"Hmm, a right here, and… okay, this is it! Hinata Inn, right here!" Three people, two young men in the front and a young woman in the back, got out of a small rental SUV parked in front of a large set of stairs."Whoa, we really have to carry all this stuff up there?!" The driver, Haitani, looked incredulously at the monstrous set of stairs. He looked to his female companion, 19 year old ronin Kei Urashima. She looked at the building at the top of the stairs in a daze.
"Kei-chan, you there?" The other man, Shirai, waved a hand in front of her face. She blinked, forgetting for a minute where she was.
"Oh, sorry. Thanks for helping me move in. You saved me a lot of trouble." She gave them a small smile.
"Yeah, no problem." Haitani sighed. "But really, can't they at least install a cargo elevator or something? You don't have much, but it's pretty heavy. I think we deserve much more than a beef bowl."
"Hmm? Like what?"
He moved closer to her and hooked an arm around hers. "What about a date?"
Immediately, she dethatched herself. "Ah n-no thanks. I think I'll just move in myself." Flustered, she moved to the back of the SUV and began to fumble with the handle.
Shirai shook his head and chuckled. His friend never gave up making passes at Kei. At one time, they both had crushes on her. But he realized that Kei, along with being dense, was pretty bad with romantic approaches. "Don't worry, Kei-chan. He was just kidding." He thought carefully. "But I wouldn't mind something a bit extra. Right, Haitani?"
"Huh? Yeah." As usual, Haitani was quick to rebound.
"Jeez, please don't joke like that!"
Haitani and Shirai sat on the top step wheezing. They each carried a box while Kei carried her suitcase. Shirai panted heavily, as his build was not exactly made for heavy lifting. "Jeez, you wouldn't think that these things were full of books instead of bricks."
Haitani, equally mismatched for the job, wiped some sweat off his brow. "Yeah, Kei-chan reads a lot for an idiot."
"How rude. I'm even treating you guys to drinks." Kei was standing behind them with three cans in her arms, slightly frowning. "I guess I'll just have these for myself."
"We're sorry, so please give them to us!" The two male ronins bowed apologetically. Stifling a laugh, she held out two of the cans to them. All of them went to the same prep school for two years in a row, so they got along well.
They each took one, opened the can, and took a deep swig. "Ah, that hits the spot." Haitani proceeded to lay back and soak up the sun.
"Can you guys wait here for a few minutes? I'm going to see my grandmother and ask where we can keep my things." Kei waved them and walked into the complex.
"Sure, just don't forget you promised us something extra!" Haitani shouted after her. She just hoped the 'something extra' was something she could handle.
"Hello? Grandma? It's me, Kei. I've come, just like you asked." The place was empty. She took off her shoes and went inside. On the counter, she saw a note addressed to her.
Hello Kei,
I'm glad you've come. I'm sorry I can't meet you at the moment, but you can bring any belongings you brought with you to the manager's room. From now on, that will be your room, and you will start working, as you requested. Now about the inn–
The rest of the letter was smudged out, victim to what seemed to be a tea spill. 'I wonder what else grandma wanted to say…?'
"Yo, Kei-chan, you done yet? It's hot out here."
She decided she would just ask her once they met. Right now, moving in was the priority.
After moving everything in, the trio went out for beef bowls. Apparently, the 'something extra' was beer, and lots of it, to celebrate Kei's moving (though she was the one paying). Kei's wallet was emptier than she expected by the time she returned.
She sighed after looking inside her wallet yet again. "Those two… I'm never taking them out to eat ever again." She looked at the rental and sighed. "And they even forgot they were supposed to be driving this thing back." She would have to return it herself, it seemed.
She grudgingly climbed up the stairs again. It was late afternoon and the lights of the hotel were on. 'Maybe grandma is back.' She entered the inn. "I'm back." Nobody responded again.
She went to the manager's room to see if her grandmother was waiting for her. The room was empty, except for her belongings. "Ah, I want to take a bath. Oh yeah, this inn is quite famous for its hot springs." She smiled a bit. "Grandma won't mind if I use the baths for a bit."
She eased herself into the water, relieved. Soreness and grime washed off along with the water. Her hair was now tied into a high bun and her glasses were with her clothes in the changing room. "It feels so nice here. I just might fall asleep." She sank deeper into the water. Then she heard the door open and shut. She froze when she heard two male voices. 'Crap, I must have entered through the wrong side!'
"Women are the source of all evil. They do nothing but steal from you and make you weak."
"Haha, said from one who has absolutely no experience with girls. They give things that you can't get from men. But sake is also good. Gives you things that you can't get from even them."
They started to walk closer. Fortunately, they were wearing towels. Kei quickly retreated behind a rock and edged to the far side of the springs. The fog was thicker than usual tonight, which worked in her favor.
"I bet you have at least one girl you like." The auburn haired one gave the long haired one an odd look and inched away a bit. "Well, unless you swing that way."
"Hmph. Think what you like. Relationships like that only get in the way of my training. I have no other interest other than getting stronger. I just find your… tendency to flaunt around like that rather disturbing."
She timed her exit of the springs with their entrance, as to not alert them to her presence. She then slipped on a towel and edged around the wall of the springs to the door.
"I consider it an art, much like you consider kendo an art. As you strive to become a master at it, so do I."
The long haired one scoffed. "The only thing you've managed to master is the ability to drink yourself silly and getting out of paying rent."
She managed to make it through the door and quickly opened and shut it. She released her breath. "Safe. Really, Grandma should put out some signs or something about the bath." Luckily, the changing room was empty.
Or so she thought.
Without her glasses, she was more or less blind, so she didn't see the clothes box on which she tripped, right on to another person who had just donned a towel. Both fell to the ground.
"Ouch. Hey, Shin, you all right? Be more careful." He started to push Kei off of him.
Squish.
Kei turned extremely red and gasped in surprise. The man was also surprised. "… You're not Shin, are you."
"KYAAH!" A resounding slap was heard throughout the inn.
"I'm so sorry!" Kei was standing in front of a group of the guests at the inn, bowing. After slapping him, the two in the spring rushed over to the changing room to find a girl on top of their dazed friend, who now wore a bright red hand print. They took him out of the changing room, giving her time to change. She was fully aware that this was all her fault, but Kei found something strange about this Inn.
'Why are they all guys?!' If front of her were five males. Two of them were boys, probably middle school students, while the other three were probably around her age.
"We'll have you pay for that later. First of all, who are you? Why is a person like you staining the sanctity of our all-boys dorm?" The longhaired Samurai-san from the bath who questioned her clearly had disdain for Kei. His stern gaze pierced through her.
Kei lifted her head. "Oh yes, my name is Urashima Kei, and I'll be working here from now on." She bowed again. "I know we've haven't gone off on the right foot but it's nice to-" Wait. She lifted her head again. "Did you just say 'all-boys dorm?' As in there are no girls?" She asked, sweat trickling down her neck.
The auburn-haired man from the bath spoke up this time. "Yeah, didn't you see the sign? This is Hinata Boy's Dormitories." His narrow eyes were drawn questioningly.
"Wait, did you say your name was 'Urashima Kei?'" The young man she slapped lowered the cold compress off his face. "As in, our new dorm manager, Urashima Kei?" Slowly, recognition of the name registered in the minds of the other residents.
"A woman?! Our new manager's a woman?! I won't believe it!" The Samurai-san immediately shouted in protest.
"It can't be that bad, Makoto." The auburn haired man attempted to calm down the Samurai Makoto. "Besides, our managers haven't been anything but women."
"You're probably thinking that if it's a woman, it'll be easier to get out of rent, Matsu."
"Hah! Like you should talk Naruki. Who was the first one who groped her breast?" Kei turned red. 'Please don't openly mention something like that!'
"I said don't call me that, Katsudon!" The two were now head to head, locked in an intense contest of glares. "Besides, she's the one who came on to me!"
"Huh? B-breast?!" The blue-haired middle schooler blushed at the very mention of the word.
"Hey, Shin, what's that? Does 'breast' taste any good?" The dark-skinned foreigner middle schooler nudged the blue-haired boy and innocently asked something unreasonable. He turned even redder.
"H-how should I know something like that?!"
"Look, her very presence is staining the minds of the children! She must leave!" Makoto pointed his sword at her, and Kei took a shocked step back.
"Hey, are you serious? Somebody might get hurt!" Kei protested the action. The others were too preoccupied in their own little worlds to notice the threatening gesture. Or it happened so often they were used to it.
The door slammed open. "Quiet, all of you!"
Everyone silenced at the command of the newcomer. Kei, whose back was to the door, turned around. Her expression immediately lifted.
"Haruka-nee!" She practically leapt into the older woman's arms, who almost dropped her cigarette in surprise.
"Hey, Kei, It's been a while, hasn't it?" The others in the room looked at the pair in shock, speaking at once.
"Haruka-nee?!"
Things definitely calmed down after the arrival of Haruka. Makoto still glowered, but, probably out of deference to Haruka, remained silent.
"Let's start again. Before any of you ask, this is my niece Kei Urashima." She gestured to Kei, who gave a small, quick bow. "Now from the left we have Matsu Konno," Matsu sat alone on the couch to the left. His narrow eyes made it difficult to tell where he was looking. He gave a small wave. 'Katsudon…' Kei tried hard to stop herself from laughing.
"Narusegawa Naruki," He sat alone on the center couch, regarding Kei with contempt, still not forgiving Kei. He no longer needed the compress, and it sat on the empty space beside him. He responded by rubbing his cheek, giving Kei the urge to apologize again.
"Aoyama Makoto," Makoto's glare intensified. His hair was pulled back into a high ponytail to keep it out of his face while he trained. He leaned against the wall with his hand hovering dangerously near his sword at his side.
"Maehara Shin," He had a doe-eyed look about him. Their gazes met. Shin turned away, a blush creeping onto his face.
"And Kaoba Su." The foreigner boy greeted her with a large smile. He had what looked like a bindi dot in the center of his forehead. His eyes had both a childish mischief and an endless curiosity.
Kei interrupted her aunt. "Wait, Haruka-nee, this is all too sudden. Where's grandma Hina? When did she turn the inn into a boy's dorm?"
She extinguished the cigarette in the tray she brought with her. "I'm sure you received her note. She returned earlier, but you were gone and your stuff was in the manager's room. She assumed you already knew what to do."
Kei looked at her aunt confused. "The note she left? It only said to drop my stuff off in the office." She fished out the note from her purse and gave it to Haruka.
She read the note. Then she sniffed it. The paper smelled faintly of sake. "Matsu, I think you have something to do with this."
Matsu knitted his brows in thought. Then it came back to him. "Ah, I remember now. I spilled some sake on the counter earlier. We were out of napkins, but that piece of paper was conveniently placed nearby. I didn't know it was anything important." He smiled sheepishly. Kei stared at him speechless.'Who drinks that early in the day?'
"So the reason we're in this whole situation is because of Katsudon." Naruki summed up.
"Well, I wouldn't say it's entirely my fault." He scratched his head.
'It is.' Everybody unanimously thought the same thing.
Kei slumped to the floor. "Aw, what am I supposed to do now? I don't have any money left. This was my last chance, and I blew it." She turned to Haruka. "Where's Grandma? I need to see her and talk to her."
Haeuka shook her head. "That's impossible. Hina has already left the country on her grand tour of the world's hot springs. I doubt she'll be back any time soon. She planned on making you this place's dorm mother, so why not just stay here?"
"D-dorm mother? That's impossible!" She took another look at the residents. "Really impossible!"
"For once, I agree with this woman. We can take care of ourselves. Hasn't she done enough damage already?"
"You don't have to worry about it, these guys are mostly harmless." She patted Kei's head, who severely doubted her words. "And this is Hina's wish. Would you really deny her that, after all she's done for you?" She used a more stern tone towards Makoto.
"Ugh…" The claim silenced any protest he had; there was no way he could go against Hina's wish.
"Why can't Haruka-san manage the dorm? She's clearly more qualified." Naruki made a suggestion of his own. Kei stared at him. 'He must really want me out of the house too.'
Haruka shook her head. "Nope. I've got my own business to run. I don't have the time or energy to be looking over you kids."
Su walked over to Kei and stared at her intently. It began to unnerve her a little. "Will you play with me?" The young foreigner asked her an innocent question.
"Eh, sure?" She smiled with uncertainty. Su gave a bright smile back.
"Yay, can we keep her?" He looked to the others.
"I'm not a dog you know." Kei sweatdeopped a little.
"I-I'm fine with it." Shin gave his input while staring at nothing in particular.
Makoto crossed his arms and looked away. "I have nothing further to say."
Naruki sighed. "Well, if Shin and Su are okay with it, I'll agree."
"Sounds good to me." Matsu sat back into the couch.
Haruka nodded. "Good, now all there is left is Kei's opinion."
She weighed her options carefully. 'My choices are to stay and live with this group of… characters, or return home and give up my dream.' She looked at each resident carefully. They all looked back expectantly. Finally, she sighed and got up slowly. She bowed humbly, and in a small voice, muttered.
"Please treat me kindly."
Haruka smiled. "Well then, new manager..."
"Welcome to the Hinata Dorm!"
Afterword:
This has actually been floating around my computer for a long time. I just wasn't happy how things were previously. Making a convincing girl-Keitaro is hard for me. Maybe this is better?
It's a gender-bender, but I won't switch the genders of all the characters. Just the residents? That's the plan anyways. I hope I made it obvious who they were with the names.
Anyway, thanks for reading.