This chapter might probably bore you a bit, but hey, it's still part of the plot. ^_^
Thanks to those who reviewed. I'm not going to talk anything about my OC's for the mean time. It's just up to them to solve the mystery.
I forgot to add a disclaimer. I own Slam Dunk… in my dreams and those two other girls, namely: Naomi and Yumi (and some others) are just a figment of my imagination.
Enjoy the rest of the story.
Chapter 2 - Girls
The school cafeteria was awfully packed the other day. The news of the grafitti in the gymnasium spread like a wild forest fire.
"I was not aware!" One girl with pigtails hanging down to her shoulders cried out. This girl was given the name, 'Ka', by the usual bystanders of the school. She sat in between two other girls. Their group was very known in school as the 'Rukawa Brigade'. They were the most annoying bunch of girls Shohoku high had. The number of girls from their organization was evidently increasing by the minute.
"Me too!" The girl with short brown hair, whom they called 'Ru', sat beside Ka's right, agreed. "I just heard from one freshman yesterday that Principal Kanada closed the gym because someone wrote something bad about Rukawa-kun!"
'Wa', The tallest girl with the longest hair, crushed her plastic cup and raised her fists. "Whoever did that awful thing must pay!"
The two other girls nodded, their faces furious.
"We must save our beloved Rukawa-kun from…from…that…thing!" Ru immediately stood up, wobbling the table and causing some of their food and drinks to spill.
"I absolutely agree!" Wa rose from her seat, her fist high.
"Let's do it!" Ka stood up between them. She placed her hands on her cheeks then the three of them shrieked like a group of banshees.
"Rukawaaaaaa-kuuuuunnnn waaaa daisukiiiiiiii!!!" They scandalously chorused with fake tears gushing down their eyes.
Everyone in the cafeteria looked at them dumbfounded, some were obviously irritated and annoyed. The three girls didn't care, they were always like that wherever they were, whatever the time was. They would absolutely positively do anything for Rukawa Kaede.
Soon, the three girls marched down the cafeteria door chanting their infamous "Ru-ka-wa! Ru-ka-wa! L-O-V-E, Ru-ka-wa!" They had a long line of other girls trailing behind them, shouting that same cheer.
"Is it just me or those girls just mentioned that the gym was closed?" Noda Naomi rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Ichihara Yumi nodded shyly. "Saori-chan told me, that her brother Yasuda-san told her, that someone wrote something very strange about Rukawa-san."
"Wrote?" Naomi raised an eyebrow.
"Vandalized the gym wall with red paint."
"What?!" Her eyes wide.
Yumi nodded again. "She mentioned something like, 'He tastes like cinnamon'."
"She?" Naomi's eyerbrows twitched again.
"Uh, would a guy do that to him? It obviously looks like it was written by a really obsessed female fan." The shy girl tried to explain. For Yumi, that presumption was very rudimentary. Everybody in the school knew Rukawa's effect on the ladies. And because of the fact that she loved reading mystery novels, she thought it was be a good idea to snoop the case out. But, she knew she couldn't do it.
"Cinnamon?" She raised her voice, almost ignoring Yumi's explanation.
Yumi looked around and murmured, "Isn't that just weird? Why would someone even think he tastes like cinnamon?"
Naomi smiled and blushed, "Maybe he does! I love cinnamon myself."
"You think?!" Yumi's soft voice rose.
"Oh you are so gullible, Yumi-chan!" The long-haired girl laughed.
Yumi's face turned red. "Sorry."
Naomi laughed more and sighed. "Silly girl. I was just teasing. Who knows? Maybe he does taste like that."
"Oh."
"Who do you think did it?" Naomi changed the subject, sipping her juice.
"I don't know. Everybody thinks the suspect is a freshman." She answered nervously.
Naomi looked at Yumi and lowered her head. "How come? There are sophomores who also go crazy for him."
"I…I heard that the paint was still fresh when they found it." Yumi watched an ant dive in her unfinished soba.
"So? I say, it still could be a second year student." Naomi folded her arms.
"They think that the suspect is a freshman from the first class who used the gym yesterday." She insisted, speaking in a low voice.
"Why do you keep saying it's a freshman?" Naomi asked coolly.
Yumi shook her head briefly, "I don't think sophomore students will do something like that."
"It could be one of those afterschool or midmorning gangsters." A voice appeared behind them.
The two girls turned around and found Haruko, Fujii and Matsui standing behind them. Both were surprised to see the three.
"You should have at least greeted them, Haruko-chan." Matsui told her in a low monotonous tone.
Haruko just smiled a sweet smile and then her face turned serious again. "May we join you?" She prompted.
"Sure. Yumi-chan, and I were just talking about the inccident yesterday." Naomi informed.
Haruko and her friends sat on the opposite side, with her in the middle. Yumi became quiet for a while.
"So you think it's done by a gang?" Naomi rested her chin on one hand while looking at Haruko.
She nodded, "My brother thinks so. No one could be that early to write something that big on a wall."
Fujii, the girl with shorter hair, bit her lip and spoke softly. "Maybe it could be some people from another school. They could be a little insecure about Rukawa-kun."
"If it was, why would it write something like that?" Matsui, the girl with high pigtails, shot back at Fujii. "I don't think that person is insecure. I think it wants to make fun of Rukawa-kun."
"Well, Yumi-chan here think it's a freshman from the first class who used the gym." Naomi pointed a finger at her friend beside her.
Haruko and Fujii gasped. "But, it was already there when we entered!" Fujii tried to explain.
Matsui just nodded, her arms folded and her eyes closed.
Yumi just sat back sulking. She was obviously too shy to answer.
"Yumi-chan," Haruko called her and smiled nervously. "It could probably be done by the last person who left the gym too."
"But, the basketball club is always last to leave right?" Yumi suddenly answered, not looking into Haruko's eyes.
"She has a point." Naomi defended her friend. "You think it is one of the members?"
The three girls became quiet.
Naomi spoke again, "It could be someone from the team who is very jealous of him. Do you know anyone, Haruko-chan?"
Haruko put a finger on her lips and thought.
"I bet it was that redhead friend of yours." Matsui guessed.
Fuji began to tremble. "Wasn't Sakuragi-kun a gangster back in Junior High?"
Haruko's face was in shock. "No! Sakuragi-kun wouldn't do such a thing. He and Rukawa-kun… He… he…" Her face becoming more pale.
"They don't really like each other." Matsui explained. "The first one is a snob and the other one is stupid." She spoke casually at Naomi and Yumi.
Naomi laughed then suddenly there was a beeping sound coming from her pocket. She fished in and pulled out a pink cellphone.
"Of all places to call!" Furiously, she gripped the cellphone with one hand then answered it. "Yes, what is it this time, mother?"
Haruko, Fujii, Matsui and Yumi just watched her.
"Oh." Naomi's face turned pale. "I see… okay… I will… thank you… bye." Afterwards she placed the cellphone back in her pocket and stood up.
"Where are you going?" Haruko looked up and asked her.
Naomi sighed. "My mother called. I need to go to the hospital, the doctor says he wants another check-up." Without even saying good-bye, she left the cafeteria.
"What's that all about?" Matsui asked Yumi, who was all alone on the other side of the table.
Yumi looked over the door and spoke softly. "Naomi-chan says her mother thinks she is sick. She wants her to have daily check-ups in the hospital."
"What kind of sickness?" Haruko asked curiously.
"Something she had when she was a child. She told me she fell on the stairs." Yumi divulged her friend's secret.
"Broken bones?" Matsui shrugged.
"I don't know. Sorry." Yumi apologized.
"Well then," Haruko stood up. "It's almost time for the team to practice…" she paused, "Oh, I forgot. The gym is closed for repainting."
Matsui rose from her seat and placed a hand on Haruko's shoulder. "Too bad you can't see Rukawa today."
A blush immediately spread on Haruko's face.
"I…I should get going too." Yumi stood up and bowed her head. "It was nice talking to you."
"You too, Yumi-chan. We should do this more often." Haruko offered.
"Good-bye!" Yumi waved and walked out of the cafeteria.
"Shouldn't we go as well?" Fujii looked up her two friends. "Maybe we can go check on the soccer team this time?"
Matsui rolled her eyes. "You just want to see that new player in the team." She teased.
Fuji turned red and looked at Haruko.
Haruko sighed, "Let's just go home early." And so, she went out the dining hall with her friends beside her.