Chapter 10 – The Swimsuit Cliché
After taking a shower at home (using the lavender-scented soaps I bought for some reason), I met up with the other girls at the shopping district. Of course, they were curious on why I took so long to answer my phone. So I had no choice but to tell them what Doc told me.
And they were just as shocked.
"Y-You know what your curse is?!" They all shouted.
"Yeah. I do. From what I was told, it's called the Violet Soul Curse. And apparently, the cause is a supernatural amethyst crystal that's inside my body."
"The hell? An amethyst crystal is to blame?" Chinastu asked.
"Don't those usually relax you?" Himawari asked.
"Yeah, well not this one."
"So let me get this straight. You mean to tell us that an amethyst crystal is the reason why you have glowing purple marks all over your body AND you can breathe fire?" Rukia asked.
"Yep. Pretty much."
…
…
"What kind of sick motherfucker does this to a child?"
"Rukia!" Kyouko and Tsu yelled.
"What? I'm just asking.
"No, guys. She's right. My parents are in fact…well, that. The fact that they can do this to their only child just because I'm autistic makes that label all the more fitting. Especially since there's no known cure."
"There's no cure?" Yui asked.
"No. Before me, one other person has had the Violet Soul Curse. And that person died of natural causes. So this curse isn't life-threatening."
"*phew* Well, that's a relief. Isn't it?" Chitose asked.
"Yeah, I guess. But I still have to live with this Violet Soul Curse for the rest of my life."
"Ayano, don't worry about it." Kyouko said as she grabbed my hand in comfort. "We're all here to help you get through this. Right, everyone?"
"Kyouko's right." Yui said. "You already got this far. We'll all help you go further."
And everyone else nodded in agreement.
"*sigh* Thanks, girls. That really means a lot." I said with a smile.
I should probably tell them that I got a new power with this curse. But…
…
…I kinda like shocking the hell out of them. It's pretty funny.
"So, are we ready to go?" Akari asked.
"Wait, hold on. We're waiting on one more person." Kyouko said.
"We are?" We all asked.
"Who's this other person?" Yui asked.
"Hey! Kyouko!"
We all looked at the entrance of the shopping district and saw a girl with light-pink hair with a pony tail in the back and a small ahoge on top. Her current outfit proves that she didn't care at all for fashion. Only wearing a simple white t-shirt, light-grey shorts, and a pair of white flip-flops that looked a little worn out.
Damn. She looks like a homeless person. How does Kyouko know this girl?
"Hey, girl! You made it!" Kyouko cheered.
"S-Sorry I'm late. I had a few…breaks along the way." The girl said.
Breaks? What's that supposed to mean?
"I understand. Well, now you get to meet the friends I was telling you about."
"Oh. So these are…pfft y-your…*chuckle* *giggle* fr-friends, huh? *giggle* *giggle* Baaahahahaha!"
"Sh-She's…laughing?" Tsu asked.
"I-Is she laughing at me because of my eye?" Akari looked like she was about to cry.
"You dare laugh at the refined and elegant Volleyball Queen Rukia-sama?! You must really want an ass kicking, do you?!" Rukia yelled as she rolled up her jacket sleeve.
"Rukia, calm down." I said to her.
"Guys, no. She actually does this a lot." Kyouko said.
"Huh?" We were all confused.
"S-Sorry, everyone. I-It's just…*chuckle* Baaahahahaha!" The girl tried to explain herself. But then went back to laughing.
"Kyouko, who is this girl?" Chinastu asked.
"Her name is Cheo Izomi. I met her a while back when I was depressed about my scar."
"I see…"
"Why is she constantly laughing, though?" Chizuru asked.
"Because she has a rare medical condition called Pseudobulbar Affect."
"Pseudo…what now?" Chitose asked.
"Ugh. Big word. It hurts." Sakurako whined as she held her head in "pain".
"And this is why you're failing…" Himawari said to her.
"Hey!"
"Hah…Hah…okay. I should be good for now." The girl now known as Cheo said as she stood up from the floor.
"For now? You mean you're going to laugh again?" Yui asked.
"It isn't something I can really control."
"I don't get it." Sakurako said.
"Yeah, me neither." Tsu added.
"Pseudobulbar Affect is a rare medical condition characterized by episodes of sudden uncontrollable and inappropriate laughing or crying."
"Such a thing exists?" Himawari asked.
"Yeah. And I've had it for most of my life. It's caused by a lot of things, really. But mine was caused by getting a brain tumor at the age of 2."
"A brain tumor at that young of an age?" Rukia asked. "Damn, now I feel sorry for almost kicking your ass."
"Uh…thanks." Cheo said with a sweatdrop.
"So, Kyouko. Is Cheo…" I asked.
"Oh, yeah. Cheo's coming with us on the trip. Hope you guys don't mind."
Everyone agreed to it. And were even happy to meet Cheo (once they got over her medical condition).
But for me…I was a bit unsure. It was already bad enough that I had to Tsu and Rukia about my curse. Now I gotta explain it to a complete stranger again. I'm trying to keep this on the down low. And if too many people know about this, I'm pretty damn sure it will go public.
And God knows what would happen if THAT became a reality.
*sigh* Just when I thought things were getting easier…
"Ayano!"
"H-Huh?"
"You okay? You were spacing out just now." Kyouko asked me.
"What? O-Oh, yeah. I'm fine, guys. Nothing to worry."
"Huh. Okay, then. Everyone ready to go?"
"Yep!" Sakurako yelled. "I can't wait to see…cr-crap." She then started to blush.
"What now?" Himawari asked.
Sakurako didn't answer and instead turned to face Kyouko.
"H-Hey. K-Kyouko." She signaled her to come to her.
The two then huddled up and Sakurako whispered into Kyouko's ear something that we couldn't hear. Soon after, Kyouko started to blush. And then the two turned to face Akari. Then looked away almost immediately.
"What?" Akari asked.
"Akari…I think they just realized that they're going to see you in a swimsuit." Chinastu explained.
"Huh? Why would they…oh, yeah." Akari then remembered why the two blondes were acting weird. And soon I did, too.
"Psst. Hey, Ayano. What's going on?" Tsu whispered to me.
"Kyouko and Sakurako are both in love with Akari. And are currently trying to get rid of those feelings."
"Oh. I see now."
"*sigh* Damnit, Cousin. You still haven't gotten over it?" Rukia whispered.
"She told you?" I asked.
"Well, not exactly "told" me. It was more like I forced it out of her. And don't give me any negative judgment. I wanted to know why she tried to commit suicide. And I didn't think that was one of many reasons."
"I see."
"You're a surprisingly good cousin, Rukia." Tsu added.
"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?!"
"L-Let's just go and do it already." Kyouko said as she walked off without us.
"Y-Yeah. Th-The sooner the better." Sakurako said as she followed her.
"Hey, Akari." Chitose said. "I'll give you ¥1000 if you pick out a revealing swimsuit."
*SMACK*
"Ouchie…"
"Shut up, Sis." Chizuru said after smacking her twin in the head.
"*whine* Chizuru! Let me have my fun!"
"¥1000, huh?" Akari asked as she placed her hand on her chin.
"Akari, please don't think about it." Yui and Chinastu (& Rise, I'm pretty sure) said to her.
This whole swimsuit scene…do I really have to describe it? I mean…this chapter is called "The Swimsuit Cliché" for a reason. Do you know how many times anime nowadays have one episode dedicated to girls trying on swimsuits?
…
…
I'll answer that for you. A lot. It's a lot.
And not to mention that it's embarrassing. Having the camera do a close-up on your breasts, stomach, waist, and butt. Just to have a bunch of perverts look at you while thinking dirty thoughts. And then eventually turning those dirty thoughts into Rated-M stories on Fanfiction. Detailing every last freaking moment of us having sex with each other. It's creepy and an invasion of privacy!
…
…
A-Although…some of them are pretty good. L-Like REALLY good.
…
Th-That's all I'm going to say. Q-Quit looking at me like that!
"Hey, Ayano."
"Huh? O-Oh, you're Kyouko's friend. Uh…Cheo, was it?"
"Yeah, that's it. Just a quick question."
"What is it?"
"Who the hell are you talking to?"
…
…
You see? This was exactly what I was talking about back in Chapter 8.
"Well…you see there's this story going on and it's in my POV…"
"Oh. I get it now. I completely understand."
"W-Wait, you do? How?
"Before first appearing in Kyouko's story, I was going to have a POV of my own. But it got scrapped."
"I see. That must've sucked."
"Yeah *snicker*. I-It really *giggle* did. *giggle* Baaahahahaha!" Cheo then fell to the floor as she had another one of her random fits of laughter. People around us were staring at us in a really negative way. So I grabbed Cheo by the arm and took her to a part of the store where people wouldn't think we're judging them.
Although, if you ask me, some of these women should not be in a bikini.
"Geez, girl. You're gonna get us kicked out." I said.
"I'm *giggle* sorry *chuckle*. Th-This medical…*giggle* *giggle* *giggle* Baaahahahaha!" Cheo then fell down again. Luckily, she fell on top of a bench that was behind us. And I was able to sit down while I wait for her to stop laughing.
"*pant* *pant* O-Okay. I should be good now." She said as she sat up from the bench.
"You sure you don't need any water?" I asked out of concern.
"I'm good, really. I just need to rest a bit. Especially in my sides."
"Well…okay." I was still unsure about this. But if she says it's fine, then I have to just go with it. Hopefully.
"So, Ayano. I've heard about this curse of yours. Is it really true?"
"Tch!" I panicked. "K-Kyouko told you, huh?"
"Yeah. She did. She explained it to me the day before Christmas."
"Wait, the day before Christmas? So were you…"
"Yeah. I was supposed to come to your Christmas party that night. But I was out of town."
"I see." I said with a sigh. "Well, yes. It's true that I have a curse. Which today, I found out that it's called the Violet Soul Curse."
"Violet Soul?" Cheo asked.
Then she said something that I would NEVER expect to hear. From anyone, really.
"You mean the curse with the amethyst crystal inside your body?"
"Wh-What?!" I yelled.
"I mean, the purple markings on your body made me think that it may be it. But I wasn't too sure, either. Glad to know that I was right all along."
"Ch-Cheo! H-How do you know about the Violet Soul Curse?!"
"Well, I *giggle* oh no. *giggle* *chuckle* Baaahahahaha! Kyahahahaha! " Cheo had broke down laughing again just as she was about to explain.
This girl…
"Come on, Cheo! Quit laughing already!" I yelled again as I shook Cheo's body.
"Ha…Ha…*phew* I think I'm good now. What were we talking about?"
"How you know about the Violet Soul Curse."
"Oh, yeah. That." Then for some reason, Cheo quickly grew a sad expression on her face. And even though I had just met her a couple of hours ago, it was still a surprise to see.
"Well…I'm sure you were told about how there was one other person who had the curse, right?"
"Yeah, I was. I was told that person died of natural causes without even knowing that they had it."
"That's…partially true. But the identity of the person was kept secret by the government. Just so people wouldn't fear this curse coming to them."
Cheo then went silent for a bit. And I even noticed her starting to cry a little.
"That person. Who died with the Violet Soul Curse and never knew of its existence…is my older brother."
This confession had really taken me for a shock. I didn't think I would ever know the person who had the curse before me. Or at least, a relative of that person.
"Wh-What? Y-Your older brother?"
"My older brother, Ryo Izomi, was the first person ever documented to have the Violet Soul Curse. Although, at the time, no one knew what it was.
It started a couple years ago. As in when I was 2 and had that brain tumor. Which began my life with Pseudobulbar Affect. *giggle*"
"Please don't laugh again. I really want to hear this." I said.
"I-I got it this time. I think I *chuckle* can handle it."
You think?
"A-Anyway…after the tumor, my bro got really angry. Believing that my tumor and my Pseudobulbar Affect was done on purpose by crooked doctors."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Although, no one would believe him. Or take him seriously, for that matter. Which only got him angrier.
He soon became angry most of the time. And he gained the weird purple markings on his body soon after. My parents believed he had a rash. So they took him to a doctor."
…
…
"W-Well…tried to."
"Tried to?"
"Due to his hatred for doctors for what happened to me, he had put up a fight. A big one. So bad, in fact, that he…*sniff* th-that he…*sniff* he…he…"
"Ch-Cheo, wait! I-If you're having trouble saying it, please don't force yourself. I already know its name. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"
"*sniff* S-So you're okay with it? Living with the curse, I mean."
"Well, to be honest…no. I hate this curse with all my life. It's caused so much pain in my life. I get easily angry when I think of certain things. And I'm starting to get weird-ass powers because of it."
"I-I see…"
"But…at the same time, I'm slowly getting used to living life with a curse. I've got so many people that are helping me get through day-by-day. And it's a good thing that I won't die because of it, either. So even though that every day of my natural born life is a struggle, I'm doing just fine with it."
"I…I understand now. Thanks, Ayano. You've made me realized that…well, never mind. What I was about to say would've made this whole chapter sound cheesy as hell."
"Please. I can assure you that there are other parts of this story that are cheesy as hell. And they were intentional."
"Kyahahahaha! Yeah, I can see that happening! Baaahahahaha!"
It was good to see Cheo back to her normal random laughing self again. Seeing her sad due to her remembering a traumatic part of her past wasn't something I was just going to wing it just because I want to know more about this damn curse.
And besides, whatever happened to her brother or what exactly he did…I think I already have a good idea.
Mainly because I feared myself doing it.
"S-So, Ayano. What were *giggle* those powers *chuckle* that you were talking about? Kyahahahaha!" Cheo asked.
…
…
I think.
"Well…I'm been able to breathe blue fire for a while now. And just this morning, I've gotten this new one. Apparently, I can form a purple ball of dark hot energy from my hands. And then shoot it at something."
"A purple ball of dark hot energy…wait, you mean Violaceous Sphere?"
"That's the official name? S-So I didn't just make it up. that name sound way too random for it to be made up."
"Yeah. The name is ridiculously long. Though I've read that there are two similar curses that have that power. One based on rubies and one based on sapphires. Also with long names. So someone decided to just shorten it to "Hydrangea". And the name has stuck since."
"Hydrangea?"
…
"You know, now that I think about it…that is shorter. And it sounds really cool, too."
"Right?"
"But…will it still work when I used that word? I wonder…"
"I-It's best not to try it out now. Y-You now…because of where we are."
"O-Oh, yeah. Right."
"Oh. There you two are." Tsu said as she and Rukia walked up to us.
"Hey, you guys. You done picking out swimsuits?" I asked.
"Well, I had no reason to get one. I already have one at home."
"Same with me." Rukia added.
"And the others?" Cheo asked.
Tsu and Rukia looked at each other with looks of uneasiness.
"W…Well…" They both said.
"*shriek*"
"What was that?!" I asked.
We then rushed over back to the store to see something I wish I could forget.
Because it really pissed me off.
"H-Hey! Kyouko! Sakurako! Wake up! It's not that big of a deal!" Yui was shouting at the pair of blonde-haired girls. Who had passed out due to massive nose bleeds (AKA, the Chitose way)…
"Whoa! Holy crap! ¥1000 is in my hands right now! The endless possibilities of what I can do with it! *creepy giggle*"
…because of Akari wearing a very revealing red & white bikini. And when I say "revealing", it just reveals her curves and such. Although, her breasts are surprisingly big. Like as big as Yui's.
Did the school swimsuit hide them THAT well?
"You're very welcome for the money, Akari." Chitose said. "It's a thank you for making my fantasy come true. *giggle*"
"Seriously, Chitose. What the hell is wrong with you?" Chinastu asked.
"I ask myself that every single damn day." Chizuru added.
So do I, Chizuru. So do I.
"*sigh* Goddamnit." I said to myself as I facepalmed my head.
"Hey, if we quietly walk away from this, can we pretend that we don't know them?" Cheo asked.
"It works in anime. So, why not?" Rukia said.
"I'm willing to give it a shot." Tsu said.
"Yeah, me too." I added.
And so, the four of us walked away from the store entrance. Currently annoyed, embarrassed, and just flat out done with our friends and their antics.
This is my normal life. Somehow.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So Akari's rich, Kyouko and Sakurako are passed out, Chitose's horny, and Ayano's just done with it all.
…
Yep. Seems normal to me.
So the story's back again. But not for long. As the next chapter is the final chapter. And it takes place on New Year's Eve. May take a while for it to be uploaded. I want it to be a good ending, you know.
Thanks for reading. Later.