Happy Vernal Equinox! I've got a chapter of Alien Ultimatum as well as Blindsided up today. (Girl with a Porpoise chapter coming hopefully soon)
So, I just finished writing the fifth chapter last night and I'm well past 100 pages on my Word document. This installment is definitely the one with the longest chapters. Just a fair warning.
Also, this chapter and it's following are full of Ouran High School Host Club references. Most of them are quickly recognizable if you've read/watched Ouran. But if you haven't read/watched Ouran, the basic summary of the manga and I'm fairly sure that most of the explanations for any allusions can be found on Wikipedia. Or, just message me and I'll do my best to explain the wackiness that is Ouran High School Host Club.
That being said, enjoy this chapter and the first day of spring!
Chapter Four:
"There's a girl sitting on the front steps," Rōzu announced as she came into the dining room as they prepared to open the Café. "I saw her from the upstairs window."
"That's odd," Homare said with a frown. "We still have an hour till we open. Usually people start showing up fifteen to thirty minutes before."
"Maybe she's meeting with a lot of people, or got the time wrong," Lettuce suggested.
"Possibly," Ichigo said. "Tell you what, I'm going to go talk to her. See what's going on."
She went to the door and opened it. The girl, roughly Ichigo's age with long, shiny black hair turned to look at Ichigo with big brown eyes.
"Hi," Ichigo said cheerfully. "We just wanted to let you know that we don't open for another hour so you don't have to—"
"I'm looking for someone," The girl blurted out as she got to her feet. "Aoyama Masaya?"
Masaya, who heard his name spoken, immediately went over to Ichigo's side and looked outside. He blinked.
"Nanase?" He said in surprise.
"Hi!" Nanase said, giving him a cheery wave and a big grin. "You said I could find you at Café Mew Mew if I ever needed you. And, well, I'm kind of taking you up on that offer."
"You two know each other?" Ichigo said, brow arching as she looked back and forth between the two.
"This is Nishikawa Nanase," Masaya said, now realizing he was addressing the entire staff who had come over to see what was going on. "She is my half-sister."
"And I really, really need some help," Nanase said.
"What's wrong?" Masaya asked with a frown.
Nanase took a deep breath and said,
"Dad has moved up my omiai. I have three days to find a way to not get a fiancé."
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Scene Divider)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
"But you said that he was planning the omiai for this summer, that's a month and a half away," Masaya said as they sat around the table. "What made him want to have it done sooner?"
"Father has political goals, and hopes that the father of the other party will help him reach those goals," Nanase explained. "I not only refuse to be a pawn in his schemes, but I already know I don't love this other man."
"You do?" Mint said, arching an eyebrow as she sipped her tea.
Nanase blushed but smiled as she bashfully tugged on her sleeve.
"I have a boyfriend," She admitted. "It's a secret from my parents. But I love him very much. He's sweet, and handsome, and smart…"
"Would it be hard to present him as an alternate option?" Keiichiro asked.
"Very," Nanase said with a sigh. "He's the only scholarship student in our school. But he has the top grades of our year and has high ambitions. He wants to be a lawyer like his mom was before she died a few years ago."
"Wait a second, na no da," Pudding said, rubbing her chin. "This sounds awfully familiar…"
"Pudding, what about this is—?" Shinji never got to finish his question because Pudding exclaimed,
"OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB, NA NO DA!"
"What?" was the confused response that came around the table.
"Nanase Onee-Chan's boyfriend, na no da!" Pudding said. "He sounds just like Haruhi Fujioka from Ouran, na no da!" She then paused and turned to Nanase. "Nanase Onee-Chan, you are sure he's a boy, right, na no da? Not just cross-dressing, na no da?"
"Uh, I promise you, he's a boy," Nanase said, sweat-dropping some. "But the irony isn't lost on us either."
"Is his name Haruhi?" Jade asked with a small smile.
"Close, it's Haru," Nanase said. "And, uh, well, his dad is kind of a drag queen and works at a gay bar."
"Drag queen?" Rōzu repeated, brow furrowing at the unfamiliar term.
"It's a term to describe men who dress up and sometimes act like women," Ryou explained. "Hair and make-up and everything."
"Hey, wait a second," Kish said, turning to look at Masaya. "When I sang 'Let It Go' the other day and you told me you thought I'd be a great queen, did you mean drag queen?"
"Yes. It took you long enough to figure it out," Masaya said dryly. "Now, any other questions?"
Kish didn't miss a beat and said,
"Well, I already know I have the legs for a skirt, but do you think wearing high-heels would ruin the effect or add to it?"
"Moving on," Ichigo said loudly, pressing the heel of her hand into her forehead. She turned to Nanase. "Can't you just refuse at the omiai?"
"Normally, yes," Nanase said with a sigh. "But I've already been informed that if I do, my parents will stop paying for my school tuition, and there's no way I can transfer to another school this late, especially in my senior year. Plus I'd get kicked out of the house and cut off entirely."
"That's horrible," Rirī said with a frown.
"And the guy is a complete jerk, too," Nanase said. "He goes to the all-boys school not too far away from my own school, and he's got a reputation of being a jerk and a playboy. As soon as a girl falls in love with him, he breaks her heart. Plus he's very demeaning towards women. And—" She paused for a moment and looked down. "There was a girl, last year, in my class. She was his latest girl he was stringing along. And he hit her. She pretended like he didn't but I know he did, everyone did. She wasn't the first, either. I think he bribed her or threatened her to be quiet."
"Goya Takahiro?" Lettuce said. "Is that the boy's name?"
Nanase blinked but nodded.
"Yeah, how did you know?" She asked.
"We've heard about him," Mint said, gesturing with her head to refer to Jade and Lettuce. "Some of the girls from our school have also fallen for this guy as well. And have come to school in the exact same way as the girl from your school."
"And he is definitely a jerk," Jade said with a frown. "You wouldn't be safe at all in that sort of relationship. There is just no way."
"Typically," Masaya said, tapping his fingertips against the countertop in thought. "A parent or legal guardian makes arrangements with the go-between. And since you're both underage, you'd also need a parent or guardian to give consent."
"And my father is more than happy to serve as the go-between as well as parent," Nanase said.
"Yes, he is," Masaya said. "But what if we can change who your legal guardian is?"
"What do you mean by that?" Zakuro asked.
"Nanase, you have an older sister, right?" Masaya said. Nanase nodded. "So, if we could convince her to apply for custody of Nanase and push the issue with lawyers so that it happens within three days—"
"Nanase Onee-Chan won't have to be forced to go through with the omiai or a marriage contract, na no da!" Pudding said excitedly. She looked at Nanase. "Do you think your Onee-Chan would agree, Nanase Onee-Chan, na no da?"
"She'd agree with the reasoning," Nanase said. "But, I really don't know if Miwako Onee-Chan will agree at all to become my legal guardian." Nanase looked at her hands in her lap. "That's basically what happened to her. An omiai and marriage contract she couldn't escape. It's just about killed her. She married so soon out of high school she barely had a chance to live at all. It has left her bitter and distrustful towards everyone in both families, whether they were involved or not. I don't think she'd listen to me at all. Probably tell me to toughen up and move on."
Suddenly, though, Nanase brightened and grinned at Masaya.
"But she hasn't met you yet," She said. "You're really not involved in any of this mess except what I've brought to you. She might just listen to you."
"She's never met me before, though," Masaya pointed out. "Why would she listen to a complete stranger? And besides she'd know you were the one to send me to her."
"She would, yeah. But because, and I'm really sorry about this, you can't escape looking enough like Father that she won't have trouble putting two and two together," Nanase said. "Family, but not family who ruined her life family. Maybe that will make her give you just a moment to try and explain. She won't listen to anyone she knows, so maybe she'll listen to someone she doesn't know."
"You are putting a lot of faith into what little persuasive skill I possess," Masaya said with a sigh.
"But she's right," Keiichiro said. "Sometimes the words of a stranger weigh more than the words of a friend."
"If nothing else, it's worth a shot," Zakuro said. "We don't have much time and anything and everything we can try should be tried."
Masaya sighed.
"Fair enough," He said, getting to his feet. "In which case I better go now."
"And let the Café Mew Mew Host Club work it's magic, na no da!" Pudding said, throwing her hands in the air with excitement.
She now knew exactly how Tamaki felt at his grand idea of starting a host club.
Ryou and Ichigo both put their faces in their hands with groans.
They both knew exactly how Kyoya felt at Tamaki's grand idea of starting a host club.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Scene Divider)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
While Ryou and Ichigo were aligning themselves with Kyoya and Pudding with Tamaki, Masaya felt himself taking the side of Haruhi. Which was why he didn't hesitate to quote the smartest member of the Host Club.
"Damn these rich people," He said as he glared up at the iron gate to the four-story manor that gave off an appearance as if it had been carved out of marble with elaborate fountains and gardens surrounding it.
"I thought Nanase said that this was the smaller house that Miwako-San's husband owned and lived in with her," Homare said, eyes wide as she gaped at the house.
"She did say that," Kish said. "And the Aizawa's own a larger boat than the one we were on a few months ago. Apparently rich people don't have a good grip on small versus large."
"Damn these rich people," Masaya said again, rubbing his forehead. "Alright, better get this over with."
He pressed a button at the side of the gate.
"State your name and business," Said the voice of a guard on the other end of the speaker.
"I'm Aoyama Masaya, and this is Otsu Homare, and Ikisatashi Kisshu," Masaya said, though he wasn't quite sure why he was gesturing to them both in turn when he knew the guard couldn't see them. He glanced around. Or could he? Who knew if there were cameras around. "We're friends with Shimizu Miwako-San's younger sister and were asked to deliver a message to Shimizu-San for her."
"Oh, then say no more!" The guard said with a laugh. "Shimizu-Sama has given us orders that any friends of Miwako-Sama's family are to be admitted immediately!"
With that, the gate opened.
"Well. Okay." Kish said. "That was easy?"
"Yeah, almost too easy," Masaya said. He had half-hoped that they wouldn't get admitted at all and he didn't have to face Miwako.
They walked up to the house, feeling a bit unnerved.
They were admitted to the house by a kind-faced maid, who asked them if they were hungry, if they'd like tea, was there anything she could get for them? They were shown to a large library by the butler and announced.
"Aoyama Masaya-Sama, Otsu Homare-Sama and Ikistashi Kisshu-Sama, Shimizu-Sama." He said.
"Who are they and why are they here?" Demanded a voice, the owner hidden in an armchair.
"Aoyama Masaya-Sama, Otsu—" The butler started.
"I meant, what is their business here?" The voice said with a sigh as she rose. She was a small woman with short black hair, with a sketch-pad in one hand and a pencil in the other. She wore oval glasses and simple-looking clothes that none of the teenagers knew if the price of the outfit was unobtainable for them or exactly in their price range. She would have been pretty except for the scowl on her face and her hard eyes.
"Nanase-San asked us, well, me in particular, to come and speak with you," Masaya explained.
The woman's scowl deepened.
"We will speak in private," She said curtly to the butler, who merely bowed and exited the room.
"Might as well sit down," The woman—Miwako, they were sure—said as she resumed her seat, gesturing to the three other chairs sitting around the table.
They did so. Masaya felt Miwako's eyes on him the entire time that he crossed the room and he made sure to meet her eyes as he sat down.
"I know who you are, Aoyama Masaya," Miwako said cryptically. "You're one of my father's illegitimate spawn, aren't you?"
"I am," Masaya admitted.
"Then let me assure you that you're no better off than the kids he'll actually lay claim to," Miwako said. She put her fingertips together and put the tips of her middle fingers against her chin. "Now, how exactly did you come in contact with Nanase and what exactly is it she wants you to tell me?"
"Nanase and I first met right before I introduced myself to Nishikawa-San, but we only really first spoke after that," Masaya said.
"So you are part of the Nishikawa household, then, half-brother?"
"No."
"Damn. I wanted to be able to kick you out of this place quickly." Miwako closed her eyes momentarily before opening them again. She looked incredibly angry as she said, "What message is Nanase desperate to get through?"
Masaya explained Nanase's problem to Miwako.
"So that's it?" Miwako said, sounding bored. "Don't know why she's bothering to tell me. I'd get the engagement announcement soon enough."
"But, that's the problem, we're trying to make sure there isn't an engagement announcement," Masaya said, brow furrowing.
"You are like a mouse standing up to an eagle. You can't win," Miwako said with a sigh. "No one can, against my father. I'm sure even you have realized this by now."
"Come on, there's got to be a way," Homare said. "Nanase doesn't deserve a life like that."
"And I do?" Miwako demanded sharply. "Don't you see? This isn't my life. This is what men like my father do to girls like me and my sisters. We are only pawns to him. Not boys, so not worth the time or money. Follow every command but never have dreams or ambitions except to have lots of babies in a large home with a husband you hate."
"Are you safe here, Miwako-San?"
The question from Kish surprised the other three as they turned to look at him. His eyes and face were no nonsense.
"You said you hate your husband," Kish said. "And so I ask this question: Are you safe here?"
Miwako nodded.
"I am safe," She said. "Perhaps 'hate' was not the best choice of words. Simply, I don't love him."
The tension that Masaya had noted in Kish's face and posture eased as he said,
"Nanase won't be safe, if the omiai goes through. If you don't care because this is something your father orchestrated, at least care because Nanase is inevitably going to get hurt."
Miwako turned her face away from the teenagers.
"You're trying to guilt me into this," She said. "And it's not working. Besides, what can I do? I couldn't even protect myself."
"If you and your husband apply to be Nanase's legal guardian, you'd be able to make sure she couldn't marry until she was of age," Homare said.
"In three days? Do you honestly think the legal system could work that fast? Even if we could find someone who isn't loyal to my father, or someone who can't be bribed, it can't happen. Your plan is a lost cause. You can't make it work in such a short period of time."
They couldn't disagree with Miwako. The short span of silence was broken by:
"Miwako-Chan!"
The door was thrown open by a smiling young man about Miwako's age. He was handsome with light hair and bright eyes.
"Miwako-Chan, let's go to—" He paused, looking around the room. He smiled sheepishly as he came closer. "Forgive me, I didn't know that we had visitors." He bowed. "I am Shimizu Rentaro. And who might you be?"
"They are leaving," Miwako said as she stood up.
"Ah, but we can't entertain this beautiful young lady and her handsome friends for a little longer?" Rentaro said, gesturing to Homare. "You so rarely have guests, Miwako-Chan, and they should stay as long as they can."
"No, we were just about to leave, I think," Masaya said, getting to his feet. As he did so, he studied Rentaro. He seemed genuinely friendly and out-going, and had this air of innocence and goofiness about him. Polite but not flirtatious towards Homare, acknowledging the presence of a woman where many others wouldn't. He liked the man, though it was clear Miwako didn't. He wondered why. Was it just because of the omiai?
Meanwhile, Homare and Kish gave each other a weird look, then glanced back and forth between Miwako and Rentaro.
"Will you come back and visit again?" Rentaro asked.
"No. They won't," Miwako said, growing more and more agitated. "They are Nanase's friends who came to give a message. That is all."
"Well, any friend of Nanase-Chan is a friend of mine," Rentaro declared. "Though I wish I could have seen my darling sister-in-law on this beautiful day." To the teenagers, he said, "Please make sure that Nanase-Chan knows that she is always welcome to visit, and that there is an open invitation to all of her friends as well."
"We will," Kish said. They bowed then headed for the door. However, before they could be led out by the maid, Miwako said,
"Aoyama-San. Just out of curiosity, how old are you?"
Masaya looked over his shoulder, a bit confused, and said,
"I've been seventeen for less than two weeks."
Miwako smiled at him for the first time since their arrival. It wasn't necessarily as sweet as Nanase's, but it looked happy. And, for some unknown reason, made Masaya feel uneasy.
"The way you carry yourself and act so maturely, I was so sure you were just a bit older," Miwako said. "I've held you up long enough. I hope you have a nice day."
Miwako continued to smile as the door closed behind the teenagers. She continued to smile even as Rentaro started pestering her about where she wanted to go for lunch, how her morning was, telling her about how he had the whole afternoon off and wanted to know if she wanted to go somewhere fun.
But Miwako's thoughts weren't on food or shopping or any sort of fun. They definitely weren't on Rentaro.
Her thoughts were solely on three people. Her father. Her brother Makato. And, her newly discovered half-brother Aoyama Masaya.
She might just be able to save Nanase. And herself while she was at it.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Scene Divider)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Nanase was sad but not disappointed when Masaya, Homare and Kish returned.
"I figured she wouldn't help," She said. "But I had at least hoped that she could have thought of a solution."
"But Miwako has a point," Ryou said. "Even if someone were to apply for emergency guardianship, I doubt it'd work, especially if a lot of people knew your dad."
"We need a new plan," Rin said.
"And I think I've got one," Jade said, looking up from her computer screen. She smirked. "We play a little trick on the Goyas."
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Pie asked.
Jade's eyes returned to the screen.
"I hacked into both Goya and Nishikawa's e-mail exchanges regarding the omiai, don't ask how, it's not technically legal," Jade explained. "Nishikawa asked if they needed to exchange photos, but Goya said no, unless Nanase wanted to do so, which Nishikawa responded 'no' too as well. So that means the Goyas aren't going to know what Nanase looks like. If we lure away Nishikawa and keep him away, we can do a switch: Nanase for one of us girls."
"Yeah, and then we can sabotage the omiai!" Ichigo said excitedly. "Because if it technically wasn't Nanase they met…"
"Then the omiai can't go through, na no da!" Pudding said excitedly.
"If nothing else we can cause some confusion, maybe buy some time," Keiichiro said. "Or sabotage it entirely by doing something to make the Goyas call off the omiai."
"I think it can work," Nanase said. "We're supposed to meet at this big hotel. It'd be very easy to lead people astray and keep them away."
"Then let's do it," Tart said with a grin.
"Which one of us should be Nanase's replacement, though?" Homare asked.
"Me," Mint said without hesitation.
"Mint, are you sure?" Lettuce said.
Mint nodded.
"I can hold my own," She said, sipping her tea. She lowered the cup to the saucer, eyes twinkling darkly. "Besides, I'm perhaps the only one of us that is not only upper-class but can act upper-class. That is what the Goyas will need to see in order for this to go right."
"I hate to say this, but she's right," Ichigo said, eyes narrowed at Mint as she continued to sip her tea. Under her breath, she grumbled, "Damn these rich people."
"What was that?" Mint said crossly, glaring at Ichigo.
"Nothing, nothing at all," Ichigo said with a large, somewhat fake grin. "Let's start making our plan."
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Scene Divider)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
"Daisuke-Kun, do you want to cause some mayhem?" Rōzu asked as she bounded up to her friend.
"Mayhem?" He repeated, brow furrowed.
"Yep," Rōzu said. "We're gonna stop a marriage."
"So we're doing what again?" Daisuke asked as he sat with a piece of cake in front of him at Café Mew Mew.
"You and Rōzu are going to distract Nanase-Chan's father, find a way to take his phone and lock him in a closet," Rirī said.
Daisuke looked suspicious.
"You sure we're not going to get into trouble?" He asked.
"Positive," Ryou said. "Or, at least, we'll make sure you and Rōzu aren't in any sort of trouble."
"Plus you get paid in cake," Ichigo said, pointing with her own fork to Daisuke's plate.
Daisuke grinned.
"I'm in," He said.
"Then let Operation Kiss Kiss Don't Fall in Love begin, na no da!" Pudding said, putting her fist in the air.
"Alright, Nanase, where exactly is the Omiai going to be taking place?" Rin asked the girl.
"Heh heh," Nanase said a bit awkwardly. "Now, you guys are going to find this pretty ironic…"
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Scene Divider)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
"Oh, you are freaking kidding me," Ryou said with a groan as he looked up at the grand hotel they were going to enter.
"The Ouran Hotel," Masaya said in disbelief. "There is literally a ritzy hotel called Ouran. I honestly thought Nanase was kidding."
"Makes you wonder which came first," Ichigo said.
"If there was a place for handsome boys with too much time on their hands to entertain young ladies who also have way too much time on their hands, it'd be here," Zakuro said dryly with a nod.
"An elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful!" Jade said dramatically.
"If there was a real place to break an antique vase worth eight million yen, despite the ominous red arrow pointing at it and beeping noise, it'd be here, na no da," Pudding said.
Everyone then glanced over at Homare and Lettuce, the two most notorious clumsy mess-makers.
"Homare Onee-Chan and Lettuce Onee-Chan," Pudding said softly but seriously. "Please be very, very careful, na no da. None of us can afford it if anything gets broken. You'd really have to pay with your bodies like Haurhi-Chan, na no da."
"Pudding, that sounds really creepy out of context," Rin said as Lettuce and Homare both looked scared.
"Why?" Rōzu and Daisuke asked innocently at the exact same time.
"Come on, let's get inside before we get spotted," Keiichiro said, ushering the younger two in.
They spotted Nanase immediately. She had a tall, handsome teenage boy standing beside her. She waved them over.
"My father won't be here for another half-hour," She explained. "And my mom will be here in about fifteen minutes to get me into my kimono. We don't have much time to get everything in order. Oh, and this is my boyfriend, Haru!"
Pudding's eyes widened as she looked up at the boy. He looked fairly muscular and gave a silent nod of greeting.
"Not like Haruhi at all, na no da," She said in amazement. "More like Mori-Sempai."
Haru arched an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to speak when Nanase gasped.
"Oh no," She said, her eyes wide. "My mom's here early!"
"Looks like we need to initiate Operation Cherry Blossom a bit sooner than we thought," Rin said. "Zakuro, you're on."
Zakuro nodded, then took off her hat, sunglasses and coat, quickly passing them to Ryou. She was dressed in something everyone else had only seen her wear on the front cover of magazines, including six inches heels and a dazzling smile.
"No, it can't be!" Zakuro said, feigning surprise as soon as she got close enough to Nanase's mother, who briefly spoke with the woman behind the counter, inquiring about Nanase. "Itou Kotoko?"
Mrs. Nishikawa looked surprised.
"No one has called me that for years," She said with a small, shy smile at Zakuro. "How did you know?"
"You are my modeling idol, ever since I was a little girl!" Zakuro gushed. "Oh, excuse me, I should introduce myself. I'm Fujiwara Zakuro."
Suddenly, several people nearby stopped and stared at Zakuro with wide eyes. Even Mrs. Nishikawa looked a bit star-struck.
"Well, now, isn't this ironic? You're my youngest daughter's superstar," Mrs. Nishikawa said.
"Really?" Zakuro said, already knowing this but acting that she didn't. "Oh, I'd love to meet Itou-Sempai's daughter!"
"Really great idea," Nanase said with a grin. "My mom may not have been a model for long when she was young, but just popular enough that she likes to relive her glory days. Plus, Emi's going to get something out of it. And Mom already said she didn't want to be around the actual omiai so this will just give her an excuse. Like my father would turn that down."
"That's great, but now we've got to move!" Ichigo said. She grabbed Mint's hand. "Come on, let's get you changed!"
While the girls ran off to get Mint and Nanase ready, the boys followed Haru to the room where the omiai was going to take place.
"Whoa…" Daisuke said, looking around the room. "I've never seen a big garden like this!"
"Nanase says that the room was styled after traditional Japanese gardens, all indoors but with the feeling of outdoors," Haru said.
They heard a sound from one of the trees and turned to see a small red bird sitting there, fluffing out its feathers.
"Animals included, it seems," Keiichiro said.
"Everything you need to make you think you're outside while actually inside," Kish said. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed or not."
"Personally, I am not," Pie said. "But I do think that this gives us plenty of places to hide and watch what happens."
"In case something happens," Ryou said with a nod. "And if this guy wants to leave here alive, he better not."
"Agreed," Shinji said with a nod. He didn't like that Mint had volunteered herself for the role of decoy, but also couldn't disagree that she was probably the best for it.
"We're being spied on," Haru said suddenly.
"You noticed as well?" Pie said, more observing than asking. The other boys started looking around, but it was Masaya who found the spy. He stared at Makato, Nanase's younger brother, as he glared back at Masaya, knuckles going white around a tree-trunk. Before Masaya could move or speak, Makato turned and ran out the door.
"Gentlemen," Masaya said as he watched. "We might have just encountered a member of the Lobelia Zuka Club."
"A member of what?" Daisuke asked, confused.
"Our first potential problem," Ryou said, face grim as he studied Masaya's face before Masaya took off running after Makato.
Meanwhile, the girls had just finished helping Mint into her kimono inside a room that was essentially an extremely plush dressing room. The hotel was well known not only as an omiai meeting spot, but for weddings and parties attended by the rich and elite. This room was for taking a break from the events as well as quick fashion changes, as well as hair and make-up touch-ups, all with help from the young women dressed in yellow dresses that suspiciously resembled Ouran High School's girls uniforms. These women hovered at first, but Mint expertly shooed them away.
Rirī poked her tongue out between her lips as she carefully used her finger to remove a smudge of lipstick from the corner of Mint's mouth.
"There," She said, once the offensive mark was gone. "You look perfect, with plenty of time to spare."
"Good, because I'm dying for a cup of tea," Mint said as she rose from the make-up table to admire her reflection in the full-length mirror. "And the tea room looks, sounds and smells wonderful."
"A cup of tea doesn't sound bad at all, and it'll keep you away just in case," Rin said. "I'll go with Mint to the tea room. You girls go find the boys so Rōzu and Daisuke can start surveying their battlefield."
"I am a little worried they're not going to find an empty room or closet," Lettuce said.
"I already have an idea," Rōzu said, a glimmer in her eye as she smirked. "Hopefully, it will go as I plan for it to."
"That honestly scares me a bit." Ichigo said.
Nanase's phone beeped and she quickly looked at it.
"Uh oh, paternal unit has arrived," She said. "Won't take him long to find Mom, and for Mom to find me."
"Sounds like it's time to split up, then," Rin said as she took Mint's hand and pulled her from the room.
"Nanase? Everything okay?" Homare asked as she slung her bag over her shoulder as they quickly packed up their things. She noticed that there was a concerned look on the other girl's face.
"Just… my dad said he has a surprise for me. Dad doesn't like surprises, giving or receiving them," Nanase said. "So that makes me a bit nervous."
"Well, hopefully it'll be a good surprise," Homare said. She gave Nanase a smile. "Don't worry. Everything is going to go fine. Believe it or not, this isn't the craziest thing the Café Mew Mew staff has ever done."
"I have trouble believing that," Nanase said.
"You shouldn't," Jade said with a wave as they left the room, leaving Nanase puzzled.
Rin and Mint were halfway to the tea room, about to pass the hotel's lobby in order to do so, when Rin suddenly stopped, reaching into her skirt pocket.
"I left my phone back there," She said with realization. "And Ichigo has yours, doesn't she?"
"Yeah," Mint said. "And she said she'd text your phone when it was time."
"I'll have to go back and grab it real quick," Rin said. "You go on and I'll meet you in the tea room."
"Okay," Mint said with a nod. With that, the two girls parted.
As Mint passed the staircase that led down into the actual lobby, she paused, noticing that there was now a man talking with Zakuro and Nanase's mother. Despite knowing full well that the man in question was Masaya's father as well as Nanase's, she was still surprised as to how much the man looked like her friend. After hearing so much about him, she had pictured him to look like the devil, horns and tail and all. Or at least a bit like Deep Blue.
Was it bad that she really had pictured a human version of Deep Blue?
Instead, he looked very pleasant. Calm, professional, friendly.
Mint smirked some. She knew just how easily it was to hide behind a façade.
She was going to love watching his fall.
Her brow furrowed as another young woman approached. She looked like an older version of Nanase, but a younger version of Nanase's mother. This must have been Miwako. What was she doing there?
Suddenly, she felt someone or something ram into her back, causing her to lose her balance and fall towards the stairs. She was so surprised and scared that she couldn't even scream as she tumbled down the stairs, eyes closed and just waiting to stop.
Finally, she hit the cool marble floor. A lady screamed while a man brought over one of the men behind the desk.
"Oh, is the poor thing hurt?" Another woman asked in concern.
Almost in response, Mint tried to pick herself up, feeling very dazed. Why was no one helping her?
"Ah, don't worry darling, it looks like it was just a bit stunned," A man said, assuring the woman he was with.
Mint let out an indignant cry at that. It? Who dared called her an 'it'?
"Don't worry, he probably just escaped from our Garden Room," Said the smiling young man from behind the desk. "Happens all the time."
Now Mint was really starting to get annoyed. First 'it' now 'he'?
She flapped her wings in indignation as the young man started to approach her. Wait. Wings?
Mint's eyes suddenly widened and she made another shrieking sound. It was then that she realized that it sounded exactly like a bird. She twirled in circles for a moment, seeing her own blue feathers everywhere.
This could only mean one thing.
Mint had turned into a bird.
Mint had to think fast. The young receptionist was coming towards her, trying to be calm and quiet so as to not scare her. She couldn't let him get hold of her. She had to change back into a human! She didn't have time for this!
Wait. She could fly. She was faster if she could fly. She just had to find one of her friends and…
Zakuro! Zakuro was right nearby! Zakuro would hopefully recognize her and intervene! She had to get to Zakuro!
With a squawk, Mint flapped her wings, rising to the air and making another woman shriek as Mint flew right by her head. She had to find Zakuro! She couldn't be too far!
Mint let out another cry as she located Zakuro, flapping her wings towards the older girl. She was almost towards Zakuro, almost there and then…
She heard Nanase's mother scream, and then something got hold of her. She fought and screeched, but she couldn't move her wings.
"That bird nearly attacked her!" Mr. Nishikawa said in both anger and surprise to the young man, who held the net that the struggling blue bird was in.
"I'm so terribly sorry about that," The man said to Zakuro, who looked a little stunned, not even noticing that she had a bird coming at her. "It's not unusual for our birds to get out of the Garden Room, but I've never seen them try to attack a guest before. My sincerest apologies."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Zakuro said calmly, giving him her glitzy smile. "There was no harm done."
The man bowed at her then started to walk away, Mint still struggling in the net at his side. It was then that Zakuro actually took notice of the bird.
Funny. She thought. That bird must be a relative of the Lorikeet that Mint is infused with. The feathers look to be the exact same shade of…
Zakuro's eyes widened.
"Oh no," She whispered without thinking.
"Is something the matter, Fujiwara-Sama?" Mrs. Nishikawa asked.
"I just remembered, I need to make a call to my manager. I told her I would do so when I got here and completely forgot. She's probably worried sick," Zakuro said. "If you'll excuse me for a moment…"
Zakuro quickly went to the nearby bathroom and grabbed her cellphone, punching in the first speed-dial button she could get her finger on.
"Moshi Moshi?" Ichigo said on the other line.
"We have a big problem," Zakuro said into the phone.
"How big?" Ichigo asked reluctantly.
"We need a back-up plan for the switch," Zakuro said. "Because I don't think Mint is going to make it."
"Why not?"
"Because she's currently six inches tall and covered in feathers."
There was a pause then.
"You're kidding, right? Zakuro, this is a horrible time to joke around."
"Ichigo, I'm dead serious. Mint just transformed into a bird, I don't know how, she tried to get to me, but she got captured. I don't know where's she's been taken."
"Great. Just great. Okay, look, we're going to look for Mint. We have some time, not much, but enough."
"I'll keep being a distraction," Zakuro said. "Good luck. And find her soon."
"We'll do our best," Ichigo said before hanging up.
As Zakuro put her phone away, two questions came to her mind. The first was what happened that turned Mint into a bird? The second was how was Mint faring at the moment?
Also, I think I've probably read more than a few manga that involve family drama. Just a warning, this mini-arc kind of ends like a soap opera with all sorts of drama and craziness.