Sweet Dreams, Beautiful Scarlet
Along the brightly lit white corridors of the hospital, Daisuke led the way, followed by Tera, along ith Mei and Reika side by side, and Suzune watching everyone's back. Reika let out a loud burp, prompting groans from everyone in reply. The smell of kimchi and kalbi rapidly flooded the surroundings.
Mei commented: "Oof, you could murder someone with that dragon breath."
"Shhh, that's my secret weapon," whispered Reika, putting her finger on Mei's lips.
The walking crew turned a corner to take another corridor. They noticed a teenage girl standing in front of a door like a statue, staring through its window. She wore a black dress with a matching black ribbon contrasting with her purple hair, purple eyes and purple teddy bear, which she was hugging tightly.
Daisuke interrupted the moment of silence the girl was having: "Murasaki (紫)? Long time no see."
Murasaki slowly turned around with a perplexed face: "Who... who are you?"
"Your sister's teacher, and hopefully, your teacher next year," he said, attempting to reassure her.
Murasaki leaned forward and sniffed the teacher. Her eyes widened as her face expressed fear.
"That smell... I... I'm scared," she cried.
She was about to have a panic attack, her breathing increasing in intensity.
A feminine voice echoed from around the corner: "Murasaki? Where are you?"
Murasaki's temper went back to normal, recognizing her mother's voice: "Bebeby... let's go home... together."
Murasaki bolted from her standing spot, bumping into Daisuke in the process.
"Hey there," greeted Mei, along with a hand wave and a smile, which Murasaki merely ignored as she circumvented the group.
The four ladies turned their head to observe the teenage girl disappear into the hall. Daisuke looked through the window to scan the hospital room: a pink curtain, clearly distinct from the white wall painting and the white sink in the entrance, was surrounding a bed. He took the initiative and slowly opened the door, stepping carefully into the room.
"Imu?" he asked.
"Master Daisuke?"
Imu promptly swept the curtain away, revealing her peach tinted face, dark green eyes and messy light brown hair standing out from her white gown with blue dots.
"Imu! It's good to see you!" he cheered.
She squinted as her blurry vision prevented her from properly identifying her guests, getting her to turn around and grab her oval glasses on the small wooden desk next to her bed. She took a moment to put them and turned her head again, right as her three classmates crowded the small room.
"Aww, you're all here for me!" she squealed, moved by the committee.
Her classmates smiled and greeted her as they entered the room. The pack surrounded her bed in a matter of seconds, prompting her to twist her head around to identify each one of its members.
Reika wondered: "You seem fine for a girl recovering from a surgery. What happened to you?"
Imu sketched the pattern of her gigantic wound on her gown, her finger going from her sternum down to just under the navel in irregular motion.
Mei asked as she put her hands to her mouth and nose: "Woah, what could have done that?"
"Hum, I don't think I should talk about this..." said Imu, concerned..
Daisuke took the lead from this point: "A battle gone wrong, very wrong."
Imu turned her head to fixate him: "Master Daisuke, Is Miyabi doing fine? Has Miyabi recovered? Where is Miyabi?"
As Imu became worried, he giggled as he was about to comment her devotion to her best friend.
"Room 382," interrupted the principal of Hebijo, standing behind the students, as everyone turned their head towards him.
"Is Miyabi alright?" Imu asked.
"She's... she's still in a coma, but she's alive," he replied with a sigh of relief and distress.
"I believe in Miyabi! She should make it!" claimed Imu, her heart beating stronger at the thought of Miyabi.
Her words barely managed to convince her best friend's father, the same sorrow drawn across his face.
Daisuke set to visit the other patient, but not before putting a hand on Imu's shoulder: "Now, if you don't mind, I'll go check her. I'll come back, don't worry."
Imu nodded before turning her attention to her classmates. Daisuke left the room to join the principal heading towards Miyabi's room. Not a single word left their mouths as they walked down the bright and lifeless alleys. Upon reaching room 381, they saw Suzune, whose eyes were closed, her hands idling in an awkward pattern in front of her torso. Her head turned to face the two guests as she opened her eyes.
"What were you doing?" asked Daisuke, smelling a bit of suspiciousness.
"I was just scanning her qi, don't worry," reassured Suzune.
Everyone turned their attention to the unconscious body, covered in tubes and cables all over her gown. Her scruffy short black hair covered most of her forehead, whereas a single white hair streak fell on her nose, standing out from her lightly tanned skin. Her shining golden eyes with snake pupils were hidden by her shut eyelids, sealing her spirit away from the world around her.
"It seems she is well-aware of her surroundings, but cannot interact with her environment," asserted Suzune. She looked frightened. "And her mind... it's clouted. I've never seen that before."
"What's the meaning of this?" asked Daisuke.
"She can feel our presence, but her conscience is pretty much the only active part of her brain."
Daisuke figured out: "Give her some time, it's been two days since the accident. Maybe you—"
"I would like to remind you, this is my daughter we're talking about, not some dissected corpse in front of a medicine class," reminded the authority figure.
The teachers traded glances and grimaces.
Suzune asked: "Can I pay her another visit someday?"
Daisuke added: "I'd take one too, anytime."
The principal answered her subordinates: "Well then, I suggest you plan ahead: we can't just swarm in and out of the hospital for a patient in a coma without looking suspicious."
As the last words escaped his mouth, the principal stepped out of the room, looking in the halls.
"Imu can save the day again: we can still see her. Is that correct?" demanded Daisuke.
The father turned his head, daring the man who just exposed his own trick: "Don't even think about it."
At the square glass table, Mei sat on the side facing the television, an empty cushion on her right. Suzune sat at Mei's left, on the adjacent side. Daisuke's cushion directly faced Suzune, whereas Tera sat at the right of the overseer.
A pair of chopsticks, a chopstick rest, a large plate, a small bowl, a bamboo doily, a napkin folded in the shape of a snake and a cup of soy sauce were elegantly placed for every seat at the table. A bountiful bowl of rice caught the attention of everyone around the feast, dominating the centre of the table, surrounded by more modest bowls of miso, tsukemono, and natto along with a bottle of soy sauce. A metallic insert and a candle awaited impatiently for a large hot pot of sukiyaki, which Daisuke finally brought to the table.
"Reika! Dinner's ready!" he announced.
Reika, at her computer with her headphones on her ears, too busy browsing on the Internet, did not reply. Daisuke sat on his cushion before calling the geek another time.
"Reika!"
The culprit, seemingly bothered by the interruption, ripped the headphones off her scalp and starred at her teacher with a dead stare before realizing it was dinnertime. She quickly got up to rush to the last empty cushion at the table and picked up the remote controller to turn on the television. The evening news report was about to start.
Everyone adopted a praying stance and bowed before exclaiming: "Let's eat!"
Tera and Daisuke fought over the majority of the beef slices, leaving only a handful out of sheer politeness for the others. Suzune filled her plate with rice and covered it with natto. Mei imitated her teacher in her plate composition. Reika poured a mountain of rice on her plate and instantly soiled it with a rain of soy sauce directly from the bottle. She added two pieces of beef to the mess. The miso bowl was pillaged by everyone at the table, as were the tsukemono plate, the rice bowl and what was left of the tsukiyaki.
Mei interrupted the zen moment: "Master Daisuki, I can't believe there is no fugu!"
Everyone looked at the goofy girl with disbelief.
"Master Suzume (雀先生) has her natto. Tera and you have grilled meat. Even Reika has vanilla ice cream for later – I found the box in the grocery bag. I'm the only one without their favourite food for dinner. It's not fair!" Mei was on the verge of crying as she ranted.
Reika spoke on behalf of everyone: "You're the only one who likes this nasty shit."
Mei instantly going back to a peppy mood, cheered: "But, it tastes so good! And the feeling of being closer to Death for a moment, so great!"
The television screen showed a portrait of a young woman brightly smiling, wearing a yellow dress contrasting with her olive green eyes and jet black hair. Her physical information appeared next to the picture. The television warned the eaters of the alarming situation:
A hostess working for the Crown cabaret club in Kōtōbashi has been reported missing earlier today: Akane Fukumoto (福本茜), aged 19, was last seen by her manager and colleagues yesterday. They alerted the authorities after she did not show up to work and none of her acquaintances could contact her. The Metropolitan Police asks the help of the population to locate this person.
Daisuke looked at Reika and poked fun at her: "Were you on the prowl again last night? It might explain why you got up so late today."
Reika was infuriated by the gratuitous accusation. She shouted as she pointed her chopsticks at the procurator: "That's not funny! You know that?"
Daisuke flipped his chopsticks to put them on Reika's and lower them, politely reminding her of her bad table etiquette.
Tera took part in the discussion: "Reika-san, it was just a joke. Besides, don't you think it was at least a legitimate question after you plastered your face on the national media?"
"I wasn't talking to you, biggie (鬼 / oni)!" fuelled Reika on the heated discussion, her chopsticks targeting the Elite leader, just like her eyes.
"What did you just call me, you little imp (餓鬼 / gaki)?" politely asked Tera, eager at the opportunity to discipline her subordinate once more.
Two slaps flew at the table, painfully hitting the two girls' shoulders as the loud and sudden sound crushed their conversation.
"Take your disputes somewhere else than at the table," ordered Daisuke, his arms still extended, imitating a meditation pose as he took a deep breath to calm down.
Tera, feeling ashamed, immediately bowed her head with remorse on her face: "My apologies."
Reika followed suit, rubbing her shoulder: "I'm sorry."
The news report transitioned to a bald tanned man swarmed by a flock of microphones, each tagged with a media outlet. His face traits, notably his thick black eyebrows matching his eyeglasses and his large lips, detailed an otherwise tall and hefty body hidden in a pitch black tuxedo and bright white shirt, an appropriate suit for the pictured press conference.
"Look, it's Kasha (華奢)!" exclaimed Mei.
Everyone turned their attention to the television. They recognized a consultant and interviewer for Hebijo that seldom visited the campus, though the three students at the table, all interviewed by someone else, never had the opportunity to chat with him. For the commoner, the Hebijo employee was known as Taishin Mutō (武藤太信), a senior official working for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and former real estate agent.
His announcement concerned a redevelopment plan for a neighbouring slum. The plan, spearheaded by the Tairō Corporation (大狼財閥), had long been promoted by the media and politicians of the Ministry and, just recently, all the paperwork was signed and approved by the involved parties, consisting of the Ministry and the Corporation.
As the proud official ended his speech and gave the mic to the media, a journalist questioned him: "Mister Mutō (武藤さん), there are already rumours about the involvement of the underworld in this project. Could you please confirm or deny the rumours?"
The official answered: "Please listen, I am well aware that there has been numerous occasions that involved mysterious actors in public projects, and it might seem it is bound to happen this time as well, considering we rise from the ashes of a global economic crisis and the government, running short on funds, privatize so many government properties, but be reassured: I am confident that the project is in good hands and I trust President Tairō (大狼社長 / Tairō-shachō) will display transparency with his plans."
"Do you think Hebijo is involved in it?" asked Suzune in English.
"Quit it, Reika understands us," rebuked Daisuke in the same language.
"What does 'Hey bye Joe' have to do with it?" wondered Reika, failing to connect the dots across the language barrier.
"Tch, nothing as far as we know," pretended Daisuke, who grinned in relief as he realized he dodged a bullet. He turned his head to talk to Suzune again, this time in Mandarin: "Wo bu zhidao, xuyao diaocha nage."
Suzune merely shook her head as she did not understand like everybody else.
"Oh, I didn't know you could speak Cantonese, Master Daisuki," complimented a silly Mei.
"Can we start feeling at home now?" requested Tera, tired of the foreign languages flying around her head.
Daisuke and Suzune sighed as everyone at the table kept their silence.
"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have brought that topic in the first place," apologized Daisuke.
Mei, wanting to bring back a warm mood at the table, wondered as she was confused by a previous statement: "What did they mean by 'underworld'?"
Tera commented: "He could mean the shinobi or..." She quickly munched on a beef slice before completing her sentence: "The yakuza."
Mei looked at Tera, interested by her reasoning.
"But, do not worry: he did not mean ghosts and the world of the dead" the Elite leader said with a silly tone to reassure her scatterbrained underling.
Reika furthered the interrogation: "So, you're saying the yakuza might have a part in it?" She smirked, dropping her chopsticks on their rest, and leaned forward to rest her head on a hand, her shoulder posed on the table: "You seem to know a lot about that, – Elder Sister – Tera."
"Indeed. They still have their hands in a lot of high-profile dossiers. They reached as far as Okinawa last year over a failed resort deal, and they are still operating next door: Majima Construction (真島建設), the company currently building Kamurochō Hills (神室町ヒルズ), is actually a Family front."
Mei looked amazed once more: "Woah, really? What about your family, Big Sis Tera (手等姉 / Tera-nē)? Does it also have big assets?"
"Unfortunately, no; the Tsuchiya Family of the Tōjō Clan (東城会直系土屋組) has always stuck to dealing with loan sharking and pest control."
Reika followed: "Anyway, my question is: are the yakuza involved in it or not?"
Tera thought for a moment before answering: "Hmm, the Tōjō have not meddled much in real estate since the years of the bubble; with the Ueno Seiwa Clan (上野誠和会) now gone and the Ōmi Alliance (近江連合) mostly contained in Kansai, it is very unlikely. Besides, I have not heard about anything coming from the Clan, Captain Shimazaki (島崎の頭) not being the type of person who hides their activity away from me."
"So, Big Sis Tera, with all that said, that leaves the shinobi?" wondered Mei.
Daisuke carefully put his chopsticks on their rest, placed his elbows on the table, acting as a bipod for his hands holding his chin, and stared at the questioner with a grin. Mei, noticing her teacher's posture shift, looked back at him, prompting a silent duel of glares.
"What's wrong, Master Daisuki?" she wondered, forgetting she mentioned the shinobi official in the first place.
"Do you even listen to yourself sometimes?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"What do you mean by – Aah!" she quipped as she realized her idiocy.
She held her head with her hands, feeling stupid. Everyone else at the table laughed as Reika pat her classmate on the right shoulder.
"Good night everyone!" cheered Mei, tucked in her futon.
"Good night!" replied her two classmates, also in their futons laid out next to Mei's.
The improvised dining room was now turned into an improvised dormitory: the glass table, the cushions and the couch were put away to make place for the futons on the purple rug. Reika and Tera laid on their flanks, facing opposite directions, whereas Mei imitated a defunct by sleeping on her back, her hands resting on her guts.
Reika unsheathed her flip phone from her futon and opened it. She scrolled through the menu before picking up a prepaid mobile phone plan flyer, also coming from her futon. Her attention diverted again to her phone, an antenna icon confirming that she now had mobile signal.
Her phone, on mute, began to vibrate. Startled, she quipped as "Private number calling" was displayed on screen. She hesitated a bit before answering.
"Hello, who is it?" she whispered.
"Reika-san, go to sleep," ordered the unamused caller.
The futon behind her moved. Reika turned around in panic, facing her senior classmate with her phone on her ear.
"Who gave you my new number?" murmured Reika.
"Boss (親父 / Oyaji) did," hissed Tera.
"Stop playing games, you two," requested Suzune from afar.
Tera turned her head towards the opened window near Daisuke's desk. Noticing Daisuke's everyday shirt on his chair, she peeked outside the window to the right and spotted Daisuke, two steps away from the window frame, wearing only his black pants and smoking on the roof as the cigarette on his right hand revealed,.
"If I catch you smoking on campus grounds again, I'll have to give you a detention," scolded Suzune with a sarcastic tone.
Daisuke rapidly turned his head in surprise, unexpectedly blowing the smoke in the monitor's face.
"Ugh, you're disgusting!" complained Suzune, fanning the smoke with a hand as she coughed.
"Crap, forgive me. Don't threaten me with a good time like that next time."
Suzune snickered. She put a hand on the window frame and threw her heels off to jump on the roof. She hesitated as she made a first step. Daisuke extended his left arm to help her, which she gladly grabbed.
"Thank you," she acknowledged as she stretched before sitting down next to him.
The teachers looked at the urban landscape from a unique perspective. Both the floor and the ceiling were sprinkled with dots of light, the energy of the city and the power of the stars making pathways leading to the void straight ahead.
"Like the sightseeing tour?" she wondered.
"Incredibly satisfying to watch," he confirmed before taking another puff. He continued as he exhaled: "It makes for quite a change from the previous campus."
Suzune's attention turned to Daisuke's upper body. Despite the moonlight providing the only radiant source of light, Suzune could identify the irezumi standing out of his desecrated back: at the height of the rib cage, a crimson lotus spanned the width of his back. A black mamba, wrapped around the stem, had its tail trailing along the spine and its head standing above the flower, staring at anyone daring to backstab its bearer with a mouth wide open, its fangs fiercely displayed, ready to punish the coward.
"Wow, it's beautiful," complimented Suzune.
"Glad you enjoy the place too," remarked Daisuke.
"Ah, huh..."
He turned his head to scan for his admirer's eyeballs, noticing they were set on his spaculae.
"Huh, didn't know you found scars and burns pretty. What a weird fetish you have," he shrugged.
"Idiot, I'm talking about your irezumi." she said as she softly slapped the back of his head. "It's the first time I see it."
"You don't see me naked often either," he joked.
"I thought you would have told me about this way sooner than after five years of acquaintance," she said, a bit disappointed.
Daisuke crushed his cigarette in his palm before flicking it away with two fingers.
"About that, it won't be for today, or, rather," he said before whispering next: "not around Tera."
Suzune spun her head and threw a glance at the window, quickly returning her attention to her friend.
"It's fine, she should be sleeping," she reassured him.
Daisuke stood up and reached for the window frame: "Should, yes. Does she, though?" He leaned in towards Suzune: "I taught her all the dirty tricks in the book. She's now a big girl when it comes to spying, blackmail and extortion."
"Now, the big girl – should – know not to spy on her teachers' conversations as well," she pointed out.
Tera, having eavesdropped on the entire dialogue from her futon, squinted and clenched her teeth in rancour of her "captain" who just called her out. She turned her back to the window.
Daisuke whispered to Suzune before hopping into the castle: "Good night, Suzune."
"Good night," she replied.