Chapter 8: Confrontation
I walked slowly to the dorm after my last period. I wasn't exactly looking forward to spending another evening in Arisugawa-sama's apartment. Luckily for me, the every night of the last three days she had been out until around 7:30 pm, when she took her ritual shower, put on her evening dress , and walked to the gardens to sit by the fountains, where she sometimes stayed until past ten. I had begun making a mental note of all her regular activities, so that I could time mine appropriately when she wasn't home. I still hadn't found out (not had the courage to ask) what she did after school until 7:30, but I figured it must have had something to do with her Student Council duties.
But as I was saying. . .I was walking as slowly as possible back to the dorm, when an angry voice broke into my thoughts. "Don't you have anything to say, bitch?!" I turned my head to the left just in time to see the slap. Himemiya Anthy cringed and dropped the full watering can she had been carrying. "It's your fault that Miki isn't competing in the piano concert!" growled one of the three girls surrounding her. A light tap on her shoulder caused her to spin around. "Whaa...!?" she yelped in surprise. "Er..." I stammered. "Er...Please stop that. It's just not nice."
The three girls gawked at me for a moment, before I felt a sharp sting across my cheek that sent my glasses flying off onto the ground. I rubbed my cheek where the apparent leader , a girl with two ponytails on either side of her head, had stuck me. "Stay out of this! It doesn't concern you." she snarled. I tried to look her in the eyes as best as I could with my newly blurred vision. "I beg to differ, Miss, but when my friends are being attacked I think it does concern me." I answered, somehow keeping my voice from trembling.
The girls laughed loudly at this. I noticed the dark fuzzy blob that was Himemiya hadn't spoken or moved at all since I interrupted. "Himemiya has FRIENDS!? Who would have guessed??" cried one of the girls, laughing hysterically.
"What's all this commotion about?" asked a familiar cold voice. Everyone, even the three bullies, froze. Arisugawa-san stalked over to me, and I felt her press something wiry and metal into my hand. I accepted my glasses gratefully and put them back on, noting with dismay that the left lens now had a large vertical crack. "A-A-Arisugawa-sempai! It's not what it looks like!" stammered the girl with curled black hair. "We're very sorry!" squeaked the other. "Goodbye!" called the leader, as they dashed away as fast as their skinny legs could carry them. Arisugawa-san glared at them them coldy as they scurried off, then turned back to Himemiya-san and I. "Nanami's behind this nonsense, I'm sure." she remarked scathingly. "I'll be sure to speak with her today. But why...?"
Anthy got up, adjusted her glasses, dusted herself off, then began filling her water can again as if nothing had happened. "Himemiya-san...are you all right?" I asked tentatively. She turned around with the same smile she always had. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you." The shock must have registered on my face, because she continued. "...It's ok, I'm used to it." The water can filled to the top. "I'm sorry, but I have to go water the roses now. Goodbye, Rankaku-san, Arisugawa-san." And with that, she left for the birdcage-like greenhouse across the yard.
"What about you, Rankaku?" asked Arisugawa-san, startling me. "Are you hurt?" I shook my head. "No...I'm fine. Fortunately, I was going to get new glasses this week anyway." I replied. "You're going back the dorm now, right?" she asked. "We'll go together." I felt as if a large boulder had just dropped into the pit of my stomach. So she was coming home early today after all... and I had been looking forward to having the dorm to myself... "All right." I agreed half-heatedly, following her.
Suddenly I remembered something important. "The girls said something about Miki... they said it was Himemiya-san's fault he wasn't going to a piano competition." "Did they?" asked the red-haired girl, giving me a critical look. "He told me he had too much homework to do. He's not coming to the next fencing match either." I perked up. "Miki fences? He's even more talented than I thought! Wow...!" Arisugawa-san's eyes narrowed. "Do you like fencing?" she asked. I nodded eagerly. "Yes, fencing is such an elegant sport. I greatly respect anyone with the stamina and dexterity to do it."
She closed her eyes and smirked, brushing a few strands of curly tangerine curls from her face. "You happen to be speaking to the fencing team captain." Her eyebrows raised at the wide-eyed look I gave her. "What, do I look that un-athletic? You insult me, Miss Rankaku."
I put my hands up in defense. "No, it's not that! It just took my by surprise, that's all." I walked behind her the rest of the way in awkward silence. So, that was where she had been going nearly every day after school.
"You and Miki are good friends, aren't you?" I asked her, as she unlocked the door to the dorm and walked in. Arisugawa-sama walked into the dorm's kitchenette and started preparing coffee. "Maybe. Why do you ask?" she rebounded, holding up a second cup in an a silent question. I shook my head, I didn't care much for caffeinated foods. "Well... you seem very different." I fidgeted and watched her from the safety of the entrance. She seemed to be in a fairly good mood, but in the last week I had learned not to judge my host so easily. Her mood tended to swing drastically in a matter of milliseconds.
She poured the boiling water into the coffee machine and turned to face me, holding the steaming pot in her slender hands. "That's precisely why it works. I can't stand cold, jaded people." she replied, with a touch of sarcasm. "Miki is very innocent and naive... those are the traits that endear him to me most." she continued as she waited for the grounds to give off their flavor. "I want to savor it while I can...People like him are so very rare nowadays. It will likely leave him too, in time."
I nodded sadly. "It's something most people lose with age."
Juri continued as if she didn't hear me. "Sometimes I want so badly to believe in the goodness of people; I make myself see it in them, even when it's not there..." Her eyes flashed darkly with those last few words. I tensed up and readied myself for an explosion.
Arisugawa-san looked up as if suddenly realizing I was still there.
"...But if you think you'll get on my good side by acting cute and helpless, you're badly mistaken!" she growled, as she snatched her cup of coffee and shut herself up in her room. I blinked at her closed door for a few seconds. "Hormones...!" I muttered wearily.
I walked slowly to the dorm after my last period. I wasn't exactly looking forward to spending another evening in Arisugawa-sama's apartment. Luckily for me, the every night of the last three days she had been out until around 7:30 pm, when she took her ritual shower, put on her evening dress , and walked to the gardens to sit by the fountains, where she sometimes stayed until past ten. I had begun making a mental note of all her regular activities, so that I could time mine appropriately when she wasn't home. I still hadn't found out (not had the courage to ask) what she did after school until 7:30, but I figured it must have had something to do with her Student Council duties.
But as I was saying. . .I was walking as slowly as possible back to the dorm, when an angry voice broke into my thoughts. "Don't you have anything to say, bitch?!" I turned my head to the left just in time to see the slap. Himemiya Anthy cringed and dropped the full watering can she had been carrying. "It's your fault that Miki isn't competing in the piano concert!" growled one of the three girls surrounding her. A light tap on her shoulder caused her to spin around. "Whaa...!?" she yelped in surprise. "Er..." I stammered. "Er...Please stop that. It's just not nice."
The three girls gawked at me for a moment, before I felt a sharp sting across my cheek that sent my glasses flying off onto the ground. I rubbed my cheek where the apparent leader , a girl with two ponytails on either side of her head, had stuck me. "Stay out of this! It doesn't concern you." she snarled. I tried to look her in the eyes as best as I could with my newly blurred vision. "I beg to differ, Miss, but when my friends are being attacked I think it does concern me." I answered, somehow keeping my voice from trembling.
The girls laughed loudly at this. I noticed the dark fuzzy blob that was Himemiya hadn't spoken or moved at all since I interrupted. "Himemiya has FRIENDS!? Who would have guessed??" cried one of the girls, laughing hysterically.
"What's all this commotion about?" asked a familiar cold voice. Everyone, even the three bullies, froze. Arisugawa-san stalked over to me, and I felt her press something wiry and metal into my hand. I accepted my glasses gratefully and put them back on, noting with dismay that the left lens now had a large vertical crack. "A-A-Arisugawa-sempai! It's not what it looks like!" stammered the girl with curled black hair. "We're very sorry!" squeaked the other. "Goodbye!" called the leader, as they dashed away as fast as their skinny legs could carry them. Arisugawa-san glared at them them coldy as they scurried off, then turned back to Himemiya-san and I. "Nanami's behind this nonsense, I'm sure." she remarked scathingly. "I'll be sure to speak with her today. But why...?"
Anthy got up, adjusted her glasses, dusted herself off, then began filling her water can again as if nothing had happened. "Himemiya-san...are you all right?" I asked tentatively. She turned around with the same smile she always had. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you." The shock must have registered on my face, because she continued. "...It's ok, I'm used to it." The water can filled to the top. "I'm sorry, but I have to go water the roses now. Goodbye, Rankaku-san, Arisugawa-san." And with that, she left for the birdcage-like greenhouse across the yard.
"What about you, Rankaku?" asked Arisugawa-san, startling me. "Are you hurt?" I shook my head. "No...I'm fine. Fortunately, I was going to get new glasses this week anyway." I replied. "You're going back the dorm now, right?" she asked. "We'll go together." I felt as if a large boulder had just dropped into the pit of my stomach. So she was coming home early today after all... and I had been looking forward to having the dorm to myself... "All right." I agreed half-heatedly, following her.
Suddenly I remembered something important. "The girls said something about Miki... they said it was Himemiya-san's fault he wasn't going to a piano competition." "Did they?" asked the red-haired girl, giving me a critical look. "He told me he had too much homework to do. He's not coming to the next fencing match either." I perked up. "Miki fences? He's even more talented than I thought! Wow...!" Arisugawa-san's eyes narrowed. "Do you like fencing?" she asked. I nodded eagerly. "Yes, fencing is such an elegant sport. I greatly respect anyone with the stamina and dexterity to do it."
She closed her eyes and smirked, brushing a few strands of curly tangerine curls from her face. "You happen to be speaking to the fencing team captain." Her eyebrows raised at the wide-eyed look I gave her. "What, do I look that un-athletic? You insult me, Miss Rankaku."
I put my hands up in defense. "No, it's not that! It just took my by surprise, that's all." I walked behind her the rest of the way in awkward silence. So, that was where she had been going nearly every day after school.
"You and Miki are good friends, aren't you?" I asked her, as she unlocked the door to the dorm and walked in. Arisugawa-sama walked into the dorm's kitchenette and started preparing coffee. "Maybe. Why do you ask?" she rebounded, holding up a second cup in an a silent question. I shook my head, I didn't care much for caffeinated foods. "Well... you seem very different." I fidgeted and watched her from the safety of the entrance. She seemed to be in a fairly good mood, but in the last week I had learned not to judge my host so easily. Her mood tended to swing drastically in a matter of milliseconds.
She poured the boiling water into the coffee machine and turned to face me, holding the steaming pot in her slender hands. "That's precisely why it works. I can't stand cold, jaded people." she replied, with a touch of sarcasm. "Miki is very innocent and naive... those are the traits that endear him to me most." she continued as she waited for the grounds to give off their flavor. "I want to savor it while I can...People like him are so very rare nowadays. It will likely leave him too, in time."
I nodded sadly. "It's something most people lose with age."
Juri continued as if she didn't hear me. "Sometimes I want so badly to believe in the goodness of people; I make myself see it in them, even when it's not there..." Her eyes flashed darkly with those last few words. I tensed up and readied myself for an explosion.
Arisugawa-san looked up as if suddenly realizing I was still there.
"...But if you think you'll get on my good side by acting cute and helpless, you're badly mistaken!" she growled, as she snatched her cup of coffee and shut herself up in her room. I blinked at her closed door for a few seconds. "Hormones...!" I muttered wearily.