CHAPTER 9: Fighter
"Koemi, are you busy?"
"Hm? I'm kind of busy."
"…" Madoka stares at me with a blank face.
I'm sitting upside down on the floor with Nao doing the same beside me as I play a video game.
Madoka intensely stares at me enough to send a feeling of a dark vibe shooting straight into my head.
I pause the game and sit upright. "I am free to be of use to you, your majesty!" I salute to her and Nao meows as he tries to sit upright but he struggles a little as his chubby stomach prevents him from moving correctly.
"I have a lot of papers to review and to write for the agency so I can't go to the supermarket. Can you buy these in my place?" She hands me a grocery list.
"Oh sure, this is a piece of cake. I can handle this."
"Thanks. I'll cook lunch and dinner today as compensation. Can you carry all those back here?"
"Yeah, I can carry these back home. If they're too heavy, I can always take a taxi."
"Okay. Take care on the way to the supermarket and back; make sure you don't stand out too much and don't get into trouble."
"Yes ma'am!"
*meow*
"Yes, yes, I'll get you some food." I rub Nao's chubby tummy.
I get changed and head for the door.
"See ya later, Nao. Watch over Madoka for me."
"I think you have it the other way around." Madoka says while leaning by the wall near the door.
I crouch down to Nao and whisper, "Make sure she doesn't eat my chocolates in the fridge."
*meow*
I pat Nao's head and leave the apartment.
Hmm.
I look at the list that Madoka gave me. The only things that are kind of heavy are the canned goods and frozen meats. I'll probably buy some fruits since we're kind of running out of them at home.
I can buy these stuff a little later. The way to the supermarket is the same way going to Yasuko's house. I'll take a little detour there to say hello; I haven't visited them for a while. They'll definitely be surprised to see me!
I walk down a long straight road that always seemed endless even back in the day. The trees that stand tall on each side of the road are beautiful as ever; they've grown so wonderfully well that their leaves are so green and broad. The neighborhood is so quiet that you feel like no one is around or that perhaps everyone is asleep in their homes. Time always seems to flow slowly here in this neighborhood, giving you the illusion that things could stay the same for a long time but we all know that change is inevitable. The only thing that differs is the rate of change in each person's life. A perfect example is the change in the people that end up surrounding you and staying in your life or how your interests change its shape over time. Change is good but I think not all changes are good. Isn't that right, Yasuko?
Ah, there it is. The house with a green roof and iris flowers planted at the front of the house—Yasuko's house.
I ring the doorbell twice and the door opens.
"Good morning!" I say cheerfully.
"Oh my! Emi-chan!"
"It's been a while, Sumiko-san. How are you and Nobuo-san?"
"Nobuo is at the back, tending the flowers. Come in! Come in! Are you busy? Won't you stay for a while?"
"I have some time to spare today. I can stay a little longer."
I enter the house and the first thing I see is the familiar living room where I used to hang out with Yasuko. Hanging on one wall, I can see the picture we took back in high school during the school festival and another photo was hanging close to it that had both Yasuko's and my family posing for the camera; that was when our families went out of town together during a long weekend. Such great memories capture in framed glossy paper.
Sumiko-san brings over some tea and snacks to the living room and sits down with me.
"Nobuo will join us after a while; he's just finishing up a few more flowers."
"That's okay. I'm pretty sure with all the tender loving care he's putting into the flowers, all of them are blooming very happily."
"That is true. The flowers have multiplied lately and our garden is starting to look like a botanical garden!"
"I'll look at them before I leave."
"I'm sure Nobuo would love to hear your praise. Did you know, the flowers that you and Yasuko planted together are still alive and doing well?"
"Really?! I will definitely take a look at them! I'll take a picture too for keepsake."
"Emi-chan, I know Nobuo and I have said this many times but thank you very much for helping us back then and for looking after us until now. We are truly grateful to you."
"It is nothing! It's my way of paying back your kindness towards me especially when my parents died back then; I'm truly thankful as well that you took time and effort to take care of me."
"You are like our second child, Emi. Yasuko and you are both precious to us."
"The same goes with me. You and Nobuo-san are like my second parents."
"So Emi-chan, how is work nowadays?"
"Tiring but fun. My work load keeps increasing but I'm still able to balance them all thanks to my manager."
"Don't push yourself too hard, okay? Remember to rest from time to time! All work and no play will kill you."
"I will; I won't let myself die easily!"
"That's the spirit! Yasuko would have beat your spirit up if she suddenly met you up there!"
"Ho, ho, why look who's here. Little Emi-chan!"
"Nice to see you all cheerful, Nobuo-san."
"The flowers have been doing very well so I'm very happy about that. I'll show them to you before you leave."
"Okay! Let's all take pictures together too later before I leave."
Sumiko-san and Nobuo-san start to tell me about things that have happened over the past few days. My favorite stories so far is the one about Nobuo-san forgetting to pay for a pack of yogurt in the supermarket and almost getting arrested for it and Sumiko-san's story about a cute dog that has been visiting their home lately. I want to see the dog hehe. I hope it passes by before I leave.
"It's great to know that you two have been doing very well lately but I want to know if they have been visiting again."
"They?"
"You two know what I'm talking about. Have the yakuza been visiting you two lately?"
"Emi-chan, dear, what's with this question all of a sudden?"
"Sumiko-san, we already paid back all the money you and Nobuo-san borrowed from the yakuza in order to pay Yasuko's hospital bills; we paid it all including the interest so that means you two no longer have a debt from them but I know how that group acts. Are they still coming here to get money out from you two?"
Sumiko-san and Nobuo-san look at each other with hints of worry.
"Sumi, I think we should tell Emi-chan."
"But Nobuo—!"
Nobuo-san holds Sumiko-san's hand and looks at me. "Two months ago, one of the members of the yakuza came to our house saying that we still have a balance with them; they said that we didn't pay all of the interest and that there was a mistake in the calculation of the bill. We told them that could not be and that we won't give them a single yen. They peacefully went away and didn't come back for two months so we thought it was nothing but ever since this month started, they've been coming back, taunting us to give them some money."
"Just like before, we tell them that we don't have a balance with them anymore and that we won't give them any money at all. They still left peacefully each time until they started becoming aggressive all of a sudden." Sumiko-san hugs Nobuo-san's arm.
My expression becomes angry. "Have they hurt any of you?"
Nobuo-san pulls up his sleeve and reveals a bluish purple bruise on his arm.
"That looks fresh. When did it happen? When did they last come over?!"
"…Four days ago."
"Why didn't you guys tell me about this?! Why?!"
"We didn't want to bother you or get you into trouble, Emi-chan." Sumiko-san says.
"That's—"
*ding dong*
The doorbell suddenly rings and we all froze. Something just doesn't feel right.
"Nobuo-san, just like back then, do you still remember the drill?"
"Yes, I remember."
Nobuo-san stands up immediately and locks all the doors and windows; he even closes the curtains.
I stand up and observe the surroundings of the house.
"Sumiko-san, the bamboo swords I had back then, are they still kept in the same places as before?"
"The ones here on the first floor are still in the same places as before but the ones in the second floor are different now."
"That's okay. I won't let them get to the second floor."
*ding dong*
The doorbell rings again. I nod at Nobuo-san to let him know that he can answer the door now. As he prepares to open the front door, I hide beside the door.
He opens the door and as we thought, the unwanted visitors came.
"Good morning, old man. How have ya been doin'? The flowers look well." The yakuza says as he picks a petal from the flower outside the front door.
"Look, we've said it many times before, we don't owe you any money anymore."
"Old man, is that how you treat us after coming all the way here? Won't you let us inside and talk about it over some hot coffee or tea?"
Nobuo-san sweats in nervousness. "N-No."
"Eh? What did you say?"
"I said, no. Please leave and have a good day."
Nobuo-san closes the door but the yakuza grabs hold of it before it closes.
"Now listen here, old man!" He pushed the door back open. "Was last time's hit too soft for you to get what kind of situation you and your wife are in?! You need another hit that's more powerful to knock some sense into ya?!"
The yakuza's foot reaches inside the house and the moment Nobuo-san raised his arms to protect himself, I knew that the yakuza thug was about to hit him.
"Damn you, old ma—!"
I suddenly raise my leg and swing it towards the yakuza thug's stomach.
"What the fu—ACK!"
It sends him flying backwards and hits the ground. His fellow thugs surround him, asking if he was okay.
I step out of the house and take out a bamboo sword hidden inside one of the tall flower vases.
"I remember clearly working my ass off back in high school just to make some money to help them pay their debts from you scums and I remember clearly that we paid them all off, including the interest. What are you pieces of crap doing here this time?"
I stand tall and firmly on front of the house, looking down at the thug I sent to the ground.
"You—! What the hell are you doin' back here?!" one of the thugs says in surprise.
"Why'd you come back?! You're supposed to be gone!" the other thug says.
"You guys make it sound like I up and died or something. Sigh." I scratch my head.
The thug that's on the ground recovers and stands up. "You little bitch. Stay out of our business!" He wipes his mouth. "The old couple here owes us money and we're here just doing our job to collect the money."
"Like I said, their slate is clean. They don't owe you creeps anything. I know how your group works; you guys go back to your old clients claiming that there was a miscalculation in the interest computation, making up numbers to make it look like they still owe you something."
"Shuddup!"
"What? It's the truth. I should know because I was already in auntie's group when she kicked your group's butt when you guys were victimizing the people in her neighborhood."
The thug gets annoyed and swings his fist towards me. I evade it easily and yell at Nobuo-san, "Lock the door and get upstairs! Barricade your room and don't go out till I say so! Go!"
Nobuo-san immediately closes the front door and locks it.
I hit back on the thug who was aiming at me with his fist; I swing the bamboo sword down onto his shoulder and as he gets down on one knee in pain, I kick his head from the side causing him to lose consciousness as he hits the ground with his face first.
"She hurt big brother! Get that damn woman's head and make her regret for hurting our big brother and for going against us! Take her down!"
I raise my bamboo sword once more as the thugs start coming at me one after the other.
At first, I couldn't attack them because right after evading one of them, the others come out of nowhere and take a shot at me.
"You stupid kid! Keep your nose out of—ACK!"
"This is bull! There's nothing a girl like you can do against us all—AHHH!"
"ARGH! AH! ACK! S-STO—AHHHH!"
"What's wrong with all of you, idiots?! She's just one stupid girl for god's sake! You're all losing to her like this?!"
One of the thugs who wears a pair of sunglasses approaches him and whispers, "Brother, this chick ain't any ordinary chick. She's the granddaughter of that all-girl gang that beat the crap outta our group years ago."
"Wait, you tellin' me that the kid back then was—?!"
The sunglasses thug nods. "When our group was half beaten and our reinforcements came, the all-girl groups' leader pulled back all of her members and then sent forward a small kid, remember? That's her right now!"
"So she's—!"
"She's the infamous 'One-man Army'!"
"No, shit?! This is bad then! We're in deep shit!"
The thugs continue to come at me one after the other and I continue to strike them down one by one. It's been an hour now and only a few of them are left standing. This will end soon without a doubt. I hope that—
*vroom vroom vroom*
A couple of motorcycles suddenly arrive and as my guts were telling me, they called for reinforcements. There doesn't seem to be too many of them; I think I can still take them on!
I continue to strike at them with my bamboo sword one after the other. I'm fortunate enough to keep my strength up and that I'm able to hit their vital muscle points so that they'd stay down once I hit them; they won't be able to get back up because they're either paralyzed or unconscious.
*CRACK*
Everyone suddenly stops moving after hearing a loud crack.
The thugs begin to smile as they look at each other; their confidence has returned.
"Crap…" I whispered to myself.
What a bad timing for my bamboo sword to break. You gotta be kidding me! Sigh. Alright, calm down Koemi. You just have to get to the other spots around here where the other bamboo swords are hidden.
I quickly run over to a corner of the front yard while evading all the thugs that come after me. Once I reached the tall bush where the sword should be in, I froze for a second after reaching into the bush…there's no sword!
"You've got to be kidding me?! Don't tell me they removed the ones out here?!" I'm in deep trouble!
"Gotcha, you bitch! Happy new year!"
"What?!"
One of the thugs suddenly appears behind me with a metal pipe. He raises the metal pipe in the air, ready for a mighty swing down towards me. I raise my arms and cover my head and face; my eyes shut close as a reflex to the incoming attack.
"Take this, you little shit!"
"ARGH!" I think my right arm got hit badly! Damn it!
I fall backwards to the ground on my back due to the impact. The moment I open my eyes, I see the thug holding the metal pipe up in the air again; he's ready for another heavy swing! He swings down the metal pipe and I quickly roll to my left side. I get on my feet and send a roundhouse kick right to his back.
"AHHHRRRGH!"
As he cries in pain, I twist his right arm and take the metal pipe from him.
"Take this, you sick fucker!" I swing the metal pipe at his legs with all my might and it causes him to fall down to the ground.
He tries to get up but his legs refuse to move for him.
"Serves you right. I hope you won't be able to walk for the rest of your life." I say to him as he looks up at me with fearful eyes. I strike at his legs again and he shouts in pain. "You won't need your legs anymore anyway, right? After all, scum like you belong to the ground."
*BANG*
"They're upstairs! Get those two old farts!" the leader of the thugs shout.
Several of the other thugs start rushing into the house.
Crap! They took down the front door! I'm not gonna let them lay a finger on Sumiko-san and Nobuo-san! I won't let them!
The thug I took down who is uselessly lying on the floor starts to tremble uncontrollably as he sees me growl like an angry wolf as I rush towards the house.
"Those filthy men…are inside Yasuko's house! Grrrrr….!"
I hold the metal pipe sideways and run towards the leader who is standing beside the door.
"GO TO HELL!" I heavily swing towards the left side of his body.
The moment he fell down, I ran into the house and swung at each thug that got in my way.
"Bro, behind you—ACK!"
"What the hell?! She's moving so fast! Where is sh—ARGHHHH!"
"AHHH! Have mercy—ARCK!"
After taking down the thugs near the staircase, I stand on front of the staircase and held my ground.
I point the metal pipe at them and shout, "TAKE ONE STEP CLOSER AND I'LL CRUSH THOSE BONES IN YOUR BODIES TO DUST! C'MON, BITE IF YOU DARE!"
Suddenly, it becomes noisy outside. The thugs inside the house suddenly smile at each other.
"You're done for, kid. The cavalry has arrived!" one of the thugs says.
The thug wearing sunglasses takes a step forward towards me. "The cavalry is around two times bigger than the big group we brought over at first. You won't stand a chance." He smirks.
I swing the metal pipe and hit the wall beside me. That portion of the wall crumbles and a hole grows. A creepy but playful smile appears on my face. With a calm and confident voice, I say, "Come and get me."
"This is suicide." The thug with sunglasses says.
I don't reply as I stay in a protective stance. All they could get outta me is my confident smile.
"Boys, you know what to do with this skunk. Bring her head down to the ground and we'll have some fun with her hahahahaha!"
The thug with sunglasses raises is arm and then points at me. In an instant, all of his men, including the cavalry, charge at me at full force.
I probably will have a few injuries here and there; Madoka is going to lecture me when she sees my injuries. I just have to avoid getting hit on the face, right? I can hide any injuries elsewhere.
They came from everywhere! No matter where I turned or where I looked, a thug would always be there ready to take me down. If I were to slow down by a little or to take one second away to rest, for sure I'd get a hard hit down my head.
"Why won't you stay still, darn woman?!"
"I'd get hit, silly idiot." I say as I dodge his attack and hit him from behind.
"Brothers, she's starting to slow down! Little girl is getting tired hahahaha! We'll get her in no time!"
They start to come at me harder and faster. This isn't good. If I run out of energy, I'm going to lose to them! Auntie is gonna be upset if she finds out I'm losing shape like this. What more if I lost to these losers? Sigh. Well, at least they don't have guns; that would make things harder.
"Big brother! There's a police unit heading this way according to one of our brothers stationed downtown!"
"What?! Grrrrr the old geezers upstairs must have contacted the police!"
The police are coming? I better wrap this up before they arrive. I can't afford to be mentioned in the police report or to appear in the media because of this; I'd get in trouble with not just Madoka but also with the agency!
"ARGHHH!" I attack them harder and faster. They all start to fall one by one. I can clearly see that their numbers are decreasing. Part of it is probably because most of them are already on the floor unconscious but I know that some of them have run away.
The sound of sirens can be heard from a far.
"Crap! The cops are already nearby! What do we do, big brother?"
"Everyone, fall back! We have more to lose stayin' here! Go!"
The thugs start to run out of the house. I chase after them and knock several of them down. I'm not gonna let all of them escape; I'll make sure some of them will get caught!
"TAKE THIS, YOU BASTARDS!"
"Shit! She's still at it! She's taking down our brothers! What do we do, big brother?"
"Grrr. I want to get back at that woman and get our brothers but we don't have time! We must go!"
The thugs decrease in number rapidly and the next thing I knew, they were gone and the neighborhood became quiet once more as if nothing happened. Makes me wonder why the neighbors didn't react or call authorities. What is this? A ghost district? Sigh, sometimes people just forget to help when it's necessary. Sigh.
The sound of the police sirens have become louder; my estimate is that they're somewhere in the main intersection.
I throw the metal pipe to the side of the front lawn; it hits a thug on the head and he groans.
"The hell is wrong with you all?! I was just supposed to go visit the old couple and go to the grocery!"
I make way into the house and up the stairs to the old couple's room.
*knock knock*
"They're gone, you two can come out now! It's safe! I'm sorry but the house is kinda a big mess and I made a hole on the wall! I'll help fix it during the weekend and I'll pay for the damages!"
Sumiko-san and Nobuo-san open their bedroom door and I greet them with a smile.
"E-Emi! You look terrible!" Sumiko-san says at the moment her eyes saw me.
"Really? At least my face is still—"
"Emi!" Sumiko-san and Nobuo-san shout as they catch me before I hit the ground.
"Sumiko-san, Nobuo-san, could you order these thru the phone from the grocery store and have them deliver the stuff to my apartment? I've been out for a long while yet I haven't bought these things; my manager will kill me hehe."
My arm drops and the grocery list slides off my hand and falls to the floor.
"Emi! You have more important things to tend to like your wounds!" Nobuo-san says.
"I know but my manager is scarier than those yakuza thugs. Trust me." I laugh a little.
"Sigh. Nobuo dear, please go and do what Emi asked for. I'll go get the medical kit and tend to her wounds." Sumiko-san picks up the grocery list and gives it to Nobuo-san.
Suddenly, the sound of the police sirens become really loud and the voices of policemen can be heard.
"The police have finally arrived!" Nobuo-san says in sarcasm. "They could have arrived earlier. Hmph."
"Nobuo-san, Sumiko-san, please hide me away. You two know why."
Nobuo-san nods. "Yes, I won't mention anything about you to them. Leave it to me, Emi-chan."
He goes on ahead towards the first floor to attend to the police officers who are probably rounding up the yakuzas at the front lawn and in the first floor of the house. Sumiko-san brings me into their bedroom and lays me on their bed; she takes the medical kit in their cabinet and treats my wounds.
"Emi-chan, thank you for helping us."
"It was nothing , Sumiko-san. It was a piece of cake."
"Hehe. Says the girl who got so many injuries!"
"Ouch! Don't press too hard!"
"Maybe…Nobuo-san and I should move away."
I suddenly sit up. "No way! Ouch!"
"My, my, don't move so suddenly!"
"You two don't have to move away!"
"The two of us no longer have a reason to stay here any longer and if we do stay, we only bring inconvenience to you and other people. I think it is best if we left instead, Emi-chan."
"That's not true! You two aren't a convenience to me at all and things would get even lonelier if I lost the two of you too! I…I don't want you two to leave me all alone! I have no other people left here that I look at as family! Please!" My eyes seem to collect some tears as my vision of Sumiko-san blurs. "Please don't leave me behind too."
"…" Sumiko-san did not say a word.
I put my left arm over my face. "I already lost my parents and Yasuko; I don't want to lose you and Nobuo-san too."
"My, my, don't cry Emi-chan. If we were to move, we could still communicate thru the phone and we'll give you our address so that you can visit us whenever you're free. Emi, it has become hard for me and Nobuo-san to stay here. Whenever we wake up and see this house, we are reminded of not just happy memories but sad ones as well especially when we see Yasuko's room and the flowers in the garden. It's also hard to see you suffer because of me and Nobuo-san; you're always helping us even when you are busy and even when it's the yakuza that you're up against. Moving would bring peace of mind to both me and Nobuo-san and to you as well."
"Sumiko-san…"
"Hush now, don't cry. The police officers might hear you and that would be quite troublesome, yes?"
"Yeah…life is so troublesome." I whisper to myself.
The police leave after talking to Nobuo-san and rounding up all of the yakuza thugs; they didn't bother going upstairs since the thugs never got up to it. Nobuo-san also orders the stuff on Madoka's grocery list and told me that the goods will arrive at my apartment after fifteen minutes. All that's left is to think up an excuse for returning late; it's not easy to fool her.
"Emi-chan, take care on your way back." Nobuo-san says.
"Thank you again for today. Take care, Emi-chan." Sumiko-san then comes closer to me and says, "Dear, it is better to cry if it hurts. For as long as we've known you, you always hold your tears away because you believe that crying is not for the strong but if you were to ask me, even the strong may cry at times for they are human too who can feel. Humans are like a balloon; if it gets filled with too much air, it will burst into pieces."
I smile bitterly at Sumiko-san. "You and your wise words."
I say goodbye to them both and went on my way back home. After walking quite far from their house, I stop and look back at them. From where I stood, the sight before me looked like a painting—it was beautiful but somehow it had the feeling of sadness lingering in it, a sadness that was bittersweet to taste.
I turn around and continue to walk away.
"Perhaps, it would be better if they did move away from here. This place holds old and fresh memories of Yasuko and perhaps it is in a way hurting them deep inside. If they moved away, they would also be able to escape the grasp of the yakuza that's targeting them. They have nothing to lose and only have benefits to gain from moving away…I have no right to ask them to stay. It's only selfish of me for wanting them to remain."
Once again, I stop on my feet.
Urgh. My wounds actually kind of hurt; I should have been more careful. Man, I feel so awful *hic* I think I should *hic* go get some ice cream; that always helps me *hic* cheer up when I feel bad.
A cool breeze blows by as if caressing my back in order to comfort me.
But the wind could not stop the rain in my eyes from pouring as the road back home seems to have gotten longer.
*ding dong*
The door opens and a familiar frowning woman greets me.
"I'm home, Madoka—"
"Don't 'I'm home' me! Where have you been?!"
"Uh. I took some detours and I ended up taking longer than I thought and then I went to get some ice cream."
"Sigh. Unbelievable. I just sent you to buy some groceries and then you come home late. You even ended up calling for home grocery service!"
"Hehehe."
"Sigh. Just get inside already."
"Thank you, master!" I say playfully.
*meow*
"Hi Nao—WHA! I FORGOT YOUR FOOD! I'M SO SORRY!"
Nao's ears then flop down and he walks away from me.
"Nao! I'm really sorry! Don't be upset! Nao!"
*meow…*
He meows sadly as he walks slowly back to the living room. He suddenly stops by the living room door and looks back at me with a sad expression before he completely disappears into the living room like a scene from a drama on television.
"No! Naooooo!"
"Hold it right there!"
"Urk!"
Madoka grabs me from behind by the collar. I do my best to struggle for my freedom but as usual, it's useless. Makes me wonder how I can handle yakuza but not Madoka.
"Where were you all this time?"
"I visited some friends."
"And which friends are those?" She crosses her arms.
"Hmm…Old friends." Well, they're literally old and I've known them for a really long time so I'm technically not lying.
"And?"
"I spent time with them."
She scratches her head angrily. "Are you going to keep dodging my questions?"
"But but but, I'm not lying!" I start struggling again to get myself free from her grip but it's really useless. "Nao, help me!"
A faint meow can be heard from the living room.
Huhu. I have been abandoned by my cat…
"Now listen here, spill the beans before I lose my temper completely!" She puts her arms around my chest area and then she pulls me backwards so I start bending backwards like her. "Where were you all day?!"
"Wha! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!"
"Eh? What on earth is this?!"
"Wait!"
Madoka grabs hold of my shirt and pulls it up from behind. Upon seeing my bandages and injuries, her face becomes a mix of shock and anger.
"What on earth is this?! Did you get mugged or did someone attack you?! Tell me what happened while you were out, Nakahara Koemi!" She's is furious, dead furious.
"It's not as serious as it looks! I—" The look in her eyes makes me pause for a moment as if to reflect on my intent to lie to her. "I..I, uhm, I saw a couple being harassed by some bad guys and so I helped them but, uh, things didn't go so peacefully so, uh, I got into a fight with them."
She takes her cell phone out of her pocket and dials a number.
"Who are you calling, Madoka?"
"Go get changed into better clothes and bring an extra set. Once the ambulance arrives, get in and I'll follow with my car."
"Ambulance?! Isn't that too much?"
"I don't think so. Look at those injuries! What if you have a fracture within or internal damage?! You're getting checked whether you like it or not!"
I groan as she pushes a part of my back.
I change into new clothes inside my work room. As I fix my appearance, I distract myself with thinking so that I can ignore the pain all over my body.
This totally sucks; just putting on a shirt is a pain so what more when I change my pants damn it. Putting on a pair of socks are gonna hurt too since I have to bend! I'm going to ask Madoka to put them on me! Hmm, she does have a point about getting checked. Having a broken bone or two isn't going to be good not just for my health but for my work too; I was hit with a metal bat after all so I'm kind of curious if my right arm and shoulder is really okay. I'll just tell the doctor to shut his mouth about some of the details when he gives a report to Madoka. She's gonna put me on house arrest or something like that if she finds out about the yakuza thing and one other detail I haven't told anyone in years. I should give auntie a call later after the examination. Gotta say hi and tell her what happened; she's gonna freak for sure.
"Koemi, the ambulance is already here. Go get down and board it now."
"Yes, ma'am!"
*meow*
I turn around before closing the entrance door and shout to Madoka since she's still in her room changing clothes and preparing things to bring. "Hey, are you gonna bring Nao?"
"It's a hospital. Why would I bring a cat to a hospital?"
"I'll escape from the hospital if you're not gonna bring him."
"Fine! I'll bring him somehow! Just go already!"
"Okay!"
*meoooow*
"Nakahara-san…"
"Yes, doctor?" I ask enthusiastically.
"…" He looks at me with a troubled expression.
"What is it, doc?"
"…Tell me again what happened to you."
"Like I said, I was visiting an old couple I'm friends with and then there were some yakuza who came and then they were tryin' to get money from the old couple and so I helped them out by beating the crap out of the yakuza thugs but the fight wasn't as smooth as I'd thought it'd be and it got more difficult when their reinforcements came and so I had to keep fighting or else they're gonna get to the old couple upstairs. When they heard the cops comin', they ran away but the cops were kinda late since I already got to take down a lot of the thugs before they ran away."
"…and you didn't get checked right after because?"
"Well, you already know that I'm currently a famous idol right? I can't let the agency know that I got involved with yakuza and did some fightin'. Even my manager doesn't know the real story of what happened so don't tell her, okay doc?"
The doctor takes his glasses off and puts his hand over his face. "You are just…"
"Incredible?" I say happily.
"Uh, you could say that with a different connotation. Anyway, you're lucky that you don't have any fractures or any internal bleeding. You have a lot of bruises and some cuts; they'll heal over time perhaps around a week or so. I'll prescribe you some pain killers since your whole body is quite swollen from the hits you took and you won't stop saying ouch every time I ask you to move."
"Thanks a lot, doc."
"But don't get involved in things like that again, okay?! It's dangerous! What if you get killed?! We're talking about the yakuza here!"
"Yes, yes, yes, I know doc. I know."
The doctor sighs at my easy going behaviour.
"Here's your prescription for the pain killers and some ointments you should use to help with the healing process and to ease more of the pain. You can buy them in this hospital's pharmacy on the first floor; if you experience any complications or if you have any questions, my contact details and clinic hours are over here at the bottom of the prescription paper."
"Okay."
"I'll have a word with your manager. I won't tell her the actual events that took place as promised; I will tell her a different story but it will be consistent with what you told me to say and with the details of your injuries. I will also explain to her how to treat your injuries at home."
"Please tell her to be gentle. She's gonna kill me."
The doctor chuckles.
"While I talk to your manager, the nurse will apply ointment on your injuries and bruises and redo the bandages."
"Okay."
The nurse then directs me to where she'll be treating me.
The door opens and Madoka enters the doctor's consultation room.
"You called me, sir?"
"…Why do you have a cat with you, Rukawa-san?"
"It's Nakahara's cat; she asked me to bring it with me."
"Ah, okay. It's quite cute. How did you bring it into the hospital? Pets aren't allowed."
*meow*
"Quiet, Nao! We'll get in trouble if you won't stay quiet. Doctor, I just pulled some strings. They allowed me to bring in the cat as long as I have it with me at all times and it doesn't make noise."
"Rukawa-san, Nakahara-san is not in any critical condition nor does she have any serious injuries. Her body is covered with multiple bruises and injuries which are individually painful and that is why she has difficulty in moving."
"What were the causes of her bruises and injuries?"
"They seem to have been caused by blows from blunt objects."
"Such as?"
"The assailants may have caused
"The examination results are consistent with the story of events that Nakahara-san has told us."
"Understood. I'm relieved that she's technically alright. Thank you for your hard work and time, doctor."
"The pleasure is mine. I've given the prescription for painkillers and ointments to her. These are the ointments I've prescribed to her. Please apply these two daily before putting the bandages on her while this one over here is to relieve stronger aches and pain so only apply this one when needed. When you two get home, please apply a cold compress to help reduce the swelling and pain. Here, I wrote the instructions I've just said in case you would forget." He hands over a sheet of paper to Madoka.
"Thank you again, doctor. In Nakahara's current condition, is she fit to work?"
"If it's just singing, she's definitely okay for that but if her work will involve moving around such as performing with an instrument or with choreography, she can do it however she may be uncomfortable or experience some pain and that goes the same with carrying items that may be a little heavy; I'd recommend minimal movements until her bruises and wounds heal."
"I'll remember that."
*meow*
"Take care on the way home and have a good night."
"Same to you, doctor."
Madoka leaves the doctor's office and heads towards the lobby.
"Madoka! I'm over here!"
"How are your wounds?"
"They feel better especially after the nurse applied the ointments!"
Koemi is about to get Nao from Madoka's arms but Madoka takes a step backward.
"Eh?"
"You can't carry Nao, Koemi. The doctor said that it's better to not strain your body so you're not allowed to move around too much or carry anything heavy."
"But! Nao isn't heavy!"
"Yes he is. Have you not noticed how he's gotten fat?"
"…Now that you mentioned it."
Nao squints hi eyes and then looks away. I guess he didn't like being called fat…even though he kinda is.
"You're gonna be in a diet from now on until you slim down." I say as I poke his nose.
"Let's go home now. The car is parked at the front."
"Okay. Wait a minute, am I allowed to work?"
"You are as long as you don't strain yourself and carry anything heavy."
"That's good. That means I can still continue working on my album! It would have sucked if I had to take a break from it especially since it's almost done!"
"That's true but it would also be a problem because Saotome just gave you a new project last night."
"I got a project from the president? What's it gonna be like?"
"He was impressed by your CD sales and your increasing popularity so he decided to give you a collab project with a fellow Shining Agency artist."
"That's cool. Who am I gonna be working with? I'm getting excited!"
"You'll find out soon; the announcement of the collaboration is going to be two days from now. The announcement will be done at Shiba Park Hotel. There's no interview or whatsoever as it will really just be a formal announcement of the collaboration and then a meeting with the producers and staff; Saotome himself will be there too. We can talk about the project's details tomorrow so that you'd know what to say in the event. For tonight, just rest and concentrate on feeling better."
"Okay."
*meow*
I pat Nao's head as Madoka drives us home safely. My butt is itchy at the moment but…that's gonna hurt to reach…