Disclaimer: Takaya Natsuki is the rightful owner. I'm merely borrowing her creations for my own diabolical ideals. No, really.
A/N: So far I'm really enjoying myself when writing this story. It helps put me in a good mood whenever I work on it. I believe (crosses fingers) this might be my favorite story out of the bunch of crap I've written. XD
Life's Many Indulgences
Chapter 11: Money, Money, Money
"Did you hear," Minami said, looking from Mio and then to Mai, "Prince Yuki is in a bind. The student council spent too much money and they're now in debt. As the YFC, we should do our part and help raise money. What do you guys say?"
Mio nodded. Mai looked a little worried, but nodded anyway. "We're in!" they chorused.
"But does Motoko know about this?" Mai asked.
"Nope. Really now, Mai, does Motoko have to know about every little thing we do? Do we have to report every little thing to her? Do we need her approval for this as well?"
"Minami," Mio began, eyes growing wide.
"Behind you," Mai finished for her.
"What of . . ." Minami trailed off in her sentence, when she turned around to see none other than Motoko herself.
"And what were you just raving on about?" she asked, hands on either side of her hips. "Did you say that Prince Yuki is in debt? Has my ears deceived me?"
What they should actually be saying is that the student council was in debt, not Yuki.
§YUKI AND THE THREE VICE-PRESIDENTS§
Naohito crossed out the latest idea Kimi came up with.
"Nao, that was a good idea, wasn't it?" Kimi couldn't understand why he would be doing this to her. "Kakeru agrees with me. Right, Kakeru?"
"Yes, Kimi," Kakeru replied. "Your idea was splendid."
"How so?" Naohito asked.
"Care to explain?" Yuki added.
"Is it two on two, because that's how I feel this is becoming to be." Both Yuki and Naohito shrugged - they never did state it as so. "Well, we still need the rest of the student council to look over our ideas. Whatever Yuki says alone isn't going to come into effect until the majority agrees."
"Gee, Kakeru, I really wonder about that." Naohito crossed out yet another outrageous idea that came from Kimi's (insane?) mind. "Kimi," Naohito took the time to look at her directly, "it'd be of great help if you didn't come up with ideas that the school won't allow. Or something we'd be losing money over than making money from."
"Fatty tuna is good, though. Why can't we sell that to students?" Kimi asked.
"We'll be charging too much for it," Yuki answered.
"Why don't we just ask for donations . . . Wouldn't that be easier?" Naohito looked to the other three. Finally, they all nodded, coming into an agreement at last. "All right, let's go ask the others and get this method confirmed once and for all."
XOXOXOXOXOX
"Augh, I can't hear what they're saying!" Motoko hissed, pressing the side of her head closer to the door. "Make sure to keep people away . . ." Minami, Mio, and Mai were yowling like angry cats. ". . . not so loudly, dammit! You're making it harder for me to hear!"
Motoko fell forward when the door swung open. She immediately looked up, mouth agape. Yuki stared down at her, blinking his violet-colored eyes several times. The other three YFC members rushed to their president's side and pulled her to her feet.
"Um, hello," Yuki said.
"Did you hear that? He greeted us, Motoko, this is like a dream come true!" the three Yuki fanatics chorused. Yuki sweat dropped - he never knew a greeting would excite them so much. "Come to your senses and listen close!"
Naohito popped his head out from behind Yuki. "Did you ladies need something?"
"N-no, nothing at all!" Mio vigorously shook her head.
"Then mind moving out of the way, because you're blocking the entrance," Naohito surmised, lightly coughing into one hand. Instead of looking at Naohito, all heads turned to Yuki. "Yuki . . . You say something, too."
"Ah . . . Well, I wouldn't mind getting out of this stuffy classroom if that's what you mean," Yuki answered. Like his words were of that of a God's, Mio, Minami, Mai and Motoko (being towed along by her friends) cleared out of the way, giving Yuki leg room. "Thank you."
"He thanked us!" Minami's body swayed to and fro like jelly pudding.
"So angelic are his words!" Mio had a dreamy look coming to her eyes. "How it echoes through my mind over and over."
§OUT BY SOME CORNER§
"Wow . . . He's really popular, isn't he?" Momiji smiled when Hatsuharu turned to look at him. "What is his name again?"
"Usuda Yuki," Hatsuharu replied.
"Oh, yeah! That's right!"
"You don't say . . ."
"In any case, it'd be cool to talk to him! I saw him on stage during our welcoming party! He didn't have very many lines, but I swore he made an impact on the audience!"
"That's because he did . . ."
"Oh, yeah! That's right!" Momiji stuck out up two fingers to form a v-shape, for the sign of either victory or peace. Which one the blonde was referring to Hatsuharu did not know.
§AT THE STUDENT COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS AKA CLASSROOM§
"Heave-hoo! Ahahahahaha!" Kimi shoved Naohito, which then forced him to collide into Yuki, and lastly, with nothing in front of the student council president, the gray-haired teen went tumbling forward . . . Followed by Naohito. The YFC members' eyes grew wide in astonishment; even the other student council members appeared to be shocked. "Whoa, didn't mean to push so hard. Anyone hurt?"
"You're quite heavy . . . Nao," Yuki murmured, grimacing when the other boy accidentally elbowed him on the side of his back (in his attempt to get up).
"Usuda!" the fanatic girls cried. "Are you all right!" Angry glares were then directed at Naohito.
"Why do I get the feeling that I am going to get pummeled, when it was all Kimi's doing in the first place?"
Naohito would have been pummeled . . .
"Hey, you freaks, what do you think you're all doing?"
"Electric wave surges are flying about, making my power all the more stronger. Shall I test it out?"
"Oh no, it's the Yankee and Electric Wave Girl!" Mai shrieked. "Run for it!"
A trail of dust was all that remained.
"They run fast," Saki mused. "If only I could run fast."
"You probably could if you actually tried running during p.e. class," Arisa told her. "Anyway, it's hard to believe that you aren't able to run, unless you're disabled, then it'd be a whole different story."
"I don't like to sweat." (A/N: Neither do I! Yuck!)
". . . that's your reason?"
"I suppose it should be." A small smile graced Saki's lips.
§OUT BY SOME CORNER§
"She's strong," Momiji began, "more so than her appearance made me think her to be. Amazing."
"What do you mean strong? She looks more psychotic to me."
Momiji laughed. "No, silly! I wasn't talking about Hanajima! I was talking about Toudou!"
"Should have been more clear about who you were talking about in the first place, Momiji."
§BY THE FRONT OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS AKA CLASSROOM§
"Achoo!"
"You okay?" Kakeru placed a palm over Kimi's forehead. "You're not coming down with a cold, are you?" Kimi shook her head. "Good. That's good to hear."
"Anytime now, Nao." Unfortunately, no one seemed to notice that Yuki was still on the ground, Naohito still lying on top of him to boot.
"Oh, sorry, man."
Right when Yuki and Naohito stood up, a blur of black, orange, and blue whizzed by. Seconds later a mob of girls traipsed by, too. Arisa and Saki exchanged glances - they knew what was going to come next.
"Tooru," Saki called out.
"Where did Kyo go?" A certain brown-haired individual came into view of Yuki and the others. "We were just talking a minute ago . . . I turned my head for once moment and when I turned back around he was gone."
All present pointed to the left . . . The blur of colors they saw run by was Kyo . . . So it seems.
XOXOXOXOXOX
"Blasphemy! Did I miss anything? Did Yuki do anything I might have adored but missed out on?"
"Well . . ." Minami's eyes strayed to one direction.
"You did miss him saying hello and thank you . . . I think," Mio finished.
"He said that? I didn't hear a thing! Did any of you record it?" Motoko went from one girl to the next, hoping to see a recorder on them somewhere. "It should be common sense to do so when you're in the YFC!"
The three girls didn't have the time to be recording anything, because they were too busy holding her "the president" up than worrying about what their beloved Yuki was doing or saying . However, there was always a next time, right?
"We had to hold you upright, since you went into a daze."
"Mai, how dare you say that!" Motoko loomed over the dark violet-haired girl. She pointed a jerky finger at the lesser being, making Mai feel awfully puny. Yes, Motoko was known to be intimidating at times. "I, Minagawa Motoko, was so touched by Yuki's radiant brilliance that I was simply put out of commission for a while. It is truly unforgivable that you three ran from the Yankee and Electric Wave girl."
"We thought you said you were out of commission . . .?" the other three chorused.
"Mai, give me the clipboard." On a sacred spot on the wall there was a "Yuki" clipboard (as it was named). Mai went to it and brought it to Motoko. "A plan . . . We need to come up with a plan. You yowlers (referring to earlier . . .) were so loud that I couldn't hear anything Yuki said. I don't know of his plan, so we'll need to come up with a way to make money on our own. Any ideas anyone?"
In YFC fashion Minami raised her hand and waited to be called on. When addressed, she suggested, "how about we sell melon bread during lunch time?"
"Melon bread . . . Hmmm . . ." Motoko looked as if she was in deep thought. Mio raised her hand next. "Mio, what is it?"
"The school already sells melon bread."
"You're forgetting, Mio," the bronze-eyed girl tsked, "that my mom makes the best melon bread in the world."
"Comparing your mom's to the world's sounds pretty far-fetched," Mio stated, but none of the other YFC members paid her any mind.
"Ah, it's all coming back to me. Your mother's melon bread was amazing! After the first bite I found to my sudden surprise that I couldn't stop eating it! I wouldn't mind eating one right now."
"In that case," Minami went to her backpack and pulled out a brown paper bag, "I'd be honored to let you eat one right now." The YFC president's eyes sparkled like diamonds at the sight of the savory, crisp melon bread. She held her hands out for it - Minami handed it to her carefully (almost like it was made of pure gold).
Upon taking the first bite, Motoko relished at the fact that it was 'oh, so tasty' reaction was coming through. "Minami, we must start making these right away. Would your mother mind if we came over today to start preparing?"
"Not at all!"
In class Yuki noticed that Motoko seemed overly driven in her duties this afternoon. After having come face to face with Yuki earlier in the day . . . Perhaps she was struck with inspiration to try harder? Yuki didn't really know.
Naohito, who sits next to Yuki, asks, "what's up with her?"
"I don't know. Maybe she's preparing for some senior thing or another."
"Strange how she ended up in the same class as us," Naohito added. "She is one year older and graduating this year, right?"
"That should be the case," Yuki replied.
Motoko's ears perked up at the sound of Yuki's voice. He was talking about her! Her insides wanted to melt! She didn't notice that she was leaning close to the school prince until the teacher said, "Miss Minagawa, we're in the middle of class. Take that sort of behavior outside please."
"I'm sorry!" The entire class stifled their giggles behind their hands. Yuki and Naohito sweat dropped.
By the time the school bell rang to signal the end of the school day, Motoko stayed seated at her desk. She was staring at her notebook long and hard. Yuki and Naohito noticed her intense posture, but they felt it was not in their place to bother her.
"Since there aren't any club activities today, are going to go home now, Yuki?" Naohito asked.
"Yeah. I told my mother that I'd come home straight after school. She was talking about quality family time together, since my father isn't working today."
"Wow, it's pretty rare for your father to have a day off on a week day." Yuki nodded in agreement. "Well, I better get going. You know how my sisters worry about me."
§YUKI'S FIRST IMPRESSION§
"I'm home!" Naohito called from the foyer.
"He's back!" Sounds of footsteps - Yuki didn't really know what to expect.
"Nao, welcome home!" A rather busty-looking woman launched herself at him, snuggling her face against Naohito's. "I was waiting for you to come home, because you need to mow the lawn. Dad threw his back and said it hurts too much to stand. You're our only hope!"
Yuki felt Naohito's sisters were very edgy - when it came to doing chores, that is. In other words . . . They were lazy so Naohito was left with all the mess hereafter. Not to mention Yuki was being pampered the entire time, while his student council pal was doing this and that.
§IMPRESSION RECALL ENDS§
"I bet . . ." Inwardly, Yuki was hoping Naohito didn't get it too rough today, or any other day as a matter of fact.
XOXOXOXOXOX
Minami poked her head in the classroom, glancing around for Motoko. She spotted her almost instantly. She motioned for Mio and Mai to come closer.
Minami turned to the other two girls and said, "Motoko is just staring at her notebook. I don't know what she's doing that for."
"Maybe she's thinking about something . . ." Mau mused. She decided to get noticed. "Hey, Motoko!"
"Ssssshhhhhh . . .!" The other two girls clamped their hands over Mai's mouth.
"What are you guys doing here?" Motoko was by the classroom door before the other three girls even knew it. "Did I forget about something?"
" . . .um, Minami's house? Melon bread?" Mai asked.
"Oh, yes. Melon bread! I've completely forgotten about that - my mind was too flooded with thoughts of our dearest Yuki. All right, girls, "Motoko turned to go back to her desk, "let's go to Minami's house and get started on the melon bread. We'll need to make a lot for tomorrow."
"You can be serious," Minami groaned. "We can't make enough for all the students."
"I never did say we were going to make enough for the entire school, did I?" Minami shook her head. "We simply need to make some money to help Yuki with his debt and that is all." A school bag went 'click' (indicating it was buckled up) and slung over a girl's shoulder. "Let's go, girls. Melon bread isn't going to make itself, after all. I'm all fired up to do this."
§AT THE CRACK OF DAWN§
"I think we have more than enough . . . I can't see anything other than melon bread in here." Upon Minami saying this, Mai made as if to look around, trying to see if what Minami is saying was true.
"The smell is so intoxicating! Can I eat one?" Mio's hand got slapped when she tried to reach for one. "Owww, Motoko, just one won't hurt!"
"Every bread. Every morsel. And every dollar goes to our Prince. We'll show him our love by helping him with his debt. The YFC shall prevail."
From out of nowhere light shone down on Motoko.
"Speaking of which, help me pack instead of just standing there. My mom would be mad if we leave the kitchen dirty like this."
Chapter 11: END
