Chapter 7 is finally complete and uploaded, and it's… well… I'm not very happy with how it turned out. I feel that there were quite a few scenes that badly needed to be expanded on, but I just couldn't think how. As a result, I don't think it flows very well, and a lot of it feels forced. It's not the most interesting chapter, either. It's pretty much all talking, and Tara's opinions of the events around her. Needless to say, I will definitely have to redo this chapter once I find the time.
In any case, this chapter is based around the events of episode 3 of the anime, and as such, sees the introduction of Natsuru's female form. I actually kind of enjoyed writing up the dialogue from the anime, then throwing Tara into some of the episode's events and seeing how she would react. At least she's a lot more confident now… We also get to meet Tara's sister, albeit in a flashback, which I hope adds a little more character development. The end of this chapter, in particular, leaves Tara with a big decision to make, but it's not one she makes until chapter 9, so you'll have to wait a little for that.
As ever, please read and review. I know this chapter's pretty weak, but things will really pick up in the next one, trust me!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kampfer.
Chapter seven- Popularity? Overrated
I remembered back to the day I left for Japan, back when I was still a normal, average girl. Our flight was due to leave at around midday, and we still had an hour or two left to kill before then. Sitting around at JFK airport wasn't really the most fun way of spending that time, so I decided to wander around a little. I bought some Doritos, a Milky Way bar and a can of Sprite in a nearby bar, and spent a little time there. However, once I got through my little snack, I was getting bored again. The TV in the bar wasn't showing anything particularly interesting either, so I left, looking for something else to do. I eventually decided to have a play on one of the Pac Man and Galaga machines that seemed to be everywhere in the airport for some reason. I had a go on Pac Man (Or was it Ms. Pac Man? I honestly can't remember…), and managed to complete a few levels. I ultimately ended up losing my last life on the third screen, no thanks to Blinky cornering me at the last moment. Oh well, at least I did end up on the high score table. Go, me! I entered my initials and walked away from the machine, not noticing the girl that was standing next to me.
"That's so typical of you." she said. "You spend so much time in that little world of yours that you didn't even notice I was standing right next to you…"
Hang on, I knew that voice! I turned around to see my older sister Cassandra standing there!
"Cassie! What are you doing here?"
"Come on, you didn't seriously expect me not to see you off, did you? Or say goodbye, for that matter?"
Cassie smiled at me, in her usual sweet way. She looked no different than she usually did- almost exactly like me, but with pink eyes, rather than the green ones I had. If it weren't for the fact that she's 23 years old, you might of said that we were twins.
"I guess not. But don't you have work today?"
"Nah. Well, I was supposed to, but I decided to put it off until tomorrow, since I wanted to see you, Mom and Dad before you left. I spoke to Mom last night, but I really wanted to say goodbye in person, just to show that I care…"
She didn't really have to. We all knew she cared plenty about us. But she does call the shots at her job, so I guess she could afford to delay any projects she's been working on. She mainly works as a make-up artist, with a little modelling on the side. She's actually almost as into cosplay as I am, too, and we've worked on quite a few projects together in her spare time. We've always been really close, even when she moved out of our house. But now… This was going to be the furthest we've ever been apart…
"Besides, Mom told me you were really down last night, and that you'd been crying pretty hard. So I figured I should try and cheer you up a little before you go. After all, you've really been looking forward to this ever since you got the news, and all your friends are pretty jealous of you going. Hell, I know I am, too. So the last thing any of us want is for you to be so sad. Otherwise I'll end up taking your place on that plane!"
I laughed at Cassie's tongue in cheek attempt at making me feel better. She was always like that- always joking around, yet managing to keep her serious tone at the same time. Yet ironically, if she'd been the one going to Japan, it'd probably have been her who became a Kampfer, instead of me. God knows how she would have taken that, though it probably would have been much better than how I did.
"Don't worry, I feel a lot better now. I mean, I'm still not sure how I'll be able to fit in there, but just being negative about it won't do me any good. I know I have to be positive. I'm not too fussed about being popular or anything, I'm just going to make sure I'm not hated. That's all I really want."
"Haha, yeah, you don't want to be too popular. It could prove hazardous to your health, you know? Well, I know you'll do your best out there. Just don't forget to write to me every now and again and let me know how you're doing, okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that. And thanks for your little pep talk- I'll do my best, don't you worry about that. Oh, and if you want to talk to Mom and Dad, they-"
The next thing I knew, I was sitting in the canteen back at school. Some loud noise had just jolted me back into the real world… Looking ahead, I saw Kaede standing up, with her hands planted on one of the nearby tables. She looked… I don't know.. A little shocked. A little angry perhaps. Whatever it was, she didn't seem too happy. She quickly bolted for the door- what just happened? It certainly seemed to have everyone in the room with their mouths wide open…
"Sakura-san? Sakura-san!" shouted the new girl, who had been sharing the table with Kaede at the time. She turned to Shizuku, who was also sitting at the same table.
"Hey! What are you trying to pull?" She said.
"Nothing, really." Shizuku replied, with a sly look on her face. The newbie slammed her hand on the table…
"Quit acting dumb! You're just making this situation even more complicated!"
"Oh dear. I'm doing this for your sake."
"What the hell?"
"Everything is for your sake." Shizuku glanced at the new girl, who could do nothing more than grit her teeth. Then things once again got out of hand. The other girls in the room were starting to go crazy again…
"Natsuru-sama, is it true?"
"I can't believe you love that Natsuru guy!"
"How cruel, I can't believe she'd betray us like this."
Everyone began to crowd around the new girl, acting quite hysterically. What the hell did Shizuku just say to get them all so agitated? Something about both Natsurus dating each other, from the sound of it. Now, why would she say something like that? Judging from the female Natsuru's reaction, it was obviously a lie. As I thought about this, the blue haired newcomer managed to jump out of the crowd, and she quickly ran out of the door in a state of panic. Maybe it was my imagination, but did I just see her bracelet glowing? Whatever was going on, the crowd started to calm down. Well, I say they calmed down… They were still pretty hysterical. Guess this wasn't going to blow over anytime soon. Cassie may well have been joking about how dangerous being too popular would be, but if the events of the last few days had been anything to go by, I think even she would be surprised at just how right she was… Heck, it was the unwanted attention Natsuru was getting that triggered my flashback in the first place. Thank god I never became that popular.
…...
It all started yesterday. It had already been a few days since the fight in the park, and I was starting to make some real progress with my training. The confidence I gained when fighting those bullies had proved to be no quick burst- since then, my technique, skill and overall fighting ability had greatly improved. Even the constant bouncing of Megumi's bosoms were proving to be less of a distraction than before! I still hadn't been attacked by any enemy Kampfers since that day, so I was still a little nervous about doing battle for real, but I felt I was ready. All I could do now was hope that it'd be enough to keep me alive in this war.
As for the incident in the library, the official word following the investigation was that some of the bookcases were badly made, and they had collapsed. That sounded like a really stupid excuse, but everyone seemed to buy it. In any case, the remaining bookcases in the library were examined to make sure they wouldn't topple over as well, and the ones replacing the bookcases that got smashed were ordered from a "more reliable company". As I thought, Shizuku had managed to cover our tracks quite well. But couldn't she have come up with a better explanation? I mean, seriously! All that, however, was overshadowed by those rumours about the mystery girl. It had even got to the point where the newspaper club was writing about her. Those rumours were finally dispelled with the announcement that a new student would be joining the school. And in my class, no less! The transfer was arranged by Shizuku, so I was willing to bet that this new student was also a Kampfer, and also one of the two I heard in the library all that time ago. After all, why else would Shizuku go through all that trouble? The question at the time was, which one? I was really hoping it would be the girl who saved Kaede back then, and not the violent redhead… Whichever it was, it was causing a huge stir around the entire school- in both the boy's and the girl's sides!
The day the new student was due to start had finally come, and my entire classroom couldn't stop talking about her. They were all wondering if she was the same girl that all the rumours were going on about, if she was pretty or not, what her personality was like, all that kind of stuff. The only one who wasn't buzzing about it, apart from me (Though I was certainly curious about her…), was Akane, who was keeping silent about it. I was going to go up to her and talk about it, but we'd already been told to stay in our seats. Our teacher, who was starting to get fed up with the constant chatter, started to speak out loud.
"Come on, let's stop talking now. I know you're all excited about the new student, but let's try and maintain calm, shall we? And let's try to make her feel welcome too. No pranking her, or anything."
We all nodded.
"Very good." The teacher continued. "Alright, you can come in, now!"
The classroom door opened, and the new student walked in. The first thing I noticed about her was her dark blue hair, which was tied back, and her blue eyes. Yeah, this had to be the girl who Kaede described back in the infirmary, and the one I heard in the library. Her uniform was mostly the same as ours, albeit with shorter sleeves. On her left hand, she was wearing a navy blue glove, while on her right wrist was a blue bracelet. That confirmed something else- she was indeed a Kampfer, and an enemy at that. She was also quite well endowed, pretty close to my own bust size, though nothing compared to Megumi. Something was really beginning to bug me about her- she seemed really familiar to me, like I'd seen her before. And I didn't mean back in the library… As she looked around the class nervously, the teacher spoke again.
"Alright class, listen up. This is Natsuru Senou, and she'll be part of this class from now on."
Wait- WHAT? Natsuru… Senou? That couldn't be possible! And yet… The blue hair and eyes, the same name… Surely that was no coincidence? But didn't Pierced Sea Turtle say that Kampfers have to be female? No, it HAD to be a coincidence. There's no way-
"Umm… Nice to meet you all." The new girl shyly said, interrupting my thoughts. That was the same, rather masculine voice I heard in the library! It really was the same Kampfer who was with that Gewehr user back then… She certainly seemed to have everyone's attention, as the whole class was looking at her, wide eyed. Everyone, that is, apart from Akane. I could of sworn I saw Natsuru baulk at her upon sight at that point- wonder why? Did they know each other? And just who is this girl, anyway? And why does she share the same name as Nat-
"Senou-san, you'll sit…" The teacher started to say. Damn, that's the second time in the last minute or so my thoughts had been interrupted…
"There's an open seat next to me-" started Akane, raising her hand. But before she could finish, all hell broke loose…
With the exception of myself, the entire class jumped out of their seats and ran towards Natsuru, squealing. Poor Akane was knocked over and trampled in the stampede, who were now crowding around the newbie, all trying to grab at her while asking a ton of inappropriate questions. I'd honestly never seen anything like it before, and if I'm honest, it was creeping me out a little. I got out of my seat to help out Akane, who was still a little shell shocked after being run over by the crowd, but she'd managed to get up on her own. Not for long, mind- she tried to get to the crowd, presumably to get Natsuru out, but was immediately knocked down again. This time, I picked her up from the ground and dragged her away from the chaos.
"You okay?" I asked. Judging from Akane's spinning eyes and lack of ability to communicate, it was safe to assume she wasn't. Suddenly, everything got a little more quiet. Natsuru had just been plucked out of the crowd by a girl with glasses, and blonde hair that was tied in a ponytail. Oh boy, I could see where this was going…
"You'll be sitting next to me, the class rep." She said. Knew it… Our class representative wanted a piece of the new girl too…
"Natsuru-tan, please let me smell you." said another girl, whose hair was short, and a lighter blonde colour to the class rep. She was the vice rep, and I never really got over her weird obsession with smells….
"Do you want a pot that brings you fortune? If you buy it now for twelve instalments, it will only cost you this much." said another girl with short purple hair. She was tapping away on a calculator and showing it to Natsuru. The class treasurer, still trying to get students to buy stuff. I know she's done that to me a few times in the past… Just when things couldn't get more insane, the classroom door opened, and we all turned to see Kaede standing in the doorway!
"That's enough!" She said. "She's been away from school for a while, so stop bothering her!"
"Bothering her?" Said one of the students.
"Not at all." said another. By this point, Akane had now recovered, and was sitting upright on the floor.
"Shizuku-chan- The student council president asked me to look after her!" Kaede replied. Everyone fell silent. With that, Kaede walked over to Natsuru, grabbed her by the wrist, and left the classroom with her, stopping to bow as she reached the doorway. As they left, Akane picked herself up from the floor and made her way to the door.
"Wait! Natsuru-sa-" she started, but before she could go any further, the class huddled around the door, knocking her down on the floor again. As the girls started squealing again, the teacher looked on, her patience getting lower every second. I sighed as I watched the scene. This was going to get annoying…
…...
We all managed to sit down eventually, and Natsuru came back shortly afterwards- courtesy of Akane, who left the room to get her after everything settled down. Not that it did much good. The entire class were too busy fawning over Natsuru to concentrate on their work, so only Akane and myself managed to get anything done. Speaking of Akane, she looked pretty mad during class for some reason. Was it because of what happened earlier? Actually, she seemed okay when she left the room to find Natsuru. Maybe she did something to piss Akane off? By the time the bell for break finally rang, I was relieved. I could finally get away from this classroom and all these crazy people. And I wasn't even the one who everyone was drooling over…
I decided to sit down at the canteen, since I wanted something to eat anyway. The whole place didn't seem particularly full of people, which was unusual. Or at least it would have been, if I didn't know where everyone was- queuing up outside my classroom to catch a peek at the new student… Even the few people who were in the canteen were both talking and gushing about her. Give me a break… Alright, so she was on my mind, too. But that was more to do with the fact that she had so many similarities to the male Natsuru. I wondered if she was his twin sister or something. Next time I see him, I'm going to ask him about her…
"Um, is this seat taken, Tara?" said a voice from right next to me. I looked around and saw Akane, who was gripping the seat next to me.
"No, it's all yours." I said. Akane sat down at the table next to me. She still seemed a little cross… Maybe I should try and cheer her up.
"Guess you couldn't put up with Natsuru's screeching fan club either, huh? Wonder what got into them?" Yeah, that's a REALLY great way of making someone feel better. Well done, Tara!
"I don't know, but everyone seems to have really taken an interest in her. Right now, she's being interviewed by Masumi for the newspaper club." Akane replied. Uh oh…
"Damn, you think we should try and rescue her? We both know Masumi's going to make some random bullshit up about her. That could make things even worse."
Akane prepared to say something, but then decided to keep silent. Was she still mad?
"Hey… Akane… Are you okay? You've looked really pissed off all morning. Is something wrong? You know you can talk to me if something's bothering you…"
"I guess. Natsuru's really getting on my nerves. The male one, I mean- not the new one."
"Oh yeah. I noticed you two seemed to know each other. Are you… in lo-"
"NO! N-no, it's not that." Akane snapped. "I-I don't really know. I think I like him, but… he's way too interested in Sakura to pay any attention to me!" Ah, so the cat's out of the bag. She really does have a crush on him. How sweet.
"Him and every boy in the school. If you really like him that much, you'd have to do a lot to try and win him over."
"I know. But what can I do? Sakura's one of the most popular girls in the school, and I'm just… I'm just a librarian. I've never even really talked to a boy before I met Natsuru… How can I get him to notice me?"
"I wouldn't really know. I've never had a boyfriend myself. I got plenty of attention from them, and I've been asked out a lot, but I've always turned them down. I guess I'm still looking for the right person to come along. Do you really think Natsuru's the one for you?"
Akane thought for a moment, then nodded. Then a brainwave hit me.
"I know! Why don't you buy him a cake after school and ask if you could share it with him? It's just an idea, but maybe he'll appreciate it and get that little bit closer to you!"
"Actually, that's a great idea. Maybe I'll give that a try! Thanks Tara!" Akane said. She looked a lot happier now, so that it seemed talking to her did some good after all. The bell rang right afterwards, signalling the end of break.
"Looks like it's back to the lion's den, eh?" I asked, jokingly.
"I suppose so." Akane replied. We both got out of our seats and headed back to class. A thought quickly struck me as we left- damn, I really should have asked Akane more about the female Natsuru. I had a strange feeling she knew her, too…
…...
By the time lunch came, it seemed as though the newspaper club were done with their article on Natsuru. That was fast… I decided to take a look at the paper during lunch, just to see how much damage Masumi had done. And as I expected, it was quite a lot- the article had made Natsuru out to be a lesbian, which I was willing to bet wasn't really true. She didn't seem to be that kind of person to me… Nonetheless, all the girls in school believed it, and spent pretty much the entire lunch break chasing the poor girl. Sucked to be her. I was actually starting to feel sorry for her. I knew she was an enemy, but still…
Finally, after a very long day (which surely must have been even longer for Natsuru), The last bell rung, and it was time to go home. I didn't, though- I decided to stay in the library for a little while to do my homework. There was a lot to get done, but I managed to do most of it in the space of an hour. Figuring I could easily do the rest of it at home, I packed up and left the library. As I made my way across the school, I heard some strange noises coming from one of the storage sheds nearby. Noises that sounded a lot like… someone being tickled? I walked towards the shed with a good idea of what was going on. As I approached it, I heard a lot of arguing, then a familiar sounding cry.
"Enough already! Stop!"
As I thought, Natsuru was still having problems with her fan girls. At this point, I felt I really had to step in and help her. Enemy or not, she didn't deserve this. I entered the shed and found Natsuru lying down in a gym uniform, tied up. Huddled around her were three other girls who were, um… fondling… her. And there I was thinking Japan wasn't quite as pervy as all the anime I watched had made out…
"Hey, don't you think she's had enough?" I asked the girls, who stopped groping Natsuru long enough to turn and face me. "Come on, let her go, okay?"
"No way!" said one of the girls. "You just want Natsuru-chan for yourself!"
"Hardly." I said, as nicely as I could. Unlike the bullies I fought a few days back, this really wasn't worth a fight. "I just think she's been through enough today. Or should I tell the student council president about this? I'm sure she'd think of a fitting punishment for you all…"
The girls seemed to back off after hearing that. I had a feeling Shizuku probably wouldn't have done anything if she did know about this- in fact, she probably would have enjoyed it. But it seemed to work, which was all I wanted. The girls walked out of the shed without saying a word. Wow, didn't think everyone feared Shizuku that much… With them out of the way, I went towards Natsuru and untied her.
"Come on, let's get you out of here." I said, helping Natsuru up. She looked pretty nervous- it was obvious she thought I was just another groupie.
"It's okay, I'm not going to kidnap or molest you, or anything. I'm actually pretty sane, unlike all those girls who've been swooning over you all day. Here, you'd better get changed. Don't worry, I won't peek!"
I tossed Natsuru her school clothes, which were lying by my feet, and she just nodded, still unsure whether or not she could trust me. I left the shed and stayed outside as she got changed. A few minutes later, she emerged, back in her uniform.
"Ummm… Thank you…" she said, bowing.
"Think nothing of it. You've clearly been through a lot today, so I felt you could use a break… I think you should go home now, before anything else happens. I'll help you get out of here, if you like. Oh, I'm Tara, by the way. Nice to meet you!"
"Y-yeah. Thanks. Nice to meet you too, Tara." said Natsuru, looking as though she was willing to trust me now.
We both snuck our way out of the school, making sure not to be spotted by anyone from Natsuru's fan club- everyone, basically. Once we finally got out of there, we made our way to her home. On the way, we started talking about everything that had happened today. From the way Natsuru was hunched forwards while walking, it was clear it had taken it's toll on her.
"So the class rep was trying to cash in on your popularity, huh?" I asked. Natsuru nodded.
"I was lucky to escape when I did- she had a pretty big schedule for me. I've never felt so violated in all my life…"
"I can tell. It's strange- I've been here a month or so now, and I've never seen them act like this. Wonder if it's the lack of contact with boys that's screwing them up so much?"
"You've only been here a month?" asked Natsuru, turning to face me while still hunched forwards.
"Yeah. I'm from America, you see, and I moved here a short while ago because my Mom got a promotion in her job. What about you? You said you've away from school for a while. Why is that?"
"Oh… I… um… I had a long illness. It was pretty nasty, and it stopped me from going to school for a long time. I only just recovered a few days ago." I knew she was lying- after all, I knew she was in the library when she attacked, and I could tell she was in peak condition. But I couldn't let on that I knew. Otherwise I would have let slip that I'm a Kampfer too, and an enemy at that. It was that very reason why I wasn't going to ask about her bracelet, either.
"Sounds awful. But at least you're better now, eh? Though you were probably better off staying at home, if you ask me!"
"Tell me about it. Today was a disaster. And I don't think tomorrow will be any better…"
"Well, if you're worried about your fan club, you can always hang out with me at school. I'll try and keep them at bay, just you see…"
"I- I guess I could do that. But wouldn't I be a bother to you?"
"Not nearly as much of a bother as all those fan girls are to you. If you ever want me, I'm normally in the library or the canteen, so come and find me in either of those places."
"Okay. Thanks." Natsuru suddenly came to a stop as we reached one of the bus stops.
"Ummm… I can walk the rest of the way on my own, if that's okay with you. My place is only a few minutes away, so I'll be fine now." she said.
"Sure, no problem. I'll see you tomorrow, then." I replied. Natsuru turned to her right and walked down the path there, while I continued down the path we were originally using. There was still a lot I wanted to ask her about, like her relationship with Akane, and Shizuku for that matter- it was, after all, her who arranged for Natsuru to be transferred to my school in the first place. But there was still plenty of time for that.
I got home shortly after parting with Natsuru. After having dinner that night, I finished my homework before retiring to my room. I'd already finished that book Laura sent me, but I really felt like going through it again. Taking my reading glasses out of my backpack, I put them on and started reading. But as I got through the first few pages, Pierced Sea Turtle decided to open her mouth…
"Hey, heard there was a new girl in your school today, and she was an enemy Kampfer!"
"That's right." I replied. "Her name's Natsuru Senou, and she was transferred here by the student council president, who just so happens to be a red Kampfer herself. Quite why she did it, I'll never know. Why would she help an enemy?"
"She probably did it against the newbie's will. But that's not important. What I want to know is-"
"I didn't fight her, no." I said, finishing Pierced Sea Turtle's words. I knew she was going to ask that. "She had her hands full trying to fend off the fan club she just got. I ended up helping her out in the end. I even walked her home, and got talking to her. I think we might even end up being friends."
"Ah, the old "Know your enemy" trick. You hoped to find out more about her in the hope that it could give you an advantage when you fight her. A very sneaky tactic!"
"Who said anything about tactics? I'm just curious about her. Besides, she went through a lot today, and she seems like a nice person. I don't think she's the kind of person who'd just attack me just like that, and since I won't start a fight with her, I don't think there'll be a problem."
"Woah, woah, woah! I thought you said you were going to fight from now on!" said Pierced Sea Turtle, a little shocked at my words.
"I never said that." I replied. "I said that I wouldn't run away anymore. I'll still try and avoid fighting when I can, but I will fight if there's no other option."
"There's NEVER any other option! Once an enemy finds you, there's no escaping from them! You can try all you like, but you'll end up fighting regardless of what you do! Why can't you understand that?"
I was starting to lose patience again. I grabbed Pierced Sea Turtle by the head and squeezed it hard, which was fast becoming my favourite way of venting my anger out on her.
"Okay. You clearly weren't listening the first few times I told you this. So let me tell you once again. If I'm attacked by an enemy, I'll fight. If any of my friends are in danger, I'll fight. If I see someone with a bracelet of the opposite colour, and she hasn't noticed me, I won't fight, unless she does notice me and attack. I'll fight when I have to, but I won't start any fights myself. Am I perfectly clear, now?"
"Okay, okay, you've made your point! Let me go!"
I dropped Pierced Sea Turtle on the floor, and she picked herself back up.
"Just don't go thinking that new girl won't attack you just because she seems nice. She could be a completely different person when she transforms. Sometimes it's not just a Kampfer's appearance that changes when they transform, but sometimes other aspects about them as well- like their personality. How do you know this girl doesn't become a total bitch when she's in her Kampfer form?"
She certainly hadn't said anything about that before. I thought about it for a second, then remembered back to what happened the library. Natsuru was one of the two Kampfers being attacked back there, so she had to have been transformed during then. Yet she sounded exactly the same as she did today. No, I was positive that Natsuru's personality was no different in her Kampfer form than it was when she was normal. However, another thought suddenly crossed my mind. Something I'd wondered about before… I turned to Pierced Sea Turtle.
"You once said that all Kampfers must be female, right? So it isn't possible for a guy to become one?"
"Absolutely not. It's impossible for a male to become a Kampfer. Why do you ask?"
"Well… A few says ago, Shizuku- that red Kampfer I told you about- attacked a pair of Kampfers in the library at school. Natsuru was one of them. Now, there's this boy in my school. His name is also Natsuru Senou, and I saw him go pretty deep in the library right before the attack. However, I didn't see him when I went down there myself. Don't you think it's strange that he's not there, but the female one is? Plus, both Natsurus have blue hair and blue eyes. I'm stating to wonder if they're the same person…"
"Well, you can forget that little theory. Nothing like that has ever happened in this war, and I doubt it ever will. You're just thinking too much. Just let it go!"
I sighed. That dumb plushie most likely does know what she's talking about, so maybe I should take her word for it. Maybe I really am over thinking things. There's no way the male and female Natsurus could possibly be one and the same…
…...
I knew the next day was going to be even crazier than the one that came before it, but I had no idea just how much crazier. It had now been several hours since what happened in the canteen, and the students were still in a state of shock. As I originally thought, it turned out that Shizuku had claimed that the female Natsuru was dating the male one, which was obviously a lie. Akane also seemed pretty mad. According to her, she took my advice and bought some cake to share with the male Natsuru, but all he seemed to do was talk about Kaede. Well, I can't say I tried to help… Eventually, the bell for lunch rang, so I packed my stuff away and left my seat. But as I did so, the teacher gave me a message to go to the student council office! Shizuku wanted to talk to me? I could only guess what this was about.
As I went down the elevator to the office, I kept wondering if I should give Shizuku a piece of my mind for what she did to Natsuru this morning. What right did she have to make things even worse for her? Then again, it's probably not the best idea to cross her. Who knows what she could do if I got on her bad side? The elevator suddenly came to a halt, and the doors opened. I walked into the office to see Shizuku sitting at her desk.
"I've been expecting you, Tara. Please take a seat." she said, without even a hint of emotion in her voice. I sat down on one of the seats and waited for the president to tell me why I was here…
"So, what do you think of Miss Senou? Hopefully that little rumour I spread will keep her groupies at bay for a while." she said.
"Yeah… About that… Was that really necessary? It only seems to have made things worse for her!" I replied.
"Admittedly, it didn't turn out quite the way I planned, but she'll just have to manage for now. In any case, I didn't ask for you so we could talk about her. I've heard from Megumi that your skills as a Kampfer have improved considerably over the last few days. Do you really feel you can fight now?"
"I think so. But I won't know until I fight for real. Wait a second- how do you know Megumi? Unless-"
"That's right. I'm the one who showed her the ropes when she first became a Kampfer. Though I admit, she was a lot less cowardly than you were, even back then. I saw a lot in her, as she sees in you now, and although I couldn't teach her how to effectively use her Zauber, I was still able to give her enough confidence to fight. We've been good friends ever since."
So Shizuku was the one who helped Megumi. That does kind of make sense, I guess. They're both on the same side, so it's only natural they should help each other.
"So, you asked Megumi to keep an eye on me?" I said.
"No, that was her idea." Shizuku replied. "She did tell me she found a new Kampfer, but I didn't know it was you until you attacked me in the library. It's surprising, actually. Normally, I can sense whether or not someone is a Kampfer, but I never felt that with you. Still, we can think about that later, because that isn't why you're here, either."
"So why am I here?"
"Well, you say you're now able to fight. I've also looked at your file- it seems you're a very intelligent girl, which would prove very useful if you were on the student council."
Wait- did she just say what I thought she did?
"Y-you're asking me to be in the student council? But what could I possibly do on there?" I asked.
"That's my idea, yes." Shizuku replied. "I could use someone like you to be my right hand man. Someone to keep an eye on anyone who may be a potential Kampfer, or to help cover our tracks should there ever be a battle on school grounds, like in the library. Or just someone who can help keep the school organised, like a true student council does. You have the brains for the job, and I believe you when you say you are now able to fight, which you may have to do. So? Are you in?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Me? On the student council? I didn't know what to think. Would I just end up being Shizuku's lapdog? This isn't the sort of decision I could make right now.
"I don't know. Can I have some time to think it over? I don't think I can answer right now…"
"Very well. I'll give you until the end of the Cultural Festival to think about it, then I'll be expecting an answer. It's a few weeks away, so that'll give you plenty of time. Consider yourself lucky I'm even giving you that much time. Anyone else would have been forced into it whether they liked it or not, let alone have all that time to think it through. Just remember, I want an answer once the festival is over. You may leave."
"Um… Thanks. Yeah, I'll give you your answer after the festival, then."
I bowed and left the office. On my way back up, I naturally had a lot on my mind. Should I take the position? Why was Shizuku giving me special treatment- did she like me, or something? Or did Megumi ask her to go easy on me? Well, whatever. All I knew was, the Cultural festival was a few weeks away. I had to make up my mind, and fast!
