I've decided to write this chapter from Hilda's POV. I might show a few chapters from Hilda's POV in the future, but the rest of the story will be told from Oga's POV. I wanted to show what Hilda's thoughts are of the crew. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Beelzebub belongs to Ryuuhei Tamura, not me.
Chapter 9- Family
The days continue to pass, and Tatsumi and I have gotten closer to each other. That brown-haired delinquent has been occupying my thoughts for quite some time now… and I liked it. Even now, as I eat the eggs benedict that the chef prepared for me for breakfast, I can't stop thinking about him.
"Why're you smiling like that, hm?" Yolda asks me mockingly. "Don't tell me you actually fell for some delinquent scum. Have the boys at Ishiyama poisoned your mind already?"
I give her an icy stare. "Shut up, Yolda," I say sternly. She looks at me, a false look of surprise on her face.
"Oh my," she responds. "Suddenly telling me to shut up? What happened to your sense of manners and class? Of course, you lost it once you enrolled in Ishiyama. That's why St. Ishiyama is a lot better. At least we have class and manners there."
"Yolda, that's enough," Isabella chides. "We have to get ready for school now. And don't mock Hilda for her choice of school."
I finish getting ready and take my school bag before walking out to the limousine. When I sit inside, to my surprise and joy, I see Angelica and Lamia sitting in the limousine. "Lamia! Angelica!" I greet happily.
"Long time no see, Hilda-nee sama," Lamia says, brushing away a strand of her pink hair from her face.
"Dad decided to let us go in the car with you. How's Ishiyama High School for you?" Angelica asks as we drive to the school.
"It's not too bad," I say. "Compared to what Yolda and Satura made it out to be. Sure, some of the guys are very barbaric, but it has it's upsides."
"Oh, and what might these upsides be?" Lamia asks, raising her eyebrows. "Are there hot guys who are true gentlemen in a sea of pervs?"
I shake my head. "It's actually a breakdancing group I've joined, called JD Dancers," I say. "They're kind of like a family to me."
"You joined a breakdancing group?" Angelica asks, surprised. I nod.
"Hilda-sama, we're here," Alaindelon tells me. The door is opened and I step out after saying bye to Lamia and Angelica. To my surprise, I see Tatsumi waiting for me by the school gates, Baby Beel in his infant back carrier.
"Yo, Hilda!" he greets, waving to me.
"Da bu aih da!" Beel coos at me. I smile in greeting.
"Good morning Tatsumi. Good morning Beel-chan," I greet. "How are you?"
"I'm good. I won yet another battle in the battle of putting clothes on Beel," he says. "And I bought some sweets as well. Mochi ice cream." He hands me a small bag. "I didn't know what you would like, so I got you a green tea, chocolate, and strawberry flavour."
I silently accept the sweets, wondering why he did so. I take out one of the sweets and take a bite. The sweet flavour of strawberry fills my mouth immediately. "Mm, this is pretty good," I say. He smiles.
"You like them?" he asks. "Mochi ice cream is one of Beel's favourite sweets, second to manjuu, amanatto, and daifuku."
"This is my first time having a mochi ice cream," I say. "Thanks for the sweets, Tatsumi." He grins as we walk into the classroom.
Throughout the class period, I'm unable to fully pay attention to the Japanese poem being taught, even though I'm listening to the lesson. For some reason, I can't help but be curious as to why Tatsumi went as far as buying sweets for me. I don't think I've ever seen Tatsumi being this kind to anyone.
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden, hm?" I ask at lunch. "You're suddenly buying me sweets?"
"You don't like it?" he asks.
"No, it's not that," I say. "I'm just curious, that's all."
Tatsumi rolls his eyes. "Don't read into actions too much, Hilda," he says. "I bought them 'cause I thought you might like them."
I nod slowly, watching him prepare Baby Beel's milk. "So, Hilda," he starts. "Which mochi ice cream flavour do you like the most?"
"Green tea," I say. He nods.
"Oh, and by the way, we're having a games night at the studio tonight," he says. "Video games, movies, and snacks. You should come."
I nod. "Sure thing," I say.
"We're also going to be planning out our trip to Okinawa," he tells me. "Himekawa's booked the hotel rooms and flight tickets, but we all chipped in."
"When do we leave for Okinawa?" I ask.
"Once summer break starts," he says. "I'm looking forward to it, especially since it's a perfect opportunity to do a summer flash mob. I mean, beaches and breakdancing? Who wouldn't want to do that?"
I can't help but chuckle. "You know, you've gotten a lot better in your ballet moves," I tell him. And it's true. We've been practicing a lot together, and Tatsumi has gotten a lot better, and it shows in his breakdancing.
As we walk through the halls after lunch, a rough looking guy suddenly comes up to me. "Oh wow, aren't you a hottie?" he says, a lecherous grin on his face. "Why don't you ditch this loser here and come with me? I'll show you how to have a good time."
I give him an icy glare. "Leave me alone, you filthy trash," I snarl coldly.
"Oooh, rude! Listen here, I'm gonna teach you some manners!" Suddenly, I see Tatsumi's fist collide with his face, sending him flying into a wall.
"She said to leave her alone, didn't she?" I see Tatsumi glare at the guy. "So leave her alone and get lost! And shut up before you wake Beel!"
I force myself not to laugh when the guy runs away, shaking like a coward. We continue walking down the hallway when we see a rather unusual sight. The second-year girl Kunieda is trying to talk to Furuichi, who's looking nervous and confused.
"So, Furuichi," Kunieda asks. "You know, there's a new movie coming out. Would you like to see it with me?"
Before the guy could answer, the bell rings, so it's time for class.
After school, I'm walking to the studio when I see Kunieda walking in the same direction. "Hi Hilda-chan!" she greets.
Kunieda Aoi, the former leader of the Red Tails gang. She's a rough, no-nonsense, strong girl, and a good fighter and dancer. She's also a very sweet girl and is like the protector of all the girls at Ishiyama. I nod politely. "Hi Kunieda," I greet. "How have you been?"
"Fine, I guess," she says, shrugging her shoulders. "So, Hilda-chan, how're you liking Ishiyama so far?"
"The school's okay," I reply. "Even though majority of the guys are pervs, there are a few who aren't."
The black-haired girl giggles. "Yeah. I took a big risk when I quit the Red Tails, along with Nene-san, Chiaki-san, and Yuka-san. However, we're pretty good fighters, so we're fine on our own."
"What made you quit the Red Tails?" I ask.
"It was when Oga and Furuichi invited us to join his dance crew," I say. "I joined because I really love breakdancing, and so did Nene-san and Chiaki and Yuka." However, I can see a faint blush on her face.
"Are you sure it's not because you had a crush on Tatsumi?" I ask, feeling a slight twinge of jealousy. She looks at me in surprise.
"Wha-?! No! I only like Oga as a friend!" she insists.
We arrive at the studio and start setting things up for the games night. Soon, everyone else comes in with some food and drinks. I look around the room, and I can't help but smile at the sight. Tatsumi, Furuichi, Tojo, Kanzaki, and Himekawa are busy playing Super Smash Bros Melee and cheering each other on. To my surprise, I see Kunieda walk up to the guys. "Can I play too?" she asks.
"Uh, sure," Tojo says, handing her a controller. Tatsumi turns to me.
"Oi, Hilda! You wanna play?" he offers.
"Okay," I say, taking the controller from him. I choose Zelda, while Kunieda chooses Kirby. After choosing our battleground, the game starts, and I find myself unable to control my character. Tatsumi notices and shows me how to play and gives me some tips.
Soon, I end up defeating Kunieda with the tips that Tatsumi gave me. All the guys whoop and cheer. "Nice one, Hilda-san!" Furuichi praises. "For someone who's playing for the first time, you've done pretty well!"
Now, I continue to watch Tatsumi and Furuichi battle it out, as Tatsumi plays as Pikachu and Furuichi plays as Link. I see Kunieda giving Furuichi some tips, and sure enough, he beats Tatsumi.
"Okay, guys!" Oomori calls. "Let's have some food. Hilda-chan, we made something especially for you."
To my surprise, I see a tray of egg tarts, a bowl with Galinha a africana, some almond biscuits, and a plate of pork chop buns. Kunieda smiles. "These are all Macanese dishes that the girls and I made," she says. "We thought that you might be missing Macao, so we decided to try and make these."
"Forgive us if they're not that good," Tanimura says.
"It's our first time with Macanese cuisine after all," Hanazawa adds.
I can't help but smile at the kind gesture. Kunieda really is a great person to be around. "Thanks," I thank sincerely. It's been quite some time since I had the familiar, Chinese/Portuguese dishes that I practically grew up with. I take a bite of the pork chop bun, and the mouthwatering flavour fills my mouth. I smile at the girls. "It tastes good."
Furuichi takes a bite of an almond biscuit. "Mm, this is really good!" he praises. "Who made the biscuits?"
Kunieda looks down, her face slightly red. "I… I did," she stammers. "Nene-san made the pork chop buns and Yuka and Chiaki made the egg tarts. We all helped out with the galinha a africana."
Furuichi smiles at Kunieda. "You're a good cook, you know that?" he compliments, causing her to blush and stammer more.
"Macanese food tastes pretty good," Yamamura says as we all eat the galinha a africana.
"Aih da!" Beel exclaims, taking a bite of an egg tart. Tatsumi smiles at him.
"You like it?" he asks as he takes a bite of his pork chop bun before turning to me. "So Hilda, what do you think?"
I smile at him. "I can't believe we're all eating Macanese cuisine together," I say. "It's been a long time since I had some of this food."
"I'm glad you like it," he says.
After we finish eating, we all decide to play a game of Truth or Dare. "So, Himekawa," Yamamura begins. "Truth or dare?"
"Mmm… dare!"
Yamamura grins slightly. "I dare you to let your hair out of its pompadour and wear it down for the whole of right now, and tomorrow!"
The rich third-year reluctantly agrees as he lets his hair down. "Okay now. Kanzaki! Truth or dare!"
"Truth!"
Himekawa smirks. "If you were to be locked in a room with somebody in this group, who would it be?"
To my amusement, Kanzaki looks down in embarrassment. "P-Probably Hanazawa," he mumbles. Said girl stares at him in surprise.
"Ehhhh?!"
"Oooh, you have a crush on her, don't you, Kanzaki-kun?" Natsume teases.
"Shut up, or you're gonna eat a heel drop!" he snarls.
"Moving on!" Furuichi interrupts, turning to Tatsumi. "Oga, truth or dare?"
He thinks for a moment. "Dare."
"I dare you to go and hug Hilda!" I suddenly feel the blood drain from my face, before it quickly heats up. Tatsumi also looks surprised, and I can almost see a faint blush on his face.
"F-Fine." He walks up to me and awkwardly wraps his arms around me. Even though it's a dare, I feel a warmth in my heart as I put my arms around him, inhaling his musky scent. He quickly pulls away, his eyes covered by his hair.
"Whoo, someone's in lo-ove…" Fujisaki teases.
"Hold on, is Oga actually blushing?!" Tojo teases.
"Shut up!" he snaps. "Furuichi! Truth or dare?"
"T-Truth," he replies. Tatsumi grins.
"Do you ever think of kissing Kunieda?" he asks, causing Kunieda to blush furiously and Furuichi's jaw to drop.
"I-I mean dare!" Furuichi suddenly changes his mind.
"Then I dare you to give Kunieda a kiss on the cheek," Tatsumi says. Furuichi looks down before walking up to Kunieda.
"Oooh, he's actually doin' it!" Yamamura exclaims.
I can't help but giggle a bit as he leans in closer to Kunieda, his lips aiming for her cheek. Suddenly, he somehow slips and to our shock, he ends up giving Kunieda a kiss on the lips. Both are wide-eyed as they hastily break away. All the guys start cheering Furuichi on.
"Whoo, yeah!"
"You go, Furuichi!"
"You sly dog!"
"Aoi-neesan!"
Furuichi looks down in embarrassment, his face bright red. "I'm so sorry, Kunieda! Forgive me, it was an accident!"
"It's okay! Don't apologize!" Kunieda insists, her face just as red. "A-Anyways, Hilda-chan, truth or dare?"
"Dare," I reply. I see a cunning smirk on her face.
"I dare you to get a piggyback ride from Oga!" she declares. Once again, I feel my face heating up, but Tatsumi looks extremely embarrassed right now.
"Okay, fine," I say as I get onto Tatsumi's back. I can hear him grumbling under his breath as he walks around the room before setting me down.
The rest of the game goes like this until it starts getting out of hand when the guys start asking inappropriate questions and daring each other to do inappropriate things. Now, I'm currently on the roof of the studio, admiring the view of the night in Ishiyama.
"Hey, you okay?" I turn and see Tatsumi without Baby Beel.
"Where's Beel-chan?" I ask.
"He went to sleep, so Furuichi's watching over him," he replies. I can't help but admire his well-toned physique. He's currently wearing a pair of jeans and a sleeveless dark green muscle shirt. The light of the moon shines on his body, showing off his muscles and physique.
"How're you liking this so far?" he asks me.
"It's a lot of fun," I laugh a bit. "I'm having fun right now."
Tatsumi smiles at me. "That's good," he says as he sits down next to me.
"You know, this crew is almost like a family," I say. "Even though you do stupid things, you still look out for each other, and help each other out."
What I just said is true. This dance crew is like a family to me. Even more than my real one. Sure, people weren't the warmest when I first arrived, but I gradually earned their trust and respect over time. Today, I truly feel accepted in the group, after a crazy game of Truth or Dare, and some Macanese cuisine.
"Tatsumi?" I turn to him.
"Yeah?"
Before I even realize, I gently rest my head against his shoulder. "Thank you. For everything," I thank sincerely. He doesn't flinch or move away. He simply puts an arm around my waist and pulls me closer to him.
We sit on the roof like this for a while before we get up. "Well, it's getting late, and I should be going home," I say. "Good night, Tatsumi."
"Good night, Hilda," he says. As I turn to leave, I decide to do something. I turn around and give Tatsumi a peck on the cheek.
"G-Good night…" I stammer before rushing out of the studio.
Throughout the drive home, the same warm feeling lingers on. I had a great time with everyone, but for some reason, the short moment I shared with Tatsumi still lingers in my mind, and stands out a lot more. I try my best to ignore the feeling as I change and get ready for bed.
