A compilation of the daily lives of four certain housemates and their landlady's son from before and after the horror girl crept into their lives. Love, hilarity, and drama ensue.
One-shots based on the live action drama of Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge.
First Date
By: pnaixrose
Summary: A certain playboy loses his game.
"Of course, my lovely! Your husband is gone? How splendid!" an over-the-top Ranmaru exclaimed as he glided down the staircase. His housemates were lounging in the living room, used to this kind of babble by now. They hardly paid any mind to it besides momentarily rolling their eyes at his excessiveness. He found his usual spot in the large red chair and sprawled himself into it, continuing loudly with his conversation and paying no mind to the others, some of whom were reading or studying. "I shall acquire a room at a five-star hotel for us then, honey. Maybe schedule us some time at the spa?"
After a moment he laughed loudly and gaudily and Kyohei grunted at his ridiculousness. "Ranmaru, would you shut it already?" he snapped, lifting his head momentarily from his nap. Yukinojo and Takenaga simply sighed and continued with their work.
Ranmaru didn't seem to notice. "Alright then, sweetheart. See you then." He snapped his cellphone shut with a sly, accomplished grin on his face.
"Ne, Ranmaru," Yukinojo started, a frown evident on his face. "Why do you keep talking with women when you have Tamao-chan? That's surely not a proper way to treat your woman."
"…Says the little boy who's barely a man," Kyohei commented under his breath. He was rewarded with a glare which he aptly ignored.
Ranmaru gave an exaggerated sigh, fiddling with his phone. "Women just keep on coming to me. Knowing that I am now unavailable thoroughly excites them, I suppose," he said proudly.
"That didn't address Tamao-chan at all," Yukinojo muttered, turning back to his homework.
"Is Tamao-san alright with you talking to other women?" Takenaga asked, flipping a page of the book in his hands. "You said you were weaning yourself off of them but surely she feels uncomfortable."
"Yareyare…it's just so bothersome…" Ranmaru responded, idly going through his phone almost impatiently.
A hooded figure stepped in just then, a tray of tea and sweets in her hands. She gingerly placed it on the coffee table and Kyohei immediately sat up and helped himself without warning. Sunako ignored his usual impoliteness and quietly stood there, staring at Ranmaru from underneath her hood, her face barely seen.
"I don't understand…"
Kyohei looked up at her questioningly, mouth full of sweets. "What do you mean, Sunako?"
Sunako naively continued, her voice deep and questioning. "Ranmaru-san just canceled ten other meetings this morning…will you cancel this one too?"
The other three boys looked up in surprise and Ranmaru gave Sunako a slight glare at the revelation. She gave a squeal in response and jumped away, crouching behind the couch Takenaga was seated in, fingers near her face in anxiousness.
"Y-You cancel your meetings with these girls?" Yukinojo asked incredulously. Ranmaru cancelling on any of his women was unprecedented. Now that he thought of it, no strange girls have been coming over either… "Why would you make them in the first place?"
"A matter of pride perhaps?" Takenaga suggested, amused.
"Yareyare…" the man in question again responded. He still looked through his phone, his eyes not even lifting to see the others'. "How bothersome…"
Kyohei poured himself some tea and took a huge, sloppy gulp of it, finishing it in one round. "You surely are into that phone these days," he commented, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Tamao-chan…" Sunako said quietly, peeking her head from behind the sofa. They all turned to her meek voice. "…hasn't called?"
Once again she was greeted with a quick, sharp glare from the infamous playboy and she quickly hid yet again. Meanwhile the other boys were nodding their heads and agreeing, finally making sense of the situation.
Kyohei smirked evilly as he got up and stood in front of Ranmaru's chair, leaning in and pointing at him. "You may be getting more calls from women but not from the one person you want, ne? Ne, ne?"
He jabbed his figure at Ranmaru's chest who shooed it away with an exasperated look on his face. However, he kept his relaxed demeanor and remained sprawled on the chair, promptly shutting the phone and placing it on the coffee table to prove a point.
"Impossible. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Aw, Ranmaruuu. Just admit it!" Yukinojo said, bounding towards him. He stood with Kyohei, joining in with his teasing while Takenaga simply shook his head good-naturedly and returned to his book.
The noise and banter escalated between the three men. In fact, the noise escalated so much that an argument was about to erupt and the ringtone of a certain cellphone on the table was not heard.
Sunako tiptoed towards it and looked at the caller ID, picking up the phone and holding it in her hands. "Ah…Tamao-chan…"
At her whisper, the bantering stopped and the ringtone echoed throughout the house. Everyone and everything was still.
Quite suddenly, Ranmaru stood and pushed the other boys aside, nearly knocking them over. He snatched the phone out of Sunako's hands and held it carefully in his hand, which was slightly shaking. Slowly, he opened the flip phone and brought it to his ear.
"M-M-Moshi moshi…?"
His body stiffened at the sound of the voice on the other line and he stood up as straight as a stick.
"T-T-Tamao-san! Yes, how are you?"
"Oyoyo…" Kyohei muttered, sprawling himself into Ranmaru's chair while grabbing the last snack on the tray. "Total change of personality."
"Ah…love," Yukinojo simply commented, a smile on his face.
The housemates watched as Ranmaru twitched and sputtered on the phone, acting the total opposite of his usual relaxed and grandeur self. It was completely different from how he normally spoke to other women on the phone. Gone were the "honeys" and "sweethearts." Gone were his narcissistic comments. It was almost comical.
Suddenly, Ranmaru's eyes widened. "Eh?! D-D-Date?" A second passed before he forced a fake laugh. "Of course that's okay! Why wouldn't it be okay?" Another moment as he listened to her response. "W-What would we do? Umm…uhh…" He sputtered as he looked to his housemates, desperate for suggestions.
Yukinojo's eyes glistened. "A trip to the zoo!"
"A nice restaurant?" suggested Takenaga.
"Just bring her here," muttered Kyohei boredly, looking wistfully at the empty plate of sweets. "You'll save money."
Sunako lifted her head slightly. "Horror movie?"
Ranmaru continued to stammer on the phone, looking at them in exasperation and deciding that none of the suggestions were good enough. "I-I'll surprise you!...Yes…Y-Yes, I…Okay then…Tomorrow it is!...See you then!"
After hanging up the call he sighed in relief, collapsing into the nearby couch with Takenaga. They all looked at him quietly, taking in his uncharacteristic uneasy demeanor. Ranmaru took a deep breath, ignoring their blank stares and looking quite defeated.
The almighty playboy of all playboys was…nervous about a date?
"Ne…" Yukinojo said with a grin. "Ranmaru was waiting for Tamao-chan to call, ne?"
The man he addressed simply frowned and glared. "Shut up."
"You have to admit," Takenaga said with a small smile, "It certainly is quiet hilarious to see you so frazzled. Especially about a girl."
"She's just not any girl…" Ranmaru muttered under his breath. He suddenly grew embarrassed, after realizing what he said out loud. He looked up and spotted Yukinojo's grin grow even wider, Takenaga trying to hide his smile, and Kyohei staring at him knowingly. Even Sunako let out a very slight chuckle. Ranmaru stood, trying to regain his usual confidence. He stretched out his arms and feigned a yawn. "I mean, I know I can sweep her off her feet anytime," he said trying to sound bored. "I don't know what you guys are talking about."
"Then why were you hesitating when you were asked what you guys were going to do?" Kyohei replied. "Can't you just do what you and Tamao do on your other dates?"
A silence enveloped them. They looked at the tall man expectedly who only gave a blank almost shameful look back at them.
"It's a…first…date?" a whisper from behind a hood said.
Kyohei and Yukinojo started hooting and hollering, laughing freely, almost falling out of their seats. Even Takenaga was laughing out loud, trying to contain himself when he saw a death stare from Ranmaru's eyes but to no avail. It was simply hilarious! Ranmaru – Ranmaru out of all people! – was acting like a lovesick teen about his first date with Tamao! This hilarity continued for a good five minutes without stopping until finally the boys had begun to lose air in their lungs.
"So are you going to help me or what?" Ranmaru snapped, arms folded in front of his chest, glad that the teasing had finally ended.
Kyohei waved his hand in the air dismissively, wiping a tear from laughter with his other hand. "Che! Just do whatever you normally do on other dates with girls!"
Yukinojo brought a finger to his chin in contemplation. "What he normally does? I can't really picture Tamao-chan enjoying what he normally plans…"
A similar picture popped up in all of their heads. Tamao, fully clothed, sitting stiffly and emotionlessly in the center of a bed covered with rose petals in a dimmed room. Tamao nonchalantly sitting in a hot tub in a simple black one piece bathing suit, unmoved. Ranmaru whispering sweet nothings into the ear of an indifferent Tamao.
In unison, all their faces seemed to nod in agreement, understanding the predicament.
"See?!" Ranmaru exclaimed in frustration.
Yukinojo nodded. "If Ranmaru was to be himself on this date…"
"…Tamao-san might not want to marry him anymore," Takenaga finished.
Ranmaru shot him a look, his dignity hurt. "I wouldn't go that far…" he muttered.
After a moment, Kyohei stood, hand balled into a fist in front of him. "Yosh!" he exclaimed decidedly. He turned to Ranmaru, a determined expression on his face. "Let's turn you into a proper gentleman!"
Yukinojo rolled his eyes, a smirk on his lips. "Says the man who can't even take Sunako-chan on a date because he's so broke…"
A certain cloaked woman yelped and hung her head even lower in embarrassment, trying to hide her already hidden bright red cheeks. The said man grew red at the comment as well and became defensive, stuttering all the while. He turned to Yukinojo with daggers in his eyes while the boy simply grinned and the others laughed knowingly.
"S-Shut up!"
Ranmaru gave a cheeky grin, emitting his inner child. He spun around boyishly, sporting a very uncharacteristic jeans, sneakers, long sleeve shirt, and vest combination. His hair had a bit more curl to it than usual. "Machiko-chan!" he exclaimed with a high pitched voice. "Ne, ne! Let's go out for ice cream, ne?"
Unamused, Yukinojo glared at him. Takenaga and Sunako chuckled, watching as Ranmaru sported different outfits picked out by his housemates.
"It's a little immature ne?" Takenaga commented.
Yukinojo crossed his arms in front of his chest. "If by immature you mean fun and cute, then yes. It is immature."
Takenaga laughed. "Let's try something else…"
A few minutes later, Ranmaru wore a dark shade of jeans, a pair of nice black shoes, a casual gray button up shirt topped with a very collegiate-looking black cardigan. His hair slick closer to the nape of his neck, Ranmaru sat on the couch, demurely sipping on some tea with a novel in his hand.
Yukinojo scoffed. "This is just ridiculous! Ranmaru shouldn't wear 'dad clothes' on his first date!"
"I think he looks great!" Takenaga commented, nodding his head in approval.
"I bet Noi-chan would think that too…" Yukinojo muttered under his breath.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Takenaga said, suddenly red in the cheeks.
Ranmaru feigned a flustered expression. "N-Noi-chan? W-Where? Is she here?"
Yukinojo laughed heartily.
Still red, Takenaga cleared his throat. "Maybe another outfit would do after all…"
"Ma…" Ranmaru held his hands close to his face as a shield. "Ma…" He squatted on the floor, his heavy black cloak covering his figure. A huge hood was over his head, making him look ominous. "Mabushii!" he yelled in fright, hiding behind the couch and feigning a tremble.
The original Sunako was delighted, chuckling from underneath her own hood. "Friend!"
Takenaga and Yukinojo simply looked on with an amused expression. "This won't do at all…" Takenaga commented.
An agitated Kyohei who had been watching the whole time while sprawled on the couch rolled his eyes. "You guys are being idiots! Ranmaru doesn't have to change his clothes. Clothes don't matter. He needs to change his rude, playboy attitude!"
"Speak for yourself!" laughed Yukinojo.
Kyohei's eyes widened at Ranmaru's next outfit. He stood in a hurry, taking in Ranmaru's appearance. "Oyoyo! What the hell did I just say!" he yelled. "And who said you can go through my stuff!"
Ranmaru glared back at him, clad in a pair of jeans, some work boots, a long sleeved black hoodie, and a certain someone's signature red plaid jacket. "Che. You better change that attitude of yours." Ranmaru retorted, faking a hotheaded demeanor. He fell onto the large couch, getting comfortable. Boredly, he waved his hand in the air. "Sunako, get me my manga from my room!"
"Yes!" Sunako squeaked.
Kyohei fumed as Yuki and Takenaga laughed at the scene, holding their stomachs and unable to stand up straight. "What do you think you're doing!" Kyohei yelled at a certain hooded girl as she returned, bidding Ranmaru's wishes.
Sunako gave a meek shrug of her shoulders, not quite sure why she had responded to Ranmaru either. She went towards Ranmaru, handing the manga over. She was peering at him carefully from behind her bangs, wondering why this fake Kyohei didn't emit that "bright creature" vibe that she always felt when looking at the real Kyohei deeply. Strange…
Suddenly Ranmaru grabbed her arms, pulling her close. His eyes were softened as he continued to look her in the eye. "Sunako…don't ever change…" He pulled her even closer, his own eyelids starting to close…
SMACK.
Kyohei had tackled "fake Kyohei" to the ground and as Ranmaru pleaded for mercy, Takenaga and Yukinojo's laughter only increased. Sunako was already fleeing from the scene in fright and embarrassment.
The next day, after a lot of "attitude adjustment training" given by his housemates, Ranmaru stood nervously outside a small café near Tamao's hotel. He had opted for his own clothes and was clad in a pristine white button up, some black pants, and a thin scarf. Thank goodness. His housemates' clothes just were not mature enough for his taste.
He continuously repeated all the tips and tricks they had advised him in his head, scared that he would forget them in a moment's notice. He looked towards a rustling nearby bush and spotted a flash of red plaid. He looked at his friends in desperation.
"Stop being a baby!" Yukinojo whispered loudly. "You can do it! Just remember what we told you!"
Sunako spotted a pristine-looking, beautiful woman heading their way. "Tamao-chan's coming." The others shushed as Ranmaru tried to still his beating heart.
"T-Tamao-san," he said, taking in her usual beauty. "Y-You look…"
"Compliment her!" Yuki advised. "Make sure you make her feel like she's the only being in the world!"
"But not in an over-exaggerated way that you usually do," Takenaga added.
What was considered over-exaggerated? What was the right word? Sexy? Beautiful? Pretty? Stunning?
Meanwhile, during the silence, Tamao peered up at him strangely. "Ranmaru-sama…are you okay?"
"M-Mabushii!" Ranmaru sputtered. "You look mabushii!" He gave a hearty, forced laugh as the girl in front of him raised an eyebrow in confusion, breaking her usual solid demeanor.
Nearby, three male housemates gave sighed, trying to muffle Sunako's squeals of delight. It was going to be a long date…
"Make sure to hold her purse for her!" Yuki commented. "And hold out her chair for her!"
Kyohei furrowed his eyebrows. "Isn't that a little much?"
"Pay for the bill and don't accept her refusal," Takenaga added thoughtfully.
"Che. Let her pay for it herself! It'll make her feel incompetent if you don't let her pay," Kyohei added.
Ranmaru tiredly walked alongside a timid, quiet Tamao through a nearby park, the trees providing shade and the birds providing song on a beautiful day. But there were so many thoughts running through his mind, he barely was able to enjoy himself. He was exhausted trying to listen to all the advice from his stupid housemates.
Tamao peered over at him. Though not minding the silence with her precious Ranmaru-sama on their date (which she couldn't even believe she was on in the first place!), she did notice that he was troubled. He certainly looked troubled with his hunched shoulders and pallid complexion. And he certainly acted troubled all throughout their date.
After his Sunako-like "Mabushii!", he had suddenly and stiffly grabbed her purse out of her hands as they walked into the café. He had held out the chair for her as she sat, pulling it too much that she had actually almost fell. And then, after the check had been delivered to their table, he had whipped out his hand to grab it, only to stop himself in midair. Afterwards, his hand reached for it again, only to stop himself again. This continued for a whole ten minutes before Tamao slipped the check out of his reach to pay for it.
"Ranmaru-sama…"
At her voice he snapped out of his reverie and looked down at her, a small smile on his lips when he saw her face. "Yes, dear?"
Secretly, her heart fluttered at the endearment and she felt a bit of the old essence of her Ranmaru-sama revive itself. "Thank you."
He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I haven't done anything for you though…" he said defeated, "…except make a fool of myself."
She gave a small smile. "You've tried so hard to make today special…I'd never thought that…with all your girls that you've had…that you would try as hard as you are trying now…"
Ranmaru stopped in his tracks as she followed in suit. She turned to him, the smile dazzling him. The usual emotionless, over polite ojou-sama had disappeared. All he saw was…brightness. Was this was Sunako-chan felt like?
He gave a chuckle as he thought about the past two hours of their date and how ridiculous he was being. "So…how long did I fight over the check with myself?"
Tamao let out a real laugh. The first real laugh he had heard from her lips. He wanted to hear it again…and again...and again. "For quite some time. You didn't even notice as I took it and paid for it."
They looked at each other and shared a laugh underneath the shade of a tree. Ranmaru couldn't get this strange feeling out of his chest. He hadn't been able to understand it…this feeling. He hadn't been able to understand why he had been so anxious for her call, why he hadn't been itching to meet up with some very willing ladies at a hotel, why he had wanted his stupid roommates' opinions on dating in the first place. And as he looked at her, laughing sweetly at his expense, he felt a warm feeling rise inside himself.
He had never shared an honest laugh with a woman he had gone out with before. He had never gone ten minutes without saying sweet nothings that he knew would drive a woman crazy. For Tamao…she deserved better.
She deserved…his real self. Not the boy that ran away from love by "loving" too much.
That's why…he had been so panicky. He had never shown his real self to anyone.
"Tamao-san," he started, the laughter dying into a comfortable silence. "I want you to know that…those women…" He sighed, not really sure what he was about to say. "I've never felt half as nervous as I do about you with any other woman before. That's why…that's why I've been acting so weird all day."
She turned bright red at his words and smiled, making his heart melt. "Me neither. I turn as cold as ice when I'm around you. Why don't we just promise each other…to be as true to ourselves as possible to each other? Because…after all…" Tamao meekly looked up at him in embarrassment. "Ranmaru-sama is the only Ranmaru-sama that I want to get to know…"
His heart full, Ranmaru grinned, the weight finally off his shoulders. The incessant comments and advice from his housemates disappeared, as did his own doubts in himself. For once, someone was ready and willing to get to know him. The real him.
And so there, in the middle of an empty park, he bowed his head low as he gently took her hand in his. He slowly brought the fragile hand to his lips and softly brushed them against her fingers. She felt her heart pound as she simply stood there, solid as a statue.
"I promise."
And it was the first promise to a woman that he ever truly meant.
Entering the Nakamura mansion late that evening, all smiles, Ranmaru stopped in his tracks as he spotted his housemates seated on the living room couches. He grinned at them, finding his usual spot in his favorite red chair.
"I'm home."
Having witnessed Ranmaru and Tamao's exchange at the park from behind some flower bushes, the other three boys grinned knowingly. They had immediately left their role of stalking the couple once they had seen the sweet gesture, knowing that everything would be alright from then on.
Sunako smiled as she entered the room, placing some tea in front of him. "Welcome back."
"Look at him," Takenaga teased, witnessing Ranmaru looking ecstatic. "He's all smiles."
"Despite how much of an idiot he looked like today," Yuki said, laughing loudly.
Ranmaru's smile faded only slightly at his comment. "And whose fault is that!"
"It worked out in the end," Sunako whispered, joining the conversation. She had found a spot on the couch next to Kyohei. "Now you know that you don't have to be anyone other than yourself."
"Way to take the words right out of my mouth," Kyohei muttered at her, a slight smile on his lips. She looked shyly at him momentarily before turning away, afraid that his "brightness" would become unbearable again. "But it's surprising," the household hothead continued to the rest of the group. "Out of all the lowlife things you've suggested to girls, you opted for a kiss on her hand."
Ranmaru sighed looking dazedly and happily into the air. "To tell you the truth…" he started, "I never was one to want to kiss on the first date."
The other boys looked on in utter shock, as if the notion was completely farfetched. "No way...!"
Kyohei grinned evilly, raising an eyebrow. "Oi…You do know that your days of spontaneous trips to hotels, spas, and hot springs have come to an end, ne?"
Ranmaru's grin became even wider. "I would've been okay with that actually…except that they aren't!"
"What do you mean?" Yukinojo asked.
Ranmaru let out a low chuckle. "Tamao and I…went to a hotel just a few hours ago."
The other boys sighed. "Jeez Ranmaru!" Kyohei muttered. "Don't you know when to stop?"
"Tamao…suggested it!"
At this, his housemates' jaws dropped. The Tamao? The sheltered, pure, innocent Tamao? The quiet, shy girl who had never had any contact with males and who had been attending all girls' schools since the time she could walk? The girl who dressed conservatively, who turned into a cold statue in front of Ranmaru? The girl who had been in a very innocent and pure love with Ranmaru since they were five years old?
Unbelievable!
Ranmaru gave one final grin. "Well, good night!" Still smiling, he felt as if he was floating as he slowly walked up the stairs.
He looked back at his roommates who had begun discussing how improbable it was for Tamao to suggest such things and that Ranmaru was probably just being "full of himself again." It somehow led into an argument – as do all discussions do in this household… – and Kyohei getting upset and embarrassed when they asked Sunako if she would ever want to be intimate with the infamous hothead. She had pretty much fainted at the suggestion as Takenaga tried to pry a very red Kyohei off of Yukinojo, who had said one comment too far…something along the lines of "Kyohei probably wouldn't know how to please her anyway!"
Ranmaru silently laughed to himself. They didn't have to know that Tamao had only suggested eating at the restaurant inside her hotel for dinner!
That's what they get for making him look like an idiot!
Finally collapsing on his bed after a long day, he grinned to himself. He felt like a middle school student who had a crush on someone. When was the last time that he felt this way? This pure feeling? This feeling where just being able to kiss her hand gave him butterflies? Where seeing her beautiful face was better than seeing other parts of her body? Where spending time talking and laughing was better than being intimate?
Without the physical, superficial, and thrill aspect of the past flings he had, he decided that this one felt a lot better. Had a lot more potential for something to grow out of it.
And even though it was scary – very scary indeed – he looked forward to finally allowing someone other than him to love him.
A/N: I just recently watched the amazing live action of the Wallflower and just couldn't get enough of it! Expect more fluff and comedy relating to the other awesome Nakamura Mansion housemates soon!