A/N: Yeah, this chapter has been WAY overdue. My apologies for that. Again, college is being a real pain to me. I hope I didn't lose any of you during the wait.
ENJOY!
CHAPTER 6: A SHOPPING TRIP
Afterlife Name - Post-Afterlife Name
Yuzuru Otonashi - Arata Takahashi
Kanade Tachibana - Chouko Hashimoto
Yuri Nakamura - Kimiko Nishimura
Masami Iwasawa - Hasumi Itagaki
Hinata Hideki - Naotatsu Yunokawa
Ayato Naoi - Fuuta Ukiyo
Noda - Noriya Noguchi
Hisako - Masako Watanabe
Miyuki Irie - Hitomi Saito
Shiori Sekine - Saori Inoue
April 26, 2026
Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi
Hashimoto Manor
"Ohhhhh... What... What happened?..."
Takahashi sat up on his bed, blinking in surprise and then rubbing his forehead. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was almost 8:00 in the morning. In response, the redheaded boy groaned, realizing that the swimming party was undoubtedly long over and he couldn't even get to see one cute girl in her bikini. After all, despite his crush on Hasumi, he was still technically a teenage boy with raging hormones. He cursed his body for fainting on him...
"Rise and shine, man," a voice piped. Takahashi looked at the doorway and saw Fuuta standing there, a tray holding a stylish cup of orange juice in his hands.
"Oh, hey Fuuta..." moaned Takahashi.
"I see you had fun at the party." Fuuta emphasized the meaning of his sentence with a smirk, causing Takahashi to roll his eyes.
"Oh yeah, loads." Then, Takahashi looked around, a thought coming to him. "Hey, I, uh, I fainted at the side of the pool. How'd I get up here in my bedroom?"
"Butlers carried you."
Takahashi blinked and raised an eyebrow. "The butlers carried me up here?"
Fuuta nodded in response. "Yep. Just because they're people who serve you guys doesn't mean it's their only job. They've certainly got other capabilities."
"I see..." The redhead slowly got out of his bed. "Is the cup of juice for me?"
"Yep. Fresh and ready to be served. Courtesy of Hashimoto-sensei."
"Oh, thanks." Takahashi took the cup and began sipping the juice inside. After sipping a considerable amount and gulping it down, he nodded approvingly. "Wow, this is pretty good orange juice. Nothing like the usual bland juice I always taste at school. Where do you buy this stuff?"
"We make it ourselves using oranges taken from the garden."
The teenager came to full alert. "This mansion has a garden?!"
Beginning of Day Two
Hashimoto Private Garden
"WHOA!" exclaimed Takahashi in awe as he scanned his head around the entire garden, which consisted of numerous bushes and fields of various flowers, as well as groves of trees of several fruit types. "This garden is AWESOME! Oh my goodness, there's even a garden maze?! Goddamn AWESOME!"
"I know, right?" Fuuta replied, smiling as he observed the garden. "My mom's been cultivating this garden ever since she first came here. She's totally proud of it."
Takahashi nodded in interest and instinctively looked at the clump of sunflowers, suddenly feeling drawn by them. Then, before he could ponder about why he was so interested in those sunflowers, he heard footsteps approaching and looked behind him. Walking towards him and Fuuta were Kimiko, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori, with Noriya still clutching Hasumi's hand, much to Takahashi's chagrin. However, he held back his outrage when the six stepped by his and Fuuta's sides.
"Wow, so this is the garden you mentioned, Fuuta..." Hasumi remarked as she broke free from Noriya and kindly stroked her fingers against the petals of a rose.
"Yep, this is it."
"My God, I have never seen a garden this beautiful..." said Kimiko as she stepped further into the garden. She watched as a quartet of butterflies flew over the maze, her sea-green eyes softening when she noticed the largest one leading the rest, who were following along without any fear whatsoever... "Yeah, beautiful..."
"Well, not as beautiful and breathtaking as you, huh babe?"
Kimiko frowned in disapproval as she looked at Noriya, who was wiggling his eyebrow at her in a flirting manner. Nearby, Masako was glaring at him disapprovingly.
"Talk to me again, and I swear to God, I'll have to give you another lesson in manners," she spat.
"Playing hard to get, huh?" Noriya nodded, seemingly in approval. A tiny smile appeared on his face. "I like that..."
Takahashi noticed that Noriya seemed to almost whisper the last sentence to himself. However, he quickly ignored it the moment Hasumi approached him, provoking an intense heat to rise up in his neck. "So, what do you think, Arata?" she asked curiously as she nudged his shoulder with her own. "Of the Hashimoto Garden?"
"I-I think i-it's okay," Takahashi stuttered, almost stupidly, prompting Kimiko to look at him, an eyebrow raised.
However, Hasumi smiled in response and then started walking towards the garden maze. Takahashi instinctively followed her inside, as did the rest.
"All right, let's see how complicated this maze is supposed to be..." commented the pink-haired girl.
Hashimoto Manor Backyard
Chouko watched as the eight other teenagers disappeared into the garden maze. Fuuta was the last to go inside; before he did so, he stopped for a moment and took a quick look back at her. For a moment, she could read the expression etched on his face: it was one of pity, and she knew what exactly he was pitiful about, not that it could be applicable to her. She blinked without emotion at him, prompting him to frown slightly before following the others inside the maze.
She remembered going inside the maze before when she was a child, and it was not one of her best experiences in life. She wound up getting easily lost in the many winding pathways, and she couldn't just tear through the bushes in a straight line to easily get out. Junna and several butlers and maids had to venture inside to find her. Her father had been so infuriated at the situation by the time they guided her out, and she'd never seen Sadahiro so angry before. It was that exact incident that taught Chouko on what would happen if she did something that was not expected of her by Sadahiro. She knew she couldn't repeat that event ever again.
Sometimes, Chouko couldn't help but wonder why she decided to go into the maze in the first place...
"Chouko-chan!"
The silver-haired girl turned around and saw Junna approaching her. "Why don't you join Fuuta and the others?" she asked, giving her a beaming smile.
Chouko frowned in disapproval. "Remember the last time I ventured inside that maze, Junna-san?"
"Oh yes, you got lost. ...But you were alone when you went inside! There's eight others in there with you this time! You can just stick to at least one of them-"
"I'd rather not give that kind of burden to any of them." She glanced back at the maze. "I'll let them have their fun. Me, I need to continue my studies..."
The silver-haired girl prepared to walk away when Junna suddenly grabbed her wrist. She was shaking her head, tutting.
"Always, always, always with the studying..." she said with a tone that indicated disapproval. "Chouko-chan, I swear to God, I am not gonna stop urging you to have some fun for at least once in your life until you actually decide to have some fun for at least once in your life. So please...just go out there! Have some fun!"
Chouko grunted abruptly at the last word, as if it was poison to her ears, and pulled away from Junna's grip. She then looked at the maid with shimmering eyes.
"I'd..." she began hesitantly, then paused for a moment. "I'd...rather not..."
She then began walking away, into the mansion. Junna watched her go, her eyes shimmering as well with pity. She knew that she was close this time...
"Oh, Chouko-chan..."
Hashimoto Manor Living Room
A couple of hours later
Takahashi and Hasumi stepped into the living room and collapsed on the sofa, both extremely exhausted. The garden maze that they'd just gotten themselves out of was more complex than any other maze they have ever seen. Takahashi couldn't help but applaud Junna for her intricate design. Then, he looked at Hasumi, who was seemingly more tired than he was. No one else had gotten out of the maze yet, and it was just them in the living room, so maybe...
Suddenly, before he could speak, Hasumi piped, "Wow, that was quite a maze, wasn't it?"
"It...It sure was," replied Takahashi nervously.
"So goddamn confusing as hell. Thought I was gonna be stuck in it for a while longer." However, the pink-haired teenager laughed heartily. "But it was quite fun! I like having my mind challenged. And to think, me and the girls are gonna go out on a shopping trip?" She sighed. "OMG, this is gonna be the best day of my life!"
Takahashi looked at the floor solemnly. He could easily imagine Noriya deciding to tag along, leaving him all alone and without any opportunity...
"You know, I was wondering," he said suddenly, "would you like to go out somewhere tomorrow? We have the weekend to ourselves, so...maybe..."
Hasumi shrugged, too preoccupied with her exhaustion to even care. "Not sure right now. Just need to get some rest..."
Her voice trailed off, and her eyelids fluttered for a second before finally shutting themselves. When Takahashi was certain Hasumi had fallen asleep, he let out a very disappointed sigh and buried his face in his palms. Sometimes, he didn't even know what the hell he was doing. After all, Hasumi already had a boyfriend, that damn, arrogant Noriya, and she would be more than likely to consider him as just a friend and nothing more. His goal in winning her love was just pointless...
And he knew it. Oh, he just knew it.
Then, the redhead heard a set of footsteps nearby. Looking up, he saw Chouko approaching; clutched in her hands was a book titled 'IT'S JUST BUSINESS, OR IS IT?'
"Oh, hey," he greeted. Then, he quickly remembered his last conversation with Chouko and corrected hastily, "I-I-I mean, g-greetings Chouko! Greetings!"
The silver-haired girl looked at him with a bitter expression (which didn't seem readable at even a short distance) before replying, "Greetings, Takahashi."
Takahashi chuckled nervously and flashed her an innocent smile, hoping to save face. However, she ignored him and sat down on a nearby chair, opening up her book and reading it with devotion. He was surprised when she flipped to the next page after several seconds of reading the current one.
"Quite a fast reader, huh?" he asked.
"Please do not interrupt my studies," replied Chouko indifferently. "It is not good for my brain to be interfered with while it is focused."
"If...If you say so..."
Takahashi continued watching Chouko as she read. For some reason, he became more and more impressed by her as she continued reading. Since she was sitting on a chair near an open window, the sunlight was penetrating through the curtains and illuminating her with a golden light, giving her the semblance of something rather miraculous, but he couldn't find a proper name for that for some reason. She may be a pain in the butt, he would admit that, and yet...as he continued to look at her, he couldn't help but feel that the two of them were close friends for a very long time, maybe more than that...
Realizing what he was thinking, the redhead shook his head. "Oh my God, what the hell am I freaking thinking?!" he demanded to himself in his mind.
Suddenly, Chouko said, "And please don't look at me. I'm feeling quite disturbed by your presence."
Takahashi frowned. "Well, that's a nice way of saying that..." he replied sarcastically. "I thought mannerisms were the essential ingredients to success?"
She blinked, then frowned angrily. "Well apparently, your incivility and distastefulness are infecting me." Chouko stood up, clutching her book almost protectively. "If you'll excuse me, Takahashi, I must take my leave. I cannot allow your contagious behavior to infect me any further than it already is."
With that said, she quickly left the room, leaving behind a smirking Takahashi.
"Well, talk about proper..." he remarked to himself.
Then, he looked at Hasumi, who was still sleeping contently, her cheeks slightly flushed... Now that he thought about it, there was something about Chouko's position sitting on the chair, near the window, that cannot be compared to Hasumi in any kind of beautiful position. Takahashi found that odd...
"Hey, Takahashi."
Takahashi looked up and saw Kimiko in the living room. There were beads of sweat on her forehead, and her clothes appeared a bit disheveled.
"That was quite a maze, huh?" she asked.
"What in the world happened to you?" replied Takahashi, examining her form. "You look like you were hit by a car."
The magenta-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Apparently, Noriya's got his own way of 'surprising' other people. He 'thought' I was Hasumi for a second." Takahashi knew from Kimiko's tone that she meant otherwise. She smiled and cracked her knuckles. "But don't worry, I managed to give the pervert another little lesson in manners."
The redhead laughed for a moment. "Oh, that Noriya. Such a bastard."
"Yeah." Her eyes glinted. "You know, I think he's really into me. What I just described, that happened twice in the maze. Whether or not it's because he actually likes me or if it's because of certain other factors-" Her face turned slightly red at the last word, and she wrapped her arms around her torso protectively. "-I don't know."
Takahashi's eyes widened. "Knowing Noriya, it's probably because of the latter. The cheating bastard." He then looked at Hasumi again. "I feel bad for her... Does she know her boyfriend is being a little more than unfaithful to her?" He flicked his head at Kimiko. "We should tell her about this. She deserves better than that-"
"Who deserves better than what?" At that moment, Noriya appeared, accompanied by Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. "What are ya talking about, redhead?"
"Nothing, nothing!" exclaimed Takahashi defensively. "I wasn't talking about anything!"
To his relief, the purple-haired boy smirked, but otherwise ignored it. "Okay, then! Well, I see that we all managed to get out of that maze safely..." He subconsciously rubbed an area near his crotch, causing Takahashi to giggle quietly and Kimiko's lips to twitch. "That said, I am not going in there ever again! What a hellhole. To that bastard or bitch who designed it, he or she should've made it less complicated so then I could easily solve it and not wind up lost-"
"Excuse me." Everyone looked at Fuuta, who just appeared in the living room, holding a broom and a dustpan. "That person you just mentioned-" He glared at Noriya with an enraged expression. "-just happens to be my mother." He lowered his head slightly, his hair casting his eyes into shadow. "Don't you dare talk like that about my mother that way. She worked very hard on that garden maze for over a month. She put all of her blood, sweat, and tears into that thing!"
However, Noriya cringed suddenly, taking the last phrase too literally. "Wow, now that's just plain disgusting..." he remarked.
Takahashi slapped his forehead in disbelief. "My God, that damn moron..."
Fuuta growled angrily and approached Noriya. He was still holding his broom and dustpan.
"You took that back now..." he snarled.
"Or what, maid boy?" Noriya replied, now grinning maliciously. "Gonna hit me with that broom? Oh, I am so scared- AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"
He collapsed to the ground, his hands placed over his crotch. Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all gasped, while Kimiko chuckled almost evilly, her clenched fist raised.
"Remember my advice, Mr. Big and Mighty," she said, looking down upon the cowering Noriya, "you watch your back the next time you decide to pick on someone you believe is smaller than you. Otherwise, they can teach you a little lesson in manners. Is that understood? Or do I have to lecture you again?..."
She raised her foot threateningly, aiming it at Noriya's stomach. The purple-haired boy grunted and nodded quickly, prompting her to lower the foot. Kimiko looked at Fuuta, nodded at him, and then left. Everyone watched her go in either shock or (in Fuuta's case) satisfaction, and Noriya sat up, still clutching his injured manhood.
"My God, what a girl..." the purple-haired boy remarked, his eyes glinting brightly with interest.
At the corner of Takahashi's eye, he noticed Chouko peeking from the wall, watching the unfolding events in what appeared to be curiosity. Then, Chouko noticed that he was looking at her, and quickly retreated. He stood up, looking at the spot she was once standing on, wondering what that was all about...
Outside the Hashimoto Manor
A couple of hours later
Takahashi, Kimiko, Hasumi, Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori approached the long black limousine, being led by Chitose Hashimoto. Takahashi couldn't help but feel extremely excited. After all, if he was spotted by someone familiar to him while riding inside such a magnificent vehicle, his reputation would soar up to new heights.
"So, you seven wish to go shopping?" asked Chitose.
"Yes, please!" squealed Hitomi and Saori simultaneously, startling the nearby Hasumi and Kimiko.
"Not me," Noriya piped. "Just gonna be going on a nice little date with my girl." He took Hasumi's hand as she blushed. "What do ya say, babe?"
"Sounds awesome, Noriya," Hasumi replied, causing Takahashi to quietly scoff.
"Oh, if only you knew, Hasumi..." he thought.
Chitose spoke again, interrupting his thoughts. "Alright, then! I will accompany all of you and ensure that your purchases are handled without incident. Don't hesitate to purchase anything expensive, any price is within my range." She ignored Hitomi and Saori's squeals of joy. "Well then, shall we go?"
"Aw hell, yes!" shouted Takahashi, his thoughts off of Hasumi. "Let's go now, then!"
Chitose nodded and glanced at the chauffeur. "Chauffeur, to Tokyo, please."
The older man nodded in response and unlocked the doors. Chitose opened up one of the rear doors, and the seven teenagers all went inside the vehicle one by one, Noriya being first, and finally, Takahashi being last. Before he could go in, however, he glanced at Hashimoto Manor and could see one of the windows open. He could easily recognize the silver hair fluttering slightly with the breeze that was currently blowing, and the glint of golden eyes...
"Hey, Arata!" Hasumi called, bringing him back to reality. "What're you waiting for? Come on in!"
"Sorry, coming!" replied Takahashi as he went inside the limousine. Noriya tutted mockingly and shook his head.
"Oh, gonna miss your lovely-wovey home, redhead?" he asked in a childlike tone.
Hasumi frowned at him and punched his shoulder lightly. "Noriya, leave him alone."
The purple-haired boy scoffed and rolled his eyes at his girlfriend, but he otherwise stayed silent as he closed the door, while Takahashi sat down between Kimiko and Chitose in one of the seats. Immediately afterwards, the chauffeur started up the limousine and drove it out of the manor driveway and into the road. During the first minute of driving, Takahashi noticed that all of the windows in the limo were tinted out completely, preventing him from seeing the outside surroundings. He could not help but wonder why that was so, since he wanted to see the expressions of all those people when the limo passed by them.
He then wondered what Chouko's views were on that matter...
"Eh, she'd probably think it's for the best for one reason or the other..."
Roppongi, Minato
Tokyo, Japan
Over an hour later
"Oh, I am SO glad I got to have this ride!" Takahashi exclaimed happily as he watched the limo disappear into the parking structure. He then followed Chitose and his compatriots as they entered the Roppongi shopping area. "So, what're we doing first here? We gonna go to a high-rate restaurant and get ourselves some nice food?"
"No," Masako replied, frowning bitterly. "We're gonna go shopping right away!"
Takahashi smiled. "Sounds fine to me! I've heard of this new video-game store that just opened up, and I'd like to-"
"No. We're going there." The brown-haired girl pointed at a store with a banner that read 'GS QUALITY CLOTHES', earning screams of joy from Hitomi and Saori. "And do be a gentleman and help Noriya hold the bags, will you? It would be very much appreciated from you, Mr. Average..."
The redhead's face turned pale in an instant. He knew that being at a clothing store with a group of teenage girls could only mean one thing...
A couple of hours later
"I seriously wanna die right now..." moaned Takahashi in exhaustion.
"For once," Noriya grunted hesitantly, "I actually agree with you, redhead."
Takahashi couldn't help but shiver on instinct at Noriya's remark, but he still found their situation quite understandable. Right now, the two boys were holding several shopping bags in their hands, with more slung over their shoulders and even dangling from their necks. If one were to presume, they might've as well been makeshift holders for the bags. They blushed in embarrassment when a nearby, unrelated group of teenage girls spotted them and giggled at their predicament.
Browsing the clothes racks were Kimiko, Hasumi, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. The latter three were excitedly going in and out of the changing rooms, trying out many different kinds of clothes and purchasing many of them, while Kimiko seemed to be browsing racks holding clothes suited for younger children; Takahashi knew those had to be for her siblings that she mentioned while he was walking her home. As for Hasumi, she was being more selective in the clothes that were of interest to her compared to Masako, Hitomi, and Saori, picking only a couple to purchase. However, that didn't mean she let Takahashi and Noriya off in their labor.
Eventually, she looked at them and chided, "Hey, no resting, you two!"
"But babe!" whined Noriya, almost like a distressed child. He was almost leaning against a nearby desk. "This is torture!"
"Hey, like Masako said, be gentlemen and help us with the clothes."
"But-"
"Hey, no buts! No but babes either! You're a man, isn't that right?"
"Y-Y-Yeah, but-"
"Then be a man and help me with the bags," she interrupted.
"What're you doing to help me-?"
"Hey, picking clothes to buy and wear is a laborious duty all on its own. Consider yourself lucky."
"Damn it..." Noriya's arms began to strain with the amount of bags he was carrying. "This is a really big blow to my pride... I knew I should've gone home early..."
Takahashi struggled to stifle a giggle. As much as he could sympathize with Noriya right now, he still despised him for being Hasumi's boyfriend.
Finally, after almost another hour of this grievous torture, the girls were finally done with their shopping and went over to pay for their clothes. Fortunately for them, Chitose loaned them all of the money they needed to pay for their items. In a matter of minutes, the teenagers all followed Chitose out of the store and back towards the limousine. Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were squealing loudly with delight at their brand-new experience. Hasumi and Kimiko were going over the clothes that they specifically selected. Chitose led the group down the sidewalk calmly, seemingly skillfully ignoring the loud squeals of Hasumi's friends.
And as for Takahashi and Noriya, they were still straining under the weight of the bags they were carrying.
"Can't...believe...the girls...had us...carry...the bags...all the way...back...to...the...limo..." panted Takahashi.
"Damn...it...all... Please, God...please...kill me...now..." Noriya groaned.
"Why?... Why...me?..."
"I...I think...I'm...going down..."
Noriya collapsed on the sidewalk, but only Takahashi noticed. Realizing that the purple-haired boy was out for the count, he groaned, realizing that he now had more of a workload to do if they both had to get back to the limo without being left behind 'accidentally'. He bumped his forehead angrily with his knuckles.
"My God, why?!" he cried.
Akihabara, Chiyoda
Another hour later
Takahashi and Noriya could only feel the air around them become increasingly colder by the minute as Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all squealed in delight while twirling around in the center of Akihabara, the famous otaku shopping district. The neon lights of all of the stores flashed all around them with bright and radiant colors.
"Ooh, we're in Akihabara!" screamed Hitomi.
"I know, right?!" Saori replied as she clasped Hitomi's hands.
"OMG, this is gonna be so EXCITING!" Masako cried before squealing excitedly again.
"Man, I never knew they were the otaku type..." Takahashi remarked flatly as he continued to watch the three girls' excitement unfold.
Hasumi chuckled and crossed her arms. "Who isn't nowadays?" she replied.
"Me..."
The pink-haired girl blinked. "Man, that's a disappointment. And why not, Arata? Anime, manga, and video games are fun pieces in life too."
"They're just pieces of the past to me." Takahashi shrugged dismissively. "I'd rather not associate myself with them. I mean, it's not that I hate those kinds of things, but I just think that their novelty has passed a long time ago. Not that I mean to offend any of the otakus here or anything..."
"Heh." Noriya cracked a jeering smile as he punched Takahashi on the shoulder lightly (at least, in his opinion). "Always being the boring, uninteresting, average one, eh redhead? Very sad, very sad indeed." He then wrapped his arm around Hasumi's shoulder, causing her to giggle briefly and Takahashi to turn scarlet in anger. "Well now, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Average, me and Hasumi have better things to do than to stick side by side with you. Sayonara for now!"
"Oh, what did I tell you, leave him alone, Noriya," Hasumi said as she and Noriya walked away from the scene, Takahashi watching them go solemnly.
"Man, what a pain..." he remarked.
"Having a hard time with Hasumi again?" a voice asked. Takahashi looked across his shoulder to see Kimiko approaching him.
"Yeah." He looked back at Hasumi and Noriya's direction. "I really wish she just knew how I feel about her..."
Kimiko blinked, then closed her eyes in disappointment. "Well, for starters," she said, "you can probably change up your outlook on things as a first step."
He looked back at her. "My...My outlook on things?"
The magenta-haired girl thrust her eyelids open, revealing frustrated sea-green orbs. Takahashi nearly cringed at that abrupt act.
"It's honestly no wonder why people think you're so boring!" she chided. "You don't take anything that's around you too seriously!"
"WHAT?! Yes, I do, Kimiko! What in the world are you talking about?"
"I am not talking about things like wealth and large homes. I'm talking about everyday things, like books and movies and such! Every day I've seen you, ever since I first met you back at the newspaper-sorting facility, you've done nothing but complain about your job and your way of living and wish for riches! You don't take much account for things like clothes or video games! The only things that you care about seem to be things with value that is way above that of the norm. Apparently, it is that kind of behavior that's making people think you don't care much about anything except for things that are out of your reach!"
"Me being rich and having a nice mansion for a home is not out of my reach, not if I don't put my mind into it!"
Kimiko closed her eyes. "I know. But obviously, everyone else doesn't. And seriously, I think you really should take more everyday stuff into consideration."
"What can I honestly take seriously that is not something 'out of my reach'?"
"Oh, I don't know?" She opened her eyes. "What in the world do you like that is not something the Hashimoto family can afford?"
Takahashi's response seemed too abrupt. "I like flowers."
Kimiko blinked for a few moments. Then, she frowned disapprovingly. "Anything other than that?"
"Hey, don't you blame me for not noticing anything and everything that's around me! What in the world do you expect me to like, Kimiko?"
The magenta-haired girl sighed angrily and shrugged. "Oh, never mind..." Suddenly, her cellphone began to ring. "Excuse me..."
When Kimiko walked away to answer, Takahashi blinked. ...He never remembered being too interested in flowers, yet he felt like he was being honest in his answer...
"Hey," Naotatsu greeted.
"Hey back," replied Kimiko. She could sense the smile on his face. "How are they?"
"Tamika and Kaisei are doing really good. So is Naomi, in her own way." Kimiko frowned disapprovingly at that, but allowed her friend to continue. "Tamika and Kaisei keep asking when you're gonna be coming home, Kaisei in particular, understandably. Oh, and your dad's doing good too."
"That's good..."
"Yeah. ...So, how are you doing over there? Did you make any progress?"
Kimiko sighed heavily. "No, not yet. I'm working on it, though."
"Okay, okay. And, uh...just exactly what are you planning to do right now?"
"Right now? Just get a feel on how Hashimoto handles his business. What his methods are, what he's willing to lose and to gain... Once I get something good, that is where I rely on you and the others to come in. Just stand by and wait for further directions from me in a couple of days, all right?"
"Yeah, gotcha. Good luck, Kimmie."
Kimiko flashed a tiny smile. "Thanks, Naotatsu-kun."
"Yeah. Bye."
"Bye," she said right before hanging up.
Right after as she did, she looked at Chitose, who was closely watching Masako, Hitomi, and Saori. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind, and her smile widened.
"Welcome to Akihabara!"
Takahashi yelped in surprise at the voice and turned around. Standing there was a large, muscular older teenager with brown hair and squinting eyes. He seemed to be wearing...a maid costume? Now he had definitely seen everything. The other boy noticed Takahashi's expression of shock, but instead chuckled.
"Oh, this?" he said. "Yeah, it is what it looks like, man. But hey, the maid café was the only place that could hire me. So, might as well do what I gotta do."
However, Takahashi was still shocked. "You...You're not... You know...uh..."
Getting the implication, the boy moved closer towards Takahashi. A clever smirk was on his face as he winked.
"Maybe I am in that crowd, maybe I am not..." he replied.
Takahashi yelped again and jumped away. "I'm-I'm not that type of person! I-I mean, I'm okay about people of other sexual preferences, I'm quite cool with them! I am VERY cool with people of other beliefs! It's, uh, it's just, uh, I'm not that kind of person too! So please don't get offended; I'm just not-not...not...not, uh-"
"Gay?"
"Y-Yeah..." Takahashi's tone was one of shame.
"Hey, man, don't be afraid of saying that word. Anyway, to get this out of the way..."
He suddenly tore off his maid costume with graceful style, as if there was no tomorrow. At first, a dumbfounded Takahashi screamed out loudly, covered his eyes, and looked away. However, he heard the boy chuckle in amusement without anyone else nearby gasping or crying out in horror. As a result, he uncovered his eyes, slowly turned around and saw that the boy was wearing regular clothes, consisting of a white long-sleeved shirt, a brown-and-red-striped jacket with proper cuffs, and black jeans. The teenage boy burst out into a loud bout of laughter as Takahashi sweat-dropped in embarrassment.
"Man, you're so SENSITIVE!" he exclaimed. "Relax, dude! Anyway, I'm just pulling your leg; I'm not really working at a maid café. Man, you really FELL for it!"
"What the hell?!" Takahashi snapped, frustrated. "What in the world was THAT for?!"
"Hey, pranking people's just my style, man. Ha ha!" He then stretched out his hand. "The name is Fujikawa. Mutsuto Fujikawa. Prankster extraordinaire, just like my father, and his father, and his father before, and his father before. Pleased to meet you. What's your name, man?"
The redhead looked at Mutsuto's hand warily. "And why the hell should I tell you my name, let alone shake your goddamn hand? I hate being pranked, dude!"
"Come on, man, you need to loosen up! Be a real man and tell me your name. It's a code of honor me and my ancestors live up to as prankster extraordinaires to at least learn the names of those they prank." When Takahashi remained apprehensive, he continued, "Hey, at least I did not run out on you as soon as I ripped off that maid costume and told you you were pranked. Come on, man, name, name please, and we'll consider this forgiven and forgotten."
Takahashi continued to examine Mutsuto's outstretched hand. Then, with some reluctance, he replied, "The name's Takahashi."
"Takahashi. Means 'high bridge'." Mutsuto nodded, seemingly in approval. "I like it. How about your first name?"
"Why the hell should I tell you something personal as that?!"
"I already told you my first name. We need to be even! Come on, first name. Consider this as my apology for pulling your leg. Come on, come on!"
Takahashi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He knew that Mutsuto wouldn't leave him alone if he didn't give him his first name. Not wanting to deal with this for any longer, he angrily decided to give him what the prankster wanted. There was no way his day was going to be spent with this crap.
"Fine, fine!" he snarled. "My name's Arata. ...Arata Takahashi. ...Happy now?"
"Not until you shake."
Growling angrily, Takahashi reached for Mutsuto's hand, only for the other boy to pull back at the last second. The mischief in his wide grin was unmistakable.
"PSYCHE!" he shouted right before fleeing as fast as he could down the sidewalk, passing Masako, Hitomi, and Saori, laughing loudly as he did so.
"What the hell?" Masako asked, confused. She then turned to Takahashi. "What in God's name was that?"
Takahashi shrugged, an irritated look on his face. "The prankster extraordinaire, so to speak." Then, he suddenly felt as if his pocket was a bit lighter, and he patted it quickly. His eyes widened as soon as he came to a horrible realization. "Oh no, my money! The bastard took all the goddamn money in my pocket! I don't know how, but he did! Oh, the goddamn BASTARD!" He ran forward, shouldering Masako as he did so, and raised a fist at the direction Mutsuto fled down. "MUTSUTO FUJIKAWA, YOU GODDAMN BASTARD! I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME! YA HEAR ME?! I'LL FIND YOU AND GET MY MONEY BACK!"
Suddenly, he felt a palm collide painfully with his cheek. Yowling in pain, he clutched his cheek and saw Masako staring at him angrily.
"You're being the goddamn bastard right now, you know that?" she snarled. "Hey, you should be lucky I'm not kicking your ass right now. I am in a happy mood right now, 'cause we're about to go shopping again." She leaned forward, her brown eyes piercing into his soul. "And you and Noriya are gonna be gentlemen again..."
"Oh, no..." moaned Takahashi. "This day just keeps getting worse and worse... What in the world is going on? And where in the hell's my money?..."
"You did well, C," Mutsuto said as he stood in the alleyway, counting the money. Leaning against a wall nearby was a girl with dark-blue hair and wearing a dark-blue tank-top and black jean shorts, as well as a pink, thick scarf with both ends dangling from her shoulders. The scarf was nearly obscuring her mouth. "You did well..."
"My sincere thanks," the girl replied, her calm and collected voice barely audible. "And as usual, the plan was well-executed on your end as well."
"Thank you, C." Mutsuto smiled cleverly as he stuffed the bills into his pocket and looked at C. "Well now, I believe it's you who's picking the next one..."
Hashimoto Manor Living Room
Several hours later
"Oh my God, I can't believe this day was horrible..." moaned Takahashi to himself as he collapsed onto the sofa. He looked out of the window and saw the Sun slowly descending below the horizon. "Such a goddamn horrible day. I get tired out like hell from shopping sprees, I get pick-pocketed... Hopefully tomorrow's better..."
"How are you holding up?" a voice asked. Takahashi didn't need to look to see who it was at that point.
"I'm doing fine, Fuuta," he replied. "Thank you very much."
"Yeah, well if you thought today was horrible for you, you're gonna be out of your mind, literally, when Hashimoto starts lecturing you about business. Trust me, I've seen one of his lectures, and whatever you thought of it, it's definitely not what you're expecting. I swear, it's gonna be boring as hell for you."
"Well, as boring as it may be, might as well learn it so then I can create a business of my own and live the high life."
Fuuta raised his eyebrows. "Still determined to go to hell and back for the sake of riches, eh?" He shrugged. "Well, suit yourself. Who am I to stop you?"
With that, the boy left. Takahashi exhaled, looked out of the window, and then closed his eyes. He felt so tired. Maybe just a couple of minutes of catnapping...
"It is that kind of behavior that's making people think you don't care much about anything except for things that are out of your reach!"
Before he fell to the influence of the sandman, the redheaded boy began to wonder about the meaning of Kimiko's words back at Akihabara.
"I wonder what she meant by that... Things out of my reach?..."
A couple of hours later
Chouko stood by Junna's room, staring silently at the piano, gleaming in the moonlight. Once again, she felt her fingers involuntary moving and tapping. Once again, she could easily imagine herself playing the instrument... For some reason, this time, these feelings were much stronger than usual... What did this mean?
She suddenly found herself walking into the room. Gasping, she hopped back out, as if she was stepping into deadly, forbidden territory... With reluctance, she stared back at the piano that was taunting her so much. At this point, Chouko didn't know what to do, for the first time in many years...
"Hey, what're you looking at?"
The silver-haired girl twirled around in surprise and saw Takahashi standing there, a puzzled expression on his face.
End of Day Two
NEXT TIME ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"
Takahashi: Are you being serious right now?
Chouko: I'm relying on you to keep my secret.
Kimiko: What the hell are you hiding, you stuck-up bastard?
Fuuta: You know you can't lie to me, Chouko.
Sadahiro: This madness is growing out of control.
Hasumi: Ever wonder what it's like to be in the shoes of someone else?
Junna: You can decide the rest for yourself.
Unknown: The time has come to strike the Hashimotos...
Chapter 7: Two Pairs of Shoes
A/N: Sorry if the quality of this chapter is subpar. This is what I get for refraining from updating for so long. But it looks like more characters are being introduced! If any of you can guess who Mutsuto and C are (C should be easy), then you'll be rewarded with a treat of cyber-cookies! :D
I'd like to thank those who reviewed:
Hammiam: Glad you liked Yuri's little 'disciplinary' action there! And yes, everyone's having some deja vu. That'll be continuing and escalating, as seen here.
Bunnys-n-PenguinsWillRuleEarth: Well, considering that Iwasawa's living a different life, I'm giving a little distinction between her and her current identity. But as you can see from this chapter, I kinda held back her 'preppy' side a bit in this chapter. And what's up with the XP you used to end your review?
EdogawaConan (guest reviewer): Glad to see you liked how I portrayed Otonashi and Naoi's relationship in this story! :D
BloodPokemon101: Aaannnddd more hate of Sadahiro will be involved later. That's all I'm saying.
YuiSeoMugi: Thanks for waiting! Hope you enjoyed this long-awaited chapter! :D
Welp, this chapter's finally done. Again, I hope I didn't lose any of my readers. And regarding when the next chapter (which will conclude last chapter's cliffhanger) is gonna come out, hopefully soon, but I'm not gonna be making any promises. I just began another story that I've become devoted to, so time will tell.
Well, hope you enjoyed this extremely late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!
