Chapter 3
Putting Any Words Aside
On the day Itsuki chose to speak privately with Fuutarou and Ichika with Nino, Miku had made her way to the bookstore. Being the history geek that she was she was always eager to read something new about the great generals of Japan's Sengoku Period. The moment she heard of any new history book being released she immediately wanted to check it out and, if possible, buy it. For today, doing this gave her something to keep herself occupied and not think about that night.
She too had heard Fuutarou enter Yotsuba's room, confirming his decision. She had been hurt, but she was also relieved. She had been prepared to accept whatever outcome. While she did love Fuutarou she had realized some time ago that he didn't possibly see her that way. He did like her, had always supported her, and had spoken very highly of her. He had helped overcome both her shyness and her low self esteem. That had been enough to make her happy, so in the end she wasn't as broken up about it as the others were.
Especially Nino.
She back thought to that moment when she had entered her sister's room and saw Nino standing there, frozen in place with tears flowing down her cheeks. Miku knew right away how she felt. Both of them had competed heavily for Fuutarou's affections, but she could never forget how lifeless Nino's body had felt when she hugged her. Since that night it had continued like that throughout the week. It was expected, but she was confident Nino would recover.
She had before.
Shutting her mind away from such things, she turned her attention back to what brought her here. A big tall book containing the entire history of the Takeda Clan! Out of all of the famous clans from the Sengoku period the Takedas had always been her favorite. Samurais with a strong code of honor and excellent horse riders! They were truly the romantic heroes of their time.
Horse riding. Miku had often wondered what it would like to ride a horse, to travel across the country the old fashioned way before cars, trains, and airplanes came into existence. She had even dreamed of it sometimes. Alas, she probably be too scared to ride a horse. She had never seen one in person.
One of the things she planned on doing this summer once she graduated was to travel all across Japan, visiting all the historical sites that held significant events of Japan's history. She intended to start by going to the Yamanashi Prefecture first, once known as the Kai Province and the historical homeland of the Takeda Clan. This book would be a tremendous help to understanding their history. She was excited to buy it.
That is... until she saw the price tag.
She stared at it gloomily. She knew it was going to be expensive, but this was well beyond her budget!
"This is just unfair..." she quietly groaned. She would have to wait until next month when she had enough money, and even then she wouldn't have very much left for her to carry out her travel plans. She inwardly groaned again. She really didn't want to wait that long! She really wanted to get this book!
"You're into Japanese history?"
The voice made her jump. The book nearly slipped and she clutched it to her chest. Steadying herself she turned to the person who spoke and saw... a face she hadn't seen in a very long time.
"Takeda-san?"
The handsome boy with blonde hair stood there with a slightly amused grin on his face. It had been a while since she'd last seen him. It had been a while since their group had seen him at all.
During the beginning of the school year their stepfather had tried to replace Fuutarou with Takeda Yusuke as their new tutor. He was the school's principal's son and was ranked as the second best student, right behind Fuutarou. His good looks made him popular with the girls, but his ego had made him insufferable to her and her sisters.
However, she saw none of that bravado right now. He instead looked just like another high school who was also good looking.
"Hey," he gave a little smile and a wave, "I never imagined I'd find you here."
He leaned over to read the title of the book she had in arms and his brows rose before he lifted his gaze to her.
"A History of the Takeda-Clan?"
Miku blushed. The last time she had openly talked her obsession was with Fuutarou not long after they'd first met, but seeing how Takeda was only asking an innocent question she saw no reason to hide it from him.
"Oh... yeah," she gave an uneasy chuckle, "I'm really into Sengoku warlords and such."
She forced herself to meet his eyes. He looked at her quietly before grinning a little.
"I know," she admitted, "It's silly."
"No, not at all. Everyone had their guilty pleasures. I'll be honest, I instantly took you as a geek when I first saw you, seeing how you always wear those headphones, but this was certainly a surprise."
"Oh, yeah?" Miku looked at him while he turned his attention to the bookshelf, "And what's your guilty pleasure?"
"Gaming," he answered right away.
"Gaming?"
"Well, not hardcore gaming. Mostly online ones. I prefer to play strategy and civilization building games. I also prefer science fiction games set in outer space, but I do like to play historical ones too, such as Shogun 2 Total War."
"No way!" Miku's eyes widened, "I play that too! It's one of my favorites!"
He glanced at her, "Are you any good?"
She pouted raised her fist, "I'm one of the best! Although recently I've developed this rivalry with this one player online. I swear it feels like I'm playing against myself whenever I face him! Whether I attack of defend, he thinks just like I do and he seems to know what I'm about to do before I even do it."
Takeda had been reaching for a book but froze midway when she finished her sentence.
"That's funny," he frowned, "I've always been playing against this one player recently and it's the exact same thing for me," he paused for a moment before asking, "Out of curiosity when was your last online battle?"
"Um... two ago. Why?"
Another pause, "How did it start?
"Well, I started the battle by trying to claim higher ground-"
"Were you countered by a direct cavalry charge?"
Miku blinked, "Yeah."
"How do you respond?"
"I tried to bring my archers up-"
"And your opponent countered with another cavalry unit by flanking them. Was the battlefield also in foggy conditions?"
"Yeah, it gave him a big advantage, but how do you..." her voice drifted as she stared at Takeda, "Hold on, what's your avatar's name?"
"TakTheGreat2000. Yours?"
"Mi-3Sengoku," her eyes went wide, "Wait a minute. Are you saying that..."
The two teens stared at each other awkwardly, then they burst out laughing.
"You got to be kidding me!" Takeda couldn't control himself.
"It was actually you?" Miku clutched her stomach, "Oh, my God. All this time I thought I was facing a warlord who came back from the dead!"
"So did I," Takeda wiped tears from his eyes, "Other times I thought I was facing one of my own family members. I never thought it would be one of classmates. Well then, nice to finally meet you in person."
"Same here," Miku finally composed herself, "So, what brings you here?"
He pointed to the book she still held in her arms, "Same reason you are."
Miku watched as he took another copy off the shelf.
"Oh, that makes sense," she said, "It's only natural you'd be curious since you share the same name."
He looked at her, almost startled.
"Actually... no. I'm getting this because since I'm about to graduate I need to brush up on my family's history since I'll be taking over as head in the future. Plus, I'm curious to see what this author wrote about my ancestors."
There was another awkward moment of silence as Miku gaped at him, then she burst out laughing again.
"I'm sorry!" she couldn't stop giggling, "I wasn't ready for that! That's was actually pretty funny."
"I wasn't joking. I was being serious."
Her giggling immediately stopped and she stared at him again. Takeda wasn't joking at all. The dead serious expression he wore said it all. It took several moments for it to finally sink in.
"Wait... you're... actually descended from the Takeda-clan?" she pointed to the book cover, "The Takeda-clan?!"
His lips twerked into a smug, "You didn't think it was possible given my family name?"
"Well... no. I thought it was just a coincidence," she shrugged, "I mean, isn't Takeda a fairly common surname nowadays?"
"True. Most families who carry it today have nothing to do with the actual clan, but in my case I really am descended from the real clan. If you don't believe me ask any of the teachers tomorrow, or even the head nurse. They can all confirm it."
Miku just gaped at him before looking away and shaking her head, "I don't believe this."
"Don't be embarrassed. You're not the first," Takeda scan through the first few pages, "So I hear that Uesugi is now dating one of your sisters."
She stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. It was only natural that he would have heard about it since the whole school would know of it by now.
"Yeah," she sighed.
He glanced at her, "You sound disappointed."
She shrugged, "Should I not be? We were all the trying to win him."
"Hmm, I guess so. I am really surprise that he chose... sorry, I can't remember her name."
"Yotsuba. She's the fourth quint."
"Yeah, that one."
"Why were you surprised?"
"Well... I knew he was in love with one of you, but Yotsuba-san never struck me as a possible candidate. They seemed nothing more than friends."
"That's what we thought too," Miku sighed, "We didn't know until Yotsuba told us after it was over that the two of them met when they were children. Apparently she turned around his around and he was forever grateful for that. Plus, she's been his strongest supporter."
A frown came to Takeda's face, "You mean to say the rest of you never had a chance? Despite all you efforts?"
"Pretty much."
His frowned deepened, but when he saw Miku's sad expressions his face immediately softened.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I shouldn't have brought it up since it just happened. That was careless of me."
She shook her head, "It's okay. We all knew that only one of us would win in the end. I actually feel a little better now having talked about it. Thank you."
She gave him a little smile and she saw him blush a little.
"Oh," Takeda seemed flustered, "You're welcome then."
There was another pause before she asked, "How does the book look to you?"
"So far, so good," he gave a big nod of approval, "I'm actually impressed. I'm eager to read the rest of it."
"That's nice to hear," Miku put her own copy back on the shelf and picked up the two smaller books she retrieved earlier, "I'll have to settle on these for now. I can't afford that book as of yet. Shame. I was really looking forward to reading it."
Together the two teens went over to the checkout line.
"Just out of curiosity," Takeda spoke, "How you girls never tried to go any other guy?"
Miku shrugged, "None of them were interesting."
"Even me?"
She glanced at him and almost laughed at his fake hurt expression.
"Well, you didn't exactly make a good impression when we first met you," she explained, "Then again, none of us really pay attention when Papa introduced you to us as our new tutor."
His face suddenly fell and his gaze hardened, "Yeah, I remember. To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled with the idea either."
Miku looked at him in surprise, "You weren't? Then why did you agree to it? Didn't you want to beat Fuutarou? Show off in front of everyone?"
He vehemently shook his head, "That was just an excuse. The truth is my dad forced me into it."
She saw an angry glint in his eye, as though he was remembering how much that event displeased him. In that moment all of Miku's first impressions of Takeda Yusuke faded away. She now found herself wondering if he and his dad were not exactly on good terms.
Takeda went first to the cashier and she took a moment to study. He was a couple of inches shorter than Fuutarou and perhaps skinnier. He wore his school uniform in a more formal fashion, similar to Itsuki. Having just learned about how he felt about becoming their new tutor she couldn't help but wonder if his bravado from before was just a facade forced upon by his father and to show off his heritage.
As Takeda finished his purchase she glanced down to look over her books. Unaware to her, Takeda started to walk towards the sliding doors before he paused, as though he was thinking of what to do. Then he turned and walked over to Miku.
"Miku-san?"
"Hmm?"
She glanced up to see him standing there. He was looking at the book he just purchased before he lifted his gaze to her. Then he handed her the book.
"Here," he said, "You can have this."
She blinked. Several times.
"P-Pardon?" she glanced up and down from him to the book, "Are you... giving me this?"
"I am," he nodded.
"Why?"
"Think of it... as a friendship gift. An apology for the way I behaved around you guys when we first met. You can even think of it as an reward for all the times you've beaten me."
"But what about your family's history?"
"I already know my family's history, and I can brush up on it anytime," he shifted the book closer to her, "Please."
She heard whispers behind and she felt her ears burning. Takeda was quietly waiting. Unlike her he was oblivious to what was going on around them. Before she knew it Miku reached out and took it from his hands.
"I hope you enjoy it," he smiled, "Take care, Miku-san."
He gave her a little salute and left.
Miku watched him go, utterly baffled by his generous gift. What on Earth had possessed him to do that? The sound of someone clearing their throat behind her brought her back to reality and she quickly rushed forward to the counter.
"That was awfully nice of him," the store clerk noted.
"Uh... yeah," was all she could say.
The moment her new books were were in the plastic bag she rushed out of the store. She looked back and forth but Takeda was nowhere in sight. Still bewildered she reached into the bag and pulled out the book he had given her. His act of kindness had been a real surprise and it left her completely confused. This was nothing like the guy she and her sisters had first met last year. It was as if she had met a completely different person.
As she ran her fingers over the book cover a smile crept to her lips. Strangely, as she walked home, she felt a great deal better.
The Next Day...
Fuutarou sat alone in the study hall, waiting for his students to arrive for today's study session.
He should have been going over his lesson for the day or looking at his notes, but ever since that night at the festival he hadn't been able to concentrate and to this day it was really starting to really annoy him.
Things were suppose to have gone back to normal once the whole thing was over, so why hadn't it? Why was Nino acting like this? Why was he still bothered by what she said that night? Why was he even thinking about it?
The urge to slam his fist down in frustration was getting more difficult to resist. All he wanted was to get this whole damn thing over with so they could get back to studying. The final exams were three weeks away and they needed to get ready for it. They didn't have time to waste on this romance business. After the conversation Itsuki yesterday he'd hoped this whole thing would get resolved soon because he was quickly losing his patience. He had done what they'd asked, so what was the big deal?
Heaving a frustrated sigh he tried to go over his notes again.
"Wow, this is the first time I've seen you like that."
Fuutarou's gaze snapped up to see Takeda standing there across the table. Oh, great. Just what he needed. His so called "rival" coming over to make his life difficult, not that he cared of what Takeda thought of him. However, Takeda didn't have that usual smirk he always wore whenever he was around Fuutarou. Instead he was looked openly curious.
"What's the matter?" he asked, "Are those quints still giving you trouble?"
Fuutarou didn't answer right away. He was wondering what Takeda was doing here before he shrugged.
"You could say something like that," he replied.
He expected him to go away after he spoke, but to his surprise Takeda sat down in the chair across from him.
"Are some of the girls still upset over who you chose?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
Fuutarou looked upat him and scowled, "How do you know about that?"
Takeda frowned, "What are you talking about? The whole school knows about it. Ever since you came to that one girl's defense last week, the whole school has been curious."
At first he didn't know what Takeda was talking about, then he remembered that time when those two girls were pestering him about who Nino liked.
"I just said that so they would leave me alone," he stated.
Takeda's frown deepened, "Uesugi, you shouldn't say something like that so carelessly. People, especially girls, take that very seriously."
"So? Why should I care?"
"It starts rumors, buddy. Maeda and I knew you liked one of the quints and everyone else suspected it seeing how much time you've spent with them. It was clear that you'd be going out with one of them at some point. Everyone was eager to see who you would choose."
Fuutarou was dumbfounded, "Everyone?"
"Yeah, everyone. Why are you so surprised?"
"Why is everyone so curious?" he shot back, "What business is it of theirs?"
"What are you getting so worked up for?" Takeda was confused, "This is what teenagers do in High School. They notice things and they gossip about."
"Don't they realize that the finals are coming up? Shouldn't they be more focused on that?"
"Not everyone is a smart guy like you, Uesugi. And or course they know, but they also want to enjoy their last days of high school."
"You study as much as I do," Fuutarou reminded him.
"Yeah, but I also like to take a break from time to time and have some fun. When was the last time you did that?"
Fuutarou scoffed, "I don't have time for those kinds of things."
"Really, man?" Takeda raised a brow, "You've never gone out and had fun? Not even with the quints?"
"Of course I did, but that was because they forced me to."
Takeda sighed and shook his head, "Uesugi, let me give you some friendly advice. Studying's good and all, but if you keep treating everyone and everything else as nothing but a distraction you're going to find yourself very much alone one day. You'll then will be left wondering what was the point of all."
Unable to come up with a decent counterargument, Fuutarou remained silent. He was well aware that he didn't have any close friends to speak of aside from the quints themselves. There was also Takeda and Maeda, but he rarely always hanged out with them. Still...
"That won't happen," he said.
"Oh?" Takeda didn't look convinced, "What do you plan to do once high school is over?"
The question made him realized that he wasn't entirely sure. He had filled out those sheets asking him what he jobs he would seek after school, from a teacher to a doctor, but had never given it any serious thought.
"Well... I will be going to college," he declared.
"And after that?"
He shrugged, "I'll figure something out."
"Well, I hope you put that knowledge of yours to good use," there was a long pause before Takeda suddenly, "If I may, I want to ask you the question that everyone's been asking lately. Why do you like Yotsuba?"
The question caught him off guard and he blinked at the blonde hair boy.
"What?"
"Why do you like Yotsuba?" he asked again, "I'm only asking out of curiosity. You asked her out so obviously you must her like for something. I don't why you look so confused."
It took Fuutarou several moments before he finally answer with, "I like her because she helped me out back then. I used to a bad kid when I was younger, the total opposite of what I am now."
"What?"
For the first time since Fuutarou had known him, Takeda looked genuinely stunned.
"Hold on," the guy looked like he was having a hard time believing what Fuutarou had just told him, "You were actually a delinquent?"
"Pretty much," he admitted, "I didn't give a damn about anything back then. I was always getting into trouble and trying to look cool while doing it. I eventually realized that I wasn't going anywhere, but I had no idea what to do about it. Then I met Yotsuba and everything changed. We promised that we would become the best students ever, a promise I was able to keep."
Takeda sat there gaping at him for several seconds before he started laughing quietly.
"I don't believe it," he shook his head in disbelief.
"What's so funny?"
"You, I, all of this!" Takeda continued laughing, "I've spent my whole life trying to be the number student in school, was given the best tutors in the country, studied like madman to accomplish that goal, only to discover that my rival was once a punk who become the next Einstein in a short period of time," he shook his head, "I can't decide whether I should be insulted or impressed."
"Think whatever you like," Fuutarou rolled his eyes, "I don't care."
"Well, whatever. So you like Yotsuba because she helped you out, okay. What else?"
"Huh?"
"Don't give me 'huh?'. What else about her do you like?"
"Um..." Fuutarou struggled to find words, "Well... she's... always been by my side."
"Uesugi, I'm not talking about what she did or didn't do for you. I'm asking about her personally. What is it about her personality that you like? What is it that you love about her?"
"Love?" the word seemed foreign to him.
Takeda stared in disbelief, "Good God, Uesugi. What's wrong with you? You're acting like clueless idiot. Let me make this simple, what is it about Yotsuba that makes you like her so much? Is it her smile? Her laugh? The way she acts around you? How does she make you feel?"
Fuutarou found that he couldn't answer, because he simply didn't know.
"You really don't know?" Takeda seemed to have read his mind.
"Ugh..." Fuutarou rubbed his temples, "Look, this whole thing happened because they forced me choose one of them. I've made my choice and that's the end of it. I don't want to deal with it anymore."
Takeda frowned at him, "You make it sound as though they're nothing a bunch a nuisances."
"Well... honestly, they are," he admitted, "All of them gave me a lot of trouble in the beginning. Yotsuba was the only one who didn't. She's never argued with me or disagreed with anything I said."
Takeda's frown turned dark, "And what about the other girls?"
"It would have never worked out."
"How would you know?"
"Because I do," Fuutarou was losing his patience, "Based on what I know about them and from I've read when it comes to love-"
"Oh, please," Takeda rolled his eyes, "Reading about something isn't the same as experiencing it. You need to find out for yourself, not just go off what you read in some stupid book."
"If I'm going to be a relationship I don't want to have any problems. I don't want one pointless argument after another. I want things to stay simple and straightforward, not a whole bunch of drama."
This time Takeda's eyes narrowed and he didn't look too pleased, "Uesugi, I don't mean to sound like an asshole but that is very rude and unfair, especially to the girls you rejected. Have you ever given any thought on how the others feel?"
"Of course I have, but like I said they were the ones who set this up. If they don't like my decision that's their problem, not mine."
There was a pause before Takeda said, "I think you're being really disrespectful toward them. I've heard nothing but great things about them."
"Yes, I know they're decent people. I like them all, but you and everyone else don't know them like I do. The ones I didn't choose have problems-"
"So? Everyone has problems. Good, strong relationships are built on people understanding one another and helping sort out their problems together. What you're suggesting is no different from an arranged marriage!"
Fuutarou went red in the face, "How I deal with the quints is none of your damn business, Takeda."
The two were caught in an intense stare down. As it occurred, screams were head outside but neither took any notice.
Finally Takeda stood up, still glaring at Fuutarou, "You're right, it isn't any of my business. I just hope this doesn't blow up in your face Uesugi. In my mind I think you're walking a very dangerous tight rope here."
More screams were heard. As Takeda started to move away a girl behind him suddenly yelled, "Hey! What's going on down there?"
Fuutarou went back to his notes, shutting his mind off from Takeda and everything else, when suddenly-
"Uesugi!"
The alarm in Takeda's voice brought his gaze back up. The blond boy was staring out the window with a look of horror on his face, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Putting down his notes, Fuutarou stood.
"What is it?"
"Down there! Look!"
He looked over to where Takeda was pointing and saw the reason for the commotion. A big fight between girls had broken out in the school's courtyard. As he observed the scene he suddenly realized that two of his students were right among middle of it!
"What the hell?!"
"We need to get down there! Now!" Takeda grabbed his arm, "Come on!"
While Fuutarou was talking with Takeda in the study hall, Miku was just leaving the faculty office after discussing something with one of her teachers.
Her mind had been pretty occupied most of the day, but the the one thing that kept coming to her mind was... Takeda.
His unusual actions yesterday had made her very curious about him, much to her annoyance. Buying the book she herself wanted only for him to give it her as a gift had been unexpected, but it also made her very happy. She had spent much of the evening reading the opening chapters and she had been visited by the urge to discuss it with him, to find out if the things she'd read were really true.
Speaking of which she hadn't had the chance to ask any of the teachers if his heritage was really true. It would have to wait for another time since Fuutarou was waiting for her.
She made her way outside and went through the passageway leading to the study hall. As she did a group of girls suddenly blocked her path. Startled, she stopped to look at them and saw that they were wearing the school uniforms of the high school she and her sisters had went to previously. Their neckerchiefs identify them all as seniors but she didn't recognize any of them. Then the leader of the group stepped forward.
She was a tall beautiful girl, but her eyes were cold and she seemed to be seething with rage. Her arms were tightly crossed and she stared at Miku with a gaze that was openly hateful, so hateful that Miku felt a chill go down her spine.
"Um... Can I help you?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, "Are you lost?"
The leader took one step closer and Miku had to fight the urge step back.
"What is your relationship with Takeda Yusuke?" the girl asked, her breathing very heavy.
Miku blinked. The question was so unexpected that it took her completely off guard.
"Excuse me?"
"Don't play dumb with me, girl!" the girl's voice was vicious as she gestured to one of the girls behind her, "One of my friends saw you talking with him at the bookstore. He even gave you a book. I want to know what it was all about."
Having recovered from her initial, Miku's eyes hardened and looked directly back at the, "I'm sorry, but what business is that of yours?"
The girl seemed surprised by her sudden fortitude for a brief instant before her eyes narrowed into shards.
"My name is Kuba Kayoko, and as of yesterday I am engaged to Takeda. That means we are to be married as soon as he graduates."
Miku felt her jaw drop. Takeda was engaged? He had never mentioned that before. Before it could sink into her mind the girl named Kayoko leaned even closer
"So I will give you this one and only warning," she threatened, "If you value your life, stay away from Takeda. He's not for the likes of you and I won't have cheap hookers like you interacting with him. Why he would even speak to someone is beyond me."
Miku froze. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. A cheap hooker? She had never been so insulted in her life!
"Go back to that dirty commoner you always hang out with," Kayoko went on to say, "And don't even think about approaching Takeda again."
She suddenly lost her temper, "Excuse me! I don't know who you think are but my tutor isn't some dirty commoner! He may be poor, but he's the best teacher I've ever had. As for Takeda-san, him and I are classmates. Nothing more. We ran into each at the bookstore and had a friendly conversation. He gave me a book that he bought with his own money out of generosity. There's nothing wrong with that. And he's free to talk to whoever he wishes! You have no right to-"
The girl slapped her. Hard.
The unexpected blow knocked Miku off balanced and her shoulder collided with a pillar of the passageway. Two students standing at one of the entrances stared in shocked at the scene developing before them before they ran off to inform the teachers. Shaking away the dizziness Miku stared in shock at Kayoko, who's eyes were blazing and filled with murderous intent.
"Insolent brat. You will not address me in such a way," she paused, as if contemplating what to do, before a cruel smile formed on her lips, "It seems you need to learn your place."
Without warning she grabbed Miku's sweater and with surprising strength she threw the girl right through the opening of the passageway. Having no chance to defend herself Miku fell face first into the hard ground. Stunned by what was happening, she twisted her body around and looked up to see Kayoko bearing down on her. Her face showing no mercy or pity. Even the girls behind her were enjoying this.
Miku was now scared for her life. She fully believed this girl intended to kill her!
"What is wrong with you?!" she gasped, "We're in school!"
"That is irrelevant," was Kayoko's only response
"You're insane. Completely insane! This is going too far!"
"Not far enough, little girl."
With those cold frightening words, Kayoko her raised her foot to deliver the next strike. Miku raised her arms and close her eyes.
"Hey! What are you doing to my sister?!"
She nearly fainted with relief as she recognized the angry voice. She opened her eyes just in time to see Nino slide in front of her, holding her arms out protectively and with her two friends Yamada and Otori taking by her sides. Kayoko herself had stepped back, obviously not expecting to deal with reinforcements.
"You're her sister?" she asked Nino.
Nino ignored her and glanced back at Miku to see how she was, but when she saw the reddening hand print on Miku's cheek and the smudges of dirt on her face her head snapped back to Kayoko with fury in her eyes.
"Did you hit my sister?!" she demanded.
The girl snorted and and said, "I was merely reminding her where her place was."
"Her place? The hell are you talking about?"
"If you are her sister you should remind her stay with her own kind. She is not to-"
"I don't know what you're getting at, bitch," Nino warned, "but you better get the hell out of here before I start beating you to a pulp."
The girl's eyes flashed, "You so much as touch me and I'll-"
Nino took one step forward, cocked her arm, and delivered a devastating blow to Kuba's jaw.
It happened so quickly that the girl was completely unprepared for it. She stumbled backwards would have fallen had she not been caught by her friends. She placed a hand to her face and when she moved it away there blood on her fingers, caused by the deep cut of her lip. Seeing the blood, her eyes snapped back to Nino, who stood there with her fists raised, her eyes locked right on her.
"You gonna do what, bitch?" she challenged.
Kayoko's features contorted and with a scream of inhuman rage she launched herself at Nino. From there all hell broke loose.
The incident quickly turned into a brawl. Kayoko was on the ground wrestling with Nino while her two friends took on the rest of Kayoko's group. Miku herself was caught right in the middle of it. Twice she tried to stand up and both times she was knocked back down. Then something came down hard on her ankle and she cried out in pain. She lay flat on the ground and covered her head with her arms while her eyes burned. There was a great deal of yelling, screaming, and cursing followed by the sounds of blows being delivered. Then she heard several angry male voices and the sounds of a struggle before everything seemed to go quiet.
"Miku-san?"
On a gasp, her body stopped shaking. The sudden yet soothing voice of Takeda-san was enough to calm her down. Slowly she moved her arms away and she opened her eyes to see him kneeling by her side, his eyes scared and face filled with concern. She was so overjoyed she almost threw herself at him.
"You okay, Miku-san?" he leaned closer and looked at her. When he saw the mark on her cheek his gaze hardened and he spun around. Miku lifted her head and saw that the fight had been broken up.
A few teachers and several male students were holding back Kayoko and her group. Their hair was a mess and their uniforms were torn, some even holding speckles of blood. Kayoko herself was struggling to free herself from the heavily muscled PE teacher while cursing and threatening. To her right Miku saw Fuutarou with Nino, who was holding her arm and grimacing while Fuutarou looked at it. Behind Nino were here friends, both out of breath but showing no signs of injuries.
"Did you do this, Kuba-san?" Takeda was furious, "Did you hit her?"
Kuba didn't look the least bit bothered by what she'd done, "You ought to pick your friends more carefully, Takeda. It can reflect bad on your character."
"Who I interact with and who I choose as my friends is none of your damn business! Just what the hell were you trying to do here?"
"I came here to remind that girl she doesn't belong to our circle," she pointed to Miku, "Did you forget that you're now engaged to me?"
Everyone looked at Takeda in surprise, who's whole body was shaking with rage.
"So you came to scare her off by assaulting her?"
"She insulted me first by being disrespectful-"
"Bullshit. Miku-san is too nice of a nice of a person to start petty fights like that," he spat in disgust, "I knew there was something wrong with you the moment we met. The engagement is now off! For good! Do you hear me? Don't ever show your face to me again! And if you ever lay a finger on her or anyone else I know, I'll see to it personally that you're humiliated and driven out of the country!"
Kayoko went red with fury, "So that's how it is. Instead of marrying one of your own kind, your prefer a low life-"
"Don't you dare insult her. I won't warn you again," he turned to the PE teacher, "Get her out of my sight before I lose my temper!"
Neither the teacher or the students argued and they roughly dragged Kayoko and her group away.
"You'll regret this, Takeda!" she screamed.
The blonde boy ignored the her protests and turned his attention back to Miku.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked.
"Someone stepped on my ankle and my face stings," she replied, visibly shaken by what had just happened, "Are you okay, Nino?"
"Yeah," she heard her sister hiss, "That crazy bitch tried to pull my arm off!"
"We better get you to the infirmary," said Fuutarou.
"Yeah, we better," Takeda agreed, "Can you stand, Miuk-san?"
Miku brushed back a few strands of loose hair from her face. As she did she realized something was missing.
"My headphones."
"What's that?" Takeda leaned closer.
"My headphones," Miku looked around, "Where are my... headphones..."
Her voice died at the last word and when Takeda followed her gaze he saw why.
Miku's blue headphones, her most prized possession, laid on the ground beside her. During the brawl it had been knocked off of her shoulders. Now it lay in several pieces, broken beyond repair. With a trembling hand she reached over and picked up a crushed earmuff.
"My headphones," her voice was so quiet it was barely audible. She looked like someone who had just lost their best friend, "My headphones."
Gently, Takeda took the broken piece from her, "Not to sound mean, but be grateful that wasn't how you ended up."
She gave a silent nod but she couldn't look away from what was left of her precious headphones.
"We need to get you to the infirmary so the nurse can take a look at that ankle," he reminded her, "Now, can you stand up?"
Miku took the hand that he offered and he started to pull her up, but as he did white hot pain shot through her left leg. She cried out and Takeda gently set her back down. Moving his hands to her leg he carefully place his fingers on the place where it hurt most.
"I'm gonna take off your shoe, okay?"
She gave a quick nod and he slowly removed her shoe, hissing several times before he finally got it off. He gently lifted her foot, already swelling around the ankle, and carefully examined it.
"Can't tell through your pantyhose," his said a moment later, "but I think it's definitely sprained."
Fuutarou and Nino moved closer.
"Can we carry her by having her arms around our shoulders?" Fuutarou asked.
Takeda shook his head, "It would take too long, and she shouldn't put any weight on that foot."
He set Miku's foot down and leaned back, as if trying to see what to do instead, before heaving a sigh.
"Guess I got no choice. Here, hold onto this," he handed the shoe to Fuutarou, "I'll carry Miku-san to the infirmary while you two follow," he turned back to Miku, "Put your arms around my neck."
Still in a daze, she did what he asked. It was only when he placed one arm around her back and the other under her knees that she realized what he intended to do.
"Wait, Takeda-san! What are you-"
"Pardon me, Miku-san."
She gasped as Takeda effortlessly lifted her up his arms. Her entire body went still and her face burned, extending all the down to her neck. In that one instant she forgot about everything else, from the brawl to her broken headphones. Her whole mind was overwhelmed by the fact that Takeda was carrying her in his arms like a princess! Not once in her entire life did she ever imagine being in this situation.
"Just relax and don't squirm. It's only a short trip there," Takeda looked over at Nino's friends, "What about you girls?"
"We're okay! We're not hurt," Otori assured, "Take it easy, Nino-chan!"
"Yeah," Nino replied back, "Thanks for helping me out, you guys. I'll see you later!"
Still holding her arm, Fuutarou placed his around Nino's shoulders and fell in behind Takeda.
"Make way! Make way!" Takeda shouted, "Hold that door open please! Thank you!"
He carried Miku through the crowd and down the hall, being extra careful not to bang her injured foot against anything. Not once did he seem to notice that she was blushing furiously.
"Um, Takeda-san?" she whispered, "Everyone is watching!"
"So?" he grunted, "Let them watch. I don't give a damn what they think."
Miku said nothing more. Seeing there was nothing she could about her predicament she forced herself to relax in Takeda's arms. In moment they reached the infirmary where the head nurse was waiting for them.
"She has an injured ankle, most likely sprained," Takeda quickly explained.
The nurse nodded pointed to one of the beds, "Place her down right there. What about the other one?"
"Injured arm," said Fuutarou, "but it doesn't look serious."
"Okay, have her sit down there while I take care of the other first."
Takeda set Miku down on the bed as the nurse came over while Nino sat down in a chair with Fuutarou staying by her side.
"We need to take those off so I can look at your ankle," the nurse pointed to Miku's pantyhose.
Takeda took off her other shoe and politely turned away while the nurse helped Miku ease down her pantyhose. Once it was removed, Miku stared in horror at the state of her ankle. It was already swollen and there was a nasty bruise forming right where she'd been stepped on.
"Oh, yeah," the nurse confirmed with one look, "That's definitely sprained. Yusuke-kun? There's some ice packs in that mini-freezer over there. Can you grab one while I get some wrapping?"
"Sure," Takeda went over and retrieved it before coming back to Miku, "This will really sting," he warned.
Her sharp gasp filled the entire room as Takeda pressed ice pack against the swelling. Taking several deep breaths, she looked at him.
"Thank you," she said, "For doing this."
He gave her a soft smile, "Don't mention it."
The nurse came back and wrapped both her swollen ankle and the ice pack together.
"Try not to moved too much, okay?" once Miku was comfortable she moved over to Nino, "Alright, let's take a look at that arm."
While she examined Nino's arm the group heard the sounds of running footsteps coming before the door was yanked opened to reveal the remaining three quints.
"Hey!" Yotsuba gasped, "We came as soon as we were told!"
"You guys okays?" said Ichika.
"Oh, my God! Miku!" Itsuki rushed over to her, "What on Earth happened to you?"
"Hey, calm down everyone!" ordered Fuutarou.
"Miku-san is still bit shaken," said Takeda, "Don't rush things, okay?"
"No, no. It's fine," Miku waved, "I'm okay now."
Taking her time she explained the entire event, including the fact that she had met Takeda at the bookstore yesterday. When she finished her sisters all had murder in their eyes. Fuutarou then explained how Takeda had seen the event while talking to him.
"You got to be kidding me! She attacked you just because you spoke to Takeda-san?" Yotsuba was incredulous, "Who does she think she is?!"
"It wasn't that," Miku replied, "What really set her off was when I spoke in his defense. That was when she slapped me."
"Where is she right now?" Ichika was a raging bull, "I'm gonna beat the living crap out of her!"
"She's already been booted off the campus," stated Fuutarou.
"And she was wearing our old uniform," said Nino.
There was a knock at the door and it opened to reveal the principal himself. Takeda immediately stood up, his face set. Clearly he was wondering what his father would say to him in the aftermath of this incident.
The principal said looked at his son before he spotted Miku. Approached, he bowed to her, "I would like to offer my sincere apologies for what happened today, Nakano-san. Rest assured that the people who did this are being dealt with as we speak."
"Thank you," Miku bowed her head.
The principal straightened and turned away, not once looking at Takeda.
"I want to speak with you after school, Yusuke," he said over his shoulder.
"Fine, but I want to make it clear that I am not going to marry that girl no matter what you say," Takeda declared.
The others saw the principal's lips twitch, "Yes, I thought you would to say that. That's perfectly fine. Clearly she isn't suited to be a member of the Takeda family. Not to worry, I'll find you another bride soon."
He was unaware of everyone frowning at him. The short exchange made it clear that the principal didn't care about Takeda's own personal feelings. Miku looked at the blonde boy and saw that he was struggling to control his temper.
"Come to my office when school is over," the principal left the room.
The moment the door slid shut, the nurse cursed at him and turned to Takeda, "You really need to start standing up to him, Yusuke-kun. Otherwise you're never going to accomplish your dream."
"I know," Takeda sighed deeply, "I know.
"That girl was you fiance?" Itsuki looked at Takeda, "Is that true?"
Takeda sighed, "That's what she believed when there had been no formal announcement yet, not that it matters anymore. I broke it off the moment she did this. I was introduced to her and her family the moment I got home last night but even then I knew right away something wasn't right with her. She had this look in her eyes that immediately warned me that she was trouble, but I didn't realize how much trouble she was until today."
"I don't get it," said a confused Yotsuba, "Why is your dad-the principal-trying to marry you off? You're not even out of high school yet!"
Takeda hesitated, as if he was debating whether he should say anything or not.
"Maybe you should tell them, Yusuke-kun," the head nurse pointed out, "Like it or not, they're pretty much involved now."
Everyone turned their attention to him. After thinking about it for a moment he bobbed his head.
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe I should," he leaned back against the cabinet behind him, "It's true that my dad and I don't get along too well, to the point that we openly detest each other, but... it wasn't always like that. We used to be one loving family, but that all changed when Mom died."
The others blinked.
"You lost your mother?" Miku asked.
Takeda closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes he said, "She was murdered when I was ten."
