The next few days went on as usual, well for the most part. Every time Melody turned on the tv or glanced over at the newspaper that her two eldest brothers left on the kitchen table every morning, she saw that a purse snatcher has been going around town and apparently harmed a few elderly ladies. This caused Daisuke to reinforce the rules regarding Melody's going out. She couldn't go anywhere without one of her brothers with her.
The fact that flyers were all around the school's campus of poor sketches of the culprit, didn't help matters either. All it really did was upset the students, including Melody because it was as if everyone just assumed it was one of the Shiroken students. The guys were pretty open about shoplifting but she doubted any of them were terrible enough to harm little old ladies for their purses. At least none of the guys she's spoken with since enrolling, which was just her class and a few in her brother's class.
As she walked into her classroom she noticed that Shin wasn't around yet, not that that was truly surprising. Noda and the others were gathered around on top of desks. In Noda's hand was a woman's purse.
"Taken to carrying woman's accessories, Noda?" Mel smirked sliding into her desk.
The guys around him laughed but Noda just sneered at her, in a way that said it'd be funny if it weren't him the joke was, "Nah, man. This is my sister's. She must of stuck it in my bag by mistake or somethin'." He proceeded to pull money out of the wallet, grinning, "But look! This chick is loaded!"
Just as the words left his mouth the door slammed open and a red blur flew into the room before close-lining Noda all the way to the other end of the class. Yamaguchi was pissed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing with a woman's purse?" she screamed in his face.
Stunned, Noda blinked, "It's my sister's!"
Mel found it hard to watch the guilt on Yamaguchi's face when the class began accusing her of thinking of them the same way everyone else did after that.
After class was when Melody got the feeling things would get interesting.
"No, man! Your ideas always suck!" she heard Uchi yell from one of the school's balcony's as she passed by.
"What's going on?" She asked as she walked over to them.
"Minami wants to catch the jerk that's snatching purses and getting us blamed for it but his idea's suck!" Uchi groaned.
Minami elbowed his annoyed friend in the side and glared at him, "Just hear me out! Mel, you can help to if you don't screw up!" he gave her a dirty glare before proceeding to explain what he intended to do.
From the sounds of it, it'd be more trouble than it was worth but she was willing to help them out where she could.
As she was getting ready to go meet up with the guys she got a phone call. She couldn't help it, she just wanted to know how it would work out in the end, not that she had much hope in Minami's plan.
Pulling her phone out of her pocket only to find it was an unknown number. Her brow furrowed slightly as she answered, "Hello? Who is this?"
"It's Shin. Melody, whats the idea of going along with that bogus plan?" he sounded bored, as usual.
She blinked and stopped in the middle of the side walk, "How did you get my number?"
"Your brother."
She was already plotting how she'd get back at Nat for this, "I'm gonna kill him." She mumbled.
"Anyway, Noda and Minami were arrested. I'm meeting Uchi and Yamaguchi at the station. Meet us there."
"What do you need me there for?" she asked but began her walk toward the station anyway.
"You're the dumbass who went got mixed up in this with them. Might as well stick to it." She could almost hear the cocky grin in his voice.
She scowled and stuck her tongue out, despite that she knew he couldn't see it, "Fine! I'll meet you there. I'm on the way."
Hanging up she took off in a run toward the station, hoping she was right in knowing where it was since she's never been.
Within a few minutes she saw Shin and Uchi standing outside the station and walked up to them, "So what is going on?"
"They just saw them and arrested them. Like they're guilty by association!" Uchi whined.
Mel thought it better to just keep quiet on the lack of sense he just made, glancing over her shoulder, she saw Yamaguchi running up to them.
"You dragged Mel into this?" she said as soon as she noticed her only female student standing there with Shin and Uchi, despite the fact that Mel was disguised as a boy.
Uchi blinked, "He's going to Shiroken too, we just wanted to catch the guy and prove that it wasn't us."
Shin nodded, "I don't see how it matters, it's not as if he got arrested."
Mel stifled a sigh, something told her that Yamaguchi wanted to keep Mel out of trouble and Shin wanted to use that against her, "I got involved on my own. Are going to go get the other two out or just leave them there because it's starting to look like you're just worried about who's involved."
Yamaguchi sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Let's go get them out. Remember." She warned, "Let me do all the talking to the heat."
All three students blinked in confusion, "The heat?" they said in unison.
"Uh. Never mind that. Let's go." She ordered then turned to head inside the building, with her students following along behind.
It didn't take long for the homeroom math teacher to get the boys out of jail but her plan afterwards was a little sketchy, even Mel had to admit it. She wanted to have someone act as bait for and that someone was herself.
Kimiko Yamaguchi stood before her group of students wearing a ridiculous blonde wig and her usual red track suit with an expensive looking purse hanging from her hand. Mel had to keep herself from giggling (that'd be one way to blow her cover even more than she already had).
"None of what you're wearing works…." Minami groaned, burying his face in his hands.
Yamaguchi blinked, "Well I couldn't ask anyone else to do it, that's too dangerous. Plus I got this purse to look like a rich bitch!" she grinned then spun around on one foot, "Let's go!" she commanded.
The guys grumbled but followed along behind her, Shin dragged behind a bit to walk beside Mel, "It might have been better to just make you be the bait. I heard you have a knack for getting into trouble."
"I wouldn't trust what my brothers say. Sometimes they like to throw the blame off themselves."
"I don't think it's too far off, I mean you are attending a school of delinquents after all," he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.
Mel looked up at him, "So are you. Mind if I ask how you ended up going to that school anyway?"
Shin just glanced her and shrugged in that ever lazy way of his, "Got a record back in middle school."
"A record for what? What did you do?" she asked with a wide eyed expression. He didn't seem the type to do something without a good reason but she doubted he'd tell her anyway. Shin was always so closed off to everyone.
He didn't answer, just stared ahead and stopped walking suddenly.
Melody blinked, watching him as she just walked into someone's back, "Ow. Sorry." She said and looked up to see Uchi glaring at her.
"Jeez, pay more attention to where you're going, man," he grumbled before turning to face Yamaguchi again, "You sure this is a good idea, teach?"
"Of course, just stay close and it'll all work out." She grinned then turned and proceeded to walk down the street, her hips swaying dramatically.
"What are you guys doing?"
At the sound of the voice, Melody spun around, already knowing who it was. Nate stood behind them, watching Melody, "Nothing."
"We're trying to catch the purse snatcher. What are you doing here?" Kuma asked.
Nate shrugged, "I'm just passing through. How are you going to catch the purse snatcher by just sitting around here."
"Yankumi is acting as bait." Kuma explained and gestured toward where Yamaguchi headed off only for everyone to realize at once that she wasn't there anymore.
"Dude, think we should go look for her?" Noda asked.
"Nah, no one is going to mess with a chick who looks like that. Lets just stay here." Uchi answered and went to sit back down when suddenly they heard a scream from a ways down the street and everyone took off running toward it.
Shin wasn't in any rush to get to Yamaguchi, he knew the woman could handle herself just fine. He kept glancing at Melody though. She didn't have to come out when he called, she could have just stayed home and let them deal with it themselves. There wasn't much she could do anyway. But her being there anyway showed the others what she was willing to do to help them out.
As the group reached Yamaguchi and the creep, Shin reached out to grab Mel's wrist to keep her from getting caught up in the dog pile the others were sure to create when they all attempted to tackle the purse snatcher all at the same time.
Mel spun around and looked at him as soon as he grabbed her. Her blue eyes widened in surprise and he could swear he saw pink dusted on her cheeks.
He gestured toward the guys, "Careful."
She looked over at them and nodded, "I didn't need your help with that," she said as she pulled her hand away from him.
He shrugged, "Just making sure." Shin glanced over at Nate only to see that he and Yamaguchi were watching them. Both looking confused before just turning to look at the guys.
"So do you know who he is? Does he go to our school?" Yamaguchi asked.
Noda shook his head, "No… He's not even a kid."
The guy they all caught snatching purses and has been throwing the blame on Shiroken was a middle aged man with a comb over. This will probably be the only time their school will be noticed for doing something good and proving everyone wrong at the same time.
Update: Chapter ten will be out soon! Also, I have decided that there will be some drama added to the story soon too. Hope you enjoy!
