A different Toudai, Chapter 6
Asami hadn't forgiven her. She wasn't surprised. Asami would probably never forgive her.
Naru was packing nonchalantly, ignoring the loud giggles and exclamations Asami was making from the other side of the room whenever her current man kissed her. They were watching a movie and the dark-haired beauty was clearly making every effort to cause Naru to explode in frustration.
Well, she won't succeed, thought Naru. She'd had plenty of experience blocking things out of her mind-especially back when she had been studying in her room at Hinata Inn and Motoko had been chasing Keitaro down the hallways, brandishing her sword.
Hinata Inn. The word stirred some fond memories within her.
Asami laughed silkily and put an arm around the man's neck. "When the little brat is gone," she said, accenting the word brat, "we'll have this place all to ourselves."
Naru did not reply. She'd folded all the clothes she would need and now there was only Liddo-kun to retrieve off of her bed. She made towards the stuffed animal, but Asami reached it first.
"Who would imagine that a Toudai student still sleeps with stuffed animals?" the dark-haired beauty sneered, and her man laughed. Naru was suddenly filled with anger. Slander to herself she could withstand; her precious Liddo-kun in Asami's hands she could not. She lunged for it, knocking Asami to the ground. The girl screamed and flailed her arms and legs, yet managed to hold Liddo-kun out of Naru's reach.
"Hey, hey," the guy muttered, clearly unsure of what he should do. "Break it up, girls."
"Stay out of this," Asami hissed, her voice losing the silky tone. Sensing danger, the guy quickly retreated, holding his hands up in a defensive manner. Naru took the chance to reach for Liddo-kun but Asami pulled her arm back-and the worn fabric tore on the bed frame with a sharp, ripping sound.
Asami was the first to move, throwing Naru off of her with a disgusted look. "Get off me." She glared at the torn toy in her hands, stuffing now falling out of it. "What the hell." She tossed it behind her bed and came back to her man, the sexy, seducing princess again. "Now, where were we?"
Naru would not suffer the disgrace of retrieving her toy from behind Asami's bed. Besides, the place had never been dusted and her precious stuffed animal was probably unfixable. The brunette slung her bag over her shoulder, tossed her hair in as nonchalantly a way as she could, and stepped out the door. The last thing she heard of her dormitory was Asami giggling girlishly.
= = = = = = =
All thoughts of the dark-haired beauty with whom she shared a room vanished from Naru's mind as she flew up the staircase leading to Hinata Inn. She could hardly wait to see them all-Shinobu, Motoko, Su, Haruka-san, and Kitsune, who had evidently come home from Osaka. From past parties Naru knew that Mutsumi would undoubtedly be there.
She slipped on the last step and fell to the ground, her bag falling from her hands and skidding the full length of the last ten feet she had to go, stopping with a loud thump against the door. Kitsune opened it to see Naru sprawled on the floor in the cold snow.
"Naru!" she shouted, and ran to envelope her friend in a huge bear hug. Naru basked in the warmth of Kitsune's body, delighted that her girlfriend bore no grudges from the past summer.
Shinobu appeared in the doorway and called out, "Okaeri, sempai!" before calling over her shoulder, "Motoko-sempai, please bring another towel!"
Kitsune half-escorted Naru into the kitchen, where she was met with a hearty welcome and a table laden with delicious dishes. Motoko soon returned with a towel and some more dry clothes, but Naru declined, wandering from room to room, explaining that she wanted to catch up on all she had missed. Her gaze stopped on the fallen Christmas tree.
"Su fell on it," explained Motoko in her calm, matter-of-fact tone. "We've been trying to resurrect it."
"Hey," called Haruka-san from the other room, "Dinner's ready."
Su took Naru's coat and told her to go take a seat, as the guest of honor. Shinobu cast a curious glance at the familiar red and white velvet coat Keitaro had purchased for her and looked at Naru, who didn't notice. The younger girl made no comment and instead went around filling up everyone's glasses.
"Naru," said Motoko quietly, "how is Toudai?"
Naru put down her chopsticks and thought wistfully of Liddo-kun for a moment, then brought a smile to her face with some effort. "It's all right. Classes aren't as hard as I expected."
"That's good," Motoko said, taking a sip of her miso soup. Beside her, Kitsune called out, "Haruka-san, is there any sake in the house?"
"Yes, I bought it just for you," said Shinobu, hopping up to get it.
Unintentionally shifting the conversation to herself, Kitsune kicked back and murmured, "It's so nice to be home."
"How do you like Osaka?" Naru hastened to ask.
Kitsune took a deep sip of sake and sighed. "Great." Then she proceeded to consume the rest of the bottle, not even bothering to pour it into her glass.
Naru thought: She's drunk again.
= = = = = = =
He'd done his best to ignore all the Christmas vendors and cheery lights and signs on his way here, concentrating his mind instead on what he would say. His feet made slow, even footsteps through the snow but he never looked up.
There it was, Toudai. His dream school. A dream he'd given up, but someone else hadn't.
Keitaro entered the school, a warm gust of air washing over him and instantly melting the snow on his dark brown hair. It suddenly struck him as very silly; he didn't even know if she was here, and if she was, he had no idea how to find her. Students who were staying over break walked by in front of him, giggling and laughing. No one cast a glance at the loner.
Twenty minutes later he was strolling down what should be the hallway where Naru's room was located. He wondered if she would punch him upon seeing him; at Hinata Inn she certainly would have done so.
Keitaro hesitated in front of the door; then, with a gentle twist of the doorknob, opened it and found himself facing the dorm room of Naru Narusegawa.
Asami hadn't forgiven her. She wasn't surprised. Asami would probably never forgive her.
Naru was packing nonchalantly, ignoring the loud giggles and exclamations Asami was making from the other side of the room whenever her current man kissed her. They were watching a movie and the dark-haired beauty was clearly making every effort to cause Naru to explode in frustration.
Well, she won't succeed, thought Naru. She'd had plenty of experience blocking things out of her mind-especially back when she had been studying in her room at Hinata Inn and Motoko had been chasing Keitaro down the hallways, brandishing her sword.
Hinata Inn. The word stirred some fond memories within her.
Asami laughed silkily and put an arm around the man's neck. "When the little brat is gone," she said, accenting the word brat, "we'll have this place all to ourselves."
Naru did not reply. She'd folded all the clothes she would need and now there was only Liddo-kun to retrieve off of her bed. She made towards the stuffed animal, but Asami reached it first.
"Who would imagine that a Toudai student still sleeps with stuffed animals?" the dark-haired beauty sneered, and her man laughed. Naru was suddenly filled with anger. Slander to herself she could withstand; her precious Liddo-kun in Asami's hands she could not. She lunged for it, knocking Asami to the ground. The girl screamed and flailed her arms and legs, yet managed to hold Liddo-kun out of Naru's reach.
"Hey, hey," the guy muttered, clearly unsure of what he should do. "Break it up, girls."
"Stay out of this," Asami hissed, her voice losing the silky tone. Sensing danger, the guy quickly retreated, holding his hands up in a defensive manner. Naru took the chance to reach for Liddo-kun but Asami pulled her arm back-and the worn fabric tore on the bed frame with a sharp, ripping sound.
Asami was the first to move, throwing Naru off of her with a disgusted look. "Get off me." She glared at the torn toy in her hands, stuffing now falling out of it. "What the hell." She tossed it behind her bed and came back to her man, the sexy, seducing princess again. "Now, where were we?"
Naru would not suffer the disgrace of retrieving her toy from behind Asami's bed. Besides, the place had never been dusted and her precious stuffed animal was probably unfixable. The brunette slung her bag over her shoulder, tossed her hair in as nonchalantly a way as she could, and stepped out the door. The last thing she heard of her dormitory was Asami giggling girlishly.
= = = = = = =
All thoughts of the dark-haired beauty with whom she shared a room vanished from Naru's mind as she flew up the staircase leading to Hinata Inn. She could hardly wait to see them all-Shinobu, Motoko, Su, Haruka-san, and Kitsune, who had evidently come home from Osaka. From past parties Naru knew that Mutsumi would undoubtedly be there.
She slipped on the last step and fell to the ground, her bag falling from her hands and skidding the full length of the last ten feet she had to go, stopping with a loud thump against the door. Kitsune opened it to see Naru sprawled on the floor in the cold snow.
"Naru!" she shouted, and ran to envelope her friend in a huge bear hug. Naru basked in the warmth of Kitsune's body, delighted that her girlfriend bore no grudges from the past summer.
Shinobu appeared in the doorway and called out, "Okaeri, sempai!" before calling over her shoulder, "Motoko-sempai, please bring another towel!"
Kitsune half-escorted Naru into the kitchen, where she was met with a hearty welcome and a table laden with delicious dishes. Motoko soon returned with a towel and some more dry clothes, but Naru declined, wandering from room to room, explaining that she wanted to catch up on all she had missed. Her gaze stopped on the fallen Christmas tree.
"Su fell on it," explained Motoko in her calm, matter-of-fact tone. "We've been trying to resurrect it."
"Hey," called Haruka-san from the other room, "Dinner's ready."
Su took Naru's coat and told her to go take a seat, as the guest of honor. Shinobu cast a curious glance at the familiar red and white velvet coat Keitaro had purchased for her and looked at Naru, who didn't notice. The younger girl made no comment and instead went around filling up everyone's glasses.
"Naru," said Motoko quietly, "how is Toudai?"
Naru put down her chopsticks and thought wistfully of Liddo-kun for a moment, then brought a smile to her face with some effort. "It's all right. Classes aren't as hard as I expected."
"That's good," Motoko said, taking a sip of her miso soup. Beside her, Kitsune called out, "Haruka-san, is there any sake in the house?"
"Yes, I bought it just for you," said Shinobu, hopping up to get it.
Unintentionally shifting the conversation to herself, Kitsune kicked back and murmured, "It's so nice to be home."
"How do you like Osaka?" Naru hastened to ask.
Kitsune took a deep sip of sake and sighed. "Great." Then she proceeded to consume the rest of the bottle, not even bothering to pour it into her glass.
Naru thought: She's drunk again.
= = = = = = =
He'd done his best to ignore all the Christmas vendors and cheery lights and signs on his way here, concentrating his mind instead on what he would say. His feet made slow, even footsteps through the snow but he never looked up.
There it was, Toudai. His dream school. A dream he'd given up, but someone else hadn't.
Keitaro entered the school, a warm gust of air washing over him and instantly melting the snow on his dark brown hair. It suddenly struck him as very silly; he didn't even know if she was here, and if she was, he had no idea how to find her. Students who were staying over break walked by in front of him, giggling and laughing. No one cast a glance at the loner.
Twenty minutes later he was strolling down what should be the hallway where Naru's room was located. He wondered if she would punch him upon seeing him; at Hinata Inn she certainly would have done so.
Keitaro hesitated in front of the door; then, with a gentle twist of the doorknob, opened it and found himself facing the dorm room of Naru Narusegawa.