Chiyo Mihama: The following is a fan-written parody. Ranma ½ is property of Rumiko Takahashi, Studio Deen, Shogakukan, Viz Media, and Madman Entertainment. Please support the official release, okay?
The Key to a Successful Interview is a Good First Impression!
Gluttony 1
Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
-Proverbs 23:20-21
[25.]
Opening the wooden fence, twelve year old Kasumi entered the front yard of what was once a bustling chicken farm on the western edge of town. Once bustling, but now all but deserted. There were no more chickens, the coops were empty and the farmhouse was completely boarded up with dried out straw packed around the doors and sticking out from under the roof.
Kasumi walked towards the farmhouse, and then began to make her way around it, stopping every few steps to rest her hand on the supports of the front porch's overhang. Looking from the house back to the empty chicken coops, she let out a sad sigh.
Then she heard footsteps, and grew alert. Quickly whirling around, she narrowly parried a set of strikes so fast that she could barely see them, and then swiftly whipped her head back and forth to avoid several more before she grabbed her attacker by the arm and performed a swift throw, sending him hurtling through the air to land on his back with a soft thump.
"Tama-chan, even to the end, you don't hesitate," Kasumi said as she walked over to the boy her age.
He sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "I figured that since this was the last time, I'd give it one more shot. I should've guessed the outcome, though."
"Yes, you'll never beat me, even if I quit for fifty years," Kasumi said without hesitation.
Tama-chan fell to his knees and pounded the dirt with his fists. "How can someone so nice be so cruel?!"
Nevertheless he laughed, and Kasumi joined him.
Just moments later, they were seated on the wall that surrounded the farm, staring over the abandoned complex as the summer clouds drifted across the otherwise sunny sky above their heads.
"Hey, do you remember when Nabiki let out all of the chickens?" Tama-chan asked.
Kasumi smiled brightly at that. "Yes, we spent the whole day chasing after them. That was so much fun."
She then looked over at him. "Then there was the typhoon, and how we set up the coops in the dojo during it."
"That was fun, watching scary movies while the wind was howling outside," Tama-chan said, before he sighed and looked down.
Kasumi sighed as well. "Yes…"
A long silence ensued between them, before Kasumi quietly spoke. "Tama-chan, I don't want you to leave."
"I don't want to, but Mother and Father say that that this is the opportunity we've been waiting for," he said as he stared at his feet.
Tama-chan then looked over to Kasumi, who was wiping away at her eye. He smiled broadly, despite the tears that were threatening his eyes.
"Don't worry about me, though! I'm going to be able to go to a better school, and then go to college where I can become as good a cook as your mother was, maybe even better!"
Kasumi laughed and smiled. "I can't wait to see what kind of chef you'll be."
Within minutes, Kasumi and Tama-chan were standing outside the gate of the chicken farm, watching as it burned furiously.
Some time later, only Kasumi stood in front of theraging inferno.
Seven years later, the lot was still bare, and covered in snow up past Kasumi's ankles.
Winter had come to Nerima, and the first storm of the season had blanketed all of Tokyo in a foot and it was still falling at a good clip, darkening the midday sky. It was always around this time, when Christmas was approaching, that she felt nostalgic about this old place, and her childhood.
"Eggnog is always best when the eggs are farm fresh," she lamented before she continued walking for home.
Under her arm she carried a bag of groceries. With the Saotomes over, this year's Christmas activities were going to be much livelier, and require more preparation… and probably some money set aside for repair bills.
A vehicle coming up street from behind her caught her attention, and Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise when she saw a massive SUV limousine headed towards Furinkan High School. She couldn't help but gawk at the vehicle as it passed–only to go stiff when she got a glimpse into the tinted rearmost passenger window at the silhouetted figure sitting in the limo.
It was brief, but Kasumi felt a terrible presence coming from that vehicle. She had a feeling that today was going to be eventful, especially if Furinkan High School really was its destination.
"Madam Kasumi Tendo," a voice from behind startled her, and she turned around to find a pair of blindfolded young women dressed as cute French Maids with long French Braids.
"Your presence has been requested by our young master, Picolet Chardin II. We shall escort you to him," The maids said together.
Kasumi little recalled the name. "Oh, but of course. I need to get these groceries home, however."
"That will be taken care of," Kasumi suddenly felt a presence behind her, and her bag was removed from her hand before she could react.
Turning around, she found a young bowl-cut butler, also blind-folded, holding her groceries as he bowed politely before her.
"Allow me to see to your burdens, Madam Kasumi Tendo," he said politely, before he became a blur that leaped off.
Kasumi looked back towards the two maids. These people were able to get the jump on her without her noticing them. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be allowed to refuse this Picolet person's request.
"Very well, take me to him."
"Follow us, Madam," both maids said before they began walking towards Furinkan.
"Nihao! Your Cat Café lunchtime delivery has arrived!" an ecstatic Shampoo declared as she pulled a train of carts loaded with food into Furinkan High School's Commissary.
Shampoo was well bundled up against the cold and she hated it because she wasn't used to it, and many of the boys hated it too because it made Shampoo wear more clothes.
Ranma, already eating from his tray, was on his phone, discussing Christmas plans with a friend. "So you'll come to the dojo for Christmas and we'll go to your hotel for the New Years party, right? That sounds good to me."
He listened to the person on the other end of the line. "Great, everyone's looking forward to it, talk to you later Ramona."
"Is there anything you want for Christmas, Ranma?" Akane asked as she gnawed on an egg roll, muffling her voice.
Ranma put away his phone and grinned when he had an idea for a Christmas Gift, but Akane knew what he was thinking and she whispered back harshly. "No, you can't have that!"
He pouted. "Come on, you loved it before."
"Yes, before I had to spend the rest of the day sitting on pillows," she shot back, "What do you want for Christmas that's not perverted?"
Ranma wondered if that implied she had already gotten him a perverted gift. His grin returned bigger than before and Akane bopped him off the head. "Get your head out of the gutter before I put it in traction, I'm serious!"
Ranma hummed. "I would like every Bruce Lee movie ever made."
Akane blinked and stared. "Wow, that's all? Sure!"
Behind them, a student had just acquired a tray of piping hot food from one of Shampoo's carts, and was on her way back to her table when she felt a gust of wind across her body. "Huh?"
She looked for the source, but saw nothing. Before she could continue, she finally noticed that her piled-high tray of Chinese food was gone. "My food, it's gone!"
A few other students looked back at the unlucky girl, before they all felt the same draft, and lo their food was gone. Uproar ensued, grabbing Shampoo's attention as she handed another tray out.
"What do they mean their food is gone?" she asked before she detected movement towards her.
Without any hesitation Shampoo turned to strike the rapidly closing target and hit nothing but air. At the same moment, she heard a rattling behind her and saw that every unsold tray on her carts completely cleaned of food.
In her disbelief, Shampoo said aloud in Chinese. "Buddha eating a last Thursday sandwich, that was fast!"
At their table, Akane looked to Ranma, whose eyes were slowly traveling from right to left as he followed the trail of rapidly disappearing lunch trays.
Whoever it was, it was fast, and he was headed for them. "Now!"
Akane ducked and Ranma jumped up to kick over her head. To his surprise, his feet collided with crossed arms of a French Maid, who was thrown across the room by the hit.
As the maid bounced off the wall, Ranma set his feet down between Akane and the man knelt just behind where the maid had been standing.
"What the heck?" Ranma asked before he looked down at the blonde-haired man, cloaked in the flag of France.
Picolet Chardin II slowly rose up, and appraised Ranma with a focused stare. "You are as fast as they say, Ranma Saotome."
Ranma frowned. "Who's this they saying I'm fast?"
Akane got up. "A foreigner, he sounds French."
Picolet paid Akane's comment no mind. "That is not important, for I am not here to quarrel with you. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Picolet Chardin II, Grand Master of the La Belle School of Martial Arts Fine Dining."
"Hey you foreigner jerk, what did you do with my lunch?" a student yelled at him.
"I paid good money for that Chinese food!" another complained.
A girl cried out. "I hadn't even finished that egg roll, give it back!"
Shampoo walked over, her eyes narrowed. "You won't get it back."
"Yeah, he already ate it," Ranma said.
Picolet produced a napkin and wiped his mouth. "I give my compliments to the chef, Madam Shampoo."
"How about giving money instead, that was a big order you cleaned out, frogman," Shampoo snapped back.
He knew who Shampoo was too; there were all sorts of flags going up and Ranma was increasingly bothered.
Picolet laughed softly, and then turned aside. Another maid appeared next to him, and Ranma noticed that she, like the one he kicked, was blindfolded. It was most likely see-through material, but it was still weird.
"My apologies, will this suffice?" the maid cut a check at Picolet's nod and handed it to Shampoo. When she looked at the sum, her eyebrows shot up high.
"It was a pleasure doing business," Shampoo said before she put the check away.
The doors opened loudly, and Nabiki and Kasumi came walking in escorted by more maids. Kasumi was as bemused as Akane was to see her oldest sister here, while Nabiki's expression belied her own crawling suspicion that stupidity was afoot.
"All right, who's this guy with the S and M French Maid Fetish who… oh… oh my." Nabiki had done a double-take when she saw Picolet, and she began to hope that the other shoe wouldn't fall.
She would be punished for her blind optimism soon enough.
"Yes, this is very good!" Picolet declared in French before he returned to Japanese. "The beautiful ladies that I wanted to see all here. Now than, let us dine."
Kasumi stared at Picolet. "Dine?"
"But of course, Madam." Picolet whipped off his flag cloak, and in a single smooth motion, it became a table cloth, complete with fine dining set with a vase full of roses and candles. "A candle lit lunch, for the three lovely flowers of the Tendo family!"
Akane was not interested. "Pass. Come on Ranma; let's get out of here before my lunch gets cold."
She stood to leave, when one of the maids suddenly kicked her tray from her hand and towards Picolet. "Hey!"
To everyone's surprise, the food entirely disappeared before so much as a droplet of sauce could stain Picolet's suit, and he deftly caught the tray between two fingers. He tossed it aside, and picked up a bottle of champagne. "Why eat Chinese, when you can enjoy the finest of French Cuisine, on me?"
Nabiki warmed up to the idea even more and took a seat at the table. "A free meal with a pretty boy, sounds good to me, how about you Kasumi?"
"Well, it'd be rude to decline. He did call for all of us, as it appears," Kasumi said as she took a seat as well.
"It'd be rude? Did you not see what he just did?!" Akane snapped at them both.
There was suddenly a glass in her hand and Picolet was pouring champagne into it. "Well at least join me in a toast."
Ranma plucked the champagne glass from Akane's hand and got in Picolet's face. "What are we toasting?"
Picolet in turn plucked the glass from Ranma's hand, and suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the table to put it between himself and Ranma.. "Why, to my future wife, Madam Kasumi Tendo!"
Well, that didn't take long. Nabiki's expression went from pleasant to hostile in an instant. "Come again?"
"What," Ranma and Akane deadpanned simultaneously.
Kasumi, of course, lacked any vehemence in her response. "I'm sorry, but I can't marry you."
"Ah, but you must," Picolet replied, "You see, your youngest sister Madam Akane is spoken for and Madam Nabiki is just not my type."
"Oh dear, I am crushed," Nabiki droned back, before she flipped the table over–sending its setup crashing to the floor–and put herself between Kasumi and Picolet.
Ranma and Akane quickly joined her sides. "And why exactly must Kasumi marry you?"
"You mean your Father did not tell you? You see he-" Picolet stopped when Nabiki held her hand up.
"Let me guess, he offered one of us to marry you in exchange for something," she asked.
Picolet's brows rose. "That's very astute."
"Unfortunately there's precedent," Nabiki replied.
Akane looked to Ranma. "We honestly have the worst Fathers in the world."
"I'm sorry Chardin-san, but I refuse to honor the agreement my Father made with your family," Kasumi said.
Picolet gave pause at that, and then cleared his throat. "Madam you appear to be a learned woman, please recognize you're in a non-negotiable position."
Ranma immediately stepped up to Picolet again. "You'd better recognize that trying to take Kasumi by force will get you killed, Kermit."
Akane cracked her knuckles for emphasis, as Shampoo stepped up as well.
Picolet regarded them coolly, before raising the glass of champagne he held to his lips. "Monsieur if you think I am going to resort to violence, I have no intention to."
He then took a whiff of the champagne and drank it down, before he gave the three a cold look. "I have people to do that for me."
As he spoke, Picolet's maids were already closing in from all sides to attack with swords, daggers, and other weapons.
Just as quickly the maids were sent flying, hitting walls, going through windows, and knocking over furniture and students alike as they were effortlessly dispatched by Ranma, Akane, and Shampoo.
Walking over to a maid who wasn't taking part in the one-sided beating, Picolet offered his glass and the maid poured him more champagne. He took a sip, as another maid whipped by them and smashed through one of the commissary's support pillars.
He hummed as he savored the taste and nodded to the maid. "This is exquisite, my dear."
The maid nodded before a table hit her in the solar plexus and drove her straight into and through the wall behind her. The sound of the champagne bottle smashing on the floor followed, and Picolet's gaze fell upon the quickly spreading puddle of the expensive drink.
His left eye twitched, as he turned a murderous look towards Ranma, who was already rushing him. "That was two hundred thousand euro champagne."
"Well take this beating on the house!" Ranma swung a kick towards Picolet, and missed.
As Picolet stepped clear, however, he saw that it had been a feint to lure him right into Akane's attack. He moved like a blur as she struck, and came to a stop behind her, unscathed with the champagne barely disturbed in its glass.
He held the glass out to his side. The top of the glass slid diagonally from the rest of it, causing the champagne to spill to the floor. "Impressive, as traditional martial artists you are the elite of the elite."
"Just missed him, I would've cut his head clean off if he hadn't dodged," Akane complained.
Shampoo got her chúi out. "He won't be so lucky next time."
Ranma nodded assent as he and Akane both prepared to attack again.
Picolet let out a haughty sniff. "Nevertheless, I find your insistence to continue this crude game detestable."
Shampoo was on Picolet, swinging one of her chúi for his face. The weapon was promptly removed from her hand, surprising her. As she quickly swung the other, Picolet parried the strike with the weapon that he had pilfered from her.
The chúi was flung from his hand by the hit, but when Shampoo swung the other for him, it also disappeared from her grip before it struck and became embedded in another pillar handle-first.
"How did he–eep!" Picolet had taken advantage of her surprise and pinched Shampoo on the rear.
"Such a poorly-mannered woman you are, Madam," he taunted.
She quickly whirled around, striking at him nearly as fast as Ranma. None of the strikes seemed to connect however, as he sidestepped or parried the strikes until Shampoo shot a kick for his chest that was taken by an injured maid that imposed herself between the two with all her remaining strength.
The maid went flying, landing amongst the spectators, while Picolet had hopped back from Shampoo.
Glowering at him, Shampoo pointed at the Frenchman. "Take your own hits!"
"They are only doing their jobs," Picolet returned before he was forced to hop backward from Akane and her cutting strikes.
When he tried to sidestep her, an attack from Shampoo forced him back in front of Akane.
As he hopped to the other side Shampoo attacked and Picolet leaned back from and ducked under kicks she lashed out at him with before he backed off and up against another pillar.
Crossing her arms in front of her, Akane's eyes gleamed as she lashed out with the Preying Mantis Glass-Cutting technique.
Another maid, however, had jumped in front of him, and took the full force of the blow. Blood seeping from under her lips, the maid crumpled to the floor, and Akane glared at Picolet, who folded his arms and leaned back against the pillar.
"He uses women as shields!" Yuka, one of the spectators, cried aghast.
"He's more worried about his expensive champagne than the people who are taking hits for him! Akane, kick his ass!" Sayuri cried out along with other students.
Kasumi rose from her chair and frowned slightly as the showdown continued. Nabiki folded her arm and shook her head. "This is the man who wants to marry you."
"I am all atwitter," Kasumi replied.
Ranma, who had been watching the fight, narrowed his eyes. This guy's movements weren't natural, his stance was too rigid, but he was blocking or dodging strikes from Shampoo and Akane at the same time. No, there was something else going on, and as Ranma's eyes followed the action, he spotted it.
"There!" he suddenly attacked, aiming not for Picolet, but for the air directly in front of him.
Akane and Shampoo both stopped when a hand caught Ranma's fist, and the butler Kasumi had encountered earlier became visible to everyone.
"Now you're just starting to piss me off," Ranma growled as the two jumped back from each other, "Stop making the frog look good and fight me head on!"
"Very well, I will be your opponent from now on," the Butler declared, before he attacked.
The first punch Ranma blocked, but the butler's ensuing strikes were faster than he expected, requiring a barrage of quick deflections and parries before both stepped back from each other.
"He's not a pushover like the maids," Ranma quietly realized as the butler attacked without hesitation and performed a rapid series of palm strikes that Ranma parried before he took one to the face and staggered back.
Ranma had no time to suffer from the pain of the blow, because he was again deflecting and blocking fast strikes and being pushed back across the commissary.
The butler attempted to sweep Ranma, and he propelled himself over it and the butler with a flip. When Ranma tried to counterattack, however, the butler kicked him in the chest and launched him into the air and onto a table.
Recovering, Ranma performed a three-point landing on the table and stared at the butler, impressed.
Akane assessed him with a hum; the guy was really good.
Ranma could see it too. "You'd better clean up this mess, before I add you to it."
"We were just leaving," the butler replied, before the lights in the commissary went out, plunging the room into darkness.
When the lights came on, Picolet, his butler, and all of the defeated maids were gone.
Ranma hopped off the desk and looked around; there were no sign of them except for the blood they left behind. "Well, that was interesting."
"Whatever, if it's over we should get out of here. I better get this to the bank before they void it," Shampoo said of the check for the food Picolet had eaten. There was no more reason for her to hang around here.
"Yes, and we have to get home and bury our Dad," Nabiki said as she looked to Akane and Kasumi.
Akane nodded vigorously in agreement, while Kasumi appeared dazed by something.
Nabiki noticed it. "Hey Kasumi, are you okay?"
Kasumi snapped out of her daze, and nodded. "I'm fine; we should get home right away. This is not over at all."
"It never is until someone ends up in the hospital or married," Akane remarked.
The group headed for the exit, Kasumi completely haunted by that butler's moves. There was no mistaking that style of his, and it broke her heart.
"Winter bares its teeth, eh Saotome? Soun asked his longtime friend as the two patriarchs enjoyed a game of shogi. Across the board from him Genma, in panda form to beat the wintry chill, nodded in agreement.
Soun looked a window, and at the snow piling on the dojo's outer wall. "Still, for all of its ferocity, winter is a fine time to reflect on the past year, reconnect with your family, and meditate on the seasons to come. In all its ferocity, it brings with it a sense of peace."
Genma held up a sign commending the beauty of Soun's statement.
Soun nodded. "Thank you Saotome."
Both then noticed their children were in the room, and all of them were staring at Soun like he had done something stupid instead of the panda, for once. Sensing the intense hostility in the air (and surprised it wasn't directed at him), Genma backed away from the Shogi board as Soun stared back at the teenagers.
"Ranma, Nabiki, Akane, what are you doing from school?" Soun asked.
"Picolet Chardin," Nabiki said.
The color drained from Soun's face, confirming pretty much everything.
Nabiki leaned closer to him. "The whole story, tell it or Akane does to you what Ranma regularly does to the Panda Bastard."
Akane shook her fist at Soun's face for emphasis, and he caved quickly. "Twenty years ago, Saotome and I were on a training journey when we ran into hardship and found ourselves at death's door from starvation. We came across the Chardin Dojo and Restaurant, and thought it salvation. Instead, we found only crushing defeat."
Nabiki's eye twitched. "Oh?"
"Yes, the meal would've been free if we bested Picolet Chardin in an eating contest. However, we failed," Soun lamented.
"So you lost in an eating contest to Picolet Chardin, and…" Nabiki slowly said.
"… As we had no money, I offered the next best thing, one of my future daughters," Soun finished.
Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane were all staring at him with a murderous expression. Well the latter two were, Kasumi just looked disappointed. Soun quickly raised his hands. "I didn't think I would have any daughters!"
"You had three and you didn't bother to warn any of them about your little transaction?!" Akane screamed at him.
Nabiki was wearing a sickly smile. "What a shameful thing to do. Daddy how can you call yourself a man when you barter your own child for food?"
Her words pierced like an arrow, and Soun was hoisted up by his own petard.
Ranma folded his arms. "Well, we at least know where my pop got it from."
Then suddenly the door opened, and there was Picolet, a bouquet of roses in his hand that were promptly given to Kasumi. "It is as he says! I know this tale well, as I have been told it often and at length by my Father, who made the arrangement with Monsieur Tendo."
"Get out of our house!" Akane yelled as she lunged to forcibly remove him. Her attempted uppercut was blocked by Picolet's butler, and Akane quickly drew back before she let out an annoyed snort.
Picolet called from behind his human shield. "Please, please take a moment to hear me. I wish to negotiate a deal."
Ranma folded his arms. "A deal huh? Here are our terms, you never show your face around here again and we don't beat you to within a half-inch of your life."
Picolet shook his head. "I cannot accept those terms; however, I am willing to allow you to decide the fate of Madam Tendo on the field of honor."
Akane did not hesitate. "Perfect. Here, now, let's go!"
She lunged to attack, but Ranma this time stopped her. "Hey!"
"What's the catch? Also, what's stopping us from just saying no and kicking your ass?" Ranma asked.
"Catch? Ah, the 'catch' if you will is that you must duel me in my art: Martial Arts Fine Dining. If you can manage to best me, I will drop the engagement and never grace you with my presence again," Picolet replied.
"No," Ranma replied.
Picolet scowled at that assessment. "So I'm supposed to allow your father's debt to go unpaid?"
"You won't be the first," Ranma replied.
"Better yet, just take Daddy and have him work off the debt," Nabiki suggested.
"I can't do anything with a washed-up middle-aged man!" Picolet protested.
Nabiki let out a caustic laugh. "Well you're certainly not doing anything with our sister!"
Picolet's brow furrowed, and then he stepped back before he pulled out a handkerchief. He used it to wipe his eyes. "Indiscriminate Grappling is truly an evil school, to behave so dishonorably."
He turned and walked back out onto the patio. His butler, remaining inside, turned away just before a loud hiss sounded and the room was filled with a bright red mist, a paralysis agent pouring from a canister hidden in Kasumi's bouquet. The fast moving and fast-acting cloud of agent quickly engulfed the Tendo family and both Saotomes, leaving them unable to move.
His face protected from the agent by his handkerchief, Picolet slowly looked back at Ranma as he collapsed to the floor next to Akane, and tossed him a business card.
"I did not want to do this, as I am a fair man, Monsieur. However, my offer to duel for the fair Madam still stands, and you may challenge me at any time. Appreciate my generosity, au revoir."
Walking over to Kasumi, the butler knelt down and gingerly scooped her trembling body up into her arms. Seeing this, but unable to move, Nabiki actually let out a laugh. "You… don't know… how fucked… you are…"
The butler turned his head towards Nabiki. "There is someone… who loves Kasumi… when he finds out… you're dead… nothing will save you."
The butler turned away from Nabiki and followed Picolet out, carrying Kasumi with him. Watching him go, Ranma clenched his paralyzed hand into a fist and snarled. Picolet Chardin, the frog bastard was not going to get away with this shit!
Leaving the Tendo Dojo with their ill-gotten prize, Picolet and his butler walked through the worsening snowfall to climb into the limousine. Setting Kasumi into the seat, the butler kept his head bowed as he handcuffed Kasumi and bound her in a sturdy rope. Despite the effects of the paralysis agent, however, Kasumi was able to speak far clearer than Nabiki.
"Why are you doing this, Tama-chan?"
The butler stopped, but kept his head lowered. "I am a butler of the Chardin family, sworn to serve with faith and diligence."
He resumed tying her up, and then buckled her into the seatbelt as Picolet took the seat next to her. "Mademoiselle, I apologize for my reprehensible act. However, in time you will understand and accept what had to be done! As important as any other family, the honor of the Chardin household must be upheld."
"What was that?"
Kasumi lifted her gaze from the butler to Kaori Daikoku, who was seated up near the front of the limo, enjoying a glass of wine served by That Ninja, now dressed as a maid. Of course Kaori Daikoku was involved somehow, Kasumi realized.
"Ah, Madam Daikoku, I cannot thank you enough for your assistance. I surely would have failed today if not for you," Picolet said as his butler regarded both with hostility.
Kaori took a sip from her wine. "You're welcome, Chardin-san. Pleasantries aside, I would like my payment. Information does not come cheap."
"Oh, of course, of course."
Picolet gestured to his butler, who quickly cut a check that was handed to Kaori.
Kaori examined the check, and nodded. "This is where my involvement ends, then. You have your bride and I have my payment. It was a pleasure doing business with you."
"Not yet," the butler politely called, "There is one more thing I would like to know, before we sever ties."
Kaori raised her eyebrows, as Picolet looked to his butler with disdain. "What would you require knowledge of?"
"Nabiki Tendo claimed that there was another who loved Kasumi Tendo, you have a great deal of information on the Tendo family; tell me… who is it?" the butler asked.
Hearing this, Picolet recoiled. "What? She is spoken for? Mon Dieu! That simply will not do!"
Kasumi's spirits raised a little. As horrible a person this Picolet was, he did not appear to want to come between established lovers. She could use this to get out of this pinch!
Kaori, however, dashed those hopes. "Oh, that's an unrequited affair. Much like Ryoga Hibiki towards Akane, that man is Doctor Tofu Ono, a fool who cannot even maintain his wits when her name is mentioned. He is harmless and Kasumi Tendo here is still very much single."
When Doctor Tofu was mentioned, the butler, Kasumi's childhood friend, set his jaw in anger. "I see. Thank you."
At that, Picolet reversed his course. "I see, a man who lacks the courage to take what he wants is of no concern to me. Thank you indeed, Madam Daikoku, what do I owe for this intelligence?"
Kaori took a sip of wine, and smiled pleasantly to him. "Oh, this information is on the house. Don't worry about that."
This surprised Kasumi, just how accurate was this woman's information on their families, and who else was she just handing it out to? More importantly, why did the mention of Doctor Tofu's name infuriate Tama-chan so?
Weren't they friends?
A/N: FRANCH.