Chapter 2: Calling All Bets

Gurgle, Gurgle

………..

Tsukasa was pacing back and forth in the tiny kitchen like a maniac on a Monday morning. It was the first day of his bet with Tsukushi. He held his girlfriend's cell phone against his quivering ears as he rummaged through the Makino family fridge for some breakfast. It was a half empty ice box with nothing but leftover chicken skin bits (was it fried or what? He couldn't tell), some cold rice balls…He wanted badly to call one of his F4 cronies but remembered that he had switched everything he owned with her yesterday. Once he flipped through her phone's buddy list, he found a number that was more familiar. The ringing of the dial tone finally ended.

"Rui! You got to do me a favor!"

"….Who is this?"

"It's Tsukasa, who else?!" Success. He thought, trying to maintain composure. "I'm at Makino's right now."

Gurgle, Gurgle

"You wake me up in the morning to tell me that you've hit it off with your girlfriend…great."

"Idiot! I'm not calling you about that. And for God's sake, it's 7 AM on a school day. Will you stop spending all your time sleeping…Hello, are you there? Wake up!"

"….I'm listening, Tsukasa."

"Well, I need to borrow some clothes, just enough for the whole week." He glanced at his reflection in the murky windows. After the cold shower (he had forgotten that 'commoners' needed to turn on the boiler on for hot water), his hair had turned incredibly frizzy. The poor man was now wearing a hentan, an overcoat he found in one of Susumu's drawers. He couldn't even walk into the public. "I can't even ask Jiro or Akira because she seems to listen to you the most. She might let you into my house instead to get my stuff…" scuttling, he explained everything that went down yesterday during the supermarket.

Gurgle, Gurgle

"You can't give up yet, Tsukasa. Didn't she give you some money in exchange for yours?"

"Yeah, but she only had a couple of yens left around the house, enough to buy a toothbrush and some gum! There's no way I can live off of that for a week let alone buy a whole new of wardrobe. Damn, she's so evil!"

"You're totally whipped."

"Shut up! Just bring me some of my clothes before you go to school or at least get your chauffeur to send them!"

Gurgle, Gurgle

"What the hell, man. What's that noise in the background, your stomach?"

"I think it's the toilet." Another problem that arose. "It's been clogged since yesterday."

"God Tsukasa, how are you going to survive a whole week…"

Later that day….

"How is he going to survive a whole week!?" the same words reverberated from Akira. The Flower 4 were sitting in the cafeteria's usual spot with just one of their members amiss. "How'd the poor guy look when you went to see him this morning, Rui?"

"I didn't," he began calmly with a smirk on his face with his nose deep in some novel or another. "Makino wouldn't let me even go get him some of his clothes from his house. She made it clear in the rules that he has to work for his money."

"Tough love" Soujiro commented. "Well what do you say, you guys? I say we milk the cow for what it's worth! Who wouldn't wanna see the great Doumyouji Tsukasa in an apron scrubbing some floors? I already got a whole homeroom to bet money on this! OH hey Makino, we were just talking about you!"

"Just so you know, you're not allowed to help him in any shape or form…" Makino informed as she walked over to the table.

"We wouldn't think of it!" Jiro cried. "In fact, we're betting big money on this one. We'd be losing everything if we help him out. Anyway, you're one of US now. You know what that means right? You're the provisional fourth member of the Flower 4!"

"Oh, what an HONOR."

"That's right. And you know what Tsukasa usually takes us to every week?"

"What?"

"He treats us to a night at the stripclub."

"WHAT?!?!?!" I didn't know he'd be THAT big of a perv…
she jumped out of the chair causing the table to shake.

"Calm down, calm down…it was just a joke," Akira countered. "You certainly have Tsukasa's temper down. You know, for a sit-in rich girl, you certainly aren't taking advantage of the spoils you've got.

"Sure I have," she begun. "First, I gave every worker in the mansion a 50 percent raise for all their hard work and for putting up with that bigheaded Doumyouji for so many years…then I gave them the whole week off with pay!"

"You what? Tsukasa's not gonna be happy when he comes back…" Akira sighed. "I can just see the smoke coming out of his ears when he hears this…"

"Like he's going to make it out alive within a week?" Soujiro jumped up to greet several betters. "Yes it's going to be a thousand for Makino Tsukushi's victory…yes we take credit…hey Makino, since he's not going to be around for a week, why don't we do something over the top? The sky is the limit for you after all."

"How about a yacht party, this Friday?" she suggested.

"Hey, it's your birthday isn't it?" Rui asked. She nodded with a grin and replied,

"I really liked the one we held when Shizuka came back that other time…"

"Now you're sounding more like one of us." Jiro smirked.

"Without Tsukasa's consent?" Akira with a worried look. "He's gonna have our heads…"

"Again, he's not going to have our heads because he's not going to survive the whole week…"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, you bastards!" their curly-haired crony stepped in, shocking the whole audience with his golfer shorts, plaid polo shirt with a pocket protector, long tube socks and caddy shoes looking like he's all set to go to attend a math league competition ...

"Tsukasa…where'd you get those…clothes?" Soujiro choked on his breadsticks. Akira was trying his hardest not to throw up in front of the ladies around the joint.

"Got it from him." Pointing to Kazuya who meekly waved to them. "My new BUDDY, ain't that right, Kaz?" the boy nodded submissively.

"Being desperate already? You know, I never asked my friends for money…or clothes for that matter." She scoffed.

"Shut up! I wouldn't be asking for clothes if you had me get them."

"Well, your clothes technically belong to me now." she jeered on as she tossed him an apron. "But here's your uniform. You have work today at the dango shop today after school. Okami-san said that she's willing to let you work for your money this week. So are you ready to back out and admit defeat?"

"Not even close." He was determined which surprised Tsukushi a bit. She didn't realize how serious he was. The girlfriend was just trying to teach him a lesson on appreciating the little things in life.

"You guys all think I'm not going to make it huh? Well lemme tell you something, I'm doing just FINE so far. And what's this I'm hearing about betting with the whole school against me?" he shot a fuming glare at Jiro and Akira. "Did that idiot brainwash you bozos, too!?"

"Hey you can't talk to me or them with that tone anymore." Makino retorted. She stuck up her nose, obviously doing this to tease him. He still didn't get the fact that she was referring to her newfound status in the group.

"BAKA RU!!! I'll talk to you however I want to! So how does it feel with all that expensive stuff in my house that you can't afford? Tch, even with the money of a millionaire you can't pull off looking like one…you poor--"

Before he could finish the sentence, she pinned a piece of paper onto his head.

"Eek! Uh, Tsukasa we'll see you later." Soujiro stuttered as he, Akira and Kazuya turned their tails and made their way out. "Rui! What are you still doing sitting there?"

"This is fun. I think I'm gonna watch the ritual this time."

"You're crazy, the 'storm's' about to come if you catch my drift. Now let's GO!" Soujiro and Akira grabbed him and rushed out of the hall.

"What the…" Tsukasa was oblivious though not for long.

"IT'S THE RED SLIP!" someone from the dining hall rushed out, practically screaming through the hallways. Although not usually found pinned onto the victims head but in their lockers, the trick sure worked.

"Some loser in golfer slacks at the dining hall just got the red slip from F4!!!!!!!!"

Are they that dense? He was beyond disbelief.

Tsukasa's jaws dropped to the dining floor. He could hear the Eitoku students' footsteps marching and making their way, and soon they'll surely have his head…

"Who the hell told you that you could turn the cards around at me!?"

"You did, idiot." Tsukushi smirked as she glared lovingly into his eyes. "You'd better run!"

Author's note:

Here's updated numero dos for this week. I know I'm making Tsukushi sound extremely cruel for doing this to her number one man. I know so far it seems that Tsukasa is just being ridiculed but the fun is only beginning …! Stay tuned for Chapter 3: The Independent Man.