2-3 Rumination
A/N: This story is now also posted on fanfiction.net. Choose whichever site you prefer.
As usual, the next chapter drops in two weeks.
"Several days ago, a conflict involving two gangs over what is speculated to be a turf war was ended by the police. There was one fatally injured victim, who is currently recovering from a stab wound. The culprit, 15-year-old Hayashida Haruki, has been sentenced to a year in juvenile detention. The other gang members arrested at the scene will be—"
My phone vibrated in my pocket as my pre-set alarm went off. I continued to slouch on the couch and mindlessly listen to the ambient noise for another minute before shutting off the television and heaving myself onto my feet. I ran a hand through my gelled-back hair as I trudged out of the living room and dragged myself over to the front door.
It was way worse than I'd thought it would be. Toman had split over Pah-chin's arrest, and although I hadn't seen it evolve into a full-fledged fight yet, it was only a matter of time before one occurred. Even the 2nd Division, as relatively chill as they were, had been tense over the past few days. They weren't just avoiding speaking about Pah-chin; they weren't speaking at all. The mood had been utterly unbearable, and I didn't want to get involved with the gang at this time.
Which was why I currently felt quite sour.
Hayato had been unavailable at our scheduled session, so we were having another one in less than half-an-hour. What I was annoyed at, though, was the fact he had neglected to mention it would be at a meet-up with some other Toman members until a few hours ago. Part of it was admittedly my fault; I should've been suspicious when he suggested we do it over lunch at a restaurant and not just dismissed it as I had been doing for a while.
But Peh-yan and several 3rd Division members being there was a completely different matter.
I hadn't seen or heard of them since this mess started, but it was a reasonable assumption that they would be the most volatile and aggressive about the matter, as Pah-chin was their Captain. They were the last people I wanted to be around.
I'd been paid beforehand this time, and it was too late to cancel. I didn't really have any other choice but to go through with it. And I wasn't going to half-ass this session.
I tied my red jacket around my waist as I trekked outside into the summer climate. My tote bag of stationery swung at my side as I walked to our agreed-upon location. Passing by the sights of the city did help alleviate my bad mood, and I entered the same restaurant from my welcome party with a carefully neutral expression. Being angry would only exacerbate the situation.
"Frank! Over here!" Hayato waved to me from a table across the room, and several other boys sitting in the adjacent table turned to watch. Three boys from the 3rd Division whom I had never seen before and Peh-yan, wearing a blue track-suit with his sleeves rolled up. There were several other customers having an early lunch, but they mostly ignored the small group of delinquents off to the side.
As I neared, Hayato took his school bag off a chair beside him and gestured for me to sit. I did. "Frank's a fairly new member of the 2nd Division. He tutors me."
The boys gave lukewarm greetings and introduced themselves, except Peh-yan, who glowered at me silently. I refused to look at him. "You tutor?" one of the other boys asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," I replied. "Part-time." His expression hinted that he was about to say something rude, but he kept his mouth shut. They were already much more receptive than the members at the gang meet had been. Judging from Hayato's relaxed demeanor and casual talk with them, they appeared to be friends. That was probably why they were nicer to me.
"That's Hayashi Ryouhei. He goes by Peh-yan in-gang," Hayato said as he pointed at the cropped-hair boy, who just slouched in his chair and stared off into the distance as the others conversed. "Sorry, he's not been in a good mood lately, even more so when Pah-chin got arrested. I finally convinced him to hang out, so could you please put up with him?"
I could understand why Peh-yan was acting in such a manner. His Captain and close friend had been snatched away from him, and I could empathize with that. However, I wasn't in the greatest mood myself to deal with his crap. So long as we didn't interact, I was alright with him.
"It's fine. Should we start, then?"
"Yeah. There was a question I was kinda confused about..." Hayato said as he unpacked his study materials onto the table.
Despite occasionally being distracted by the conversation happening at the table over, he was able to focus better than I thought. He was probably more focused than me, who was repeatedly thinking about the events to happen in the back of my mind. I'd already decided; what was the point in continuing to dwell on it? All it did was make my foul mood worse, but I tried to not let it affect my tutoring. I took a sip of water before commenting on his work. The boys of the 3rd Division continued to chatter.
"I heard we took over Moebius, so the battle shouldn't be happening anymore. The President'll probably formally announce it at tomorrow's meeting."
"It'd be weird without a Captain...I guess Peh-yan will take over until he's out."
"So you're going to abandon him, too?"
The conversation stilled as Peh-yan spoke up for the first time and not in response to a direct question. Hayato's pencil abruptly halted.
"You know that's not what I meant, Peh-yan."
"Do I? I don't fucking know anymore."
"The Captain said he would surrender himself peacefully. This is what he wanted."
"What he wanted?!" Something loudly banged into the table, sending plates clattering. A glass shattered on the floor, and I felt water seep onto my toes. "Do you think he fucking wanted to get arrested?!"
"No, but this is what he decided. He told us to do this. Dammit, Peh-yan!"
Hayato dropped his pencil on the table and abruptly stood up from his chair, bumping into my shins. "Don't be unreasonable, Peh-yan!" He left our table. "Of course he doesn't want to be arrested. But of what he could do, this is what he chose."
"So you too, Hayato? You're abandoning him?"
I shut my eyes. "Stop it..." I whispered.
"I didn't say that. Don't twist my words!"
"That's exactly what you said. You want to leave Pah-chin there. Unless I've suddenly gone crazy, I clearly heard you say that."
"Peh-yan, that's not what Hayato said. He meant that it's what our Captain asked us to do. He might not want it, but this is what he told us to do!"
"AND THAT'S EXACTLY IT! IF HE DOESN'T WANT IT, THEN WHY ARE WE FUCKING LEAVING HIM?!"
"BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO, IDIOT! YOU WERE THERE! ARE YOU FUCKING LISTENING TO US, ASSHOLE?!"
"SHUT UP!!" I left my chair and slammed my hands on the table they were all bickering around. Hayato and the other three boys flinched, but Peh-yan turned to regard me coldly. In the shocked silence of the entire restaurant, I took my chance.
"Why the hell are you fighting?! There's no point in redirecting your ire at each other!"
One of the 3rd Division members regained his composure and snarled in my face. "Huh?! What do you think you—"
"Peh-yan's angry he lost his Captain, not at you lot! Of course he's not in the right-damn-state of mind to listen. Stop trying to force your words on him and empathize with him more! Aren't you his fucking friends?!" I snapped. He clicked his tongue but kept his mouth shut.
The mentioned boy scowled. "You don't belong—"
"And you!" I jabbed my finger into the taller boy's chest. He glared back and stood strong. Stubborn. "Stop making them out to be betraying Pah-chin! Your division chose to follow him because they care about him. If you won't take this from me, then take it from them. Have more faith in your friends!"
I didn't know if my rant was reaching him, but I continued to stand there, cheeks flushed, vaguely aware that the sole attention of everyone in the restaurant was on Peh-yan and me. He continued to stare fiercely into my eyes—and suddenly wound his fist back. I tried to dodge to the side but bumped into the back of a chair in the narrow walkway, leaving me at the mercy of his punch—
An arm was outstretched in front of me, giving away slightly as Peh-yan's fist collided with it but managing to divert the blow. Hayato withdrew his forearm and rubbed it while wincing. "You hit as hard as ever."
Peh-yan lowered his fist, revealing cold anger on his face. "Why'd you stop me?"
"First of all, sorry for getting angry with you." Hayato had a calmer expression. "Frank's right, we shouldn't be fighting each other. You were going through all this, and I shoulda known that. Sorry."
Peh-yan looked his friend in the eye for a second before stomping off. He slammed the door of the establishment behind him, and through the storefront, I impassively watched him tromp away.
"...should we follow him?" one of the 3rd Division members whisper-asked in the prolonged silence, his previous machismo gone.
"You know Peh-yan...he'll cool off soon. Let's just give him space until then. He'll eventually be fine," Hayato replied. But the way he awkwardly scratched his head and continued to look after the boy's retreating figure implied some measure of doubt in his own words.
"Hayato, are we continuing or not?" He stilled at the ice in my voice.
"Y-yeah, let's continue." He went back to his seat, picked up his pencil, and quietly got to work.
"...we'll just be going?" the tallest of the boys said.
"Then go." I watched as they left wordlessly.
The rest of the restaurant occupants watched us in naked fear. Watched me. I couldn't care less right now. It was finally quiet again and an appropriate environment for studying. I stepped over the shards of glass and sat down beside Hayato while eyeing his work.
"It's the possessive form, so use apostrophe s." I pointed at his mistake.
"Oh...sorry." He hurried to fix it.
An hour later, we split the tab for the boys who'd left early before parting ways.
---
I leaned back in my chair and sighed. After staying here for nearly a month, I had become accustomed to this house. I knew the times when Youko and Shigeru would be out, how to access the back entrance, etc. This was my room now. My red jacket dangled haphazardly on the edge of my bed and my tote bag had been abandoned in the middle of the carpet. I'd removed most of the gel from my hair on the way home, and my wavy bangs hung normally, albeit a touch wet.
Walking back home by myself from the restaurant had given me time to cool down and reflect. I shouldn't have snapped and lectured them. Kisaki had caused this situation to occur in the first place, manipulating it so that Toman would split apart, but still, they had just been so damn infuriating...I shifted in my seat to find a new comfortable position. It'd already been twenty minutes, and my host parents would be returning shortly from buying groceries. I'd been thinking about this for long enough.
My phone, charging atop my desk, suddenly rang. I unplugged it and checked who was calling. Mitsuya?
I brought it up to my ear. "Hello?"
"Frank, you got a few minutes?" He sounded as calm as ever. It didn't appear to be an urgent matter.
"Yeah, I'm not doing anything now. Is there something you need me for?"
"Hayato told me what happened." I sat up abruptly in my chair. "The argument you had with Peh-yan."
"...Sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry." It felt a little better to get that out after having felt regretful since the incident.
Mitsuya...laughed? "Haha, you're just like Hayato. Y'know, he apologized to me too, for some reason. Told me he represented the 2nd Division poorly. I wasn't even there. Well, it's not unlike him, though." I heard a clattering noise in the background.
"Uh. I see." I couldn't tell if that overly earnest side of Hayato was a positive or negative trait anymore.
"But thanks for stopping those hot-headed idiots in my place. Almost everyone's been on edge ever since Pah-chin got arrested. Honestly, I don't think it would've been such a big deal if Draken and Mikey hadn't started fighting over it. Now the whole gang's gotten involved." He gave a massive sigh. I kept quiet as he continued to talk, although it felt more as if he were speaking to himself.
"This isn't good for Toman. We've lost two of our founding members, our President and Vice-President are fighting each other and won't listen to us, and the gang's on the brink of falling apart. It's probably worse for him, though. He created the gang, after all, and to have it fall apart around him... What's changed since then?"
A third member could be lost permanently very, very soon. The Musashi Festival, the climax of this arc, was the day after tomorrow. The clock was ticking.
"Ah, sorry for venting. I haven't been able to talk to anyone reasonable, lately."
"It's fine. I've been thinking the same," I replied as I sank back into my chair. I closed my eyes as I concentrated on listening. I could hear boiling on his side. Was someone cooking?
"Well anyway, properly apologize to them yourself at the meeting tomorrow." His voice became distant as he spoke away from the microphone. "Luna! Mana! Lunch's almost ready!"
Huh, so he was the one cooking, and it was for his little sisters. Besides that interesting tidbit of trivia, though, I would properly apologize. Getting irked and yelling at them wasn't really any better than what they'd done. As an adult, I felt some semblance of responsibility. "Yeah, I will."
"Alright, then." Click!
I leaned forward and propped my elbows on my desk. Even Mitsuya was concerned over the strife in the gang. While it was reassuring to know there was someone up top who also thought this infighting was stupid, he almost sounded resigned. He had confided in me, a newcomer to his division who might have piqued his interest but wasn't ultimately very important. That fact alone was already alarming.
The faint creak of the front door swinging open downstairs spurred me to pick up my bag and jacket and properly stow them away. My host parents were already giving me enough as it was, and I didn't want to trouble them further.
---
"Okay...so right after the Honnoji-Incident on June 21, 1582, Hideyoshi made a peace treaty with the Mori before returning to fight Mitsuhide at the Battle of Yamazaki, where he got revenge for his lord and rose to power. Wait...wasn't it the Battle of Mount Tenno?" I muttered. I stared intently at the blank piece of lined paper in front of me, waiting for an answer to arrive, but gave up after a minute and reached for my textbook. The sun was starting to set outside, so I got up and switched on the lights in my room.
Ugh, I hated summer homework.
In Japan, the term started in the spring and continued through the summer, unlike back home, where summer marked the end of the school year. Thus, they assigned homework. I hadn't really had free summers since high school, but this was middle school. I wanted my break back.
On the bright side, I was three-quarters done after only two weeks of diligence. It held off the boredom in between hanging out with Hina, tutoring Hayato, and slacking off. It gave me something to focus on, something to distract myself with.
I was about to get back to my history homework when my phone hummed. That made it two people who'd contacted me today out of nowhere. I flicked the screen open to see a message from Hina.
"Takemichi-kun got the doctor's OK to go outside! ( ' ω ' ) We're going to the festival at the shrine the day after tomorrow evening with Emma-chan and her boyfriend, do you want to come with?"
Takemichi had managed to smooth things out between Draken and Mikey. I smiled at her cheer. "Sorry, but I'm busy. Maybe another time," I sent back.
The real battle would happen then, and I'd be called to fight with the rest of Toman. The last thing I needed was for the boundary between my 'Blake' and 'Frank' identities to shatter. While I normally would've been happy attending with her, trying to explain my getup to Hina and finding a suitable reason to break off and join the battle as part of Toman was too risky. Besides, Draken would be there with Emma.
Hina replied immediately. "Are you sure? We won't have any festivals nearby for a while."
"I wouldn't want to be a third wheel. Go have fun with Hanagaki-kun. A festival would make a great backdrop for a date. Or a kiss." I teased.
It took a full minute for her to respond. I stopped writing my homework and checked my phone again. "It's just a date! That's it. Nothing more." I could practically feel her blushing over text.
"Bring an umbrella. You never know when it might rain, and that wouldn't make for a very fun date," I typed out, but my thumb hesitated over the send button.
Could I tell her? Rather, should I tell her? Hina would be involved in this conflict, staying by Takemichi's side for much of it. It was less of the fact it would rain that I was concerned about revealing but the umbrella. Takemichi would be running around in the rain and having multiple chance encounters, and giving him an umbrella could throw those off big-time. If he didn't stumble across Kiyomasa and receive support from Hina, he might have never found the resolve to fight back against his oppressors. If he didn't walk into Mitsuya, they might have never reached Draken in time at the parking lot. Alternatively, the umbrella could be used as a weapon. Was I overthinking it? I couldn't afford to underthink it.
I deleted it. "Hope it goes well," I instead sent.
"Thank you! How about we go to the New Year's festival next time?"
That would be fine. There wouldn't be anything stopping me then.
"Yeah, let's."
---
"Hayato, I'm sorry for snapping at you yesterday."
"It's fine. You had a point there, and we weren't really thinking. Now let's go." I caught the bike helmet he tossed at me and turned it over in my hands. The hard plastic shone in the dim light of the nearby streetlamp. Was that really enough for an apology? I'd been highly rude.
"What's the hold up?" he asked, looking back over his shoulder as he sat on his motorcycle. His face showed curiosity, concern, and nothing else.
"Nothing." I properly put on the helmet and hopped on behind him. He started the engine, and we took off. He'd picked me up a block away from my house, understanding my host parents didn't know of my ties to a gang. I still didn't have my gang uniform yet, so I was going in the same red jacket and jeans. It was a bit hot tonight, but I still wasn't confident enough to do something like take my jacket off while on his bike. I endured it as we drove to the meeting grounds.
While it was the same mob of menacing boys in tokko-fuku with their motorcycles, there was a palpable tension in the air made apparent by a rough split through the gang. It was relatively on the quieter side with less chatting than before, but it was leagues better than a straight-on brawl.
I took off my jacket after my feet firmly touched the ground and handed the helmet back. He left after putting it away with his to check-up on Peh-yan. There was that guy, too. Maybe I should apologize to him later—I doubted he had calmed down much since then; it'd only been a day. I didn't fancy getting slugged in the face. I stayed on the outskirts of the gang, keeping to myself.
"Oh, there you were." The three boys I'd yelled at swaggered up, their sleeves reading "3rd Division." It wasn't hard to remember the members I met, with all their wildly varying hairstyles. The sky was the limit with some of these. But besides that, they'd been looking for me? That was convenient, as they were now in front of me.
"I'm sor—" / "Than—"
I blinked as we cut each other off. Alright, let's try that again.
"I—" / "Th—"
I shut my mouth and gestured for the boy to continue. He exhaled loudly.
"Thank you for stopping us. Reminding us. Even if it got Peh-yan angry at you." He looked off to the side, as if embarrassed to break his 'tough-kid' character. The other two boys voiced their consensus.
"Well, I'm sorry for acting so harshly," I hastily amended. I hadn't expected them to thank me, but at least they weren't pissed and were willing to talk.
"We good now?"
"Yea—wait, you all never paid your bill at the restaurant." I literally don't have any cash in my wallet anymore. I'd spent my salary from tutoring on covering their bill. Pay me back, dammit.
The tallest boy clapped his hands together. "Oh yeah, that's it! Uh...how much was that again?"
"Peh-yan didn't order anything, and we all got the same lunch set...a bit less than 3,000 yen, I think?" the shortest answered.
"Oh, that's a good number." And they all took out their wallets and held out a 1,000 yen bill each. "Here."
"It was 2,850 yen," I corrected, not taking their money.
"Eh, I don't have any change on me right now," the tallest boy shrugged. The probability that all three of them didn't bring change in this cash society was less than my odds of being spontaneously struck by lightning. "Just take it."
You didn't bring any change? Beat this, I don't have any change. I had a few ten and one yen coins, but that was beside the point. My wallet was still recovering from being robbed point-blank two weeks ago. I hoped Hayato had some, since we'd paid fifty-fifty. Otherwise, I'd have to go through the ATM at home, i.e. my parents. I took their bills and neatly slid them into my wallet.
"So, we're really good now?"
"Sure." And that was a wrap.
I was suddenly knocked onto the ground as a member crashed backwards into me, giving me a faceful of hair. He ignored my splutter and kicked off the ground to punch at another boy, who received it across his cheek with a grunt. I quickly backed up to avoid being trampled on and snatched my fallen wallet. A small ring had formed around the spontaneous fight, the terse muttering replaced by cheers and jeers alike. My lips tugged downwards.
The same boy collided with one of the spectators, who proceeded to shove him onto the pavement. The fallen boy then grabbed his legs and caused him to fall, and he wrestled with the prior spectator on the ground. His first opponent returned to join the brawl, but a crowd member whacked him across the face for no apparent reason, and then it turned into a free-for-all.
How irritating, all this fighting was. I was calmer than I had been yesterday but still annoyed. I doubted I could stop it if I tried; the crowd would drown out my yells, and I lacked the endurance to physically intervene. The three boys from earlier were screaming something from the side, but I couldn't hear them over everything else. Their faces weren't twisted with cruelty or satisfaction at the violence in front of them like the rest of the crowd, though. Whatever they were trying to do, it clearly wasn't working.
If I wanted something to change, I needed to do it myself. Just standing here wouldn't accomplish anything.
I bravely stepped forward into the ring of now eight to ten members, all brawling. "Sto-" I called out, but my eyes widened as I narrowly sidestepped a punch that flew at me. With my aggressor's previous opponent now collapsed on the ground, he leapt for me.
There was no reason for it anymore. It angered me even more, but so did my lack of power to stop it. Not caring for hypocrisy, I arced a fist towards his chest to get him to stop fighting, but he leaned out of the way and booted me in the gut. I coughed painfully as I hit the ground, but I scrambled onto my feet to avoid another kick. "Why are you even fighting me?" I hissed while clutching my stomach. His only response was to snarl and yank on the hem of my shirt as he sent an arm back.
"STOP!!" We all froze as a pissed-looking Draken stepped into the ring, commanding the might of a dragon itself. "BY MY AND MIKEY'S ORDER, STAND DOWN!!" he roared. The gang quieted immediately.
"Tch." The boy fighting me let go of my shirt and stalked off. Now more aware of my surroundings, I noticed Peh-yan standing over his fallen opponent, panting. He looked back and glared, but he obeyed Draken.
I should've just called over one of the admins. There was no need to involve myself in the fight. I sighed in frustration, but the brawl was over. My desired result had been accomplished.
"If you're all so eager, let's just start the meeting," Draken continued. "Got it?!" he yelled after no one moved. Then everyone scrambled to line up at the gate to the shrine, just as they had in the previous meeting. I bowed my head alongside the other members as we waited for the President and Vice-President to approach the shrine.
"Good work, President!!" I joined the chorus of voices as I heard them walk past. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a few people not mouthing the words, even fewer not bowing down all the way. The call sounded a bit quieter than last time as a result. It seemed some people weren't happy with the two top admins.
I froze as Draken seemed to stop right in front of the person next to me, who was one of those not properly bowing. Everyone else nearby stiffened as well. I stared at the buckles on his white boots as I tried to ignore his heavy presence and the trembling member beside me. After a few seconds that felt like minutes, he walked away and followed Mikey. I made sure to stay bowed properly until the others stood back up.
The members quickly filled the space facing the pavilion, dividing ourselves by Division. Mikey stood on the forefront of the steps with a neutral expression, and Draken waited behind him. Takemichi wasn't here today.
"Hm?" I muttered after everyone had finished gathering. The 3rd Division, standing beside us, seemed to have fewer members than before. Peh-yan stood at the front by himself, but there were only around 10 boys left, including the three from earlier. The email had marked this as a particularly important meeting, so I doubted they'd all just skipped. Did they leave because their Captain was arrested? Kiyomasa wasn't there, either. I shifted on my feet.
"I've assembled us all to talk about Moebius again," Mikey began. "Several days ago, Moebius launched a sneak attack on us when we were planning our battle with them. Regardless, we beat them down easily. As such, there is no need for a battle tomorrow because we have already taken them over. They are not present here today, but those willing are now part of Toman." I felt a small surge of impatience as he announced what most of us already knew.
"However, Pah was arrested during our conflict." And here came the hot topic. An uneasy wave ran through the gang.
"I reacted...irrationally. I wanted to get Pah out of detention, despite his wishes to let him be taken peacefully." Mikey's face remained impassive. "So I lashed out against Ken-chin, who argued the opposite. But someone reminded me of my responsibility, as the President of Toman. Because of me, you've all started fighting. I'm sorry." He dipped his head slightly, not enough to lower his standing, but enough to convey his apology.
The gang accepted it silently, raising their heads and standing respectfully. One of the members I'd seen acting rudely earlier followed suit. I mimicked them.
Mikey turned to address the remaining 3rd Division members. "Pah will still be captain when he comes back. I can't stop you from leaving, but I hope you'll still be there for him." Even they, the rowdiest of the gang recently, continued to stand at attention after hearing their leader. All except for one person.
Hayashi Ryouhei, or Peh-yan, shouldered his way through his division and stomped off, disappearing past the gate. The mood in the gang was tense as everyone continued to stay alert but nervously sneak glances at the departing boy. I saw Draken start to descend the stairs and chase after him, but Mikey blocked him with his arm and a few words. At the front of my Division, I saw Mitsuya grab Hayato's shoulder to similarly stop him from leaving.
It was a simple, unspoken, but obvious rule: to leave meant to betray Toman. Or that was the vibe I was getting from how no one dared to move. I doubted Mikey's speech was enough to win over everyone, but no one would blatantly show their dissatisfaction like that.
A flash of movement caught my eye as the same three boys of the 3rd Division ran after Peh-yan. Everyone's attention was on them, even if no one turned to watch. I heard a bike belt away from the shrine, followed by another set of bikes.
Peh-yan left in rebellion to Mikey's ultimatum, with the mindset that Toman had turned against him. He would band up with the remnants of Moebius and attempt to kill Draken tomorrow night at the Musashi Festival. This was my last chance to stop him until then. It wasn't a guarantee it would raise Draken's chances of survival to 100 percent, and Kisaki could find some other way to get him killed, but Peh-yan would only hurt himself at this rate.
I didn't move from my spot.
The rest of the meeting passed uneventfully, and Hayato dropped me back home.
---
Shigeru menacingly stood in the doorway as I unlocked the front door. I almost dropped my keys from seeing him first thing after opening the door. Jump scares weren't good for my heart, and my nerves had been extremely jittery since the meeting.
"Where were you?" he asked.
I'd tried to mold my hair back to normal while walking the rest of the way back home. My bangs hid my piercing, although my clothes were still somewhat unusual. No reason to be suspicious, though. "I was with Hayato," I somewhat-truthfully answered. Or more accurately, squeaked.
"Let her in first, dear," Youko called from behind him. I hadn't even noticed her, preoccupied with her husband. He listened to her and stepped away. After entering the house, he shut the door behind me. I peeked down to take off my shoes and quickly looked back to Shigeru.
"And what were you doing for an hour?" he continued the interrogation.
"We walked around the city for...an hour. It was his suggestion." Sorry Hayato, but your possible rage sounds cute compared to the demon right in front of me.
Shigeru seemed discontent with my answer judging from his frown, but Youko surprisingly stepped to my defense. "A little escape here and there should be fine. Besides, Hayato's a strong, fine man. He'll surely protect her from anything untowards." She winked at me. I refused to read into it.
"Hm. Well, I do feel better knowing he's with you, but still, try not to stay late too often." Alright Hayato, we're going on a date or something every time there's a meeting. Not that I would ever tell him. What if one of my host parents approached Hayato about it, though? I could easily imagine Youko talking to him about it. That would be terrible: lesser reason for the second-hand embarrassment, but primarily the delicate boundary between my identities. Ugh, this was annoying. They'd probably get less strict over time, but I needed to figure something out for now.
"I'll try not to," I replied. There. Loophole. My host dad raised an eyebrow but left the issue.
"Anyway," Youko said, "take a bath while the water's still warm. We finished showering already."
"Okay." I accepted her offer to leave. But before I could take a step, my phone hummed in my pocket. I checked it quickly. It was a message from Hayato:
Ya I'll be free if you're still up for it.
Alrighty, then. "Actually," I began. They looked back at me. "I was planning on going to the festival near the shrine tomorrow night with Hayato. Is that okay?"
"By yourselves?" Shigeru prompted. I nodded slowly.
"Why not let her?" Youko again supported me. "We won't have another big festival in a while; let her enjoy her youth. You promise you'll not charge into danger, right?"
This was the first real lie I would tell them, but it was a necessary one. "Yes, I promise."
Shigeru, seeing he was outnumbered, sighed in defeat. "As long as you stay with Hayato." I gave my consent.
I knew that it wasn't that he was trying to ruin my fun. He was doing this out of concern and rightfully so. And I was about to spit all over it.
Why was I going to the festival early, not as part of Toman, if I didn't want to interfere with canon, anyway? What was this strange urge that propelled me to attend? Curiosity? Guilt? Fear? I'd only started to really feel it after trying to consider how equipping Takemichi with a damn umbrella might factor into the equation. Whatever it was, it bothered me too much to ignore it. I needed to go no matter what.
"Would you like to go in a yukata?" My host mother's voice brought me back to the present. "I have a few from my younger years. Hayato might like it. I'm sure you'll look stunning," she assured me.
"N-no. It's fine; I'd prefer to go in something I'm more used to." I couldn't see him as anything more than a kid twelve years younger, despite the fact we were technically the same age. Besides, I couldn't let him know I was female. Or any of the gang, for that matter.
"That's alright, too. Well, I could give you a few tips, although they might be outdated. You know, I was the one who confessed to Shigeru first." She placed her hands on her hips and grinned. Her husband, sensing the impending 'girl-talk,' left with unusual haste.
"Er, no, it's fine. Really," I said. "We're just going to enjoy the festival together." Like that cleared anything up, idiot.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop asking," she laughed, "but if there's anything you want to know, ask away. I've got 65 years' worth of experience in this fickle game of life."
Given this opportunity, there was something I'd been thinking about. It was all 'just-in-case,' but it was that same feeling that had coerced me into going to the festival. And the perfect person for this question was standing in front of me.
"If, very hypothetically, someone..."
---
" 'sup, Frank. Seeing you with your hair down is rare. Special occasion?"
"No," I replied to Hayato as I took a bottle of hair gel out of my pocket and slathered its contents onto my hands. I shaped my hair in the traffic mirror, pinning the bulk of it down with a hairclip and allowing the rest to cover it up. Good enough. He waited patiently beside his parked motorcycle. There were some people walking down the streets of the residential area, many of them entire families, likely heading to the festival. The sun had yet to fully set, and they were taking advantage of the little light left to safely travel.
We were both in casual clothes this time. I'd gone with a dark, hooded jacket and trousers, and Hayato had on a simple t-shirt and cargo shorts.
"As you saw, my parents have been stricter recently." Hayato had literally had to come to my front door and pick me up. "They don't want me going out alone."
"It's probably calmer than ever, since we just took down Moebius," he remarked. "Nothing big should happen for a while." He suddenly slapped the back of his head and looked down at his palm. "Ugh, fucking mosquitoes."
I took out my wallet and handed him a crisp 1,000 yen bill and 500 yen coin. I'd forgotten to ask if he had change yesterday, but the ATM at home hadn't failed to deliver. "Here, for the restaurant bill. They paid me back extra."
"Oh, thanks. And is that an umbrella?" Hayato pointed at the compact, cylindrical package dangling from my wrist as he took the money.
"Yeah."
"I checked the forecast. There's less than a five percent chance of rain, y'know."
I stowed my folding umbrella in my jacket pocket, although the handle stuck out. "By that same logic, there's less than a one percent chance of dying in a traffic accident, yet it's by far the most common cause of death for isekai protagonists," I said sagely. Thinking about it twice, though, that analogy didn't quite make sense.
"What?"
"Ignore me, please." He shrugged and tended to his bike. I watched the horizon wistfully. "But well, nothing's ever certain. Anything could change."
The sun at last winked out over the Tokyo skyline, and the crossroads of the future drew inevitably closer.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top