Bringing Down The House
Part One: Start the Party!
From the bits and pieces he'd seen of her, Ryota had never pegged Kirari as a party girl, so when he'd gotten the invitation in the mail it had come as quite the surprise on multiple levels. One, that Kirari was hosting a party at her beloved academy, and two, that he of all people had been invited to it. As a former house pet with no high-level connections and very little money to his name, saying Kirari and he were far apart was like saying being punched in the face stung a bit. This just didn't add up.
Naturally, the first thing he'd done afterward was call Yumeko, who'd given him her number shortly after they'd met. Even though she was a newcomer to the academy, she'd already made quite the mark on the place, so if Kirari was inviting anyone outside the former Student Council, she'd probably be near the top of the list.
She'd picked up on the second ring, punctual as always. "Hello, Ryota. What's up?"
Ryota didn't know how to phrase the question he really wanted to ask, so he just took a step in the right direction. "Did you get any mail today?"
"Yes, actually. Kirari invited me to some kind of party this weekend, if you can believe it," Yumeko said, which skipped the next three questions Ryota wanted to ask and just dove headlong into the conclusion. At the very least, it saved a lot of time.
"Apparently, I got invited as well," Ryota said. "Is this, like, an all-academy thing or is there something going on that I don't know about or…"
"I wouldn't worry, Ryota," Yumeko said. "If this turns out to be a trap of some kind, I'll figure out how to escape it. I've done it before, I can do it again."
The party being a trap of some kind wouldn't surprise Ryota that much; it fit Kirari's personality. Yumeko seemed chipper about it, but she was Yumeko, that was kind of her thing.
Then the lightbulb went off in Ryota's head. Yumeko probably wouldn't be of much help here, but maybe she'd be able to talk to someone who was. If they hadn't been invited, he would know that this was something to avoid, and if they had, he still might wind up avoiding it, but maybe he'd go just for the chance to be with Yumeko for a bit.
"Hey, would you mind calling someone about this? I'd just like to see who else is coming."
"Sure thing, Ryota," Yumeko said. "In fact, I can get Mary on the line right now. Hold on, just let me dial the number…"
Ryota almost told her to stop, but he bit back his nausea at the last second. Having been Mary's house pet for a time before Yumeko had bailed him out of that situation, talking to her on equal footing was still difficult even after Yumeko had either befriended her (or taken her under her wing, depending on who you asked). Ryota didn't know which and didn't care, because either one meant that as long as he stuck with Yumeko, Mary's fate would be intertwined with his.
Fortunately, Yumeko gained control of the conversation in a hurry, leaving Ryota to wait quietly in the background. The long and short of said conversation was that Mary had been invited as well, and from calls Mary had placed earlier, invites had also gone to every former member of the Student Council and everyone Midari had conscripted for the Beautification Committee at the very least. Either this was a trap on a scale he'd never seen before...
Or Kirari had just decided to host an all-out party for the sake of hosting an all-out party.
Ryota wasn't sure which of the two was scarier.
"Well, that settles that," Yumeko said once Mary had hung up. "I'd like to ask a question before I hang up, though: I'm planning to go. What about you?"
His brain was screaming "no," but before it caught up with his mouth, he heard himself say, "Yes, I'm going."
"That's great, Ryota! You want to meet outside the front gates before we go in?"
Well, he'd already backed himself into a corner. Sure, he could just retract his previous statement, but when Yumeko was involved, things tended to go screwy, and Ryota's common sense was no exception. "Sure."
"Well then, I'll see you there, Ryota. Don't have too much fun without me, okay?"
Then she hung up, leaving Ryota to make a noise that couldn't decide whether it wanted to be happy or sad, and thus just came out as a muddled and incoherent mess. A party for the rich and famous, even by Hyakkaou's standards, was not his scene, but he'd be willing to bear it if Yumeko was there.
Everything was better for him when she was around, after all.
Even while casually leaning on one of the black iron poles of the fence surrounding Hyakkaou Private Academy's lush, opulent grounds, Yumeko still had a keen eye surpassed by very few. Thus, it made sense that she spotted Ryota well before Mary did.
Whereas most students of Hyakkaou oozed confidence with every move, Ryota looked woefully out of place. He moved with the unsteady gait of a child half his age, eyes darting around like he expected someone to leap out of the bushes and try to strangle him. He carried a Tupperware container of something in one of his free hands, the contents being bumped around quite a bit by his motions. Once he locked eyes with Yumeko, though, he seemed to noticeably relax.
"Hello," Ryota said. "Ready for… this?"
"Of course I am," Yumeko said. "I love getting the chance to just let loose. It'll be fun!"
"For you, at least," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "The last time you let loose, Kaede had to go to the hospital. He still hasn't been discharged, by the way, so I doubt he's coming."
"Come on, Mary! Don't be such a cynic," Yumeko said. "This'll be a great experience. I can feel it in my bones. Let's go!"
Smile equipped and friends alongside her, she breached the entrance, striding forward towards the academy's opulent doors.
When they approached the front door, however, a girl sitting in a folding chair stood up and moved to block their way, flashing what appeared to be a badge of some kind. "Ayame Nureba, event security. May I please see your identification?"
Yumeko just kept her smile and brought hers out without complaint, while Ryota did the same without changing his expression. However, Mary giggled a bit as she brought hers out. "What are those badges made of, tin foil?"
"We had to make them on short notice," Ayame said, devoid of any and all emotion. "There's actual badges on the way but Midari screwed something up with the order and now they're not coming until next week."
"Good luck keeping order with that on your chest," Mary said, although Yumeko couldn't figure out whether that was sarcastic or not. She fished out her ID from her pocket, after which Ayame stepped aside and let them in without a word. The three of them left Ayame behind and proceeded inside before getting overwhelmed with a rush of vividly colored signs and arrows, all of them seeming to point in the direction of the cafeteria. Following the arrows, Yumeko passed by room after room after room until the threesome finally arrived at their destination.
Swinging open the door revealed a scene that was about what Yumeko expected. All the cafeteria tables had either been moved to the sides of the room's first floor or otherwise been stored, leaving a wide-open area in the center of the room that made for an excellent dance floor. Food and drink crowded the tables that remained, hosting a range of palates so wide that just on the first two tables of drinks, Yumeko spotted chocolate milk, diet soda, regular soda, lemon-garnished water, hot tea, iced coffee, and fruit punch. Off in one of the far corners was something that appeared to be a bar for those who wanted to drink something stronger, manned by a couple of students Yumeko hadn't met personally but no doubt knew who she was. Streamers and banners hung from the walls, stairs and even the ceiling in an assortment of vibrant colors that stopped just short of complete sensory overload, aided a bit by the somber music playing in the background.
A handful of the Student Council's former members had already arrived: Yuriko stepping her way through a traditional-looking dance (fitting for the leader of the Culture Club, she supposed), Yumemi doing a mic check on a makeshift stage, Midari hovering in everyone's peripheral vision as she watched over them with her good eye. Two massive speakers flanked Yumemi, the music playing from them quiet for now but likely to grow explosive. The party's mastermind was nowhere to be found, but chances were for a plan this big she'd reveal herself eventually.
"This is insane," Ryota said. "How'd she get all this set up so fast?"
Mary rolled her eyes again. "She's Kirari. What the hell do you expect? Here, if you throw enough money at a problem, eventually it gets solved."
"That probably explains all the alcohol," Ryota said. "Just asking, how long do you think we'll have to wait until some kind of drinking game starts?"
Mary smirked. "Probably as soon as Yumemi gets off the stage."
"Not cool," Yumeko said. "Let the poor girl have her fun! Plus, given how successful our last duet was, I wouldn't be surprised if I get called to the stage at some point."
She had a point there. Yumemi had broken into the music scene via Spotify, which she tended to use to judge how marketable each of her songs was via their view count. When she'd posted her duet with Yumeko (after asking permission, of course), it had racked up views faster than anything she'd ever posted there. Everything except the first song she'd ever posted had already been eclipsed, and the day neared when even that would fall victim.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hit the dance floor for a bit," Yumeko said. "Anyone want to join me?"
Mary and Ryota both declined, after which Yumeko sauntered her way toward Yuriko, whose face went about three different shades of red upon seeing the dance floor's newest occupant. Looking back, she saw Mary move toward one of the snack platters with a plate, while Ryota just walked to the side of the room opposite from where Midari was now standing and leaned against the wall.
The party promised to get wild later in the night, but for the time being, it was just her, Yuriko, and some soft music playing in the background. Without a word, Yumeko began dancing along with the music. The dance was one of her own design, loose and free.
For now, at the very least, she was at peace.
Kirari and Ririka hadn't stepped foot downstairs yet, but that was to come soon.
They needed to run a final inspection on what they'd done first. In the past hour or so, they'd managed to put together several gambling-related party games together, Sayaka, Runa, and Inaho doing what they could to help. Kirari figured that even if these gambles didn't have the capability to shuffle the standings around that much, at the very least it would disperse the partygoers a bit to make things more manageable.
Sayaka had been working in another room for a while, but now she pushed open the door to the room Kirari had just finished, ready to give her report. "Everything's ready. I'm willing to be the blackjack dealer, and the slot machines are up and running with appropriate pricing and odds."
"Excellent," Kirari said. "We've got some poker tables set up in the other room. I contracted some house pets to monitor them in exchange for reducing their debt a bit. Roulette wheel is working fine as well, I tested it myself. Runa asked if she could manage that and I'm not going to refuse her there."
The two of them turned to face Ririka. She'd taken off her mask once she'd gotten here so she could see better, but now that it had become clear their work here was done she'd put it back on, obscuring her face behind its cheap plastic once more.
As evidenced by what happened next, she could still talk just fine. "Should we announce to the others that this is an available option?"
"Of course," Kirari said. "Plus, I might as well check out how things are going."
Hosting a party like this, especially on school grounds, had been a gamble in and of itself. Securing the funds needed to set everything up wasn't the problem; money was never a problem for a Momobami. Getting the alcohol onto the premises wasn't either, although that did present the possibility for her being on the hook if someone from Hyakkaou got arrested for underage intoxication. She could handle that if it came up, though. Even getting the slot machines and poker tables hadn't been a problem: she'd commissioned Itsuki for the task, and with a combination of help from her father's company and the girl's own artistic talents, she had not disappointed.
No, the problem lay in what was to come from this. Alcohol and teenagers rarely mixed well, but if things went the way she hoped she'd have plenty of new information to go around. Drunk people often did things they regretted later, after all. However, if that extended to anything beyond words, it'd lead to an embarrassing story down the line at best and a mass trip to the hospital at worst.
She didn't intend to drink, though. For that reason alone, she was willing to take that chance.
As she emerged onto the second floor of the cafeteria, Ririka and Sayaka trailing behind her, she took in the party scene from above. She saw Yumemi dazzling with another one of her infectious songs, causing everyone in her official fan club (and many people who weren't) to dance along, sing along, or both at the same time. She saw Midari standing off in a corner with a glass of something in her right hand, leaving her signature pistol to dangle loosely from her left. She saw some of the quieter types, Ryota and Nanami among them, attempting to engage in awkward small talk in between bites of hor d'oeuvres. She even saw Mary, who appeared to be taking a quick break from the festivities to check her phone for some reason.
She did not see Yumeko, but that didn't surprise her. Sometimes it felt like the universe bent over backward to accommodate that girl. She probably sensed something was wrong from a mile away.
Kirari had no problems with that. She liked a challenge. Yumeko provided one. Everything worked out in the end.
After Sayaka finished whatever her song of the moment was, Kirari managed to catch her eye in the brief intermission between that song and the next, meaning Kirari could stride over and commandeer the microphone with minimal interference apart from a few dispersed groans from Yumemi's fan club.
"Before the show continues, I would like to make a few announcements," Kirari said, drinking in the attention the audience gave her. "First, there are now several gambling rooms open for those who wish to partake. However, please leave all food and drink downstairs at the tables: Itsuki put a lot of hard work into creating the tables and games and I don't want her work to be spoiled."
Itsuki, standing nearby while casually munching on a dumpling, took a bow to a round of polite applause. Once that concluded, Kirari pressed forward with her speech.
"I'd also like to thank all of the students who helped me put all of this together. Their help was invaluable to bringing everything you see right now to life."
More polite applause. She couldn't tell whether it came from their positive impression of everything that had happened or if they simply didn't want her to chew them out, but she also didn't care. Their opinion meant little for her pet project, after all.
"Last, but most certainly not least, the bar is now open and being manned. If you wish to order a drink, you may only order another after you finish or otherwise dispose of the one in front of you, but unless you become a danger to yourself or others, there are no strict limits on the number you can order before you leave. That's all I have to say. Enjoy the party, and I thank you for your attendance."
To the surprise of no one, a final round of applause occurred as she walked off the stage. Maybe she was pushing her luck by not controlling the alcohol all that strictly, but one, Midari and her crewmates were responsible for security, not her, and two, no one here, not even Yuriko, was old enough to drive yet. Plus, while she guessed that a good chunk of the people here had at least practiced driving, their families had enough money to hire drivers to get them places, or at the very least send them a taxi. Unless someone died of alcohol poisoning on the premises (and she presumed that everyone here had the good sense to stop well before that point), chances were everything would be fine.
As she sat down at the table to scan the rooms for the house pets she'd planted as moles, Yumemi reclaimed the microphone, and made an announcement that seemed expected to everyone except Kirari. "Could Yumeko please come to the stage?"
Suddenly, the crowd around the stage seemed to churn for a few seconds before spitting Yumeko out, the girl looking as lovely as ever. She almost skipped up to Yumemi, beaming from ear to ear like she'd just emptied a Vegas casino.
"Thank you for this opportunity, Yumemi," Yumeko said, all smiles. Her eyes bore little of the intensity Kirari knew raged beneath her beautiful exterior at the moment, but maybe it would come out with a song. Just maybe.
Yumemi shouted, "Now who's ready for another performance from the Dreaming Creaming Sisterz?"
Most of the crowd cheered, the noise so loud Kirari wished for ear plugs for a moment. Then, as if synced up by some invisible cue (which Kirari wouldn't have put past them, given the circumstances) the speakers started blasting the opening music for "I'll Blackjack You" at top volume, very nearly causing Kirari to go deaf, before the two of them started singing along, most of the crowd mimicking their motions as they clapped and cheered.
Kirari stayed seated through the first iteration of the chorus, then rose and slipped away, the crowd not seeming to notice the newly-created space where she'd been. As she entered the hall and shut the door behind her, the noise almost seemed to stop, the flimsy barrier between it and her apparently having a similar noise-canceling factor of one of the Momobami mansion's specially-made soundproof rooms. Before long, though, she found her real target: a nondescript room in a nondescript hallway that largely went unused, even during the day. That, fortunately for Kirari, was by design.
She threw open the door, revealing a room that resembled a teacher's lounge. A small television had been placed on top of a bleached-white shelf sticking out of the far wall, facing a sofa big enough for three and a triad of chairs. A fridge and a microwave sat next to each other on a simple wooden table, each of them ready to be used at a moment's notice. It was simple, but it solved the problem it was meant to just fine.
This room, repurposed from a largely-unused classroom, had been another one of Kirari's pet projects that she'd overseen almost as soon as she became Student Council President. Whenever a council member or student of similar rank had needed a break from class or just life in general, they could come here and have some time for themselves. The faculty were forbidden from entering this room under threat of their jobs, and while lower-ranking students no doubt knew what it was they didn't enter either except under direct orders from Kirari.
Now, its sole occupant was her. Kirari sank into the sofa, a drink in one hand and a snack in the other, and flicked on the television. Instead of the trashy drama or news that one might have expected, the television instead displayed footage of the room from some cameras she'd set up beforehand in split-screen to relay both the audio and visuals of all the oblivious partygoers straight to her. With these, even if her house pets couldn't get the job done, she certainly could.
Smiling wide, she bit down on her rice cake, its sharp crunch breaking the silence.
"And now, the gamble can really begin."
Author's Notes:
-Thanks for giving this humble little work of mine a shot! It's not going to be too long: I originally planned this as a one-shot, but it was getting too unwieldy for that so I broke it up into three parts. Thus, Part One is complete, and Part Two is most of the way there. I hope to see you back for that, and once more, thank you for reading!