Well, here is the next chapter of this particular story, finally, perhaps just a few weeks later than I had originally planned to actually release it here. For I was really hoping to release it just about two weeks ago, by my most recent birthday, whenever that might actually be for me here. But at least it's actually here now, people. Many more things happen in this chapter that will play a big enough part or big enough parts in any number of future chapters for this story. I really hope that you all really enjoy this chapter, even if any number of your favorite Love Hina characters might actually find themselves in certain positions that they might not normally find themselves in, either in canon or in this particular fandom. This next chapter, though, that I'm just about to release to you all here and now, should be quite action-packed, as certain things then start to get even more serious than they already are here and now in this story. I will still not reveal yet here just when and just where Cloak-san, at least, if not any number of other characters as well, will next appear in it, for sure. But I will still say, just the same, that she may indeed appear in the somewhat near future, whenever that might prove to be for everyone in the entire story.
And I really hope that you all will somehow be able to enjoy this next chapter quite a bit, more or less, if and whenever possible. Also, I am really hoping that you all will gladly provide me with a good number of quite clean, quite courteous, and quite constructive reviews, et cetera, in the very near future. At least for it, if not for any other parts of it as well, for that matter. I will await those various reviews, and other comments you might leave me, regarding it here, at least, quite naturally enough. But, also, please do not forget, if you can possibly avoid doing so at all somehow, that this story may actually be highly AU in many, if not in all, respects, just the same.
Well, I suppose that's enough discussion here before I actually release this chapter for your periodic reading, everyone, if I'm not too mistaken here and now. With no further ado, then, I, The Universal Storyteller, hereby releases the following chapter for public reading here on the applicable website for at least the time being, if not permanently. Until later, then, this is The Universal Storyteller signing off, and wishing you all the usual things that I say whenever I have been known to release chapters of multi-part stories, in fact.
Chapter Two
Some time later:
The following morning, not very long after breakfast ended, it was still moderately early in the morning of Sunday, December 16, 1990. Motoko and Tsuruko soon found themselves outside the main building on the grounds of the Hinata Apartments, and preparing for a sparring session, at least, with each other. Several others were getting ready to watch them spar and battle from a safe enough distance, for all the obvious reasons here and now.
Motoko soon chose her weapons for the session from a good-sized selection of weapons brought to the location of the session by Hirotsugu, Tsuruko's husband. Among the weapons she chose for her and her sister to use during it were two shinai, to name just a few of them, in fact. Both women stowed some of those weapons on their persons, while also quite firmly holding their respective main weapons in their hands. Even as they each then prepared to take their required starting positions so that their sparring session of sorts with each other here and now could finally begin well enough, for that matter. And so they each soon were, just before it then began, quite naturally enough.
In the middle of the field in which Motoko and her older sister Tsuruko both now stood, there stood Hirotsugu with a violin and its bow in his hands, even while he was also within three concentric circles clearly marked with stones of increasing size as one might approach the common center for all of them. The violin was in his left hand, and the bow was in his right. He soon put the violin's base under his chin, and then placed his bow on its strings as he then saw fit. That done, he then played at least a few notes, if not more, from a somewhat old piece of music once composed by long-dead members of his wife and his sister-in-law's family for a few seconds, at least. When he had played all the required notes on his violin here, he then stowed away on his back his violin and its bow, just before calmly sitting cross-legged where he now was, and preparing to listen to the sounds of the imminent session here, for that matter.
Once he was sufficiently in place, then, the two sisters bowed to him, and to each other, just before beginning to spar with each other, both from long-range and from point-blank range, as the session came to pass for each of them. They sparred for at least an hour, if not longer, before the older sister finally was able to get the upper hand sufficiently well against the younger, and claimed victory, as expected. But Motoko lasted considerably longer against her sister than she normally did during one of their periodical sparring/training sessions with each other on average. Though she didn't win, she did show at least some reasonable level of improvement in her ability to use their own family's martial arts techniques sufficiently well, for that matter.
After the sparring/training session finally ended well enough, then, Motoko and her sister, along with several others, eventually retreated to the hot springs for at least a little while, if not a long while, to soak in them well enough. Once that was actually done quite well enough to suit all the people who'd just gone there with each other, all the soakers quickly dressed. After which, they each went about their respective businesses for much of the day, if not all of it, quite soon afterward. Including Tsuruko and her husband Hirotsugu, for that matter, come to think of it.
Meanwhile, Hina was somewhere in the South Pacific with several other members of her extended family, including several of her nephews and nieces. She'd unexpectedly decided some good length of time before to visit several of them at assorted vacation spots in that particular part of the world. But a somewhat tragic accident had suddenly happened not long after she'd begun doing so, and she therefore began to deal with that tragedy almost immediately after she learned of it. One of the things that she then began doing was to try to see that Keitaro's now-orphaned relative Kanako, who was now still a toddler, at most, was definitely not shuffled off to certain other members of the Urashima family. Kanako had just lost both her parents when they'd been killed in a car accident by a drunk driver, in fact. And Hina now was trying to see to her great-granddaughter Kanako's welfare just as best as she then could here.
Kanako now appeared to be about a year or so old, at the very most, if even that. And she was born the eldest triplet daughter of two college students who'd each finished high school and started college at least a few years earlier than most people would in their respective lives. Hina was also trying very hard indeed to actually keep the other two triplets that had been born with Kanako together with her. But certain members of the Urashima family thought that the three triplets shouldn't actually be kept together, once the required matters related to her parents were resolved well enough, somehow.
"If you have a real problem with that particular sort of thing, then, I most gladly will adopt them all, and raise them as my own, just as I did my very own children, if I truly must do just that, somehow, Shukioshi. I surely will miss Takazomo and his wife Aytamiku very much indeed, of course. But they are no longer with us here in this world of ours. So we must move on, and do what we possibly can to best see to their mutual welfare. I will not allow you or any members of your quite infernal crowd to somehow ever damage their futures to a large enough degree by you or them eventually bringing them into your numerous very perverted and very sick affairs, for that matter, as sure as I am now the current head of this family. A future life of virtual slavery, in essence, to other people, especially to prospective criminals, is most definitely not suitable for any of my grandchildren, or any other possible and/or actual descendants of mine. And most especially for any of my present or future granddaughters, et cetera, for all the obvious reasons here and now. Your own twin brother Takazomo and his beloved wife Aytamiku would never truly allow it as long as they still drew breath, and they still wouldn't even if they didn't, either, if they could possibly ever prevent it somehow, for sure. Therefore, you shall definitely not ever somehow manage to get your custodial hands on them for as long as I can keep you from actually doing so well enough. You shall never be permitted to perhaps steal their respective futures from any or all of them for your wicked purposes, whatever those purposes might ever be, if it can possibly ever be avoided at all, somehow, for sure."
"This is wrong, Elder Hina," said a tall and dark-haired male who was about 20 or so years old in his life. "He was my twin brother, and my next-of-kin."
"That may be so, Shukioshi, but unlike you, he never was interested in often participating in certain immoral and/or illegal affairs. Most especially after he met Aytamiku in his own life, for that matter. You wanted her for your own, but she would not let you have her. Because you tried to get her to do things that she was quite uncomfortable with, quite often indeed, she ultimately rejected you as a potential husband, at least, if not in any other ways whatsoever. And she therefore refused to let you have her for your very own. Not only that, she also knew that you were unquestionably involved in a great number of activities she didn't like or approve of in her life one bit. And she really didn't want you to ever be able to somehow have custody of her kids if anything ever happened to her or your brother. For she really didn't want them to be potential prey for prospective yakuza like you, or be forced to live certain ways, in any of their lives, eventually. You most certainly won't get custody over any of them as long as I and many of the rest of us still live, no matter what. The wills of her and your brother will most certainly guarantee it, in fact. Dare to officially contest their respective last wills and testaments, in court, and you will be legally disowned from this family, officially, at their request, by those of us who are sufficiently enough on the law-abiding side of this family. Do I make myself clear, quite clear, Shukioshi?"
"This will NOT stand, then, Elder Hina."
"It had better, or else you and those with you in this family will wish that it had without any trouble from you, for sure. Think over your actions very carefully, Shukioshi. For if you and those with you are foolish, and carry out certain actions that you would not be wise to carry out, then you will set into motion a series of events that may come back to destroy you in time, ultimately. IF you and your people ever start something, you can be absolutely certain, without any doubt, that we will eventually finish it, no matter how long, and whatever, it takes for us to do so well enough, once and for all."
"We'll see about that, then. Very well, we shall leave you alone for a while, while we consider our current options, Elder Hina. But we still will let you all know our ultimate decisions sometime later, once we have done so well enough, for sure. Let's get out of here, then, Black Diamondites. Let's leave these fools to their whacked-out plans for at least the time being, if not for a long time," said Shukioshi, after a few moments of relative silence and staring between Hina and himself here and now.
Some decent length of time later, Grandma Hina was actually allowed to officially adopt the now-orphaned Kanako and her fellow triplet sisters, per the strongly-expressed wishes of her now-killed grandson Takazomo and his wife, expressed through certain unquestionably valid clauses in their respective last wills and testaments. But not without at least some contesting of those two wills by Shukioshi and his crowd of followers, if not a lot of it, in fact.
Once all necessary legal matters were dealt with related to Takazomo, Aytamiku, and their three now-orphaned children sufficiently well, Hina soon assembled all then-available members of the Urashima family she was then the head of, and held a meeting with them all as she then so desired to have with them all. Most of the then-assembled members of the Urashima family still remained quite loyal to her, for that matter. But there were still many members of it who chose very foolishly indeed to actually rebel against Grandma Hina and those then with her. So a somewhat intense battle indeed soon resulted between both sides of the then-applicable Urashima family issues. After which, those who followed Hina eventually drove away those who followed Shukioshi then and there, simply because of them being considerably stronger and much better led than those following Hina's challenger for leadership of the Urashima family, by the way. When they were sufficiently enough defeated by Hina's followers, the rebels were all quickly disowned by Hina and many others. At least legally, if not in any other ways whatsoever, anyway.
Almost immediately after they were, Hina then called Haruka, and told her to tell Keitaro that there would soon be more people coming to the Apartments than Hina had earlier thought there might be coming there in the near future. Haruka agreed to relay the message to Keitaro the first chance she got to do so well enough, of course. And then Hina prepared to make plans for the triplets' future, whether or not anything might ever happen to her sometime yet in the future, for that matter.
These plans of hers then took at least a little while, if not a long while, to make well enough, for all the obvious reasons here and now. But eventually, they were all still made. And Hina soon began to raise them with the help of several other members of the Urashima family, quite naturally enough. She spent at least a few weeks with the now-orphaned triplets, before learning of a potential attempt from the now-ronin Black Diamondites to snatch them. She soon decided to send them away temporarily under reasonably heavy guard, while she and others saw to their safe getaway from where Hina and they had just spent some time together with each other.
Hina sent them away and back to Japan under heavy guard by the end of the first full week of January 1991. She didn't want to send them away so soon after they'd lost their parents, but she saw no other better alternative to ensure their current safeties to do so well enough here and now. So she sent them all away from somewhere in New Zealand, and back to Japan. Before she did so, though, she charged all of their guards with a mission to defend each and every single one of the triplets to the death, if the need might then arise at all somehow. All the selected guards vowed to do so quite loyally indeed, with no doubt about their loyalties here and now whatsoever, for that matter. And so, Kanako, Kagome, and Komazuaki soon left their great-grandmother and many others behind in New Zealand, and with them all being under quite heavy guard indeed, in due time.
Several hours after they all parted from their great-grandmother Hina and many others, under quite heavy guard by many loyal members of the Urashima family, the triplets and their very large contingent of guards arrived together in Tokyo, Japan. Haruka eventually met up with them and their guards not long after they cleared customs, et cetera, and was soon briefed at more detail about the events of the past few weeks pertaining to the rest of the Urashima family by the triplets' guards.
By the time that they all finally arrived on the grounds for the Hinata Apartments well enough, then, Haruka knew everything that any or all of the now-present guards actually knew well enough about the currently-existing situation between loyal members of the Urashima family and now-ronin members of it. And she was quite angry indeed when she heard sufficiently well about the still-recent rebellion against Grandma Hina, quite naturally enough, of course. She promised to defend all the triplets to the death, if and whenever the need might ever arise for her to do so in the future, for sure, not long after that became the case for her well enough.
When they all arrived on the grounds of the Hinata Apartments, Haruka wasted no time in small talk, as she had several of the guards begin to take up positions around the perimeter of the grounds, and others to come inside the main building with her as she did so. She led several others with her into that main building, even as three of them were then having to carry the triplets into it, for all the obvious reasons here. The first person she saw from the Apartments when she entered the main building was Motoko, and Motoko was on the stairs as she did so.
Motoko soon asked, "Why are these males here, Haruka-san?"
"Because they are helping to guard three young children, which three of these people are now holding. Where is my cousin the manager? I must speak with him as quickly as possible. Much must now be discussed with him, and it involves Urashima family business of the greatest importance. Get him now!" Haruka shot her a look that invited no argument whatsoever at the current time about the presence of several males now on the grounds of the Apartments.
Motoko instantly went in search of Keitaro, somehow sensing it definitely would not be all that wise for her to challenge Haruka regarding certain people and/or things at the present time, at least, if not sometime later after that, as well, in fact. She found him cleaning the hot springs when she did so, and he was nearly done with them, for that matter. Keitaro quickly heard what she had to say, and then hurried off to find Haruka elsewhere in the Apartments' main building, of course.
With that done, Motoko then began to study the signs of his still-uncompleted work in the hot springs for a while. While she was still doing so, she suddenly got this feeling that any number of things had just changed quite significantly indeed for quite some time, if not forever. And she didn't really like that feeling here and now for herself, for some yet-unknown reason or reasons, come to think of it, even one little bit at all, either.
She remained in the hot springs area for a little while all alone with herself, before going back inside to do what she'd been about to do before Haruka had caught her going upstairs from the living room area for the Apartments. On her way towards the stairs, however, she saw several of the other residents huddling around the three baby girls, and curiosity soon struck her quite considerably indeed here.
So she soon decided to see what had just gotten their mutual interest quite strongly here and now. It wasn't long before she made her way to the main couch where Keitaro was now feeding Kanako, the eldest triplet daughter of one of his first cousins, in fact. Naru was holding Kagome, the middle triplet of the three, at the very same time. And as for Shinobu, she herself was holding the youngest of the three, Komazuaki, at the other end of the main couch from Keitaro and on the other side of Naru from him on it.
"Urashima, who are these babies?"
"They are the orphaned triplet daughters of one of my first cousins and his wife, making them all, then, my first cousins once-removed Grandma Hina just adopted them and sent them here for their own good, for several members of our family have now been officially declared ronin from our family. At least legally, if not in any other ways whatsoever, after rebelling against her and her right to head our family, you see, Motoko-chan. They have vowed to destroy those of us who have sided with Grandma Hina in the matters that are still being discussed here among many of us now in this living room, if and whenever possible."
"I see, And so?"
"They may seek to capture or kill anyone who stands with Hina and her friends and her relatives, no matter who they might be. And they may even try to somehow snatch one or more of these three babies so that they can bring them up or force them into lives of slavery and/or any number of evil-type things, eventually and/or ultimately."
"What are their names, then?"
"The one I am holding is named Kanako. Naru is holding Kagome. And Shinobu is holding Komazuaki."
"May I hold one of them, then, please?"
"I don't see why not, Motoko-chan. Here, please take Kanako. It seems I have to get up and do some personal business now, anyway."
Motoko quickly took Kanako from Keitaro, who then quickly rose and fled the room for the nearest bathroom area, quite naturally enough. She soon sat down with Kanako in just the same spot that Keitaro had just vacated, and tried to get Kanako to continue feeding from her current bottle of milk here and now. However, Kanako would not have any of it from Motoko, and she fussed and fidgeted, as if she didn't want Motoko to hold her at all. Haruka soon saw this, and moved to take Kanako from Motoko, but not before Kanako clenched her hands into fists, and began to try to smack Motoko in the face, if not anywhere else as well, at least a few times, if not several times. Motoko thought, "Why is she like this? Why is she going after me?"
Haruka soon was at Motoko's side, and commented, "Motoko, it seems that Kanako doesn't really like you here for some reason."
"Are you certain she's a Urashima, Haruka-san?"
"Totally, Motoko. Just as her triplet sisters are as well. I wonder if she'll ever really like you, for some reason or reasons I can't quite explain at the current time, at least, if I'll ever be able to, well enough. I'm also wondering here and now if she somehow already knows of your beating up on him quite often ever since he got here to become this place's manager, for that matter."
"That's ridiculous, Haruka-san! How could she ever know whether or not that is true, without witnessing such things herself, well enough?"
"I really don't know just how she might, to be totally honest with you here and now. But she still somehow actually seems to sense certain things are not necessarily as they should be between my cousin and you, and/or with a number of the other primary tenants here, Motoko."
Motoko thought about what Haruka just said for a while here, as Haruka then held Kanako in her arms and fed her at the same time from her current bottle. "What if she ever learns that you've hit Urashima periodically with your fans most of the time whenever he's actually called you 'Aunt Haruka,' even though you're really just cousins to each other?"
"Then I will deal with that potential problem if and whenever the need arises, of course, as I might actually see fit to well enough. Keitaro, though, is Keitaro, and he will probably continue to periodically call me that, no matter what, it seems to me."
"What if she ever learns that Naru and Kitsune have often mistreated him as well to a sufficient enough degree, then, for instance?"
"Then I suppose they had best watch out for her. For, based on the feelings I somehow seem to be getting about her as I now hold her and feed her, she will not look too kindly on any and/or all unjust treatment of him by anyone needlessly. She might not be able to hurt them now, of course, but perhaps somewhere down the line, she might somehow be able to, I think."
"Like a baby could really hurt any of us here, Haruka-san. Get real."
"Naru, from what I somehow seem to be getting here, her abilities in the future could very well make her even stronger than both Motoko and Tsuruko, if they're ever honed well enough. It might not actually come to happen for at least ten to fifteen years, if not even longer than that, mind you. But the potential for her to be at least that strong, if not even stronger than that, somehow, is most definitely there, just the same. In which case, you and Kitsune, at least, if not also Motoko, may both be very fortunate indeed if she might ever let you live after all you most likely would ever have done by then against Keitaro, I think. Shinobu would perhaps be sufficiently enough safe from her potentially great wrath, and so might both Mutsumi and Kaolla also be, but not necessarily you, Motoko, or Mitsune, might actually be, for that matter."
Eventually, Keitaro returned, and he took Kanako back from Haruka here. For a while longer, then, the many guards that had seen to the delivery of the triplets onto the grounds of the Apartments still remained on them. But, eventually, for all the obvious reasons here and now, they themselves had to leave as well.
Keitaro eventually put the triplets to bed in his room with the help of Naru, Shinobu, Haruka, and Kaolla. After which, Motoko stood guard over them while Keitaro went back to his still-uncompleted task here. Which was to clean the hot springs, in fact. It took him about another fifteen minutes or so, perhaps, to do so sufficiently well then and there. But eventually, he was able to finally complete them well enough for his tenants to use them when they next wanted to use them, for that matter.
Not long after that happened well enough, then, he went back to his room for the rest of the night, or at least much of it, if not all of it. And he soon let Motoko leave them again to do whatever else she then wanted to do anywhere, by the way. No matter what it was, he still let her do so, just the same, then and there.
Motoko soon decided to make herself some tea as she also read some articles in various periodicals and/or newspapers for a little while before bed. Shinobu and most of the other residents had already gone to bed by then. But Kaolla was still up and about, and in the process of demolishing a banana split or two or three each made with bananas and a few scoops of four different kinds of ice cream, when Motoko entered the kitchen herself for her tea.
When Kaolla saw her enter the kitchen well enough, she soon said, "Hey, Motoko, want to help me eat these banana splits, by any chance?"
"No thank you, Kaolla-chan. I would just rather have some tea and read for a while as I do so. Certainly you do not really need my help to actually eat them well enough, do you?"
"No, I don't suppose I do. But I still wouldn't mind it if you did decide to share at least part of one with me, if not take one as well for yourself."
"I see. So what is on your mind now, if I might ask?"
"Kanako-chan doesn't seem to like you much at present, for instance."
"Yes, that seems to be the case now, unfortunately. That girl seems to have a very strong dislike of her current situation. As for her sisters, I have no real idea just what they each might be like in the future. I think the leader of the three will be Kanako, and that she will be the one most likely to react to any number of things in a considerably aggressive manner of them all. She will bear watching in the future, without any doubt at all in my own mind, at least."
The two young women conversed for at least a little while longer with each other. Even as they either had banana splits or had tea while reading for at least a little while, in fact. This then continued for at least twenty or so minutes, if not more, but not much longer than that, in any case at all. Motoko finished her tea and gathered up her reading materials just before Kaolla finished her banana-filled treat or treats, and left the kitchen a few minutes before Kaolla did the same.
Kaolla wished her a good night, and soon left the kitchen as well for her own room elsewhere in the Apartments' main building. After that, Kaolla soon climbed into one of the various trees in her room, and lay on one of its thicker branches, just before falling asleep not long after then laying supine on it well enough for a long enough period of time.
The following day, during everyone's breakfasts, Keitaro eventually said, "Everyone, we most likely will be getting some new people coming in within the next week, if not sooner. And possibly even much sooner than that. Shinobu, we will need to start outfitting a few spare rooms for their use while they are here, of course. Do you think you might have time to help me with their rooms at least a little bit today or not?"
It was now Sunday, January 13, 1991, and Keitaro had just asked Shinobu this, not long after an unexpected pre-breakfast call from Grandma Hina while almost everyone else was still asleep in their respective rooms for the Hinata Apartments. Grandma Hina had called directly to his room, and they talked very quietly on the phone, so as not to potentially wake up anyone who was still sleeping anywhere in them, for that matter. After the conversation with his grandmother finally ended, he began considering various possibilities for those potential new temporary tenants, in terms of what rooms they might best be assigned to while they still stayed on the Apartments' grounds.
Shinobu thought for a while, and said, "I believe that I do have time to do so, in fact. At least for a little while, anyway. But I might not be able to handle several of those things well enough, you know, for the obvious reasons."
"I know. That's why I have decided to ask Shirai and Haitani to help us with the preparation of those rooms. Don't look at me funny, Motoko, for I know what you're thinking now, from my own personal experience. But they both still owe me for certain naughty pranks that they've ever played on me in the past, and I fully intend to collect at least some decent level of recompense on at least one of them somehow, if I possibly can. Besides, perhaps I can somehow actually teach them both a real good lesson, when it comes to appropriate treatment of young ladies."
"The day that ever somehow happens easily enough, the Sun will then be blue, and the moon will then be green," said Naru.
Kaolla said, "You've seen the red moon any number of times around here, Naru, I'm sure. So you know very strange things can often happen around here, I know. If Keitaro thinks he can actually teach them a lesson that they won't soon forget, then I think that he should be allowed to try at least once, if not more than that."
Naru considered that, and said, "Kaolla, his friends are perverts, just like Keitaro. And they're male, for that matter. Why should we let them invade our Apartments for more than a little while?"
"Because I currently have full charge of them, Naru," said Keitaro. "And if I want them here, then I have every right, within reason, to allow them to be here, as long as they don't act up too much, you see. Of course, if you want to leave, and take your stuff with you, then I might just allow them to move into 304 permanently, for that matter."
"That's my room!"
"Not if you're not here as a tenant, it isn't, Naru-san," said Keitaro.
Shinobu then began to get at least a little upset here and now. Which Keitaro soon saw well enough. And he then said, once he had done so well enough here, "Shinobu, sit down. This is not the proper time for you to get too angry at Naru."
"Senpai, she's bucking you again, no doubt."
"I know, Shinobu. But I need you to remain calm. I definitely will need your help today, at least. And you getting too angry at Naru here and now will make it at least a little bit harder for us to actually get everything done that we'll all need to do before our new temporary tenants get here in the very near future. If not a lot harder, in fact. I can handle Naru for now, I think. Let me do so to the best of my ability, okay?"
"Senpai, this isn't right."
"Don't make me have to get after both of you here somehow, please, Shinobu. I really don't want to, of course, as you should already know quite well by now."
"Fine, Senpai. You win. But I still don't like it, you know."
"I understand that, Shinobu. But I am still able to handle her well enough by myself, I think, at the present time. If that ever somehow changes, then I'll deal with that fact as the need might eventually arise for me to do just that at the particular time in question for us both. Meaning both her and me, at least, of course, that is. Until then, please do nothing needlessly against her or anyone else who might be here at any particular time, if you can possibly avoid somehow doing so here at all."
"I'll try, Senpai. But I can't make you any better promises than that right now, at least as it pertains to Naru, at least, if not anyone else as well," said Shinobu, a few moments of relative silence later, if not even later than that.
Keitaro studied her face for a few moments, and then said, "As I stated a little while ago, Shirai and Haitani are going to be helping me with the preparations of some rooms for our new temporary tenants to stay in. While we are preparing the rooms in question, then, it would most certainly be to your mutual benefits, most likely, for several of you to temporarily vacate the premises, so that they both don't actually get any wacked-out ideas while they're both still here. Motoko and Naru, I am placing you in charge of Kaolla and Mitsune, and I do not want any of you four to be present here on these grounds for at least three hours after my friends get here. Here is a large wad of cash that you four may use as you see fit, where possible and appropriate enough, during your mutual outing with each other today. I had better not actually see any alcohol coming back with you all when you return, for once, unless it is on a grocery list that Shinobu gives you before you leave. When we all are finally done preparing each of the necessary rooms as appropriate, to a sufficient enough degree, we'll then call you and let you know that it is okay for you girls to come back here again."
"Who are you putting in charge of the money, then, Urashima?"
"I am placing that duty on you, Motoko. Guard it well, especially against Mitsune. Kaolla, nothing that can go 'boom-boom-boom,' please, if you don't mind. I don't mind if you get books or something else, as long as whatever you might get doesn't have the potential to do anyone major bodily harm, for instance."
"And what of us?" asked Naru.
"The amount that I gave you is money that I've saved up for at least a little while, if not a long while, towards something major I was going to do, but will not be able to do, in the near future. I was considering the idea of pitching several of my more intelligent ideas to various animation studios and/or manga publishers in the near future. But certain things have happened that are going to delay that sort of thing for at least a little while, if not a long while. If you ladies might then want to use the money to buy yourselves dresses for at least one dance, then by all means use at least some of the provided money to do so, at a certain location I found not long ago after one of my recent trips due to you and Motoko, for instance. Also, there is some money there that I want you to use to collect dresses for Shinobu and Mutsumi to wear later, for that matter. I have been offered a good-sized discount on a collection of dresses for each of you, in fact, and each should work fairly well with the appropriate girl that a particular dress would be for."
"I don't understand, Keitaro," said Mitsune.
"I landed inside a dress shop in Tokyo's Azabu Juuban neighborhood during one of my recent flights courtesy of Naru sometime last month, Mitsune. And the owner of the applicable dress shop had great compassion for me, and she offered me several dresses for a considerably-reduced overall price, once I told her how I'd landed in her shop well enough not too much later. She had been in danger of losing her store, in fact, before I landed in it like I did. However, my often-sudden flights had begun to get even closer and closer to her store's location, periodically. And the day before I landed in her store, she had quite unexpectedly been served with an official notice of imminent eviction from her store's premises due to non-payment of certain required fees, et cetera."
"But?" asked both Motoko and Kaolla, together.
"Motoko and Kaolla, the day that I landed in her store, she did the most business that she'd been able to do over the past three years in her store's current location. I helped her out greatly, even with the matter of fixing the hole I'd left in her store's roof, and with my assistance in dealing with the customers that patronized her store after I'd suddenly landed in it as I had. In very sincere thanks, she then expressed her great compassion for me by not only seeing to my injuries sustained when I'd crash-landed through her store's roof, but also by offering me several dresses for a considerably-reduced price that I just told you all about here and now. Not only that, she offered to provide me with twelve considerably-discounted very special formal outfits over a year-long period, starting from the first time I requested one such outfit until the same calendar date for the following calendar year. In fact, among the things that I will want you four to pick up, if you go to that store, while you're out, is one of those outfits, for that matter. Ask for Shiori, and tell her that her now-chief benefactor Keitaro Urashima now requires one of those very special outfits sight-unseen by anyone but her until it gets here to me, by the way. It must remain such until the container then holding it is in my possession sufficiently well, ladies. If it is not, then certain unpleasant things might possibly happen, just so you know."
"These dresses. How will we know that they will work well enough for each of us, for sure, then?" asked Kaolla.
"Her outfits never fail to do so. They are always perfectly fitted automatically, once made and worn by the necessary party or parties in their lives. They even have been known to modify themselves as the need or desire for them to do so might then strike them or their wearers, for that matter. Also, she knows your current vital numbers, body-wise, from my telling her of them. Yes, I actually do know all of your current vital numbers, body-wise, for all of the obvious reasons here and now, ladies. While I didn't tell her everything about each of you, of course, I still told her all those specific vital numbers as they each applied to you ladies at the time of my landing in her shop, just the same."
"Those numbers should have been all kept private, Senpai, if at all possible."
"Yes, they should have. But apparently I had hit my head on the floor a lot harder then than I had originally thought I had, Shinobu. Which possibly caused me to reveal those numbers to her, as she was then trying to attend to my various multiple injuries as of that time, I strongly suspect. At least some of the events of that day and evening are still at least somewhat hard, if not considerably hard, for me to remember well enough, it seems, unfortunately."
Keitaro talked for at least a little while longer with his five current tenants here and now, just before they all eventually began to go about their required business, whether by choice or not. Shinobu was soon left alone with Keitaro, just minutes before Shirai and Haitani then showed up on the Hinata Apartments' grounds, as expected. Keitaro and Shinobu soon put them to very serious work tasks indeed in various areas of the property, and most especially in the main building on it for the rooms that the prospective tenants would soon likely occupy in it.
Whenever Haitani and Shirai were apparently then thinking of perhaps messing around a little, and maybe even do at least a little snooping in various places all over the main building, they were often soon presented with a whole lot more work in it and/or anywhere else on the Apartments' grounds. Of course, it was courtesy of either Keitaro or Shinobu, if not both of them, at a particular time, whenever they were somehow actually caught trying to do so well enough, or at least actually thinking of doing so well enough. Needless to say, then, Keitaro and Shinobu really made them work very hard all over the grounds, in the very strong mutual hopes that both of them would perhaps get much too tired, at least, to actually be able to do whatever they both might have actually wanted to do a lot while they were both still on them, in fact. By the time that both Keitaro and Shinobu finally called an end to things at the present time, work-wise, for at least the rest of the day, then, for everyone here and now, the sun was fairly close to the visible western horizon, and within one hour of beginning to set, in fact. Both Masayuki and Kimiaki were quite tired indeed by that time. And both were not feeling all that hot at the current time, so to speak. For Keitaro and Shinobu had worked them both very, very, very, very, very hard indeed, and neither young man was liking that fact very much at all, for all the obvious reasons, of course.
Eventually, Shinobu and Keitaro made their helpers a five-course meal in return for all the work that they'd just done anywhere on the Apartments' grounds. When that five-course meal was then sufficiently consumed, Keitaro said, "If you two behave well enough in the future around me and the various tenants here, there may be other times when you will be allowed to partake in meals here alongside us, at least. If nothing else as well. We will not tell the others that you periodically tried to snoop in various tenants' rooms at this time, as long as you behave yourselves well enough around us in the future. If you do not, then I would perhaps recommend that you make sure that your houses are in order, legally-speaking, at least, for certain tenants of mine may not take too kindly to such notions as you two have been known to entertain before in your lives. I would really hate to see either or both of you perhaps eliminated from this world due to your actions, at least, if not also your words, Masayuki and Kimiaki. For I consider you my best male friends in this life, you see. I do not want to have to attend any potential funerals for you if there is no justified reason for them, in fact. So please behave yourselves around me and my tenants as best as you can in the future. I may not be able to protect you otherwise, you two. I can withstand people's attacks to at least some degree, but you two won't be able to withstand full-strength attacks from either Motoko or Naru, most likely. So you'd best watch your step in the future around me and my tenants, for that matter."
"We both will most definitely try, Keitaro," said Masayuki, eventually, after much relatively quiet conversation with Kimiaki, just a little ways away from both Shinobu and Keitaro here. "We realize we may make mistakes periodically, though. But we both will still try our hardest not to cause you any unnecessary other trouble in the future. Especially when it comes to your female tenants, at least, if not also your male ones."
Shinobu briefly consulted with Keitaro here, and then said, "That is fair enough, at least for now, we suppose. But you two will both still be watched very closely in the future, just the same, until we are sufficiently certain that you have each changed your ways sufficiently well for a long enough period of time in all our lives."
"Understood, Maehara-san," said Kimiaki, just a few very quiet moments later, after somehow seeing sufficiently well that she was quite serious indeed about what she'd just said both to him and to Masayuki here and now, in fact.
Not too much later, then, Keitaro and Shinobu eventually sent both of Keitaro's friends away again, for at least the rest of the night, if not even longer than that. And they soon called the rest of the primary tenants as they'd earlier arranged to do with them all just before they'd all left for their trip far enough away from the Hinata Apartments for the day. After they both did that well enough, they then spent at least some, if not a lot of, time alone together in the hot springs, with each of them wearing swimsuits in them as then was actually quite appropriate for them both, quite naturally enough. Shinobu then wore a mostly blue swimsuit that bore several small cooking-style symbols of various colors and looks in various places all over it. While Keitaro then wore a pair of mostly red and orange swimming trunks that also bore several arts-related symbols all over it, wherever possible and appropriate enough for it.
They relaxed in the hot springs near each other for a while, and conversed for a while with each other as they did so. Shinobu asked, somewhat early on, when they began chatting with each other there, "Senpai, would you please tell me at least a little bit about the prospective tenants that we will likely be getting here at the Apartments very soon?"
"I think I can do that, Shinobu. But please keep this under your apron, so to speak, until I have a chance to tell the others about them well enough too."
"Fair enough, I suppose, Senpai. So who are they, and what are they like, perhaps, if you know enough about them to tell me now about them?"
"There are four currently-engaged people among the six prospective tenants we might get soon here. Two of them are females, and the rest are males. Three of the males are triplets, and the other three prospective tenants are each single-birth people. There will be four Americans, one Scot, and one Israelite among the six prospective tenants."
"How old are each of them, then?"
"Four of them are college juniors, and two are in their first years of college. You can perhaps figure out their approximate ages, then, from that information, I think."
"The triplets are all college juniors, right?"
"Yes, that is so, Shinobu. The triplets currently in question here are Rufus, Cyrus, and Willis Bardstar. Rufus is one of the two engaged males I just mentioned. His fellow triplets are currently unattached to anyone, romantically speaking, at least. Rufus is currently engaged to a girl named Shenali Webb, and they plan to marry each other in the very near future, it seems. The other confirmed couple among the prospective tenants consists of Bruce Munro, the Scot, and Moriah Garedenel, the Israelite," said Keitaro, as he sipped from a cup of tea near him in the hot springs area now.
"So Webb and the Bardstar triplets are all Americans, no doubt?"
"Yes, they're all Americans, Shinobu. They all come from somewhere in the Midwestern United States, and have been close to each other for many years, even from their high school days, if I'm not too mistaken here, at the very least. Rufus and Shenali have been dating each other since they were 14 and 13 respectively. Cyrus and Willis used to each date an unknown number of Shenali's friends, but never were able to establish lifelong romantic relationships with any of them, for reasons not yet revealed to me here, if they'll ever be revealed to me in the future, well enough."
"What about Munro and Garedenel, then?" asked Shinobu, as she reached for a few cookies near her at the present time.
"They met each other as children, but spent most of their lives apart until they were close to finishing high school in their lives. Not more than a few months, perhaps, after they regained regular enough contact with each other in their lives, they then began seeing each other. By the time that they finally finished high school with each other, about seven months or so ago, they ultimately decided to get engaged to each other. They got engaged to each other not more than a week, perhaps, after they got done with high school well enough. And they then did so, even though at least some, if not a lot, of their respective friends and/or relatives didn't really like the idea of them doing so all that much so early in their own lives. And they now plan to marry sometime in the near future, if at all possible. Neither Bruce nor Moriah have dated anyone else but each other in their lives, as far as I know. They were never really interested well enough in other people to do just that in them, Shinobu."
"I see. So how are we going to make sure that the others don't cause any trouble with our prospective tenants, once they get here, if at all possible, then, Senpai?"
"I really don't know, entirely, in truth, Shinobu. Other than by me perhaps generally barring normal alcohol beverage consumption for everyone who's not yet of age in their respective countries of origin to do just that, and by also restricting the use of the hot springs to certain hours for each gender, I really don't know."
"Mitsune will not like that, you know."
"Then she'll be dealt with as I might actually see fit, if she decides to cause trouble related to such an idea, of course, Shinobu. You see, I think Mitsune's drinking has all-too-often led to many undesired, and many unwarranted, attacks on my person ever since I first got here to be this place's manager of record. I have no desire to normally take unscheduled and unjustified flights courtesy of either Naru or Motoko, if not both of them, due to her actions, if I don't absolutely have to do so at all, any longer, for sure. If she doesn't actually like the idea much, if at all, then I'm just going to have to eventually give her an ultimatum, I very strongly suspect, which says, in essence, 'If you don't like the fact that normal underage alcoholic beverage consumption here will no longer be permitted, generally speaking, Mitsune, then you know where the front doors are for the Hinata Apartments. And you can then choose to leave at any time, if you don't actually want to follow the applicable new rules for the Hinata Apartments well enough. I won't be subjected needlessly any longer to the all-too-frequent consequences of your still-underage alcoholic beverage consumption if I don't absolutely have to. You can then choose to leave or to stay, of course. But if you actually do choose to stay, then you most definitely will be expected to follow the new Hinata Apartments rules about such things, or face the appropriate consequences of your actions.'"
"And that's not all the changes you may be thinking of making around here while they're here, right, Senpai?"
"No, of course not, for all the obvious reasons here and now. There most certainly will be more changes made than just the elimination of needless underage alcoholic beverage consumption or the new rules regarding the use of the hot springs, of course. There then will also be certain penalties for violations of the new Hinata Apartments' rules, if and whenever necessary and appropriate, for that matter. Any unnecessary violence against the residents or manager of this place will be dealt with as the need arises for the guilty party or parties, subject to certain appropriate and necessary limits just set by Grandma Hina, at least, wherever and whenever possible, in fact, Shinobu. For instance, such hostile actions could potentially involve the local police and any number of other people, at least. And they could also potentially lead to actual permanent expulsion from the Hinata Apartments' entire grounds and/or their immediate or general vicinity, at least, if things would ever get that serious around here, somehow, for sure."
Shinobu and Keitaro continued to spend time alone with each other in the hot springs, and often continued to converse with each other as they did so, quite naturally enough. They were able to relax for at least an hour, if not at least twice that, until Shinobu suddenly heard, from quite some distance away, the voices of their now-returning fellow residents for the dorm. "Oh, great. They're just about to get here, Senpai. I very strongly suggest that you leave the hot springs in very short order, for all the obvious reasons here and now. Kaolla and Motoko now are, at most, just about two more minutes away from the main doors here, perhaps. And Naru and Mitsune are not all that far behind them both, as well, for that matter."
Keitaro needed absolutely no further urging whatsoever here and now from her to actually get out of the hot springs and flee just as quickly as he possibly could right into the changing room, of course. "Shinobu-chan, you'll have to collect our things here, of course, you know."
"No problem, Senpai. Get under sufficient cover as quickly as you can, and I'll delay them for as long as I can, then," called Shinobu, even as Keitaro essentially exploded out of the hot springs and headed straight for the changing room with no delay whatsoever as he did so.
By the time that her fellow female tenants finally located Shinobu well enough, she was calmly relaxing again in the hot springs, and hiding a moderately small notepad of some sort inside a very secret waterproof pouch somewhere under her swimsuit. She was also laying on her back, floating somewhat pleasantly on the top of the water, and acting as if she basically had no real cares at the present time in her own life, for that matter. Her face was generally straight-faced, with perhaps traces of a dreamy feeling then threatening to show on it at least a little bit, if not a lot, when Kaolla was the very first of her fellow female tenants to find her in the hot springs well enough.
Kaolla and the other girls soon joined Shinobu in the hot springs area for the Apartments, quite naturally enough. And Naru eventually asked, "Are the new rooms ready for all our prospective tenants now, by any chance, Shinobu?"
"At least for the most part, if not entirely, they are, Naru. Shirai and Haitani were quite helpful today, in fact. We kept them in line, for sure, though it wasn't always all that easy for us to do that, as you might expect. They should be much better behaved around Keitaro and the rest of us for quite some length of time into the future, I believe, for that matter."
The five girls soaked for at least a little while with each other before Shinobu said, "I suppose I'd best start getting dinner ready for us all, then, girls. I trust you will excuse me now, for that matter."
"Very well, Shinobu. But don't go sneaking off to Keitaro's room just to be with him. You're hiding something, no doubt. And it is very big indeed, it seems, from the tone of your voice at present," said Naru.
"I have a right to my own secrets, no matter who or what they concern, do I not, Naru? Just like the rest of you do too, I'm sure."
"That is true, but Keitaro is potentially big trouble for all of us here. And especially for still-young girls like you, for instance, Shinobu."
"You know that's not true, Naru. Senpai is precious, like a rare jewel. If I didn't actually care for him as much as I do, I'd perhaps really be of a mind to thrash you seriously, if it's somehow actually possible for me to do just that with you here or anywhere else, by the way. But Senpai has asked me not to actually get after you at least for now, if not also for a very long time into the future. At least not physically, anyway, that is. As I really do care for him here and now very much in my own mortal life, I then will honor his still-recent request here about such an idea to the very best of my current and future ability. Even if various parts of me honestly do want to get after you very much and very severely indeed, in truth. I believe that I'd really like to somehow take you to the cleaners, so to speak, if I could. But that's not how Senpai would want me to act around you, if it could possibly ever somehow be avoided at all, you see."
"You can't have him, Shinobu. He's too old for you," said Motoko.
"Oh, and you aren't mad about Jackie Chan, who's many years older than Senpai, if I'm not too mistaken, Motoko? I've heard you in your sleep saying his name every so often, as if you really wanted to be with him as his girlfriend or wife, in fact."
"You're bluffing, Shinobu-chan," said Motoko.
"And he's not the only action hero that you've been interested in, for that matter, come to think of it. You also like Jean-Claude Van Damme, for instance. And Jet Li, among any number of others, to boot."
"How do you know this, if that's true, as well, then?"
"Because you've periodically left random doodles of them sticking out of your dresser, believe it or not, and I've seen them at least every so often while collecting everyone's laundry here, by the way, Motoko-senpai. That's how I know you do. You also have hidden pictures and poems about them under your futon at times, for that matter, sticking out from under it at least a little bit. While the others might not see them whenever you do, I know your habits quite well by now. You might be able to generally hide all those things sufficiently well from everyone else, at least most of the time, if not all the time. But you generally are not able to hide them like that from me, in fact. Before you get all upset, and accuse me of prying into your private affairs needlessly, just remember if you don't hide certain things well enough, they will often be found by those who you would rather not want to find those things out well enough, or detect well enough. I don't generally go about here and snoop, as you know, unlike Kaolla and/or Mitsune, for instance. So don't get all upset with me here. You leave your stuff out in plain sight, you risk others finding it, of course."
"Point taken, Shinobu. I suppose I then will have to do a much better job of hiding my things from now on, if at all possible, from anywhere you might be able to find them easily enough."
"That would be wise, if you can somehow manage to do just that, Motoko. Especially considering the fact that we have at least two, if not more than two, rather frequent snoopers with us here in the Apartments, of course. You've obviously been slipping, though, in your security."
"Perhaps I have, Shinobu. Probably due to that male's continued presence here, I suppose."
"He has a name, you know. You know it as well as the rest of us do, in fact, Motoko. And he is not leaving just because you can't stand the thought of him being here. His grandmother made him the manager here. And I believe that neither you nor any of the rest of us here will be able to get him removed from that position here easily enough. And, to be totally honest here, I never want to see him leave here needlessly, if it can possibly ever be avoided at all. No matter what, I don't want him to be forced to leave here needlessly, either."
"That male is disgusting, from time to time, Shinobu," said Motoko.
"He is here, and he is staying here, at least for the foreseeable future. You know this as well as the rest of us probably do. If you don't like it, I'm sure that he'd say, in time, 'You're more than welcome to leave here, if you feel that you can't stand being in my dormitory well enough any longer, Motoko. I won't make you stay, if you feel you have to go. But if you stay, you then will have to accept the fact that I am going to stay here for as long as I see fit, to the best of my ability here and now, at least. The choice of whether you go or stay is yours, at least at the present time, unless you force my hand too much at any time. Act up too much, and you might be evicted, with no chance of ever returning here again as a tenant.' Among other things he might perhaps stay, if you cause too many problems for him sometime in the future, I think."
"He wouldn't evict Motoko from here, Shinobu," said Naru.
"He would have every right to do just that, Narusegawa. Considering the fact that Motoko Aoyama has often attacked him without just cause here and elsewhere, he most certainly would be well within his rights to actually evict her from the Apartments here, if and whenever he might feel the need to do just that well enough. Whether or not it was permanently or only temporarily, he still actually would be here, in fact. And the same thing might very well also be said in relation to you and to Konno here, at least."
"And what of Kaolla, then, Shinobu?" asked Mitsune.
"She might be allowed to stay, because she's still a kid, it seems to me, Mitsune. And she's never actually treated him quite as bad as you, Aoyama, and Narusegawa have so far quite often been known to do around here, you know."
"What do you know of such things, Shinobu?" asked Naru.
"More than you seem to realize. You are in a very precarious situation indeed at present, Narusegawa. For your own good here and now, I'd strongly suggest that you just shut up for the rest of the night unless you absolutely have to speak. You are just about to get me after you big-time, it seems. And I really don't want to have to break my promise to Senpai here regarding certain things that pertain to both of us here and now. In fact, I don't want to hear a word needlessly for at least the rest of the night from you, if not even longer than that. If I do, then you may very well regret it very much. Aoyama, you too are on my major mad list, for all the obvious reasons. Konno, I will deal with you later, if you give Senpai too much more trouble in the very near future, as well, for that matter."
Shinobu then left the hot springs area behind in very short order without even another look or word at Motoko, Naru, and Mitsune here, so that she could dress and start making supper for everyone who was now at the Hinata Apartments. Those three consulted with each other very quietly indeed for a while after Shinobu left them in the hot springs, before leaving it for the changing area, for the obvious reasons here and now. Mitsune said, "Oh, great. Just what we need! Shinobu mad at us all, if I read her well enough at the present time."
"Shinobu's not all that mad at me right now, at least, Mitsune," said Kaolla. "At least I don't think she is, anyway."
"No, kiddo, I don't think she is. But she's really steamed, it seems, at the rest of us girls around here," said Mitsune.
"And don't you think you three might have pushed her a bit too far with your still-recent activities against Kei-Baby of late?"
"She would not hurt a fly if she could possibly ever help it, somehow, in her own life, Kaolla-chan," said Motoko.
"Maybe not, but she hates it when you attack Kei-Baby quite often when he doesn't truly deserve punishment, Motoko. Same thing with Naru. She is really getting quite sick and quite tired of it, it seems to me, at least at the current time. She really looked almost ready to go after Naru not more than fifteen or so minutes ago, I believe. If I were you three, I would really advise you all to lay as low as you each possibly can for at least the next week or two, if not even longer than that. Or else you might just come to regret it very much indeed. And frankly, I wouldn't blame her if she got after you very strongly indeed very soon for mistreating Kei-Baby like you three often do."
"You're just as guilty of attacking him as we are, Kaolla," said Naru.
"True, I test quite a lot of things on him often without fair enough warning, for sure. But I never have any real malice for him whenever I attack him with my various inventions, et cetera. However, both you and Motoko, at least, seem to bear great malice to him quite often at the present time in both your lives, Naru. Mitsune, you have got to stop using him as your own personal bank, among other things, as well. Kei-Baby doesn't need you to extort his money any longer, either. Especially if he ever actually makes it into Tokyo University someday, I think. He'll need that money, most likely, if he ever does get in, with or without him ever finding his promise girl, it seems."
"That guy isn't smart enough to actually get into Tokyo University anytime in the near future, if ever, I suspect, Kaolla-chan. If he ever makes it in, somehow, I'll then do something big, whatever it might be, every day for at least a week, if I must, wherever and whenever possible," said Naru.
"You must be out of your mind to do that, Naru-senpai," said Motoko.
"I don't think I'll have to be all that concerned with that being the case anytime soon, Motoko," said Naru.
"We'll see, Naru-senpai," said Kaolla. "But I, for one, am going to try to be at least somewhat more fair to him in the future, at least in terms of the potential bodily harm that my various inventions might possibly cause to him, somehow, just the same. At least for a while, if not permanently, that is, anyway."
Kaolla soon left the hot springs area behind, so that she could be sufficiently ready for supper, among other things, once it was done well enough. She quickly dressed, and then went to the living room area for a while, so as to try to enjoy herself a little bit there. Kaolla spent about ten or so minutes, at the very least, then playing a video game of some sort, until she suddenly heard Shinobu calling everyone in the range of her voice to supper, no matter who they were. Mere seconds later, then, she saved her current game, and hurried to the main kitchen/dining room area for the Hinata Apartments. Kaolla leapt to her seat just as soon as she was through the necessary doorway well enough, quite naturally enough, of course.
Supper on the current night was very quiet indeed, given the very simple fact that Shinobu was still very upset indeed with at least Naru, if not also Motoko and/or Mitsune, here and now. Shinobu then shared as little conversation with each of the three aforementioned young women as she possibly could here and now, for that matter, in fact. Eventually, everyone finished having their own respective suppers with each other. And most, if not all, of them then parted from each other for the rest of the night, at least, if not for even longer than that. Keitaro soon put all three triplets back to bed in his own room and under sufficient enough protection there, even if he wasn't always in the same room with them in his life, quite naturally enough.
Once that was done in all the necessary ways well enough, he soon decided to go for a bit of a walk elsewhere in the Hinata City local area before bed. He had originally planned to go alone, but just before he was about to leave the main building in order to do that well enough, Shinobu decided to call out to him, and ask him to wait for her. When Kitsune shot her a rather questioning look, Shinobu gave her a very serious look indeed perhaps saying, in essence, "Not a word of this to the others, or else you might eventually come to regret it greatly." Kitsune saw the extreme seriousness of Shinobu's look towards her here and now, and nearly flinched under her unwavering gaze here. She then did this for at least a little while here, just before ultimately deciding to nod full acknowledgement of that look from Shinobu, seeing as she was quite serious indeed here and now, without any doubts whatsoever at all. After Kitsune did so well enough to suit Shinobu sufficiently well here and now, Shinobu then collected her coat and donned it in very short order, as Keitaro waited for her near the front doors of the main building, and just inside them, of course.
Two minutes or so later, then, both Keitaro and Shinobu walked out the two main doors for the Apartments' main building with each other. They both spent at least ten minutes after that, if not even longer than that, just walking near each other in relative silence before Shinobu finally spoke again, as they both then passed by a store normally selling art supplies of various kinds for reasonable enough prices.
Shinobu said, "The others probably won't like the idea of other males staying at the Apartments much, I think, Senpai."
Keitaro nodded, and said, "At least two of them, if not more of them, won't, anyway, Shinobu-chan. But they'll still have to accept it, just the same, I'm quite sure, for the obvious reasons."
"So do you think they'll all like their potential rooms in the Apartments, if they each actually get to stay in them later, Senpai?"
"I hope so, Shinobu. However, we were not fully able to outfit them all as necessary, you know. They will each have to do that themselves, quite obviously enough."
"That's true, I suppose. I hope that we'll all become good friends with them all, just the same, though, Senpai."
The two of them soon decided to enter a little bookstore of some sort and browse for a while out of the current cold temperatures moving through the Hinata City local area for a little while. Shinobu and Keitaro browsed for at least a little while, if not a long while. And hey both even were somehow able to pick up some things that they'd both actually not expected to be able to find easily enough at the current time, much to their respective surprises, in fact. She unexpectedly was able to pick up some mystery novels that she'd been wanting to read for a considerably long time, for example, among various other things. While Keitaro was himself somehow able to unexpectedly pick up various science fiction novels that he'd not yet been fortunate enough to read easily enough in his own mortal life, among several other things as well.
After they each picked up at least a few novels each, they soon left the store behind and continued to walk around the local area with each other for a while. "What else might you know about our prospective tenants, then, Senpai?"
"Well, I don't know all that much more, if anything, about them at the current time, I think, Shinobu-chan. For me to know much more about them, it will perhaps require them to be in my presence often enough for at least as long as they each are still staying with us at the Apartments, for the obvious reasons."
"I see. I've been wondering what they're all going to be like quite a bit ever since you mentioned them possibly coming here to stay at the Apartments for a while, in fact, this morning."
"Hopefully we'll all get along quite well with them all, and vice verse, while they're still all here, you know, Shinobu-chan." Keitaro soon looked at his watch, and said, "I suppose we'd best get back to the Apartments in short order, Shinobu. Remember, you have school tomorrow, if I'm not too mistaken here, and it's nearly 10:15 at night, it seems to me."
"True, I do. But it won't hurt me too much if we don't get back in there by 11, it seems to me here and now, at least. Just let me stay out with you for at least a little while longer, Senpai. If I go back now, I don't think I will be able to be sufficiently calmed down before I finally go to bed tonight. Narusegawa has really ticked me off today, you see. And I really don't want to return there before I know she's quite likely to be asleep in her own bed tonight. If I see her, somehow, I then just might unintentionally forget my still-recent promise to you not to actually act against her right now, at least physically, if not in any other ways whatsoever, I believe. And that would not bode all that well for anyone there or anyone else here in the local area, most likely."
Keitaro said, "You were never this outspoken about such things, it seems to me, Shinobu."
"Maybe not. But I still really hate it very much indeed, for sure, whenever you actually get thrashed somehow quite needlessly by at least two, if not more, of the other four current residents at the Apartments, Senpai. Granted, I know that sometimes you do make mistakes which might actually require periodical disciplining of yourself. But, still, I really think that they shouldn't necessarily get after you quite as much and quite as severely as they often do with you."
The two of them conversed for a while longer about various things before they finally decided to start heading back to the Apartments with each other. On the way back, the two of them decided to do a little bit of food shopping, just in case they might not be able to do so later on, for whatever reason or reasons, in the near future. They soon bought at least a week's worth of food, if not more than that, for the obvious reasons here and now. Both of them eventually returned to the Apartments with each other, and began to store all the purchases that they'd just made and not yet fully consumed wherever they then each needed to be, of course. It took them perhaps an hour, if even that, to finally do so well enough with all of them, after they arrived back at the Apartments with each other sometime around 11:15 or so at night. By the time that they arrived back at the Apartments well enough, then, the living room was completely empty, for Kitsune had long since retired to her own bed, as had the other three female tenants besides Shinobu of the Apartments, in terms of their own respective beds there.
As they put away all the necessary things in the common areas where needed and appropriate, they continued conversing at some length about any number of things and/or people, for that matter. Eventually, Shinobu said, "Senpai, I think I'd best get to my room soon. But I feel rather tired now, after all the stuff we did while we were out and about tonight."
"Do you want me to take you to your room, then, by any chance?"
"Not sure, Senpai." Just then, she started to sway a little bit near the main table in the main kitchen/dining area for the Apartments. Keitaro saw this, and quickly moved to keep her from hitting an edge of the table or the floor before it was too late to prevent her from doing either well enough.
"Shinobu, you're exhausted. That's it, I'm taking you to your bed, and putting you in it for the rest of the night. You've been up too long tonight, obviously." He quickly shifted not only his things to one side of himself, but also hers, while still holding her sufficiently up on his other side. After he did that, he put her on his back, and her arms around his shoulders and neck, before beginning to give her a piggy-back ride to her own room elsewhere in the Apartments. She began to drift off as he did so, and began to smile as she did so, in fact.
It wasn't too much longer, then, before he very silently indeed slid open her door and carried her to her own bed quite well enough. He very carefully then put her under her covers fully dressed, and tucked her just as carefully under them in her own bed. With that done, he then very quietly indeed placed her remaining inedible purchases in a certain place that he knew she often used as a hiding place elsewhere in her own room. After all her purchases were in that hiding place well enough, as needed and as appropriate, he soon left her room behind for the rest of the night. Of course, when he did so, she was still fully-dressed, for all the obvious reasons here and now.
Keitaro soon went to his room and secured his own inedible purchases in it wherever necessary and appropriate enough, of course. Once he was quite certain that nobody would be able to get into them who didn't need to do just that well enough somehow, he then went to the kitchen and quickly retrieved several bottles. He did this here, for he suddenly had the feeling that the triplets would all soon need to be fed and changed, et cetera, before he was finally able to retire to his bed for the rest of the night. He was back in his room with all the necessary things no more than five to ten minutes after leaving it to get them all. For about another hour or so, then, he attended to the various needs of all three triplets, for all the obvious reasons here and now, of course.
They finally fell quite soundly asleep again in their respective cribs sometime around 1:45 or so in the morning of Monday, January 14, 1991. And once he was sufficiently sure that they'd not wake up again for at least the next few hours, if not even longer than that, he finally changed into his usual sleeping attire and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost immediately after his head finally hit his pillow well enough, quite naturally enough. And so he slept, quite soundly indeed, for that matter.
People, this is The Universal Storyteller now returning for a brief bit of conversation before I finally release this chapter to you all. I would really like to see where you think I'm going to go with this story, if you don't mind commenting on it sufficiently well in quite clean, quite courteous, and quite constructive ways, of course. Also, I would really like to know just which characters, if any, you might want to see more of in this story, for that matter, for example. Besides the obvious canon characters, at least, of course, everyone.
I am going to try to get the next chapter of this story out by the end of March, at the very latest, but hopefully much sooner than that, just the same, though. Expect to see a lot more action, especially after the new tenants finally show up for a while here, people. There are many more things to come for this story, and many more people who are likely to show in it, at least in cameos, if not even more frequently than just in cameos for this story. What those things or who those people might be is yet to be seen well enough. But you all can still rest quite assured indeed that there will be no shortage of real action or mystery in this story, if and whenever I can possibly prevent such a thing from happening here for it, for sure.
Well, I suppose I had best soon close this chapter's exit message for now, at least, and begin work on the next chapter of this particular story in very short order, for all the obvious reasons here and now. Until later, then, I hope you all do really enjoy this story, and gladly look forwards to what may then come to pass in it, of course. Not to mention the very distinct possibility that any or all of you readers here might then actually leave me any number of useful comments, either publicly or privately, about this latest chapter, at least. If not also about any or all of the previous or future segments, of this particular story, quite naturally enough, everyone. May you all fare quite well indeed, then, God willing, for sure. And may we all gladly and often meet again later at least once more anywhere in and/or around the Hinata Apartments, if and whenever possible, so to speak, in terms of this particular story, at least, you know. TUS out.
