Parallel: Martial Arts Club
(after the events of "No Business Like Snow Business")
Martial Arts Club, Image #2
Kazuha still found it hard to believe that Heiji had actually confessed to her over the break. Whenever she thought about it, her heart would start to beat faster, her breath would come faster, her mind would go blank and Ran or Aoko would ask her if she was feeling okay.
At least she had this club activity, where she could forget about everything else and focus on the next position in the Tai Chi form she was learning. Each month, the girls would pick a new style and explore it, while still keeping up with the others they had learned. Kazuha found Tai Chi very relaxing and calming, especially when Makoto-sempai play soothing music during the practice. The movements felt like water, each easily flowing into the next.
They all stood in front of a mirror, performing the Cloud Hands, when Makoto suddenly stopped. "No, Sonoko, your hands face the other way." Sonoko stopped too and tried to adjust them.
"Like this?" she asked, looking at herself in the mirror.
"No," he reached for her hands and placed them the proper way. "More like this. And don't move your leg until you've shifted all of your weight. Like this," He carefully guided her through the motion.
Kazuha, Ran and Aoko were all watching. Their hands were clasped and they were smiling like girls who knew a secret. All three of them were thinking, 'Aww, that's so cute. I wish [Shinichi/Heiji/Kaito] would do that for me.' Sonoko and Makoto, after a minute, abruptly became aware of the attention and froze, then broke apart, blushing.
"S-sorry, Sonoko," Makoto mumbled.
"That's alright," she whispered back. "I don't mind." She didn't like being the center of attention like this, so she quickly came up with a plan to move the concentration in the room. She decided that they had done enough actual club activity for the day.
Ms. Starling came through the door at that time. "Oh, hi everyone!" she cried enthusiastically. "Is everything going okay?"
"Hi Ms. Starling," Aoko said. "We're fine. Though I think we're just about done for today,"
"Hmm, really?" their sponsor cooed. "Well, if that's what you guy-and-gals want, then that's cool with me. I was just coming in here to—ooh! Yes, it's something really interesting!" She sat down onto the smooth polished wooden floor and the club followed her action. "I heard something really cool from Ms. Kisaki today!"
"What?" Ran asked.
"Sometime, either next month or the month after, we're going to have a school dance!" The girls' faces lit up with excitement. "It might be after the school arts festival, but it's still being determined. But doesn't that sound like a fun idea?"
"A casual dance or—" Kazuha began, waiting for Ms. Starling to answer.
"No, no, it's a formal dance! That means dresses for the lovely ladies and suits for the handsome guys! And our charming principal says she might not limit it to just students."
"Teachers can come too?" Makoto said.
"Maybe; the idea's still in development. But I think it'll be a lot of fun, right? Well, that's all I can really stay for. I have another thing to get to. Bye-bye!"
The Martial Arts Club members arose as their teacher left. Once she was out the door, Sonoko turned to the other girls with a grin on her face. "So, who would you want to go to the dance with? I know Ran would probably be a lovey-dovey couple with Shinichi Kuroba, but what about you two?"
"What do you mean, we're a couple?" Ran interjected.
"I know you like him. He likes you too, or was that thing at the party just my imagination?" Sonoko was pleased when Ran didn't fight back. "Oh, Kazuha, do you think Heiji can dance?"
Kazuha turned bright red. "W-w-what are you t-talking about? I wouldn't r-really want to go to a d-dance with him. I mean, he's nice and all, but he's still an idiot. I like him, but I'd be embarrassed to be seen at a dance with him."
Sonoko smirked. "Oh, really? Well, I guess we'll see when you come to the dance, then." Kazuha stared at the floor, biting at her lip. Sonoko turned her attack onto Aoko now.
"What about you Aoko? Do you have a special someone? A significant other?"
Aoko immediately thought of Kaito, but she would never admit it. She knew he would probably have a hard time taking her seriously enough to ask her out to a dance. "Not really," she murmured. But before the older girl could protest, she added. "And I suppose you and Kyogoku-sempai are together too? You're the biggest lovebirds in the school."
Sonoko knew there were two ways of answering this type of question and she had known such retaliation was inevitable, especially considering their actions before Ms. Starling came into the room. She could try to brush it away, or face it head-on. "That's right! I do hope that Makoto will ask me to the dance, so we can totally outshine everyone else there! We are the hottest couple in the school, and I for one am quite proud of it!" She knew that Makoto was probably looking away with a cute embarrassed face, but that was why she took all of the attention around in these situations. She knew he was a relatively shy person, and she knew it made him feel better when she drew the attention away from him. This wasn't the first time it had happened.
Sonoko laughed triumphantly at her confidence, and the other girls chuckled too.
"What I really want to see," Kazuha said, "Is the teacher couples. I really want to see who they all go with. I want to know if Mr. Akai has someone he likes, and also Ms. Kobayashi's boyfriend, and even if Ms. Starling really does like Mr. Camel."
"Hmm, that really sounds fun," Sonoko mused. "But there's just one person I have a hard time envisioning with a date: Ms. Haibara. She just seems so icy. But that makes me want to see her loosen up even more."
"And Ms. Vineyard," Ran added. "She's not exactly icy, but she is just a little…cold,"
The girls continued to talk as Makoto finally managed to slip out of the door, to escape the awkward girl-gossip. This was the downside to having so many girls in his club.
Kimiko: Kaida~, did you like it? It kind of sets up for another idea, which has been biting at me for a while, along with the "Transfer Student" ones. And that is putting all of the DC/MK ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, into a dance! How fun! [especially with Kaito Kuroba somehow invited…]
Kaito: Oh, am I going to cause trouble?
Kimiko: How did you get here?
Kaito: I was looking for Shin-chan. I have another target-idea for a heist! I wanted to tell him about it!
Flanagan: Another heist?
Kaito: Well that, or a ghost story, or the dance you mentioned. Or even that festival! I could have a lot of fun at any of them ('cause I didn't get to show up in this). Take your pick, dear readers, and let us know in a review! We'll wait a day to see what you want!
