Chapter 15 – Home of Challenging Emotions
"Welp. We're here."
It took a couple of minutes for us to arrive at Chinatsu-san's house. And when I finally got a first look at it, I was truly surprised that it wasn't so much as a house and more so like…
"W-Wow. Y-You live in…a-an old apartment building?"
"It's a minshuku. Or a "boarding home", as most people call it nowadays. I've lived here for a couple of years now."
"R-Really?" I looked at the building again. "I-It looks…r-really worn down."
"It may look like it's gone down the shithole, but it's still kicking. It ain't that bad once you get used to it."
"I-I see…"
"Anyway…remember what I said. One hour and then I'm taking you home. No questions asked. Got it?"
"Y-Yes. I-I know."
"*sigh* I still can't believe I even brought you here…well, okay. let's go."
Chinatsu-san went ahead and opened the door and the two of us went inside. She wasn't kidding about the place still standing despite looking old. The lights were old and nearly dim, the walls were peeling a little, and there was this faint smell of mildew in the air. Though, it wasn't that bad.
"Hey, I'm home." Chinatsu-san called out.
"Oh, hey. Welcome home, Chinatsu." Walking up to us was a woman with long blonde hair, part of it made into a long ponytail, and light blue eyes. And she had a nice figure for her age, too.
Point is…she's really pretty.
"U-Um…p-pardon the intrusion." I said nervously.
"Oh? Is this what I think it is? Did our little China-chan bring home a friend from school? How exciting~!"
"C-Cut it out, Rebecca! It's not that big of a damn deal!" Chinatsu-san gained a blush on her face.
Rebecca? That's not a Japanese name. Is she a foreigner?
"Oh, alright. So, who is she?"
"Her name is Kyouko Toshinio. She's in my class and…she wanted to come over."
"I see."
"This is the landlord of this place. Rebecca Ichioka." Chinatsu-san then turned to me. "She's…also my guardian. So, I kinda live here rent-free."
Woah…rent-free. Chinatsu-san is so lucky.
"N-Nice to meet you…I-Ichioka-san." I greeted with a bow.
"Nice to meet you too, Toshinio-san. Though, why are you stuttering? There's no reason to be nervous around me, you know."
"That's just something she does." Chinatsu-san said. "She can't control it."
"S-Sorry." I added.
"I see. Well, I'm sure it's no problem at all. I'm sure the others will understand, too."
"O-Others?" I asked. "H-How many people live here?"
"Not much. An old friend of mine from high school, three first-year college students, a man in his 70s with a pet cat, and myself. Chinatsu's the youngest one here."
"W-Wow."
"Yeah, it's pretty freaking amazing how that many people can live underneath this tiny-ass building." Chinatsu-san said. "Anyway, we're going up to my room. Tell the others not to bother us."
"Sure thing, Chinatsu." Ichioka-san said. "I'll make sure your alone time won't get interrupted. *giggle*"
"I-It's not like that, damnit!" Chinatsu-san gained a blush on her face while Ichioka-san continued to laugh.
They sure do get along…I guess.
"Wh-Whatever. Come on, Kyouko." Chinatsu-san said as she grabbed my arm and pulled me alongside with her.
"W-Wait! Ch-Chinatsu-san! Ouchie! M-My arm!"
"Have fun, girls." Ichioka-san said to us.
We climbed up some stairs and were now in this narrow hallway that was just as old-looking as the entranceway. The only difference was the mildew scent was stronger upstairs than downstairs.
It really really smells…
"Geez, that woman. She really likes to tease me sometimes."
"Sh-She teases you?" I asked.
"Yeah, but she knows when to stop. So, it doesn't bother me too much. In fact, it would be weird if she didn't tease me at least once every day. I'm just that used to it."
"Wh-Why?"
"Sometimes I even ask that myself, Kyouko." Chinatsu-san gained a sweatdrop.
"W-Wow…"
"Anyway, here's my room. Fair warning, though. It's a bit messy."
"I-It should be okay. M-My room's a bit messy too, to be honest."
"Huh. Well, alright then. In we go."
Chinatsu-san opened the door to her room and…I was honestly speechless at the sight of it. Not because of how messy it was. But mainly because…
"W-Wow, Chinatsu-san…y-your room is so girly."
"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?! I am a girl, aren't I?!" Chinatsu-san asked with a blush on her face.
"W-Well, yeah, but…wh-when I think of how you normally are, your room doesn't match it at all."
"Geez. Just because I'm known as a tough girl with little to no emotions doesn't mean that I can't be girly from time to time. I can at least try to be cute too, damnit."
"I-I never said you couldn't. I-I was just…a-a little surprised, that's all."
"Seriously?"
"H-Honest."
…
…
…
"*sigh* Alright. Welcome to my girly room, Kyouko. Make yourself comfortable."
"*giggle* O-Okay, Chinatsu-san." I said with a small smile.
We spent the next few minutes looking around and seeing what was inside Chinatsu-san's semi-messy girly room. aside from all the garbage and homework sheets all over the floor, she had a huge shelf filled with manga and a pretty average stuffed animal collection. The latter she admits that she quickly hides before any of the other residents come inside her room. It's actually kinda cute how she tries to hide her girly side.
…
Of course, I didn't tell her that. I didn't want her embarrassingly yelling at me again.
But once the small tour was over, things got rather serious. The two of us were sitting across from each other, a small table being the only thing separating us, with Chinatsu-san staring at me deep in the eyes. A look of annoyance and anger.
It was at this point I started to believe that she had figured out why I suddenly wanted to come to her house. And I was ready to go on the offensive.
"So, you just couldn't let it go, huh?" She asked me.
"Ch-Chinatsu-san…wh-what Sugiura-san told me really stung me in the heart. N-Not because of what you did to that girl. B-But because of what led up to it."
"What it led up to it? What are you getting at, Kyouko?"
I took a deep breath and prepared my mind for what I'm about to say next.
Okay. Here I go…
"Ch-Chinatsu-san…y-you were physically abused, weren't you?"
…
…
…
"Heh. So, you finally figured it out, huh? You oblivious bitch." Chinatsu-san said as she looked away from me. Probably more angry and annoyed than before.
"I-I'm sorry for taking so long to notice. E-Especially since Azuma-sensei made it clear once before. B-But what happened, Chinatsu-san? I-I want to know."
Chinatsu-san went silent for a good while. Soon letting out a small exasperated sigh before coming over to sit closer to me. Most likely for upcoming comfort.
I would've done the same thing.
"Shortly after my father died, my mom got herself in a relationship with this deadbeat bastard she met online. And it took no time at all for it to turn abusive. Whether it was for the most trivial of reasons or for no reason at all, he would beat her with a single strike of his fist. Or worse…whatever was in his hands at the moment. Beer bottle, leather belt, a tool from his workshop…it really didn't fucking matter to him.
My mom was suffering. Every day, she would put up with the abuse. Took every beating and insult that bastard threw at her. She didn't have to…but she did. All to protect her kids from the same fate she ended up in."
"H-Her…k-kids?" I asked.
"I have an older sister. 5 years older than me. I don't…bring her up much." Chinatsu-san said with a little bit of sadness.
"I-I see…"
It must be too painful to do so…
"Despite all of my mom's efforts, though…she succumbed to her injuries. And to no one's surprise, the abuse soon went towards us. While I received harsh unreasonable beatings and insults that would make even a grown-ass man cry, my sister had a worse fate done to her."
"Wh-What happened to her?"
…
…
…
"From what I heard…she would get beaten, insulted, humiliated…and raped."
"R-Raped?" I said in shock.
"Heh. You know, I said that same thing to Ikumi but in a carefree, sarcastic, jackass kind of way. But now, I'm feeling the same amount of pain she felt that day. Karma's a bitch, ain't it?" Chinatsu-san said with a huge depressed sigh.
It must've hurt her really bad back then…
"When that started happening, my sister's innocence and sanity quickly depleted from her soul. She used to be a happy-go-lucky girl fresh out of high school. Ready to change this shitty world for the better.
But once the assaults happened…her old self was completely gone. And she was nothing more than a person who wanted revenge.
…
And one day…she finally got it."
"G-Got…r-revenge?" I asked. Knowing all the possible meanings to that one word. As there were multiple times in my past that sought it myself.
But what could it possibly mean in Chinatsu-san's case?
"On that day, when everyone least expected it, my sister…"
*BANG*
*BANG*
*BANG*
"Wh-What was that?" I asked once we heard loud banging noises coming from the window.
"Aw, geez. Not again." Chinatsu-san said with a facepalm. "Hey, get on the bed with me."
"H-Huh? Wh-Why would I…"
"Just do it. You'll thank me later."
"U-Um…o-okay." I got on Chinatsu-san's bed with her as she quickly hid her stuffed animals (like I said, she does this a lot).
And then…
*BANG*
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
"CHINA-CHI!"
"Gah!"
*THUD*
…
…
…
"*sigh* Hey, Misaki-senpai." Chinatsu-san said once this girl with short orange hair burst through the window and landed face-first onto the table.
Wh-What the hell?
"China-chi! You never told me you were home! I thought you were stuck in detention again."
"I was busy, alright? And why was me being in detention your first guess?"
"Well, knowing how you are, China-chi, it makes the most sense."
"Tch. W-Well, whatever."
"Uh…Ch-Chinatsu-san? Wh-Who is this girl?" I asked while being extremely confused.
"You know how Rebecca said that three college students live here? Well, this is one of them. Misaki Hasumi. Her room is next door to mine."
"I-I see…"
"Ooh~! Did China-chi bring home someone to play with? How bold of you. *giggle*"
"Pl-Play with?"
"No, Misaki-senpai. She's just a friend from school. Her name is Kyouko Toshinio."
"H-Hello." I said.
"The stuttering is normal, by the way."
"Oh. I get it now. Well, nice to meet you, Kyo-chi!"
"K…Kyo-chi?" I was now even more confused.
"She refers to everyone as a nickname that ends with "-chi". No matter what the gender. Hence why she's been calling me China-chi this whole time."
"I-I see. W-Well…n-nice to meet you too, uh…H-Hasumi-senpai."
"Same here, Kyo-chi!" Hasumi-senpai cheered. "By the way, you can just call me Misaki. Or Misa-chi. Or Mi-chi. Or Misakichi. Or…"
"Just "Misaki" is fine." Chinatsu-san interrupted.
"*whine* China-chi!"
She sure is hyper for a first-year college student…
"Look, is there anything you want, Misaki-senpai? We were kinda busy here."
"Oh, right. Rebecchi wanted me to tell you that all the trains are closed due to a minor storm coming later. So, she was wondering if Kyo-chi was spending the night."
"What? A storm? Did that incompetent weatherman get it wrong AGAIN?!"
"I dunno. Seems like it. It's his third wrong one this month. A new record."
"*sigh* Damn worthless man…Well, it looks like you'll have to spend the night here, Kyouko."
"I-It's fine." I said. "I-I'll just tell Rukia that I'm at a friend's house. Sh-She'll be okay with it."
"Yeah, as long as that "friend" isn't me."
"Great!" Misaki-senpai cheered. "Then I'll go tell the others! We're having a big party tonight! Woohoo!" She then headed for the window and proceed to climb out of Chinatsu-san's room all the way to her's.
With no effort whatsoever.
"Wh-Why does she keep using the window?"
"It's just something she does." Chinatsu-san gained a sweatdrop. "Misaki-senpai is not a normal-headed girl."
"Y-Yeah…I-I can tell." Was all I said.
…
…
…
"So…do you want me to finish that story or…"
"N-No." I shook my head. "I-I've asked enough out of you for one day. Coming to your house and then telling me that story…"
"Yeah, you did. You owe me big for this inconvenience you brought onto me, Kyouko."
"I-I'm sorry." I said with a sad look.
…
…
…
"B-But…talking to someone about it after keeping it to myself for so long…even if it wasn't the whole story, it did make me feel better. S-So, thanks. Kyouko. You…You really are a good friend."
"A-A good…fr-friend?" I froze in shock for a bit after hearing Chinatsu-san say that about me. It was basically the first time since we met that she referred to me as a friend. And with some sincerity, too.
I couldn't control myself much longer…and…
"Ch…China-chi!" I teared up as I rushed up to hug my best friend.
"H-Hey! Easy with the hugging! And don't call me China-chi!"
"W-Well, it is kinda cute."
"I don't want to be cute, damnit. I'm a tough girl. Nothing about me is freaking cute."
"Th-Then how do you explain the stuff animals?" I teased.
…
…
…
Chinatsu-san didn't answer and instead lightly slapped me across my face.
"Ouchie."
"That's for being a smartass. Now let's get going. Thanks to Misaki-senpai, I'm sure the others want to meet you now. Plus, I'm freaking starving."
"O-Okay. I-I'll be in your care, Chinatsu-san."
"Tch! Y-Yeah, sure. Whatever." Chinatsu-san replied with a faint blush as we made our way downstairs. I may be stuck here for the night, but the fact that I was able to get a little closer with Chinatsu-san made the whole thing worth it.
I'm not there yet. But soon…I'll have it to where both of us happy once more. Together.
Author's Note: Another new chapter! And in just two days after the last one! A rare sight, indeed.
I've decided to hold off on the new story for a bit. Just until I get to a good stopping point on this story. Which isn't that long, to be completely honest. I already have one in mind.
Two new characters in this chapter. The first being Rebecca Ichioka. A character who I created in Yuru Yuri +1 but hasn't been seen since. She's Nishigaki's friend from high school and is half-American.
The second being Misaki Hasumi. A first-year college student who is a bit dense in the head. And she refers to everyone with nicknames ending with "-chi". It's just her thing.
These two will have bigger roles later in the story. But I can't say how just yet. It's basically the same situation as Mayu, Eri, and Ikumi. As for the next chapter…it's going to debut two more characters that I'm really excited about. Can't say much. But just know that…a little syndrome is coming.
Thanks for reading. Later.