Koutarou seemed to be sinking into himself, shoulders curling around his ribcage.
"... I don't remember her."
Fuyu fought a twitch in her jaw. Of course the boy wouldn't remember the princess. Ten years ago, and a stupid child at that. Musing at what she could further say, she eyed his Rubix cube as he started twitching slightly under her heavy gaze. Fuyu breathed lightly out of her nose.
"Okay, even if you don't remember, she really, really liked you, likes you, even now. It would be unfair for her if you both could never meet after getting me to ask you, right? Even if you don't like her, it would be the least you could do."
Koutarou had the decency to look mortified at her accusations. She just gave him a pointed look, expertly arching an eyebrow for maximum effect. The innocent ones were always the easiest to fool.
This is the job, isn't it?
"I-I'll meet her! Um, well, I mean, it's not like I've ever had a girl like me before, so..."
The poor, confused boy's voice trailed off into a mumble into his chest. Fuyu grinned wide and toothy, shark-like.
"C'mon, just do it!"
Fuyu half-heartedly slapped at Tomoe. Leaning to the side to avoid her swipes, Tomoe returned a stinkeye and an ugly sneer.
"Just because you don't want to move your fat ass doesn't mean I have to do heavy lifting!"
Fuyu fought a major urge to grab Tomoe's ankles out from under him. She instead fixed him with her very own evil eye and continued reaching for the edge of his kimono.
"Just because you're tall doesn't mean you have to be such a jackass!"
Onikiri and Kotetsu waited inside the car silently, wondering if they would ever get home. Fuyu futilely tried for a last grab for the elusive fabric, but Tomoe was too fast. Goddamit, she was cursing her father for these godforsaken genes. It wasn't as if she wanted to be short!
Backing up, Fuyu began a running start to hopefully jump into the carriage when she realized the cart had started moving.
JACKASS.
Speeding up beyond what was probably necessary, she gave a flying leap into the car, nearly bowling over the poor onibi-warashi. Tomoe gave her an amused glance when she rolled on the floor hugging her shin, cursing pathetically.
"I never knew pigs could fly."
"YOU ASSHOLE-"
Fuyu giggled gleefully from the bushes.
"Alright, one down, five hundred more to go. I am the best matchmaker, ever!"
Fuyu cackled in a way that was definitely unbecoming of a lady. Tomoe sniffed and continued watching the couple. Onikiri piped up suddenly.
"Nē, Fuyu-sama, Koutarou-san just left Himemiko-dono. What should we do?"
Fuyu turned her attention back to reality. She immediately tensed up when she saw two sleazy men come up to the princess.
Aw, not this shit.
As she attempted to step forward and remove the two obstacles to true love, dammit, but Tomoe grabbed her by the scruff of her jacket.
"Leave them. Your job is done. If the human truly wants to move forward, he can only do it of his own will. Or are you going to keep pushing them together into a false relationship?"
Fuyu gave him a strange look. And huffed a little, brow furrowing.
"Moving forward from sitting still is a huge step." She paused a moment, then whipped out a paper tag and began folding a paper airplane. "To quote Newton, what is at rest tends to stay at rest," she began scripting with an ink pen in small, short strokes, "unless an outside force acts upon it." She finished and threw her creation, neatly bumping into the boy's shoulder. He almost tripped, yelping a little, as the men and Himemiko noticed his bumbling motions.
The girl grinned as the two thugs weakly protested, then ran away from the boy's intrusion.
"Match complete!'
Arriving at school, one Yozora Fuyu grimaced painfully at anyone who looked at her the wrong way, which meant everyone. The bandaid across her forhead was definitely not helping. Running up to the class bulletin, she groaned at seeing her name on the class roster.
So much for new faces.
At a fast trot, Fuyu arrived in her classroom. Isobe and Nanami were in the corner, Nanami lying pitifully on her desk with small sounds of hunger escaping. Fuyu reached her, and patted her on the back. Isobe, not nearly as supportive as the short-haired girl, was dragging out a long and dramatic sequence of how poverty and hunger only trapped innocent souls. Interrupting in a decidedly rude manner, Fuyu kicked dear Isobe-chan in the shin and saved Nanami from what was going to be a very depressing day.
"Your favorite Kurama-kun is coming to our school today."
Isobe latched onto the topic of the conversation as soon as he was done moping about his bruised shin (and ego) with all the enthusiam of a koala on a eucalyptus tree. Fuyu shook her head and left the pair to their fanaticism for her desk. Right in front of the teacher, at that. Of course, as luck would have to go, the teacher announced in his scratchy voice, "We will be having a new student from now on. Please welcome them."
Girl or boy? Of course that was her first thought. Then an overwhelming presence blew into the room. Fuyu's eyebrow twitched minutely. She did not like where this was going. Flashy advertising was one thing, but the first day of school? Seriously?
In a complete deadpan at the swirling black feathers and smoky backdrop, Fuyu couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. Of all the pop idols to fall for, Nanami had to like one of the wannabe-cool pretty goth boys. He had candy-apple-red hair. She could not stop her leves of confidence in her friend from dropping.
"Oi. This is my seat. Move it!"
Oh, this boy is gonna get it. Her chair screeching behind her, Fuyu grimaced again as she drew eyes and ears away the fiasco behind her. She marched up to the punk and ungracefully wedged herself between Nanami and this "Kurama". The abrupt moment ended as the girls started whispering.
"Oh, who is that?"
"The tomboy who wants to be like a twelve-year-old boy who can't afford a school uniform wants to challenge the Kurama?"
"Fat chance. I bet she just wants to catch his attention."
Nanami was still frozen behind her. Taking advantage of all the attention focused on herself, Fuyu glared straight at Kurama and put a fist half a foot from his face.
"Talk shit, get hit."
All the girls gasped. A couple of boys fell out of their chairs. An unlucky student accidentally left the flash on his camera on.
"Oh, crap! She's part of the martial arts club!"
"No way! Her? She's a girl!"
Successfully distracting the gossiping horde, the teacher awkwardly interjected.
"Kurama-kun, you will be sitting next to Momozono-san. Yozora-san, please see me after class today."
"I'm so sorry, Fuyu-chan! You really didn't have to do that! I can take care of myself, so... Please don't let the others bully you!"
Nanami was really such a sweet person. So perfect. In fact, if Fuyu hadn't been a friend, she would have mistaken the brunette as a classic Yamato Nadeshiko. Nonetheless, seeing Nanami after dealing with an old fart of a teacher was very much welcomed.
"It's nothing. I couldn't let them get to you. You are much too nice and would be badly affected by their words anyways."
About to protest, Nanami grabbed Fuyu's shoulders, and then laughed.
"I wish you would take care of yourself more."
"But I do. I mean, when I make lunch I don't forget to bring it, you know."
Nanami slapped her arm lightly, pouting.
"It's alright, really. I've got a club to attend, see you!"
Fuyu waved the girl off of herself, and headed down oranged hallways for the clubroom.
Time to break in a couple of the new recruits.
The newbies were impressive, alright.
She honestly did not expect the kid to sock her right in the eye, full power in a practice spar, with a senior no less. The aim was to knock the leaders of the club down a few pegs, they said. Needless to mention, she might have scared the other noobs into asking to fight a different opponent for months.
What did they expect? When the captain is a second-year, five-foot girl, she should be good at it.
And boy, was she.
You're her, the girl who had dark roots on her shiny, bleached hair.
It's all your fault, the other girl, the one with a Burberry jacket.
You're gonna regret everything you said about Kurama-kun, bitch.
"Hehe. That big brother you got there wasn't even in the nationals, right?" I'm number three.
H-huh? So what? Afraid a no-namer is going to beat you? I-I'm looking forward to seeing you in a cast!
Fuyu's wrists audibly cracked as she rolled them into a comfortable position.
"Let's have a match."
Kouhai. Third-year, tank, slow left-swing. Street-fighter. Weak.
"Three minutes, no headshots. Or are you afraid?"
Tomoe had gone home a while ago, sulking with a giant basket of lunch.
Ungrateful human rat.
"Onikiri, Kotetsu, eat this before the human gets back."
The punk's goon jumped her after his fast defeat. Really, Fuyu should have expected this, when the girls mysteriously disappeared after the start of the match. Or it was a match, until the punk decided to put her in a chokehold. The nerve of the guy. The worst part really was when she had to leave the alley with a broken thumb and bleeding knuckles, with a good half of her hair sheared off. Good grief, didn't they know that cheap hairdressers always give shitty haircuts?
When she got home, she had to do damage control when Tomoe and the onibi-warashi were vocally displeased with the time and manner of which she appeared at the shrine. Apparently, bandaging her hands with her undershirt was not an acceptable alternative to rubbing alcohol and tweezers. Ugh.
Black hair fell in clumps onto the floor, the soft snip snip snip of scissors biting the air in her room. Snip snip, went the scissors, eating up the distance between the choppy ends and her shoulders. The room fell silent as she put the scissors onto the table and fluffed her hair. Looking sideways at her mirror, she grimaced at the rough edges along the nape of her neck.
Where are you?
I'll find you.
The wind echoed outside, gently whirling leaves cluttering against the shoji screen.
OOOOOH no. It's been so long, my previous draft deleted itself. Whoops. Tried to do something here, and make an extra long (really? 500 extra words) chapter. How do the other authors do it?!
I'm sorry about all the scene-skipping. World-building in process? (Imminent failure ahead? haha)
Sorry for the forever-atus. Lolol
Yeah, I'm back! Even though it's only chapter three... ^^' I am such a bad author. Welp. Yeah. Trying even harder (read: just trying at all) plus the previous chapters have been through minor edits. Whoo~
Thank you, readers, who have returned, and welcome to the new ones. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Hope to see you soon!
*ladybun out
