back from the hot spring trip.
“Dude, what’s your relationship with Natsumi?” I went straight to the point, not wasting any time with small talk. Kazuhiko looked at me impassively before sipping on the can of coffee he bought minutes ago. “Why are you asking?” He replied my question with another.
I took a deep breath and told him about how I overheard his conversation that fateful night on the onsen trip. “You’re holding something back from me, Kazu, and screw the bet, I’m actually doing this cause I want to be with her, so if you better tell me everything.” I said in a slightly threatening tone. “I’m not gonna ask her out in June to find out that she’s already dating YOU.”
Kazuhiko sipped on his coffee once more and sighed. “I guess I’d have to tell you about us eventually.” He began reluctantly. “The truth is Ken…I’ve known Natsumi for quite a while now. Since I was a small kid in fact.”
“Wh-what?? How did you know her?!” I demanded an answer. Kazuhiko scratched his head, obviously unwilling to divulge that particular piece of information.
“Well, bro, to be perfectly honest…she’s my not-so-distant cousin.”
“SAY WHAT? SHE’S YOUR FREAKIN COUSIN? YOU MADE A BET OVER YOUR OWN COUSIN?! WHAT KIND OF A MAN ARE YOU?!” I spluttered, completely taken aback by Kazuhiko’s revelation.
“W-w-wait…” A thought suddenly came to me. “You wrote that she might have connections to the underworld…and you’re her cousin, so that means… HOLY SHIT KAZU, YOU’RE YAKUZA! YOU EXTORT MONEY FROM OLD SHOPOWNERS AND SNORT COCAINE!”
“Wh-what the hell are you saying you idiot!” Kazuhiko reacted immediately. “I just wrote that in to scare you, you idiot! That part’s not true!”
“Wh-why should I trust you now huh? Oh my god, I bet after you take this train you are gonna stop over some shop owned by some nice old couple and threaten them to fork up some cash!”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU RETARD?!”
“TH-THEN YOU’RE GONNA TORTURE AN OPPOSING GANG MEMBER AND SLOWLY CUT THEM TO PIECES WHILE HIS FAMILY WATCHES!”
“HOLY SHIT KEN, WHAT KIND OF MOVIES ARE YOU WATCHING??!!”
“Oh, I’ve been marathoning the Yakuza games on the PS2… I KNOW HOW YOU GUYS WORK!”
“Don’t be stupid Ken, do I look like someone who would work for the Yakuza to you?!”
“Well…you could be one of their covert gigolo informants! YOU GUYS ARE EVERYWHERE! DON’T LIE!”
“OH GOD YOU’RE HOPELESS! FINE, I’M YAKUZA, TELL ANYONE AND I’LL KILL YOU!”
“Wow wow wow dude… You don’t really mean that right? I’m your best friend of 8 years here!” I toned down a bit, honestly a little afraid for my life. “Damn it Ken, I’m not even a yakuza! Sides, Natsumi is a pretty distant cousin from me, if you speak from the blood.” Kazuhiko revealed more information yet again.
“O-oh, right, makes sense, no yakuza lord in his right mind would hire you, haha..ha” I spoke out half-jokingly. You can never be sure with Kazuhiko; he always somehow manages to find a way to surprise the hell out of you.
“Eh, wait, but then” I suddenly remembered. “What were you talking about with her that night? About her not wanting to do some-“
“Oh boy, there’s my train, gotta go, bye Ken!” Kazuhiko didn’t allow me to finish my question as he jumped up from his seat and practically dashed towards the train, entering and sitting down right next to a cute girl from a different high school. As the train slowly left the station, he turned towards me, grinned and put two thumbs up, undoubtedly a sign that he had found himself a new toy to play with, before turning back and chatting with the girl sitting next to him. What a bastard…well, I’ll get him next time.
As I walked home, however, I was in for a rude shock. My phone had vibrated incessantly during my train ride, and out of etiquette, I didn’t pick it up, however now that I am in the open road, I calmly took it out and flipped it open. Oh, a few missed calls from my sister, I wonder what could be so important, she usually just waits until I get home before telling me anything…unless if it’s really important. I dialed her number and waited for a connection to be established.
“He-hello? Nii-san, you there?” Hitomi’s flustered voice emanated from the speaker.
“Yeah, what’s up?” I replied, not expecting her response to be particularly bad. Boy was I wrong.
“Nii-san, you have to get to the hospital quick! It’s Natsumi-neechan…she’s been hospitalized, and Tanaka-senpai said that she was going to be operated or something, I can’t be sure though. Eitherway, come quick!”
My phone clattered on the ground as I lost control over my senses for a few seconds. “Nii-san? You there?!” Hitomi’s muffled voice called out for me, snapping me back to my senses. I picked up the phone and began to run back towards the station. “Hitomi, give me the name of the hospital, I’m coming as soon as I can.” I told her firmly, willing myself not to panic. My sister can’t afford to hear me panic…she’s already in a pretty bad state, and for my usually quiet and calm sister, it must’ve been something spectacularly bad that made her this way.
Damn it! What could’ve happened to her! As I kept on running, only that singular question remained on my mind…rewinding itself again…and again..and again.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Ah wow, I've somehow managed to be the top-viewed thread in the Writer's Section.
Thanks for the support guys! X3
Thanks for the support guys! X3
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
UPDATED PROLOGUE.
I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I feel like the original Prologue is sub-par, so I updated it and made it more fleshed out.
Hope that you guys enjoy it!
I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I feel like the original Prologue is sub-par, so I updated it and made it more fleshed out.
Hope that you guys enjoy it!
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Ah, my favourite chapter to date...I hope that you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Chapter 5.75 – Tears in Heaven
Chapter 5.75 – Tears in Heaven
May 25th, 10:17 AM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Yamazaki Family House, Shizuoka
“YES MOM, I’M CLEANING MY ROOM RIGHT NOW!!!” I yelled out from my room, my mom’s persistent nagging finally achieving its desired effect. “Geez, she can be such a pain sometimes…A man’s room is supposed to be dirty and unkempt!” I muttered to myself, then looked around my room.
….I guess I should clean it after all. The room looked like a giant bomb filled with underwear, old manga, and unwashed T-shirts had exploded in the middle and spread all of its contents on the room. Where can I possibly start from…. Well, I guess my clothes closet was as good as any. I walked over to a wooden cabinet which held all my clothes and opened it.
Unsurprisingly, the inside of the cabinet was barely filled. Most of its original contents had been spilled over to the floor, and only about 10 pieces of clothes remained in the bare closet. I scratched my head and groped around inside for anything I might need to throw away…or take to laundry, or whatever, as long as it seemed like I tried to clean my room. “Oh…what’s this..” I murmured as I pulled out a dusty, mangled old shoebox from inside the cabinet. I dusted it off and tried to make out the letters written on lid of the shoebox. “Err…the Yamazaki-Azai Time Box…” I read the words out loud and feeling curious, I plopped myself down in front of my bed and opened the box.
The first thing I saw was an old picture of me and Mayumi, when we were both young kids…10 years old at maximum. She was wearing a small summer dress and was smiling happily, a sight that has not greeted me so often the past few years. My ten-year old self, on the other hand, seemed annoyed and was holding a lollipop in his hand. Heh, I always had a sweet tooth. I rifled through the contents of the box again and it all came back to me… this Time Box was something Mayumi and I decided to keep when we were around 11, to hold all of our past memories. I’d give her some of my stuff, and she’d give me some of hers. We weren’t supposed to open it until 10 years had passed if I remember our agreement correctly.
Oops.
I took out another object from the box and looked at it carefully. It seemed…unfamiliar. I mean, sure, after all those years, I don’t remember much about what’s inside the box, but I dunno, all of the other things seemed….familiar to the touch, I can recollect where Mayumi got them and why she decided to give it to me…but this one was different. I inspected it closer and then it hit me, it was supposed to be her birthday present for when she turned 12. I blew off some of the dust from it and found out that my suspicions had been correct, it was a beautiful, intricate floral hairpin, and a pretty pricey one too. Well, at least pricey for when I was 12. I had gotten it for her for her 12th birthday…but due to circumstances, I never did manage to give it to her. 5 years ago was a horrible time for Mayumi…and I guess I never got the chance to give it to her. As I looked back upon those days, I can’t help but feel incredibly sad…
The date was August 14th, 2004. Mayumi’s 12th birthday was coming up in 10 days, and she couldn’t wait for the day to finally come. We were much closer back in those days….in fact, it was incomparable. Back when we were 12, we were practically inseparable. Where she would go, I’ll follow her, what she would do; I’ll do it together with her. Our parents had even joked that they should arrange for us to get married when we hit the proper age. Not such a bad proposition now, come to think of it, but well, my twelve year old self was a dumbass.
Anyways, Mayumi’s parents….I couldn’t really remember how they were, to be perfectly honest. Her dad was a loving family man, but he would often have to work till late and not come home for days, something that affected Mayumi to an extent. She was the only child of her family, so she loved her father very much, and in retrospect, I am sure he did too, but well, society sucks in that way. Her mom, well, she was not a classic stay-at-home mom. She commanded a high-paying job at a multi-national corporation, and that meant she was rarely home either….mainly the reason why Mayumi ended up spending a lot of time with me, simply because there was no one home for her to play with. I barely met Mayumi’s mom, but from the little I know of her, I can tell that like her husband, she loved her young daughter very much as well, but had a bad way of showing it. She would often make Mayumi go on worthless tuitions she didn’t like because she wanted to groom her to be the perfect woman, an ideal that she herself failed to meet, I suppose, but Mayumi hated it. She wasn’t exactly a tomboy, but she loved to play around in the dirt, to get dirty, to just well…have fun like how any normal kid would. At any rate, I got along pretty fabulously with her parents because my parents got along well with her parents as well. My dad and her dad used to be workmates, if I am not wrong, and they would often drink sake together and do some other old man crap together I guess.
So anyways, on August 14th, her mom and dad had driven off to Karuizawa, a pretty famous holiday resort spot close to Tokyo, and for once, Mayumi didn’t join them. She had been down with the flu and her parents had wanted to cancel their trip, but Mayumi was adamant that they should go, not willing to let them sacrifice their relaxation time for her. Her parents had been reluctant at first, but I guess seeing their little daughter be so determined to make them go, they left anyway, leaving Mayumi in my family’s hands. I was pretty much fine with the idea, as far as I was concerned, more Mayumi equals to more fun.
But then the unexpected happened. Her parents, driving down a freeway leading from Shizuoka to Tokyo, collided with another car at high speed. Airbags had helped them to an extent, but in the end, the severity of the crash was too much to bear and her parents passed away. When my parents heard the news, I remembered that they pretty much panicked. Not so much for their sakes, but for the sake of the young girl sleeping contentedly in our guestroom. In the end, we couldn’t hide the fact from her forever, and my parents told her the news, telling her that she’ll be fine and that they’ll do everything in their power to help her.
I could still remember all too poignantly of what happened the day Mayumi heard the news. I don’t know if any of you have ever seen a child mentally break down right in front of you, and not the types where they are spazzing over not getting that new PS3 game, the type where you can tell that their hearts had been ripped out and played upon by the cruel hands of fate, but it was a horrible sight. Her eyes widened, and she screamed out loud, a bone-chilling heart-wrenching scream that was so pained and horrifying that I couldn’t help but feel completely devastated as well. She cried her eyes out that day. She cried and cried… and cried, until I was afraid that she would dry her eyes out and go blind. As the funeral procession came about, Mayumi finally stopped crying…she simply had no tears left to cry out.
Months passed after her parents’ death, and it seemed that things were finally returning to normal, but it wasn’t. Mayumi’s grandparents had moved in to her house, as all parties involved believed that it would have been better off for Mayumi to remain in the city, where she could get an education, and where at least she would have a friend, namely me to help her out. To this day, I believed they were wrong though. There were just too many memories, too many things left undone in that house to allow Mayumi to properly grow. It would have hurt like hell for me if she had left for the village, but for Mayumi’s sake, it would have been for the best. She could start over anew; nothing from her past can haunt her.
Instead, Mayumi did what any 12-year old child would do had the people they loved most in this world died, she just…well, shut down completely. The concepts of death and sudden departure were simply too much for her 12 year old mind to understand. And worst of all, she began blaming herself. What if she had told her parents to stay? What if she had been a little bit selfish and forced them to stay…then would they have died? The way Mayumi saw it was that the world, or any god out there, was punishing her for not being selfish enough, for not being more assertive. She stopped being the nice Mayumi, and her twisted psyche made her the most destructive girl on the planet. She would throw plates around at her grandma when the food wasn’t to her liking…she would burn her grandfather’s books if she felt like there wasn’t enough space in the bookshelf….she would tell me I am the most useless friend in the world and bossed me around. I…well, I didn’t know how to react, to be honest. My memories of the girl I once knew…and come to think of it, she was probably my real first love, was conflicting with the insane bossy girl I faced back then.
School was no different either. She separated from her usual group of friends, and began hanging out with the older set of students. Back then, Mayumi and I used to go to a mixed middle school, and we pretty much just graduated from primary school, (we both skipped a grade) so we had no idea how the system really worked. Although to be fair, who the hell knows how the middle school system works…it’s just…THERE. But I digress. The middle school was filled with kids aged 13 to 15, and even the occasional 16 year old boy who failed junior high. Hanging out with the seniors wasn’t a very wise choice, those 15 year old girls had just started developing their jealous gland, and the strikingly pretty Mayumi was really always going to be a target for them. They made her their errand-girl, making her go and get every single whim they demanded. Mayumi, in turn, would often tell me to do her tasks for her. I still considered her a good friend of mine, so I wouldn’t complain much and do it regardless. Then, the requests became ridiculous. First it was bread…then CDs…then albums…then lipstick..then a full make-up set. Mayumi would burn out her pocket money trying to please them, and well, her grandparents stopped giving her cash when they found out what was happening. So she went to the only other person she knew had money.
Me.
I was reluctant to give her my money at first, but Mayumi threatened that she would stop being my friend and tell the senior boys to beat me up if I don’t give her my money. So well, I did. In truth, I was far more scared of the prospect that she would stop being my friend over the prospect that I would get beaten to a pulp. My nice 12-year old heart, I guess. I would then give her all of my money…sometimes leaving me with not enough money to buy lunch at school. Mayumi scoffed at my remarks and told me I should lose some weight anyways…so I persevered. And on. And on. And on.
But of course, appeasement never really works, and those seniors finally gave her an impossible order, to get them EACH new clothes from the Spring line or whatever. Even Mayumi knew there was no way she could possibly come up with enough money for this one, so she finally put her foot down and refused. The seniors didn’t take to it lightly, telling her that unless she coughed up with those clothes before the end of the month, they would get some senior boys to beat her up. Mayumi thought that they were only bluffing, so she left them and did not meet them for the remainder of the month.
Well, they weren’t bluffing. One day, as Mayumi was walking home from school, three 15 year old boys, who honestly looked like they were 18, came up to her and told Mayumi that they came to make her cough up the cash…or else. Mayumi wouldn’t…or should I say, couldn’t give them all that money, and the ringleader, a 15 year old boy by the name of Masakazu Tomozawa, began to harass her. He was pretty tall for a 15 year old, and he prematurely grew up I guess, dying his hair red and having piercings all over his face. I was walking home from school…and I saw the three of them, surrounding Mayumi and grabbing her clothes. My 12 year old brain didn’t see it that way, but I was sure that those guys were very much planning to violate her. From afar I could hear Masakazu’s lecherous voice…and I still remember his words, “Hmph…well, if you don’t have any money….hey, you’re kinda cute…come to think of it…I guess I can make you PAY with something else!”
Meh, oversexed boys…I blame the internet.
Anyways, I ran over to the scene and jumped in front of Mayumi, trying to protect her. Those seniors were apparently amused by my actions, and told me to bug off. I swear that I have never cursed a day before in my life before then, but that fine day, for the first time in my life, I told someone to fuck off. They didn’t receive it well either.
Now, I don’t know whoever said that if you stand up to a bully they would back off, but they obviously met some pretty weak and cowardly bullies, cause these guys didn’t back off, in fact, quite the contrary, they began to beat the living shit out of me. I tried to fight back…but three 15 year olds against a scrawny 12 year old isn’t much of a fight. They kicked…and punched, and by the end of it, I was a bloody mess. But it wasn’t all for nothing though, they were kinda creeped out watching me bleed so much, so they left Mayumi alone and dashed off in case anyone saw them.
It had been raining that day, and as the rain fell on my body, I felt…kind of an otherworldly experience. My mind was wandering away, and I guess I came pretty close to meeting the Grim Reaper. Mayumi started shrieking beside me and kneeled down, frantically trying to wipe off the blood flowing freely from well…every single orifice in my face. “Why…? Why did you do it, you idiot?? I had been so mean to you…and…” I could remember Mayumi lamenting. I should note though, that probably my knack of witty responses came during that near-death experience. Yeah, you heard me. Some people reaffirm their belief in religion, some people aim to be a better person, me, I just became witty and sarcastic. “Not so useless now…am…I…”I could distinctly recollect myself saying before I finally passed out, Mayumi’s screaming filling the background as everything turned black.
I woke up a few days later at the local hospital, with Mayumi’s head resting on the feet of my bed. Apparently, since the day I was put into this room, she had never left my side, and my parents told me that for the first time since her parents died, Mayumi cried again. She would hold my hand and cry, saying she’s sorry even though I was fast asleep. To this day, I find that kinda freaky…but also touching. Those seniors of mine had done a pretty thorough job on my body as it turns out, I had fractured my jaw, and two of my ribs were broken. Parts of my arm were also broken and I suffered mild concussion. Obviously, my parents had been incredibly pissed and basically went on a witch-hunt to find the kids who did this to me. Masakazu ended up moving away from the middle school and spent some time in juvenile hall, before rejoining a nearby high school to mine, where he remains until now.
Either way, after that day, Mayumi returned to the girl I once knew, that nice, sweet, caring girl who I came to admire. But for what’s worth, the damage had been done to our relationship. She remained a close friend to me throughout our middle school years, but she slowly drifted apart as we graduated. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what caused it back then, but after I thought about it now, and after what happened a few weeks ago, what she did…and what I did, hung heavily on her mind. She thought that she had nearly caused the death of another person she cared about, and she never did could forgive herself. I guess in the end, that is what made her drift apart from me.
“KEN, YOU BETTER BE CLEANING YOUR ROOM, OR I’M THROWING OUT YOUR GUITAR, YOU LAZY BUM!” My mom’s voice suddenly roared from the living room, destroying my epic moment of recollection and snapping me back to my senses. I put the old shoebox back in my closet, but I took out the hairpin…I had other plans for this. I got up, stretched, and looked around. I gave a deep, long sigh, and finally begin to ACTUALLY clean my room.
May 26th, 9:11 AM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
“Oh, what’s up Ken?” Mayumi asked as she sat down on the park bench beside me. “Nothing much, I just wanted to give you something.” I told her nonchalantly, reaching into my pocket and taking out that long-overdue hairpin.
I had asked her to meet me at the Aoi Park today…and I really only had one purpose.
I stood up, turned towards her and gently clipped the hairclip on a part of her hair. Hmm, it looks great on her, I have to hand it to my twelve-year old self…he had exquisite taste.
“Hmm? What’s this for?” Mayumi quizzed me, a bit perplexed for my gift from nowhere. She was blushing a little bit, and it occurred to me that this was the first time that I have ever given anything to her…at least, personally.
I scratched my head and I could feel my face turning red as well. Damn it! I always do this at the most inopportune moment! “Oh, let’s just say it’s just something I’ve been meaning to give you for a while.” I told her. Heh, five-years-while.
“Ahh…well, thanks anyway, Ken, I’ll be sure to wear it all the time.” Mayumi beamed and for the first time in a long while, I got to see the same beautiful face of that girl in the picture taken so long ago.
I guess I always had a messed up list of priorities…but getting beat up to a bloody pulp was worth it just so I will have the chance to see that face again. If I had to redo it all over again, I wouldn’t do it any differently. As long as her face continues to give me the shortest glimpses of that beautiful smile again….I have no regrets for what happened. Now and forever.
“YES MOM, I’M CLEANING MY ROOM RIGHT NOW!!!” I yelled out from my room, my mom’s persistent nagging finally achieving its desired effect. “Geez, she can be such a pain sometimes…A man’s room is supposed to be dirty and unkempt!” I muttered to myself, then looked around my room.
….I guess I should clean it after all. The room looked like a giant bomb filled with underwear, old manga, and unwashed T-shirts had exploded in the middle and spread all of its contents on the room. Where can I possibly start from…. Well, I guess my clothes closet was as good as any. I walked over to a wooden cabinet which held all my clothes and opened it.
Unsurprisingly, the inside of the cabinet was barely filled. Most of its original contents had been spilled over to the floor, and only about 10 pieces of clothes remained in the bare closet. I scratched my head and groped around inside for anything I might need to throw away…or take to laundry, or whatever, as long as it seemed like I tried to clean my room. “Oh…what’s this..” I murmured as I pulled out a dusty, mangled old shoebox from inside the cabinet. I dusted it off and tried to make out the letters written on lid of the shoebox. “Err…the Yamazaki-Azai Time Box…” I read the words out loud and feeling curious, I plopped myself down in front of my bed and opened the box.
The first thing I saw was an old picture of me and Mayumi, when we were both young kids…10 years old at maximum. She was wearing a small summer dress and was smiling happily, a sight that has not greeted me so often the past few years. My ten-year old self, on the other hand, seemed annoyed and was holding a lollipop in his hand. Heh, I always had a sweet tooth. I rifled through the contents of the box again and it all came back to me… this Time Box was something Mayumi and I decided to keep when we were around 11, to hold all of our past memories. I’d give her some of my stuff, and she’d give me some of hers. We weren’t supposed to open it until 10 years had passed if I remember our agreement correctly.
Oops.
I took out another object from the box and looked at it carefully. It seemed…unfamiliar. I mean, sure, after all those years, I don’t remember much about what’s inside the box, but I dunno, all of the other things seemed….familiar to the touch, I can recollect where Mayumi got them and why she decided to give it to me…but this one was different. I inspected it closer and then it hit me, it was supposed to be her birthday present for when she turned 12. I blew off some of the dust from it and found out that my suspicions had been correct, it was a beautiful, intricate floral hairpin, and a pretty pricey one too. Well, at least pricey for when I was 12. I had gotten it for her for her 12th birthday…but due to circumstances, I never did manage to give it to her. 5 years ago was a horrible time for Mayumi…and I guess I never got the chance to give it to her. As I looked back upon those days, I can’t help but feel incredibly sad…
The date was August 14th, 2004. Mayumi’s 12th birthday was coming up in 10 days, and she couldn’t wait for the day to finally come. We were much closer back in those days….in fact, it was incomparable. Back when we were 12, we were practically inseparable. Where she would go, I’ll follow her, what she would do; I’ll do it together with her. Our parents had even joked that they should arrange for us to get married when we hit the proper age. Not such a bad proposition now, come to think of it, but well, my twelve year old self was a dumbass.
Anyways, Mayumi’s parents….I couldn’t really remember how they were, to be perfectly honest. Her dad was a loving family man, but he would often have to work till late and not come home for days, something that affected Mayumi to an extent. She was the only child of her family, so she loved her father very much, and in retrospect, I am sure he did too, but well, society sucks in that way. Her mom, well, she was not a classic stay-at-home mom. She commanded a high-paying job at a multi-national corporation, and that meant she was rarely home either….mainly the reason why Mayumi ended up spending a lot of time with me, simply because there was no one home for her to play with. I barely met Mayumi’s mom, but from the little I know of her, I can tell that like her husband, she loved her young daughter very much as well, but had a bad way of showing it. She would often make Mayumi go on worthless tuitions she didn’t like because she wanted to groom her to be the perfect woman, an ideal that she herself failed to meet, I suppose, but Mayumi hated it. She wasn’t exactly a tomboy, but she loved to play around in the dirt, to get dirty, to just well…have fun like how any normal kid would. At any rate, I got along pretty fabulously with her parents because my parents got along well with her parents as well. My dad and her dad used to be workmates, if I am not wrong, and they would often drink sake together and do some other old man crap together I guess.
So anyways, on August 14th, her mom and dad had driven off to Karuizawa, a pretty famous holiday resort spot close to Tokyo, and for once, Mayumi didn’t join them. She had been down with the flu and her parents had wanted to cancel their trip, but Mayumi was adamant that they should go, not willing to let them sacrifice their relaxation time for her. Her parents had been reluctant at first, but I guess seeing their little daughter be so determined to make them go, they left anyway, leaving Mayumi in my family’s hands. I was pretty much fine with the idea, as far as I was concerned, more Mayumi equals to more fun.
But then the unexpected happened. Her parents, driving down a freeway leading from Shizuoka to Tokyo, collided with another car at high speed. Airbags had helped them to an extent, but in the end, the severity of the crash was too much to bear and her parents passed away. When my parents heard the news, I remembered that they pretty much panicked. Not so much for their sakes, but for the sake of the young girl sleeping contentedly in our guestroom. In the end, we couldn’t hide the fact from her forever, and my parents told her the news, telling her that she’ll be fine and that they’ll do everything in their power to help her.
I could still remember all too poignantly of what happened the day Mayumi heard the news. I don’t know if any of you have ever seen a child mentally break down right in front of you, and not the types where they are spazzing over not getting that new PS3 game, the type where you can tell that their hearts had been ripped out and played upon by the cruel hands of fate, but it was a horrible sight. Her eyes widened, and she screamed out loud, a bone-chilling heart-wrenching scream that was so pained and horrifying that I couldn’t help but feel completely devastated as well. She cried her eyes out that day. She cried and cried… and cried, until I was afraid that she would dry her eyes out and go blind. As the funeral procession came about, Mayumi finally stopped crying…she simply had no tears left to cry out.
Months passed after her parents’ death, and it seemed that things were finally returning to normal, but it wasn’t. Mayumi’s grandparents had moved in to her house, as all parties involved believed that it would have been better off for Mayumi to remain in the city, where she could get an education, and where at least she would have a friend, namely me to help her out. To this day, I believed they were wrong though. There were just too many memories, too many things left undone in that house to allow Mayumi to properly grow. It would have hurt like hell for me if she had left for the village, but for Mayumi’s sake, it would have been for the best. She could start over anew; nothing from her past can haunt her.
Instead, Mayumi did what any 12-year old child would do had the people they loved most in this world died, she just…well, shut down completely. The concepts of death and sudden departure were simply too much for her 12 year old mind to understand. And worst of all, she began blaming herself. What if she had told her parents to stay? What if she had been a little bit selfish and forced them to stay…then would they have died? The way Mayumi saw it was that the world, or any god out there, was punishing her for not being selfish enough, for not being more assertive. She stopped being the nice Mayumi, and her twisted psyche made her the most destructive girl on the planet. She would throw plates around at her grandma when the food wasn’t to her liking…she would burn her grandfather’s books if she felt like there wasn’t enough space in the bookshelf….she would tell me I am the most useless friend in the world and bossed me around. I…well, I didn’t know how to react, to be honest. My memories of the girl I once knew…and come to think of it, she was probably my real first love, was conflicting with the insane bossy girl I faced back then.
School was no different either. She separated from her usual group of friends, and began hanging out with the older set of students. Back then, Mayumi and I used to go to a mixed middle school, and we pretty much just graduated from primary school, (we both skipped a grade) so we had no idea how the system really worked. Although to be fair, who the hell knows how the middle school system works…it’s just…THERE. But I digress. The middle school was filled with kids aged 13 to 15, and even the occasional 16 year old boy who failed junior high. Hanging out with the seniors wasn’t a very wise choice, those 15 year old girls had just started developing their jealous gland, and the strikingly pretty Mayumi was really always going to be a target for them. They made her their errand-girl, making her go and get every single whim they demanded. Mayumi, in turn, would often tell me to do her tasks for her. I still considered her a good friend of mine, so I wouldn’t complain much and do it regardless. Then, the requests became ridiculous. First it was bread…then CDs…then albums…then lipstick..then a full make-up set. Mayumi would burn out her pocket money trying to please them, and well, her grandparents stopped giving her cash when they found out what was happening. So she went to the only other person she knew had money.
Me.
I was reluctant to give her my money at first, but Mayumi threatened that she would stop being my friend and tell the senior boys to beat me up if I don’t give her my money. So well, I did. In truth, I was far more scared of the prospect that she would stop being my friend over the prospect that I would get beaten to a pulp. My nice 12-year old heart, I guess. I would then give her all of my money…sometimes leaving me with not enough money to buy lunch at school. Mayumi scoffed at my remarks and told me I should lose some weight anyways…so I persevered. And on. And on. And on.
But of course, appeasement never really works, and those seniors finally gave her an impossible order, to get them EACH new clothes from the Spring line or whatever. Even Mayumi knew there was no way she could possibly come up with enough money for this one, so she finally put her foot down and refused. The seniors didn’t take to it lightly, telling her that unless she coughed up with those clothes before the end of the month, they would get some senior boys to beat her up. Mayumi thought that they were only bluffing, so she left them and did not meet them for the remainder of the month.
Well, they weren’t bluffing. One day, as Mayumi was walking home from school, three 15 year old boys, who honestly looked like they were 18, came up to her and told Mayumi that they came to make her cough up the cash…or else. Mayumi wouldn’t…or should I say, couldn’t give them all that money, and the ringleader, a 15 year old boy by the name of Masakazu Tomozawa, began to harass her. He was pretty tall for a 15 year old, and he prematurely grew up I guess, dying his hair red and having piercings all over his face. I was walking home from school…and I saw the three of them, surrounding Mayumi and grabbing her clothes. My 12 year old brain didn’t see it that way, but I was sure that those guys were very much planning to violate her. From afar I could hear Masakazu’s lecherous voice…and I still remember his words, “Hmph…well, if you don’t have any money….hey, you’re kinda cute…come to think of it…I guess I can make you PAY with something else!”
Meh, oversexed boys…I blame the internet.
Anyways, I ran over to the scene and jumped in front of Mayumi, trying to protect her. Those seniors were apparently amused by my actions, and told me to bug off. I swear that I have never cursed a day before in my life before then, but that fine day, for the first time in my life, I told someone to fuck off. They didn’t receive it well either.
Now, I don’t know whoever said that if you stand up to a bully they would back off, but they obviously met some pretty weak and cowardly bullies, cause these guys didn’t back off, in fact, quite the contrary, they began to beat the living shit out of me. I tried to fight back…but three 15 year olds against a scrawny 12 year old isn’t much of a fight. They kicked…and punched, and by the end of it, I was a bloody mess. But it wasn’t all for nothing though, they were kinda creeped out watching me bleed so much, so they left Mayumi alone and dashed off in case anyone saw them.
It had been raining that day, and as the rain fell on my body, I felt…kind of an otherworldly experience. My mind was wandering away, and I guess I came pretty close to meeting the Grim Reaper. Mayumi started shrieking beside me and kneeled down, frantically trying to wipe off the blood flowing freely from well…every single orifice in my face. “Why…? Why did you do it, you idiot?? I had been so mean to you…and…” I could remember Mayumi lamenting. I should note though, that probably my knack of witty responses came during that near-death experience. Yeah, you heard me. Some people reaffirm their belief in religion, some people aim to be a better person, me, I just became witty and sarcastic. “Not so useless now…am…I…”I could distinctly recollect myself saying before I finally passed out, Mayumi’s screaming filling the background as everything turned black.
I woke up a few days later at the local hospital, with Mayumi’s head resting on the feet of my bed. Apparently, since the day I was put into this room, she had never left my side, and my parents told me that for the first time since her parents died, Mayumi cried again. She would hold my hand and cry, saying she’s sorry even though I was fast asleep. To this day, I find that kinda freaky…but also touching. Those seniors of mine had done a pretty thorough job on my body as it turns out, I had fractured my jaw, and two of my ribs were broken. Parts of my arm were also broken and I suffered mild concussion. Obviously, my parents had been incredibly pissed and basically went on a witch-hunt to find the kids who did this to me. Masakazu ended up moving away from the middle school and spent some time in juvenile hall, before rejoining a nearby high school to mine, where he remains until now.
Either way, after that day, Mayumi returned to the girl I once knew, that nice, sweet, caring girl who I came to admire. But for what’s worth, the damage had been done to our relationship. She remained a close friend to me throughout our middle school years, but she slowly drifted apart as we graduated. I couldn’t quite pinpoint what caused it back then, but after I thought about it now, and after what happened a few weeks ago, what she did…and what I did, hung heavily on her mind. She thought that she had nearly caused the death of another person she cared about, and she never did could forgive herself. I guess in the end, that is what made her drift apart from me.
“KEN, YOU BETTER BE CLEANING YOUR ROOM, OR I’M THROWING OUT YOUR GUITAR, YOU LAZY BUM!” My mom’s voice suddenly roared from the living room, destroying my epic moment of recollection and snapping me back to my senses. I put the old shoebox back in my closet, but I took out the hairpin…I had other plans for this. I got up, stretched, and looked around. I gave a deep, long sigh, and finally begin to ACTUALLY clean my room.
May 26th, 9:11 AM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
“Oh, what’s up Ken?” Mayumi asked as she sat down on the park bench beside me. “Nothing much, I just wanted to give you something.” I told her nonchalantly, reaching into my pocket and taking out that long-overdue hairpin.
I had asked her to meet me at the Aoi Park today…and I really only had one purpose.
I stood up, turned towards her and gently clipped the hairclip on a part of her hair. Hmm, it looks great on her, I have to hand it to my twelve-year old self…he had exquisite taste.
“Hmm? What’s this for?” Mayumi quizzed me, a bit perplexed for my gift from nowhere. She was blushing a little bit, and it occurred to me that this was the first time that I have ever given anything to her…at least, personally.
I scratched my head and I could feel my face turning red as well. Damn it! I always do this at the most inopportune moment! “Oh, let’s just say it’s just something I’ve been meaning to give you for a while.” I told her. Heh, five-years-while.
“Ahh…well, thanks anyway, Ken, I’ll be sure to wear it all the time.” Mayumi beamed and for the first time in a long while, I got to see the same beautiful face of that girl in the picture taken so long ago.
I guess I always had a messed up list of priorities…but getting beat up to a bloody pulp was worth it just so I will have the chance to see that face again. If I had to redo it all over again, I wouldn’t do it any differently. As long as her face continues to give me the shortest glimpses of that beautiful smile again….I have no regrets for what happened. Now and forever.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Chapter 5 – Colder than Ice
I realize that it's supposed to be chapter 6, but I totally forgot about this part lol ;p
I realize that it's supposed to be chapter 6, but I totally forgot about this part lol ;p
May 13th, 20:25 PM,Shizuoka General Hospital, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka
Man, I hate hospitals. I don’t understand why some people would want to go here, let alone work here. I guess that’s why when my parents suggested the idea of me being a doctor I just scoffed at them. Hospitals just aren’t made for Kenichi Yamazaki. Of course, I still have to come here on the odd occasion.
This was probably the worst occasion ever.
I know that I probably shouldn’t panic, and that if I show up acting like a deranged madman I would probably freak out my sister…or get manhandled by the hospital security, but I couldn’t help myself. My damn vocalist is in here! And from what I can gather, it seems like she’s not in here because of a sprained pinky. Something bad happened, and as I ran through the whitewashed halls of the Shizuoka General Hospital, I can’t help but think of the possibilities. Car accident? Food poisoning? Fell off the stairs? The possibilities were endless, and that struck fear deep into the core of my existence.
I panted loudly as I ran towards the emergency ward. I must look like shit right about now…I’ve been running for about 10 minutes non-stop ever since I got out of the train station. “Hitomi! You there?” I yelled out for my sister as I walked through the double doors leading to the emergency facility. Many disgruntled faces glared at me, silently voicing their disapproval at me breaking the silence, but I didn’t care. “Excuse me sir, but..” A nurse tried to talk to me but I cut her off mid-sentence. “Miss, is there a patient by the name of Natsumi Kuroyuki here?” I asked her between my greedy gulps for air. The nurse, a plain woman in her mid-thirties seemed a bit perturbed by my request, but answered me anyways. “Err..” she said as she flipped a couple of pages from the clipboard she was holding. “Oh, yes, there was indeed a Natsumi Kuroyuki that came through here; she came at around 7 PM. She has been moved though.”
“Where?” I didn’t try to mince my words. The nurse raised an eyebrow at me, sighed, then gave me the answer I needed, commenting on how young people these days lack manners all the while. “Yeah, thanks.” I thanked her briefly before dashing towards the elevator. Natsumi was on the third floor, where all the new patients are being kept for further treatment. Just the concept that she needs “further treatment” sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t even bother waiting for the elevator doors to open, I literally yanked it apart before running out like an Olympic sprinter.
“Hitomi! Answer if you’re there!” I spoke out again while I ran down the hall, my eyes flickering left and right like a camera shutter. “Nii-san! Over here!” Hitomi’s voice shouted from the waiting room in front of me. I slowed down my pace a bit as I tried my best to prepare for whatever news she was going to give me. I just hope it’s not terminal…
However, it was not my sister’s face who greeted me as I entered the waiting room; instead Yukimura’s impassively calm face looked at me, his eyes reflecting his sorrow. Wow, I have never seen him this way before…whatever Natsumi went through, it must be horrifyingly bad. “W-what happened?” I asked Yukimura hesitantly, afraid that his answer would be bad. And well, technically, it wasn’t bad.
It was catastrophic.
Yukimura turned away from me and muttered nearly imperceptibly, “She’s…not with us anymore dude.”
My eyes widened and I could feel a panic attack coming to me within the next few seconds. “W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE’S NOT WITH US?!” I screamed out, pretty much in self-denial. It’s obvious what he meant…my vocalist is dead.
“Well…it’s pretty obvious isn’t it… Natsumi is…sleeping in that room over there.” Yukimura replied in a deadpanning, flat tone, pointing at a hospital room two inches away from me.
Awkward silence.
“OH MY GOD, YOU CRAZY ***** THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN FUCKING JOKE ABOUT!” I yelled very loudly at my retarded drummer, eliciting more than a few glares from the people in the waiting room. But I wasn’t going to be stopped. “HOLY SHIT, YOU’RE OVER 20 AND YOU’RE STILL ABOUT AS MATURE AS A FUCKING INFANT! I SWEAR, YOU ARE—“ Before I could finish my rant, a voice sharply interrupted me. “EXCUSE ME, PLEASE QUIET DOWN!” A nurse, standing behind me, cut me off and reprimanded me harshly. “DON’T FUCK WITH ME, YOU OLD HAG!” I snapped at her. In retrospect, that was very impolite, and okay, she was just doing her job and I was definitely wrong to be screaming, but well, I was freaking out. Relieved, but still freaked out.
“Okay, sorry, sorry, CALM THE FUCK DOWN, KEN, I WAS ONLY KIDDING, SHE’S OKAY!” Yukimura grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard a few times. I took the hint and inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times, trying to calm down. “But seriously, you should have seen your face, it was hilarious.” I whacked my not-so-brilliant senior hard on the head and shrugged him off, walking towards my sister. “Hitomi, what happened to Nacchan? Short version, if you don’t mind.” I asked her.
Hitomi shuffled her feet and looked up at me, her eyes slightly red. “I can’t tell, nii-san.” She began. “I was walking home from school and when I was about to board the train, the hospital called me, saying that I was her emergency contact and that I should go to the hospital soon.”
“Wow, hold up there, you’re her emergency contact?” I inquired, incredulous. A little jealous too.
“Yeah, I didn’t even know about it until today…but that’s not important.” Hitomi ignored my question. “After I got the call, well obviously I couldn’t go home, so I went here as fast as I could, and apparently Natsumi nee-chan was hurt pretty bad, but I wasn’t allowed to see her because I wasn’t old enough or something, so they told me to wait here instead.”
“You’re old enough, why weren’t you allowed to enter?” I questioned my drummer. He shrugged, and said, “They said that it would be best if we leave her alone for now, her mental state is fragile and bla bla bla. I don’t buy it, but if there’s a face she would want to see after waking up, it sure as hell wouldn’t be this face.” He pointed at his own face.
“Yeah, good point, we wouldn’t want to shock her with your hideous mug.” I muttered. “Bite me” Yukimura retorted oh-so-eloquently.
“Eitherway…I’m going in, if any of you guys are coming then follow me.” I told Yukimura and Hitomi briskly, before slowly walking towards the hospital room beside me. The nurses tried to stop me, but their voices were barely registering on my brain, the only thing I’m feeling right now was the cold sensation of the door knob my hands are turning. I mentally prepared myself for whatever it is I am about to see and practically barged into the room, inadvertently bumping into Natsumi’s doctor. “What the…” He blurted out in surprise. The doctor was a young man, probably in his late twenties, which is very unusual, as doctors generally have to spend dozens of years before they could even think about opening up a practice. The man was thin and lithe, the long white coat draped around him not fitting well on his lanky exterior. I guess some people would find his bespectacled face handsome and friendly, but yet…after seeing his eyes, I disliked him instantly. His eyers were freakishly similar to Natsumi’s older brother’s, cold, calculative, and very much dead.
“Hey, you’re not allowed to go in that room!” The same nurse who reprimanded me earlier told me angrily. “Leave them be.” The young doctor commanded, and the nurse gave me one final glare before going back to her post. “I assume you are this girl’s friends.” He spoke out, his voice very much impassive, a clear sign of his antipathy towards Nacchan. “Well, she’s in pretty bad shape, but she’ll make it out without any permanent damages. None of her bones were broken, but she did suffer some minor internal injuries. I guess whoever attacked her did a pretty bad job.” He continued, flipping through his clipboard.
“Wait, doctor, what happened to her exactly?” I questioned him. He gave me a very annoyed look. “You’re not a very good friend are you?” He commented, raising my blood pressure by a few notches. Who the hell does this guy think he is?!
“I’m not sure how she got here, but well, from her wounds it was obvious that someone had physically abused her. I can’t tell who it is, but well, I can definitely tell you it was deliberate. In short, this girl was attacked. I guess she is a lucky girl to not have been raped by whoever did it to her, but at least that would have been more interesting.” He explained in a bored manner. Hearing his explanation, I can’t help but feel enraged. This guy is talking about the incident as if it was nothing! As if Nacchan was nothing more than an annoyance to him….I can’t accept that.
With my adrenaline level still at an all-time high, I grabbed the young doctor by his collar and throttled him towards the wall. He was slightly taller than me, but he was weaker, so I didn’t have much trouble pinning him against the wall. “Her name is Natsumi Kuroyuki, Doctor…” I glanced at the name embroidered on his doctor uniform. “…Takahashi. And I’d appreciate it if you don’t refer to her as if she’s your damn homework.” I told him menacingly, the day’s events finally driving me to do something totally drastic. I could tell that Yukimura was thinking about stopping me, but I guess he felt that this Takahashi character deserved what was coming to him cause he practically did nothing.
“L-let go of me, you thug!” The doctor stuttered slightly, not hiding his trepidation very well. “Y-you! Tell your friend here to back off!” He told Yukimura in a panicked way. I’m just gonna assume here that he has never been in a fight before. “Hmm? Oh, little old me?” Yukimura replied nonchalantly. “Right right, you should let go of the awesome doctor over there, or you’ll tear the very fabric of society we live in, woo~” He commented in a monotone voice, obviously mocking the doctor.
….Man, I love that guy.
“What’s going on here?!” The nurse who had been scolding me repeatedly within the past few minutes suddenly entered the room, and I can’t imagine how bizarre the scene must have been to her. Strangely enough, I could swear that I saw her smile a little when she saw this Takahashi character was on the verge of pissing his pants. “Young man, please let go of the doctor.” She said to me, sounding slightly disappointed. I grudgingly let go of the doctor’s collar, and he slithered down the wall, breathing loudly. Now, I do believe that violence is never a good way to solve problems, but damn, it sure does make you feel good sometimes.
“Y-you’ll pay for this!” The young doctor swore, before walking out of the hospital room in an awkward, rushed manner, as if he’s trying to get away as fast as he possibly could, but with his dignity intact. Fat chance of that.
The nurse standing before me watched him leave and after he was out of sight, grinned from ear-to-ear. “Boy, I must admit, I don’t like you, but what you just did to him was one of the greatest things I have ever seen in my life.” She said excitedly.
…Ookkaayyy.
“Why do you say that? Just who is that guy?” I asked her, curious. Okay, so I should really have been thinking about that girl on the bed behind me, but I can’t help myself!
“Oh, he’s just one of your typical arrogant doctor types.” She explained. “The young Doctor Keisuke Takahashi has always been a prodigy of a doctor, but he is so cold and unsociable that most of the people here dislike him. What you just did may have just showed him that there is more to medicine than just prescribing medicine… But I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”
“Ahh…your..welcome, I guess.” I muttered hesitantly, unsure of what to say. “Oh, and by the way, miss, sorry for what I did back then, I wasn’t thinking straight.” I apologized, remembering how rude I was to her a few minutes ago. The old woman laughed and I realized that she’s actually quite a nice old lady, which made me feel even guiltier about my profanity-laced tirade at her. Oh well.
“No worries, young one. You’re here to visit your girlfriend yes? It happens. Your emotions should get the better of you, otherwise you must be one terrible boyfriend.” She said sympathetically. I could hear Yukimura snickering loudly from behind me at her statement. “I-I’m not her boyfriend!” I denied her accusations vehemently.
“Oh, not a boyfriend? Her brother then? Although you two look nothing alike, I must say.”
“I-I’m not related to her either.”
“Then what are you, some kind of obsessive stalker?”
“I’m just her friend, okay!”
The old nurse, who was named Matsushima by the way, was clearly having fun teasing me. My god, why is everyone doing this to me! When she glanced at Natsumi’s bed, her expression suddenly turned serious. “Well then, let’s have a look-see here….” She said as she walked over to Nacchan’s hospital bed and picked up the clipboard hanging off the edge of her bed. “Hmm…yeah…I see…” She muttered to no-one in particular as she flipped through the pages quickly.
“Well…” Matsushima-san started. “The good news is, there are no extensive damages to her body. She should recover fully within a few days.”
I sighed loudly in relief. She had me worried there for a sec that my vocalist was in some serious trouble. I mean, sure, the doctor had said the exact same thing just now, but I dunno, hearing it from Matsushima-san made it ten times better. I can’t explain it.
“The bad news is…” She continued. “Your girl here, Natsumi Kuroyuki is it? She’s probably going to be pretty traumatized by this. She wasn’t raped, which is very good, but well, short in short, her physical injuries are almost definitely caused by a physical attack.”
“Say what? What kind of bastard would dare to lay his hands on someone like Natsumi-chan?” Yukimura asked, barely unable to contain his rage. I’ve never seen him like this before, and honestly, it is pretty damn scary. Yukimura is an incredibly buff dude, so if someone like that wants to pound you, I suggest you run. I almost feel sorry for whoever did this to Natsumi. Almost.
Nurse Matsushima had no answer for us though, unfortunately. She just shrugged in response to Yukimura’s question. “I can’t answer you that question…however, we DID find something that might interest you.” She then handed to me a small piece of paper, which contained the words,
“Masakazu Tomozawa, 5 PM, Mina”
The paper was ripped off after that, so I can’t tell what’s behind the word Mina. However, that single name was more than enough. That bastard… I still remember all too well the beating he gave me all those years ago. I can’t believe that after 5 years he’s still around to mess with my loved ones! One way or the other, he’s involved in this...and he’s damn well going to tell me how.
“Ungh…” Natsumi suddenly moaned ever so-softly.
Right, she’s who I came here for.
“Nacchan.” I spoke to her gently, taking a seat right beside her bed. Thankfully, I couldn’t see any clear sign of scars, or any other wounds for that matter, on her face. She was still as cute as ever, and her sleeping face dials her cuteness level to over 9000. Well, in my opinion, at least. But I digress.
My vocalist’s eyes slowly opened and she turned towards me, before suddenly snapping her face back in the opposite direction. “D-don’t look at me Ken… I don’t want you to see me this way.” She mumbled quietly. “Hey hey-now, relax, you’re still gorgeous okay?” I told her half-jokingly. She didn’t respond, instead starting to cry, droplets of tears rolling down her cheeks, much to my dismay. Now, I must admit, I’ve had my fair-share of experiences with the opposite sex, but this moment made me panic like a little schoolgirl who just saw a horror flick.
I took her hand and held it tightly, not saying a word. After a few minutes, she stopped crying and turned towards me. “I-I’m sorry…” She said miserably. “I…caused you so many problems. You shouldn’t have come here.”
“Of course I should have.” I told her quietly. “Even if you were admitted because of a broken toenail, I’d still come for you alright? Don’t ever forget that.” Nacchan’s lips formed a very small smile at my statement. Mission accomplished.
“It’s just that…” Natsumi started to choke up again, unable to finish her sentence.
“Now now, just relax…” I stroked her hair gently, trying to calm her down. “You can tell me whatever you want later…for now, just sleep, okay? We still have songs to record, and I can’t have my vocalist going AWOL on me.” I soothingly told her. She smiled and nodded weakly, before closing her eyes again, drifting into a deep sleep. “Good night, Natsumi.” I said to no-one in particular.
“Phieuh, glad that’s over eh, Tanaka-san? I bet you can’t handle her as well as I di— Ehhh, where did everybody go?!” I cried out in surprise as I realized that the room I was in was completely empty, save for me and Nacchan.
….Bastards.
Man, I hate hospitals. I don’t understand why some people would want to go here, let alone work here. I guess that’s why when my parents suggested the idea of me being a doctor I just scoffed at them. Hospitals just aren’t made for Kenichi Yamazaki. Of course, I still have to come here on the odd occasion.
This was probably the worst occasion ever.
I know that I probably shouldn’t panic, and that if I show up acting like a deranged madman I would probably freak out my sister…or get manhandled by the hospital security, but I couldn’t help myself. My damn vocalist is in here! And from what I can gather, it seems like she’s not in here because of a sprained pinky. Something bad happened, and as I ran through the whitewashed halls of the Shizuoka General Hospital, I can’t help but think of the possibilities. Car accident? Food poisoning? Fell off the stairs? The possibilities were endless, and that struck fear deep into the core of my existence.
I panted loudly as I ran towards the emergency ward. I must look like shit right about now…I’ve been running for about 10 minutes non-stop ever since I got out of the train station. “Hitomi! You there?” I yelled out for my sister as I walked through the double doors leading to the emergency facility. Many disgruntled faces glared at me, silently voicing their disapproval at me breaking the silence, but I didn’t care. “Excuse me sir, but..” A nurse tried to talk to me but I cut her off mid-sentence. “Miss, is there a patient by the name of Natsumi Kuroyuki here?” I asked her between my greedy gulps for air. The nurse, a plain woman in her mid-thirties seemed a bit perturbed by my request, but answered me anyways. “Err..” she said as she flipped a couple of pages from the clipboard she was holding. “Oh, yes, there was indeed a Natsumi Kuroyuki that came through here; she came at around 7 PM. She has been moved though.”
“Where?” I didn’t try to mince my words. The nurse raised an eyebrow at me, sighed, then gave me the answer I needed, commenting on how young people these days lack manners all the while. “Yeah, thanks.” I thanked her briefly before dashing towards the elevator. Natsumi was on the third floor, where all the new patients are being kept for further treatment. Just the concept that she needs “further treatment” sent a chill down my spine. I didn’t even bother waiting for the elevator doors to open, I literally yanked it apart before running out like an Olympic sprinter.
“Hitomi! Answer if you’re there!” I spoke out again while I ran down the hall, my eyes flickering left and right like a camera shutter. “Nii-san! Over here!” Hitomi’s voice shouted from the waiting room in front of me. I slowed down my pace a bit as I tried my best to prepare for whatever news she was going to give me. I just hope it’s not terminal…
However, it was not my sister’s face who greeted me as I entered the waiting room; instead Yukimura’s impassively calm face looked at me, his eyes reflecting his sorrow. Wow, I have never seen him this way before…whatever Natsumi went through, it must be horrifyingly bad. “W-what happened?” I asked Yukimura hesitantly, afraid that his answer would be bad. And well, technically, it wasn’t bad.
It was catastrophic.
Yukimura turned away from me and muttered nearly imperceptibly, “She’s…not with us anymore dude.”
My eyes widened and I could feel a panic attack coming to me within the next few seconds. “W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE’S NOT WITH US?!” I screamed out, pretty much in self-denial. It’s obvious what he meant…my vocalist is dead.
“Well…it’s pretty obvious isn’t it… Natsumi is…sleeping in that room over there.” Yukimura replied in a deadpanning, flat tone, pointing at a hospital room two inches away from me.
Awkward silence.
“OH MY GOD, YOU CRAZY ***** THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN FUCKING JOKE ABOUT!” I yelled very loudly at my retarded drummer, eliciting more than a few glares from the people in the waiting room. But I wasn’t going to be stopped. “HOLY SHIT, YOU’RE OVER 20 AND YOU’RE STILL ABOUT AS MATURE AS A FUCKING INFANT! I SWEAR, YOU ARE—“ Before I could finish my rant, a voice sharply interrupted me. “EXCUSE ME, PLEASE QUIET DOWN!” A nurse, standing behind me, cut me off and reprimanded me harshly. “DON’T FUCK WITH ME, YOU OLD HAG!” I snapped at her. In retrospect, that was very impolite, and okay, she was just doing her job and I was definitely wrong to be screaming, but well, I was freaking out. Relieved, but still freaked out.
“Okay, sorry, sorry, CALM THE FUCK DOWN, KEN, I WAS ONLY KIDDING, SHE’S OKAY!” Yukimura grabbed my shoulders and shook me hard a few times. I took the hint and inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times, trying to calm down. “But seriously, you should have seen your face, it was hilarious.” I whacked my not-so-brilliant senior hard on the head and shrugged him off, walking towards my sister. “Hitomi, what happened to Nacchan? Short version, if you don’t mind.” I asked her.
Hitomi shuffled her feet and looked up at me, her eyes slightly red. “I can’t tell, nii-san.” She began. “I was walking home from school and when I was about to board the train, the hospital called me, saying that I was her emergency contact and that I should go to the hospital soon.”
“Wow, hold up there, you’re her emergency contact?” I inquired, incredulous. A little jealous too.
“Yeah, I didn’t even know about it until today…but that’s not important.” Hitomi ignored my question. “After I got the call, well obviously I couldn’t go home, so I went here as fast as I could, and apparently Natsumi nee-chan was hurt pretty bad, but I wasn’t allowed to see her because I wasn’t old enough or something, so they told me to wait here instead.”
“You’re old enough, why weren’t you allowed to enter?” I questioned my drummer. He shrugged, and said, “They said that it would be best if we leave her alone for now, her mental state is fragile and bla bla bla. I don’t buy it, but if there’s a face she would want to see after waking up, it sure as hell wouldn’t be this face.” He pointed at his own face.
“Yeah, good point, we wouldn’t want to shock her with your hideous mug.” I muttered. “Bite me” Yukimura retorted oh-so-eloquently.
“Eitherway…I’m going in, if any of you guys are coming then follow me.” I told Yukimura and Hitomi briskly, before slowly walking towards the hospital room beside me. The nurses tried to stop me, but their voices were barely registering on my brain, the only thing I’m feeling right now was the cold sensation of the door knob my hands are turning. I mentally prepared myself for whatever it is I am about to see and practically barged into the room, inadvertently bumping into Natsumi’s doctor. “What the…” He blurted out in surprise. The doctor was a young man, probably in his late twenties, which is very unusual, as doctors generally have to spend dozens of years before they could even think about opening up a practice. The man was thin and lithe, the long white coat draped around him not fitting well on his lanky exterior. I guess some people would find his bespectacled face handsome and friendly, but yet…after seeing his eyes, I disliked him instantly. His eyers were freakishly similar to Natsumi’s older brother’s, cold, calculative, and very much dead.
“Hey, you’re not allowed to go in that room!” The same nurse who reprimanded me earlier told me angrily. “Leave them be.” The young doctor commanded, and the nurse gave me one final glare before going back to her post. “I assume you are this girl’s friends.” He spoke out, his voice very much impassive, a clear sign of his antipathy towards Nacchan. “Well, she’s in pretty bad shape, but she’ll make it out without any permanent damages. None of her bones were broken, but she did suffer some minor internal injuries. I guess whoever attacked her did a pretty bad job.” He continued, flipping through his clipboard.
“Wait, doctor, what happened to her exactly?” I questioned him. He gave me a very annoyed look. “You’re not a very good friend are you?” He commented, raising my blood pressure by a few notches. Who the hell does this guy think he is?!
“I’m not sure how she got here, but well, from her wounds it was obvious that someone had physically abused her. I can’t tell who it is, but well, I can definitely tell you it was deliberate. In short, this girl was attacked. I guess she is a lucky girl to not have been raped by whoever did it to her, but at least that would have been more interesting.” He explained in a bored manner. Hearing his explanation, I can’t help but feel enraged. This guy is talking about the incident as if it was nothing! As if Nacchan was nothing more than an annoyance to him….I can’t accept that.
With my adrenaline level still at an all-time high, I grabbed the young doctor by his collar and throttled him towards the wall. He was slightly taller than me, but he was weaker, so I didn’t have much trouble pinning him against the wall. “Her name is Natsumi Kuroyuki, Doctor…” I glanced at the name embroidered on his doctor uniform. “…Takahashi. And I’d appreciate it if you don’t refer to her as if she’s your damn homework.” I told him menacingly, the day’s events finally driving me to do something totally drastic. I could tell that Yukimura was thinking about stopping me, but I guess he felt that this Takahashi character deserved what was coming to him cause he practically did nothing.
“L-let go of me, you thug!” The doctor stuttered slightly, not hiding his trepidation very well. “Y-you! Tell your friend here to back off!” He told Yukimura in a panicked way. I’m just gonna assume here that he has never been in a fight before. “Hmm? Oh, little old me?” Yukimura replied nonchalantly. “Right right, you should let go of the awesome doctor over there, or you’ll tear the very fabric of society we live in, woo~” He commented in a monotone voice, obviously mocking the doctor.
….Man, I love that guy.
“What’s going on here?!” The nurse who had been scolding me repeatedly within the past few minutes suddenly entered the room, and I can’t imagine how bizarre the scene must have been to her. Strangely enough, I could swear that I saw her smile a little when she saw this Takahashi character was on the verge of pissing his pants. “Young man, please let go of the doctor.” She said to me, sounding slightly disappointed. I grudgingly let go of the doctor’s collar, and he slithered down the wall, breathing loudly. Now, I do believe that violence is never a good way to solve problems, but damn, it sure does make you feel good sometimes.
“Y-you’ll pay for this!” The young doctor swore, before walking out of the hospital room in an awkward, rushed manner, as if he’s trying to get away as fast as he possibly could, but with his dignity intact. Fat chance of that.
The nurse standing before me watched him leave and after he was out of sight, grinned from ear-to-ear. “Boy, I must admit, I don’t like you, but what you just did to him was one of the greatest things I have ever seen in my life.” She said excitedly.
…Ookkaayyy.
“Why do you say that? Just who is that guy?” I asked her, curious. Okay, so I should really have been thinking about that girl on the bed behind me, but I can’t help myself!
“Oh, he’s just one of your typical arrogant doctor types.” She explained. “The young Doctor Keisuke Takahashi has always been a prodigy of a doctor, but he is so cold and unsociable that most of the people here dislike him. What you just did may have just showed him that there is more to medicine than just prescribing medicine… But I wouldn’t get my hopes up.”
“Ahh…your..welcome, I guess.” I muttered hesitantly, unsure of what to say. “Oh, and by the way, miss, sorry for what I did back then, I wasn’t thinking straight.” I apologized, remembering how rude I was to her a few minutes ago. The old woman laughed and I realized that she’s actually quite a nice old lady, which made me feel even guiltier about my profanity-laced tirade at her. Oh well.
“No worries, young one. You’re here to visit your girlfriend yes? It happens. Your emotions should get the better of you, otherwise you must be one terrible boyfriend.” She said sympathetically. I could hear Yukimura snickering loudly from behind me at her statement. “I-I’m not her boyfriend!” I denied her accusations vehemently.
“Oh, not a boyfriend? Her brother then? Although you two look nothing alike, I must say.”
“I-I’m not related to her either.”
“Then what are you, some kind of obsessive stalker?”
“I’m just her friend, okay!”
The old nurse, who was named Matsushima by the way, was clearly having fun teasing me. My god, why is everyone doing this to me! When she glanced at Natsumi’s bed, her expression suddenly turned serious. “Well then, let’s have a look-see here….” She said as she walked over to Nacchan’s hospital bed and picked up the clipboard hanging off the edge of her bed. “Hmm…yeah…I see…” She muttered to no-one in particular as she flipped through the pages quickly.
“Well…” Matsushima-san started. “The good news is, there are no extensive damages to her body. She should recover fully within a few days.”
I sighed loudly in relief. She had me worried there for a sec that my vocalist was in some serious trouble. I mean, sure, the doctor had said the exact same thing just now, but I dunno, hearing it from Matsushima-san made it ten times better. I can’t explain it.
“The bad news is…” She continued. “Your girl here, Natsumi Kuroyuki is it? She’s probably going to be pretty traumatized by this. She wasn’t raped, which is very good, but well, short in short, her physical injuries are almost definitely caused by a physical attack.”
“Say what? What kind of bastard would dare to lay his hands on someone like Natsumi-chan?” Yukimura asked, barely unable to contain his rage. I’ve never seen him like this before, and honestly, it is pretty damn scary. Yukimura is an incredibly buff dude, so if someone like that wants to pound you, I suggest you run. I almost feel sorry for whoever did this to Natsumi. Almost.
Nurse Matsushima had no answer for us though, unfortunately. She just shrugged in response to Yukimura’s question. “I can’t answer you that question…however, we DID find something that might interest you.” She then handed to me a small piece of paper, which contained the words,
“Masakazu Tomozawa, 5 PM, Mina”
The paper was ripped off after that, so I can’t tell what’s behind the word Mina. However, that single name was more than enough. That bastard… I still remember all too well the beating he gave me all those years ago. I can’t believe that after 5 years he’s still around to mess with my loved ones! One way or the other, he’s involved in this...and he’s damn well going to tell me how.
“Ungh…” Natsumi suddenly moaned ever so-softly.
Right, she’s who I came here for.
“Nacchan.” I spoke to her gently, taking a seat right beside her bed. Thankfully, I couldn’t see any clear sign of scars, or any other wounds for that matter, on her face. She was still as cute as ever, and her sleeping face dials her cuteness level to over 9000. Well, in my opinion, at least. But I digress.
My vocalist’s eyes slowly opened and she turned towards me, before suddenly snapping her face back in the opposite direction. “D-don’t look at me Ken… I don’t want you to see me this way.” She mumbled quietly. “Hey hey-now, relax, you’re still gorgeous okay?” I told her half-jokingly. She didn’t respond, instead starting to cry, droplets of tears rolling down her cheeks, much to my dismay. Now, I must admit, I’ve had my fair-share of experiences with the opposite sex, but this moment made me panic like a little schoolgirl who just saw a horror flick.
I took her hand and held it tightly, not saying a word. After a few minutes, she stopped crying and turned towards me. “I-I’m sorry…” She said miserably. “I…caused you so many problems. You shouldn’t have come here.”
“Of course I should have.” I told her quietly. “Even if you were admitted because of a broken toenail, I’d still come for you alright? Don’t ever forget that.” Nacchan’s lips formed a very small smile at my statement. Mission accomplished.
“It’s just that…” Natsumi started to choke up again, unable to finish her sentence.
“Now now, just relax…” I stroked her hair gently, trying to calm her down. “You can tell me whatever you want later…for now, just sleep, okay? We still have songs to record, and I can’t have my vocalist going AWOL on me.” I soothingly told her. She smiled and nodded weakly, before closing her eyes again, drifting into a deep sleep. “Good night, Natsumi.” I said to no-one in particular.
“Phieuh, glad that’s over eh, Tanaka-san? I bet you can’t handle her as well as I di— Ehhh, where did everybody go?!” I cried out in surprise as I realized that the room I was in was completely empty, save for me and Nacchan.
….Bastards.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
So..anymore feedback on the current state of the story?
I'm open to suggestions, although I must admit Chapter 6 is done for now :p
I'm open to suggestions, although I must admit Chapter 6 is done for now :p
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
So here it is people, the long awaited (hopefully) chapter 6.
Feel free to leave comments or critiques or insults or whatever!
Feel free to leave comments or critiques or insults or whatever!
June 6th, 12:45 PM, Near Shizuoka Higashi High School, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City
“Dude, you sure about this?” I asked Kazuhiko with a solemn face. “This isn’t your fight. You don’t need to come.” I told him in a grave tone as we neared Higashi High. Masakazu Tomozawa goes to school here, and I don’t plan on leaving without getting some answers. Answers that I will probably only obtain after beating the living crap out of him.
“Don’t worry about me, are YOU ready?” Kazuhiko responded in an equally grave tone, sounding serious perhaps for only the second time in his life. “I saw what he did to you five years ago bro, and I’m not letting it happen to you again. Period” He said firmly, and I was more than slightly touched by his words. “I…I don’t know what to say here, Kazu…”
“Yeah, plus, he touched my woman! I can’t let that happen—OW!” Kazuhiko grimaced in pain as I whacked him across the back of his head, brotherly love be damned. “She’s nobody’s woman, get that crap out of your system.” I told him firmly. Kazuhiko turned towards me and gave me a strange look, but before he could say anything, Yukimura suddenly spoke out. “We’re here guys.”
Oh right, he’s here too. Yukimura was outraged when he heard that Nacchan got hurt, and when I said I was going to meet up with the guy who did all those horrible things to her, he instantly agreed to come along. And I must say, his presence does give me a strange sense of comfort…mainly because he looks like the type of guy who can destroy another human being with one finger.
“Great…let’s find that bastard and get some answers off of him.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to work hard for that there Ken.” Kazuhiko muttered, pointing at a group of boys loitering around an alley near the school gates, smoking cigarettes and generally looking like a bunch of delinquents. One boy stood out from the crowd though…a tall, lanky boy with shocking red hair, piercings covering his face. Masakazu hasn’t changed much from the last time I saw him…that red hair, that hateful face that screams out aversion to authority…juvenile hall had not changed him.
The three of us walked calmly towards the group of delinquents, mentally preparing ourselves for the brawl that was inevitably going to happen. Masakazu noticed my presence and his droopy eyes suddenly opened wide, and I could sense his deep hatred for me. He had to spend a couple of years in juvenile hall because of me after all. Then again, I can safely say that the feeling is mutual. That bastard has repeatedly hurt the people I care about, not to mention me personally, and I am no longer that 12-year old kid he easily crushed all those years ago.
“What do you want, punk?” Masakazu asked me, barely trying to hide his contempt towards me.
“Natsumi Kuroyuki, I know you met her sometime last month, and she ended up going to the hospital. I have questions and I’m pretty damn sure you have the answers.” I told him bluntly.
“Questions eh? You cocky prick, what makes you think I’ll answer them?!” Masakazu snapped at me, his eyes radiating pure unadulterated hatred. “I spent years in jail because of you, and now you think you can waltz in here and start asking me questions?! Who gives you the fucking right?! I swear, I oughta—“
“Wow wow wow!” I interrupted him halfway through his rant. “Let’s make something clear right here right now okay? I’m not here to ask questions, I’m here to GET ANSWERS. There’s a difference gentlemen!”
My condescending tone apparently enraged Masakazu more, as he didn’t even bother giving me a response, throwing a wild punch at me which I easily evaded. The rest of his posse, numbering at around 5 men followed suit, attacking me, Kazuhiko, and Yukimura in wild, uncoordinated moves.
“ARRGGHHH!!!” Masakazu roared as he threw punch after punch in my direction. His blows were slow and sluggish, in other words, easy to evade. Time and again he would swing with all his energy, only to make contact with the air in front of me, and I could tell he was becoming more and more frustrated.
“Stay still already you little prick!” He yelled out as he added kicks to his arsenal of moves. But as with his punches, his kicks were very slow and predictable, so I could easily evade whatever he threw at me. Soon afterwards, his rate of punching decreased significantly, which could only mean one thing.
He was out of energy.
“Done?” I asked him patronizingly as he continued to swing at me futilely. “Well then it’s MY TURN NOW!”
Masakazu didn’t know the limits of his body, and still believed that he had a shot at knocking me to the ground. After hearing my taunt, he threw a vicious right hook at my face, but while it contained a lot of power, it was exceedingly sluggish, his pathetic stamina unable to support his intense will to bash my head in. It wasn’t hard for me to block his right hook with my left arm, before hurling a powerful blow to his face with my right arm. My sudden counter-attack stunned him, and I gave time to regroup as I launched blow after blow at every single part of his body.
…Solar plexus, check.
…Right kidney, check.
…Lower part of his ribcage, check.
Time seemed to slow down as I analyzed and dissected which part of his body I should attack next. I am not a fighter, never have been, never will be, but I must admit…beating the living hell out of Masakazu gave me a perverse sense of pleasure. For what he did to Nacchan, for what he tried to do to Mayumi, and for what he did to me, this was only a small form of punishment.
Finally, after one final knee to the gut, Masayuki dropped down to the ground, clutching his abdomen while coughing out blood. I looked around and half-expected to see my friends being overwhelmed by multiple opponents, but as it turns out…both of them were fine. Well, okay, “fine” would be putting it mildly; the two didn’t even get a single scratch! In fact, I’m honestly more worried about the guys they defeated, who looked like they just went through hell. Both Kazuhiko and Yukimura looked at me with a maniacal grin plastered across their faces. Oh god…they really enjoyed this.
“What took you so long Ken, I was getting bored there…thought I was gonna go inside and pick a fight with more people.” Kazuhiko said to me cockily. I was in no mood to respond to his taunts though. Without saying a word to him, I walked over to the fallen Masakazu and grabbed him by the collar.
“Natsumi Kuroyuki, May 13th. WHAT HAPPENED?!” I interrogated him. Masakazu’s hate-filled eyes met mine and he spat blood at my face. I punched his face in response, breaking a few of his teeth. “I don’t know if you’re hard M or whatever, but keep this up, and I’ll break more than teeth.” I told him coldly, wiping off his filthy blood from my face.
“What’s it to ya anyway? She was just a random girl!” Masakazu snapped at me, spitting out a few of his broken teeth out of his mouth.
“Was that all she is to you?! Well she may have meant nothing to you, but she sure as hell meant a lot to me! And so did Mayumi, you rotten bastard!” I angrily screamed at him, and I think it was at that point in time that Masakazu finally realized that I was dead serious about breaking every bone in his body if I didn’t get the answers I wanted.
“Fine, I bought her okay! God! What are you, her pimp or something..?” Suddenly Masakazu said something I never dreamed I’d hear in my whole entire life.
“B-bought? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, BOUGHT?!” I spluttered, my train of thought suddenly derailed. I had expected…I don’t know, he thought she was pretty and tried to attack her, or he saw her walk with me one day, and tried to hurt her as an act of revenge…but…did he just say he bought Nacchan? MY Natsumi?
Realizing that his answer had surprised me, Masakazu’s mouth formed a sick grin and he continued, “Oh yeah, you didn’t know? Your little girlfriend there is a hooker my man. A dirty, cheap—AAARGGH!” He cried out in severe pain as I slammed his head down to the asphalt. “YOU’RE LYING! TELL ME THE TRUTH!” I roared at him, but Masakazu only grinned, making his banged-up face look even more grotesque.
“Haha, you should have seen her man….I was going to have a little fun with her, but she had to get all freaked out and shit…like it’s her fucking first time or something...but I roughed her up a bit and then she ran away! Should’ve caught her and fucked her hard...Haha…hahaha!” Masakazu laughed weakly with whatever energy he has left. This only pissed me off even more, as I drove my fist to his face once again with every single ounce of energy I possess, rendering him unconscious. “Tsch, he’s down” I muttered, and tossed his limp body down to the ground.
Yukimura and Kazuhiko were silent. None of us expected such an answer.
“Tanaka-san…you know about this?” I finally asked Yukimura.
“…No, I mean, I had heard that Natsumi was always home late…and other rumours, but nothing substantial.” He replied, his face ghostly pale.
“GODDAMIT!” I cursed loudly, kicking a nearby crate. “He’s lying…he has to be..right?!” I said to no one in particular. “She’s not…she couldn’t be…no.” I trailed off, my tone slowly but surely becoming that of self-denial.
“What rumors have you heard, Yukkie?” Kazuhiko asked Yukimura, who was his distant cousin by the way.
Yukimura scratched his head, his face having a very complex facial expression, before finally saying, “It’s…well, if what I heard is true, it’s unsubstantiated, so I can’t say for sure, but apparently Nacchan’s father is a drunkard who lost his job last year. Nacchan’s brother needs money for…university, so he’s using Nacchan to come up with the necessary cash. I couldn’t find out how he is using her though…”
“That degenerate asshole! How can he do that to his own sister?!” I cursed Natsumi’s older brother. I could still remember poignantly his lifeless eyes, his business-like attitude, and how he took Nacchan away from me. And of course …his powerful blows that had landed so devastatingly on my body.
“Well…apparently Nacchan’s brother is not really her brother per say.” Yukimura started. “Natsumi once told me that she and her brother had separate mothers…it probably explains the feeings of detachment he has for her.”
This…this is all just not making sense to me. I had a little sister, and I would rather die than put her in any situation which would require her to lose her self-dignity. Yet, this man is so easily selling his own sister just to get some cash?! Unforgivable…it’s just…unforgivable.
“So…what will you do now, Ken?” Kazuhiko asked me, his face filled with concern. I took a couple of deep breaths and started thinking. It’s all making sense now…that’s why when Nacchan was hospitalized no one came to visit her but us. That’s why no one brought her food…flowers, or anything, except for us. I had brought up the subject several times…but Nacchan had always evaded it, now I know why.
“Tanaka-san…it’s only been a week or so since she was released from the hospital, do you think she’s…” I couldn’t finish the sentence, the words just wouldn’t come to my mouth.
“…I don’t know Ken. I don’t know… I had asked Natsumi where she wanted to go after she got released, but she just gave her usual cheerful smile and told me not to worry about it.”
“Stupid girl…” I muttered to no one in particular. I sighed and looked at the two men before me
“Never mention this to anyone. Ever. Not unless Nacchan tells us about it herself.” I told them firmly. Both of them nodded their heads.
June 6th, 17:24 PM, Shizuoka High, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City
“So…what are you going to do now?” Kazuhiko inquired as the two of us walked towards the train station. The both of us had returned to class after we were done with Masakazu, but I wasn’t focused…my head was filled with thoughts of today’s happenings.
“I…don’t know Kazu. I really don’t. For once in my life, I’m at a complete loss.” I said honestly. Kazuhiko patted me on the back, and commented, “Yeah you do. Yeah you do, Ken.” Afterwards, he said his goodbyes and got on his train home, leaving me alone at the station. Summer had just started, and the heat was becoming more and more oppressive. As I was waiting for my ride home, I watched train after train passing me by, lost in thought…and I finally figured out what I had to do.
I took out my cellphone, and with slightly shaking fingers, dialed Nacchan’s number, hoping to whatever god is up there that she’d respond.
Dial tone one…no answer
Dial tone two…no answer
Dial tone three…no answer
Damn it Natsumi, pick up your goddamn phone…
“Hello? What’s up Ken?” Natsumi’s voice suddenly spoke out from the other side of the line, and I was instantly filled with relief.
“Just checking up…How are you?” I asked her, and it took all of my willpower to stop my voice from cracking up.
“Oh…I’m fine.” She replied after a short pause. “I mean, I’ve been better, but no worries, I can still serenade you to death~” Her pseudo-cheerful voice made me even more upset.
“How about you, Ken? What’s the sudden impulse to—“
“Hey, Natsumi.” I interrupted her. “Move in with me.” I told her impulsively, not giving myself a chance to doubt what I’m about to do.
“……”
The long silence was crushing.
“Wh-what are you asking me? It’s not funny to stay stupid things like that you know…” Natsumi laughed weakly, trying to pass it off as a joke.
“I’m dead serious. Move in with me.” I repeated my statement in the most serious tone I could muster.
“Don’t be stupid.” Natsumi’s voice was deathly serious as well now. “Your…your parents would never allow it.”
“I can convince them.”
“I can’t just move to your house without my things.”
“So bring them. I’ll go to your house and pick them up if I have to.”
“You have no spare room for me…”
“I’ll make Hitomi share her room with you; she won’t mind.”
“….My dad would never allow it.”
“Fuck what he thinks.”
“…..”
Another pause.
“Why?” Natsumi’s voice was breaking up…I didn’t realize it at the time, but she was sobbing.
“…No one visited you at the hospital. They don’t deserve you.” I told her, my own lie weighing heavily on my shoulders.
“You’re lying…there’s something more.”
“Eh…I..love you?” I replied half-jokingly. I was out of ideas to be perfectly honest, and I know that this is low, even for me…but I was desperate dammit!
“….Idiot.” Natsumi wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was crying now. I could hear her audibly sobbing…and it ripped my heart to shreds.
“Meet me at the station in two hours…bring whatever you think is important.” I told her gently, and before she could reply, I hung up. Technically, if she never said no, then it’s a yes!
It took me a while during the train trip back home before it finally hit me. I was asking a girl my age, an amazingly attractive one, no less, to move in to my house, to live under the same damn roof.
...Father would be proud of me.
“Dude, you sure about this?” I asked Kazuhiko with a solemn face. “This isn’t your fight. You don’t need to come.” I told him in a grave tone as we neared Higashi High. Masakazu Tomozawa goes to school here, and I don’t plan on leaving without getting some answers. Answers that I will probably only obtain after beating the living crap out of him.
“Don’t worry about me, are YOU ready?” Kazuhiko responded in an equally grave tone, sounding serious perhaps for only the second time in his life. “I saw what he did to you five years ago bro, and I’m not letting it happen to you again. Period” He said firmly, and I was more than slightly touched by his words. “I…I don’t know what to say here, Kazu…”
“Yeah, plus, he touched my woman! I can’t let that happen—OW!” Kazuhiko grimaced in pain as I whacked him across the back of his head, brotherly love be damned. “She’s nobody’s woman, get that crap out of your system.” I told him firmly. Kazuhiko turned towards me and gave me a strange look, but before he could say anything, Yukimura suddenly spoke out. “We’re here guys.”
Oh right, he’s here too. Yukimura was outraged when he heard that Nacchan got hurt, and when I said I was going to meet up with the guy who did all those horrible things to her, he instantly agreed to come along. And I must say, his presence does give me a strange sense of comfort…mainly because he looks like the type of guy who can destroy another human being with one finger.
“Great…let’s find that bastard and get some answers off of him.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to work hard for that there Ken.” Kazuhiko muttered, pointing at a group of boys loitering around an alley near the school gates, smoking cigarettes and generally looking like a bunch of delinquents. One boy stood out from the crowd though…a tall, lanky boy with shocking red hair, piercings covering his face. Masakazu hasn’t changed much from the last time I saw him…that red hair, that hateful face that screams out aversion to authority…juvenile hall had not changed him.
The three of us walked calmly towards the group of delinquents, mentally preparing ourselves for the brawl that was inevitably going to happen. Masakazu noticed my presence and his droopy eyes suddenly opened wide, and I could sense his deep hatred for me. He had to spend a couple of years in juvenile hall because of me after all. Then again, I can safely say that the feeling is mutual. That bastard has repeatedly hurt the people I care about, not to mention me personally, and I am no longer that 12-year old kid he easily crushed all those years ago.
“What do you want, punk?” Masakazu asked me, barely trying to hide his contempt towards me.
“Natsumi Kuroyuki, I know you met her sometime last month, and she ended up going to the hospital. I have questions and I’m pretty damn sure you have the answers.” I told him bluntly.
“Questions eh? You cocky prick, what makes you think I’ll answer them?!” Masakazu snapped at me, his eyes radiating pure unadulterated hatred. “I spent years in jail because of you, and now you think you can waltz in here and start asking me questions?! Who gives you the fucking right?! I swear, I oughta—“
“Wow wow wow!” I interrupted him halfway through his rant. “Let’s make something clear right here right now okay? I’m not here to ask questions, I’m here to GET ANSWERS. There’s a difference gentlemen!”
My condescending tone apparently enraged Masakazu more, as he didn’t even bother giving me a response, throwing a wild punch at me which I easily evaded. The rest of his posse, numbering at around 5 men followed suit, attacking me, Kazuhiko, and Yukimura in wild, uncoordinated moves.
“ARRGGHHH!!!” Masakazu roared as he threw punch after punch in my direction. His blows were slow and sluggish, in other words, easy to evade. Time and again he would swing with all his energy, only to make contact with the air in front of me, and I could tell he was becoming more and more frustrated.
“Stay still already you little prick!” He yelled out as he added kicks to his arsenal of moves. But as with his punches, his kicks were very slow and predictable, so I could easily evade whatever he threw at me. Soon afterwards, his rate of punching decreased significantly, which could only mean one thing.
He was out of energy.
“Done?” I asked him patronizingly as he continued to swing at me futilely. “Well then it’s MY TURN NOW!”
Masakazu didn’t know the limits of his body, and still believed that he had a shot at knocking me to the ground. After hearing my taunt, he threw a vicious right hook at my face, but while it contained a lot of power, it was exceedingly sluggish, his pathetic stamina unable to support his intense will to bash my head in. It wasn’t hard for me to block his right hook with my left arm, before hurling a powerful blow to his face with my right arm. My sudden counter-attack stunned him, and I gave time to regroup as I launched blow after blow at every single part of his body.
…Solar plexus, check.
…Right kidney, check.
…Lower part of his ribcage, check.
Time seemed to slow down as I analyzed and dissected which part of his body I should attack next. I am not a fighter, never have been, never will be, but I must admit…beating the living hell out of Masakazu gave me a perverse sense of pleasure. For what he did to Nacchan, for what he tried to do to Mayumi, and for what he did to me, this was only a small form of punishment.
Finally, after one final knee to the gut, Masayuki dropped down to the ground, clutching his abdomen while coughing out blood. I looked around and half-expected to see my friends being overwhelmed by multiple opponents, but as it turns out…both of them were fine. Well, okay, “fine” would be putting it mildly; the two didn’t even get a single scratch! In fact, I’m honestly more worried about the guys they defeated, who looked like they just went through hell. Both Kazuhiko and Yukimura looked at me with a maniacal grin plastered across their faces. Oh god…they really enjoyed this.
“What took you so long Ken, I was getting bored there…thought I was gonna go inside and pick a fight with more people.” Kazuhiko said to me cockily. I was in no mood to respond to his taunts though. Without saying a word to him, I walked over to the fallen Masakazu and grabbed him by the collar.
“Natsumi Kuroyuki, May 13th. WHAT HAPPENED?!” I interrogated him. Masakazu’s hate-filled eyes met mine and he spat blood at my face. I punched his face in response, breaking a few of his teeth. “I don’t know if you’re hard M or whatever, but keep this up, and I’ll break more than teeth.” I told him coldly, wiping off his filthy blood from my face.
“What’s it to ya anyway? She was just a random girl!” Masakazu snapped at me, spitting out a few of his broken teeth out of his mouth.
“Was that all she is to you?! Well she may have meant nothing to you, but she sure as hell meant a lot to me! And so did Mayumi, you rotten bastard!” I angrily screamed at him, and I think it was at that point in time that Masakazu finally realized that I was dead serious about breaking every bone in his body if I didn’t get the answers I wanted.
“Fine, I bought her okay! God! What are you, her pimp or something..?” Suddenly Masakazu said something I never dreamed I’d hear in my whole entire life.
“B-bought? WHAT DO YOU MEAN, BOUGHT?!” I spluttered, my train of thought suddenly derailed. I had expected…I don’t know, he thought she was pretty and tried to attack her, or he saw her walk with me one day, and tried to hurt her as an act of revenge…but…did he just say he bought Nacchan? MY Natsumi?
Realizing that his answer had surprised me, Masakazu’s mouth formed a sick grin and he continued, “Oh yeah, you didn’t know? Your little girlfriend there is a hooker my man. A dirty, cheap—AAARGGH!” He cried out in severe pain as I slammed his head down to the asphalt. “YOU’RE LYING! TELL ME THE TRUTH!” I roared at him, but Masakazu only grinned, making his banged-up face look even more grotesque.
“Haha, you should have seen her man….I was going to have a little fun with her, but she had to get all freaked out and shit…like it’s her fucking first time or something...but I roughed her up a bit and then she ran away! Should’ve caught her and fucked her hard...Haha…hahaha!” Masakazu laughed weakly with whatever energy he has left. This only pissed me off even more, as I drove my fist to his face once again with every single ounce of energy I possess, rendering him unconscious. “Tsch, he’s down” I muttered, and tossed his limp body down to the ground.
Yukimura and Kazuhiko were silent. None of us expected such an answer.
“Tanaka-san…you know about this?” I finally asked Yukimura.
“…No, I mean, I had heard that Natsumi was always home late…and other rumours, but nothing substantial.” He replied, his face ghostly pale.
“GODDAMIT!” I cursed loudly, kicking a nearby crate. “He’s lying…he has to be..right?!” I said to no one in particular. “She’s not…she couldn’t be…no.” I trailed off, my tone slowly but surely becoming that of self-denial.
“What rumors have you heard, Yukkie?” Kazuhiko asked Yukimura, who was his distant cousin by the way.
Yukimura scratched his head, his face having a very complex facial expression, before finally saying, “It’s…well, if what I heard is true, it’s unsubstantiated, so I can’t say for sure, but apparently Nacchan’s father is a drunkard who lost his job last year. Nacchan’s brother needs money for…university, so he’s using Nacchan to come up with the necessary cash. I couldn’t find out how he is using her though…”
“That degenerate asshole! How can he do that to his own sister?!” I cursed Natsumi’s older brother. I could still remember poignantly his lifeless eyes, his business-like attitude, and how he took Nacchan away from me. And of course …his powerful blows that had landed so devastatingly on my body.
“Well…apparently Nacchan’s brother is not really her brother per say.” Yukimura started. “Natsumi once told me that she and her brother had separate mothers…it probably explains the feeings of detachment he has for her.”
This…this is all just not making sense to me. I had a little sister, and I would rather die than put her in any situation which would require her to lose her self-dignity. Yet, this man is so easily selling his own sister just to get some cash?! Unforgivable…it’s just…unforgivable.
“So…what will you do now, Ken?” Kazuhiko asked me, his face filled with concern. I took a couple of deep breaths and started thinking. It’s all making sense now…that’s why when Nacchan was hospitalized no one came to visit her but us. That’s why no one brought her food…flowers, or anything, except for us. I had brought up the subject several times…but Nacchan had always evaded it, now I know why.
“Tanaka-san…it’s only been a week or so since she was released from the hospital, do you think she’s…” I couldn’t finish the sentence, the words just wouldn’t come to my mouth.
“…I don’t know Ken. I don’t know… I had asked Natsumi where she wanted to go after she got released, but she just gave her usual cheerful smile and told me not to worry about it.”
“Stupid girl…” I muttered to no one in particular. I sighed and looked at the two men before me
“Never mention this to anyone. Ever. Not unless Nacchan tells us about it herself.” I told them firmly. Both of them nodded their heads.
June 6th, 17:24 PM, Shizuoka High, Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City
“So…what are you going to do now?” Kazuhiko inquired as the two of us walked towards the train station. The both of us had returned to class after we were done with Masakazu, but I wasn’t focused…my head was filled with thoughts of today’s happenings.
“I…don’t know Kazu. I really don’t. For once in my life, I’m at a complete loss.” I said honestly. Kazuhiko patted me on the back, and commented, “Yeah you do. Yeah you do, Ken.” Afterwards, he said his goodbyes and got on his train home, leaving me alone at the station. Summer had just started, and the heat was becoming more and more oppressive. As I was waiting for my ride home, I watched train after train passing me by, lost in thought…and I finally figured out what I had to do.
I took out my cellphone, and with slightly shaking fingers, dialed Nacchan’s number, hoping to whatever god is up there that she’d respond.
Dial tone one…no answer
Dial tone two…no answer
Dial tone three…no answer
Damn it Natsumi, pick up your goddamn phone…
“Hello? What’s up Ken?” Natsumi’s voice suddenly spoke out from the other side of the line, and I was instantly filled with relief.
“Just checking up…How are you?” I asked her, and it took all of my willpower to stop my voice from cracking up.
“Oh…I’m fine.” She replied after a short pause. “I mean, I’ve been better, but no worries, I can still serenade you to death~” Her pseudo-cheerful voice made me even more upset.
“How about you, Ken? What’s the sudden impulse to—“
“Hey, Natsumi.” I interrupted her. “Move in with me.” I told her impulsively, not giving myself a chance to doubt what I’m about to do.
“……”
The long silence was crushing.
“Wh-what are you asking me? It’s not funny to stay stupid things like that you know…” Natsumi laughed weakly, trying to pass it off as a joke.
“I’m dead serious. Move in with me.” I repeated my statement in the most serious tone I could muster.
“Don’t be stupid.” Natsumi’s voice was deathly serious as well now. “Your…your parents would never allow it.”
“I can convince them.”
“I can’t just move to your house without my things.”
“So bring them. I’ll go to your house and pick them up if I have to.”
“You have no spare room for me…”
“I’ll make Hitomi share her room with you; she won’t mind.”
“….My dad would never allow it.”
“Fuck what he thinks.”
“…..”
Another pause.
“Why?” Natsumi’s voice was breaking up…I didn’t realize it at the time, but she was sobbing.
“…No one visited you at the hospital. They don’t deserve you.” I told her, my own lie weighing heavily on my shoulders.
“You’re lying…there’s something more.”
“Eh…I..love you?” I replied half-jokingly. I was out of ideas to be perfectly honest, and I know that this is low, even for me…but I was desperate dammit!
“….Idiot.” Natsumi wasn’t even trying to hide the fact that she was crying now. I could hear her audibly sobbing…and it ripped my heart to shreds.
“Meet me at the station in two hours…bring whatever you think is important.” I told her gently, and before she could reply, I hung up. Technically, if she never said no, then it’s a yes!
It took me a while during the train trip back home before it finally hit me. I was asking a girl my age, an amazingly attractive one, no less, to move in to my house, to live under the same damn roof.
...Father would be proud of me.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Sorry for the super slow response!
Chapter 6 - 2 – As We Slowly Disappear
Chapter 6 - 2 – As We Slowly Disappear
June 20th, 15:17 PM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Yamazaki Family House, Shizuoka
The concept of family has always been a little vague to me. While I’m sure that my parents loved me, they’re never really around to show it. I used to be bitter about it…but you get used to it after a while, plus it’s kinda hard to be angry at your parents and take care of your sister at the same time. I’ve always felt some sort of unexplainable loneliness though whenever I spent time at my house. That’s sort of why I started my band in the first place, for what’s worth, those guys I jam with are as much my family as my own parents. Well okay, technically, my own family IS part of the band, but you get my point.
So when Natsumi moved in, I was elated, although I didn’t show it. The more the merrier I always say, plus she and I were pretty good friends, so it’s just…fun. I love my little sister dearly, but I have a very limited range of topics I can talk to her about, so conversation with her becomes stale really fast. It’s been two weeks since my vocalist set up camp in Hitomi’s room, and it’s been a pleasant, and occasionally painful, change of pace. My parents were a bit incredulous when they heard about what happened (I told them over the phone), but when I told them about Natsumi’s rather, erm, unfortunate circumstances, they relented and allowed her to stay with me, at least until they get back to Shizuoka.
It’s somewhat inconvenient that Natsumi can’t leave the house on her own, in case her bastard of a brother decides to take her again, but fortunately she doesn’t like to go out much either. Or, as she so fittingly put it, “as long as I have my guitar and your amp, I’m perfectly fine.” But although we’ve been spending a lot of time together, to the point where Hitomi thinks that we’re finally dating, (we’re not) I’m still unable to talk about her past. Sure, I’d bring it up every once in a while and try to bring up the topic casually, but Natsumi was incredibly receptive of my little tricks, and would change the subject almost immediately. Eventually, I ran out of tricks and just straight up asked her as I tuned her guitar in my room.
“Nacchan, what’s the real relationship between you and your brother?” I had questioned her.
She remained silent for a few seconds, before finally replying. “I…really don’t feel like talking about it, Ken”
“Why not, it might make you feel better.” I continued.
“No. It won’t.” said Natsumi curtly, her eyes staring straight at mine.
“Look, I’m just saying, if you tell me about it, I might be able to help you with it.”
“Oh I’m sorry; I didn’t realize that the person tuning my guitar is Kenichi Yamazaki, world renowned therapist and psychologist. Please, tell me more!” She replied sarcastically.
I took my hands off of the guitar stem I was holding and gave her an annoyed look.
“You don’t have to be so testy about it; I was just trying to help.” I told her, honestly quite irritated.
“And I’m saying I don’t need your help, Ken.” answered Natsumi, her exasperated tone not too different from mine.
“This always happens you know, Ken? You get this strange sort of hero complex whenever people you know are involved, like you need to protect them at all costs or your life would be a failure. It doesn’t have to be like that, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Heh, you sure weren’t able to do that when your brother went after us at the station.” I grumbled. In retrospect, I wasn’t trying to be hurtful, but Nacchan sure didn’t see it that way.
“The only reason I was there was because you had to be a hero again!” She exclaimed angrily. “We wouldn’t have even been there if you weren’t trying to be my white knight.”
“So you’re saying that your pitiful existence with your brother was better?! Well then feel free to go back to his humble abode!” I snapped back at her. “I’m sorry for trying to help you, oh Miss Independent Woman, the next time you get hospitalized, I’m sure that it’ll all be peachy!”
“….You’re an asshole.” Natsumi then got up and left my room, slamming the door. I sighed and chased after her, knowing that I was indeed, being an asshole.
Nacchan was outside, sitting down on the porch and staring at the night sky. I plopped myself down beside her, and we just sat there silently for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company.
“I’m sorry.” I started. “I didn’t mean what I said. I’m just…tired.”
“I know.”
Silence yet again.
“It’s just very complicated Ken.” said Natsumi. “I’d explain it to you if I could, but…I really can’t. I know that you just want the best for me, and I appreciate that, but this is just something that I don’t want to talk about.”
She let out a small sigh and leaned towards me, resting her head on my shoulders. A quiet night breeze blew past us, permeating my nose with the fragrance of Natsumi’s hair.
“I’ll tell you about it someday. I really will, just…don’t press me about it anymore until I’m ready, okay?”
“…Okay.”
“Brother, are you there?” My sister’s voice suddenly spoke out from behind us. “I was wondering what I should cook for dinner tomorrow, do you think that I sho---oh”
I don’t like that pause.
“I’M SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING YOUR MOMENT WITH NATSUMI-NEECHAN, ONII-CHAN, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!” She said in a panic, before scampering off into her room.
“Wha—hey, it’s not like that!” I tried to explain, but she was long gone.
“Ken, how do you feel about me?” My vocalist suddenly asked me out of the blue, catching me completely off guard.
“Uhh…I, erm..uhh..” I mumbled incoherently, sounding like a complete idiot.
Nacchan got up and turned towards me, giving me a look that can only mean “…well?”
I tried to think of a way to change the subject, or at least come up with a diplomatically vague answer, but none came to mind. As I stood there looking like a complete idiot, my oh-so-mischievous vocalist gave a small grin and chuckled.
“You know, for someone who spends an inordinate amount of his time with girls, you sure aren’t very smooth, you know that?”
“Sh-shut up, you just caught me off guard, that’s all!”
“Oh, and what would you have said if you knew I was gonna ask?” She leaned towards me, slowly inching that beautiful face of hers closer to mine.
The full moon then decided to go out from the clouds she has been hiding behind, illuminating Natsumi’s face. Oh lord, those mischievous puppy dog eyes, how can this even be fair?!
“I…I…” Brain still drawing a blank.
“You…?”
At this point it felt like the whole weight of the world, nay, the universe, had been thrust upon my shoulders, and I was falling apart at the seams. My face was probably as red as a tomato by this point.
“Ahahaha, it’s so fun to play with you, you know that Ken?” Natsumi suddenly laughed, and all of the previous tension dissipated almost instantly.
“Q-quit doing that! You’re going to cripple me emotionally at this rate!”
“Ah, if only it was that easy~!”
“L-leave me alone!” I was so flustered right now it wasn’t even funny. Embarrassing, actually.
“Okay then~” Nacchan said, that mischievous smile still plastered across her face as she walked towards the living room.
“Hey, Nacchan.”
She turned around.
“I’ll tell you about it someday. I really will, just…don’t press me about it anymore until I’m ready, okay?” I told her semi-sarcastically, mimicking her response to my earlier question.
One final mischievous smile, a wink, and then she was gone.
Little did I know that I would grow to regret not saying anything this fateful night. The stage was set, all the actors were on stage, and I flubbed my lines.
And there was no second take.
The concept of family has always been a little vague to me. While I’m sure that my parents loved me, they’re never really around to show it. I used to be bitter about it…but you get used to it after a while, plus it’s kinda hard to be angry at your parents and take care of your sister at the same time. I’ve always felt some sort of unexplainable loneliness though whenever I spent time at my house. That’s sort of why I started my band in the first place, for what’s worth, those guys I jam with are as much my family as my own parents. Well okay, technically, my own family IS part of the band, but you get my point.
So when Natsumi moved in, I was elated, although I didn’t show it. The more the merrier I always say, plus she and I were pretty good friends, so it’s just…fun. I love my little sister dearly, but I have a very limited range of topics I can talk to her about, so conversation with her becomes stale really fast. It’s been two weeks since my vocalist set up camp in Hitomi’s room, and it’s been a pleasant, and occasionally painful, change of pace. My parents were a bit incredulous when they heard about what happened (I told them over the phone), but when I told them about Natsumi’s rather, erm, unfortunate circumstances, they relented and allowed her to stay with me, at least until they get back to Shizuoka.
It’s somewhat inconvenient that Natsumi can’t leave the house on her own, in case her bastard of a brother decides to take her again, but fortunately she doesn’t like to go out much either. Or, as she so fittingly put it, “as long as I have my guitar and your amp, I’m perfectly fine.” But although we’ve been spending a lot of time together, to the point where Hitomi thinks that we’re finally dating, (we’re not) I’m still unable to talk about her past. Sure, I’d bring it up every once in a while and try to bring up the topic casually, but Natsumi was incredibly receptive of my little tricks, and would change the subject almost immediately. Eventually, I ran out of tricks and just straight up asked her as I tuned her guitar in my room.
“Nacchan, what’s the real relationship between you and your brother?” I had questioned her.
She remained silent for a few seconds, before finally replying. “I…really don’t feel like talking about it, Ken”
“Why not, it might make you feel better.” I continued.
“No. It won’t.” said Natsumi curtly, her eyes staring straight at mine.
“Look, I’m just saying, if you tell me about it, I might be able to help you with it.”
“Oh I’m sorry; I didn’t realize that the person tuning my guitar is Kenichi Yamazaki, world renowned therapist and psychologist. Please, tell me more!” She replied sarcastically.
I took my hands off of the guitar stem I was holding and gave her an annoyed look.
“You don’t have to be so testy about it; I was just trying to help.” I told her, honestly quite irritated.
“And I’m saying I don’t need your help, Ken.” answered Natsumi, her exasperated tone not too different from mine.
“This always happens you know, Ken? You get this strange sort of hero complex whenever people you know are involved, like you need to protect them at all costs or your life would be a failure. It doesn’t have to be like that, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Heh, you sure weren’t able to do that when your brother went after us at the station.” I grumbled. In retrospect, I wasn’t trying to be hurtful, but Nacchan sure didn’t see it that way.
“The only reason I was there was because you had to be a hero again!” She exclaimed angrily. “We wouldn’t have even been there if you weren’t trying to be my white knight.”
“So you’re saying that your pitiful existence with your brother was better?! Well then feel free to go back to his humble abode!” I snapped back at her. “I’m sorry for trying to help you, oh Miss Independent Woman, the next time you get hospitalized, I’m sure that it’ll all be peachy!”
“….You’re an asshole.” Natsumi then got up and left my room, slamming the door. I sighed and chased after her, knowing that I was indeed, being an asshole.
Nacchan was outside, sitting down on the porch and staring at the night sky. I plopped myself down beside her, and we just sat there silently for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company.
“I’m sorry.” I started. “I didn’t mean what I said. I’m just…tired.”
“I know.”
Silence yet again.
“It’s just very complicated Ken.” said Natsumi. “I’d explain it to you if I could, but…I really can’t. I know that you just want the best for me, and I appreciate that, but this is just something that I don’t want to talk about.”
She let out a small sigh and leaned towards me, resting her head on my shoulders. A quiet night breeze blew past us, permeating my nose with the fragrance of Natsumi’s hair.
“I’ll tell you about it someday. I really will, just…don’t press me about it anymore until I’m ready, okay?”
“…Okay.”
“Brother, are you there?” My sister’s voice suddenly spoke out from behind us. “I was wondering what I should cook for dinner tomorrow, do you think that I sho---oh”
I don’t like that pause.
“I’M SORRY FOR INTERRUPTING YOUR MOMENT WITH NATSUMI-NEECHAN, ONII-CHAN, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!” She said in a panic, before scampering off into her room.
“Wha—hey, it’s not like that!” I tried to explain, but she was long gone.
“Ken, how do you feel about me?” My vocalist suddenly asked me out of the blue, catching me completely off guard.
“Uhh…I, erm..uhh..” I mumbled incoherently, sounding like a complete idiot.
Nacchan got up and turned towards me, giving me a look that can only mean “…well?”
I tried to think of a way to change the subject, or at least come up with a diplomatically vague answer, but none came to mind. As I stood there looking like a complete idiot, my oh-so-mischievous vocalist gave a small grin and chuckled.
“You know, for someone who spends an inordinate amount of his time with girls, you sure aren’t very smooth, you know that?”
“Sh-shut up, you just caught me off guard, that’s all!”
“Oh, and what would you have said if you knew I was gonna ask?” She leaned towards me, slowly inching that beautiful face of hers closer to mine.
The full moon then decided to go out from the clouds she has been hiding behind, illuminating Natsumi’s face. Oh lord, those mischievous puppy dog eyes, how can this even be fair?!
“I…I…” Brain still drawing a blank.
“You…?”
At this point it felt like the whole weight of the world, nay, the universe, had been thrust upon my shoulders, and I was falling apart at the seams. My face was probably as red as a tomato by this point.
“Ahahaha, it’s so fun to play with you, you know that Ken?” Natsumi suddenly laughed, and all of the previous tension dissipated almost instantly.
“Q-quit doing that! You’re going to cripple me emotionally at this rate!”
“Ah, if only it was that easy~!”
“L-leave me alone!” I was so flustered right now it wasn’t even funny. Embarrassing, actually.
“Okay then~” Nacchan said, that mischievous smile still plastered across her face as she walked towards the living room.
“Hey, Nacchan.”
She turned around.
“I’ll tell you about it someday. I really will, just…don’t press me about it anymore until I’m ready, okay?” I told her semi-sarcastically, mimicking her response to my earlier question.
One final mischievous smile, a wink, and then she was gone.
Little did I know that I would grow to regret not saying anything this fateful night. The stage was set, all the actors were on stage, and I flubbed my lines.
And there was no second take.
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
14.5k views? Holy shit you guys must really love this story lol
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
- Nov 4, 2010
- 47
- 20
Eh why not, I'll add another chapter:
And honestly my chapters are getting sort of disjointed. Might just consolidate them all at one point or another.
Chapter 6 pt 3 – When the Wind Blows
And honestly my chapters are getting sort of disjointed. Might just consolidate them all at one point or another.
Chapter 6 pt 3 – When the Wind Blows
June 7th, 6:17 AM, Temma-cho, Aoi-ku, Yamazaki Family House, Shizuoka
Generally, I would be awakened each Monday morning by a ridiculously annoying alarm clock which would ring continuously for 3 minutes, regardless if you snoozed it or not. I’m not a morning person, so this is sort of the perfect alarm clock for me. I placed it in such a manner so that it’s far enough that I can’t reach it, but near enough so that it can torment my ears so much that I’ll be forced to wake up.
This Monday morning however, the sound of the alarm clock was conspicuously absent. Instead, I could vaguely hear the sound of an electric guitar being played. Nothing too fancy, just the sounds of basic chords being strummed. I half-expected it to be a dream, and that I was somewhere in that mystical region where dreams and reality collide. Then all of a sudden, the guitar sounds became much more intricate…much more complex. Even in my current state, I could tell that the finger work involved right now was very difficult, I doubt I could play it as smoothly as the person is now.
But of course, this is the morning. And no one disturbs my sleep unless I say so.
“Gaaahhh” I moaned, and tossed a nearby pillow at the general direction of where the sounds are coming from.
“H-hey, I was concentrating you jerk!” Natsumi, as it can only be her, complained.
“Geeettt outtttt, I still have a few minutes of sleep left.” I told her drowsily, my mind not really functioning at 100 percent yet.
“It’s almost 6 30 Ken, you might as well wake up now and get ready.” Natsumi chastised me. “Waking up early isn’t such a bad thing you know.” I was having none of it though.
“GETOUT! I WANT SLEEP BAD 8 MINUTES PRECIOUS VERY RAWRR!” I rambled incoherently, deprived of my mental faculties.
“Fine fine, sleeping beauty, just meet me downstairs later, I have something to talk about.” Natsumi sighed, before getting up and slowly walking towards the door.
“Hey.” I suddenly spoke out.
“Did you sleep well last night?” I asked her, opening one of my eyes to look at her.
Natsumi chuckled ever so slightly and a flicker of a smile formed on her face. “It was fine, princess.” She then left my room, and I fell asleep yet again, my mind a little bit more at peace
.
20 Minutes Later
“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked Natsumi, who was sitting snugly on the couch watching TV. My eyes were still half-closed and I probably looked awful, but hey, if she wants a talk, a talk she shall get.
Nacchan turned towards me and raised an eyebrow. “You look terrible Ken.” She told me straightforwardly. “Really not a morning person are you?”
“No kidding Sherlock, any other astute observations?” I replied sarcastically.
She chuckled a bit and then her facial expression suddenly turned very grave. “Ken, I think it’s pretty obvious what I want to talk about…”
“I can’t go to school like this. My brother will stop me along the way and drag me back to my house if I try.”
Urgh, geez Nacchan you sure know how to start a day positively. Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it either, the events that took place last night all happened so fast that I didn’t really have the time to properly think of the consequences.
“Uhh…yeah, err…” I started, my brain still not fully operational. “I really can’t think of any ideas right now, any possible way you can just skip school for today?” I asked her.
Natsumi’s brows furrowed at my statement. “Well…technically yes, I can, normally a day without classes won’t really affect me but…I’d really rather not. After my…” She paused for a bit. “accident, and the stay at the hospital, I’ve really fallen behind on my work. I can’t afford to miss any more time unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Tsk, she’s right. But there’s really no easy way to get Nacchan to her school without someone accompanying her. If her high school was closer to mine then it’d be easy, but her school is on the other side of town! I guess I could accompany her, but that would almost definitely mean that I’d be late for my classes. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind being late in order to protect my vocalist, but my homeroom teacher hates me, and further tarnishing my not-so-perfect attendance record could end up getting me held back a year.
“Why don’t you just transfer to onii-chan’s high school, Natsumi-neechan?” Hitomi asked innocently as she plopped down on the couch as well, already properly dressed for school. Unlike her big brother, Hitomi here loves to wake up early in the morning. Lord knows why.
“Well, actually she can do that…But taking care of the paperwork and whatnot will be almost impossible without her parents’ approval.” I explained.
“Ah…” Hitomi then turned silent, out of ideas.
“I can help you with this predicament.” A male voice suddenly boomed from behind me. “My university is close to Natsumi’s current high school, so I’ll go with her.”
I turned around and saw that the owner of the voice was none other than my possibly steroid using drummer, Yukimura Tanaka.
Wait what.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?!” I exclaimed, unable to hide my surprise. “AND WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? DID YOU DROP DOWN FROM THE ROOF OR SOMETHING?”
“What? No, I walked in through the front door. Maybe if you weren’t such a heavy sleeper you’d notice, Sleeping Beauty.”
“B-b-but where have you been this entire time then?”
“In the bathroom, where else could I be?” He replied offhandedly.
“Then what are you doing here?” I continued questioning him, his presence being such a not-so-wonderful surprise.
“Whaatttt, I’m not allowed to check in on my vocalist and my guitarist’s love nest? Well honestly I’m just worried that Hitomi might be mentally traumatized from all the weird noises she heard last night.”
“THERE WAS NO WEIRD NOISE YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!”
“Oh, so Natsumi’s the quiet type eh, I always thought that with her voice she’ll be more of a---“ Yukimura’s increasingly idiotic statement was promptly interrupted by a pillow cushion tossed directly at his face by my annoyed vocalist. I silently thanked her from the bottom of my heart.
“Ahaha, okay okay, I’ll stop. But yeah, as soon as I heard from Hitomi that Natsumi is moving in, I came here to check up on you guys.” Yukimura told us calmly.
“I am the most senior member after all, I gotta do something.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” I muttered under my breath.
“ANYWAYS, yes, Natsumi can come with me, as soon as she gets ready. No worries Ken, I’ll take care of her this time.”
I looked at Yukimura seriously, trying to read his emotions. He still had that stupid sarcastic smile plastered across his face, but his eyes…they were incredibly fierce. I almost feel sorry for Nacchan’s brother if he actually tries to confront Yukimura.
“Well okay then, it’s settled. Now that everyone’s fine and dandy…I’m going to go shower.” I told everyone before finally departing for what has become my fortress of solitude over the years, my faithful bathroom.
June 7th, 7:42 AM, Shizuoka High, Shizuoka
“Wow there, say what? You asked her to live with you?” Kazuhiko asked me incredulously.
“Well…yeah, isn’t that what you meant when you told me I knew what to do yesterday?” I replied with another question.
“Uhh, no bro. I expected you to call like, Social Services or something, or maybe went to her house to beat the living shit out of her brother and father, or maybe buy her some morphine to numb the pain, or maybe get her like, a really nice bouquet of flowers to take her mind of things, but heyyy, I guess your hormonal teenage brain just transcends ordinary thought processes and went straight to ask the hot 17 year old girl to live with me.” Kazuhiko told me sarcastically.
“Sh-shut up, it was the best idea to me at the time!” I tried to defend myself.
“Ken, baby, you know I’ll support whatever you do, but how are you even going to do this?” Kazuhiko continued on, exasperated by the sudden development. “Let’s face it; you don’t have enough money to support three people, and Natsumi-chan won’t be able to even get out of the house alone! How is she going to meet her friends, or buy groceries, or even go to school?”
“Wow, what did you do to my good friend Kazuhiko and where did you put him?” I was honestly surprised to see Kazuhiko act so rationally about the whole situation. I expected him to say something along the lines of “A cute girl living in the same house with you? YOU LUCKY BASTARD! Here’s some protection, make sure to wear them, we’re still students after all!” but this rational, measured response was totally out of character.
“Okay, honestly Kazu, I have no idea. Logistics and consequences didn’t really occur to me at the time….I just wanted to get her the hell out of there.” I told him honestly.
“It will probably be hard financially, but I’m sure we’ll manage. We have some money left over from our band gigs, so that should help us out a bit. As for Nacchan’s security…I dunno. I’ll figure something out.” I realize how unconvincing my words must seem right now to Kazuhiko, but I just know that everything is going to work out in the end. I can’t explain it.
Kazuhiko sighed and then shrugged. “Well, I guess if you’re determined, it’ll all work out. Although…here.” He handed me some very suspicious looking items.
“Dude, what are these things?” I asked him cautiously, picking up one of the rectangular, pink packets he gave to me.
“Condoms, duh. We’re still students, so make sure you play safe okay Ken.” Kazuhiko said to me with a playful grin on his face.
“YOU FREAKING PERVERT, WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT RATIONAL BASTARD THAT WAS HERE 5 SECONDS AGO?” I spluttered out, while frantically trying to hide the condoms that he gave me. I could almost sense Mayumi giving me a dirty look from behind me.
Some things never change. Or in his case, bar a cranial surgery, can’t change.
June 7th, 15:42 PM, Shizuoka Municipality High, Shizuoka
“Did anyone bother you today?” I asked Nacchan. Yukimura is busy with classes, so I have no other choice but to accompany my vocalist home. Well, my home. Not that I mind of course, I have been so engrossed with dealing with the Natsumi in my class that I honestly have been neglecting Nacchan for a while, so I consider this making up for lost time.
“Nah, everything went fine. Although I must admit, I’m really falling behind in terms of my grades.”
“Oh yeah, I never really cared, but how are your grades anyway?”
She gave a slight grimace at my question. “Well, they’re not BAD, but they’re not exactly grades that will get me accepted to a top-tier university, that’s for sure.”
“But honestly, I can’t say I care too much about them.” She continued, sounding surprisingly determined. “I learned a long time ago that degrees, grades, stuff like that…they’re only society’s way of judging you. How you are as a person and how your life ends up is completely unrelated to your grades after all.”
“That’s a pretty long-winded way to say you’re just lazy.” I teased her playfully. She laughed at my statement. “I don’t see you being your class’ valedictorian either snarkypants!”
“Well, true, but in my defense, I was too worried the past few months about my dear vocalist to even consider doing my homework!”
“Oh, were you now, my lovable guitarist? Well then I guess now that I have such a big, strong man protecting me, you’ll top your class?”
“Hey, hey, I can’t protect you AND study at the same time, what do I look like, a robot?”
“I was referring to Yukkie, sweetheart”
The both of us continued our stupid conversation as we walked along. I honestly missed these moments, no matter how insignificant and foolish they may seem. There are very few people where I can truly be myself around, and Nacchan’s probably the one who understands me the most. To a random passerby, we might just have looked like a couple.
The Next Evening
“What do you want for dinner?” I asked Nacchan, who was sitting down lazily while reading a girl’s magazine.
“Anything’s fine, just make it fast, I’m starving!” She groaned in response.
“Heh, fine, I guess I’ll make a simple pork cutlet dish then.”
As I was cutting up the pork meat into small slices, the doorbell suddenly rang. Weird, I don’t generally get visitors around this time.
“Hitomi!” I yelled out. “Get the door, I’m cooking here!”
“I’m about to take a shower!” She screamed back at me from the second floor.
“Gah, hey, Nacchan, can you get the door? I’m kinda busy here.”
Natsumi gave me an annoyed look before she got up from her seat and went to answer the door. I didn’t realize it at the time, but telling a random girl your acquaintances don’t really know to greet your guests can, and does, lead to erm…sticky situations.
“Wh-wha, hey!” I could hear Natsumi’s voice crying out. Damn it, is it her brother?! I quickly took off my cooking apron and rushed towards the front entrance, only to bump into my hot-blooded childhood friend Mayumi. “Owwww, that hurt…oh hey, YOU! KEN!” She exclaimed loudly. I could see Nacchan giving me an incredulous expression from behind her. Right…these two people have never met.
“Ken, Ken, KEN, WHO IS THIS STRANGE WOMAN?!” She asked me furiously, pointing at my dumbstruck bandmate.
Oh boy, this is going to be hard to explain…
Generally, I would be awakened each Monday morning by a ridiculously annoying alarm clock which would ring continuously for 3 minutes, regardless if you snoozed it or not. I’m not a morning person, so this is sort of the perfect alarm clock for me. I placed it in such a manner so that it’s far enough that I can’t reach it, but near enough so that it can torment my ears so much that I’ll be forced to wake up.
This Monday morning however, the sound of the alarm clock was conspicuously absent. Instead, I could vaguely hear the sound of an electric guitar being played. Nothing too fancy, just the sounds of basic chords being strummed. I half-expected it to be a dream, and that I was somewhere in that mystical region where dreams and reality collide. Then all of a sudden, the guitar sounds became much more intricate…much more complex. Even in my current state, I could tell that the finger work involved right now was very difficult, I doubt I could play it as smoothly as the person is now.
But of course, this is the morning. And no one disturbs my sleep unless I say so.
“Gaaahhh” I moaned, and tossed a nearby pillow at the general direction of where the sounds are coming from.
“H-hey, I was concentrating you jerk!” Natsumi, as it can only be her, complained.
“Geeettt outtttt, I still have a few minutes of sleep left.” I told her drowsily, my mind not really functioning at 100 percent yet.
“It’s almost 6 30 Ken, you might as well wake up now and get ready.” Natsumi chastised me. “Waking up early isn’t such a bad thing you know.” I was having none of it though.
“GETOUT! I WANT SLEEP BAD 8 MINUTES PRECIOUS VERY RAWRR!” I rambled incoherently, deprived of my mental faculties.
“Fine fine, sleeping beauty, just meet me downstairs later, I have something to talk about.” Natsumi sighed, before getting up and slowly walking towards the door.
“Hey.” I suddenly spoke out.
“Did you sleep well last night?” I asked her, opening one of my eyes to look at her.
Natsumi chuckled ever so slightly and a flicker of a smile formed on her face. “It was fine, princess.” She then left my room, and I fell asleep yet again, my mind a little bit more at peace
.
20 Minutes Later
“So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked Natsumi, who was sitting snugly on the couch watching TV. My eyes were still half-closed and I probably looked awful, but hey, if she wants a talk, a talk she shall get.
Nacchan turned towards me and raised an eyebrow. “You look terrible Ken.” She told me straightforwardly. “Really not a morning person are you?”
“No kidding Sherlock, any other astute observations?” I replied sarcastically.
She chuckled a bit and then her facial expression suddenly turned very grave. “Ken, I think it’s pretty obvious what I want to talk about…”
“I can’t go to school like this. My brother will stop me along the way and drag me back to my house if I try.”
Urgh, geez Nacchan you sure know how to start a day positively. Honestly, I haven’t really thought about it either, the events that took place last night all happened so fast that I didn’t really have the time to properly think of the consequences.
“Uhh…yeah, err…” I started, my brain still not fully operational. “I really can’t think of any ideas right now, any possible way you can just skip school for today?” I asked her.
Natsumi’s brows furrowed at my statement. “Well…technically yes, I can, normally a day without classes won’t really affect me but…I’d really rather not. After my…” She paused for a bit. “accident, and the stay at the hospital, I’ve really fallen behind on my work. I can’t afford to miss any more time unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Tsk, she’s right. But there’s really no easy way to get Nacchan to her school without someone accompanying her. If her high school was closer to mine then it’d be easy, but her school is on the other side of town! I guess I could accompany her, but that would almost definitely mean that I’d be late for my classes. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind being late in order to protect my vocalist, but my homeroom teacher hates me, and further tarnishing my not-so-perfect attendance record could end up getting me held back a year.
“Why don’t you just transfer to onii-chan’s high school, Natsumi-neechan?” Hitomi asked innocently as she plopped down on the couch as well, already properly dressed for school. Unlike her big brother, Hitomi here loves to wake up early in the morning. Lord knows why.
“Well, actually she can do that…But taking care of the paperwork and whatnot will be almost impossible without her parents’ approval.” I explained.
“Ah…” Hitomi then turned silent, out of ideas.
“I can help you with this predicament.” A male voice suddenly boomed from behind me. “My university is close to Natsumi’s current high school, so I’ll go with her.”
I turned around and saw that the owner of the voice was none other than my possibly steroid using drummer, Yukimura Tanaka.
Wait what.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?!” I exclaimed, unable to hide my surprise. “AND WHERE DID YOU COME FROM? DID YOU DROP DOWN FROM THE ROOF OR SOMETHING?”
“What? No, I walked in through the front door. Maybe if you weren’t such a heavy sleeper you’d notice, Sleeping Beauty.”
“B-b-but where have you been this entire time then?”
“In the bathroom, where else could I be?” He replied offhandedly.
“Then what are you doing here?” I continued questioning him, his presence being such a not-so-wonderful surprise.
“Whaatttt, I’m not allowed to check in on my vocalist and my guitarist’s love nest? Well honestly I’m just worried that Hitomi might be mentally traumatized from all the weird noises she heard last night.”
“THERE WAS NO WEIRD NOISE YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!”
“Oh, so Natsumi’s the quiet type eh, I always thought that with her voice she’ll be more of a---“ Yukimura’s increasingly idiotic statement was promptly interrupted by a pillow cushion tossed directly at his face by my annoyed vocalist. I silently thanked her from the bottom of my heart.
“Ahaha, okay okay, I’ll stop. But yeah, as soon as I heard from Hitomi that Natsumi is moving in, I came here to check up on you guys.” Yukimura told us calmly.
“I am the most senior member after all, I gotta do something.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” I muttered under my breath.
“ANYWAYS, yes, Natsumi can come with me, as soon as she gets ready. No worries Ken, I’ll take care of her this time.”
I looked at Yukimura seriously, trying to read his emotions. He still had that stupid sarcastic smile plastered across his face, but his eyes…they were incredibly fierce. I almost feel sorry for Nacchan’s brother if he actually tries to confront Yukimura.
“Well okay then, it’s settled. Now that everyone’s fine and dandy…I’m going to go shower.” I told everyone before finally departing for what has become my fortress of solitude over the years, my faithful bathroom.
June 7th, 7:42 AM, Shizuoka High, Shizuoka
“Wow there, say what? You asked her to live with you?” Kazuhiko asked me incredulously.
“Well…yeah, isn’t that what you meant when you told me I knew what to do yesterday?” I replied with another question.
“Uhh, no bro. I expected you to call like, Social Services or something, or maybe went to her house to beat the living shit out of her brother and father, or maybe buy her some morphine to numb the pain, or maybe get her like, a really nice bouquet of flowers to take her mind of things, but heyyy, I guess your hormonal teenage brain just transcends ordinary thought processes and went straight to ask the hot 17 year old girl to live with me.” Kazuhiko told me sarcastically.
“Sh-shut up, it was the best idea to me at the time!” I tried to defend myself.
“Ken, baby, you know I’ll support whatever you do, but how are you even going to do this?” Kazuhiko continued on, exasperated by the sudden development. “Let’s face it; you don’t have enough money to support three people, and Natsumi-chan won’t be able to even get out of the house alone! How is she going to meet her friends, or buy groceries, or even go to school?”
“Wow, what did you do to my good friend Kazuhiko and where did you put him?” I was honestly surprised to see Kazuhiko act so rationally about the whole situation. I expected him to say something along the lines of “A cute girl living in the same house with you? YOU LUCKY BASTARD! Here’s some protection, make sure to wear them, we’re still students after all!” but this rational, measured response was totally out of character.
“Okay, honestly Kazu, I have no idea. Logistics and consequences didn’t really occur to me at the time….I just wanted to get her the hell out of there.” I told him honestly.
“It will probably be hard financially, but I’m sure we’ll manage. We have some money left over from our band gigs, so that should help us out a bit. As for Nacchan’s security…I dunno. I’ll figure something out.” I realize how unconvincing my words must seem right now to Kazuhiko, but I just know that everything is going to work out in the end. I can’t explain it.
Kazuhiko sighed and then shrugged. “Well, I guess if you’re determined, it’ll all work out. Although…here.” He handed me some very suspicious looking items.
“Dude, what are these things?” I asked him cautiously, picking up one of the rectangular, pink packets he gave to me.
“Condoms, duh. We’re still students, so make sure you play safe okay Ken.” Kazuhiko said to me with a playful grin on his face.
“YOU FREAKING PERVERT, WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT RATIONAL BASTARD THAT WAS HERE 5 SECONDS AGO?” I spluttered out, while frantically trying to hide the condoms that he gave me. I could almost sense Mayumi giving me a dirty look from behind me.
Some things never change. Or in his case, bar a cranial surgery, can’t change.
June 7th, 15:42 PM, Shizuoka Municipality High, Shizuoka
“Did anyone bother you today?” I asked Nacchan. Yukimura is busy with classes, so I have no other choice but to accompany my vocalist home. Well, my home. Not that I mind of course, I have been so engrossed with dealing with the Natsumi in my class that I honestly have been neglecting Nacchan for a while, so I consider this making up for lost time.
“Nah, everything went fine. Although I must admit, I’m really falling behind in terms of my grades.”
“Oh yeah, I never really cared, but how are your grades anyway?”
She gave a slight grimace at my question. “Well, they’re not BAD, but they’re not exactly grades that will get me accepted to a top-tier university, that’s for sure.”
“But honestly, I can’t say I care too much about them.” She continued, sounding surprisingly determined. “I learned a long time ago that degrees, grades, stuff like that…they’re only society’s way of judging you. How you are as a person and how your life ends up is completely unrelated to your grades after all.”
“That’s a pretty long-winded way to say you’re just lazy.” I teased her playfully. She laughed at my statement. “I don’t see you being your class’ valedictorian either snarkypants!”
“Well, true, but in my defense, I was too worried the past few months about my dear vocalist to even consider doing my homework!”
“Oh, were you now, my lovable guitarist? Well then I guess now that I have such a big, strong man protecting me, you’ll top your class?”
“Hey, hey, I can’t protect you AND study at the same time, what do I look like, a robot?”
“I was referring to Yukkie, sweetheart”
The both of us continued our stupid conversation as we walked along. I honestly missed these moments, no matter how insignificant and foolish they may seem. There are very few people where I can truly be myself around, and Nacchan’s probably the one who understands me the most. To a random passerby, we might just have looked like a couple.
The Next Evening
“What do you want for dinner?” I asked Nacchan, who was sitting down lazily while reading a girl’s magazine.
“Anything’s fine, just make it fast, I’m starving!” She groaned in response.
“Heh, fine, I guess I’ll make a simple pork cutlet dish then.”
As I was cutting up the pork meat into small slices, the doorbell suddenly rang. Weird, I don’t generally get visitors around this time.
“Hitomi!” I yelled out. “Get the door, I’m cooking here!”
“I’m about to take a shower!” She screamed back at me from the second floor.
“Gah, hey, Nacchan, can you get the door? I’m kinda busy here.”
Natsumi gave me an annoyed look before she got up from her seat and went to answer the door. I didn’t realize it at the time, but telling a random girl your acquaintances don’t really know to greet your guests can, and does, lead to erm…sticky situations.
“Wh-wha, hey!” I could hear Natsumi’s voice crying out. Damn it, is it her brother?! I quickly took off my cooking apron and rushed towards the front entrance, only to bump into my hot-blooded childhood friend Mayumi. “Owwww, that hurt…oh hey, YOU! KEN!” She exclaimed loudly. I could see Nacchan giving me an incredulous expression from behind her. Right…these two people have never met.
“Ken, Ken, KEN, WHO IS THIS STRANGE WOMAN?!” She asked me furiously, pointing at my dumbstruck bandmate.
Oh boy, this is going to be hard to explain…
- Nov 5, 2010
- 21,339
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- Nov 4, 2010
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7 years yeah, I still have the Word files from back then
Looking at it now I should probably trash everything and rewrite. Although it's interesting to see my progress from 2010 all the way to 2013 style wise
Looking at it now I should probably trash everything and rewrite. Although it's interesting to see my progress from 2010 all the way to 2013 style wise
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philes wrote on Ryzen111's profile.
Please fix the katfile when you have time.
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threads/210528-asa-project-.1277999/
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threads/230127-crystalia-re-d-cherish-eternity-blood-.1270574/
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threads/210528-asa-project-.1277999/
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threads/230127-crystalia-re-d-cherish-eternity-blood-.1270574/
philes wrote on Nihonjaki90's profile.
Please fix the katfile when you have time.
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threa...-cherish-eternity-blood-bonus-update.1271857/
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threads/210528-asa-project-.1081864/
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threa...-cherish-eternity-blood-bonus-update.1271857/
https://www.anime-sharing.com/threads/210528-asa-project-.1081864/
ChoomMoka wrote on Shine's profile.
https://gamerch.com/biim/714171 Do u happen to have the game from this blog? thx in advance