Chapter 21
My day had already started out hectic, and Yaya just made it a gazillion times worse. She murderously plummeting me to the ground while rubbing her cheek against mine, and at first I was planning to let her go unscathed until she said those very words I dreaded.
It wasn't, "Ri~ma, come with Yaya so we can take over candy land forever!"
Nor was it, "Ri~ma, the firecrackers we planted beneath the teachers lounge last month finally burst and now Yukari-sensei want to speak with us!"
"Ri~ma!" Yaya giggled as Amu peeled her off me. "Did you and Nagi do anything this morning?"
"Anything is a general term, Yaya" I said, attempting to maintain a composed exterior, and failing. My tone ended up sounding more like a venomous hiss.
"Fine then!" the girl gaped, slightly backing away from me. Soma-kun and Amu followed suit. "How's Nagi?"
"Living…breathing…" I mumbled. Right now, the group was making their way to Seiyo High. I was lagging behind, and Yaya decided to stay with me. Eventually, Amu decided to strut behind too so only the two boys were walking ahead.
"Aww c'mon, Rima! You know we want to hear more details!" Amu tilted her head, her pink strands swishing to the side as she did so.
"How can I give you more details?" I allowed my caramel eyes to pierce right through her. "He was asleep. I ignored him. I didn't care much about the he-she thing lying on the floor just like the worthless little worm that he is…"
"Ohh! Ohh~" Yaya immediately shot her hands up, frantically waving a camera that she got from only-Kami-knows-where. "Nagi's asleep?! Yaya must take a picture! It will sell at a very high price!"
"Ah, yeah…" I mumbled. "Except maybe for the fact that his existence is supposed to be kept secret?"
Immediately, Yaya's arms fell limp and she allowed her pulp lips to form a pout.
"Pu…" she said, puffing her cheeks.
Amu let out a giggle before giving Yaya a comforting pat on the back. She was saying something like, "Well at least his fine" in a hushed tone while I continued to stare off into space, trying not to look like some dreamy, lovesick teen who constantly thinks of some sick, retarded things like, 'Ohh~ I wonder if he likes me back. I wonder what I should wear today- hey! These polka-dotted matching panties look good; must show these to him!' in those nutty deranged heads of theirs.
"Rima?" I shook my head to escape from the trail of thoughts then looked at the owner of the voice- an Amu wearing a very devious smirk. Beside her, Yaya stood with a half innocent, half taunting grin.
"You look like some daydreaming lovesick teen" Yaya said, her voice dripping. "You were thinking, 'Oh, I wonder if Nagihiko's fine- all alone in my room!' huh?"
I scoffed, trying to shape an uninterested facial expression.
"Maybe I was. But that's only because the sick pervert might go through my underwear drawer while I'm not there to watch over him. He's like a child, I tell you. If you don't keep constant watch over him, he'll be off doing something mischievous"
"Nagi's not like that!" Amu defended. "Nagi's a gentleman!"
"That's what they all say" I said, rolling my eyes.
"And they're right!"
"Yes. In their nonexistent world, that is"
"Rima-tan, why are you always so mean to Nagi?" Yaya piped in.
"He pisses me off"
Amu sauntered to my side, a knowing smile worming its way to her face. "But you worried about him anyway"
"Well of course!" I sputtered. "Although he's annoying, demonic, sickening and creepy, he still (Ugh! Must I say it?) my friend"
That was probably the first time that I said anything like that about him. Of course Yaya and Amu just had to fall silent and stare disbelievingly at me. They just had to make matters worse!
I managed to mask an unfazed look as I stared at the two.
"What?"
"R-Rima, you…"
"Didn't you say that you hated Nagi?"
"I do…" I said before walking ahead of my two dead-panned friends. "But not enough to want him dead"
-oOoOo-
Time went by at a snail's pace. I've been drowning out the voices of several teachers that day, cursing myself for allowing Nagihiko to cross my mind every so often.
Still…I highly believe that I'm not at fault for dozing off. Academics are boring.
He was not.
However, worrying about how I kissed him this morning was nerve-wrecking. At the back of my mind, I thought, 'What if he was awake?'
No way, right? He was sound asleep. Nagihiko definitely wouldn't prank me like that. Besides, if he was awake, he would've opened his eyes within the seconds I spent ogling after the kiss. That is unless he feared what I might do if I found out that he was awake…
It is highly probable that he did chicken out considering that I can be quite the charmer when I am mad and…
Wait. That means that there's a possibility that he was awake!
The possibility's only about…five percent of a hundred, right? There's no way he'd find out. There's just no way!
"Mashiro! Can you please give us the equation to this problem?!" The teacher sent me a spiteful glare that could rival my own. He adjusted his wide spectacles. It flashed, making his eyes obscured.
I snapped out of my daze.
"I'm sorry. You're voice is very humdrum. Could you repeat the question, please?"
He paused then stared at me- his lips pursed in a straight line. Just before he could yell at me, however, the bell rang. Class was over, and immediately, Amu walked over to me. The teacher was muttering something dark under his breath as he gathered his things. He sent me an appalling look before disappearing into the corridors.
-oOoOo-
Going past the gates of Seiyo, I noticed how the temperature suddenly dropped. It looks like winter's coming at a fast pace this year. It's still November and already, some people are starting to wear woolen hats; several shops that I've seen before were filled with coats and boots; scarves were spreading like wildfire.
Of course, Amu just had to be such a genius.
The girl threw her coats and woolen hats away, not even thinking about the fact that winter is fast approaching! That explains why we're here, standing before the shopping mall right after class.
As I looked up at the building, tilting my head up so I could eye the mall's entire size, Amu stood beside me, looking down as she counted her yen.
"I think that I have enough money for scarves, coats, woolen hats, mittens and boots…"
"Uh…no you don't"
"How can you say that?" she said, almost in a whimpering tone as the two of us made our way inside. I allowed my eyes to scan the shops as I replied, "You're Amu. One of each item wouldn't satisfy you. You need to get at least five of each garment, and all of them must be unique"
Amu opened her mouth to protest, just as a mannequin wearing a red and black striped coat caught her eye. She continued to eye the doll display behind the glass until I sighed.
"Go ahead. Try all the clothes you want. I'll be sitting in a bench there, criticizing every outfit you wear"
She turned to me, her honey-colored eyes tackling me with sparkles.
"Really?!"
I couldn't help but allow my lips to tug upwards. "Go ahead"
And with that, she scampered her way towards the store. I was about to enter it as well until something caught my eye.
Something…that somehow stood out from the bustling mall's crowd
Something…someone…that looked awfully familiar…
"NADESHIKO!" I found myself yelling. The said person froze at my voice. I didn't have the time to wonder why she would react that way because next thing I knew I was tackling the girl into a hug.
"R-Rima-chan!" she squeaked. "I-it's great to see you again!"
I squeezed her tighter, not minding the giggles and stares we received from bystanders
"T-that hurts, Rima-chan…" she said in an agonizing yet soft yelp. I immediately pulled away, but not before noticing something.
"Your clothes…" I hummed. She flinched as I continued, "I have exact replicas of what you're wearing. If I weren't thinking straight, I'd say that those clothes are mine…"
"Really?" she grinned.
"And your maid said that you went to Europe, never to return"
"I got bored there so I returned!"
"Is that headband your using mine?"
"They sell this kind all over Europe, don'tcha know?"
"You're sweating!"
"I've been shopping for hours!"
I stared at Nadeshiko for a little while longer, not bothering to hide the suspicious expression etching its way to my face.
A million of things raced through my mind- one of these being her clothes. The fact that what she's wearing is so similar to the clothes I have in my wardrobe seemed to be too much of a coincidence. A plausible explanation would be that she stole my clothes. However, something about this statement makes it improbable.
Why?
Nadeshiko is uber rich! Nagihiko could call for a Porsche at a snap of a finger so why would she, his sister, have to steal clothes in order to provide for herself?
And Nagihiko…
What kind of role does he play in this, if ever he even plays a role here…?
"I need to speak with you" I muttered before grabbing her hand. She paused before sneaking a glance at the store Amu entered. Slowly, she gulped before turning to me- making sure to blink twice to add innocence to her façade.
"Is something the matter?"
I dragged her with me as I hurriedly made my way outside.
"D-didn't you have friends with you when you entered the mall? You're going to make them wait?"
"She can wait" I grumbled before making a sharp curve towards the basketball court. When we got there, I sat on one of the bleachers, slightly embarrassed because of how my short legs still hung like that of a child's.
"A lot of confusing events have been taking place" I said. For a second, my heart jump jumped with envy as I watched her smooth, slender legs slide through the bleachers as she sat.
"A lot of these events revolve around your family and this supposed…curse…" at the mention of the last word, I glanced at her. She turned pale and her eyes have turned glassy, as if she were looking far.
"I'd like an explanation"
Nadeshiko shut her eyes then sighed. "It's really nothing big, Rima-chan…it's just…"
"Ha!" I pointed an accusing finger at her, causing her to flinch. "So you do admit that there's a curse!"
"N-no! Not at all!" she put her hands up defensively. "Definitely! Nothing at all!"
"I'd like to know the reason that a family's after your brother, at least. Afterall, I am hiding him in my room"
At what I said, Nadeshiko shut her mouth, blinked, and then smirked. She turned to me, all evidence of nervousness and anxiety gone…
"You must be glad then, seeing that he's the guy that you've been dreaming about and all…"
"I-I don't dream about him!" I sputtered, mortified. Suddenly, the tense atmosphere's gone. It was replaced to that of teasing...
At the back of my mind, I remember thinking: She's straying away from the topic, nut-head! Don't fall for it!
Still…I knew that a tense, heavy atmosphere wasn't what I wanted from Nadeshiko. Around her, I wanted a casual atmosphere wherein I could laugh and be myself.
"If I recall correctly…you did say" she placed a light finger under her chin. Then, without warning, clutched her legs then looked at the sky- a soft smile playing across her face. Before starting her sentence, she flirtingly bats her lashes. It took me several seconds to realize that she was going to mock me.
"-he's so cute and very cool and determined and all. That Nagihiko…I like him soooooo much!"
"I-I don't remember looking that giddy!"
"But Rima-chan, I do recall you blushing!"
"I was…tired" I grumbled before looking away, trying to hide the possibly flustered expression.
"Alright, Rima-chan. Don't worry. I believe you" she said sarcastically. I turned to her, ready to protest. However, instead of protesting, I found myself screaming,
"NADESHIKO WATCH OUT!"
Right after I exclaimed, pale hands immediately shot up, catching a fast-approaching basketball just before it could hit her flat in the face.
"T-that was close…" Nadeshiko sputtered, wide-eyed, as the ball slowly bounced off her hand. I watched the whole scene in awe. Who would've thought that…such an elegant girl could have such a quick reflex…?
A few seconds later, she has completely thawed out of her shock. Slowly, we allowed our heads to follow the ball as it bounced down the bleachers then rolled back to the open court. A foot stopped it from rolling towards the grassy plains and, after adjusting my eyes so that it can take in the boy's entire figure, I realized that the foot belonged to none other than Kirishima-kun.
"Mashiro-san…" he whispered, his eyes widening as he said my name.
Instinctively, I found myself standing up. I couldn't help but smile at the boy's presence.
"Kirishima-kun!"
Through my peripheral vision, I saw Nadeshiko glance between the two of us, looking rather flabbergasted. Then, before either Kirishima-kun or I could mutter another word, I felt Nadeshiko tug on my blazer.
"Rima-chan, who's that?"