Hidden Candy
Chapter 10: Akiba Pure, Finale
"Finally…" Kuroi groaned, stopping in her tracks. She patted Konata's behind to tell her she was going to let go of her. Without hesitation, she removed her hands from under the girl and let her slide down back onto the ground. The piggyback ride had come to an end; they were in front of the Yuri-Rose, a flower scented, stone building where cologne came to dance. Bakery aromas and warmed love leaked out into the air in front of the café. Kuroi wiped her forehead and let out a "Phew!"
"I'm surprised you're not dead tired and worn out," Konata said, coming to check on her teacher's face. Kuroi stood tall, as fine and invigorated as when she met up with Konata at the station. "I may be older but I'm not unfit. I have a very healthy life style despite my bad diet and lack of exercise."
"Wow, that's a real insult to people who seriously try to be fit." Konata noted. "I wasn't too heavy for you was I?"
"No, actually. Either I still have my high school muscle or you need to eat more."
"I'm an otaku, I eat too much already," Konata said. "My Wii makes sure I don't lose my curvy figure."
Kuroi stood still, having to use little effort at first. Then it began to build up in the seconds, the force erupting in her neck, than her mouth. Her cheeks were blown up. Konata noticed her trembling a little. "Nanako-chan? Are you-"
Kuroi burst into laughter. "What figure? Are you serious?!"
"What figure? Flat is a figure," Konata debated, drumming her no-inch chest. She believed her legs and overall colorful beauty made up for that anyway. Kuroi quickly apologized and reminded Konata she was beautiful, rubbing Konata on the back as they entered the café. She was too occupied with the joke to notice the sign. It welcomed all women to enjoy a true entourage of gentleman and elegant service-through women dressed and fashioned as men.
When they entered Kuroi had to take a step back when the black suited, white shirted and viciously tall women approached the couple. Their hair style matched visual kei bands more than regular men, mostly with bangs covering half their faces and poofy hair that somehow seemed conditioned to keep its unusual form. The interior was rather dark but in a gentle manner with dark brown tables at a length prepared for parties and bars decorated with a marble-like blackness in the counter and floor. It truly isolated itself from the remainder of the establishment which seemed more fit a restaurant than anything else.
Kuroi held no issue with the service; she just wanted to know if what she was looking at was a man or woman. Konata whispered the explanation after ordering a table in the corner. They followed a tall but womanly attendant wearing glasses like an aged British tutor. Their table was a lovely, embroidery cloth topped piece with an array of freshly watered plants attached to the wall. They were handed their menus which possessed lovely written orders. They started off with their drinks, humoring the "Steward" who proceeding to leave ambiguously flirtatious statements at their ears. Kuroi suspected it was part of the job and admired the effort the business placed into the image.
"This place is really great," Kuroi said, poking her head around towards every sight. "It's really fancy and clean. And the stewards are nice; they actually look like men sometimes."
"I heard about it on a television show so I thought it would be great to check it out," Konata said, still looking up and down the menu. "I might bring Kagami and the others here one day to see how they'll react. They were surprised to see me in a cosplay café."
"You know," Kuroi started.
"You said you know again, you know." Konata playfully replied. Kuroi sided up a smile; amused Konata was getting her for that but what she had to ask didn't match the mood. "Konata, you seem to only have female friends at school right? You probably had a crush on one of them but…what I want to know," she started. "When exactly did you realize you like girls?"
"Oh, the second I went into high school, probably the summer before that," Konata said, perked up to talk about. The unrestraint in her words really spoke of serenity, she was obviously happy about her change in orientation. "But that doesn't mean I don't like men, I just prefer women a lot more."
"So you're bisexual? This place is perfect for you then," Kuroi said friskily. The steward came up to them, smoothly placing down their glasses and preparing their drinks before them. Kuroi understood more now than ever, they were also paying for a show. Once their drinks were poured in from a foot above, they ordered the lunch and were once again left to spend time with each other as the stewardess collected their menus. "Does your dad know?" Kuroi asked Konata.
"He knows, he's actually happy that I prefer women," she shyly said, laughing at the weird truth behind her father's suspicion of boys. "How much does it say for men if they even suspect their own gender to such a degree? But how about you Nanako-chan? When did you start liking women?"
"Well…it started in high school for me too. I was playing at one of the arcades and-"
"And Pac Man had just been released globally!" Konata spurted.
"I'm not that old!" Kuroi fussed. "As I was saying, I was breaking a record for Ms. Pac Man, but she was already old when I was young so there. I had spent a lot of time on the machine so a crowd was cheering me on. My boyfriend at the time was feeding me as I played and when I finally won, I grabbed him by the waist and smooched him up. But he was always so skinny and wimpy so I guess I was kind of using him."
"I'm starting to fall in love more and more," Konata said. She didn't know Kuroi was such a dominant person; she hid it well behind her fierce yet helpful teacher personality. Either way, Konata won. "So what happened?"
"Well…since he was so skinny I couldn't tell it was actually a girl until it was too late," Kuroi said. "But I began feeling her hips and everything else and it really got me going. After that, I dumped my boyfriend and went to women. My parents were mad when they found out and we argued a lot after that but I guess they tolerate it. I promised them grandchildren but that doesn't seem too likely anyway."
"I guess I should be happy my dad is so accepting," Konata said, putting a finger to her mouth. She tilted her head a bit at her teacher afterwards, noticing she wanted to say more. She suspected the relationship between Kuroi and her parents wasn't too strong.
"I don't think that's the word for it," noted the blonde. "But I'm glad you didn't have to go through what I went through. My mom and dad acted so weird about it, they thought I was diseased or something. I started smoking back then too and doing all kinds of bad stuff."
"Naughty stuff?" Konata hummed.
"No, not at all. I was a punk but I was a dignified punk. Few were ever worthy to touch me." Kuroi carefully explained. "But I did get one guy who really earned my respect. And this one girl who was a bit crazy sometimes but then she would switch to delicate-mode late at night. Oh! I shouldn't be telling you all this."
"Why not? It's not like I don't know about any of it," Konata said.
"Yeah…but…you've dated at least one person before me right?" Kuroi asked.
"Nope! You're my first!" Konata cheered. Her teacher grew silent. She began to look to the side, somewhere else besides where Konata was sitting. It had never occurred to her that Konata might have never dated anyone else. She knew better but perhaps she forgot to consider that. Kuroi noticed the cautious look from Konata and realized she was ruining the mood. She quickly let out a nervous laugh and put the troublesome thoughts behind her. "So, let me ask you another question," Kuroi said. "But this one's a bit serious so if you don't want to talk about it I'll understand. I rather we have fun today then-"
"It's okay. Ask whatever you want."
"Okay. It's about your mother," Kuroi started, watching Konata's reactions. She remained surprisingly calm. No matter what, Kuroi had to know soon. The question was scratching at the back of her head too much to be ignored anymore. "Konata, you've actually never known your mother…so I guess you might feel like you never had one, right?"
"Sometimes but I learned a lot about her so I can imagine," Konata explained. "Why? Did you know her in high school? Did you two…date?!"
"No! Stop with the crazy assumptions. I was just wondering, ever since you said that you liked me despite being so much younger than me…do you think you might be using me as a replacement for your mother?" Kuroi asked. Konata tilted her head again, as if she were struck by an age-old question whose only answer was a paradox in the end. "To be honest, it is a bit weird," Konata said. "I don't really see you that way. I am kind of hoping my dad marries somebody and we've talked about it but I guess with my cousin Yui, that part of me is full. I like you for who you are, my sexy teacher."
"So Yui already serves as your mom huh?" Kuroi muttered to herself. She felt relief from the news. She wasn't ready to be a pseudo mother in a pseudo relationship. Hopefully she would remember the motherly role Yui played if they were to meet today. She would later curse those thoughts, wondering if they somehow magically brought Yui to Akihabara.
"I wonder where they went?" Yui muttered to herself, holding her chin as she scanned the perimeter. She stood, legs diagonal, in the middle of a crowded street searching mostly for a blue blob of hair and a yellow bun hair style next to it. Hiyori carefully kept a distance from the cop, feeling a natural opposition towards her. She couldn't explain it but it felt as if her kind wasn't too welcomed by the law. Still, it was Konata's cousin so she would play nice but she had to protect her fellow otaku as well. Hiyori soon noticed Yui had moved and ran to the officer's most recent spot in the streets, panicking to catch another sight of the green haired woman. Her feet tapped to the sides as she searched every angle of her vision; soon she began to spin slowly. "There she is!" she whispered to herself. Leaking through the crowds, she kept at least a measurement of five people between them. She wasn't certain if Yui might remember her from one of her few visits to the Izumi house.
Yui kept a sneaking pace, ensuring she gave every spot and location a good review for the missing duo. Her chest pounded with excitement when she spotted the long, blue wave of hair heading away from the Yuri-Rose café. There was someone beside the short girl but the crowds ate away at any clear vision. Yui began her hunt. Reflexively, she reached for a gun but realized that she didn't have one, she was in casual clothing. Then she realized shooting someone wouldn't solve the problem. She began to speed up her steps, eyes sharpened onto the suspects. Though still half a block away from her grasp, she could already feel their shoulders in her hands. She started walking faster, faster, until she was only a wall of people away. "Oof!!" Hiyori grunted, falling to the ground backwards.
Yui nearly fell back too but kept a good foot to the ground and merely stepped back from the scene. The two had bumped into each other, but Yui felt as if the teenager had just jolted into her from the side like a car reversing out of a hidden driveway. Around her were doujinshi and small toys scattered across the ground. Hiyori thanked the gods the figures were safe in their boxes. Yui knelt down and assisted with the clean up. "I'm sorry, you really surprised me but I guess I was a bit too focused myself."
"It's okay," Hiyori said, smiling like she met the love of her life through coincidence. Her plan had succeeded. Earlier she decided to mist herself into the crowd, keeping up with Yui's growing pace until she could dash into her. Hopefully Kuroi and Konata could use this time wisely to lose themselves in the scrambled people of Akihabara. "Darn it," Yui mumbled. Hiyori gave herself a mental thumbs up, the plan worked! Yui helped Hiyori back onto her feet, unknowingly inspiring a magical process in the otaku's head.
"Wait, this is good material," Hiyori thought to herself. "A cop falling in love with an otaku teenager and the otaku uses the cop for doujin plot! I wonder how good a pairing Yui and I would make?"
"Where's the next stop?" Kuroi excitedly asked. She kept her brown dog doll tucked away in her jacket's inner pocket, tempted to pet it before getting an answer from Konata but her secrets remained sealed. The best part about bringing a newbie to Akihabara was seeing their reactions and she was definitely curious of what Kuroi would think of a cosplay dance club. "I can hear music," Kuroi said as Konata guided her by hand down the stairs of a light blue building. A variety of posters stuck to the wall, declaring discounts and sales long past. Old vegetables seemed to plague the scents of the staircase but she knew that wasn't the source. There was something bodily about this smell. When the two reached the door, Konata swung it open with anticipation. Inside were cosplayers dancing in a small bar-like room and Kuroi instantly recognized one of the costumes. "Hey, that's Pikachu!"
"What to pull the tail?" Konata asked.
"What? That's rude. Besides, this place smells funny. Do otaku bathe?" Kuroi asked, pinching her nose in defense. Konata reassured her they do but noted that a rotten apple can stink up the bunch, especially in costumes while dancing erratically or nonsensically like many of the people today. "I really wanted to see your reaction," Konata said, shutting the door and taking Kuroi back up the stairs. "But it does smell bad today, maybe some other time. Do you like dancing?"
"Are you kidding? I love dancing!"
Konata rubbed the back of her head, realizing she had never been to a club or even danced normally in her entire life. "Well, I don't really know any good places to go."
"That's okay, when it's my turn to control this date we can dance all we want at some places I know," Kuroi informed. She felt great about their plan, to split the date into two segments, one for Konata to organize and one for her. She found herself thrilled to see a new side to Konata; she could hardly imagine the girl dancing at all. "Next place!" Konata cheered on. The two had already exited the building and simply walked down the street to a store cluttered with figures, books, CDs, handheld devices and trinkets on every inch of the walls and shelves. Kuroi was awe struck by the sheer volume of merchandise laid out for the customer. "This is my world," Konata introduced. "Come; see if there's anything you want to buy me."
"Woohoo," Kuroi sarcastically remarked, taking it all in stride. Konata took her first to the gallery of figures carefully posed and placed in glass cases. She could admire the artwork, these definitely held more detail than regular figures and the reflected light from the cases made her curious enough to look into Konata's eyes. They were unexpectedly large and lost in a glowing attraction to the products. Kuroi first feared it might be an expression of obsession to buy everything but the calmness swimming with the shines in those green lanterns made her realize it was simple amazement. In a way, the otaku lifestyle was very artistic and focused. Perhaps Konata represented what was right about it.
They moved on, examining dozens of toys and novels. Konata then noticed a newly released manga and grabbed it. As she skimmed through the pages Kuroi picked up a random book herself and flipped through the pages. It was page five when she noticed censor bars, ropes, tears and little girls without any clothing. She quickly snapped it shut and peeked at what Konata was reading. She sighed in relief; it was some sort of magical battle manga. "You know, I used to read a lot of manga myself when I was younger," Kuroi said, finding a good ol' faithful copy of Slam Dunk. She was about 17 when it first came out and it almost inspired her to join the basketball team. Konata asked if she read Yu Yu Hakusho or Dragonball Z but Kuroi shook her head. She wasn't into magical manga like that but she did prefer something manly and rugged like Fist of the North Star. Konata asked about Berserk, pulling out a copy from the rack. "No way," Kuroi said, staring with disgusted curiosity and the graphic scenes inside. "Normal stuff, that's what I read."
"Do you still read manga?"
"Not really, I guess it just slipped away from me…unlike smoking." Kuroi grunted. She loathed her younger self for picking up the filthy habit. It was the main reason she had to stop buying manga, the cigarettes were too expensive. She confessed to Konata that sometimes she would shoplift a bit but tried to keep it limited. With all the retrospection, she realized at full blast she wasn't exactly a good girl in high school. "I'm glad I changed though," Kuroi said, returning the manga to the shelf. "Sometimes a person can have too much fun and I regret doing some of those reckless things when I was younger."
"You don't have to feel bad about it," Konata said. "You can learn from your mistakes and it helped make you the person you are today. At least you didn't get caught."
"Well, there is one mistake I kinda regret," Kuroi said, smiling. "But you'll discover that way later."
"What is it?"
Kuroi petted her head and walked into a different section. "You'll know one day little one, one day. A mistake I can never rid myself of but you might like it."
"Tell me!" Konata playfully whined, swinging Kuroi's arm as the teacher walked off. "Nope, it's better to see than to hear about it."
"Fine."
The two continued their exploration of the store, finding the music section to be their next port for entertainment. Naturally there was nothing but anime songs, soundtracks and famous voice actors' music. Konata searched through a playlist of songs on a computer screen attached to rather large headphones. She perked her ears up to the tunes from one of her favorite OSTs. "Here, tell me what you think of this," Konata said, packing the headphones onto her teacher's head. Kuroi stood silent, waiting for the music to pick up. Suddenly a snap of thrilling excitement pulsed through her eyes, lighting them up like a match in the dark. She had never, ever heard a song quite like the one playing now. She found it utterly amazing.
"You like it huh?" Konata rhetorically asked. Kuroi took the headphones off and stared at them in her hand. "What is this song?"
"It's from one of my favorite soundtracks. It's usually just called Row Row Fight the Power."
"I want this."
"Let me just check the computer to see if they have any in…oh, whoops. They're all out," Konata said.
"What?! But I love that song."
"You only just heard it, you didn't even finish it. But we can ask the cashier if they might have some hidden around," Konata suggested, walking over to the counter. Kuroi began singing to herself, easily remembering the manly lyrics filled with a rough, unbendable spirit. "Sorry, we're all out," the man said. Kuroi whimpered.
"It's okay, I can lend you my copy," Konata said. "I have three of them anyway."
"Give me one," Kuroi said.
"I guess I could but I usually like to keep three copies for various reasons."
"Fine, but I'll be holding onto it for a long time." Kuroi quickly replied. That was fine with Konata, she was glad that Kuroi could enjoy a part of her interests. She would make sure to try her best to embrace her teacher's loves in life as well. In the mean time a drill on a necklace would have to do. Konata purchased it and wrapped it around Kuroi's neck, having to tippy toe to an extreme extent just to do so. "Thanks Konata, this is really great."
"It's really just a drill on a thick string," Konata blushingly said, finding the gratitude soothingly pleasant. Kuroi warmly smiled and held onto Konata's hand, she really did learn a lot about the girl today and the world she lives in. Her own world wasn't as interesting and diverse as the anime obsessed paradise otaku found themselves in but she liked the simpler things in life anyway. She couldn't wait to see Konata dance with her at one of the clubs she went to with Yui. Kuroi happily began to hum Row Row Fight the Power to herself when she almost choked on her spit at a familiar alarming sight. "Konata!" she called out.
"What's wrong?!"
"Y-y-yui's here!" Kuroi said, pointing the officer out in the short distance. "Crap, we gotta get out of here! Run!"
"Wait, let me lead! I know this city a lot better than you," Konata said, gripping tightly onto the blonde's hand. They began to move quickly through the crowd which caught the officer's attention. She saw what she wanted, a blue blob and blonde bun. Yui couldn't catch their faces but she began the chase. Hiyori tried to follow but her carry bag slowed her down. "I've done all I can sempai…"
"I wonder if she's close," Kuroi said, beginning to look behind her.
"Don't look back! She'll see our faces!" Konata warned, navigating and squeezing past by passers. This presented a dreadfully twisted temptation to the teacher. She wanted to look back to make sure they weren't in danger of being caught but if she did Yui might see them. This entire situation was sending warm shivers through her bones. "We can catch a train at the next station; it leaves in about ten minutes. We're only three blocks away!" Konara explained. Kuroi nodded, trusting Konata's experience and navigational ability. Yui easily slicked past people, only getting caught in clusters a few times. She didn't gain any closer reach to the couple but she was able to keep them in her sight. "Alright, zig zag time!" Konata said, catching Kuroi off guard.
Konata caught a series of openings in the crowds ahead and began drastically taking sharp turns through them, running in a zig zag. "This is so ridiculous!" Kuroi muttered, almost looking back again. They soon saw the station and ran in, buying their tickets and not asking for change. They raced down the steps, hearing pacing footsteps come to a halt behind them. Yui was buying a ticket too. They ran for the train and Yui followed in pursuit. They boarded the train and Konata warned Kuroi not to show her face to the entrance they just came through. After walking sideways a bit-giving Yui more time to get them-they began running through the cars.
Yui was close; she was only a full car away from them. Then the doors began to close, the couple would be trapped on a train with Yui hunting them down like animals. Konata had an idea but it would be risky. "Nanako-chan, follow me," she ordered. The two ran for the closing train doors, it was too late, Kuroi felt a tug at her sleeve. Yui ran to the car they were on but felt her victory slip away from her grasp. They were nowhere to be seen. Kuroi and Konata panted heavily behind one of the train station's pillars. Kuroi managed to get her sleeve caught in the closing doors but pulled it out just in time. They had made it. "Okay, no time for relaxing. We have to board the next train and you have to drop me off home so…" She paused.
Before she thought of continuing her sentence she looked at Kuroi, wondering if she knew where this conversation was heading. Kuroi caught a few more breaths before placing a hand on Konata's shoulder. "It's okay, let's end the date here. You need to go home so she doesn't think anything is suspicious. Text your father to tell him to cover us."
"Got it." Konata said, explaining the situation to her dad through a series of messages. The couple began to head out and look for the original train station they used to arrive. No doubt Yui might just wait for them at the destination she would end up. Once they made it to the station, they bought their tickets and took a heavy seat down, still panting from the chase they barely escaped. "I have to admit," Kuroi started. "That was really exciting and fun."
"Yeah, I can't believe we made it. I guess you really are as young as you feel," Konata said, stealing herself a chuckle. "Hey now, I told you I'm fit," Kuroi countered. "But you were really impressive back there, managing to stay calm and plan so far ahead. Good job."
Redness attacked Konata's face. "Thanks, it really wasn't anything special."
So ended their second date. They arrived at their stop, deciding to part ways there. "Well, I hope you had fun today despite the early end," Konata said.
"Konata, I had more fun than I've ever had. Especially because it was with you," Kuroi said, giving off a heart warming smile and gaze back at the girl. "I learned a lot about you and I hope you could learn a lot from me."
"Heh heh, this is a lot like our first date huh? Ending with all this fluffiness," Konata nervously said, cheeks swelling into apples. Her feet couldn't stop moving about on the floor, her legs began to sway her side to side as she twiddle her fingers behind her back. Kuroi wasn't as obvious with her matching emotions, any shaking converting into heart racing. She began to glow a creamy red as she gazed into Konata's eyes, surprising the teen. "It is a lot like our first date," Kuroi said. "Except this time I didn't let myself get carried away, you just managed to sweeten me up regardless of my defenses and showed me a great time. And I can't recall a better day in my life. So…hold still."
Those words wanted to make her to step back, Konata had a feeling what might occur. She knew she would love it but that didn't settle how nervous it made it her feel. Kuroi stepped closer until her eyes were almost directly above Konata's. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around the petite girl and pulled her in for a locking kiss, feeling blue hair rest against her face. Konata felt like she was being lifted, physically and spiritually. There was something about this kiss that made it phenomenal, and she was wrapping her arms around it right now. Konata was clearly a bit dazed afterwards, carrying an entranced expression on her face. "My first kiss."
"Hope ya liked it," Kuroi said, chuckling. She poked the tip of Konata's nose with hers before letting go. "Let's do this again real soon, okay Konata?"
"Any time you want Nanako."
"Aha! I caught you!" a voice suddenly called out. The two snapped their eyes towards the train, seeing a girl run up to them. "Hiyori!" Konata called out. "You scared me!"
"No time for that, can you two do that again?" Hiyori sharply asked.
"I'm going home now," Kuroi said, heading towards the stairs.
"Wait! I really need some material right now with this whole teenager and adult relationship!" Hiyori pleaded. Konata dropped her palm on her companion's shoulder. "It's alright; I'll tell you all about our date at my house."
The "Oi" Hour
Kuroi: Oi, Konata. When we kissed, did your ahoge move?
Konata: Yep, it moves when I'm excited.
Kuroi: Oi, that ain't right.
Konata: And when you excite me the "right" way, it erects.
Kuroi: Oi, oi, oi!!