With a New Heart: Guilt Tripping and Plotting

By

triviatrap1982

I do not own Love Hina, or Katawa Shoujo. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Katawa Shoujo is owned by Four Leaf Studios.

Hina spoke up. Once she got to the table. She cursed the developments on what was going on. Naru and Motoko looked on. They knew something was up. They haven't had a manager in a while. Also, there were heavy chores that needed to be done. That also included the hole between the Manager's office, sitting empty, and Naru's bedroom. The springs needed cleaning as well. Kitsune really did not like having to do this alone, since this was a two-person job. She also didn't like having to fight a major hangover on one of her benders to do said job single-handedly either. Either way...everybody was there in the kitchen to listen. Hina spoke up.

"We have a huge problem..." Hina said bluntly.

"What's that?" Naru asked.

"The only other person I've called has rejected the manager's job," Hina answered.

"W-Why is this so grave?" Motoko asked.

"It appears my grandson chose outside life over the Hinata," she answered...a bit bitterly.

"What...do you mean?" Naru asked. She was trying to keep her cool.

"It's exactly as I've said," she said. "He's taken a job, without thinking about us."

"We don't have anybody to do heavy repair work," Naru whined.

"Calm down," Hina then said sweetly. "This all will be resolved pretty quickly."

"I hope so," Motoko said.

"In the meantime," Haruka said frowning indicating bad news. "Shinobu and Kitsune here are the only two that do heavy chores around here."

"Haruka don't you think..." Hina started.

"If they don't want this place to fall apart...they'll quit complaining and get to work," Haruka started. "Otherwise, I will hire repairmen, and raise the rents."

That got the other's attention. Haruka knew that Kitsune had been doing her hardest to keep the springs clean. She also noted that Shinobu not only did the cooking...but also the cleaning. That included laundry. That meeting ended on a quiet note. Kitsune excused herself to go to a phone booth into town. She knew not to be seen. Then again...she looked around. She knew that Kaolla Su would be lurking with her toys, to spy on her. Once she was satisfied she used a phone card, and made a call to Keitaro's parents. She had to lift the number off of Hina somehow. Thankfully it is as late in the evening, and business was concluded for the day.

"Hello, this is the Urashima residence," Keitaro's father answered.

"Hello, I'm Kitsune Konno...a resident at the Hinata," she said straight forward.

"Kitsune, why are you calling so suddenly?"

"I'm concerned that your son...Keitaro...is going to be in trouble," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean there's going to be a plot to try to get him away from the Yamaku," she answered. She really didn't have evidence exactly if Hina or the others would carry through."

"This is serious...should I call the cops..?"

"No, you need to call Keitaro...now...and tell him exactly what's going on," she warned.

"Thank you for the heads-up," he said.

"I'm sorry to disturb you...have a good evening."

She hung up the phone. She looked on and she went back home. This was the rare time where she was a little bit glad she didn't have a mobile phone. That would have been rough if she had to do this back at the Hinata. She was also certain that Su would try to tap the phone to listen in on whatever conversations. Satisfied, she returned back. Everybody else was doing the chores. She was almost confronted by Haruka, but she grabbed a broom to sweep the steps. She nodded and let her go. Kitsune returned to her room after, and she decided she needed to get some rest. Either way...Keitaro would at least get an idea on what's going on. The very next day, Keitaro was bothered by the phone call his dad gave him. It had only been two days...and already drama was starting. He decided to shrug it off. After all...he had to make sure he could be effective. After he got showered, shaved, and dressed. He stopped by the cafeteria quite early. The worker shot him a look but she smiled.

"You're the first one here this morning," she said. "Here, it's not like what your mother makes, but we have dietary standards to keep."

"Yes ma'am," Keitaro said. "Thank you very much."

"You're the new teaching assistant here?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "honestly, I hope it can springboard me into other opportunities."

"That's a great attitude to have," she said smiling. "I went to culinary arts school, and worked with the biggest named chefs."

"Wow, that's an amazing achievement!" Keitaro said surprised.

"It is," she said. "However...I graduated here form Yamaku."

"That's also a very great achievement," he said, calming down.

"Of course," she said, "my twin sis came with me, and she is completely deaf."

"So you know sign language."

"You know...if you need pointers in American, and Japanese Sign Language...come see me after school."

"Thank you," he said, "oh here's the money for the breakfast."

"You're welcome," she said.

Keitaro went to the same table from yesterday, and he ate his breakfast. He didn't wolf it down, since he was that early. He also knew he had to do this...because he had to be energetic with his students. He thought quietly. He looked up and he was snapped back into reality by Makoto. She made her way, to the same table as the other day. Keitaro stood up, and he helped her sit down. She smiled, as the head cafeteria worker brought her a cup of coffee. Keitaro paid for the coffee, since he felt it was necessary. From there, the conversation was a bit more pleasant than was yesterday.

"Hello," Makoto said, "Keitaro, now I can recognize you by your voice."

"Good morning," Keitaro said. "I decided to get an early start to the day."

"That's the best way to look at it," she said.

"About yesterday," he said. "I do apologize for freaking out...I realize this isn't an easy situation to take in."

"That's quite alright," she said. "I was brutally blunt."

"I have noticed a sister building behind us," Keitaro said.

"Yes, that is our Hospital," she said. "This is why we have 24-hour care for our more critical students...and to prevent problems that arise."

"Honestly...I do have a problem," Keitaro said.

"What is that?" She asked.

Keitaro explained the problem. He didn't expect to get that serious of a phone call so soon. Makoto she nodded. The serious demeanor on her face told the story. She had figured out what was going on. She let Keitaro finish the story. She sat there quietly, and took a sip of her coffee. After a very awkward silence, she quietly placed her hand on the table and she took a deep breath. She knew she had to give Keitaro some brutal, honest advice. How he took it...it would be up to him.

"You need to end the madness," she said brutally.

"How would I go about doing that?" Keitaro asked. "After all...I did reject her yesterday."

"She's one of those hard-headed women then..." she said. "You'll have to be on your guard."

"Until the day happens when she schemes...I'll have to continue doing what I'm doing."

"That's exactly right," Makoto said. "By the way...I will need you to go to this room to help set up."

"This is the specialized classroom for the blind students right?" Keitaro asked.

"Yes," she said, "I hope this isn't a problem."

"It's no problem at all," Keitaro said.

"Good, I'll wait for you to return the tray back to its proper place."

Keitaro did go and return his tray, and empty his trash. He wiped his hands with a most napkin. He didn't want to cause a bigger mess. He went over to the director and helped her up. She wanted personally to take Keitaro to the class room. After that, they left the Cafeteria, and took the elevator to the third floor. Keitaro noticed he's passed this room before. It was class 3-2. This was the homeroom/class for the blind and visually impaired. That is...students like Kenji were here for most of the day. Makoto smiled, she recognized the scent of the room.

"It's been a while since I've been here..." she said with a slight smile.

"I had no idea you were a student here," Keitaro said.

"I was," she said. "Actually...I wasn't blinded at birth like some of my other classmates."

He nodded. She did let Keitaro go. She had to get on with her own work. She with ease went onto the elevator and went on her way. Keitaro admired her for being self-sufficient...but also asking for help when she needed it. The teacher for class 3-2 came and she smiled. She is about the same age as the director. When they introduced themselves, she put Keitaro to work right away. He helped her set up the Braille note-takers. She mentioned that today was going to be a busy day for the students. Keitaro nodded, and he definitely understood why. The teacher, she decided to make conversation.

"So, what are your interests?" she asked.

"I love photography and drawing," Keitaro answered honestly.

"I'm surprised you're not going to an art school," she said. "We could use people more interested in the arts here."

"Really, I'm surprised," Keitaro said, caught off guard.

"Yes, our art director, he will be retiring in a few years...and we would love to have somebody who's passionate about their craft."

"I'll actually look into it," Keitaro said.

"Great," she said, "thank you for helping me set up."

"It's not a problem," Keitaro said.

"You know...our last Teaching Assistant...he had a bit of an attitude problem," she mentioned.

"Oh wow...I bet that didn't go over well at all..."

"It didn't...in fact he was a graduate of Tokyo University...It's a shame really."

"Maybe I should adjust my expectations," Keitaro said as he finished.

"What do you mean?" the teacher asked.

"Well...I do want to get into Tokyo University..."

"Then, kiss your social life good-bye," she warned.

"It's really that tough to stay in?"

"It is," she said. "That's why I went to Waseda."

She gave Keitaro current brochures. She encouraged him to actually follow what he wanted to do. While she did encourage her students to do well, and help others...she also warned against doing something against all principle. Keitaro got the message. He started to think about Tokyo University. Would it be even acceptable for him to go there now? He started to think it wasn't. He decided to look into the new college option. While his day was going on, he had no idea what was going to happen. Hina had plotted to get Keitaro fired though...she had to do this on her own. In fact...at the Hinata...she was quite open about it.

"You're really going to try to get him fired after two days?" Haruka asked in disbelief.

"More of a suggestion that he resigns," Hina smiled.

"Are you sure...because the former director of Yamaku retired five years ago," Haruka warned.

"Now don't worry your little head about that," Hina said.

Haruka just shook her head. She had read up on the Yamaku academy. Though...it seems like a school that has plenty of discipline. However, she also didn't want Hina to try to mess things up. Hina then let slip she was going to wait a week in order to make the call. She knew that Haruka was right. Either way...for Hina...it was going to not end well. Meanwhile, Naru was with Motoko and Mutsumi. They were going to try to get Keitaro to come there. Motoko raised one very good point.

"How do we get in without getting into trouble?" Motoko asked.

"We just will simply say we have business there," Naru answered.

"It is all for his sake after all..." Mutsumi said softly.

Kitsune frowned. She decided she was going go to town. First she had to get a new mobile phone. Secondly, she was going to make a legit visit to Yamaku in the next day. She wanted to see for herself exactly what all the fuss was about. She has heard of the school. Admittedly she thought it was all a front. After an hour she got her new phone. She made a call to the Yamaku Foundation to see if it was possible to make a visit. She was very much stressing out.

"Well," the kindly gentleman aid, "I can patch you through to our director."

"Thank you," Kitsune said. "I'll hold."

After a couple of minutes, Makoto took the call. Kitsune enquired on visiting the campus. Normally, this would not be allowed unless the foundation was hiring. However, due to the nature of the conversation with Keitaro, she allowed it. Kitsune was grateful. She promised to get there as soon as she could. Though, Makoto warned her best bet was to come in the evening when classes were over. That wasn't a problem. Kitsune hung the phone up. She had already packed a day bag. She was going to meet up with Keitaro, and attempt to stay out of trouble.