A full year has passed; still the season of precipitation looms across the skies. Stormy winds blow dangling streamers and plants drenched in water. It felt like a decade or two has passed. After waiting for a long time, Romeo returned to the land of the rising sun…only to see a desolate landscape brought about by rivalry and war between the first Juliet and the new Juliet.

Surely, it feels different again when it's…

Kagami in the Rain 2: Desolation

The following events take place in her last year of high school still on the rainy season.

Episode 5: Prepare Yourself, Kagami! The Arrival of Your Rival is at Hand!

Chapter 21: Touchdown

Regardless of the torrential rains that made the tarmac as slippery as an eel, it didn't stop one of the busiest airports in the country: Narita International Airport from operating under these circumstances. Passenger and cargo planes take off and land every few minutes, although air traffic isn't as hectic as air traffic under fair weather. The wet tarmac wasn't an obstacle for the incoming planes from different points of the world. One of them is a white 747 with the letters JAL approaching the tarmac and landing its wheels on the surface of the runway. Its passengers walked out of the luxurious Jumbo Jet and inside the comforts of the air-conditioned airport, keeping a sharp eye on their respective luggage moving in the conveyer belts. While some required a cart to move a number of their bags, a few only had a bag or two to carry. One of these persons is Hajime Takashi.

"Romeo" returned to Japan after a year of training in business administration under the supervision of his aging father. He returned to the country as a college transferee in America to the doors of the University of Tokyo to pursue a degree in business administration. This time he's on his own; no direct help from his father or any of his relatives abroad. He signaled for a cab outside the building. But almost all of the cabs already had passengers. The situation was like this until he saw an empty cab parked not far from where he stood. He quickly boarded the taxi and told his destination to the driver…only to find out that the driver wasn't a complete stranger to him.

"It's been a while, Takashi." The driver removed his cap and showed his face through the center mirror. "Doing well?"

"S-Sano…!" Takashi responded surprisingly. "H-How did you break out of jail?"

"It's called 'community service', dumbass. Weird, isn't it? After a few months of this dead-end job, my freedom will be granted. It's a good thing nobody is hurt during the Sunday Crisis; otherwise my sentence could've been worse."

"What about your friends?"

"After they confessed to the authorities that they attempted to molest Kagami, they were sentenced to longer years behind bars. Life is very merciless to me."

"M-Molest…? You ordered them to assault her?"

"They completely acted on their own discretion, moron!"

"There's no need to get all testy. How should I know?"

"You've got to stop acting moronic if you're going to show yourself to her. So, where're you going?"

"Miyuki's house…at least until I find a place close to Tokyo U."

"I forgot…you're a college student now."

"Years seem to pass like hours nowadays. Is it because of technology?"

"Even I can't answer such a question. So calling you 'dumbass' right now doesn't seem fitting…"

"Call me by any name you wish…as long as I have a name for myself."

"(You're being too pragmatic.)"

Hajime Sano, Takashi's twin brother and former rival for Kagami's heart, was granted intense hours of community service as a cab driver with medium surveillance from the police after his friends confessed to the authorities that he stopped them from assaulting her during her captivity. Out of the court's generosity, they dropped his sentence from years behind bars to hours as a cab driver serving the community its needs of transportation. But most of the time, his cab remains empty because of the people's fear of him; although his days as an outlaw are now locked up in the archives.

While these people have changed for the betterment of their lives, some remained unchanged during the transition of time.

---0---0---0---0---0---

"It sure stinks, right?" Kagami said over the phone.

"But it's good now." Konata replied.

"So I was thinking of coming over before the semester starts. I heard your little cousin has the flu."

"She's very sickly, you know. So as a big sister, I have to be responsible."

"I wish you can say the same in doing your homework."

"Don't sweat the small stuff, Kagamin."

"Homework is not small stuff!"

"Speaking of sweat, shouldn't you be sweating because of—"

"I know, I know…just to let you know, I lost a few pounds a week ago."

"And let me guess, you're snacking again. You're so weak-willed."

"Well anyway, I'll see you the day before the start of the semester."

"Okay, goodbye."

As far as the conversation is concerned, they're still good friends. Konata is as joyful and not to mention indolent in studies as always; whereas Kagami is her polar opposite: serious and studious. Both of them coped up with the changing times and remained unscathed by the transition. Nevertheless, Kagami still remembers the Sunday Crisis more than anybody else in the country—considering that she is the main course in the meal plan. It still scares her and continues to haunt her to this very day.

"Onee-san, can you teach me this part?" Tsukasa approached her, showing a part of a feudal era haiku.

"I'm just about to start studying. Let's do it together." Kagami suggested.

"Okay."

Fully recovered from the trauma of the broken plate omen, Tsukasa resumes her life as a third year student and a devoted twin sister to her family in terms of household chores—a thing in which her other twin sister is not very good at. The Sunday Crisis affected all members of the family and not to mention those close to the victim. A full year of forgetting helped her a lot. She's back to her normal self, ready to pursue her last year in high school.

Meanwhile, Souijiro and Kuroi-sensei grew even closer after a full year of hardship in their relationship. It was two for the price of one: a need to remarry and a need for a man in someone's life solved respectively. Konata, after a full year of doubt clouding her reasoning, finally chose to accept her homeroom and world history teacher as her new mother. That meant regulated hours in front of the gaming world and supervised studies, considering her report cards to be a slum. The late Izumi Kanata watched from the sidelines as a new family is formed. Instead of anger because of her being replaced, she felt somewhat happy. For whatever her husband is happy at, she'll support him all the way.

---0---0---0---0---0---

Sano's cab pulled over in front of the Takara residence. Takashi had to pull out his umbrella because it was raining heavier than the time he arrived at the airport lobby. Before he could even go outside, Sano stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait, I have one more thing to say to you."

"What is it?" Takashi inquired.

"Don't tell anybody about me or about what we've talked about. Not even Miyuki…"

"Why…?"

"Just do it, dumbass! If you know what's good for you…"

"Okay, you have my word."

"You'd better have it."

He pulled his bags out of the cab trunk and slammed it down. The taxi left hurryingly to the main road as soon as he got inside the front yard. A knock on the door had to be answered somehow. The events after that are pretty much common and obvious.

Back in the airport, another white 747 with the same JAL letters was about to make a touchdown in the tarmac. Its passengers went down through the mobile stairs and made tracks inside the airport building where they waited for their respective luggage moving on top of the conveyer belts. A brown-haired girl grabbed a big black trolley bag and made haste to catch a taxi. Unfortunately, even at a season as wet as water, the airports remained as busy as always. There was almost no taxi in line to pick her up. Then a black limousine drove through the road and stopped in front of her. The driver went out of the car and introduced himself.

"I've been expecting you, Yakumo-dono." The driver respectfully bowed down. "Come, they are expecting your arrival."

"Thank you." The brown-haired girl said. "I hope this doesn't bother you…driving all the way here."

"Right this way, madam."

The driver opened the rear-end door for her as she put her heavy trolley bag inside the trunk. Upon boarding, the limousine left the airport for wherever her home was. Inside the car, her cell phone rang and she quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Yakumo…"

"Oh, Sano..! Long time no see! How are you doing?"

"I'm stuck at being a cabby to work for my freedom points."

"That's what you get for being a hardhead."

"So when did you arrive? Do you need me to pick you up?"

"No, thanks; I got a luxurious ride for free."

"Seriously, you've got to stop making that a habit of yours."

"It's only for a couple of months."

Fifteen minutes after her arrival in the country, Takashi felt a chilly sensation; as if a spirit went past him. It was weird because he was in front of the fireplace warming up and still had his sweater on. He'll soon come to the realization that the reason is not the cold weather.

TO BE CONTINUED