Promises Kept

by SAmaster01

What if Keitaro had remembered the face and the name of his Promised Girl? KeitaroXHarem, OC's present.

7. Burgled

Day 25: Morning

A Day at the Hinata

Today's morning was a scramble as always. Motoko, as always, is the first to wake up, rising from bed at the crack of dawn every day in order to exercise and practice her swordcraft. Recently, due to the arrival of Keitaro, she found herself throwing herself into her training even more than usual. Rain or shine she would always get on the deck outside, overlooking the forest, and practice almost every sword technique she knew, even the more advanced maneuvers her older sister had tried to teach her, but had never quite mastered.

Shinobu was the one who got up the next earliest, so she could prepare breakfast for everyone. It was her way of trying to ingratiate herself to the other tenants. Nothing too elaborate, just some eggs, bacon and some toast, in addition to a Banana for Su, who had made her love of the fruit abundantly obvious for the rest of the Tenants.

Next up were those who got up to go to school for the day. First were the younger tenants, who needed to get off to their schools earlier than the high school girls. Miko and Miho were usually up bright and early in their school uniforms, and would quietly eat their breakfast in the kitchen before going off to school. Motoko would then finish her training, and wake Su up from her slothful slumber. After Su had gotten dressed, and greedily filled her stomach, she would bound down the stairs leading to the Hinata, and Shinobu would follow after her.

After the Middle School girls had risen, the older girls would get up, and prepare for the day. After having woken up the young foreign girl with a love of banana's, Motoko would take a bath in the Hinata's Hot Springs. Naru wakes up with the help of her alarm clock, and gets dressed in her school uniform, coming down to the kitchen and munching on the toast Shinobu offered her, while trying to get in some studying. Saki reluctantly leaves her bed, and lets her head stay asleep until she left the inn, giving nothing but moans and grunts to any who tried to start a conversation with her. Tamiyo was generally the last of the High School girls to wake, coming down from her room, prim and proper, and eating her breakfast in a delicate manner, before leaving about fifteen minutes after the younger girls, along with Naru to go to their school. For them the journey to school was a very quiet one. Motoko would finish her bath, and don her own uniform, with the addition of her Katana, and she and Saki would independently make their way to the same destination.

Haruka generally wakes up around the same time as the High School girls, her hair generally in a mess, and would give the same grunts and groans to those around her as Saki until she had had her morning Coffee. Afterwards, she'd still be in her quiet, unsocial state as before, but she'd at least regain her cognitive functions for the day. She'd stay, and see each of the girls off until everyone had left for the day, and she'd announce to anyone left that she was leaving to open up the tea-shop, with the same parting words "You know where I'll be if you need me. Don't burn the place down."

Keitaro made sure to get up early himself, before many of the other tenants, to insure a few quiet moments before the Inn became crowded with activity. He would avoid Motoko after she started her training, and would start doing some light cleaning, and swapping a few words, with Shinobu as she prepared everyone's breakfast. He'd then stay out of the way as the older girls got up for the day, at least until it was time for Naru to leave, in which he would hurry to give her a quick kiss before she left, much to the displeasure and gagging sounds of the other girls present.

Hiromi is the next to wake, getting up much later for her job as a policewoman. She dons her blue police uniform, along with the holster for her pistol and taser gun, and eats her breakfast before quietly leaving for work.

Then the last person to wake up is naturally Kitsune, who usually finds some new means of justifying herself sleeping until noon each day. She'd needle Keitaro a few times before flopping down on the couch to watch TV, while Keitaro focused himself on cleaning the Inn, and tackling his long list of chores given to him by the various tenants.

---

Day 25: Midday

Shinobu stared at the teacher as he was giving the lesson, unable to concentrate at all on his words. Her mind was somewhere else today, as it had been for a while. She looked down on her note book at where she had stopped taking notes.

She sighed as she realized this was probably why she wasn't doing so well in school. Why was she spacing out so much? She never considered herself smart, but she knew she shouldn't be encountering trouble when it came to paying attention to the teacher.

Was she still upset at her parents? She didn't think so, her parents had realized their faults, and they tried to do her right. She got what she wanted, and she didn't have to move. And now she was staying at the Hinata. And as scary as most of the girls where, she felt they really were trying to look out for her.

So why was she spacing out so much? She could barely catch every fourth word the teacher was saying. Maybe she just needed more time to adjust. Life at the Hinata was certainly hectic. Or maybe there was just no hope for a girl like her.

She wondered if her studies with Naru and the Manager could actually help her at this point. No matter what problem she had, the two of them always managed to help her solve it. Despite what everyone thought of them, they were genuinely good tutors, and Shinobu was grateful to both of them.

Maybe she was simply worked up, psyching herself out. She tried to think of ways to calm down. Her Father used to have a rubber ball in his pocket he would squeeze, but she didn't have anything like that now. Both Naru and Motoko seemed to know some kind of breathing exercise, but Shinobu didn't know if that would work for her. She remembered the Manager and his sketchbook. He had said a few times that drawing was a good way for him to calm down, and she had seen in the book he was actually a pretty good artist, even if some the entries had made her blush.

She looked at the pencil in her hand, and then at the teacher. Absent-mindedly, she began drawing a few lines to start a figure, and began drawing some more defined features. First the body, then the head. Draw the features, the eyes and the lips, then make them more defined, some lines for the hair, and then she started doing some shading.

Shinobu jumped as the bell signaling the end of class rang. The teacher stopped his droning, and the various students began packing up.

"Well, that was boring." Ayase, one of Shinobu's few school friends said.

"Y-yeah." Shinobu stated.

"Hey, Shin-Chan, what's that you got there?" The freckled schoolgirl asked.

Shinobu looked at her notebook to see she had drawn a portrait of the teacher on the near blank page. Ayase peered over Shinobu's shoulder and saw the penciled picture. "Hey, that's pretty good." She remarked. "Do you have a crush on the Teacher or something? That's so gross!" She teased.

Shinobu blushed bright red. "No! It's nothing like that! I swear!" Shinobu said, trying to cover up the picture.

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone about your secret crush, okay?" Ayase said.

"It's not a crush!" Shinobu implored. "I… I just… I was just trying to draw something to help me concentrate."

"And you chose the teacher?" Ayase asked.

Shinobu stayed silent, and put her notebook away in her bag. Right about then, one could hear a tumbling down the hallway as Su leaped through the door, somersaulting straight over the desks, and landing expertly on Shinobu's. "Hiya Shinobu!" She greeted her with a wide grin.

"H-Hello Su-San." Shinobu said nervously, as now all eyes in the classroom were on them.

"Ah, you're that transfer student, right?" Ayase said.

"Yep, that's me! Nice to meet you Ayase!" Su said, giving a wave to the girl.

"Whoa, how do you know my name?" Ayase said, impressed.

"I know everyone's name, I'm a certified genius!" She bragged.

"Wow that's cool! How do you know Shinobu-Chan?" Ayase asked.

"Huh? Didn't she tell you? We're living together." Su announced, giving Shinobu a big hug.

"Hmm?" Ayase gave the two a strange look. "Oh, I get it! I didn't know you were like that Shinobu-Chan."

"L-Like what?" Shinobu asked, trying to slip from Su's grasp.

"A lesbian." Ayase said. "That's cool, I always wanted to have a lesbian friend."

"Wait, what!" Shinobu said in utter bewilderment.

"Ah, so you've discovered our secret Ayase. It is true, Shinobu and I are lovers!" Su exclaimed.

"No! No we are not!" Shinobu stated, trying to push Su away from her. "I do not work like that!"

"Are you sure?" Ayase asked.

"Yes!"

"Aw, that's a shame."

Shinobu looked around the classroom to see all eyes were still on her, with the classroom probably hearing the entire exchange. Shinobu grabbed her bag, and tried to disappear into herself, her skin turning into one of the brighter shades of red.

---

Shinobu left the school with Su in tow, both making their way back to the Hinata. Shinobu was quiet as usual, but Su could feel a sense of awkwardness between them today. That wouldn't do, she thought to herself. 'I have to fix this.'

Shinobu thought she saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye before she noticed Su staring at her. "Hey Shinobu, is everything alright?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Something feels off… are you mad for telling Ayase we were lovers?"

"No, not at all!" Shinobu said taken aback by Su's sudden serious manner. "Alright, maybe a little, but I'm not mad at you… just a little… " She searched for a gentle word for Su's behaviorisms. "unused to you… I guess."

"I see… Shinobu, am I a bother?" She asked.

"What? What do you mean Su-San?"

"Motoko says that I can be a bother to some people." She explained.

"Oh, Su, you're not a bother." Shinobu told her. "Not at all!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I'm… actually grateful for your company." Shinobu said. "Really I am. I am. I'm still just… trying to get used to everything, is all. A lot of things are happening at once for me, and I'm a, I feel a little, well, I uh, I'm um, I guess I'm kinda out of my league."

Su's face became consumed by a mad grin. "Great!" She exclaimed starting to jump up and down. "Don't worry Shinobu! I'm there for you!" She proclaimed clasping on to Shinobu's shoulder. "Come Rain or Shine, Thick or Thin, catastrophe or foreign invasion, I'll be there for you got it!"

"Um… sure…" Shinobu muttered.

"Great! Come on then, let's get back home." With that she took off with a dash, and Shinobu was forced to chase after her.

They continued back on their walk back to the Hinata, still quiet, but now missing that element of awkwardness. They walked through the town, with Su leading the way with a hum and a skip, with Shinobu quietly following behind her.

Shinobu caught a bad premonition, and checked over her shoulder. She saw a figure duck into the alleyway. She turned back and saw Su had carried ahead of her, and she hurried to catch up.

"Shinobu's slow!" Su teased.

"Am not!" Shinobu defended herself. "I… thought I saw something."

"What? Was it something tasty?" Su asked.

"No it was a person." Shinobu told her. "I thought we were being followed or something."

Su paused, and looked past Shinobu's shoulder. "Maybe we should ask. HEY MISTER! ARE YOU FOLLOWING US?"

Shinobu whirled around to see the figure she saw earlier, a disheveled man, jump, and then run into another alley.

"Must've had somewhere he needed to be." Su muttered.

Shinobu grabbed Su's wrist, and sprinted off with her down the road.

"Where are we going?" Su asked, confused by Shinobu's sudden desire to play.

"Home!" Shinobu said.

"Oh, OK!" Su disengaged herself from Shinobu, and easily kept pace with her, trying to race the girl back to the Hinata.

---

Keitaro flopped down on one of the chairs in the living room where Kitsune was still camped from when she woke up that morning.

"Yo, Kei-Kun, how're them chores?" Kitsune asked.

"I've got a lot of work ahead of me. They'd be better if I had some help." Keitaro sighed.

"Heh, nice try." Kitsune snickered, flipping through the channels.

"Well I'm just saying I could use the help." Keitaro sighed. "What is that you do all day anyway? I mean, the rents due in a few days, and-"

"Kei-Kun, don't worry about it, I got all that take care of." Kitsune said dismissively. "Besides, didn't I tell you that I'm a freelance writer?" She told him, changing the subject.

"Really? You?"

"Hey, I did well enough in my literature classes." She defended herself.

"Yeah, but only because that's the only class you asked us to help you study with." Keitaro said. "What kind of stuff do you write?"

"Oh, small time newspaper, or magazine articles." She told him. "I do some research, do a little digging, write up what I find, and net some cash."

"So you're like an old type of investigator." Keitaro said.

"Hey, who you calling old?" She asked, throwing a pillow in his direction. "Don't you have a floor to sweep or something."

Keitaro removed the pillow from his face, and got up. "I still gotta clean the baths, and mop the kitchen floor, and a bunch of other stuff I've probably haven't been able to think off." He sighed. "I suppose I should get back to it, the girls will be back from school soon enough, and I should try to get as much done before I head off to cram school with Naru."

"Oh yeah, by the way Keitaro, good work on the rooftop yesterday, Naru couldn't stop raving about you." Kitsune said with a sneaky grin. Keitaro for his part turned a bright red.

"I- You- How'd you-"

"Oh come on, you know that girl tells me everything." Kitsune said. "Don't you have a floor to sweep or something?"

Keitaro sighed, and got back to work. Soon enough the younger girls began returning to the Dorm. First were the twins, who quietly departed to their room without saying a word. Soon after them were Shinobu and Su, who both arrived in a decidedly disheveled state.

"I win!" Su proclaimed, jumping up and down.

"It- *pant* wasn't *pant* a race…" Shinobu managed to get out.

"You're just saying that 'cause you lost!" Su said happily. She tossed her shoes off, and ran off through the hallways, giggling insanely.

Shinobu sighed, and retreated to her own in room in order to change. And sort out her homework to do later.

About a half hour later, the older girls began coming home too. First was Saki, who noisily made her way into her room to change, and settled herself into the living to watch the TV. The next two to come were Tamiyo and Naru. Tamiyo locked herself in her room for a while, and Naru sought out her loving boyfriend, who was mopping the Kitchen floor.

"Keitaro!" She announced, attacking him with a hug from behind.

"Ah!" Keitaro froze at first, but relaxed when he realized it was Naru. "You scared me there Naru."

"Those girls have you jumping at shadows." Naru complained. "You're still doing your chores?"

"The workload around here tends to pile up." Keitaro said. "I still haven't been able to get rid of that wasp nest, or do some of the other repairs around here."

"Well, no time to worry about that, we gotta head off to Cram School!" Naru said, dragging her boyfriend up the stairs and into their rooms.

Last to return home was Motoko coming back from Kendo Club. She soon changed into her Gi, and silently began her meditation exercises in her room.

Shinobu soon came down from her room, and decided to do something nice for the day. She entered the living room, where Kitsune and Saki were still watching TV. "Um, everyone, I decided to make something to eat, and I wondered if anyone wants anything."

"Oh, great!" Saki said, leaping over the chair, and into the kitchen. "I could use a snack!" Kitsune stretched herself on the couch like a cat before getting up to get her meal in the Kitchen with Saki.

A tumbling could be heard as Shinobu saw Keitaro and Naru descend the stairs, heading on their way out. "Oh Sempai's!" Shinobu called out. "I'm um, going to make something to eat, and um, I was wondering if you uh, want something. To eat. If you want."

"Oh, sorry Shinobu-Chan, we're just about to leave for Cram School." Keitaro told her.

"Oh, I understand." Shinobu said, crestfallen.

Naru then whacked Keitaro on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Shinobu-Chan is trying to do something nice for us. It's very rude to refuse her." Naru lectured him.

"Ok then." Keitaro said. Shinobu gave a large smile, and skipped back to the kitchen, followed by Naru and Keitaro.

"You're going out like that?" Saki asked, upon seeing Naru's outfit.

"Um, Sempai's?"

"Yes, I am, do you have some sort of objection to what I'm wearing?" Naru asked, testily.

"No! It's just that you look…"

"Like a bespectacled nerd girl, who's never gotten a date in her life?" Kitsune volunteered, leaning on the counter.

"Well… yeah." Saki said. "You normally look a lot better."

"Well, that's the point." Naru told her.

"Be careful with the floor Shinobu-Chan, I just mopped."

"Hmm? I don't get it." Saki said.

"Hey um, Sempai's?"

"I don't want guys hitting on me when I already have a boyfriend, and when I'm trying to do some studying at school." Naru explained. "So I dress down to keep away nuisances."

"It's something she cooked up in High School." Kitsune said.

"S-Sempai's!" Everyone turned to Shinobu, who wilted under their attention. "U-Um, please don't fight…"

"Eh? Oh, no, we're not fighting." Saki said, trying to calm down the girl.

"Yeah…" Naru said.

"Oh I see. Ok then." She said, turning back to her meal-making. "Um, Sempai's? I was wondering if I could get some advice."

"What with?" Keitaro asked.

"When I was walking back to the Dorm with Su, I thought I saw a man following me." She explained.

"Eh!" Was a combined response from both Naru and Saki who were both now leaning over the counter, with Shinobu, being literally taken aback, losing her footing, and holding onto the counter. Saki took a moment to look at Naru, whose face had taken a very serious, and almost angry expression.

"What did you see, what was he like?" Naru asked the poor intimidated girl.

"Um… uh… I didn't get that good a look at him." Shinobu said, trying to get her balance again. "He um… he looked kind of scary, I think I saw him a few times while we were coming back."

"Great, look like some asshole's trying to harass Shinobu." Naru muttered. "What did you do when you found out?"

"Me and Su started running." Shinobu said.

Naru shook her head, and began tutting. "Bad move, if you run, then they know you've spotted them. Best move is to get to a place with a lot of people, and avoid places that don't. Try to scare them off by going near a police officer if you can. Speaking of, you should probably report this to Hiromi when you can."

"That's what she should do?" Saki asked, disbelievingly. "Just go to a crowded place?"

"And what would you do?" Naru asked pointedly.

"Clobber the bastard!" She said enthusiastically. "Make it so he won't, and can't harass anyone else again."

"Violence should only be used as a last resort." Naru said sagely.

"And what's she supposed to do if this creep corners her? How is she supposed to defend herself?"

"You may have a point." Naru conceded begrudgingly. "Of course she should only do so if she knows how to handle herself."

"Maybe we could teach her some self-defense?" Keitaro suggested. "Like some of the stuff Granny Hina taught us? Remember how insistent she was about that?"

"And what exactly do you know about defending yourself?" Saki asked, rather suspiciously.

"Oh, Keitaro knows lots of things." Kitsune interjected. "How to draw naked woman, how to study, how to run, how to bake cookies…"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Kitsune." Keitaro said.

"No prob." Kitsune said with a mischievous grin.

"Well I believe Shinobu should learn some way to defend herself." Keitaro stated. "Just in case."

"Well, I do believe everyone should know something about how to defend themselves." Naru said. "Even if it's something as simple how to throw a punch properly. We should at least get her a cell-phone or something."

"Um, Sempai's," The girls and Keitaro turned to Shinobu, who had two plates with the meals for Keitaro and Naru on them, which she had made while they had been talking about her. "I, uh, have your food. You should hurry up so you can go to Cram School."

"Eh-heh, time flies, doesn't it?" Keitaro stepped forward to grab their plates. "Thank you very much Shino-Whoa!" He slid on the wet floor, and crashed into the poor girl, with the food flying everywhere, and plates smashing on the ground.

"Ow, ow, ow, Shinobu-Chan, are you ok?" He asked. Then he noticed where his hand was, placed firmly on Shinobu pubescent breast, and her dress flung high enough to reveal the white pair of panties she was wearing. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"S-Sempai, how c-c-could you?" She whimpered.

"W-w-wait it was an accident!" Keitaro pleaded. He looked up to see Saki looking down on him with an evil fury.

"You Pervert!"

"This is the part where we run!" Naru announced grabbing her boyfriend, and running off with the poor boy, with Saki in pursuit.

"I thought it was supposed to be rude to decline Shinobu's meal!" Keitaro said as Naru dragged him outside.

"Well you went and ruined that you idiot!" Naru said. "I figure she has more reason to worry about you now than anyone else!"

The two were pursued by Saki past Haruka's teashop, the caretaker giving them a cursory glance as they went by, and down the steps where Saki then gave up pursuit.

---

Saki made her trek back up steps of the Hinata, and made her way back into the building, and from there into the Kitchen, where Kitsune was helping Shinobu on to her feet, the young girl still whimpering slightly.

"That goddamned pervert, going after a sweet little kid like Shinobu!" Saki fumed. "How can you stand that sleezeball, Kitsune?" She asked.

"He's good for a couple of laughs?" Kitsune suggested, snickering at the whole situation. "There, there girl, it's alright." She said, trying to soothe Shinobu.

"S-S-Sempai, he-he-he-"

"I know, we've all been there." Kitsune said comforting the poor girl.

"I heard something, what was it this time?" Tamiyo asked, as she descended the stairs.

"That pervert manager just molested Shinobu-San!" Saki fumed.

"Ah great! Where is he now then?" Tamiyo said, her anger showing.

"He already ran off, the coward." Saki said.

"Oh, so you'd rather he just stand there so you can KO him?" Kitsune asked.

"Well…"

"How is Shinobu-San doing?" Tamiyo asked.

Shinobu was standing on her own, and was wiping the last of her tears from her eyes. "I'm fine." She whimpered. "And now there's a mess. I should really clean this up."

"See, I knew this would happen sooner or later." Tamiyo said. "This is why we didn't want you alone with him."

"B-But I…"

"He tripped on the floor." Kitsune offered.

"A likely excuse." Tamiyo said. "I hope you can see now why we were so aggressive about you not studying with that man now, Shinobu."

"A-Actually-"

"It just burns me up that that damned pervert keeps doing whatever we please no matter what we try to do." Saki said.

"U-Um maybe if I-"

"What I don't get is how a girl like Naru can stand being in relationship with such a detestable man." Tamiyo said.

"Here we go." Kitsune muttered. " 'Oh that nasty pervert, whatever shall we do?', 'We gotta get that hideous male out of our dorm', 'I'm gonna smash his face in, and rip off his manhood!', 'Oh don't do that, it might be covered in nasty germs', 'Oh that poor Naru, obviously that smart girl has been brainwashed by that pervert into acting like such a lewd girl'-"

"We can do without the commentary from the peanut gallery." Tamiyo said.

"E-Excuse me." The assembled girls turned to look at Shinobu, who started fidgeting under their gaze. "W-Would it be a-alright if maybe I… um learned how to defend myself? Then I could still study with Keitaro-Sempai, and Naru-Sempai?"

"Huh, I actually like the sound of that." Tamiyo said.

"You think?" Saki asked.

"Yeah! Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime." Tamiyo sagely said.

"I'm afraid I don't follow." Saki said.

"I'm saying that we can't follow Shinobu everywhere to protect her, so we should teach her how to defend herself." Tamiyo explained. "Just teach her enough of your boxing moves to keep that pervert from trying anything stupid."

"I've never really tried to teach anything I know to anyone, I don't think I'd be that good." Saki said.

"Come on, I'd bet you'd be great." Tamiyo implored.

"Alright… but I'd need a sparring partner." Saki said, when her expression took on a more sinister manner. "And I know just who can help."

---

"Motoko!" Saki barged in to Motoko's room where she sat meditating in the middle of the floor.

"What do you want Aesadi-San?" Motoko asked, obviously annoyed.

"I challenge you to a sparring match!" She declared.

"This again?" Motoko asked. "I thought I told you-"

"Blah-Blah, this is important this time, tell her Tamiyo!" Saki pushed Tamiyo into the room, and Motoko looked at her expectantly. Tamiyo took a moment to adjust her glasses before explaining.

"Our Perverted Manager finally lost control and molested poor Shinobu, and she's asked us to teach her how to better defend herself. Saki has volunteered to teach her, but she needs a sparring partner."

"Then you do it." Motoko stated, still in her meditative position. "Despite what Aesadi-San thinks, mine and hers' fighting styles are incompatible. I am trained to face swordsmen, she is trained to face unarmed opponents, there is no way for either of us to have a proper match. It would be just as useful for Aesadi-San to use you as her dummy as it would be if I were to do it and quite simply, I can't be bothered."

Tamiyo pouted, and thought for a second before she came up with an idea. "Oh, well then, poor little Shinobu, there'll be nothing she can do the next time the Manager decides to have his way with her." Motoko twitched at this statement, and Tamiyo smirked. "She'll be defenseless against him, unable to do anything to stop his unwanted advances." Tamiyo paused before turning to the door. "I will teach her the best I can, I only hope my paltry knowledge will be enough for her to fend off any wretched man who tries to attack her." Just as she was about to leave, Motoko got up, and grabbed Tamiyo by the shoulder.

"Wait!" She cried.

"Oh, did you want something Motoko-San?" Tamiyo asked.

"Maybe- You might have a point…" Motoko muttered.

Saki took on a large grin, and threw a punch into the air. "Alright! Rematch time!"

"M-Make no mistake, I am only doing this so Maehara-San can better defend herself from Keit- from the Manager."

---

The girls present assembled in the living room to watch Shinobu's training. Kitsune lay on the couch in her typical fashion, while Su had Miho and Miko assembled to cheer her on by the arm chair. Motoko and Saki were in the middle of the room, with Saki being visibly more excited by her task than Motoko. Shinobu and Tamiyo were at the side, with Tamiyo, as usual, supervised the groups.

"Okay Shinobu-San, first you have to get your stance right." Saki said, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet. She had her feet at shoulder's width, leading slightly with her left foot.

"Alright." Shinobu said, trying her best to mimic the stance that Saki had.

"Keep your arms tucked in like this-" She demonstrated by tucking in her arms, with her elbows against her ribcage, and her clenched fists at her eye-level. Shinobu mimicked her. "-in order to protect your core. Also keep your head down, and keep your chin tucked in. If you don't get this right, you'll get knocked out straight away, got it?"

"Y-yeah…" Shinobu said, sounding very unsure of herself.

"Go Shinobu! You can do it!" Su cheered.

"Fight! Fight!" The twins chanted.

"Now it's time to go on the offense!" Saki said, with a twisted smile directed at Motoko. "First you have your jabs." Saki said, getting closer to Motoko, who took on her own defensive stance. "Jabs are quick-" She tested Motoko with a jab, which she deflected with an open hand. "light" She hit Motoko with another jab "punches, meant to either wear down your opponent, or-" three successive jabs were fired at Motoko, who deflected all of them, but was forced to take a step back, and seemed to be a bit straining. "to test your opponents defenses. Then there's a cross."

In a blur, Saki threw a heavy punch at Motoko's head, which she both tried to duck, and catch at the same time, barely succeeding at both. Saki smirked. "With a Cross, you want to throw most of your weight into it. There's a Hook-" With a bent arm, Saki turned into a blow aimed at Motoko's head, which succeeded at taking away Motoko's balance.

"And then there's the uppercut." Saki said, with an evil grin, causing Motoko to eye her warily. Saki crouched slightly for a brief half second before launching upwards, fist first, aimed straight at Motoko's head. Motoko caught the blow in her hands, but was unable to keep her balance, and was knocked straight off her feet. "As you can see, uppercuts are good for getting your opponents off-balance. You get it?" She turned to see Shinobu, who was, in boxing terms at least, in terrible shape.

She was leading with the wrong foot and fist, she was off-balance, with her back ramrod straight, and her arms pinned to her chest, with her head so low, she was looking at the floor. If Saki ever had to go up against the poor girl, she would be down in two blows at best. It was pitiful and almost comical. "Alright, I have no idea what I'm doing." Saki muttered.

"You're doing a great job Saki!" Tamiyo said.

"No I'm not! I'm sorry Shinobu, you're getting it all wrong, and I quite frankly don't know where to begin." Saki said. "I'm not a teacher, I have no idea how I'm supposed to fix this."

"Well what did your teacher do when you got something wrong?" Tamiyo asked.

"I didn't." Saki said. "Sounds boastful, but when I was a kid learning this stuff, I got everything right, and learned through experience."

"I'm sorry Saki-Sempai." Shinobu said, collapsing from whatever meager attempt it was she had at boxing.

"Ah, it's not your fault kid." Saki said. "You can't help that you're a terrible boxer."

"Well, if you can't teach her, how about you Motoko-San?" Tamiyo asked.

Motoko who was still getting up from Saki's earlier blow, glared at the glasses girl. "The particular sect of Kendo that I have been instructed on is that of an ancient art that can only be instructed to others by the express permission of the Aoyoma Clan." She stated. "It is not in my power to impart any of my knowledge unto anyone else."

"Well we gotta do something!" Tamiyo stated.

"I know!" Su said, raising her hand. "Tamiyo why don't you teach Shinobu how to beat up the Manager?"

"Me? Oh, I don't know anything about that kinda stuff." Tamiyo confessed.

"Aren't you the one who suggested we teach Shinobu how to defend herself?" Motoko asked, dusting herself off. "If you really believe that knowing self-defense is necessary, then shouldn't we start with you?"

"H-Hey, this isn't about me." Tamiyo said. "Shinobu was the one who was assaulted today."

"It actually wasn't that big a deal." Shinobu said.

"And she is the most vulnerable of all the tenants here." She stated. "With both her parents far from town, and considering how small and weak she is."

"Tatsukata-San, the reason we are living in this dorm is because we are separated from our families." Motoko stated. "I myself, for instance, am vastly separated from my family in Kyoto."

"Yeah but-"

"Not to mention, the twins are also just as 'defenseless' as Shinobu is, and Su has no trained fighting style. Yet you do not seem to be worried about them."

"I um…"

"Tamiyo must not care for us." Miko said.

"I think she only cares about Shinobu." Miho responded.

"Wait no, that's not it!" Tamiyo said, trying to rack her powerful brain for a way to turn the situation around in her favor.

"Even Kitsune is useless in a fight, are you not concerned for her safety?" Motoko stated.

"I can handle myself well enough, thank you very much." Kitsune piped up.

A lightbulb went off in Tamiyo's head as she realized her course of action. "Look, we should all be able to defend ourselves, okay? Not only from not only our lecherous Manager, but also any threat. The world is a dangerous place, and we live in a society that preys on women. You are all right, Shinobu isn't the only one we should be teaching, but I think it would be a good idea if we try to figure out if we can actually teach anyone here how to defend themselves first." Tamiyo smirked, having been able to turn the tables, and garner everyone's attention. "Now, Motoko can't, or won't teach anyone her Kendo moves, so unless she changes her mind, that option is out. Su, Miko, Miho, Shinobu, Kitsune and myself are untrained in any specific style, which leaves you and Hiromi. Now, are you sure you can't teach anyone anything?"

Saki grew a nervous look. "I was psyched out about teaching stuff to one person! Now I gotta teach everyone?"

"Well Motoko's not going to help." Tamiyo said.

"It's that I won't, I can't." Motoko stated. "If anyone in my family found out I taught someone moves from the Shinmei-Ryu school, my family would exile me from my own clan, and I would be forbidden from practicing the art."

"That's a little harsh, don't you think?" Saki asked.

"My family's ways are old, and I'd rather you didn't question them." Motoko said, rather testily.

"S-Sorry…"

The front door could be heard opening as someone entered the Hinata. "I'm back everyone." Hiromi announced.

"Great!" Saki said, bounding to the front door where she saw Hiromi taking off her shoes. "Hiromi, you gotta get over here!"

Hiromi sighed, and reached into her pocket. "What did the manager do this time?" She asked, producing her taser.

"Oh, nothing, well, um he did do something, but he's not back yet- Just get over here!" Saki grabbed onto her, and pulled her over into the living room. "We're teaching Shinobu how to fight."

Hiromi eyed the room over, and looked at little Shinobu. "You sure? I get the feeling Shinobu doesn't want to be here."

"No! It's fine, I want to do this." Shinobu said.

Hiromi put a comforting hand on the young girls shoulder. "Look, Shinobu, it's alright if you stand up to us if we're being a little pushy, ok? Don't force yourself." She told her.

"No! You see, um… earlier today, I thought we were being followed." Shinobu explained, causing most of this assembled to pay more attention to the little girl.

"You were being followed? Where was this?" Hiromi asked.

"On the way back from school." Shinobu said.

"Great." She sighed, taking a seat on one of the chairs. She took out a notepad from her pocket, and started writing things down on it. "Where exactly?"

"A few blocks from the train station? I'm not too sure." Shinobu confessed.

"Alright, how many times did you see this man? Did he talk to you?"

"He didn't talk to me. I saw him a few times. When I told Su, she called out to him, and he ran away." Shinobu explained.

"Sounds suspicious alright. Tell me what he looked like, and I'll see what I can do."

"Um, I didn't get a good look at him I'm afraid." Shinobu said. "Sorry."

"That's alright, was he tall or short."

"Um, he was a little bit on the tall side."

"Did you see what color of hair he had?"

"Brown."

"Was he a thin man, or a fat man?"

"He was average."

"What kind of clothes was he wearing, dark clothes, light clothes, fancy ones?"

"He had a brown jacket. He looked kind of dirty."

Hiromi closed her notepad, and got up. "I'll go to the station to report this, but I'm afraid there's not much else I can do."

"Oh you don't have to trouble yourself!" Shinobu said.

"Don't worry, I won't be gone for long."

"Hey wait!" Tamiyo said. "We need you to teach Shinobu how to defend herself!"

"Yeah, I'm a bad teacher, and Motoko refuses to do anything." Saki said.

"How many times must I explain myself-"

"Look, all I really know is what I picked up in a couple of Judo classes." Hiromi said. "And if you're not a good teacher, then I advise you don't teach her. Doing so might put her in more trouble. If you really want her to learn self-defense, then find an actual instructor. They do teach classes for this stuff around town. Now if you'll excuse me." With that, Hiromi left the living room, put her shoes back on, and left the Hinata.

"Wow, all of us in a room, and none of us could figure to get her a class." Kitsune remarked.

"Not helping." Tamiyo said.

"Whelp, that solves that then." Saki said. With their tasks done, Motoko and Saki left and returned to their respective rooms. Kitsune regained control of the TV, and turned it to a channel showing horse races, while Tamiyo stood around feeling useless. Deciding she was no longer needed, she skulked back off to her own room to resume her studying.

Shinobu collapsed on one of the chairs feeling sorry for herself. "I guess I'm just useless at everything."

"Don't say that Shinobu!" Su said, trying to cheer her newest friend. "I'm sure you'll find your own way to beat up the manager!"

"T-Thanks… I think…" Shinobu said.

---

Day 25 Evening

"Bye Haitani, Shirai, see ya tomorrow." Keitaro said, as he and his girlfriend stepped off the train, and into the busy station.

The sun was just beginning to set as Naru and Keitaro left the train-station, and made their way back towards the Hinata. For the moment the two were walking slowly, trying to enjoy the peacefulness, in no hurry to return to the hectic atmosphere of the Hinata.

"So…" Naru muttered.

"What is it?" Keitaro asked.

"You done screwed up with Shinobu-Chan." Naru said blatantly.

"Yeah that I did." Keitaro sighed.

"I can't believe you screwed up again." Naru lectured. "I mean you've seriously pissed off most of the girls on the first day, and now you went and scared poor Shinobu too."

"You've been wanting to say this all day haven't you?" Keitaro asked.

"Well yeah! It's just that during our free time at Cram School we were otherwise… preoccupied." Naru said with a small blush.

"Yeah…" Keitaro said, mimicking her embarrassed expression.

"Don't distract me!" Naru said, giving her boyfriend a light punch. "I'm still mad at you for scaring Shinobu!"

"It wasn't my fault! I mopped the kitchen floor, and slipped!" Keitaro said.

"I know, I know, but I'm still mad at you." Naru said. "Now you're in even more trouble than before, and you can bet that those crazy girls are going to use this as more ammunition against you."

"Well what do you think I should do?" Keitaro asked. "Should I try to say something to them?"

"Yeah, try to reason with them, and this time it'll work." Naru said sarcastically. "They're the kind of people who won't change their minds whenever they've already decided something."

"Naru, you're being a bit harsh on them." Keitaro said.

"Keitaro, if you're not gonna let me fuss over you when they're trying to kill you, I think I'm at least entitled to talk smack about them when they're not around!" Naru said. Keitaro suddenly stopped, and grabbed her, pulling her into a hug. "Wh-What are you doing you idiot?"

"Naru, you're letting your temper get the better of you, and working yourself into fit." Keitaro told her. "Just calm down and breathe okay?"

Naru started to protest before slowly giving in. She closed her eyes, and took a few breaths to calm herself, eventually relaxing into Keitaro's embrace.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Naru sighed, disengaging herself from her boyfriend.

"So what do you think I should do?" Keitaro asked, resuming their walk to the Hinata. "Should I talk to Shinobu-Chan, and explain what happened?"

"No, just let me talk to her, you stay out of sight." Naru told her. "I think she might be a little more understanding if I try to explain to her about your clumsiness. I think she sees me as a bit of a big sister, you know?"

"Yeah, I just hope that you can convince her it was an accident." Keitaro said. "I really like her, I'd hate to see her terrified of what I'll do to her like the other girls."

"That and the fact she was the only one not actively trying to kill you." Naru said. "If we lose her, all you'll have left keeping that cute butt of yours safe will be me."

"What about Kitsune?"

"I still think Kitsune is waiting for a good moment to set you up." Naru said. "Probably trip you, so you'll face-plant into Tamiyo's breasts, or she'll plant Hiromi's panties in your room or something."

"Ok, now you're being harsh on Kitsune, and she hasn't done anything to me yet."

"Well not since you've been at the Inn, but don't you think it's a bit odd that she hasn't pulled one of her tricks yet? I love her to death, but that girl is trouble, and you know it, after all you're her favorite victim."

"Oh come on, she's not like that." Keitaro said.

"Who do you think she tells this stuff to?" Naru asked. "I'm probably still in a bad mood, but-" Naru bumped into a tall man, and fell back, only to be caught by Keitaro. "Hey watch where you're going!" She yelled.

The man jumped, and turned to face the two. "Sorry, sorry, my fault." He apologized. He had a scruffy look to him, with a healthy bit of dirt and grime on his face, with an unshaven appearance, and a mop of ragged brown hair. He was taller than Haitani was, and was wearing a scruffy brown jacket.

"No, it was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going." Naru said, getting back on her feet. "I'm sorry, I've been in a bad mood lately."

"Oh, that time of the month?"

"Let me at him! Let me at him!" Naru shrieked as Keitaro was forced to restrain her.

"Wait! Wait! I didn't mean it! I just said that without thinking!" The man pleaded.

"Naru calm down!" Keitaro said.

"Screw calm! I want to be angry!" Naru raged.

"Alright you can be angry! Just don't hurt the man okay?"

A few minutes of struggle later, Keitaro managed to calm his savage girlfriend, and the mysterious man apologized profusely.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

"Eh? All you really did was just stand in the middle of the sidewalk." Keitaro said.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm kinda lost." He explained. "I haven't been to this part of the city before, and before I knew it I realized I had no idea where I was going, or where I've been, or… I'm just hopeless…"

"There, there…" Keitaro said, trying to comfort the man. He turned to Naru who was still in a 'I don't want anything to do with him' pose, with her arms crossed, chin up, and looking away from him. "It's not all that bad."

"It is. Today I got chased by a cat, I fell down a flight of stairs, I was almost run over by a bus, and now I'm completely lost, I just can't do anything right." He said, tears starting to form in his eyes. Naru glanced over at the man.

"Look, just tell us where you're trying to where you're trying to go, and we'll help okay?" Keitaro said. "Me and Naru grew up in these parts."

"Really? You'll help me?"

"Of course, just tell us where you're heading." Keitaro said, with Naru dropping her 'I don't want anything to do with him' pose.

The man thought for a moment before answering. "Alright then, I guess I'm trying to head to the Hin-" The man paused before continuing. "The um uh, the Kenshu Grocery Store."

"Hey that's on our way back home." Naru noted. "You can follow us, and we'll lead you straight to it."

"Really? You'll help?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Of course!" Naru said with a smile. "But no more comments on the day that shall not be named got it?"

The man gulped at the level of killer intent Naru was leveling at him. "Got it."

---

Naru quietly entered the Hinata keeping an ear out for the activity going on at the Inn. Things seemed quiet, or rather, quiet for the Hinata, so she signaled for Keitaro to enter. "Alright, you head off to your room and start studying, I'll go find Shinobu, and try to talk to her, okay?"

"Got it." Keitaro said.

The two heard the pitter-patter of the footsteps of an over-excited middle-schooler as Su, who was now in her military uniform, ran and leapt at Keitaro's head, wrapping her legs and body around him and almost knocking him over. "Heya Mr. Manager!" She said with a wide bright smile.

"Hrmph oomph om hmph!" He mumbled from between her legs.

"What's that? Can't hear you!" She said.

"Su get off of him!" Naru told her.

"Huh? But I wanted to play with the Manager!" Su said. "I have a new arsenal of miniaturized artillery that I want to field test on the Manager."

"No! No field testing of any weapons on my boyfriend!" Naru told her. "Understand?"

"Aw… Naru's no fun." Su said, leaning back. She disengaged her legs from around Keitaro's neck, and fell into a perfect handstand. She then somersaulted back to her feet, and randown the hallway.

"That girl is a mystery wrapped inside a riddle covered in crazy sauce." Keitaro muttered.

"Can't keep your hands off of the young ones, can you?" Naru asked.

"Naru, how can you say that?"

"Just head off to your room before you do something else stupid."

"But she was-"

"Off with you, off!" Keitaro hung his head, as he meekly obeyed his girlfriend, and headed towards the Manager's room to study, and perhaps clear his head.

Naru sighed and groaned in frustration. She headed into the kitchen to grab a cold can of soda, and then went into the living room, where Kitsune was still camped out on the sofa. Naru didn't bother telling her friend to move aside, and instead simply sat on top of her legs, leaned back, and pressed the cold can against her forehead.

"So how many times today?" Kitsune asked.

"The walls have ears Kitsune." Naru muttered.

"Oh come on, live a little dangerously!" Kitsune egged her on.

"Not in the mood Kitsune."

"What is it this time?" She asked.

Naru opened her can, and took a sip from it. "Nothing. Everything. Keitaro's at the center of it all, and I feel useless."

"Tell me your woes Na-Chan, let Aunt Kitsune hear all about it."

"I don't know." Naru sighed. "These girls are getting to me, and I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stand it. Its one thing seeing all this stuff happen to Keitaro, then it's a whole other thing about the Sex rule, but what's driving me up the walls is Keitaro won't let me get involved. He's already upset about what I've already done, with telling the other girls off about Shinobu studying with me."

"Hmm-Hmm." Kitsune said, doing her best to impersonate a psychiatrist.

"And now he's gone and screwed it up with Shinobu too! You saw what happened, and now the poor girl is probably with all crazy ones who are making Keitaro's life a living hell, and trying to get him kicked out."

"I see, sounds to me like you're a little bit angry at Kei-Kun too." Kitsune said.

"Huh, what?" Naru asked. "Where did you get that from."

"Well, when you talk about that dork, usually you get all doey-eyed and super girly, but just now, you went from angry, to still angry." Kitsune said. "I get the feeling you're getting jealous again."

"A-Am not!" Naru said. "Why would I be jealous of the harpies trying to kill my boyfriend? What kind of twisted thinking is that?"

"A woman's." Kitsune stated. "And this wouldn't be the first time you've gotten irrationally jealous over a girl. I think you yourself are getting mad at amount of 'accidents' Keitaro is having with all these girls. I mean, he's groped practically everyone, even tripped on me on the way to the bathroom, pulled down a few panties, and ripped open a few shirts, and he's even walked into the hot-spring at the wrong time too."

"And what does this have to do with me being jealous?" Naru asked. "He's always been this clumsy, especially around women."

"You're jealous it's not happening to you. You get to see all these girls getting some attention, while all you can do is watch."

"I thought we had already discussed a way of satisfying my 'needs'." Naru stated.

"Yeah, but that's all the hot dirty stuff." Kitsune said. "You're missing all that casual stuff you two did in High School, like holding hands, rubbing against each other, and all that other obnoxious relationship crap."

"Y-You really think so?" Naru asked. "It is true we haven't really been able to snuggle, or much of that other stuff. And besides that time with the Photobooth, and when we had noodles with the guys, we haven't really gone on any actual dates."

"And herein lies your problem." Kitsune said. "Damn, I should try to make money off of this."

"But the problem is that if I do any of that stuff the other girls are going to freak, and chase Keitaro around the place." Naru sighed. "So if I do it, it's bad for Keitaro, but if I don't do it, it's bad for me." Naru groaned loudly, and leaned back against the couch. "I'm screwed."

"Yep."

"What do I do Kitsune? I'm at a loss."

"Well… as bad as things are now, tell me, would you rather go back to things were before Keitaro came here, and just have him not around?" Kitsune asked.

"No." Naru said without hesitation. "No, as bad, and as absolutely crazy as things are, as long as I'm with Keitaro…"

"Well then there's your answer." Kitsune said. "Do nothing."

"Okay, that is not an answer." Naru said. "I still want that lovey-dovey time with Kei-Kun!" She sighed, and took another sip from her can. "I guess we still just gotta wait until we get into Tokyo-U. Then we can put all this craziness behind us."

"See, do nothing." Kitsune said.

Naru sighed once more. "I can still try to make things more bearable around here. Where's Shinobu? I want to talk to her before the other girls convert her. If I'm lucky, maybe I can convince her what happened was an accident."

"I'd say you're too late, earlier the girls were trying to teach her kung-fu and stuff, trying to turn here into another Keitaro-Killer." Kitsune told her.

"And you didn't do anything to stop them!" Naru asked.

"Hey, I thought it was your idea to have her learn some way to defend herself, and besides, I was pretty sure that nobody was going to listen to me. 'Sides though, your man is safe, nobody could teach her anything."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Saki went and tried, but she decided she sucked, and couldn't really teach her anything, Motoko wouldn't, saying her family would be pissed if she did, and Hiromi just said we should get her a right and proper teacher instead."

"Hmm… I'm not sure how I should feel." Naru said. "On the one hand, I'm grateful she won't be chasing Keitaro around, on the other, I was serious about her learning how to defend herself. It's dangerous out there."

"So then, you'll be teaching her your Naru-Punch! Then?" She asked, striking a fearsome pose.

"I probably could, but I think Hiromi is actually right. You can do more harm than good if you only know half of what you're doing." She finished the contents of her can with one gulp. "Anyway, I should go about finding her. Any idea where she is?"

"Probably in her room." Kitsune said.

"Thanks." With that, she got up to find Shinobu, and left Kitsune to her TV watching.

---

Shinobu opened up her notebook, and turned to a blank page towards the back. Playing with the pencil in her hand, she stared at it. She went back to the page of notes she had taken that day, and looked at the drawing she had done of the teacher. She had to admit, it actually wasn't that bad. Keitaro's work was much, much better than hers, but she wasn't completely terrible at it.

She turned back to the blank page and started drawing the basic frame of a person, not knowing who she was trying to draw. Then she started with the face, starting with simple features, and then going on to the hair, giving if a scruffy look. With that done, she began with the eyes, trying to make them look deep and caring. Then she tried to get the smile down, a calm, knowing smile, a mature one.

She jumped when she heard a knock at the door.

"Wh-Who is it?" She asked.

"It's me, Naru, can I come in?"

"Sure Naru-Sempai." Shinobu said. She turned back to her notebook, and saw she had unwittingly drawn a stylized version of Keitaro. She hastily closed her notebook as Naru came in.

"Hey Shinobu, mind if we talk?" Naru asked.

"Uh, yeah, s-sure…" Shinobu said, hunched over her notebook.

Naru sat herself on Shinobu's bed, which was covered with a girly pink floral design. "I was hoping to talk to you about, well, you know, what happened in the kitchen earlier today. With Keitaro."

"O-Oh, that." Shinobu said.

"Where do I start?" Naru mused. "My boyfriend is a hopelessly clumsy idiot without an iota of grace. He never watches where he is going, never pays attention to what's happening around him, and trips over his feet more times than should be humanly possible."

"R-Really?"

"Yes, basically I want you to understand that what happened today was an accident, and that I hope you don't bear Keitaro any ill will." Naru said. "It's not something he does on purpose, despite what all the other girls say. Actually, what happened to you is actually pretty close to what happened to Kitsune the first time they met, now that I think about it."

"I-Is that how the two of you met then, Naru-Sempai?" Shinobu asked.

"Me and Keitaro? Oh no, or at least I don't think so." Naru said.

"What do you mean."

"I… don't actually remember how me and Keitaro met." Naru said, slightly embarrassed.

"Y-You don't remember how you met your own boyfriend?" Shinobu asked, rather shocked, especially considering how close the two seemed.

"Well we go waaaaaay back." Naru explained. "I was only two, and he was five, when we first met. We actually met in this inn, we basically grew up here. Our parents both liked vacationing here, well more my parents, cause Keitaro's granny owns the place, but I think it was one of those moments where our folks just wanted to get rid of the kids, and wanted us to play together so we'd be out of sight, but fortunately for us, we really liked each-other, and well, here we are today."

"So, was Keitaro-Sempai always as clumsy as he is now?" Shinobu asked.

"Yes. Wait no, back when we were growing up, he didn't seem any more clumsy than the next guy, I think it was around when he hit puberty think."

"O-Oh, I see then…"

"No wait it's not like that!" Naru exclaimed. "It's because he started growing and all, and he never seemed to quite recover. I mean he was always absent minded, but then his body started failing on him. And I guess it was also around that time that it became an issue if he ever stumbled into someone, so, I guess that's when most of us started noticing how clumsy he was."

"I see, um Naru-Sempai?" Shinobu said. "I-I don't mean to be rude, but do you think it's perhaps possible that Keitaro-Sempai really does fake his accidents, so he can… you know?"

Naru gave a snort and a chuckle as a response. "No I'm sure, they're accidents."

"B-But how can you be sure Naru-Sempai?"

"I just am." Naru said confidently.

"B-But Naru-Sempai, maybe Keitaro just has difficulty controlling his urges-"

Now Naru burst into laughter, and fell back on the bed. "No that's not it either, hee-hee!"

"But Naru-Sempai how can you be sure!"

Naru tried to regain control of herself, and looked Shinobu in the eye, still with a slight giggle in her throat. "Let's just say I am a very attentive girlfriend, and I make sure to satisfy all of Keitaro's, well, needs."

"Oh… but um, I heard from Su, that the other girls made it a rule that you two aren't allowed to do… you know…"

"Oh, that."

"Do you think maybe that because of that he-"

"No I don't." Naru stated.

"But how can you be sure?"

"Okay, stop saying that, it's getting on my nerves." Naru said.

"Oh, I'm sorry…"

"No don't be sorry. Look, I trust Keitaro, okay? He's my boyfriend, and if I don't believe him if he tells me what he does are accidents, well it means either he's lying to me, or I don't trust him. Either way, that's not good for a relationship. And before you say anything, I trust him way too much for that to ever happen. And he is just as much in love with me as I am with him. And do you really think he's going to endanger our relationship, which we've had as long as we can remember, for anyone here in this dorm?"

"… No I suppose not." Shinobu said.

"Look, I won't try to color your opinion of Keitaro one way or the other, but I just hope you believe me when I tell you that all the accidents that Keitaro has around here, including the one with you today, are just that. If you don't want to study with us anymore I'll understand, but I-"

"No! I still want to study with you!" Shinobu cried.

"Eh? Really?" Naru asked, rather surprised.

"Yes! I do! I've always been bad at schoolwork, but when I'm studying with you and Keitaro-Sempai, it all seems so easy. And it's fun too. I don't know if it'd make it without your help."

"Well, we do kinda have a history with this thing." Naru said. "But you're not worried about Keitaro?"

Shinobu shook her head. "Keitaro-Sempai helped me stand up to my parents, and he's the one who let me stay here. He can't be as bad as Saki and Tamiyo and Motoko keep telling me. I think he might be a little dangerous, but if Naru-Sempai trusts him, then I don't why I shouldn't either."

"Really? Thank god!" Naru said with a smile. "I was worried you were going to turn into one of them, chasing my boyfriend around the place!"

"I-I couldn't do that."

"Hallelujah!" She proclaimed. "I'm glad some things have worked out the right way. Do you still want to study with us tonight?"

Shinobu smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'd like that very much."

"Great, I'll go grab the idiot, and we can get started." Naru said. With a smile, she skipped outside, and down the hallway, leaving Shinobu to discreetly hide her notebook.

---

Hiromi came back to the Hinata quietly, took off her shoes, and went into the living room, where Kitsune was still camped out.

"Any word?" Kitsune asked.

"Patrols will be keeping an eye out in the area, but aside from that, there's not much we can do." Hiromi said, sitting down in one of the armchairs. "What about Shinobu, are the others still trying to teach her their 'martial arts'?"

"Nah, they gave up on that after you left. Surprised you wanted them to stop." Kitsune said.

"When I was in high-school, a friend of mine tried to teach me some 'Kung Fu'. I indulged her, and later when a boy was harassing me, I attacked him, and I ended up breaking his jaw, and my wrist. They have schools for fighting for a reason." Hiromi told her.

"I see." Kitsune said, switching the channel. It was at that moment they heard the scream. "Oh not again!" Kitsune cried.

Hiromi sighed, got up, and went upstairs to where the scream came from, seemingly from Shinobu's room. As she was going up, she saw both Saki and Tamiyo rush past her, with Motoko also coming down the hallway, sword in hand, and anger in her eye.

"I swear if that perverted Manager had the nerve to attack poor Shinobu twice on the same day, I don't know what we'll have to do to him." Tamiyo muttered.

"I'm with you." Saki said. "I don't know how hard I have to hit him before he gets the message."

"That perverted male will face the price of his sins." Motoko said as a sentiment of agreement.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Naru bellowed storming down the hallway. "There's no way Keitaro did anything this time!" She yelled.

"Oh yeah, have any proof to back that up?" Tamiyo asked haughtily.

"This!" She produced said manager in question from behind her, who blinked a few times before he realized that the girls weren't going to kill him just yet. They were as confused as he was.

"Wait, if I'm not the reason Shinobu's screaming, then…"

The group as one, ran the rest of the way to Shinobu's room, with Naru wrenching the door open. Inside, they could see Shinobu cowering on the floor, trying to back away from some tall dirty stranger in a black ski-mask, hunched over her. He turned to the door, and saw five very angry girls, and Keitaro, staring him down. He gulped.

"Oh crap."

"Sempai's help me!" Shinobu cried, terrified for her life. "It's the man who was following me!"

"Burglar! Get him!" Tamiyo yelled so loud, everyone in the Hinata could hear.

Motoko drew her sword, and Saki charged in headfirst. The man guarded himself to Saki's first few blows, light jabs, but took a few blows to the chest. However when Saki tried to perform a cross on his head, he skillfully ducked her blowing, leaning back at a 90 degree angle, with his leg stuck out in front of him as balance.

"Attitude devant!"

"Why you!" Saki then tried a sweeping kick to knock him over, but he simply resumed his balance, and jumped over it.

"Petit Saut!"

Motoko stepped in next and tried to stab the man with her sword, which he skillfully evaded with ducking, and sidestepping.

"Plie! Plie! Plie!"

"What is with this guy?" Tamiyo asked.

The man looked at the window, and made a run for it.

"Jete!" He jumped through the window, legs spread apart, grabbed onto the top of the window, and somersaulted out of view.

"He's upstairs!" Tamiyo called, as the man's footsteps could still be heard.

The assembled group ran out of Shinobu's room, and rushed through the hallways.

"So what'd I miss?" Kitsune asked, as she walked up the staircase.

"A thief has broken into the Hinata!" Motoko called, as the group rushed past her onto the next floor.

"Wait you mean it weren't Kietaro?" Kitsune asked, rather shocked. See turned to see Shinobu dazedly stumble out of her room. "Oh sugar, what happened to you?"

"T-There w-w-w-was a m-m-m-man a-a-a-and-"

"Alright, calm down sugar, let's go to the kitchen, and I'll get you a drink to calm your nerves, okay?" Kitsune suggested.

---

Upstairs, the burglar stumbled out of Su's room, where the sounds of tropical birds could be heard, before shutting the door. He heard the thumping of footsteps. He saw coming up the stairs several of the girls that had faced him in Shinobu's room, Hiromi, Tamiyo, Saki and Motoko. The man readied himself however he could.

Motoko was the first to strike, with a flurry of swordstrikes too fast to be seen.

"Pirroutte!" The man put his hands over his head, and twirled around, his fluid movements encircling her sword before he went right past her before she could respond. Saki was next to join the fray with a hook aimed straight at his head. "Fondu!" He fell into a perfect split, letting his momentum carry him across the freshly mopped floor, right under Saki's blow. "Releve!" He went straight from a split back into a standing position, and skipped across the floor until he was upon Hiromi, who held her taser, crackling with her electricity, ready to strike. "Allegro!" He did light skips, and a twirl at each of Hiromi's jabs, evading each strike until he was upon the last of them, Tamiyo, who looked at him with fear stricken eyes. She opened her mouth, and let forth a scream so loud, that everyone in the Hinata could hear it.

The man, expecting a physical attack, instead of a sonic one, tripped, and fell head long into the open window at the end of the hallway. He grasped the bottom of the window sill, and swung back into the lower floor.

"Did you get him?" Naru asked emerging from her room.

"This guy's good!" Saki muttered. "Ran right past us."

"Oh come on, how does that happen?" Naru asked. "Where is he now?"

"I think he went back downstairs, through the window." Hiromi said.

"Thanks." Naru said, retreating back into her room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Hiromi asked.

---

"He's going back downstairs!" Naru told him.

"Aw really?" Keitaro complained. He let go of his grip on the floor, and fell back down the hole, and into his room. He got off the chair and back into the hallway. 'So much for using that hole as a shortcut.'

He opened his door, and saw the burglar trying to catch his breath at the end of the hallway. "You!" The man jumped and eyed Keitaro cautiously. Keitaro assumed the position his grandmother had taught him when he was young. Unsure of himself, afraid, but determined, he faced down the intruder. The Burglar tried to mimic Keitaro's action, putting both hands above his head, and angling his leg against his knee.

"Brise!" The man jumped across the hallway and towards Keitaro. Keitaro tried to land a blow at the man, who simply twirled under it. But then Keitaro swept his leg across the floor, tripping him. The man landed on his hands, and performed a somersault back onto his feet, but Keitaro was not so easily deterred. He chased after him, grabbing the collar of his shirt without noticing, and flipping him back, with the intent for him to smash against the floor. Again the man caught himself, but this time, Keitaro tried landing some of his own blows against him, which he still managed to dodge, if just barely.

"Keitaro!" This time Naru joined in on the fight, running straight at the man with her fist aimed straight at his face.

"Pas de Cote!" The man jumped to the side at the last moment, letting Naru's punch impact the wall, leaving a large crater in its place.

"Naru! Now I'm going to have to fix that!" Keitaro stated.

"S-Sorry."

"Holy Crap!" The burglar commented, realizing that crater could have been his head. The man skipped down the hallway faster than most people could skip, just before the other girls came down the stairs, and joined the chase.

Not knowing where anything was, he kept blindly leaping down the hallways, hoping to come across an exit soon. He turned down the hallway to see Su in her military uniform grinning at him, with an army of miniaturized artillery trucks. "Hiya Mister!" She said cheerfully.

"H-Hiya."

"Looks like you're my new test subject!" She said, turning the dial on her remote control. The artillery trucks came to life, and a series of beeps could be heard from each as their guns locked onto their targets. Each fired their tiny gun, launching their tiny artillery shells that landed at his feet. When they began exploding, he tried his best to jump, and dance around them.

"Plie! Plie! Plie!" He cried, trying to keep his delicate feet from being blown to smithereens by the girls tiny vehicles of way. He kept doing this until the toys ran out of ammunition, and Su's mad grin turned into a confused look as she peered at her control.

"Blast! I need reinforcements!"

Just then, the rest of the Hinata mob caught up with hem, and skillfully vaulted over Su's head. "Pas de chat!" He kept leaping through the hallways again, wondering just how long he was going to be running to for his life, before he entered the living room. He knew that freedom must just be a room or two away.

"Split up! We need to keep in one place!" Tamiyo called out.

With the Hinata crew were hot on his tail however, and he had no time to look around for his way out. Instead, he plie'd into the next room, which just so happened to be the kitchen. He was about to leap into the next room when Tamiyo's directions came into fruition, as Tamiyo, Naru and Saki blocked the way he had just come in, and Hiromi, Motoko and Keitaro blocked the way he was heading.

"Oh crap." He muttered, backing himself towards a corner.

"Don't even think of running you scumbag!" Naru told him.

"When we catch you, we are going to kill you, and bury you in an unmarked grave!" Saki called out.

"Ok, now I'm definitely not going quietly." The burglar said. He kept backing up, with each of the girls, and Keitaro, advancing, desperately searching for an escape route. Until something from behind hit him hard on the back of the head, and knocked him out. As he collapsed, the girls could see Kitsune and Shinobu standing behind him, with a frying pan held in in Shinobu's petite hands.

"He-he, that's my girl." Kitsune said, patting her on the head.

"Shinobu! Are you okay?" Naru called out, running forward to embrace the girl.

"I'm f-f-fine." Shinobu said, trembling slightly.

"I guess y'all can stop worrying about Shinobu not knowing how to defend herself now huh?" Kitsune stated.

---

Day 25: Night

In short order, the girls grabbed the unconscious body of the burglar, tied him up, and leant him against the wall as they discussed what to do with him.

"Behead him." Motoko stated coldly. "He is a thief, and such vandals deserve no mercy."

"Really? I was thinking we just beat him to a bloody pulp, and leave him in a dark alley." Saki said.

"I say we keep him!" Su said, bouncing up and down. "I could use him in all kinds of experiments!"

Naru turned to Keitaro, both of whom were standing in the back. "How do you feel?" She asked.

"Really weird." Keitaro said. "I almost feel sorry for the poor guy."

"Guys, while I am all for vigilante justice, I think you may be taking it a bit too far this time." Hiromi said. "I can just take him down to the station, and all will be taken care of there."

"Oh thank god!" Everyone turned to see the burglar, who was now up from his unconscious sleep. He jumped as everyone gave him a killing glare. "Oh crap."

"You are in a lot of trouble mister!" Tamiyo stated.

"I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!" The man begged.

"Oh don't worry, we'll be making plenty sure to have fun with you first before we do that." Kitsune said seductively leaning towards him.

"I didn't see you before, what do you do?" He asked.

"All kinds of things, sugar."

"Kitsune! No flirting with the burglar!" Naru told her.

"Oh come on, not even a little?" She asked. "How about we take a look at that face before we make any final decisions?" With that she leaned over to the struggling man, and yanked off the mask covering his face.

"It's you!" Naru and Keitaro cried out in unison.

"You know this man?" Hiromi asked.

"We bumped into him on the way home." Keitaro said.

"I can't believe it! You followed us home so you could rob us, after we went and helped you out?" Naru said, rather angrily.

"NO! I promise, I had no idea the two of you lived here, if I had, I probably wouldn't have come here!" He told them.

"So, that means you've been planning to come here for a while?" Tamiyo asked.

"Ack!" The man jumped, realizing he had made a mistake. "No! Please, let me explain myself!"

"Let me guess, it's all just a big misundertstanding?" Saki asked.

"Well… no… no it's not." The man conceded.

"Maybe you should start from the top." Hiromi said. "What were you doing following Shinobu?"

"Who?"

"M-Me." Shinobu stuttered, hiding behind Motoko, clutching onto her Gi.

"Oh hello there." The man said with a smile.

"Speak!" Motoko commanded, holding her sword where he could see it. "Tell us why you were following this young girl!"

"Okay, okay, I know it looks bad but I promise I wasn't going to do anything to her! I mean it!" The man said.

"Alright, so tell us why were you following her." Saki said.

"I was… I was going to rob them." He muttered. In the blink of an eye, Motoko's katana came to a hairs breadth away from his neck. "But that was all! I promise! I just wanted the money she and her friend had, I wasn't going to hurt her or anything like that! I mean it!"

"Give me one good reason I should not separate your head from your body!" Motoko seethed.

"Motoko, let the man finish his story, then we'll decide what to do with him." Hiromi said. Slowly, Motoko withdrew her sword, but did not sheathe it. The man let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm going to die here."

"You wanted our money mister?" Su asked after clambering onto Motoko's shoulders.

"Yes. I've had some bad luck, and-"

"Why'd you do that? We don't have any money." Su said.

"You don't!" The man exclaimed, shock evident in his voice.

"Nuh-uh, just a train-pass." She said.

"Great, just great, that just figures…"

"Back to the story." Hiromi stated.

"Yeah, like what were you doing when we found you?" Naru asked.

"I tried to follow the two other girls, but I lost them after a while. When I realized that, I also found out that I'd gotten lost myself. That's when I bumped in to you two, and I you helped me find my way here."

"You two led the burglar to our front door?" Tamiyo asked the two.

"Hey, how were we supposed to know this was the creep following Shinobu?" Naru asked.

"How do you go from mugging a couple of middle-schoolers, to breaking and entering?" Hiromi asked.

"I really needed some money, and when I met those two, I decided, maybe I should go to the source, I guess?" He said. "And I think you know what happened when I got in."

"You try to mug two little girls, and then you try to knock off this place, what kind of burglar are you?" Tamiyo asked.

"Not a very good one." He muttered.

"And what was with that all that jump and flippy stuff?" Saki asked.

"Do I have to say?"

"Withholding information is a criminal offense." Hiromi noted.

"What does it matter, I'm probably going to go to jail for this anyway." He muttered.

"Just spill the beans!" Saki yelled.

"Alright! Alright! It was ballet!" He told them.

This temporarily took the anger and hostility from those assembled, as the absurdity of his response sunk in.

"You're… a ballet dancer?" Hiromi asked.

"Eight years." He said.

"Seriously?" Kitsune asked.

"Yes seriously!" He exclaimed. "My mother wanted a daughter, and was seriously disappointed when I was born. She painted my room pink, and for the first five years of my life I wore a dress. I can sew, knit, do macramé. I can plan both the violin and the piano. I had a horrible childhood, can we please get over it." He said, exasperated.

Saki was the first to walk up to him. She knelt down and looked him in the eye. He flinched as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Everyone leaned in to see what she would do.

"I completely understand where you're coming from." She said, with tears almost forming in her eyes.

"Um excuse me, I think we've gotten a little off track." Hiromi stated. "Why did you decide to break in with the lights still on? I would think it would be quite obvious we were still up and about."

"I figured waiting until the sun had gone down would be good enough." He told them. "I guess I didn't really think it through."

"Darn right you didn't." Tamiyo said. "What were you thinking trying to rob a girls dorm? I bet you were hoping to get a peek of something you weren't supposed to."

"No! Nothing like that! I promise, I just needed some money!" The man pleaded.

"I find I have to agree with Tamiyo on this one." Naru said. "This place has nothing of value that a thief could use, heck granny Hina advertised this place as cheap, which is why each of us is here."

"Wait, your telling me this place is broke?" The man asked.

"Yeah." Keitaro said. "This place barely makes enough to pay for repairs, it's almost falling apart."

"You're kidding me!" The man said incredulously. "I thought this place was a cultural landmark! Isn't the rest of the city built around this place?"

"Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but-"

"What's a cultural landmark?" Su asked.

"I thought this place was owned by the Urashima family!" The man said. "Aren't they super-rich, or something?"

"Eh!" The collective group went, turning to their resident manager.

"No, that's also a misunderstanding." Keitaro said. "My family is middle-class, it's that Granny Hina is a member of a group of wealthy organizations called the Urashima Corporation, who own large portions of property across Tokyo."

"So, are you rich or not?" Saki asked.

"I'm not." Keitaro stated.

"Well now that we've heard his story what do we do with him?" Naru asked.

"I still say we cut off each of his limbs, and send them off to a different corner of the map." Motoko said.

"Isn't anyone curious as to why he needs the money?" Keitaro asked.

"No." Was the response he was given.

"It's just that when we bumped into him earlier today, he didn't seem that bad a guy." Keitaro said.

"Of course you'd say that." Tamiyo said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

Tamiyo didn't respond, but Saki started fidgeting nervously. "I… might be willing to hear what he has to say…"

"Saki, you too?" Tamiyo asked rather surprised.

"Aw, what could it hurt?" Kitsune asked. "Go on Mr. Burglar, tell us your woes."

"Really?" He asked. He looked around and suddenly felt a lot smaller than he already was. "It's… it's kind of a long story."

"Don't worry, we got all night." Kitsune told him.

"F-Fine…" He cast his eyes down, and took a deep breath before starting. "It all started with a promise I made with my girlfriend when we were in high-school. She was always dead-set about getting into this high-class college, and she was worried about what would happen to our relationship if she got into the college and I didn't. So I promised her that no matter what I'd make sure to get into the same college. Well the exams came around, and I… I failed. We… broke up after that.

So for the next year, I did nothing but study to get into the same college as my girlfriend. That was the only thing that took up my time, nothing but study, study, study. So, when the exams came guess what? I failed. Again. Course, I was too stubborn to quit, and I wanted to try again. I went straight back to the books, but then, my mother… I told you about her right?

Well, she told me I should quit, and try to aim for something more my speed, I… said quite a few things back. Long story short, I was kicked out. And so I found myself out in the world, having never lived on my own, and never having held down a job. It was quite an adjustment. Between working a minimum wage job, getting a tiny apartment, and studying to get into college, I was barely able break even, and find enough time in my day. But, last month, I was late one too many times for work, and I was fired. I've been trying to find a job ever since, but without any money, I wasn't able to pay the rent, and the apartment manager wasn't very sympathetic.

I was kicked out, and I just ran out of the last of my money two days ago. I've had bad luck after bad luck, and I guess… I guess I just panicked, and well… you know. I needed money just so I could have enough to eat." He sighed, and his face took on the most miserable expression ever seen. "I deserve whatever it is that you decide to do with me. It was stupid of me to think I could rob someone, I was wrong, and just plain stupid for even trying, and I don't deserve to ask for mercy."

A sniffling could be heard, and the girls turned to see Keitaro, who had long streams of tears running down his face. "I f-feel so sorry for you!" He cried.

"Uh, thank you, I guess."

"Don't worry! I don't blame you at all for what you did! You're free to go!" Keitaro told him.

"Oh no you don't!" Tamiyo said. "This is a group decision!"

"B-But his story… it's so sad..."

"He still broke into our home with the intent to rob us!" Tamiyo said. "I think we should try not to forget that."

"Aw come on, cut the little guy some slack."

"No I won't- oh, Haruka-San..." Everyone turned around to see Haruka leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette. "H-How long have you been standing there?"

"Enough to know the full story." Haruka said, taking a deep breath from her cigarette.

"Aunt Haruka when did you get here?" Keitaro asked.

Haruka walked over, and flicked him on the forehead. "How many times do I have to tell you?" She asked. "I got back here the same time as when the Tea-Shop closes. You all were so caught up in interrogating the poor guy there, you didn't notice when I came in."

"You didn't notice anything strange when we were trying to chase this guy down?" Tamiyo asked.

"I thought you guys were chasing after Keitaro again." Haruka said. "How was I supposed to know this time was any different?" She paused to look around. "Hey, where are the twins?"

The girls looked around to search for Miko and Miho, but the two were nowhere to be found. "They must still be in their room." Naru said. "Su, go find them."

"Roger!" With that, she started running down the hall.

"So what's the verdict? What are we going to do with him?" Haruka asked.

"We?" Tamiyo asked.

"Yes we, I live here too believe it or not." Haruka stated.

"I don't think he should go to jail." Keitaro stated. "He's just a guy who made some mistakes. And besides, nothing really bad happened. We just got a little scared is all."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Tamiyo said.

"Put it up to a vote?" Haruka offered. "Naru?"

"Huh? Oh, well, I think the guy should be punished in some way, but what he did really wasn't that bad." Naru said.

"Kitsune?"

"Aw shucks, like I could ever be mad at such a cute face."

"Uh, thanks I guess." The burglar said.

"Saki?"

"…" Saki remained silent for a while, blushing slightly before answering. "I… I think he should be forgiven."

"Hiromi?"

"I think he broke the law, and should be punished accordingly." Hiromi stated.

"Tamiyo?"

"I agree with Hiromi." Tamiyo told her.

"Motoko?"

Motoko didn't respond, instead simply looking off into the distance.

"Alright, I guess we'll just not count her vote. Shinobu?"

Everyone turned to Shinobu, who was still hiding behind Motoko. "U-umm… I think that the guy isn't that bad…"

"Alright, now where is Su and the twins?"

"Present!" Su proclaimed as she came down the hallway, dragging the twin redheads, who were digging in their heels as she brought them to the group.

"Alright, Su, what do you think? Should the guy go to jail?"

"Depends, can I keep him as a test-subject?" She asked.

"No." Haruka curtly told her.

"Let him rot behind the bars for all eternity!" She exclaimed.

"Miko, Miho, what's your say in the matter?" Haruka asked.

"He's a scary burglar." Miko said.

"He should go to jail!" Miho told them.

"Well, that makes it a tie." Haruka said.

"Wait, no it doesn't." Tamiyo noted. "That's five votes for him going to jail, and four votes for us letting him go."

"Miko and Miho just got here, and don't know the full story." Haruka explained. "So they only count as one vote, leaving me as the tie-breaker."

"Hey that's unfair!" The two cried out. Haruka bopped the two of them on the head.

"Leaving me as the tie-breaker." Haruka continued. "And I believe I have a compromise we agree on. You-" She pointed towards the bound burglar. "You said you need a job right?"

"Uh, yeah." The guy said.

"I need more workers at the Tea-Shop down the steps. I say we let him go, and I can keep an eye on him at the Tea-Shop to make sure he doesn't go burgling instead."

"Haruka are you sure about this?" Hiromi asked.

"Look at the guy." Haruka stated. "Tell me that you're seriously worried that this guy made up that whole sob story, and is gonna make a run for it when you untie him. They don't breed hardened liars in ballet classes, I can tell you that."

Hiromi took a look at the poor man. "I'll admit, he does look suitably pathetic."

"Go on, untie those ropes." Haruka said.

Motoko tensed, and raised her sword, bringing it down on him. The man closed his eyes, and made his last prayers. When he opened them, he saw the ropes had been cut, and he had been freed from his bindings. "That's it?" He asked. "I'm free to go?"

"I wouldn't say that." Haruka said with a smile. "After a week working for me, you'll wish these girls sent you off to the big-house."

"I-I don't know what to say." The man said.

"Aunt Haruka!" Keitaro jumped in, and gave his aunt a big hug, tears streaming down his face. "I always knew you were a kind pure-hearted soul! OW!"

"I told you, don't call me Aunt." She stated. "By the way, I don't think you ever told us you name."

"Koichi. Thank you." The man said, getting rather teary-eyed himself. "I mean it, I want to thank each and every one of you. I promise you I won't make you regret it! I mean it, I promise I'll try to make up for what I did, I promise."

"Don't get all sappy on me, or I might just take back my generosity." Haruka warned.

"Oh, but…"

"What?"

"No it's nothing!" Koichi said.

"Spill it." Haruka told him.

"Well, even if I have a job, I still don't have a place to stay." He told them.

"Don't worry, I have a solution for that."

"NO!" Tamiyo shouted. "No! I don't care how sad his story is, he is not staying here! No! No! No!"

"Relax, relax!" Haruka said. "By solution, I meant a friend with a guest room who owes me a favor."

"Oh."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Koichi asked.

"Sure." Haruka said.

"Alright! I say we have a party!" Kitsune declared. "Shinobu, whip us up some of that tasty food of yours, I'll go break out the booze, and everyone can have a good time!"

---

Today, at least for a moment, everyone in the Hinata stood as one.

---

Authors Note:

Okay, a few notes on this chapter: This isn't the original Ch. 7, the next one is. After reading all the remarks about how harpish the characters are, I thought it would be a bad idea to post what I had currently, as the content in that is, I feel, particularly infuriating for any fans. I felt that I needed to show a more sympathetic side of the characters, so people wouldn't completely hate them. When I first started writing this, it was one chapter straight after another, so to me it didn't seem as bad, since I felt you were still kinda getting to know the characters. The next chapter was meant to show the characters comeuppance, whereas this is one is more meant to show that the girls have a little more diversity than just trying to kill Keitaro. I would like to think I have in some way achieved this.

Anyway, I feel it should be noted that I did not design my characters as straight up harpies that hate men universally, and are just plain nasty people. Quite the opposite, this story was written to show the ultimate man-hater, Naru, in a more sympathetic light. However, as I stated in the first chapter, in doing so, we remove a lot of the tension in the Hinata, for as I see it, there is no Love Hina without Keitaro having several pretty woman trying to kill him. I may be exaggerating a little, but remember that stories are centered around conflicts. As far as I can see, Saki and Hiromi are being no more violent than Naru and Motoko in canon. And remember that it's all lighthearted, not to be taken too seriously, Keitaro bounces back from everything. If he's not angry, then you shouldn't be either.

As for the OC's each of the characters has their own backstories, and redeeming qualities, already planned out, but remember we are only in the beginning of the story. We're still at the point of the story where the girls haven't gotten used to Keitaro yet. It's going to play out like the original, where Keitaro is going to bring out the better parts of the characters as time goes on. I did not design them as pure harpies, and it was the exact opposite of my attempts for people to believe they are as such. Yes, they are difficult to get along with (for the time-being), but I wanted their actions to be understandable and believable, even if they are rather over-the-top. Point of fact, Hiromi was meant to be the more calm-minded member of the girls, reigning back some of the more ridiculous members of the girls. I thought however in doing this, I was making her seem too sympathetic to Keitaro, and tried to pull that back a little. It seems in doing so however, I succeeded a little too well, and now she is portrayed as the worst of the lot. I hope her calmer side came across better in this chapter.

And if I really did just banish the characters from the Hinata, where would the rest of the story go? It'd just be studying until Naru and Keitaro get into Tokyo U, and then the story would be over. I am not a writing a 'Keitaro has a backbone story' or 'Keitaro is being abused story', or anything like that, I am trying to write a funny, lighthearted story about Keitaro having Naru as a long-time girlfriend. Please, just trust that I, the Author, have a plan for the story, and that I have some idea on what I'm doing.

And point-of-fact with Shinobu in the last chapter, she wasn't assaulted, or bullied, all that happened was that Saki grabbed her a little roughly in the heat of the moment. Nothing seriously bad happened to her, other being a little scared.

Now, some comments for some specific reviewers:

Major Mike Powell III: I appreciate that while you have as many gripes about the girls as everyone else, you are also telling me what you like about the story. More people should follow your example.

Leroygordon: I sense a tone of sarcasm in your review, but being the internet I can't be sure. Please read the above, and I hope that some of your gripes will be answered. And I really don't see how Keitaro is being attacked for 'every little thing' the accidents that happen I rightly think would anger any woman. If you care to give me a more specific example of Keitaro being attacked for something that wouldn't actually make a woman angry, I'd be more inclined to listen to you.

XPGamer: I get the feeling you didn't like the original Love Hina either. I am keeping Keitaro pretty close to canon, bad-luck, and clumsiness and all, and I'm afraid if that's not the story you want to read, then you are looking in the wrong place. I don't see how simply increasing the number of accidents, or number of girls attacking Keitaro makes my story worse than the original. The part about Keitaro and Motoko will actually be a thing, but I am not touching it for a few more chapters, so please be patient. And I don't get the whole 'make Haruka a drunk' thing at all. What reason should her character be drunk? She's just busy at the teahouse like in the original. I appreciate that you're trying to be constructive, but your reviews don't come across as such.

End Notes:

I will not be so pretentious as to not listen to criticism when it's given to me in a form I do not like. I know I must be doing something wrong if my overwhelmingly positive feedback also churns out some stuff I don't want to hear. I honestly want to be a better writer, and write a good story. If you want that too, try to work with me, and I'll be happy to listen.

At the same time however, I realize that trying to please everyone will please no-one. I am not going to change any of the major stuff in my story, the characters are staying, and Keitaro will be stuck as the same wimp as he was in the original. I am not going to rewrite my story, especially considering it hasn't really moved very far along my planned outline. If anyone wants to take my concept however, then feel free to it. You may even use my original characters if you wish, though I would prefer you wait until later when they are more fleshed out.

I hope everyone continues to read and enjoy Promises Kept.

-Sincerely SAmaster01

P.S. I hope everyone liked the Ballerina Burlgar.