29: And I Will Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever

6:30 PM

Kokoro

"Alright, now that we're all here,"

Kyouichi-senpai claps his hands together and gestures with his right thumb to the blackboard behind him. "Today, we're going to talk about the quadratic formula. Can anyone tell me what that is?"

To my right side, Yae's hand flies up. I can tell by the irritated look on his face that Kyouichi knows her answer's gonna be silly.

"Yes," he sighs, "Yae-san?"

"Boring,"

"Yae, you're losing your touch," Uzuki laughs from my right side, "that joke was totally predictable."

"Sorry," my tomboy of a best friend shrugs, "I didn't feel like coming up with anything better."

"Guys, can't we discuss mathematics in a tutoring session centered around MATH?" He puts his hands on his hips. "And not the quality of Yae-san's verbal wordplay?"

We stare blankly at our teacher. It doesn't take long for us to answer his question.

"Yeah, Uzuki-chan's right," I frown, "you could've made a joke about quadrupedal animals."

"Is that a fancy term for a four wheel bike?"

"Wow, Yae-san, I didn't know you were that dumb . . . "

SCREEECH!

Kyouichi's fingernails are chipped from scratching the chalk-friendly material on the board.

"Now that I have your attention," his left eyebrow quivers, "let's discuss the quadratic formula. I want to get through today's lesson as quickly as possible."

"Why?" The ever-knowledgeable Yae remarks. "'You planning to make a quick stop at the eroge shop downtown?"

"No," he groans, "I'm not some common pervert."

"No," Uzuki winks, "you're a handsome pervert."

"W-well," Kyouichi pulls his hair back, "thank you, Uzuki-san. I'm glad to see someone here has good tastes."

I rock back and forth in my spot. Come on, get on with it. Mom's gonna be ticked if I have nothing to tell her about what I did today . . .

I narrow my eyebrows as low as I can. "Am I gonna have to be the one to remind you guys why we're here?"

"I flunked pre-algebra?"

"My mom wants me to be the smartest thirteen year old in the country?"

"Exactly!" I give everyone a thumbs up. "So, let's do our best for those reasons!"

Kyouichi nods approvingly. "Thank you for keeping us on track, Kokoro-san. Now, if there are no further interruptions,"

He begins his sketch, timing his words with his drawing speed. "The quadratic formula is negative 'b' plus or minus the square root of 'b' squared minus four 'ac', divided by two times 'a'."

He circles the entire thing. "With this formula, we can find the solution to polynomial equations that are difficult to solve by factoring."

I understand the formula. It's actually pretty easy compared to some of the stuff we've studied. But I've never gotten why letters are used in algebra. Every time I see them, I just get confused about which numbers I should use where.

I just hope he'll stick in some numbers soon . . .

7:00 PM

"Well, I think all three of you understand the quadratic formula well,"

Kyouichi packs up his board and lugs his backpack over his shoulder as he gives the motivational closure to his lecture.

"Thursday, we'll discuss 'imaginary numbers'."

As Kyouichi continues to absent-mindedly pack his stuff, I turn to Uzuki and Yae.

"Uzuki-chan, have you thought of a name for the club yet?"

She puffs out her lip in thought. "I figured we could use something that is both gallant, yet respectful of our age. Why don't we call ourselves the 'Cutie Crusaders'?"

Yae frowns. "You do realize those characters are only supposed to be, like, eight?"

"That doesn't matter, does it?" Her eyes widen for a moment. "I didn't know you watched that show."

"I don't," she groans, "my little sister does."

I didn't know she had one. "C'mon, Uzuki-chan, that's the best you got?" I run both hands through my head. "I thought I could trust you to come up with something cool."

"I'm trying, okay?" She smooths out the sides of her hair. "You guys have been putting a lot of pressure on me."

Kyouichi looks up from the other side of the room. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing," Yae crosses her arms, "Uzuki-chan just can't come up with a good name to save her existence."

"Huh," he walks over to us, "you guys forming a secret society or something?"

Wow, he really is cute. "Nothing that big; Uzuki-chan was supposed to come up for a name for our club, and she has no idea which one to use."

"Hm . . . " He rubs the side of his forehead. "Well, I know a thing or two about clubs. And I know exactly what would work for you three."

"Really?!" We all say in unison.

"Yep," he zips open the rarely used top pocket of his backpack and shuffles inside it. "I've prepared for a day like this all my life as a high school student."

Three scarves: one purple, one green, one pink.

What . . .?

"Uzuki-san, your color is purple,"

He wraps the scarf around her neck and ties a headband of the same color around her forehead. "It represents a deeply held sense of grace, femininity, and regality."

"You think I'm cute, Kyouichi-senpai?"

"No," he draws out. "That would be weird."

"Auu . . ."

"Now, Yae-san, your color is green."

He tugs thoughtfully at his chin. "It represents . . . ah . . . you."

"Yay."

I stifle a giggle as Kyouichi-senpai approaches me. "Kokoro-san, your color is pink."

"Pink?" I stare at him with eager eyes. "Why's that?"

"Simple," he raises up a finger, "'Pink' represents girlhood, childhood, and innocenthood."

"I'm 13, dummy!" I pound against him with my fists. "Besides, you cheated; that last one isn't even a word."

He shakes his head with great sympathy. "I'm sorry, Kokoro-san, but your innate vocabulary is filled with false words."

He beams at all three of us, the proud look of a father in his eyes. "Together, you three shall be known as the Junior Scarves!"

"We're thirteen!"

"Damnit," he snaps his fingers. "I thought that was pretty good."

"And what's with these scarf things, anyway?" Uzuki wraps it twice more around her neck. "They look tacky."

"They're all the rage in Ikebukuro," he grins manically. "With your help, I shall become the most powerful man in Haramihama! And the best part is, no one be able to trace my identity."

"Otaku," Yae drones. "Look, I'll give you points for ambition, but if you think three 13 year old girls can get you fame and fortune, you're kidding yourself."

"Not at all," his smile becomes serene and mysterious, "after all, most of the people who become delinquents are rebellious, unattractive teenagers. You three, on the other hand, are the most adorable thirteen year olds in all of Japan."

"I'll bathe in a pig sty if you keep that 'adorable' crap up."

"Now, if you guys wanna change the name, you can. But it's gotta be cool," Kyouichi straightens his posture. "So, what ya got?"

"Hm . . . " Uzuki-chan still has no idea?

"I know!" I throw my hand up. "How about the 'Rainbow Scarves'?"

"That's either My Little Pony or gay."

Kyouichi's eyes glance upwards. "I think it's a little bit of both . . ."

Uzuki takes a deep breath. "How about 'Purple, Pink, and Green' scarves?"

"What?!" I yell. "That's gotta be the dumbest name I've ever heard!"

"No, wait,"

Kyouichi pulls us together. "That might actually work . . ."

"Great, Uzuki-chan's idiocy is contagious,"

"Hey-!"

"Strike a pose,"

"What?" Yae raises an eyebrow.

"Ya know, something cool and intimidating."

He jogs over to our position. "Let's see, all three of you cross your arms."

We follow his directions the best we can. Kyouichi looks more than a little skeptical.

"We're trying our best," I huff, stamping my foot on the ground. "It's not like any of us are supermodels."

"I'm sorry," he says, eyebrows sagging. "I just don't know how this'll turn out."

"Get on with it," Yae barks.

"Alright, alright," he wraps his hand around his chin like the bow on top of a Christmas present. "Kokoro, you go in between your friends."

"Yay!" I put on the biggest grin I can muster. "I knew I was the leader!"

"Speak for yourself," Yae groans, rolling her eyes.

"Uzuki-san, stand to her left at a profile angle. Yae, you do the same to her right."

He continues to scrutinize our attempts at following his directions. "Alright . . . Bare your teeth and scowl like you're all rabid baby boars."

Hey, I understood that reference!

Finally, the picture is complete. After a few minutes of contemplation, he titters in triumph.

"Perfect; you three are the most adorable color gang I have ever seen."

5:45 PM

Yuuki

"Well, that went better than I expected."

I stick my hands in my pockets as Sekai and I exit the building. The weird thing is, I'm being completely honest; aside from some awkward moments early on, I was actually able to have a good time, without worrying too much about the fact I was technically on my first date.

Well . . . I pat the phone in my pocket. That's mostly true.

Sekai nods earnestly. "I know, right? There were a couple early hang-ups, but I had a lot of fun."

"Yeah," I hide bottom lip behind my teeth. "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"Nah, you've done enough," she beams, "thanks for everything, Yuuki."

"'Yuuki'?" I chuckle. "I thought it was 'Yuuki-kun'."

"Well . . . " She stares up into the sky, beckoning the clouds to give her an answer. "If I had a boyfriend, I'd only use that honorific every now and then."

"That makes sense," I bow. "See you later, Sekai,"

"Bye, Yuuki."

She starts to jog away from me but stops before I can even turn away. "Actually, Yuuki?"

"Yeah?"

Walking back to my position, she claps her hands behind her back and looks up into my face.

I-is she . . .?

"S-sekai . . . "

She says nothing. In honest anticipation, I close my eyes . . .

But then—

"Have a safe trip home,"

Instead, a solid hold on my shoulders. My eyes fly open to meet her face; not a trace of red.

So, it was just . . . Yuuki, get a hold of yourself!

"Thanks," I back up and bow again. "You too,"

"Yeah,"

This time, she actually leaves, at a slightly faster pace than she exited before. After stroking a few sweat drops of my cheek, I make my way home as well.

She wasn't really gonna . . . Was she?

5:45 PM

Makoto

Damn.

Kotonoha escorts me out after her parents officially dismissed me. Somehow, the night feels colder and bleaker than I expected it to be.

'Course, why am I stating the obvious? I seriously underestimated Kotonoha's psycho mom and her yakuza boss of a father.

"Is something wrong?"

Those violet eyes bat fearfully at me.

"Nothing," My hand reaches for the back of my head as I deny her inquiry. "That was just a bit more . . . exhilarating than I was expecting it to be." Then again, maybe I should be thankful.

"I'm sorry my parents were so overbearing," she sighs, "you're not the first suitor who they've treated so poorly."

Glad to find out I'm nothing special. "It's no big deal; hey, I'm still in one piece, right?"

"Yeah," she giggles on instinct. "That's true,"

I set my eyes on her face for a moment. Sure enough, her features settle into a frightening scowl.

Eh?

"There is one thing I'm upset about, though."

I take a couple steps back. "What's that?"

She approaches me, plunging her index finger into my forehead. "It was very rude of you to look at my mother like that. Besides, I thought we were dating."

Where the hell did this mood swing come from?! "I-I'm really sorry about that. I just got so nervous that my mind raced in all different directions."

"You promise that's all it was?" She looks like she's on the verge of tears.

"Yes, I do!" I shake my head vigorously. "Just because I found your mom attractive, that . . . that doesn't mean I don't love you."

Kotonoha blushes, bringing a hand up to her cheek. "R-really . . . ?"

"Of course I do," I smile. "What's wrong with saying it if it's true?"

"Well, I . . . "She leans her head close to mine, eyes closed, lips pursed. I try to mimic her movements the best I can.

C'mon, Makoto . . . Don't screw this up.

"Aw, look at you love birds,"

Kokoro leans dreamily on her arms from the front porch. Our bodies retreat from each other so fast, our foreheads collide.

"Ouch," our cry is in unison, but my voice kind of overpowers her.

"You're supposed to quietly observe, Kokoro-chan!"

"What?" She shrugs. "What's wrong with offering my support?" She places her hand philosophically on her chest. "After all, this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship."