To Zing or Not To Zing
Chapter Two: Ignored
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
-Aldous Huxley
xxXxx
Haru made a violent faceplant against stiff white fabric. It would have been painless if it weren't for that pesky chalkboard behind it.
"Yoshioka!" Juno-sensei fumed as everyone in class started laughing.
"S-sorry!" Haru managed to gasp, hurriedly standing up from where she had fallen. Her head felt dazed from the impact, and she had to lean against the teacher's desk to stand upright.
"Detention," he informed her coldly while pointing at her seat.
"Fair," she agreed in a heartbeat, stumbling back to her place by the window in the dimly lit classroom. 'You idiot! You know better than to look up!'
This was the third time this week that a teacher's laser pointer had led to detention. She bit her lower lip angrily and kept her eyes downcast for the rest of the class. It was a bit hard to write accurate notes without looking up at the map, but it wasn't worth getting tempted by that little red dot again.
Her face was still red with humiliation when it was finally lunchtime and the light was turned back on. Haru's hand dived for her bento box, but she took a few seconds to rip out the ice pack and hold it against the side of her face that had collided against the map.
"Finals stress finally catching up to you?" Hiromi asked sympathetically as she unwrapped a sandwich.
"You caught me," Haru managed to agree with a weak smile, since she wasn't about to argue with such a believable excuse. 'I guess I should be grateful everyone's under stress right now. My symptoms aren't even the strangest thing going around the school right now.'
"You know what?" Hiromi asked after swallowing a mouthful of her lunch. "I always assumed you wouldn't be one of the ones who'd crack. I mean, you literally have bombs to take the edge off."
That made Haru happily reminisce about how many she had set off in the Cat Kingdom last month. "I won't deny they help with the stress," she answered while trying not to sound too pleased with herself. "But there are some problems that even bombs can't solve."
Hiromi's mischievous olive eyes flickered to the other side of the classroom before grinning. "Like Machida?"
Haru's heart beat unsteadily in her chest, but she shook her head firmly. 'I need to get over him. He has a dog.' "Actually… I should… not worry about boys right now. Especially if I keep embarrassing myself in front of them."
Hiromi nodded but with a trace of disappointment in her features. "Have you thought about getting a set of handcuffs and cuffing yourself to the leg of your chair?"
"I'll keep that one in reserve," Haru promised, although she'd prefer something softer than a shackle if she had to be restrained. 'What about a belt around my waist and the chairback? That should at least make it more difficult to get into a pouncing position, which should snap me back to my-"
A tiny sound hit against her window, as if someone had thrown a pebble. Haru automatically turned her head to the courtyard below to see what could have caused it. Her large brown eyes widened in surprise and slight fear.
It was another cat. Why did it always have to be a cat?!
But at least this wasn't the sort that was likely to be affiliated with the royal pain, since he was clearly as tall as a human, and dressed in a light grey tuxedo with a blue bow tie. In one hand, he had a surprisingly lovely bouquet of coral roses.
His golden eyes lit up when they locked with Haru's, and he started waving for her to come down.
'It's almost sad that his outfit is more appealing than he is.' Haru couldn't resist a shudder, but then Hiromi started retching.
"Ugh, I can't believe this! The shame of that cat monster, trying to pick me up in the middle of school!"
Haru started just before realizing that Hiromi was directly in front of her. Her best friend thought that the cat was here for her! Well, if that would help keep suspicions down, why not?
Since the brunette wasn't in the mood to deal with another proposal or even cats at the moment, Haru quickly ripped a page out of a notebook and wrote in big kanji 'No Thanks'. "Hold this up to the window for him," she suggested while handing the paper to her friend.
"You're the best," Hiromi gushed when she saw the words, indeed pressing it up to the window like a mini poster while shaking her head.
Haru didn't look to see the cat's reaction as she opened her own bento. 'It's too bad. If he had left the tux and flowers at home, he might have been able to talk me into speaking with him.'
Going through regular puberty had been a cake walk compared to monster puberty. At least with the usual 'you're growing up' speech, she had least had a bit of warning about what was coming, and how to prepare for it.
Suddenly becoming part cat? All she had to work with was second-hand sources from pet books and the internet, though it was good to know in advance that she couldn't sleep over at Hiromi's until after her mother's garden died for the winter.
'It's absolutely silly to believe that lilies are toxic to cats,' she inwardly fumed, still trying to think up excuses in advance when the offer inevitably came.
Hiromi started cackling evilly. "Look, Takima-sensei is reaming him out for being on school property! This is just too good!"
Haru risked a look around a sushi roll and couldn't resist a wicked smile of her own at seeing the grey cat try to protest his case, but still giving way to the old school counselor as she started shooing him off the school courtyard with wildly flapping arms. 'Note to self; bring her lemon bars tomorrow.'
Although it was silly and shallow, Haru had a much easier time enjoying her lunch and focusing for her next two classes.
ooOoo
"Hey, Haru!"
The schoolgirl was nearly to her detention period by the time the freshman caught up to her.
He was a young boy with an earnest face that she couldn't remember the name of, but she had seen him enough times around the school. What upset her, was what he was gripping with one hand as he leaned over his knees to gasp for breath.
"Would you mind doing me a small favor?" she asked him politely while he was still bent over. "I'd appreciate it if you took those roses back to the cat that gave them to you, and inform him that… I'd like to focus on schoolwork for now."
He looked up at her with surprise. "I thought… for sure… you'd think they were from me," he managed to pant between unsteady breaths.
Haru bit back a laugh. "He tried to talk to me earlier today, and I'm pretty sure I know what about. Would you please forward my message when you get your strength back?"
He nodded shakily before leaning against the wall. "You took that a lot better than I thought you would."
Haru smiled again at him before continuing to detention. She had to literally bite on her tongue to keep from saying 'this isn't the first time a cat's tried to hit on me'.
ooOoo
The brunette knew it was strange, but she actually enjoyed detention. It was a great time to work on her homework and, if there was enough time, write notes and improvements on future formulas. Such a shame that the school's chemistry club was too sexist to admit her, because she doubted that calling detention her extracurricular activity was going to look good on any college applications.
'They probably didn't want to be outdone by a girl,' she couldn't resist thinking with a wicked smile as she made adjustments in one of her measurements. 'Or they didn't want to be roped into helping me clean up after the fun part's over.' Once again, she wondered if she could support herself with an online show of using her bombs. She sighed happily at the thought of reaching an audience that could appreciate a well-thought out 'boom' the way she did.
In the middle of planning out an introductory speech for an episode, the bell sounded. Indicating that clubs and detention were done for the day. Haru swept her books into one arm, grabbed her pencils with the other hand, and met Hiromi at the lockers as usual.
"How was lacrosse practice?" Haru asked while switching out her shoes.
"Terrible," Hiromi growled while slamming a fist to close her locker. "That cat monster showed up and kept trying to coax me into coming over to the fence to talk to him. Thankfully another teacher ran him off, but this is getting ridiculous!"
'Featherweight,' Haru couldn't resist thinking affectionately. 'He probably wanted her to introduce us.' "Why don't we take a different route home? Just in case he's hanging around the front of the school?"
"I love the way you think," Hiromi agreed in a heartbeat, following her friend's lead when Haru chose a path that didn't have windows to give them away.
They eventually slipped out of a door that was normally used for teachers to reach their cars but managed to run before one could ask about their suspicious behavior.
'I guess it was too much to hope for, that being part cat was the only after-effect of the Cat Kingdom,' Haru ruefully concluded as she walked beside her friend.
"I mean, I know I'm cute and all, but a cat monster? No thanks! What if he's a bakeneko or a nekomata?" Hiromi lamented as they took a seldom-used path.
"His tail wasn't split, so not a nekomata," Haru reminded her, still lost in her own thoughts. 'It's too bad he clearly wants a date. It'd be nice to have someone to ask about being a cat monster.' "Bakenekos would be more interested in eating you than dating you as well."
Hiromi shuddered at both options as her fists clenched. "Haru, I know that I've said you're too crazy with your bombs but go ahead and blow him up if he comes near me again."
"I'll make you a bubble gum bomb instead," Haru offered with a small smile. "That should give you plenty of time to get away if I'm not around, and no one has to die."
"That works, too," she agreed, though she quickly grabbed two fistfuls of her own strawberry blonde hair with a shiver. "You perfected the formula this time? No going off before I throw it?"
"It's safe this time," Haru promised with a laugh, nodding her head at the back of the apartment building on the left. "So are you. See you tomorrow."
"Hopefully with no cat," Hiromi groaned, stealing a quick hug before leaping over a fence to reach a door she could open.
Haru kept walking since it was a good four blocks before reaching her own home. She took in a deep breath of the fresh early summer air, wishing that her school allowed students to get jobs over the upcoming break. The Cat Kingdom incident had nearly cleaned out her store of ready-made bombs, so it wouldn't hurt to get a little money saved up for new supplies.
"Haru-san?" an unfamiliar low voice asked from behind her, making the schoolgirl stop in her tracks. The tone was almost a nervous purr.
She couldn't resist a groan of frustration as one hand raised to her forehead, not wasting the energy to turn around. "Look, buddy. I'm pretty sure I've already made it clear that I'm not interested. I'm stressed out enough trying to keep up with school and home. Please leave me alone."
"Will you at least look at me?" the cat demanded, running past her in order to look her in the eye.
So Haru looked him in the eye. "I'm flattered but still not interested. Did you hear me that time?"
The tall grey feline took in a calming breath before trying again, offering her the coral roses with both padded hands.
Haru backed away from them like it was a bouquet of snakes. "Are you deaf?!" she demanded as her flesh crawled in horror. "I just dealt with this, you really think I want anything to do with cats right now?!"
"But I'm not one of those cats!" he protested desperately. "There's a huge difference between regular cats and werecats!"
"Oh? Because I'm not seeing it," she retorted, giving him a wide berth as she walked around him, briefly stepping onto the street in order to do so. "Besides, isn't the full moon next week?" she asked while taking a side glance at the partial moon in the sky.
"You know, that's actually a common misconception," he informed her with a nervous laugh. "The full moon's the time when we look like humans, not vice versa." Then he blinked with renewed hope. "Wait, would I have better luck if I came back next week? I don't make a bad-looking human." The tall cat was almost stammering in his attempts to make her hear him.
"Try next year, if that," she snapped, turning on her heel and running down the sidewalk to find a shortcut to her normal route home.
It took no thought at all to dismiss that cat as a suitor, even though she didn't so much as catch his name. If he really couldn't hear a repeated 'no' from her, then he wasn't boyfriend material.
ooOoo
She had to say this for becoming part cat; she was barely winded by the time her feet pounded up the path to her house. The recently-cut cattails brushed soothingly against her ankles as she walked through her front yard, but that only reminded her that she needed to mow again.
'Especially if a werecat's taken interest in me. He might not know where I live, but the cattails are a dead giveaway if he started looking.' "Mom, I'm home," she called while entering the house.
"Glad you're home, Sweetheart," Naoko called without turning away from her sewing machine. "By the way, you've got some packages on the counter."
Haru figured that out before her mother finished speaking. She could almost physically feel her stomach drop into her shoes at the two large and clearly expensive bouquets.
The first one was very standard looking; lots of red roses with baby's breath scattered in like artificial fairy dust. The second one was mostly white flowers that she couldn't name, tastefully dripping with blue wisteria. It was almost like looking at rivers flowing through a bed of snow.
"Oh no," Haru couldn't resist groaning out loud. 'There's more than one of them!'
"Now, sweetie," Naoko scolded gently, turning enough to reveal that she had been hiding a very sly smile. "This was going to happen eventually, you know."
'It already did.' "No, I didn't," Haru lied, carefully kicking off her shoes and dragging herself close enough to set her school bag on the little counter space that was left.
She couldn't even be shocked that the accompanying letters had obviously been opened and read already by a mother that couldn't keep her nose away. Still feeling sick to her stomach, Haru opened the rose note first.
Dearest Haru,
Allow me to first congratulate you on your recent exploit. I'm certain that it wasn't as easy as you made it appear. You are very clearly a remarkable woman, one that I would be honored to learn more about. If you will permit me, I would very much like to arrange a meeting in person, say, Sunday afternoon? Here is my number, please send a call or text so that we can arrange further details.
Deepest regards,
C.R. Waul
It was clearly written by the florist, since there was no scent of a cat on it. The wisteria note wasn't any better.
Sweet Haru,
In all my life, I never thought I would see anything like the prowess you displayed in such an hour. Your expertise in chemistry was clearly written in each move you made, every breath you took. As a fellow prodigy, I more than understand the hard work it must have taken to reach that level of competence and accuracy.
Please give me a call. I think you will find that I am unlike anyone you've met before.
Thiris Winterson
The signature was followed by a phone number and an email address.
Haru stared between the two notes. Both heavily hinted that they knew about her fiasco in the Cat Kingdom, but at least they hadn't name-dropped what happened last month. 'How did they find out? I don't think I saw any cats with hands when I was there. Not that I'm complaining that this didn't start sooner, but why are they targeting me now?'
"So, which one are you going to answer?" Naoko asked with a big grin as she got up to iron some seams.
"Neither," Haru answered firmly, sliding each note into its envelope and placing them back into the plastic forks that had been holding them in their respective bouquets. "I'm under a lot of stress from schoolwork, so no boys."
Naoko looked over with surprise.
"If any more bouquets come when I'm not at home, don't accept them," Haru added, going to the other side of the counter to start dinner. "I've got enough on my plate, and school rules say, 'no dating'."
"Does anyone really pay attention to that rule?" her mother asked like she couldn't believe her own ears.
"Good kids like me do," Haru responded, rifling through the fridge to see what she had to work with. 'It would have been nice if Machida had asked when it had a chance to work.'
Naoko tapped her thumb against a polka dot fabric she hadn't cut up yet. "Haru?" she asked a little hesitantly. "They sound like nice boys, and they seem to even like your… hobby." The redhead said that last word with some distaste.
'Future career,' Haru corrected internally since she wasn't in the mood to have that argument again. She instead took out her bad mood on a head of cabbage after washing it. "If I'm not interested in a relationship right now, that's my business. Speaking of which, how's Fumio?"
Her mother blushed and busied herself with pinning a pile of fabric squares together. "Busy," she said shortly, turning around the table to get back to the sewing machine. "The… you-know-what, has been giving him a lot more work than normal. He really is so brave," she added wistfully. "Just… going up to them like that for interviews."
"They could be nice for all you know," Haru said a little hurriedly while starting up some rice.
Naoko gave a harsh laugh while adjusting her glasses to squint at the needle. "Can we not talk about monsters? I need to concentrate for this deadline."
Haru took in a cleansing breath as she kept making dinner. "Right." 'Tomorrow. I'll bring it up before she says that again.'
"Remember, double the garlic," Naoko reminded her with a shudder. "For extra protection."
"Right," Haru sighed sadly. 'Definitely tomorrow. So I can retire the face mask.'
ooOoo
Thiris Winterson Subject: Did you get my flowers?
Facebook- Thiris Winterson wants to add you as a friend
Skype- Thiris Winterson wants to add you as a contact
Haru glared at the emails. "I don't even have Skype," she muttered under her breath, deleting that one for sure. She stared at the other two, debating whether it was a worse idea to respond, or to ignore the guy. She took in a long, measured breath as she thought things over.
He knew where she lived, and he tracked her down online. Still how did he figure out who she was? 'Haru' was a pretty common name, and she didn't exactly look like herself when she was in the Cat Kingdom. She wasn't even in her high school's chemistry club thanks to the sexism. Her fingers tapped one by one as she tried to figure out the right thing to do.
If there was anything she had learned from the Cat Kingdom, it was that cats were stubborn and thick-headed. Even the werecat that had approached her after school didn't know how to take a 'no' for an answer.
Maybe Thiris was different from the cats she had met so far. Maybe 'no' will be enough for him, and he'd appreciate knowing whether or not he was wasting his time.
Taking her time to breathe in and out, she clicked on the 'flowers' email and started writing out a reply before reading what it said.
Thiris-
I got the flowers, they're lovely. But if I had been home when they were delivered, I wouldn't have accepted them. I'm flattered by the attention, but due to the same reasons you found out I existed, I'm beyond uninterested in romance for now. I don't know for how long, but I thought you'd appreciate knowing not to waste your time or effort on me.
She thought over the email carefully while staring at it. Trying to figure out if it was the right balance of polite but firm. "Good enough," she sighed, pressing 'send'. "Now to focus on my essay." She propped her notes against a stack of books next to her laptop and settled herself down for a long and dry history report.
She hadn't so much as finished the first paragraph before she got a notification that Thiris Winterson had emailed her back.
"Please, please be understanding," she breathed, forcing herself to ignore that email for now.
School essays don't write themselves.
Third paragraph, she got another email notification. Fourth paragraph. Twice in the fifth one.
Haru growled and went back to her email to set emails from the guy to her junk folder to quit getting distracted while she was trying that hard to concentrate.
Could she really be blamed for being so tired when she was done, that she forgot to look through his emails before passing out on her bed?
ooOoo
The next morning was the same as most. Haru felt lucky that she remembered to email her essay the night before, because all that was on her mind now was shoving her bento box, luckily prepared the night before but left ready by her mother.
"Love you, see you after school!" Haru bade her in a panic while running out the door. 'Tonight's the night! I'll make her favorite dinner, crack jokes until she's busting her gut, and 'let' my little secret-'
Her house was blocked off by a stone wall. It was great for privacy, but not so great when a werecat only has to be kneeling against the wall to keep from being seen.
Thanks to the way he was kneeling, and the speed that Haru was turning the corner, the werecat's face was accidentally smashed against her waist, making her fall completely over him with a cry of surprise out of both of them. But thanks to her heightened senses, the schoolgirl was able to brace herself on the sidewalk and turn it into a one-handed cartwheel.
Once she was back on her feet, she turned around with a glare. "… Thiris?" she guessed with resignation.
Wrapping her head around werecats wasn't such a chore. But being a sphinx werecat certainly counted for 'nothing she'd ever seen before'.
He rubbed the side of his face while standing up to his full height, a good two heads taller than her. His black clothes were baggy, but that seemed to be due to layers for warmth more than style. "Who else would I be?" he sulked while looking at her with his large dark eyes.
"You don't want me to answer that," she sighed while backing away, but not out of fear. "Look. If you want to argue about whether or not I'm going to date you, save it for after school. I'm running late." With that, she turned and started running.
"Now hold on!" he yelled as he took off after her, but fell behind soon enough.
That confused Haru for a second, but not enough to make her stop and see if he was okay. She hated needing to do it but kept an eagle eye out for other werecats that were waiting to ambush her.
Two police cars were outside her school's gates. Two werecats were bent over one of them with cuffs on their wrists bent behind them, and forced to stay that way by a pair of officers.
One was the grey and tan cat that had kept harassing her the day before. The other had brown fur and dressed in an old-fashioned red suit. Both of them look pretty roughed up with ripped clothing, and the grey and tan one had a really nasty swollen eye.
When his one good eye managed to see her, he actually flinched. The brown werecat noticed his reaction and looked over to see her as well. He also flinched guiltily, but still managed a nervous smile for her.
Haru only turned her head away and jogged into the school, remembering to drop off the 'just because' lemon bars for Takima-sensei at the front office.
ooOoo
"Don't bother sneaking to your seat, Haru," Juno-sensei called out without turning around. "Principal Yami wanted to see you as soon as you came in."
Haru froze in her half-crouch as most of the class turned to stare and possibly giggle at her awkward position. "Am I in trouble?" she asked as her stomach seemed to sink into her shoes again.
"He didn't disclose that with me, but I suggest you don't keep him waiting." He gave her a shooing motion before he finished writing a sentence on the board.
Haru took in a deep breath while straightening up and letting herself back out the sliding door.
It took a hallway, a stairwell, and another two hallways before she was walking up to the secretary's desk.
"That took long enough," she sighed, pressing some buttons while holding the phone to her ear. "Yoshioka's arrived. Yes, I'll send her right in," she assured while giving a hand gesture for Haru to enter the principal's office.
Her hand shook slightly as it reached for the door and slid it open a few inches.
"Yes, yes. Come in, Yoshioka," Principal Yami insisted tiredly, making the girl slide herself into the office and close the door behind herself.
The same two police officers that had been manhandling the werecats were waiting in the two chairs in front of the principal's desk.
Haru breathed in again and placed one hand over her heart while holding up the other as if in court. "I swear that I am not encouraging any behaviors from werecats except distance. I am not even interested in being friends with any of them, and I can guarantee that my mom wouldn't give her approval even if I did. I don't hate-"
"Yoshioka. Let them ask the questions before you start giving answers," the principal grouched while glaring at her. "Two days of harassment from monsters is not good publicity for the school."
"Or for other monsters," Haru muttered under her breath while turning herself to look at the police officers.
The one with a red mustache smiled while taking out his pad and a pen. "You've already given us a lot of information. Would you mind explaining just why you've got two werecats after you?"
"Three," Haru corrected miserably. "There's also a sphinx one that's been cyberstalking me and was waiting outside my home for me this morning."
The other officer started in surprise. "Sphinx cat? As in, 'hairless'?"
"Yep," Haru responded in a flat tone. "His name's Thiris Winterson if you'd like to remind him that stalking a minor might be a bad idea."
"How could you tell he's a werecat without the fur?" that officer pressed with a bit of disgust. "I mean, shouldn't he look like some weird alien thing instead of a cat?"
Haru nodded since even she couldn't argue that point. "I'm a lot more worried about his refusal to take no for an answer than what he looks like. Besides, school rules say no dating," she added with a side look at the principal.
"About time a student recognized that rule without a detention," Yami griped while leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. "Are there any other werecats to worry about?"
"I hope not," Haru groaned while holding a hand to her aching forehead. "I honestly don't know, but I hope not."
The officer with the mustache was writing at a furious pace. "That leaves us with few options. One officer should stay on school grounds until the gates are closed. It might be a good idea for that officer to escort Yoshioka-san home as well, since at least one of them know where she lives."
"Thank you," the teenager sighed happily. "I just want this over with."
"You didn't answer my question, though," the officer with the red mustache reminded her. "Why are werecats after you?"
Fighting back the disappointment that she hadn't managed to distract them, Haru gave a truthful answer that glossed over what she wasn't ready to talk about yet. "They found out about one of my science experiments last month, and decided to go after me for bragging rights."
That made the principal suddenly stand up straight with an alarmed glare. "Not in my school?!"
"No, sir," Haru assured him with a laugh. "You couldn't even see the school from where I was setting off my prank bombs. Completely harmless," she added for the cops' sake since they changed their stance to defensive at the word 'bomb'. "Dye bombs, glue bombs, a few pepper bombs and things like that. Principal Yami's made it very clear already that his school is not my testing area." 'Nor is anywhere else in Tokyo, no matter how nicely I ask.'
"Then where was this testing area?" the ruder officer asked with a growl.
"You know the park around Cat's Paw Lakes? I was very careful about cleaning up after myself, if that was the implied question." It was all she could do not to add 'I bet you won't find a lick of evidence I was even there.'
The only reason she had thought to name that place was because that was where Lune had opened his portal. 'I wonder how he and Yuki are doing.'
The nicer officer finished writing in his pad. "Very well. I'll have a pair of colleagues come back to the school while we take the two trespassing cats to headquarters for questioning."
"Thank you," Haru repeated with relief, bowing gratefully to the two police officers. "Is there anything else you need me for?"
"Just stay with the other students the rest of the day," the ruder one advised, just short of ordering. "No wandering off on your own, let a teacher know if you see another werecat, and tell one of us if another one approaches you."
"Deal," Haru promised, making sure to get a nod from the principal before letting herself out of the office.
Haru nearly skipped her way back to class, only losing her good mood when she saw something on her desk that hadn't been there her first time to the room.
It was another expensive bouquet. Red roses again, but they were much darker than the last ones. The color of blood, intermixed with a black flower to make it look like a vampire bouquet. It was even accented with black baby's breath.
"Nope!" Haru snapped, storming over to her seat and leaning over it to try finding the latch.
"Don't you dare throw that out the window!" Juno-sensei barked, but she kept looking.
"I want these out of my sight," Haru hissed as her finger found and began turning the latch.
"Hey, Haru?" Mei called from across the room. "If you don't want the flowers, I'll take them."
"All yours," Haru agreed without a thought, reluctantly holding them at arm's length as she walked over and set them in her classmate's eager embrace.
The reason she did it gently had more to do with the fact that she respected her fellow classmate than because flowers were meant for careful handling.
Haru turned to storm back to her own seat, but then quickly turned around again to take the card that came with the flowers.
"Hey! He might be more my type!" Mei protested, but Haru shook her head as she walked back to her window seat.
"Just trust me. He isn't." 'You're almost as afraid of monsters as my mother.' "If flowers for me come again, they're up for grabs!" Haru announced loudly as she slid into her seat. "Just save the card so that I can give it to the cops."
The room was dead silent. Her cheeks flamed red from the attention, making her look down at her desk as she slipped the card into her bento box. "So, what did I miss?"
"… I'd like to ask the same thing," Hiromi asked in a low stunned voice. "What's going on?"
"Nothing the police can't handle," Haru stated while pulling out the materials she would need for this class.
The silence stretched on a little longer. She gave a very pointed glare to her sensei and the chalkboard behind him to make the man turn back around and continue the lesson.
Haru would have to ask Hiromi for notes on what was covered before now. She did everything she could to focus only on dates, historical figures, and war strategies.
Yes. She would definitely need to focus on war strategies.