IV

Since I missed the introductions with Motoki, I had no idea who the blue haired girl that was suddenly at the Odango's side, all the time. She seemed very smart though, unlike her new friend. I made it my prerogative to warn the girl. I leaned against the booth the two now shared, separate, but part of the community, just not wanting to be overheard, but didn't mind being seen. I'd position myself on the blond's side, not to be closer, but because she was on the side against the wall, and I wanted to see the blue haired to drive the point home. "I hope you're getting well paid. You better not be loosing out on the money if you discover, as I have, that's she's untrainable."

"Why don't you pay her off then, baka?" The blond's quiet hiss had me letting out a breathless short laugh at the attack. "As if I would throw my hard earned money away on you. I know better, unlike your naïve parents."

Before Odango could retort, the blue haired, blue eyed girl looked at me with a frown. "I'm sorry, but... what money? I'm not being paid anything."

"Ooh, good cover! She doesn't know you're being paid off to spend time with her?" I'd seen the blond with other friends, all sorts, but they were few and far between in visits, the only one I'd seen with regularity was a red haired one, that was coming in less frequent bursts. Perhaps they had smartened up to the fact that hanging out with her, then they'd loose valuable study time and brain cells. Hmm... I should use that. This one could be a chance at a new friend, take advantage of the new student.

The odangoed one rolled her eyes at me. "As if. I have friends unlike you, but perhaps you wouldn't understand it until you gain one yourself, but you never will, because nobody would bother to spend that much time with you."

The blue haired girl gapped at her, obviously unused to this side of her new 'friend' as Motoki was, one that I could provoke. However on the other side, she was the only one who could provoke my reactions as well. Her comment though, hit somewhere in my chest and I staggered for a minute thinking of a good response, forgetting my previous enlightenment, to find something else. "I have a friend, one that sticks around and is not a flight like you are." Here I changed my gaze to rest on the other girl. "Don't waste your time, she'll drop you as suddenly as she drops all the others."

The blue girl rolled her eyes at me, and went back to her paper. I frowned internally, outside, there was no change, that didn't work as it should have, perhaps they had known each other longer than I thought. "You two been friends for a while then?" I couldn't help but be curious.

The blond shrugged. "Nah, we just met last week. Ami's just transferred to my school."

Here I snorted. "Your pathetic school? What are you doing there Ami? You could no doubt do much better!"

Ami's lips quirked on one side and she looked at Odango a moment before she nodded. "My mom went to Juuban, it has not hindered her in the least. Not everyone is so obsessed with status."

I nodded slowly, a wicked thought coming into my head. "Yeah, it's obvious then, for only that type of person would deem it acceptable to even be seen with the Odango. I wish you luck with your current course, if you start loosing friends and contacts, you only have to look across from you to know why." With that I pushed against the wall and walked away, back towards where Motoki was clearly expressing his disapproval on my taunting one of his favorite customers, myself being the other one, I couldn't take him too serious.

His lips broke out into a broad grin seconds before a sharp thud sounded against the back of my skull. Honestly, this kind of thing had to stop! What paper was it this time? A note expressing her anger? Or another failed exam, if it was the latter, I could use that for my next barrage of attacks. Looking at the object that had caused the impact though, I was surprised to see a small black object, not paper, and not as soft as it either, it was a dainty black shoe, that looked as if it came from a child, not the girl who was limping towards me to reclaim it, as one foot was now slightly lower than the other and no doubt sticking the white sock against the linolium that might not have been completely cleaned in the last twenty-four hours.

The sight was almost too hilarious to comprehend for a moment, and then anger flashed through me when she was close enough to make me uncomfortable. "A shoe? You deemed it necessary to throw a shoe at me?" I yelled, any who had gotten used and bored with our antics, suddenly picked up their head to watch, but I didn't care. "How dare you throw a shoe at me?"

"And how dare you insult me the way you just did you over sized monkey!" The girl was close, she was jabbing her finger into my chest, and the other hand was trying to rescue her shoe from my own.

My lips pulled up into a smirk, the movement unfamiliar and yet, I couldn't help it, it needed to in the situation. "An overgrown monkey?" I questioned her, had she not known that's exactly what we all were?

"Fine!" She looked up to me with fire in her eyes. "Not monkey then, a toad! Not even a princess could kiss you and make you into a prince, because you aren't up to frog expectations, you are a slimy, warted ugly thing. Now give me back my shoe!"

I chuckled and handed it over, having kept it just out of reach, and seeing her jump for it was just too pathetic to watch any longer. "A princess couldn't kiss me and make me into a prince?" I mused, going over her words for the world. "So you've likened yourself to a princess, hmm? Sorry to disappoint you, but that would never happen. As for kissing me, want to try it?" I leaned forward, opening myself to the opportunity, and she didn't disappoint and she scrambled backwards, spluttering her disgust. "I thought not, but it's interesting to know your thoughts go down that way."

"It was only an analogy!"

"Big word for you there Odango, seven letters. Do you know what it means?"

Her eyes narrowed and with a humph, she spun on her heel and went back to the table with Ami and gathered her books, Ami had already done the same with her own. On the way out the door, she called over her shoulder to me. "Of course I do, I wouldn't have used it if I hadn't!" I didn't learn though that Ami had just taught her it earlier in the day, and if I had, I'm sure she knew I would have laughed in her face. Besides, what had that analogy have to do with anything? So what if I was unchangeable, and would forever remain a bitter aftertaste in anyone's mouth, and then, I realized that's exactly what she'd meant, and the battle again went to her, but I doubt she even knew it.

Motoki was eying me speculatively when I returned to finish my coffee, only to discover it was cold. I sighed exasperatedly, an aftereffect of my encounter with the blond and snapped at him. "What?"

Motoki started chuckling and shook his head. "You have got it bad."

The frown on my face, was plain for all to see. I had absolutely no clue what he was talking about, unless he was talking about the fact that I was destined to be bothered by a small little girl for the rest of my life, then I agreed, I had a bad fate. Though... I doubted that's what he meant, and I wasn't even sure if I agreed with it.