So, I don't normally do this with chapters, but I'm actually splitting this in half. This part has a lot of info about Setsuna and a lot of moments, so it's chock full of words. So to make it easier on me and you, I split it. Well, enjoy!
"Hello, this is Nakamura speaking."
"Nakamura, I'm here," Syo said into the receiver of his cell phone, stepping off of the train he rode. "Where should I meet you?"
"You're here? Great! Go up the escalator and I'm right beside the exit."
"Alright, see you soon." He ended the call and stuffed the phone into his pocket.
It was the end of March, approaching the beginning of April. After calling Eriko three months ago, Syo was informed that the plan she was preparing was to surprise Setsuna with a visit. Eriko said that Setsuna was a bit sad that she wouldn't be moving in the same time as everyone else, but two weeks later because she was busy helping the bakery. She thought that it would cheer her up a little if he came around. Shin added the idea of giving Setsuna the song, "Ore-sama Rondo", which he and Syo worked hard on.
"Syo-chan, you haven't told me why we're stopping here before we go to Shining Agency yet," Natsuki proclaimed curiously with a smile.
"We're going to see a friend," he muttered, trying to make his answer as vague as possible.
"Really? From the Academy? Who?" His voice was full of excitement.
"Y-you'll see later." Syo's face flushed, stepping onto the escalator.
"Oh, Syo-chan, you're blushing~ Is it a girl? It has to be Secchan!"
"C-can it! How would you know? I didn't even say it was a girl!" He turned away so Natsuki wouldn't see his blush spread.
"Syo-chan, you wouldn't go this far to see just any girl," he pointed out expertly as they got off the escalator.
"What do you mean? W-we went to the countryside for Nanami, remember?"
"True, but ever since we left Saotome Academy, you've been texting Secchan. And you talked about her a lot at your house, right?"
"H-how did you know that?! You came to my town from Hokkaido last week!" Now Syo was completely embarrassed.
"Kaoru-kun asked me who she was when you weren't with us one day and told me everything~"
Before he could make a snide comment, Eriko, who was waving and calling their names, got their attention. Her appearance changed only slightly, her old bob haircut now down to her shoulders. The two came up, greeting her.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?" She laughed. "Well, welcome to our town, guys! I'm really glad you're here! We're gonna stop by my house first if that's okay. I forgot to get that CD for you from Shin, Syo."
"Oh, alright." He thought for a second. "Wait, since when did you call me Syo?"
"Well, we're friends so it's fine, right?" she said carelessly.
"And why couldn't Shin directly send the CD to me?"
"We were making sure that you wouldn't go chicken on the plan. If I had it, you'd have to come here to get it. Now that I know you're here, you can't escape!" There was a slight teasing tone in her voice, along with a little bit of evil.
Syo frowned. "As if! I haven't seen her in three months! I've wanted to see Nishi…" He saw the grins on Natsuki and Eriko's faces and immediately stopped talking.
"Oh, no need to worry, Syo~ There's nothing to hide anymore," she giggled cutely, getting agreement from Natsuki.
"Secchan must feel so loved!"
Syo grumbled, "So where does she live?"
"Right, right," Eriko said, gesturing them to follow her.
There was silence in the group as they went along the sidewalk. "So, N-Nakamura, w-what are Nishima's parents like?" Syo asked stiffly.
Natsuki chuckled. "Syo-chan, you want to make a good impression on them, huh?"
"Is that it?" she asked with a smile. "Well, actually, her parents should be fine with you. If you prove to them that you'll take good care of Setsuna, then you're fine."
"Oh, then it shouldn't be too—"
"The real problem is Ryotaro-san, her brother."
Syo gulped, feeling a big lump in his throat. "S-so what's he like…?"
She took a moment to think. "He's super overprotective over her. I guess you could say it's a sister-complex. He may look nice, but once he finds out that you're interested in Setsuna, you're in huge trouble."
"I-I am?" Oh, geez…
Eriko stopped walking to scan Syo up and down, which made him even more nervous. "I hate to say it, but we really do need to go to my house before anything else. We need you to be 'Ryo-san-approved'."
The three went to Eriko's house, which was a two-story house. She brought them up to her room after quickly introducing them to her parents and little brother. Her room was filled with cute decorations and photos of all her friends from her town and Saotome Academy.
"Here's some nail polish remover, Syo. You'll need it." Eriko handed him the bottle and a small towel.
"Thanks." He started removing the black nail polish. "What else is there to do?"
"Take off those barrettes and your piercings. After that, I think everything is fine."
"Is there anything I need to do, Nakamura-san?" Natsuki asked, admiring the pictures framed and put on top of her dresser.
"Nah, I think you're fine. You know your manners and all, so you're good."
Syo inwardly growled. Of course I'm the only one who has to change…
"So why is Secchan's brother so overprotective?" he asked, looking at a picture of Setsuna and Eriko in middle school.
Eriko's heart nearly jumped out of her chest. "N-nail polish takes a while to remove! How about I get us some drinks?" Quickly, she walked to the door, grabbing the knob.
"Secchan is my friend, too, Nakamura-san. I feel like I'll never really know her if this continues…" He gave her a sad, heartbroken look.
Eriko, a sucker for sad looks, sighed considerably and turned back to him and Syo. "Alright, you guys, not a word to anyone once I say this. Not even Setsuna! Got it?"
Natsuki smiled gratefully, nodding while Syo continued to taking off the black polish.
"Setsuna is close to overcoming it, but she's afraid of men. But when school was about to end, she started to get used to being around guys."
Natsuki processed the answer to his question in silence. "What about the beginning of the year? When we first met, she seemed fine to me."
"Well, you aren't that terrifying, Natsuki. The only thing about you that's intimidating is your height."
"Is that so?" He thought of something again and it showed on his face. "How did this fear begin, Nakamura-san?"
Syo realized that Natsuki asked a question that he never thought of asking himself. He simply just went along with helping her without thinking otherwise. Syo looked up to Eriko, who was nervously organizing the items on her desk.
"Like I said, not a word to anyone. This is supposed to be a secret between Setsuna, her family, and me." She breathed in and said, "When we were in middle school, Setsuna was walking back home after some afterschool orchestra practice. It was pretty late, really close to night around then. You see… she came across some drunks, who tried to bring her somewhere to… get their way with her."
She sighed, looking down to her notebooks sadly. "She was really lucky, because some guys from the orchestra saw her and were able to drive the drunks away before anymore damage could've been done. But Setsuna was already so shaken up by the experience. She wouldn't talk to me about it and believe it or not, she didn't want to leave her house for almost a week."
"So Secchan developed androphobia?" Natsuki showed real sadness when the story finished. "And then her brother?"
"He already had a sister-complex by then, but once Setsuna came out with the story, he didn't trust any boy around her," Eriko explained quietly.
Syo felt guilt tighten inside of him, now realizing what he reminded Setsuna of when they still didn't know each other. If he knew about it earlier, he would've done something to make himself less intimidating.
Eriko noticed the down look Syo had on his face and smiled a little. "But the good thing is that she's getting used to being with guys. She's even helping out behind the counter in the bakery. C'mon, guys, Setsuna is doing fine now, so don't look so sad."
"B-but I can't help it!" Natsuki said. "She looks so happy when I see her… but to think that something like that happened…"
"Geez, guys! I seriously just said that she's fine! If you want proof, then let's go to her house now!" she groaned, walking out of the room.
"W-wait, Nakamura, I'm not done here yet!" Syo called, quickly removing the rest of his polish.
"Here we are!"
They stood in front of a modern two-story building, the bottom floor being used as the bakery and the top used as the Nishima household. Eriko led them into the entrance. Upon opening the door, a bell chimed from above.
"Whoa, the sugar rush must've come around… That must mean Setsuna's at the store."
Syo and Natsuki saw the glass display cases only filled with a few trays of pastries and single-serving cakes.
"Is she usually in charge of that?" Natsuki asked.
"Yep. Everyone in the Nishima family has a job. Setsuna and Ryo-san take care of the counter and their parents work in the kitchen. When business slows down during the day, Setsuna makes a quick run to the market while her dad and Ryo-san make some deliveries," Eriko explained in a smart tone.
"I'm sorry, wel— Oh, Eriko-chan!" A woman with wavy brown hair and cerulean eyes walked in from the kitchen.
Eriko grinned at her. "Hello, ma'am, it's nice to see you. Is Setsuna here?"
"I'm sorry, but I sent her to get some things about twenty minutes ago. She should be back soon." The woman noticed Syo and Natsuki in the back. "Well, hello there. Are you Eriko's friends?"
"They're also Setsuna's friends, ma'am. They're from Saotome Academy," she said.
The woman's eyes brightened. "Welcome! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Setsuna's mother, Hiroko."
"Hello, ma'am," Natsuki greeted calmly. "My name is Shinomiya Natsuki."
"M-my name is Kurusu Syo." He straightened himself up uneasily.
"Thank you so much for helping my daughter with her androphobia."
Syo was taken aback by what the woman said. "H-how did you know, ma'am?"
The mother smiled sweetly, a trait the two figured Setsuna inherited from her. "You two are boys. And she mentioned you two in the calls and mail she sent us. She really feels like a matured woman now because she's growing out of that fear."
Syo felt embarrassed by hearing Setsuna's mother say such a thing. Of course, he felt stiff and nervous since it felt like an inspection despite what Eriko said about the parents. But still, he felt like he's been accepted already by the mother of the Nishima family.
As their conversation continued, the bell above the door chimed again as a familiar voice announced, "I'm back!"
And that's where I'll stop it. There's not much to say about this chapter. But I will say that in my mind, Setsuna won't appear in the real anime world until somewhere right before the third episode.
So I've been thinking of making a different story that is not connected to this one at all. It fact it's a different universe. It's about a girl named Tsugumi who used to be a child voice actress, but suddenly quit to go into hiding at Saotome Academy. She passes the exam and goes into the Master Course. But after a while of being in Shining Agency, Syo begins to find out what Tsugumi used to be. Once she's confronted about it, Tsugumi continues to reject this part of her life. I want to say that Tokiya has a bigger presence in this one since I want to place him as a childhood friend and previous co-actor.
That's all. Have a nice life everyone~