**track one**
Takeshi bursts into my room while I'm still brushing my hair.
Thank the Kami that I'm decent, but still...
"Are you gonna get ready, Shun? He's coming!"
"What, today?"
"Yes, today! Mitsuru and Shinobu just went to the principal's office
to pick him up and show him around the campus before bringing him
over to Greenwood. C'mon, are you blind? Haven't you seen the club
representatives gathering in the lobby?"
Actually, I hadn't even bothered to step out of my dorm room yet
this morning. I'd managed to juggle my schedule when I arrived at
Ryokuto such that I didn't have classes until after lunch on Mondays
and Wednesdays. Hey, I need my beauty sleep, after all. So...
"No, I hadn't seen them."
"Well, check it out, but make it quick, will ya? This is s'posed to
be a surprise on him, after all. So we getta loada the look on his
face when he thinks he's rooming with a *girl*."
"Sure, sure. Just five minutes, alright?" Takeshi nods, and I'm
at the door in a second. But just as I'm about to turn the handle,
he stops me one last time.
"Uh... Shun?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you string him along until, say, Friday morning?"
I grin. So, he bet on fifth day morning, did he? "Hey... I can do
better than that, even..." His face falls. Well, tough luck, Takeshi.
I've bet on my own ability, too. Everybody in Greenwood has put
down money as to when this Hasukawa Kazuya character finally
figures out that his roommate *isn't* a girl. And Shinobu-sempai
and Mitsuru-sempai have already suggested I let him figure it out
some time Wednesday afternoon... something about sponsoring a
welcoming party for him with the proceeds.
But I'm not going to take a dive for anyone's sake; not if I can
help it. Because I've got a stake in this, too. The bets stretch
out as far as three weeks from now; if I can con this guy beyond
that, the pot is mine. And it's a pretty substantial one, too.
They're giving me 40-to-1 odds of fooling him for a month.
These bookies here at Ryokuto don't know me very well,
do they?
It's a longstanding Kisaragi trait. For generations, every male in
the family has looked feminine enough to pass for a girl. My
grandfather got out of the draft, in fact, because the Kamikaze
Corps refused to recruit what they thought was a woman. I'm
grateful for it, too... I'd never have been born otherwise. As it is,
Grandfather's still alive and well and still putting in hours at the
Kisaragi Ryokan, although being semi-retired, his real pastime is
the local kabuki troupe.
These days, Dad runs the ryokan for the most part, enduring
customers constantly calling him 'mama-san,' while my little
brother Reina and I have done some work as 'draw girls' for the
ryokan and occasionally for neighboring restaurants. So I had
every confidence in my ability to pass as a woman. It's in the genes.
I *try* to check out the club representatives Takeshi mentioned,
but there is absolutely *no* getting into the Greenwood lobby,
what with all these guys crowded in here. Guys in sports uniforms,
guys holding posters and placards, guys with tape over their mouths...
Hold that thought. Tape over their mouths?
The light goes on in my head. That's right... ordinarily, direct
club recruitment isn't permitted at the dorms. But this is no
ordinary student, after all. This is the last student to enter
Ryokuto Academy for the year, the last potential new member
these clubs have. And they've descended on him like tourists
on a cherry orchard in spring. The tape is how they observe the
letter of the law while trampling all over its spirit. Hell, there
isn't even enough room for anyone to open the door...
And just as I think it, the door swings open, and Mitsuru-sempai
steps in, a nonchalant look on his face. He was expecting this,
no doubt. For all I know, either he or Shinobu-sempai let the
information slip to various club presidents... maybe even for a fee...
The kid behind him looks like he's in a state of shock. About my
height, with a shock of reddish hair. Poor guy looks like he's in
over his head already. Wait until he gets to the room...
And with that, I realize I'd better dash back there to prepare for
the big surprise. Thank heavens for this crowd... nobody could
have spotted me in this sea of humanity. Besides, the three of
them still have to walk this gauntlet yet before they get to me...
Takeshi bursts into my room while I'm still brushing my hair.
Thank the Kami that I'm decent, but still...
"Are you gonna get ready, Shun? He's coming!"
"What, today?"
"Yes, today! Mitsuru and Shinobu just went to the principal's office
to pick him up and show him around the campus before bringing him
over to Greenwood. C'mon, are you blind? Haven't you seen the club
representatives gathering in the lobby?"
Actually, I hadn't even bothered to step out of my dorm room yet
this morning. I'd managed to juggle my schedule when I arrived at
Ryokuto such that I didn't have classes until after lunch on Mondays
and Wednesdays. Hey, I need my beauty sleep, after all. So...
"No, I hadn't seen them."
"Well, check it out, but make it quick, will ya? This is s'posed to
be a surprise on him, after all. So we getta loada the look on his
face when he thinks he's rooming with a *girl*."
"Sure, sure. Just five minutes, alright?" Takeshi nods, and I'm
at the door in a second. But just as I'm about to turn the handle,
he stops me one last time.
"Uh... Shun?"
"Yeah?"
"Could you string him along until, say, Friday morning?"
I grin. So, he bet on fifth day morning, did he? "Hey... I can do
better than that, even..." His face falls. Well, tough luck, Takeshi.
I've bet on my own ability, too. Everybody in Greenwood has put
down money as to when this Hasukawa Kazuya character finally
figures out that his roommate *isn't* a girl. And Shinobu-sempai
and Mitsuru-sempai have already suggested I let him figure it out
some time Wednesday afternoon... something about sponsoring a
welcoming party for him with the proceeds.
But I'm not going to take a dive for anyone's sake; not if I can
help it. Because I've got a stake in this, too. The bets stretch
out as far as three weeks from now; if I can con this guy beyond
that, the pot is mine. And it's a pretty substantial one, too.
They're giving me 40-to-1 odds of fooling him for a month.
These bookies here at Ryokuto don't know me very well,
do they?
It's a longstanding Kisaragi trait. For generations, every male in
the family has looked feminine enough to pass for a girl. My
grandfather got out of the draft, in fact, because the Kamikaze
Corps refused to recruit what they thought was a woman. I'm
grateful for it, too... I'd never have been born otherwise. As it is,
Grandfather's still alive and well and still putting in hours at the
Kisaragi Ryokan, although being semi-retired, his real pastime is
the local kabuki troupe.
These days, Dad runs the ryokan for the most part, enduring
customers constantly calling him 'mama-san,' while my little
brother Reina and I have done some work as 'draw girls' for the
ryokan and occasionally for neighboring restaurants. So I had
every confidence in my ability to pass as a woman. It's in the genes.
I *try* to check out the club representatives Takeshi mentioned,
but there is absolutely *no* getting into the Greenwood lobby,
what with all these guys crowded in here. Guys in sports uniforms,
guys holding posters and placards, guys with tape over their mouths...
Hold that thought. Tape over their mouths?
The light goes on in my head. That's right... ordinarily, direct
club recruitment isn't permitted at the dorms. But this is no
ordinary student, after all. This is the last student to enter
Ryokuto Academy for the year, the last potential new member
these clubs have. And they've descended on him like tourists
on a cherry orchard in spring. The tape is how they observe the
letter of the law while trampling all over its spirit. Hell, there
isn't even enough room for anyone to open the door...
And just as I think it, the door swings open, and Mitsuru-sempai
steps in, a nonchalant look on his face. He was expecting this,
no doubt. For all I know, either he or Shinobu-sempai let the
information slip to various club presidents... maybe even for a fee...
The kid behind him looks like he's in a state of shock. About my
height, with a shock of reddish hair. Poor guy looks like he's in
over his head already. Wait until he gets to the room...
And with that, I realize I'd better dash back there to prepare for
the big surprise. Thank heavens for this crowd... nobody could
have spotted me in this sea of humanity. Besides, the three of
them still have to walk this gauntlet yet before they get to me...