Onegai, Megami-Sama!

Part 2-1: The Power of Coincidence

Matagu settled into the bath and tried to relax. Everything he'd heard about the last year of high school was true, he thought; soon, it'd be time to deal with exams and trying to get into college. They hadn't even started yet and he was already starting to feel the stress. He'd once heard someone say that stress was when you woke up screaming and realized that you hadn't fallen asleep yet, and kind of hoped that wouldn't happen to him.

He chuckled at that. There would be time to worry about exams later, he thought as he leaned forward and reached for a washcloth. Today, he was heading back to Okinawa with his friends, as Yamada-sensei had another jinriki competition and he'd said he would need their help. He would have the weekend, and then he could start worrying about the future. He started to scrub his back, then paused when he felt more hands there than his own.

"Matagu-kun. . . ."

He turned, slowly, looking over his shoulder to see Peorth kneeling next to the bathtub wearing only a towel and a smile. He froze. Some part of him said that he should be used to this sort of thing - it wasn't the first time she'd appeared out of nowhere, and it wasn't that he didn't like having her around as much as possible.

Her showing up when he was in the bath, though, was enough to make his brain lock.

"I'm here to wash your back, cheri," she said, giving him the smirking smile that he knew so well. "Scoot!"

"Umm . . . Peorth. . . ." Matagu turned away, blushing furiously and trying to hide it. Some things, he thought, he just couldn't get used to.

"Oh, hush, dear boy," she said, and he heard her towel hitting the floor, then the soft splash as she slid into the bath behind him. I'd never let anyone find me, you know that." He could feel her soft skin against his, and he started to tingle as her hands traced up his spine. "How could there possibly be a problem?"

There was a pounding on the washroom door. "Onii-chan! You're taking too long! What're you doing in there?"

Matagu sighed heavily. There was the problem, he thought; his little sister Haruko teased him mercilessly about his girlfriend, and she wasn't the only one.

While he and Peorth had only been together for a few weeks, talk about them had already gone through the school like crazy. There were a few people who'd tried to pick up on Peorth, but she'd just laughed, which Matagu had been a little relieved at. He knew she wouldn't cheat on him or anything like that; after all, he had wished for her to be his girlfriend. But he still couldn't help feeling a little unsure sometimes, though he wasn't really sure why. One of the other rumors was that he'd bribed her or something to get her to date him, but those kind of faded out after a while. Only the rumors that Kei and Mizuho were having an affair had made for more gossip. He still laughed at that; knowing the truth, hearing it as a rumor just seemed funny.

But so far, things had been going well. There was something fulfilling about being with her, Matagu thought, like nothing could ever really go wrong between them. Maybe that was because she was a goddess, or maybe it was because of his wish, but he didn't really feel like questioning it. Peorth had even met his parents, and while they'd been a little weirded out at first, it hadn't taken long for them to like her. She seemed to have that effect on people, Matagu thought. How lucky could he be?

From behind him, Peorth wrapped her arms around his chest and pulled him back until he was halfway in her lap and she was looking down at him upside-down. "You're lost in thought, I see," she said. "Dreaming of me, of course?"

"Of - of course," Matagu managed, then gave a silly smile. "I was just thinking . . . I'm really lucky to have you."

"Well, yes," Peorth said, her smile showing her usual complete lack of modesty. "Now, cheri, would you like me to wash your back, or shall we start with your front?"

Matagu swallowed hard. He still couldn't quite tell if she was teasing or not, but-

There was the sound of the phone ringing from outside, then Matagu's mother's voice a moment later. "Matagu! It's for you!"

He sighed, then looked up and back at Peorth. "That's probably about today," he said. "I should take this, or my mom's going to get suspicious."

Peorth pouted a little. "If you must. But I'll see you later, oui? I have some very, very good news for you."

Matagu nodded eagerly, wondering what she could have to say. He knew that she wouldn't tell until she was ready, but he had to admit he liked that about her. "I'll see you as soon as I get outside," he said, then reached down and squeezed her hand. "Promise."

Peorth gave him a quick kiss on his neck, then leaned back and disappeared in a glowing blue haze. Matagu looked back, and saw that one of his telescope lenses was stuck in the corner between the bath and the wall. He smiled. That, he thought, was definitely just like her.

After drying off as quickly as he could, Matagu finally got to the phone. "Hello?"

"Matagu? It's Kei."

"Hey, Kei. What's going on?"

"Mizuho's coming with us to Okinawa."

Matagu blinked. That wasn't what he'd expected to hear. "What?"

"Belldandy was over here this morning," Kei said, and Matagu could tell that his friend was smiling. "She looked so sad when she heard that Mizuho couldn't come with us to Okinawa because it'd look suspicious, so she and Peorth came up with something."

"Peorth was over there too?" Matagu asked quietly. He wasn't all that surprised, but she sure seemed to get around.

"Yeah, she said she felt that Belldandy was nearby. Anyway, Belldandy's going to say that she and the others are Peorth's cousins, and that Mizuho's an old friend of theirs. She can't lie, but she says it's true enough. They're going to meet us in Okinawa."

"Sounds good," Matagu said with a grin. "We're still meeting Yamada-sensei at Hyosuke's house, right?"

"At ten," Kei said. "I might be a little late, are you and Peorth going to be there on time?"

"You know Peorth, we'll be there."

"Right," Kei said with a small laugh. "I'll see you then."

Matagu was still grinning as he hung up the phone. This just kept getting better, he thought. A small vacation with a big group of friends, getting out where he could be with them and with Peorth and not be bothered by anything. Okay, maybe not anything but Hyosuke's friendly joking or Ichigo's oddly sober comments, but he was used to that.

He packed quickly, eager to get going. As soon as he was out the front door, the peephole's lens started glowing bright blue, and then Peorth was there again, glomping onto him from behind as though they'd never been separate. She was dressed now, in a white shirt with roses along the seams and a pair of jeans with elaborate embroidery up both legs. "So, are you pleased at our arrangements for the beach?" she asked, squeezing. "Things worked out rather perfectly, if I do say so myself."

Matagu turned himself around and hugged her for a moment, then idly wondered if Yamada-sensei had gotten them all rooms at the same hotel as last time. He then stopped wondering before his mind went places that would make it lock up again. "Sounds like it'll be great," he said, pulling back from their hug. "And it'll be good to see Keiichi and Belldandy again, we haven't seen them since everything happened."

"You haven't, that is," Peorth said with a smile. "But yes! Off to meet the others, then to a weekend of sun!" She wrapped her arms around Matagu's arm, and the two of them headed off.

As always, it didn't take long for them to walk anywhere - one of the good things about living in a small town, Matagu thought. They reached Hyosuke's house in about ten minutes, where he was waiting on the porch. Hyosuke looked like he was already set to get moving, dressed in a tank top and swim trunks and wearing a red bandana to hold back his unruly blond hair. He waved eagerly at Matagu and Peorth as they approached.

"Good morning!" he called loudly, grinning so widely it looked as though his face might split in half. "Good to see you here, everyone else should be here soon!"

"But of course!" Peorth said as she walked up the stairs onto the porch with Matagu. "And there will be more once we're in Okinawa."

Hyosuke's smile faltered for a second, and he looked confused. "What?" he asked.

"We'd have been here sooner," she said, "but I was talking to my cousins, they live near Okinawa. I invited them to come join us, and they have a friend who's coming too. That should be fine, oui?"

"Ah-ha!" Hyosuke made a dismissive gesture, and kept grinning. "Oh, sure, that'll be great. More fun with more people, right?"

"Right," Matagu said with a nod. "I've met them, they're a little weird sometimes but they're a lot of fun."

"Oh, really?" Hyosuke asked, then gave Matagu a sly smile. "Already meeting her family, eh? I didn't think you'd be moving that fast."

Matagu felt himself turning red, and stammered as he tried to say something. He glanced over to Peorth, hoping for some help, but she just smirked and held onto his arm tighter. "Umm," he managed, "it's - it's really. . . ."

"You shouldn't say anything to others about moving fast, Hyosuke."

The three of them turned at the sound of the quiet, calm voice, and saw Ichigo standing there with Herikawa and Kaede. The three of them were dressed casually, and carried small travel bags for the trip. Kaede was holding her hands to her cheeks, as though to hide her blush. Herikawa looked somewhere between amused and upset, and Ichigo . . . well, there really wasn't any way to tell, Matagu thought.

Hyosuke frowned a little, then crossed his arms over his chest. "Bah, Ichigo, you think too much." He shrugged. "Hey, did you girls see Kei on your way over?"

"Nope," Herikawa said as the three girls walked up onto the porch. She and Ichigo sat down, and the rest of them followed suit. Kaede sat next to Hyosuke, still blushing. "He should be along soon, though; maybe he had to finish packing."

"You don't have a bag, Peorth," Ichigo said quietly. "You don't need much?"

"Oh - not at all, dear Ichigo," Peorth said, giggling a little. "My things are with Matagu-kun's, I don't need much other than my swimsuits if we're going to the beach."

"I see." Ichigo still looked like she knew a lot more than she was letting on, Matagu thought. But that was nothing new.

"Yeah, and Peorth says we're going to meet more people in Okinawa!" Hyosuke said, calling it out as though it was big news. "Her cousins are coming along too."

"That sounds good," Herikawa said, looking over at Peorth. "I didn't know you had cousins there." She didn't sound all that enthusiastic, Matagu thought.

"They're nearby, but when I told them of our plans, they simply had to come," Peorth said, posing with her hand to her head. Matagu chuckled; even the little things were dramatic with her. "They'll bring my middle cousin's boyfriend and another friend, but I'm sure we'll all get along splendidly."

"I hope so," Kaede said, "it'd be nice to have everyone together at the beach again, even with more people."

"Yes, definitely!" Hyosuke said, then leaped to his feet and waved again. "Hey! Kei! About time you got here!"

"Sorry I'm late," Kei said as he joined the rest of them on the porch. "I couldn't find my toothbrush."

Peorth gave Matagu a gentle nudge, and he did his best to keep himself from smiling. He had a few guesses about why Kei had been late, though he didn't think there was all that much reason for him to say a long goodbye to Mizuho; they'd be together again later that day. Then again, the two of them would have to spend the whole vacation hiding. Again. Maybe he could understand. . . .

"Hello, Kei," Ichigo said with a small smile, then added, "you didn't have time to brush your hair."

"Eh?" Kei's hand flew to the top of his head, and he pushed down a few hairs that were sticking up out of place. "Sorry, I was in a real hurry, I didn't want to be late."

There was the sound of a horn honking from around the side of the house, and Hyosuke cheered.

"Time to go!" he yelled, and pulled Kaede to her feet. He grabbed both their bags, then raced around the house, just short of pulling her along with him.

"He still gets too excited about everything," Herikawa said with a sigh, then shrugged. "C'mon, let's get going."

Sun, sand, surf. . . . Okinawa was as beautiful as Kei remembered it. He leaned back and took a deep breath as soon as they all climbed out of Yamada-sensei's van, taking in the smell of the ocean. He had so many memories here . . . naturally, his honeymoon with Mizuho was first in his mind, but coming here with Matagu and Keiichi and the others a few weeks ago had also been great.

Matagu and Peorth walked up next to Kei, both stretching. "It's good to be back, oui, Matagu-kun?" Peorth asked, then leaned over toward Matagu and did something that Kei couldn't see. Whatever it was, it made Matagu jump and blush.

Kei had to smile at the two of them. It had only been a few weeks, and Matagu still acted like he was new to all this; Kei guessed that he really was. Not that he could claim much more experience himself, but there were things. . . . He shook his head, hoping that he wasn't blushing. Maybe he wasn't all that different from Matagu, he thought.

"It doesn't feel like it's been all that long," Matagu said a moment later, then asked quietly, "You don't think that demoness is going to try something again, do you? We're all going to be together, and she might think it's her best chance."

Peorth put the back of her hand to her head, then laughed out loud, making Kei and the others look over in confusion. "Not a worry, dear boy," she said quietly, draping an arm around his waist. "Urd's told me enough of that one, and I'm sure I could handle her with little trouble. With the four of we goddesses here, Mara wouldn't dare try a thing."

Matagu seemed to relax a little. "Okay, good. Are they going to find us, or are we going to meet them?"

"I'm not sure," Kei said. "Belldandy seemed to think we'd just run into each other, but knowing her, that's probably what'll happen. Keiichi told me about that when we were there, things just seem to work out around her."

Matagu nodded. A moment later, there was a muttering of "oi" from Yamada-sensei at the front of the van.

"Hey, Matagu, Peorth! Kei! Come help us unload!" Hyosuke called.

"You've no need to worry," Peorth said quietly as she and Matagu walked over with Kei to help the others. "Do you think we goddesses couldn't manage a simple chance meeting?"

It was another few hours before they finished unloading the jinriki equipment and got Yamada-sensei's campsite set up, and by then the group of them were just about desperate to get down to the beach. They ran down the hill and across the street, then plowed into the sand, heading for the ocean.

"Yea-hah!" Hyosuke stripped off his shirt and bandana as he ran, then yelled "Hyosuke dive!" and leaped into an onrushing wave. He surfaced a second later, and shouted, "That's cold!"

"Hyosuke!" Herikawa yelled, then glanced over at Kaede, who was giggling. She just shook her head, then shouldered her bag. "Let's go find the changing room," she said, looking to Peorth and Ichigo.

"Right," Kei said, "Matagu and I will meet you back here." He waved to the women as they walked off, and wondered if they'd run into the others first. He kind of hoped that they wouldn't. Keeping his marriage to Mizuho a secret was hard enough sometimes, being around her with the others while having to act like just another student was even worse.

Matagu and Kei started heading down the beach. Once the girls were out of earshot, Matagu asked, "So, Mizuho's going to be here with Belldandy and the others?"

"Yeah," Kei said with a nod and a small smile. "It's a little too much of a coincidence for me, but it's better than not having her around."

Matagu shrugged. "It sounds good," he said. "Nobody really knows anything about where Peorth or Mizuho are from, so they could have known the same people." He looked up ahead, then said, "Hey, there's the room."

Kei looked, and saw a closed-off area made of what looked like bamboo. The sides were high enough to keep anyone from looking over, and there was a door on the side closest to them. He and Matagu walked over and opened the door.

They had only a second to realize that they were in the wrong place before a short black-haired girl yelled "You pervert!" and they both went flying backwards onto the sand. As he lay there, his head spinning, Kei swore he felt something sticking to his face.

"Don't you think that was a little much, kid?"

"But Urd! They - oh. Sorry, guys!"

Kei raised his head, and saw Urd and Skuld standing in the changing room's doorway. Urd looked amused, while Skuld looked sort of sheepish. Both were wearing swimsuits, though Urd's tiger-striped two-piece made Skuld's athletic one-piece look more modest than it really was.

"Sorry about that," Skuld said, walking to where Kei and Matagu lay in the sand. "But you shouldn't have walked into the women's changing room!"

Matagu looked up, and blinked around the 'pervert' emblazoned across his face. "This isn't the coincidence I was imagining," he said, then shook his head.

"Kusanagi-san! Shido-san!"

Kei and Matagu looked further into the changing room at the voice, which sounded so much like Mizuho that it was hard to tell the difference. Belldandy stood there, looking a little distraught. She was also wearing a swimsuit, a plain one-piece that still looked beautiful on her. She looked over at Skuld, and started to frown.

"Skuld, what happened?" she asked.

"They opened the door, oneesan," Skuld said, looking a little ashamed.

"It must have been an accident," Belldandy said. "Could you take the words off of them, please?"

Kei couldn't help smiling at that as Skuld waved her hand at him and he felt the stickiness leave his face. No matter how much Skuld's temper flared, all Belldandy had to do was ask nicely, and all was well. Then again, he thought, Belldandy seemed to have that effect on people; even when she'd showed up at his house thinking she was his wife, she'd never seemed anything more than a little upset, and that was only when he thought he was teasing her. She truly was a goddess to be like that, he thought as he got to his feet.

"It's good to see you both again," Belldandy said pleasantly, then looked over her shoulder. "Mizuho! Your husband is here."

Kei glanced around quickly for a second, then relaxed. The last thing he needed, he thought as Matagu chuckled, was for the others to show up right now. If they overheard Belldandy saying he was Mizuho's husband, he didn't know what he would do. Sure, there were times when he wished that he didn't have to keep things a secret, but that would just make things more complicated. . . . How could he explain what happened to his friends? How could he do that without telling them the truth about her?

And, he thought as she stepped into view from inside the fitting room, how was he going to keep himself from staring at her the entire time they were at the beach if she was wearing a swimsuit like that?

Mizuho was wearing a low-cut black two-piece with a magenta trim that matched her hair perfectly. It looked kind of like the suit she'd packed, Kei thought, but there had been more of it when he'd seen it last. He could already feel his face turning red. She was also blushing a little, but she was giving Kei a smile that he knew well.

"So, you like the suit, Kei?" Urd asked, giving him a nudge and a wink. "The one she brought with her was pretty plain, so I spiced it up a little."

Kei swallowed hard, then managed to say, "It - it looks great."

"Kei-kun," Mizuho said with a smile, "I'm glad you're here so soon, but where's everyone else?"

"Oh, right," Matagu said with a nod, putting a hand to his forehead. He'd been staring too, Kei noticed, and managed to keep himself from glowering at his friend. "They went to go find a changing room--" he paused, suddenly realizing something, then looked over at Kei. "They probably found the men's changing room, they'll be over here soon!"

"No problem, I can make you guys disappear!" Skuld exclaimed. "Just let me--"

Kei and Matagu ducked at the same time, and looked rather relieved when Belldandy gently shook her head at Skuld.

"It's all right, Skuld," she said calmly. "We worked it all out this morning, because we still have secrets to keep. We're saying that Matagu met us a little after he met Peorth, and that she's our cousin."

"So just act like you're surprised to see Mizuho here," Urd said to Kei. "Shouldn't be anything new for you two."

Kei put a hand to the back of his head nervously. Nothing new, that was true, but he had a bad feeling about this.

Herikawa walked across the beach with the other girls, listening as Peorth tried to chat up Kaede for gossip about her relationship with Hyosuke. She sighed. She should have known it'd be like this, but she couldn't help the way she felt.

While she wasn't the only one of their circle of friends who wasn't dating anyone, she felt like she was the only one who was bothered by it. Even if Ichigo was her best friend, Herikawa still could almost never tell what the shorter girl was thinking. If being single bothered her at all, she never showed it, though she had once said that her dream was to find someone. For all she knew, Herikawa thought, Ichigo already had a boyfriend and just wasn't sharing.

And then there was Kei. . . . She sighed. There had been a time when she'd wanted to be with him, though something had happened, and he had rejected her. Maybe not rejected, she thought, looking off toward the ocean wistfully, but he had said that he liked someone else. She didn't really remember what came of that - some parts of it were still fuzzy in her memory, like she was trying to forget as much of it as she could. Could it be that she still liked him? Or was it that he was the only guy she really knew well, and that he also wasn't seeing anyone? Besides, there had been those rumors about Kei and Mizuho. They'd gone away pretty quickly, but there was also the time she'd seen him and some older woman . . . going into a. . . .

She shook her head. Maybe she was just thinking about this too much. It was always easy to think that the one who wasn't with anyone might want to be with you. She laughed a little to herself as she remembered the time that Hyosuke had suggested that Matagu consider Ichigo, and the other girl's blunt response. It was just the way people were, she thought, to try and find someone, even if it was just because that person was close.

But that didn't make things any easier.

Herikawa came to a sudden stop as she bumped into Kaede. She looked up to see that they'd come to what looked like a changing room, though the sign next to the door showed that this was the one for men.

Peorth looked over at the others, seeming surprised. "It seems we've sent the boys to the girls' room," she said, starting to laugh.

A second later, the door swung open, and a young man with black hair stepped out. He was about Kei's height, and was wearing blue swim trunks. He also had a towel slung over one shoulder. He paused as soon as he was out of the room, then grinned. "Peorth!"

"Keiichi!" Peorth exclaimed, and threw herself at the newcomer, hugging him. He looked a little embarrassed, and Herikawa crossed her arms over her chest, wondering if she should tell Matagu about this. Sure, it'd be mean, but if Peorth was acting like this toward other guys, he should know.

"Oh, I'm being rude!" Peorth said a second later, then pulled back and waved her hand at the other women. "Keiichi, this is Kaede, Herikawa, and Ichigo; they're friends of Matagu-kun. Everyone, this is Keiichi, my cousin Belldandy's love."

"Good to meet you," Keiichi said with an easy smile. "We just got here a little while ago, so Bell and the others are probably still changing."

He seemed all right, Herikawa thought, but she felt a little jealousy flaring at hearing that he was someone else's 'love.' She pushed it away as soon as she realized what she was thinking. Was she really feeling that petty, she thought, to get jealous of someone she'd just met?

"It's a strange coincidence to meet like this," Ichigo said calmly, looking directly at Keiichi.

"A little," Kaede said. "But it's good that we found you, so we can tell the others where they can change."

Keiichi nodded at her. "The women's room is down the beach, we should probably head over there."

"But of course!" Peorth said, gesturing dramatically. She linked arms with Kaede and Keiichi, and started walking back the way they'd come, practically dragging them.

"She's in a good mood," Ichigo said as she and Herikawa started to follow.

"She's always like that," Herikawa said with a sigh.

"Maybe she's just happy."

Herikawa looked down at the shorter girl with a frown, and saw that she wore the quiet smile that suggested she knew a lot more than she was telling. She should be used to that, Herikawa thought, but right now she really didn't feel like seeing it.

Herikawa looked to the ocean again, and said quietly, "So she's happy. That doesn't mean she has to act like she's in a play or something all the time."

"Maybe," Ichigo said, then was quiet for a moment. "But it's easier when everyone around you is happy."

She looked back to Ichigo, frowning a little, wondering what was on the other girl's mind. Ichigo looked up at her, and quietly said, "It's nothing."

Herikawa nodded, but couldn't help wondering.

It didn't take them long to reach the women's changing room, and Keiichi and Peorth made the introductions. Herikawa's eyes widened, first when she saw that Mizuho was the 'friend' that Peorth's cousins had brought along, then again when she met Peorth's cousins. Belldandy and Urd were beautiful in a way that she couldn't describe or deny, and she started to feel a little sorry for herself. Even Skuld had a look that showed she'd be the same someday. How, she thought, could she possibly compete?

She, Ichigo, Kaede, and Peorth put on their swimsuits while Kei and Matagu walked with Keiichi back to the men's changing room. It was just as well, Herikawa thought; having to change in the same room as Peorth was bad enough, she didn't know what she'd have done if her cousins had been there also.

"Herikawa-san?"

At first, she thought the voice was Mizuho's, but when she looked over, Herikawa saw that Belldandy was giving her a concerned look. The others had finished and were walking out of the changing room, carrying towels and umbrellas, and Skuld was carrying what looked like some kind of barbeque.

"Are you all right?" Belldandy asked. "You seem upset, and I was--"

"I'm fine," Herikawa said, snapping a little.

"All right, if you say so," Belldandy said with a warm smile, then turned to follow the others.

Great, Herikawa thought. Belldandy might be pretty, but she seemed kind of clueless. Maybe that was why Keiichi was with her. She shook her head, surprised at her own thoughts. She'd just met these people, and. . . . She sighed. She wouldn't force herself to smile, but she could at least do her best to enjoy her time here.

The group of them stayed on the beach long past sundown, eating a dinner that Belldandy had packed and cooking on Skuld's small but very hot barbeque. When Ichigo asked about it, the young girl proudly said that she'd made it herself and she would have made it better except the later models kept bursting into flames. After she heard that, Herikawa scooted away from the barbeque as soon as Skuld wasn't looking. Mizuho and Belldandy told stories of how they'd grown up living near each other, and become close friends despite the difference in their ages. Urd drank heavily from a bottle of saké that she'd brought with her, and only laughed when Hyosuke said something about being able to drink more than her.

After a while, Herikawa let herself forget what she'd been worrying about, and just relaxed with her friends. She kept finding herself looking over at Kei, though, and for a moment, she wondered if it'd be worth it to try again. He looked like he was waiting for something, she thought, so maybe. . . .

The moon rose high into the sky, and the fire still burned. By now, Peorth and Urd were most of the way to drunk, as was Hyosuke, and Kaede was giggling at everything. Ichigo had a camera, though Herikawa wasn't sure where she'd been keeping it, and was snapping pictures. Belldandy never looked anything other than happy, except for when Skuld tried to push she and Keiichi apart.

At some point, Mizuho rose to her feet, and draped a towel over herself. "Did anyone see where the bathroom is?" she asked quietly.

"It's near the changing room," Kei said, and stood. "I'll show you."

"Thank you, Kusanagi-kun," Mizuho said with a smile.

Herikawa watched them walk off, and frowned a little as she remembered the old rumors. They couldn't be true, she thought, and she knew she was being silly, but. . . . She waited for a moment, then stood and followed them.

"Oi, Herikawa, where you going?" Hyosuke asked loudly.

"To the bathroom," she said, then shook her head at him. "You're drinking too much, Hyosuke."

"But this is good stuff!" He grinned, then tried to snatch the saké bottle from Urd, who yanked it away with ease.

Herikawa rolled her eyes, then hurried off toward where Mizuho and Kei had gone.

She had to know, she thought as she walked. Sure, it was just a stupid rumor, but Kei had acted all embarrassed about it, and so had Mizuho. But they were at least ten years apart, so it couldn't happen, right? She was a teacher and he was a student, and that sort of thing only happened in stories, right?

The bathroom wasn't far away, and she didn't see anyone there. She stopped, then started to laugh at herself. Maybe, she thought, she just needed to stop thinking about it all, she was starting to drive herself crazy. Of course, Kei and Mizuho couldn't be-

She saw something moving at the edge of the building's lights, and peered closer. There was someone there, just around the corner . . . and that was Mizuho's towel on the ground.

Herikawa gasped, and ran around the side of the building, then froze at what she saw. Kei and Mizuho were there, arms around each other. They were kissing, and not . . . not like some shy, young, innocent kind of couple. They were kissing like they meant it.

The rumors were true, Herikawa thought. The rumors were true, and this was why Kei had said he couldn't be with her, this was why Kei never seemed to worry about meeting someone and why Mizuho always avoided questions about the wedding ring she wore. . . . She felt her face grow cold, then warm, and then couldn't help herself.

Herikawa screamed.