Chapter 2:
"Ya'mo, huh? Now that's a cute name." Harima said, a small smile curving his lips. "By the way, I'm Kenji Harima."
"So it's true," murmured the girl. "I can't see anything at all."
"What?"
"May I ask you a question?" The young girl asked in a hurry, ignoring Harima's bewildered expression.
Harima nodded, confused.
"Are you afraid of ghosts?"
"Uh, not really." Harima replied still confused.
"Then do you believe in ghosts?"
"Why should I be scared of something I don't believe in?" Harima answered proudly.
"I see. Then nice to meet you, Kenji Harima." The young girl then raised a hand for a handshake and Harima feebly shook hands with her. He felt slightly cold when he made contact but brushed the feeling away.
"So where do you live?" Harima asked. "I'm still relatively new here. Do you stay in the neighborhood?"
"You might say that." The girl said in a monotone voice.
"Where are your parents? Aren't they worried about you?"
"I just wanted to check on something. I won't be long."
"I can walk you home if it's not that far. It's not safe for a girl your age walking alone unsupervised."
Harima put a hand in one of the pockets of his apron to get his keys but the young girl suddenly turned around and walked away.
"Wait!" Harima fumbled his keys, dropping them to the ground. He then heard a familiar voice behind him.
"Oh, Harima! Good afternoon!" Harima turned the other direction and saw Sarah walking towards him from a distance.
"Oh, hi there, Sarah," he quickly greeted her back. He whirled his head back to the other side and saw nothing. "Well, that was downright odd."
Sarah tilted her head, "What's odd?"
"I'm sure someone just – well, never mind about that."
"Never mind about what?" the blonde replied, her brows furrowing.
"Just some random passerby." Harima answered vaguely to sate her curious mind. "Asked some weird questions. It's nothing."
"Okay then." Sarah said and looked at Harima with an amused smile. "By the way, you look awfully normal in that apron! You look just like a good housewife!"
"Yeah, yeah, very funny," he deadpanned. "I still have work to do. I haven't even started working on my manga yet. I wonder how Yakumo managed all of this by herself."
"She is a bit of a workaholic when it comes to household chores." Sarah then made a quirky smile. "But more importantly, won't you welcome me to the house like a good gentleman?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Harima sarcastically apologized. "This way." He gestured in a mock bow, his hands pointing to the house. Sarah slightly tilted up her chin and walked towards the house.
She is enjoying this every second of the way. Harima thought, eyeing her going inside the house. He then looked back at the road and muttered, "Ya'mo, huh."
x-x-x
Yakumo came home several minutes after Sarah did. She always looked very tired and weary after work so Harima volunteered to cook for the night. She, of course, politely refused but Harima was insistent. Sarah, of course, remarked the "housewife" joke again, earning dagger looks from Harima. Yakumo silently laughed at them, watching Harima getting tired from the joke all day while Sarah stayed smug and cool. That single laugh banished all her stress from work.
They weren't related by blood at all but they looked like a family. Dysfunctional, yes, but a family nonetheless.
The two girls were sitting at the traditional low table, waiting for the man of the hour. The aroma coming from the kitchen was irresistible and Yakumo remembered a familiar scent. Sarah looked so excited about what kind of dish Harima would prepare, still spouting her running joke – although she was now serious and not just joking about it.
The blonde then nudged Yakumo's side and softly said, "You're quite lucky having a man like Harima."
The red eyed girl blushed, not knowing how to respond. Should she say "yes", thereby announcing to the world they're official; or "no", betraying her real feelings? Silence was always the preferred option but Sarah knew her better than anybody else did. She accepted her muted silence as a quiet affirmative or meek humility. Yakumo wished it was that way with most people.
Harima came out of the kitchen with a plate in each hand. Yakumo noticed he was still wearing the perky apron and couldn't help but smile. Sarah's joke must have really gotten to her.
Harima placed the dishes in front of them both. "Ok," Harima grinned. "Eat up."
After thanking Harima, Yakumo tasted the dish. Her eyes widened as realization crossed her mind.
This was the meal Harima cooked from the last picnic trip. Yakumo thought. It was a crab miso stew, she remembered, but this was different. It was more delicious than before. Never mind how he got the ingredients but the advice left by Ms. Osakabe had been followed to the letter. This was a whole new dish compared to the one he came up with on that picnic. Harima apparently took it to heart.
Heart.
Didn't he volunteer to cook back then to impress my sister? So what about now? Is he starting to recover?
Yakumo thought back on her older sister. She was now with the man she truly loves, but does that apply to her as well? Technically speaking, yes, but it could also be a "no" since she herself wasn't completely sure of it. Karasuma had been gracious, in a sense, to accept Tenma but would it be the same for Harima? Tenma was now out of the country and Yakumo still couldn't read his mind, giving her the idea he was still in love with her sister, or even be in love with someone else, someone like Eri. This really saddened and frightened her deep in her heart.
Funny. How a dish invoked so many emotions and memories.
Yakumo wanted to tear up but fought against it. It wouldn't be proper nor appropriate to do so. She opened her eyes that she had involuntarily closed and saw Sarah crying, comical tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oh, it's so good!" Sarah exclaimed. Yakumo blinked a couple of times, surprised to find her best friend being this true to herself.
Harima grinned. "Yeah? I've been perfecting it for some time now."
"So that's why it tasted so familiar," Yakumo said, joining in the conversation. "This is the crab miso stew back when we had a picnic trip."
Sarah's eyes widened and sparkled in surprise. "When did you have a picnic with Harima? Was it just the two of you?"
Yakumo bowed and blushed but Harima calmly answered for her, "No. It was after the culture festival. Akira, Eri and Mikoto were with us. Oh, yeah. Hanai and Imadori also went along."
Yakumo stared at him. That was weird. He should have been shouting his heart out, denying any wrong implications but he was calm. His face didn't show any signs of nervousness or panic. Instead, he looked collected and composed. Without the shades covering his eyes, he looked somber and mature. He looked... surprisingly handsome.
"Oh, I should get my dish. I'm pretty starving too, you know." Harima stood up and went back to the kitchen.
Yakumo simply smiled at him and went back to her dish. At the side of her vision she noticed Sarah was smiling at her. The blonde was giggling and giving her heartwarming smiles. Yakumo was sure Sarah would ask the inevitable question.
"So what happened there, Yakumo?" Sarah finally asked.
"We had a cook-off, well, a men's cook-off." Yakumo calmly explained. "Tenma forgot our lunches at home so Harima and Hanai volunteered to cook. Before I knew it, it had become a tournament. We girls along with some other guests judged the dishes. But in the end Eri's maid came along and won the contest. I think his name was Masaru."
Sarah pouted. "Now that's not fair. Anyway, Eri's maid aside, who did you pick?"
"Pardon?"
"You know, Harima or Hanai? Who did you vote for? Who did you choose?"
Yakumo glanced sideways as if the choices were right in front of her. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure herself. To her, Sarah's question was more than just who had the best dish.
She didn't have problems with Hanai's dish but Hanai represented everything Yakumo doesn't like of a boy: too overprotective, too over-eager and too infatuated for her to even consider him seriously. Harima's dish was also good but – but what? Harima was surprisingly the first male she had ever had a connection with other than her dad. He was protective but not assertive, naive but not insensitive, kind but not gullible, proud but not selfish. Then again, Harima only cooked because of her older sister. Harima wouldn't have even gone with them in the first place if Tenma wasn't there.
Sarah leaned closer to Yakumo, waking her up from her reverie. "So?"
Yakumo was at a loss for words. She knew her friend would not accept silence as an answer to this seemingly innocent question this time. "I think-"
"Sorry I took so long." Harima said, emerging from the kitchen and holding a big plate. "Shiba got hungry again so I had to feed him." He noticed the two girls were staring at him. "Something wrong?" he asked
"No. Nothing." Sarah replied.
Harima sat down in front of the two girls and stared at their plates. "You two haven't eaten the meal at all. Is something wrong with it?"
"We're just waiting for you," Sarah said, smiling. "We don't want to be rude, right, Yakumo?"
Yakumo looked at her, slightly confused but gave her a small smile nonetheless. She also mentally thanked them both, for Harima coming in at the right moment and for Sarah not pressing on about her question earlier.
"D'you mind if I turn on the TV?" Harima asked. "It's time for 'Three for the Kill.'"
"No problem." Yakumo answered and then glanced at Sarah. "Is it okay with you too, Sarah?" She noted her friend, being a nun, would be averse to violence.
"Of course. I really like old Japanese era shows with their costumes and all."
Having permission, Harima stood up and turned on the TV. Retrieving the remote, he went back to the table and changed the channel. "Good timing. It's just started." Harima said, speaking out his good fortune. Harima ate his meal and his fellow housemates shortly followed.
They ate in relative silence except for the sounds coming from the TV. Yakumo thought about her sister missing the show. She wasn't sure if "Three for the Kill" was being shown in America but she couldn't help but think of her sister. Normally, she would have recorded the show if Tenma was going to miss it; but she wasn't here anymore of course.
Old habits die hard, I suppose.
After they finished supper, Harima started picking up the empty dishes to take to the kitchen sink. Thinking Harima had done enough work, Yakumo started reminding him of other priorities. "So, Harima? How's the manga? Do you need any help?"
Harima stopped midway and looked at her. "I haven't started anything at all." Harima sheepishly replied. "Time flew by so fast and the next thing I know both of you had already come home."
"I'm sorry. I wish I could have helped you with the chores in some way."
"Well then!" Sarah announced in a commanding tone, startling the two. Pointing a finger at Yakumo, she said, "Yakumo, go help Harima with his manga tonight." She then pointed a finger at Harima and said, "Harima, you go work on your manga. I'll handle the dishes!"
Harima gave her a confused look. "Woah. You're serious?"
"Of course I'm serious." Sarah grabbed Harima and Yakumo's shoulders and led them out of the living room. "Don't worry about it. Just leave this to me."
"Well, I suppose. You sure?"
Sarah pushed Harima towards his room. "You go now. Time is gold." Harima walked away without any reply, leaving the two girls behind.
x-x-x
Harima went to his room, still confused as to what just happened. Sarah had been so insistent all of a sudden giving him no choice but to comply. Now that he thought about it, it was kind of her to volunteer to wash the dishes.
Harima shrugged. Well, that's another load off my shoulders.
His room was down the hall and was the very same room he stayed the first time. The two girls had their respective rooms on the second floor and his was on the first floor. He grabbed his art utensils from the desk and placed it on the low table in the middle of the room. Harima usually used a desk for work but if Yakumo was helping out then they would use the low table to accommodate her.
While waiting for her, he sat down and began to think of a story for his new manga.
With Tenma out of the picture he found that thinking of a story was quite a challenge. His last issue was an open-ended scenario with the heroine disappearing without a trace, much like Tenma's sudden departure. He was seriously considering ending the manga but the plot was still not building up to the climax because he hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Abruptly discontinuing it like that would annoy the hell out of the editor and it would probably cost him his life. So, he had settled for an open-ended story so he could continue it at a later time.
It was a fantasy story with him being the protagonist as Knight Hario and Tenma as Princess Ten Ten. It was loosely based on his own life, full of misadventures and epics that usually ended with the princess being taken again for yet another of Hario's quests. It was repetitive but somehow it was continued by the publisher, with Harima adding some elements to make it more fresh and engaging. There were other stories he made but it was still with the same characters. It was with a different setting and plot but the overall essence was still the same.
He really needed a new twist in the story to spark another grand epic; just one thing that would make a good impression to his small fanbase and especially to the hulking editor. It wouldn't matter anyway if it was only good for casual readers but it wouldn't be published in the first place if the editor didn't like it. He had removed one major character and that was a huge decision. With that in thought, he needed to fill the void it had left.
Should he add more characters? It just made sense to add one after removing another. A timeskip would be a good alternative. It was the ultimate cop-out strategy to any author who was stuck in a particular plot. You practically start anew with that choice. Or better yet, maybe he could combine those two options? It was tempting but he couldn't shrug the feeling he was stretching the story too far. Would the editor buy that?
I badly need help with this one.
Deep in thought, Harima opened his eyes that he had unconsciously closed and saw Yakumo's ruby-red eyes staring back at him. This really took him by surprise and shocked, Harima ungraciously stumbled backwards as he released a yelp. His vision suddenly went wild, hands randomly flailing in the air, and his back hit the floor. He heard a familiar voice call out his name.
Forcing his mind back in gear, he heaved his body upwards to return in a sitting position. The move made his head spin slightly.
"It's okay, Imouto-san. I'm fine." Harima managed to reply, his hand instinctively began rubbing the back of his neck. "That hurt."
Yakumo bowed her head and apologized. Harima held up a hand and touched her shoulder reassuringly. "No, it's okay," he said and smiled at her. "I'm just glad you're here now." He let go of her shoulder and continued, "I was just thinking of a new story. I would really like to hear your suggestions..."
x-x-x
"You go now. Time is gold." Sarah said to Harima. Yakumo was confused about her friend's intentions.
When Harima walked down the hall and was out of view Sarah stared directly at her. "I'm doing this for you, Yakumo," the blonde said, wagging an index finger at her.
"Sarah, what are you doing?" Yakumo voiced out her thoughts when Sarah suddenly grabbed both her shoulders.
"Listen to me," the blonde said in a serious tone, eyeing Yakumo. "I know in my heart you picked Harima's dish. But you changed your mind because the majority picked Eri's maid, thinking it would be obvious if you're the only one who voted for him. Am I right?"
Yakumo was stunned by her friend's intuition. She hadn't even told her who voted for Eri's maid. How did Sarah know so much of her, even things that she herself wasn't sure of? Apparently, she had been underestimating the nun's intuition up to this point. It gave Yakumo another new level of respect and awe for her best friend.
Sarah turned her around and began to push her. "Now, now, just be a good girl and trust me. We don't want to let your date wait any longer, do we?"
"W-what?" Yakumo stuttered. Before she knew it, she was in the hall hearing Sarah head back into the kitchen.
Yakumo stood still for a few seconds, still trying to absorb this whole situation. A d-date? With H-Harima? Yakumo shook her head quickly. I'm just going to help him in his manga like before. It's not something to be worried about. She then proceeded to walk towards Harima's room.
As she walked, Yakumo couldn't help but think of Harima's manga. Now it was starting up again, she wondered what story Harima would come up with this time. Will he do a romantic comedy again? What sort of genre will it be this time? Now that my sister –
Yakumo's thoughts were derailed completely, literally stopping her in her tracks. Her face mellowed as realization finally settled in.
Oh, right. Sis is not here. Harima started to draw manga because of her. She remembered the time when Harima and Tenma were talking to one another. Harima looked so happy and, after Tenma left, he declared his newfound motivation to continue his manga.
What about now? Now that Tenma is gone, what drives Harima to still continue his manga? Yakumo mentally kicked herself for not realizing it sooner.
Harima said he would help pay the expenses in the house from the money he got from his manga. Was he just continuing his manga to pay for the expenses? It seemed shallow. He had had weird menial jobs before and even those were more than enough to provide for his share. Why was he still drawing manga? Maybe he just... wanted to? Like a hobby? Was he now making a career out of it?
At the back of her mind, she thought that applying to that editor school had been a mistake. The decision had been made on a whim and she didn't really have plans to follow through on it. She hadn't even understood the lecture at first, giving her the impression it wasn't worth continuing. But if Harima was going to pursue his manga professionally then that hasty decision was the best way to help him out in the long run. Both of them had shown promise but both of them were still amateurs in their first year. There was still room for improvement and if she persisted in her decision to become a manga editor and Harima continued his mangaka career then they would spend more time together, sharing the same field of expertise. It was enough for her to pursue her hastily made decision.
Yakumo willed her mind to stop wandering on its own. Now that she thought about it, she was doing the opposite right now. Realizing she was making her date - dang it - Harima wait, she quickened her pace.
Oh goodness. Sarah's antics were getting to her much more than she realized.
She quickly went to Harima's room to make up for lost time. She gently pushed the door open and saw Harima sitting like a statue in the middle of the room. His eyes were closed making it even stranger. The usual small table was propped in front of him and his art supplies were arranged. Yakumo sat in front of him, trying to think of what to do.
Should I wake him up? Is he even sleeping to begin with? Maybe I should greet him? Yakumo suddenly found herself staring at Harima's face. There was a big difference in his face now than from before. It was not only because he was not wearing shades anymore and he was clean-shaven, but his composure as well. She thought back to when Harima calmly answered Sarah's question. He had looked so calm, and assured and... handsome.
Yakumo's heart skipped a beat and she leaned closer to him. Suddenly, Harima's eyes shot open. Yakumo couldn't take her eyes away from his. Combined with his patrician looks, his eyes were very alluring and striking.
To Yakumo's surprise, Harima elicited a yelp and stumbled backwards, his hands trying vainly to hold onto the air. There was a loud crash as Yakumo called out, "Harima!"
Harima replied he was okay as he went back to his previous position. He then began rubbing the back of his neck. "That hurt."
Yakumo bowed and apologized furiously, "I'm so sorry! I should have knocked first! I didn't mean to startle you! I'm so sorry, I'm sorry you got hurt!" Her eyes started to water up in sheer embarrassment. She wanted to run out of the room but felt a hand touch her shoulder and she looked up.
"No, it's okay. I'm just glad you're here now." Harima said and smiled at her, his alluring eyes curving. Yakumo wanted badly to throw herself at Harima, appearance and consequences be damned. He suddenly retracted his hand from her shoulder and went back to his spot. "I was just thinking of a new story. I would really like to hear your suggestions. Should I make a new story or add new minor characters?"
"Um, I don't know." Yakumo absently replied. She was mentally kicking herself repeatedly. When did she start thinking of doing such outrageous acts? That alone would undo everything Harima knew of her. That incomplete confession during the walking festival must have been the spark for this crazy idea.
Going back to the task at hand, Yakumo regained her composure and continued, "Maybe you should do some drafts first, both for the story and for the characters. We'll just weigh them up later and decide which is better."
"Good thinking, Imouto-san!" Harima exclaimed, receiving a blush from his assistant. "Okay. I already have some ideas for the new characters. I'll sketch them and you tell me if they're any good."
"Of course." Yakumo replied. "But what should I do in the meantime?" she added.
Harima blinked. "Hmm, I know!" He stood up and took a couple of books from a desk. "These are some of the compiled issues that I have made these past few months. I would like you to look into it, in case I draw a very similar character. Can't have the same characters, right?"
Yakumo took the books and began to look through them. Both artists then started their respective work.
x-x-x
An hour passed when Harima called her, finally finished with drawing up his newly created characters. For her part, Yakumo carefully reviewed the characters' bios and looks from the past issues. She re-read the whole thing to not skip out anything. It felt nostalgic for her to see the results of their hard work again. She smiled as she thought how far they had come in making manga within such a short span of time.
"Here Imouto-san." Harima handed Yakumo a stack of papers. "I sketched the characters looking very different from one other so you can have an easy time comparing them. I want your honest opinion, okay?" He then turned around to give her thinking space.
Yakumo started looking at the character sketches. Harima did a good job differentiating them all. There were adults, teens and even a little kid. She judged them on how the reader might instantly like the character. The character's looks was what usually caught the reader's eye first before their personality after all.
As she rifled through the images and noted them in her mind, a particular character struck familiar to her. It was a young girl with long flowing hair, dressed in a simple white dress with linings on its ends.
Oh, no. Please. Not you.
She knew who it was: that 'being' that seemed to love to torment her at her lowest of moments. With that monotone voice that always invoked doubts and dread by showing her the truth of what could and would happen to her. It was the manifestation that she kept locked up deep in the recesses of her heart.
Many things suddenly assaulted her mind like mad spirits and it rendered her speechless and stunned. She then found herself staring at the young girl's piercing glare. Her sharp dead eyes were staring straight at her as if she was looking directly at her soul.
Yakumo's hands began to tremble, papers falling out from numb fingers. She saw Harima turning back to her. His lips were moving but there was no sound coming from his mouth. Her throat tightened and her breathing turned into quick gasps. Her body became stiff and suddenly the table loomed over her vision. Everything went dark.
Author's Corner: Well, that was a very long chapter. It felt like an intimidating wall of text. It was longer than intended since I wrote from both perspectives. I may shorten the succeeding chapters if this is becoming too "wordy" for readers. Review on what you think about this chapter being longer than it should be. I, your humble writer, will take heed of it.
Peace.