Inspired by Yoshizumi Wataru's Marmalade Boy
Chapter 7: A Conspiracy is Formed
"Well, I wouldn't stand for it. Imagine, showing up an hour late and expecting your date to be okay with it."
"I don't know; he's awfully cute."
"He's not that cute. And he has no prospects. Sorry, but he's just not my type."
"And who is your type?"
"Welllll, he's handsome, and rich, and influential, and a true gentleman."
"Too bad Hirokazu-sempai isn't interested in you, isn't it?"
The table of co-eds to Youji's left erupted in fits of giggles and squeals. He glanced at his watch. Only twenty more minutes to go. Twenty more minutes of sitting in a back corner of the bar, desperately wishing to leave so he could go home and be depressed by himself. They were wrong when they said misery loves company.
"Promise me you'll attend, Youji," his sister had said to him on the phone yesterday, "Pretty please, at least for an hour."
"I'm just not in the mood to be social, Emiko."
"But you've been like this for two weeks, ever since you and Chiyako broke up. You need to get out, meet new people and do stuff. The tennis club social would be just the thing, don't you think?"
"I met Chiyako at a tennis club social." Youji said.
"Just go, okay? If you sit home moping, I'll be unhappy. You don't want that, do you?"
So, in the interest of his personal karma, Youji went to the bar where the club was meeting, and sequestered himself back behind the karaoke rooms. It hadn't been too bad until the wallflower gossip brigade had positioned itself next to him, well within hearing range. Currently they were critiquing men, working their way down a list that seemed to encompass all the males in the greater Tokyo area. He scowled and tried to ignore them.
His sister was right. He needed something new, some project or goal. Anything to get his mind off Chiyako. The tennis club was proving a poor distraction. He should check out the other social circles. Wasn't there a hang gliding group on campus?
"Namuki Chiyako?!!"
Yes, he told himself, I have to stop thinking about Chiyako. But the voice had not come from his own musings. Rather, the wallflowers were now talking about his old girlfriend. With only slight pangs of guilt, he focussed on their conversation.
"You're kidding!"
"No honest, I saw her walking with him between classes just this week."
"So?"
"So, they were holding hands. And he had the dopiest grin on his face, like guys get when they're in love."
"I bet he looked sweet. He's so my type."
Who, who? Youji was trying his hardest to look disinterested while his ears strained to catch the conversation. He had known Chiyako was interested in someone else, but who?
"He's not that great."
"Says who? You haven't had a date since semester started."
"I'd rather be dateless than steal a man. You know who Koishikawa-san was dating before Namuki-san? Her roommate, Yamashita Rumi. Yamashita-san and Koishikawa-san had been dating since middle school."
Youji had to fight to keep his face neutral; this new information was unbelievable. He knew Yamashita Rumi from his chemistry and calculus classes. When Youji had first been interested in Chiyako, Yamashita had helped set up the first date. Youji and Chiyako, Yamashita and her boyfriend Koishikawa Jin; it had been the most fun he'd had since coming to university. Youji remembered watching the couple and feeling slightly jealous that Koishikawa had found a girl who was obviously so much in love with him.
"But I heard they broke up."
"Yeah, but only a month ago."
"Are Namuki-san and Yamashita-san still rooming together?"
"Well . . . This is what I heard," the woman's voice dropped low, and Youji leaned slightly closer. "Koishikawa-san and Namuki-san are in the same major, so they knew each other since the start of the school year. All three of them were the best of friends until Yamashita-san came home one day to find the Namuki-san and Koishikawa-san together, in Yamashita-san's futon."
"No!!" The girls squealed. Youji flinched.
"Yeah, she ran out and never came back to the apartment, just left all her clothes and possessions. And the only place she could find to stay was with this girl called Fukutami Yayoi, whose apartment is in the very same building as Koishikawa's. Can you believe it? She's right next door to him." There were gasps all around, including Youji's.
"Oh, if I were Yamashita Rumi I'd - I'd - Oh my god, that's her, isn't it?"
Youji looked up to see a young woman with glasses and long black hair standing by his table. It was indeed Yamashita, and by the fragile look on her blanched face, he guessed she had been standing there for a while.
"Matsuura-san," she addressed him in a trembling voice, "I saw you across the room and, and, and . . ." she trailed off and Youji could see her eyes shimmering.
If she broke down here, before the gossiping harpies, it would only lend credence to their lies. Not a good scene, Youji decided. Fluidly, he jumped to his feet obstructing the gossips' view, and spoke loudly.
"Yamashita-san. A pleasure to see you. I just happened to have a question regarding the chemistry exam next week. Shall we discuss it somewhere quieter?"
From that point on it was a simple thing to maneuver her down the hallway to the private karaoke rooms. The attendant lead them to an unoccupied one and after a tip from Youji agreed to forgo demonstrating the operating instructions and leave them in peace.
Youji sighed and sat down on a chair opposite from the couch where Yamashita was trying to sniffle away the large tears rolling down her face.
"Bet you anything that the management is under the mistaken impression that we've cloistered in here to make out." He said, hoping to break the ice.
Yamashita said nothing. She was staring off into space and Youji wondered if she had even heard him. Or maybe she was just too embarrassed to reply.
"Tell you what," he said, "You just collect yourself. Take all the time you want. I'll wait outside, and if you like I can walk you home. Or not, whatever you want. Okay?"
As Youji stood up to leave, Yamashita spoke.
"It's not true! Matsuura-san, what those girls said wasn't true."
"Umm," he said, slowly sitting down again.
"Jin and Chiyako in my futon. It didn't happen. You mustn't think they'd do something like that, Matsuura-san."
Youji relaxed. It had all been vicious rumors. He should have known better than to put stock in it.
"Of course not." he said, eliciting a relieved smile from Yamashita. "I didn't believe for a moment they were dating."
Yamashita's face fell and she stared at her hands.
"They are dating," she said in a small voice.
Urk. "Since when?"
"Since you and Chiyako broke up, almost two weeks now. But they didn't do it behind my back. I mean, Jin and I had broken up already. And at the time, he didn't plan to date Chiyako, because she was dating you, and he didn't want to hurt me. But, well, then you and Chiyako weren't dating, and it turned out that Chiyako was in love with him, and well . . . He was truthful and up front about all of it. Jin couldn't know, when he called me over, to tell me. He didn't realize that I thought he wanted to get back together."
Youji gave her his "sympathetic understanding male" look, trademark registered. He seemed destined to have pretty girls confide in him, to have them tell him all about some jerk who had trampled all over their hearts while crying buckets because they still loved said jerk and wanted him back. And Youji would nod, listen, and comfort them, all the while holding back his real feelings.
Which was why Chiyako had chosen her roommate's ex-boyfriend over him. Koishikawa, tall and handsome, great smile, and completely insensitive to what Yamashita had been thinking when he called her over to break her heart once again.
As if sensing what he was thinking, Yamashita went on, "He didn't have much choice. Coming over to tell me at my place would probably have been even worse. What with all of Chiyako's stuff there. I knew as soon as I got to his apartment, as soon as I saw his face, that we weren't going to get back together. The way he looked, I thought something had happened back home, to his family or something. And so when he started telling me about being in love with this other girl, I was almost relieved. Until then he told me it was Chiyako, and . . ."
Yamashita got a distant look in her eyes. Youji said nothing. Usually the girl was a puddle of soggy emotions by this point. Could she be in shock? Denial?
"Jin kept talking, appologizing mainly. I wasn't really listening. I stood up and walked out, and that's when I ran into Yayoi."
"Yayoi?" asked Youji.
"Fukutami Yayoi. She lives down the hall from Jin. I'd stayed overnight at her place before. She let me move in, got my stuff from Chiyako's, looked after me"
"Are you alright now?"
Yamashita shrugged.
"Better, I think. And bored, too. You can only spend so much time feeling sorry for yourself before it gets old. Besides," she gave a forced smile, "no one wants to hang around a depressed person; they aren't any fun. I keep telling myself to get over it, to just move on." Her smile dropped, "but some part of me is being stubborn."
"These things take time, Yamashita-san. Gradually the sadness goes away, bit by bit."
"It's not sadness. It's, it's . . . dread. It's like it's not yet over. Funny, huh?"
"Uh?"
"I mean, Jin and I are broken up. He's happy with Chiyako. Time to move on, to forget it all. But . . ."
Cue the tears, thought a cynical side of Youji. But instead Yamashita managed a small grin, almost mischievous.
"This is going to sound baked, but I remember watching this American cartoon back when I was a child, where the mouse throws a whole china set at the cat. Amazingly, the cat catches all the pieces and stands there, holding them in a contorted, ludicrous, position. And then the mouse throws a stick of dynamite, lit of course." She paused, "why do Americans keep dynamite in their houses? And those weird shaped, black, heavy things?'
"Sorry," she said before he could answer. "Sometimes I get off topic. Anyway, the cat panics and throw all the dishes up in the air to catch the dynamite. The dishes go crashing down one at a time on the cat's head. The poor creature stares at the stick as the string burns its way down. Then there's a pause, like maybe the dynamite was a dud after all, and the cat looks momentarily relieved. Then he explodes.
"I'm the poor cat. When Jin and I broke up, it was like I was balancing all those cups and saucers. Knowing I couldn't hold it all together, but pretending I could all the same. Then Jin threw the bomb, and I let everything go and now it's all smashed and I'm just staring at this orange cylinder in my hand, wondering how much worse it's going to get.
"I'm hoping those girls and their rumor are the exploding dynamite. And that I can just get on with life. But I'm still dreading something awful, something even worse.
"Imagining cartoon cats and mice makes it not so bad. No matter what happens, you know they'll be all right in the next installment. Cartoons can't make you cry. Unless of course you're Jin's roommate.
Youji's sensitive guy mask fell gradually away as he tried to understand exactly what Yamashita had just said. Cats, dynamite, and falling tea sets. Oddly enough, it almost made sense. He was going to ask what Koishikawa's roommate had to do with all this, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
A rather short woman stuck her face in and instantly began to talk.
"There you are, Rumi-chan. I've been looking all over for you. You wouldn't believe the rumor going around."
"Does it involve Jin, Chiyako, and my futon?"
"No, the tennis coach they hired just eloped with a high school student, can you believe it? He is such a babe. Hey, who's this?"
The woman entered the room and looked Youji over.
"This is Matsuura Youji," explained Yamashita, "And Matsuura-san, this is my new roommate Fukutami Yayoi."
"Matsuura, Matsuura." Fukutami said, and then snapped her fingers; "You're the one Chiyako-chan dumped in order to steal Jin-kun away from Rumi-chan."
"Yayoi!" said Yamashita, aghast.
"Sorry, sorry. I've always scored low in the tact department. Let me try again." She paused and gave a small bow. When she spoke again her voice was at least two octaves higher, "It is a pleasure to meet you Matsuura-san. Rumi-chan has told me much about how you were also a victim of the hurricane that is Jin and Chiyako's love. You have my sympathy."
Youji wasn't sure if this introduction was much better. His grandmother would probably have left the room in a huff, but then Youji had long ago stopped judging the world by her standards. He decided Fukutami Yayoi was one of those eccentric folk who were beyond his ability to comprehend, let alone judge.
"Umm, nice to meet you and thanks for your sympathy. Although I think that Yamashita-san has had a much worse time of it than I."
Fukutami plopped down on couch next to Yamashita and returned to her original arrogant demeanor, "Getting dumped is getting dumped."
"Yes, but that isn't exactly what happened." Youji said, looking past Fukutami to Yamashita. "You see, I told Chiyako to go after the one she loved. I never suspected it would be Koishikawa-san. I'm very sorry, Yamashita-san, but I'm afraid that I am partially at fault for the state of things."
"Wait, wait, Matsuura-san," Fukutani pressed her hand to her forehead as if she had a headache, "I was under the impression that you were dating Chiyako."
"Well, I was." Youji replied.
"So you broke up with her?" asked Fukutani.
"I, well," it was difficult to explain, "It was kind of a trial dating, to see if we were compatible."
"Chiyako told me about that," said Yamashita, "But I thought that she was happy with you, Matsuura-san."
"She was, but I could tell she wasn't in love with me. I'd feel wrong dating someone who was in love with another."
"A compulsion Chiyako-chan obviously doesn't have," said Fukutani under her breath.
"That's too hard on her," Youji defended, "I don't think Chiyako meant to do this to Yamashita-san."
"Okay, we can blame it all on Jin then for snaring the hearts of two innocent women," said Fukutani, sarcastically.
"Jin didn't mean to hurt me," said Yamashita. "Even before we started dating, Jin and I were best of friends; in all that time, he's never hurt me intentionally. And if he did, he always made it up to me. The night he told me about Chiyako, I've never seen him so ashamed. Jin has high ideals, and I've seen him hurt when others didn't live up to them. I've never before seen him when he failed himself."
She hung her head, but didn't seem to be crying. She was suprisingly strong, Youji noted. Unlike Fukutami, she didn't seem to want to lay blame on either her former boyfriend or former roommate,which was quite admirable in Youji's mind, especially considering that even he could not honestly defend Chiyako's actions.
"You still love him," he said.
"How could I not love him? He's Jin." Yamashita's voice was small, but solid in its conviction.
"And you still love Chiyako, don't you Matsuura-san?" asked Fukutami, a calculating look creeping into her eyes.
Still love Chiyako? Of course he did, otherwise why would he have been so miserable these last weeks? For what other reason could he empathize so well with Yamashita's situation? It had to be love. He nodded an affirmative to Fukutami.
"So, now what do we do?"
Yayoi looked back and forth, like a teacher who's just asked for something obvious, like the second law of thermodynamics. She focussed on Youji, giving him a measured look, as if scoping him out. There was a moment of tension before she let out her breath. Then she gave her roommate a similar evaluation.
"Rumi-chan, do you want him back?" she asked.
"I. . ." Yamashita wavered.
"Yes or no?" Fukutami put to her.
"Yes."
"And Matsuura-san, do you want Chiyako back?"
"But Chiyako doesn't love me, she-" he began to explain, but Fukutani interrupted.
"If Jin-kun went back to Rumi, and Chiyako-chan gets her heart broken, would you take her back, all's forgiven, arms open, and live happily ever after?"
"Of course." It had been his dream, after all, when she had left him that day in the park. If only, he'd thought at the time, it doesn't work out; then she'll know how good I am for her.
"So, Jin and Chiyako break up, there are people who love them waiting, no one is hurt and it's all for the best in the long run. Am I right?" Youji said nothing, a strange fascination growing within him as he followed Fukutami's chain of reasoning. Yamashita was likewise silent and wide-eyed.
Assuming a tacit agreement from the others, she continued, "So, all we need to do is break them up."
"But. . ." Yamashita's protest died on her lips. Youji could see her considering and discarding arguments. A small if unsure smile appeared, and she asked, "So, how we do we go about that?"
Fukutami gave them a conspiratorial smile, "Well, I'm sure if we put our heads together we can come up with something. It's either that or sing karaoke, and I'm too sober for that."
*****
"So then what?" Asked Chiyako coyly, her chopsticks poised delicately, the sushi balanced inches from her lovely lips.
"The ball shoots back across the court, low and fast. I'm sure it won't make it over, but it skins the net, losing only a fraction of its speed and flies diagonally across the square. Now at this time, it's still possible for my opponent to sprint to it. But he hesitates, just enough. The ball's obviously in, and yours truly wins game, set, and match."
Jin chose an especially large piece of ginger for his maki roll, feeling a bit sheepish for his bragging. It was, after all, just a routine tennis match. Chiyako said nothing, so assuming that his story needed closure, Jin finished:
"Anyway, he comes over to the net, gives a polite little bow, very little, and says Nice game.' Has a slightly sour look on his face he was trying to conceal, but then again, it must be a bit of an ego blow to lose to a lowly freshman, especially if you're a senior and team captain like Hirokazu-sempai is."
"Oh, I think Captain Hirokazu could well do with some lessons in humility," said Chiyako.
"That's harsh, Chiyako. Are you that hard on all your ex-boyfriends?"
"I only dated him once; he does not count as an ex-boyfriend." Chiyako said defensively, and then added less severely, "Besides, you have nothing to worry about, Jin. There's no way I'm letting you become my ex-boyfriend."
She smiled at him and Jin felt waves of happiness wash over him. Things shouldn't be this good, he thought to himself.
But they were. Every minute he was with Chiyako was special and wonderful in ways that Jin had never conceived possible. It was like the sappy loves songs that he'd always dismissed previously. Watching Chiyako, listening to what she said, sharing his ideas with her: it was all so exhilarating. And kissing . . .
Still, mixed in with all this newfound pleasure was the sour taste of his guilt. Jin and Chiyako's bliss was bought at the expense of Rumi's happiness. If what she felt for me was like this, it was a horrible thought made worse because Jin still cared for Rumi the way he always had, as a friend and protector.
It wasn't any easier on Chiyako, who had been Rumi's roommate and friend. All their discussions of the matter had reinforced their guilt, and led no closer to any solution. It had seemed best to give Rumi a wide amount of space, requiring them to get any news second hand; Jin through Rumi's new roommate, Fukutami, and Chiyako through Matsuura.
The information was always somewhat removed, making it all the more frustrating. And it hurt, knowing that he might never regain her friendship. It might do him better just to break contact completely, a cowardly and unforgivable option.
Chiyako, sensing his apprehension, if not its source, lightly assured him.
"Of all the guys I've ever been involved with, dear Jin, Captain Hirokazu is the least of your concerns."
"Actually, Hirokazu was a pretty good sport," Jin said in defense of his opponent, returning his mind to a less disturbing subject. "His big mistake was underestimating me at the beginning of the game. I won the first two sets before he realized he'd have to take me seriously. But by that time I was on a roll. 4 to 1, I almost feel guilty for beating him so badly."
"He should have been serious from the start, otherwise why play the match?" Chiyako said with vehemence. The guy must have done something quite uncouth on that single date; Jin decided to go lightly on his rebuttal.
"Oh come on," he said, "This is the tennis club. We organize ski trips in the winter and I think the majority of the members see it as a way to pick up dates. My last opponent was a no show and I spent the time filling in for a missing double, who it turns out had shown up but left before the other three showed up - an hour late. I suspect that next time I play Hirokazu-sempai it will be a far more difficult game."
"I think you're overestimating our tennis captain's seriousness for the sport. I have a feeling that Hirokazu's main ambition in the club tends towards dating coeds." With this pronouncement, Chiyako dolloped her sushi with wasabi and popped it in her mouth. She might have meant to keep the serious face, but it twisted oddly as the horseradish's curiously strong heat permeated her mouth.
Jin grinned carefully as he plucked the salmon sashimi from the serving plate. "From what I know of the guy's track record, he asked you out, and, after you dumped him, he was turned down by Rumi. I really can't fault his taste in women."
Chiyako gave Jin a knowing look, as if she wanted to speak, but was holding her tongue. Jin wasn't quite sure why he kept returning to defend his opponent. Probably an effort to help the guy save face. Just male solidarity, he justified. Besides Chiyako, Jin had heard Fukutami and even Rumi complain about the guy's apparently unsuccessful conquests of women.
Shifting focus away from his ex-girlfriend, Jin continued, "And as far as his captaincy, I think he cares a lot for the club. After the game, he came in to talk about getting together. He says he's looking to get feedback from some of the freshman members."
"Really?" Chiyako asked, still somewhat skeptical.
"Yeah. He wants to hear my opinions. Actually, he wanted to get together tonight, but I told him I had a date. This restaurant is actually his suggestion."
Chiyako looked around, as if appraising the restaurant anew. It was a tasteful sushi bar, classical décor with light wood paneling and paper screens strategically located about the room to give privacy. Unfortunately due to the place's popularity, Jin and Chiyako's table was located up front and within view of the entrance and cash register. It was only a minor inconvenience, more than compensated for by the service and affordability of the place. And the food, Jin noted, as he bit into his fish, was fabulous.
"Well, Hirokazu does have taste, I'll give him that." Chiyako agreed ruefully, "And now, I order a change of conversation. How's your roommate?"
"Wouldn't know. He hasn't been home in three days, something about a friend getting a hold of a projector and some movies. I hope he comes back soon, rent is almost due."
"Don't I know that," agreed Chiyako.
"You're not short this month, are you?" Jin asked with concern.
"A bit." She admitted. "Rumi and I were alternating months on who paid. It was going to be Rumi's turn this month, and so naturally I went shopping with the remainder of my allowance. Worse comes to worst, I'll ask my mom, but she won't be happy at 'the frivolous waste of money.'"
Jin took a sip of beer. He wished he had heard about this earlier. He had spent most of his extra cash for the month on dates and such, and neither could ask Rumi for the cash.
"We could ask Fukutami. I know her parents pay the rent directly, I don't think she's told them that Rumi's paying her half. We could ask for that money, just this month until you find another roommate."
"I don't think Fukutami would be willing to help me out. Last time I saw her, she shot daggers at me with her eyes."
"That's not fair, she should blame me." Said Jin.
"She knows me the least." Chiyako said, shrugging her shoulders. "Naturally she'll blame me. Actually, I'm so grateful for her taking Rumi in, I'd let her hate me all she likes."
Jin nodded, silently wishing for a solution to this mess. His roommate had insisted he'd seen a TV show with precisely this setup. Unfortunately, upon being pressed, he admitted it was a morning cartoon and the protagonist had used some magic make-up compact to reverse time.
There were times when the guy really disturbed Jin. He really wondered what had happened to the compatibility survey the roommate finding service had had him fill out. Well, they were both nonsmokers.
Many people here in Tokyo had turned out different than he expected. Some for worse, but many for better. Fukutami Yayoi, his neighbor, had turned out to be an excellent support for Rumi, and also for Jin.
Looking back, it had seemed like some god's intercession that Fukutami had been in the hall just as Rumi ran out. It had been pretty tactless for Jin to ask her over only to tell her he was in love with Chiyako, but inviting her out would have been too much like a date, and at the time Rumi and Chiyako were roommates, so he couldn't really go there.
Perhaps Fukutami's presence hadn't been complete coincidence, thought Jin. He had a feeling that she knew a good deal about what went on around the apartment building. Or perhaps she just liked to appear to be so knowledgeable; she could choose to be excessively vague when she wanted to.
Jin found himself replaying their most recent conversation from this morning, hopeful yet odd all the same.
"About Rumi," Fukutami had focussed the conversation after the obligate pleasantries were dispensed with.
"Yes?" he asked, bracing for the worst.
"She's doing better these days, almost chipper."
"That's great." Said Jin, happy for good news at last.
"Possibly." She said, reluctantly.
"What?" asked Jin, "You think it's just a front?"
"No, I think she's genuinely happy. I think she's getting over you, finally."
Relief surged through Jin's heart, "I'm so glad."
"I hope so." Fukutami nodded, her face inscrutable. As she passed him by, she added, "Miraculous recoveries come with side effects, you know."
Maybe Chiyako could make some sense of it. Jin started to repeat the conversation, but Chiyako's interest was elsewhere.
"Well, look who's here," said Chiyako as she looked somewhere behind Jin's ear, "It's our tennis captain himself."
"Here?" Jin asked with surprise, "What's he doing?"
"Probably out on a date. I wonder- Oh my." Chiyako's eyes widened with surprise and then some more unfathomable emotion.
Curiously, Jin craned around. The place was crowded and at first he could only see Hirokazu, looking quite dashing and conversing with someone to his right. Then, the customers shifted to reveal a rather dressed up young woman.
Jin's hand clenched, causing his sashimi to flip out and land in the soy sauce, splattering the brown liquid. He didn't notice, his mind was so caught by realization.
Hirokazu's date was Rumi.
copyright Kim Smuga-Otto July 2000