écriture fatale
by crisis rain
Disclaimer: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!/Maid-sama! belongs to Fujiwara Hiro. Fiction plot & originals belong to crisis rain. No infringement intended.
Dim eyes glanced up at the dark night sky that was littered with thousands of golden, festive lights. A low, wafting stream of hot breath floating up into the winter air gently smoked against this blurry canvas of festivity, and she tore her gaze away from the towering skyscrapers and continued on, knees numb from the cold. Pulling up the magenta scarf up closer to her nose, Kogarashi Hisui walked down the busy city street; hands in her coat pockets; schoolbag hanging from her shoulder; scarf trailing after her in a misty haze of steam and cold air.
She passed by a store bursting with warmth and Christmas glamour – Jingle Bells was playing aloud from the store speakers, the catchy tune ignored as the rest of the city's population passed by it without another thought or glance. But all these little details – she acknowledged their existence, and she ever-so-lightly lifted her head up from the warm sanctuary of her scarf to gaze momentarily at the marvelous decorations inside the store; the boughs of holly, Christmas laurels, and the little gold bells that decorated the entranceway.
Ah, yes. It was already the start of December. And only two weeks since she last saw him. Perhaps consequently afterwards, she saw no sight of the young heir for two weeks straight when she accompanied her father as usual for his Saturday evening visitations at the Igarashi Manor. She didn't dare question about his whereabouts – nor did she search for him.
…Though, despite she had kept herself in a quiet and blissful solitude the past few times in the parlour room by herself, she noticed how she couldn't help but to waver her eyes around her surroundings for a glimpse of the lean boy.
In truth, she was somewhat glad for the peace and quiet she had for herself during his noted absence. She had some time to think and focus on her duties at hand – the health committee managed the physical health exam successfully without fail, and she had ordered the remaining syringes without any additional problems. All that was left was Oukashou's culture festival – and unnervingly enough it was to be held on the last three days before Winter break. Academics and sports were only second when it came to the school's founding history – for the school had finished development during the winter time, and as such the culture festival should be held during the same time in honour of its legacy.
That meant the strain from the final exams as well as preparations for the school culture festival would overlap. A stressful time indeed for seniors, for their final exams would determine whether or not their grades would allow them to take the entrance exams for their desired universities.
'First, the final exams will be held the week before the culture festival.' Hisui thought as she brushed past a few pedestrians, fidgeting with the strap of her heavy schoolbag. 'Then it'll be a mad rush to get the culture festival decorations done.' She closed her eyes in a frown, feeling the dull throb of a headache coming. 'Finals start on the 12th of December… ends on the 14th. The 15th is a Saturday and I have the day off from school, but the health committee needs to prepare flu masks and other supplies for the nurse's station on the day of the culture festival…'
Hisui remembered Hanazono-sensei had told her that the health committee was responsible for overseeing any ill or injured participants during the culture festival, and as such they needed to be doubly prepared for whatever accidents may occur. Every year there was bound to be an unfortunate person getting burned from doing restaurant or café-themed booths for the festival, or from handling the kitchen knives while cooking resulted into cuts and mass panic from the bleeding.
She let out a long sigh, mentally making a list of things she needed to purchase and later draft up into an invoice for the committee's budget.
Stopping to a halt outside a bookstore, she checked her wristwatch for the time before entering the store, the automatic glass doors parting way for her. "Welcome to Maruya's!" The cashier greeted her with a short bow, and Hisui nodded back, rubbing her frozen, rosy cheeks. Her eyes glanced around the shop wearily, searching for the academics section.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for an English reference manual for high school students," She called out for the cashier, who glanced up from her book. "Ah, walk straight down and take a left on aisle 12. It's marked with a nameplate."
Giving her thanks, Hisui quickly strode down the bookstore, eyes trained ahead. Finding the right aisle, she found a wealthy assortment of studying guides and books for high school level English. Picking up the nearest cover she had spotted off the bat, Hisui picked it up and browsed through the pages carefully, her mind silently gauging how noteworthy the content was.
'No good.' She thought with a grimace when the guide felt lacking and unhelpful. Putting it back down, she reached over to grab the next cover when another hand landed on the same book, their fingers momentarily brushing against one another. Looking up in alarm, she was surprised to see Teranishi reaching for the same book, his dark eyes staring back at her.
"Teranishi." Hisui greeted, though her tone still held that twinge of initial surprise. "I… I didn't expect to see you here."
He nodded once, picking up the book he wanted to read before averting his eyes. "Inchou. Here to buy study guides for finals?"
"Yes," Her fingers quickly drew back from the book, before picking up a different one. "I'm certain that Konishi-sensei will be adding some extra vocabulary into the final exam, so I'm here to prepare for his challenge." Her reply came as good-natured, and she proceeded to scan the next book with an intense gaze. Teranishi didn't reply, but skimped through his own book, despite his unfocused eyes that kept wandering; instinctively gravitating towards his committee president who looked fully immersed in the reference book she was reading.
"Do…will we have time for the cultural festival with the health committee duties in place?" He suddenly inquired, giving her his best nonchalant glance. Hisui returned it with equal composure, her eyes resuming that natural aloof and collected look she always wore at school. "If we divide our time wisely, it's not impossible." Came her airy reply, and she closed the book shut. She's decided. This book will do for now.
Teranishi followed her to the checkout, unknowingly holding on to his book as well. "Should I help out with anything?"
Hisui took out her wallet, handing over a one thousand bill to the cashier. "No; just focus on your final exams for now. I'll have Hanazono-sensei discuss about it with the rest of the committee after exams."
Teranishi silently paid for his reference guide, stuffing the book into his schoolbag and hastily followed his president out the bookstore. She glanced back at him, her eyes clear and devoid of any underlying meaning. "Well, then. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Good night, Teranishi."
She tilted her head slightly in a farewell nod before walking off, towards the distance shimmering with street lights. Teranishi shoved his hands into his pockets, the study guide tucked beneath his arm. "Kogarashi!" He called out, and she momentarily stopped, taking a half-step back and turned around to gaze at him expectantly.
"Are you going? I mean, for the Christmas Party our class is going to hold after the culture festival." He asked uncertainly, trying to read that poised expression she held upon her features. Hisui shrugged her schoolbag stiffly over her shoulders again, turning around to fully face him. "I'll think about it. I don't really fit in too well, so I don't think my presence being there would change anything too much."
Teranishi frowned, stuffing his book into his bag. "Well, it's on Christmas Day and it's a Sunday, so come if you don't have any plans." Turning his back onto her, he waved his arm up lazily as if to bid her a drooping farewell. "See you later."
"See you." Hisui bid her farewell back to him before letting out a small sigh, and resumed her brisk promenade, towards the train station. A Christmas Party, huh? Even though she had never felt any particular attachment to her classmates, being together on a holiday sounded fun. She too, once eagerly participated in activities such as get-togethers and hanging out after school.
But that was in the past. Her loafers thudded to a stop, as she paused before the gleaming train station. Electronic beeps sounded in the crisp air as people swiped their train passes in and out, hurrying on to their next destination. 'Perhaps I should attend,' She thought to herself as she rummaged for her wallet, opening it up to reveal her train pass slotted neatly inside a clear plastic pocket. Swiping it across the infrared surface, the metal doors clicked before letting her pass the barricade. 'I should probably take up Teranishi's invitation.'
It was a quiet evening at the Kogarashi household – Sayaka was peeling several mandarin oranges while her daughter sat by the floor beside her, pouring over her new English study guide and making several flashcards to study on her way to school the next morning. She glanced over at Hisui who was diligently sprawled over an open dictionary and currently writing in several notes in her textbook while cross-referencing back with her classroom notes.
"Final exams are coming up?" Her mother asked lightly. Hisui gave her a slight nod. "Hn." She seemed to say, while tapping her chin with the end of her pencil. "I'm preparing for English. It's my first exam on Monday."
Sayaka sighed and picked up the television remote. "I know studying is the only thing on your mind right now, but don't you have any plans for the winter break?"
No answer came, but Hisui paused for a moment and thought about the Christmas party Teranishi had invited her to – and let out a short sigh. "Maybe. I don't know yet. I've got finals to worry about after all." Sayaka watched her daughter nod back to work, and flipped the television screen on with a slight frown on her face. "Listen to me, Hisui; you're already sixteen and counting; it's not like you'll get any younger."
"Sixteen is still a comparatively young age." Hisui's smart answer came, glancing up at the television screen. "But you didn't have to tell me that…" She trailed off in mid-sentence, eyes glued to the program that was being broadcasted at the moment.
"At the current moment, my father is still ill but we do not plan to let this unfortunate event hinder our plans for success." A familiar voice floated from the television. "After all, it's only going to be a matter of time before I step in for my father's shoes, though I do hope that won't be too soon since the company still needs the great leadership my father possesses."
"Oh my, oh my; isn't that Igarashi-kun?" Sayaka commented in pleasant surprise, gazing at the young male dressed in a sharp suit on the television screen. "It seems like he's taking over for his father at the moment."
Hisui grimly stared at his electronic image that was currently etched upon the television screen in high-definition. The news conference was just about reaching near the end. "How dependable! I hear that the Igarashi Group still plan to hold their charity ball at the end of this year? Will you be overseeing that event as well?" The news reporter asked, and a wave of camera flashes erupted, sending the screen to flicker white for a few moments.
Igarashi Tora smiled smoothly. "Of course, please look forward to our end-of-the-year event."
"It will certainly be the talk of the season!"
He looked utterly perfect and composed, assuming his battle-ready stance to deflect all – if any –criticisms headed his way. He was prepared – perhaps more than prepared – and dazzled the stage with his lineage and prowess over the cruel world of media. But beneath that securely-smug look of confidence upon his face, there was a crack somewhere.
She wasn't sure how – but she was sure as hell that the crack was gnawing and growing, unnoticed by the rest of the world.
He looked a little pale now that she realized it – perhaps he wasn't eating properly or sleeping enough? Despite that, his expression on his face suggested nothing of that sort. Laughing amiably along with the flirty news reporter, and giving adequate responses to his interview questions – he was used to this.
He must have been busy lately.
Or perhaps it was just the camera and the lighting in the studio that was making her imagine things. Hisui turned back to her notes, and silently began to scrawl away at her flashcards once more.
There were bigger things to worry about.
Offstage from the recording studio, Igarashi Tora eased himself into a white couch in his dressing room, sliding a palm over his tired eyes. The room was dark, save for the lights by the entranceway providing some semblance of warmth. He was still dressed in his semi-formal outfit – a black shirt and white vest and slacks, and his fingers tugged at the silk tie around his neck and loosened it as he laid there resting for a moment.
The door opened quietly, and Tora opened an eye, glaring at the unlit ceiling.
"President," A voice came softly, and he turned over to see the passive features of his subordinate. Maki Kanade stood stoically before his president, an arm tucked behind in respect. "I've taken care of the press. Shall we head on?"
He sat up almost regrettably, but the notion of leaving the stinking broadcasting company seemed like a rather nice idea at the moment. He couldn't stand the way how they all came for him with begging eyes and tails tucked between their legs to curry his favour – from that annoying woman of an interviewer to the makeup artists and backstage crew that tried to get a handshake or more from him.
He'd almost forgotten how much hassle it was being a celebrity.
Shrugging into his uniform coat, he followed Maki out of the dresser and lazily walked down the empty corridors, towards the elevator. Maki brought out a clipboard with several pages of thick paper stacked and clipped upon its surface, handing it towards Tora.
"As for some lighter news, I've done the research you've asked me to." Maki smiled pleasantly as Tora's eyes roved down the pages in sudden interest. "It seems that Oukashou will be having their culture festival in two weeks."
Tora merely smirked, tossing the clipboard back to Maki. "And final exams before that, I see. Our little bird is going to become busy, isn't she?"
Maki nodded in agreement, stepping into the elevator with the Miyabigaoka School Council President. "More importantly, will you be alright handling the media affairs while keeping on top for your own exams, sir?"
Tora had to laugh, despite the tired look on his face and the hearfelt missing ache that throbbed inside his chest, yearning to tease his current favourite toy at the moment. "Who do you take me for, Maki?"
Maki had to suppress a chuckle himself at his president's answer. "Of course, nothing less expected from you, sir."
"Naturally." The elevator doors parted, and he was soon strolling out of the high class lobby and out into the sharp, winter cold. His limousine was already waiting for him by the front valet, Hanagata poised obediently outside; waiting for his master despite the thin suit he was wearing.
"Young Master." Hanagata greeted as soon as he spotted the young heir approaching from the entranceway. "And Maki-san. Please, this way." He opened the back doors swiftly on both sides of the car, wasting not a moment further and allowed passage for them. Climbing into the back seat of his limousine, Igarashi crossed his legs and leaned back against the seat, allowing his mind to empty itself – and for a short moment, he would forget about the day's troubles, easing the headache away temporarily.
The nighttime cityscape would blur into a surreal world of traffic-lighted colours as the sleek car raced by, resembling nothing more than a streamline shadow upon the paved highways. Inside the gently riding automobile, he would sit in silence as he gazed out the windows from time to time, quietly nodding off to a fitful sleep as the royal carriage continued to carry him home.
"And pencils down, everyone."
There was a collective sigh of depressed high school students in the classroom, writing utensils clattering noisily and papers shifting to be handed to the front. Hisui gathered her exam papers carefully together, eyes briefly scouring the front page of English problems with intensity before making sure it was devoid of any glaring mistakes she might have made. She passed it up front towards Teranishi who sat in front of her, and he sighed, taking it from her.
"Well, that was brutal." He half-yawned, half-complained aloud, looking like he only had a few hours' worth of sleep last night. It appears that Teranishi was the sort to cram it all on the very last day before the exam. "And now I gotta go home and revise for Math..." Another sleepy complaint came out of the male.
Hisui lowered her eyes, gathering her pencil and eraser together and putting it back into her pencil bag. "Math shouldn't be too hard if you memorize all the important formulae and do some practice drills. It's easier to remember them if you put them all on one page – like this." She held up a sheet of paper she retrieved from her file, holding it up for him to see. "If you organize them in the unit order with an explanation on the side –"
Teranishi jumped up from his sheet, eyes ogling the paper of notes. "K-Kogarashi! Make a copy of that for me, please!"
"E-Er," Hisui blinked wide eyes at her classmate, unsure what to expect from his sudden outburst. "Sure... but I –"
"Please. I beg you." He pleaded humbly, pressing his hands together as if he was praying to the higher gods. Respectfully, Teranishi bowed his head before her with an apologetic look on his face. Feeling slightly hesitant, Hisui scratched her chin, and put the paper back down with a sigh. "Then – take it. I made another copy anyway; you can have it."
"Wait, what? What?" Endou – a female student who sat across from Teranishi – came over in excitement, glancing at the notes Hisui had handed over to her neighbour. "Are those formula notes for tomorrow's Math exam?"
"Yep, and they're mine! Kogarashi gave them to me." Teranishi replied tersely, but it did little to hinder the energetic, short-haired girl as she ogled the notes in a similar way he had before. "Awwwww...! C'mon, don't be stingy Teranishi; be a nice guy and share!"
Another classmate – Shinohara, who sat beside Endou – adjusted her glasses with a cautious finger and gazed at the notes Teranishi was waving in his hand teasingly in front of Endou's face. "My, those are quite the detailed notes. But Mie, you shouldn't be asking for the notes from Teranishi; after all, they're Kogarashi's."
Endou pouted. "Then... Kogarashi, would you make me a copy? Please?" She came over to Hisui like a puppy with pleading eyes, an innocent smile plastered over her face. "I so owe you one if you do!"
At this point, Hisui was undoubtedly in a rather uncomfortable situation. It wasn't that she disliked it; it was just... a little surprising to her. She had shared notes casually with friends before – but that was all the way back in middle school. Until now, nobody in the class really made any connection to her other than regarding her as the health representative. Her face turned back down to her folder, before nodding silently in embarrassment, but a small smile was on her face. "...Sure."
"Wait, Kogarashi's giving Endou math notes? I want in!" A voice chipped in – it was Yamamoto, another student. Before long, there was a large group of her fellow classmates huddling over her desk. Hisui blinked wide-eyed at this unexpected revelation, a bead of sweat rolling down her temple.
"...so, what're you going to do, inchou?" Teranishi had to suppress a laugh at how hilarious she looked; like a deer caught in the headlights with such expectations she had never expected to receive from her classmates. "It seems like you should start making copies for everyone!"
"Teranishi," Hisui began in a warning tone, before subsiding back into silence. After a pause, she continued carefully. "If it'll help everyone and our class average... I don't mind too much. It's not a hassle for me."
"To be honest," Endou began with a faint smile, "we thought you were the sort to keep out of everyone's affairs. Sorry if we assumed that! You appear to be a nice person after all, Kogarashi."
Yamamoto bowed his head in apology. "Me too, I should apologize... I thought you were... eh, a bit stuck up. I guess my opinion of you has changed!"
Teranishi watched with his cheek resting on his palm, elbow propped up against her desk as the health representative began to make small talk with the rest of her classmates, her facial expressions loosening up a little into something a little bit softer than her usual rigid, stoic look. It was something not often seen – in light of this, he cracked a smile of his own.
"If Kogarashi's notes help the class pass," He started aloud, drawing everyone's attention for a moment. "we should go all out for the after party on Christmas!"
A chorus of agreement from the impressed students erupted in the classroom.
"W-Wait, we have to worry about the school festival first!" Hisui desperately intercepted, waving her hand frantically as if the idea suggested was slightly impossible to achieve. "I know final exams are still in progress, but we can't forget we still haven't planned anything for the school festival yet!"
"Well, we can worry about that after the Math exam!" Endou chirped. "Say, do you mind if you show us a few problems? Just a little bit to prep for tomorrow's test?"
"Ooh, that's a good idea!"
"I'll go run to the library and make printouts from Kogarashi's notes for everybody!"
Somehow after that, everything became a scrambled mess. But the ruckus and clamour was something she didn't mind – it was somewhat lighthearted to be surrounded by such liveliness. Explaining the formulae in the simplest way as possible was a bit hard at first, but it made her happy to see that her classmates were starting to understand most of the content as the time slipped by.
"It's getting late," She mused aloud when her eyes drifted to the clock. True enough, it was already half past seven; the outside scenery had fallen into a cloudy, evening darkness that came early during the winter season.
"Ah, you're right. I think we should get going, otherwise the teachers are going to get mad and kick us out!" Yamamoto remarked, and picked up his notebook and pencil. "Well, I think I feel much more confident about tomorrow's exam. Thanks, Kogarashi!"
Endou smiled at the bewildered health representative from across the desks. "Thanks for the lessons review, Kogarashi! You really saved our hides – and our grades, hahaha!"
"W-Well, I don't know if I'm capable of that – what's important is that you guys should continue reviewing once you're home tonight!" Hisui protested profusely, quickly gathering her things together. Compliments – she didn't like adorning herself in them, but they sounded so heartfelt and genuine she couldn't help but to become embarrassed.
As the small throng of students finally exited the building, everyone bid their farewells to one another, walking off into the various directions to a place they would call 'home'. Hisui shrugged her schoolbag over her shoulder, glancing at the dusty streetlights in the distance where the retreating backs of her classmates slowly faded.
"They're good people, aren't they?" Teranishi spoke abruptly, cracking the silence. Having been caught glancing at them, Hisui quickly swerved her glance away, before staring at the ground. "Yeah..." Turning back to face her fellow committee member and 'desk' neighbour, she opened her mouth as her lips formed a question.
"I was surprised when you were... still friends with Nakata." Hisui let out a short chuckle. "I definitely thought that you were the sort who would be the popular guy who was friends with everyone in the class. You looked and lived the part since the beginning of the year."
He let out a sigh – not a dissatisfied one, simply a sharp exhale of breath.
"...I thought so too. I got into the wrong sort of crowd... and before I knew it, I was being bullied by seniors and I couldn't escape." He paused, before scratching the back of his head in mirthful remorse. "I couldn't tell anyone in the class about my problems. So to be honest... if you hadn't intervened at that time, I don't even want to imagine what I would be like right now."
A wry smile appeared on her face. "Well, let's get going. We shouldn't be chatting so casually at this hour of the evening." And with that, she set her body into motion, her legs already walking away, down the cold street.
"Right on, inchou." Teranishi casually replied as he caught up with her pace, and they walked towards the train station. A shower of stars began to faintly make themselves out despite the bright glow of the city below, signifying the slow end of yet another day.
"How hard is it to memorize that a2 + b2 = c2? Use your brain for once!"
A loud smack echoed from upstairs, followed by the sound of a pained yelp. Kogarashi Sayaka sighed, as she tried to focus on finishing the snacks she was preparing at the moment. More sounds followed afterwards, from muffled argument to something heavy impacting against a solid surface. A knowing, wry smile appeared on the mother's face as she gathered the refreshments and snacks onto a tray and slowly made her way upstairs.
"How hard is it for you to stop hitting me over the head every time I get a question wrong?" The blonde-haired delinquent seethed back angrily, holding the back of his bruised head in a tender caress. "It fricken hurts like hell and I'm not going to learn if all you do is hit me!"
"Oh ho, that's a rather presumptuous retort coming from the guy who can't even get one answer right on a single set of problems!" Hisui replied through clenched teeth, holding up a sheet of math drills that was riddled with red marks. "Look at this! They're all wrong! Do it again and maybe then you'll get a break when you get it right for once!"
The door swung open, and Sayaka came in with a faint smile. "Pardon for my intrusion; I believe you two are studying hard?"
More like, it looked like a warzone with papers and textbooks strewn around her daughter's bedroom, and one, very distressed-looking teenager trembling under the demonic guidance of her tough-willed daughter's tutelage. Sayaka let out a small laugh, and set the snacks down by the table in the middle of the floor.
"Well, don't push him too hard, Hisui. Everyone learns at a different pace; be more patient!" She advised, before leaving the noisy study session to her daughter's devices.
Hisui let out a sharp exhale, dropping down to a seat beside Gouki who was currently sweating over his math reviews. "Now listen; I wrote out all the formulae and examples on this sheet. The crucial key in acing your exam is to memorize the formulae and determine which formula to use for which question on the test. The only way you'll be able to do that, is to do practice drills!"
"Hell, I'd be lucky if I pass, let alone ace it!" Gouki retorted miserably, before reaching out to reach for a rice cracker by the snacks tray. Hisui immediately slapped his wrist, sternly tapping a pencil at his work that was laid out in front of him.
"Practice drills first, snacks later."
Letting out a groan, he set his hunger aside for now and concentrated on those devilish trigonometric functions that always eluded his understanding.
"Ah, you're already doing it wrong. See this pi function here? You place it in both the numerator and denominator for the fractional equation. It goes for the rest – it's like a pattern, so you can't miss it on the test." Hisui immediately circled his answers with a pencil, tapping on the specific parts of the formula that were written out incorrectly. "Since this problem in question is discussing about the radial properties of a circle, you'll have to input pi on your calculator to be able to find the answer."
Gouki paused, eyes staring intently at her actions, before picking up his pencil once more and rewrote out his answer out slowly. "...like this?"
Hisui's eyes scanned over it briefly, before lighting up in surprise. "Yes, exactly! That's correct."
He beamed, looking rather proud of himself. "I suppose I can do it if I put my mind to it."
"Anyone can. It just takes effort and self-motivation to see the end of your goals." Hisui replied smartly, before passing on another sheet of questions. "Here; now try a hand at these problems. If you do enough you'll get the hang of it, and you won't even need to look at the references in the textbook once you memorize the formula."
Minutes ticked by – until the hands on the clock passed by swiftly, signalling the new hour of a new day. Looking up tiredly at the time, Hisui glanced back from her own notes towards her pupil in question. Despite the dark bags of fatigue that was beginning to show beneath his eyes, Gouki looked rather enlightened as he continued to solve one set of problems after another.
"Hey, it's late. Go get some rest." She murmured as she pressed a cold glass cup against his cheek. He jumped at the sudden sensation, before retreating back a little and threw a half-lidded glare at her way. "Don't do that! And the same goes to you; you've been tutoring and studying nonstop the whole day." Despite his protests, he grabbed the cup from her hands, taking a long sip from the glass.
Her expression froze for a bit, before her eyes wavered away. Nonetheless, she managed to smile through that tired expression of hers. "When did you become so considerate and thoughtful, Goucchan?" Jokingly she replied, and much to her amusement she managed to wring out a look of embarrassment from him.
"Hmph." He ignored her, setting the cup back down on the coaster. "Moreover, you should worry about yourself more. Don't you have your school's culture festival coming up right after exams?"
"That's right." Hisui replied nonchalantly, closing her book shut. "It's going to be tough to suddenly work on the festival right after exams, but it'll be worthwhile in the end." True enough, it would be the last, big event of the school year to wrap up the experience. It would also be especially meaningful to the seniors who would eventually graduate once the term was over.
"Hm, what day was it on again?" Gouki asked, staring at the bottom of his empty cup as he fidgeted his restless fingers over the glass rim.
"The festival starts on the 21st and ends Saturday on the 22nd. Why?" Hisui responded lightly as she began to put her books back into her schoolbag, glancing briefly at her childhood friend. A twinge of embarrassment flickered over his face.
"W-Well... I'll be done with exams by then... s-so I guess it wouldn't hurt to drop by for a visit... I guess..." He muttered, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck to alleviate his nervousness. She stared at him wordlessly for a moment before letting out a small snort of laughter.
"That would be fun. Although I'm not sure what my class wants to do for the festival yet, I'll be expecting your visit then." Hisui smiled through the cracks of her fingers, looking rather pleasant at the thought. "Feel free to bring your friends... er, the ones I met last time. They seem to be very attached to you."
Gouki made a face at her suggestion. "They would probably scare off the other customers if I did. I'd hate to ruin your class's business chances if I brought the gang along."
Hisui laughed aloud. "Goucchan, you look plenty intimidating enough yourself!" With a quick flick of her wrist, she reached out and pinched the space between his eyes. Gouki immediately swatted her hand away, irritated. "Fix that mean look of yours and you'll probably look dashing enough to steal hearts away."
At that moment, he snatched her wrist in his grasp and held on, staring back at her almost incredulously. Bewildered, Hisui returned his gaze with an equal amount of confusion in her eyes, before he shortly snapped back to attention and released his hold.
"You shouldn't worry about things like that." He muttered, before picking up his notes and books. "I'm headin' back to my room. Later."
And with that, he returned back to the other side of their facing balcones, his figure disappearing as he shut the glass door behind him along with the curtains pulling to a close. Hisui sat there, still somewhat dumbfounded, before cupping her chin in serious thought.
"...Weirdo."
The bell rang, signifying the end of a long day. Exasperated students finally relieved that exams were over, rushed happily out and spilled into the school's courtyard. Whether people were feeling down at their less-than-admirable success in their exams or celebrating the end of studying, there was a particular group of people who still have not yet left the school premises.
And that was the Oukashou Health Committee.
Papers and plastic files alike were shuffled together neatly, clattering against the wooden surface of a desk as they did so, and a pair of hands laid them down. In dark, big type the words 'Oukashou Health Committee: Reports' was printed upon the cover of a particularly large binder.
"Alright, everyone settle down." Hisui ordered sternly, casting a quick glance over the committee. So far, in total only four members, including herself. Kitagawa Mika, Sagawa Kousuke, and now their newest member – Teranishi Souhei – sat around desks pushed together to form a temporary meeting desk for use. Given the low budget and the nature of their club, this was the best they could muster up. Not to mention that the health committee didn't have their own clubroom; crowding around inside Hanazono-sensei's office seemed to be the only option left.
"Now, I know that everyone here is exhausted after finals," She began firmly as her hands opened the thick binder. Taking out a few sheets of paper, she passed out one copy to each member. "but the health committee has a large workload ahead of them even though the end of the year is approaching quickly."
"First off – we need to begin preparations for the culture festival. I know most of your time during school will be dedicated to your own class project, however;" Hisui placed a sample box containing flu masks upon the desks, patting it contently. "We are also in charge of safety within the school grounds and the infirmary will be especially busy when the school is open to the public. Many people will be attending Oukashou's school festival, and if we are not properly prepared that would be disastrous."
"I placed an order for a suitable amount of flu masks, bandages, and a few extra first aid kits for the sports club or whatever crazy scheme you kids are coming up with this year." Hanazono smiled from his seat by his desk. "Unfortunately, we didn't have any money left over for some nice nurse uniforms for the girls –"
"And here are the work shifts for the school festival." Hisui quickly intervened, restraining her irritation with a forced smile as she handed out more printouts. Kitagawa immediately chuckled softly to herself. "We'll need at least one health committee representative on duty at all times during when the festival is going on. This will be covering the two days our school will be open to the public, so the hours might be a little long."
Sagawa glanced closely at the schedule. "Uwagh... three hours is a bit too much."
"Unfortunately with our low staff count, I'm afraid it is a bit too long to my liking." Hisui admitted. "But if we alternate shifts with an hour break in-between, it should work out somehow. Hanazono-sensei will be here on-duty the entire time, so the infirmary will be at least, be looked after by the school nurse."
Kitagawa held the schedule in her hands. "Aw... if it's okay with you, Sagawa-kun... can we switch shifts? I've got to help out with my class's booth during the afternoon."
"Sure, that's fine. I don't think my class will require too much of my time after lunch." He responded.
Teranishi threw a half-lidded stare at Hisui's way. "Speaking of which, we've got our own assignments as well for our class. You know that we decided on doing a cafe booth for the festival."
"I'll manage somehow with both the cafe and the infirmary shifts." She replied crossly, shuffling the papers back into order. Teranishi inwardly groaned. She might be fine with the crazy schedule; he wasn't sure if he was.
"At any rate, we'll meet up on the morning of the culture festival beforehand to review over the emergency drills and ambulance instructions for any unforeseen accidents that might occur. Meeting adjourned." And with that, the committee dispersed. It wasn't too long before the health representative herself found herself exiting the infirmary door.
"Thanks for your hard work, Kogarashi-kun." Hanazono smiled, waving goodbye. "Take care of yourself. We wouldn't want the school's health representative succumbing to a cold on the day of the school festival, now would we?"
Hisui lightly scoffed, but nonetheless smiled back reassuringly. "I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. Then, I'll see you next week, Hanazono-sensei."
It was Saturday once more. She found herself in her lonesome again, sitting in the middle of the empty parlour room of the Igarashi mansion. Her usual host who was there to torment her was not present; as he had been absent the past month. There wasn't much work to do today; the requisitions had been filled out and faxed the previous night, and all that was left was to do the appointment booking with Hanagata once the president's hourly-long session with her father was over.
They had refused her father's request for President Igarashi to be relocated to a hospital for more intensive care. The most he could do was alleviate the pain from the swelling of the elderly man's joints by removing the excess fluid build-up, and administer pain relievers. It was a long process; drawing out the bodily fluids from sensitive areas requires time, patience, and expertise.
Instead of idling the time away, she sat with her committee reports and a list of things the class had requested to buy for the school festival. They had ultimately decided on doing a cafe and refreshments booth; more specifically, a Taisho-era themed cafe with the stewards and attendees decked out in historical outfits. She tapped her pencil tentatively, writing down an approximate range of costs for the expenses they would have to cover. Fabric for the costumes, utensils and dishware for the snacks, ingredients for the refreshments; there was much to be done, and not much was done yet.
Sighing, Hisui buried her face in her hands and wondered regrettably, for a moment, why she had volunteered to take charge of the school festival booth for her class.
The sound of the doorknob to the parlour room rattled, alerting her and she jumped back to her senses. Quickly pulling herself together, she straightened up from hovering over her notebook and glanced expectantly towards the entrance. Was it Hanagata? It was still a bit early for him to show up –
And then a familiar tyrant heir dragged himself into the room, wearily making his way over to where she was seated.
Hisui froze – she stared at him in surprise, before opening her mouth, "I-Igarashi, where on earth did you come fr-"
He dumped himself on the seat beside her before letting his head crash down on her lap. Hisui dropped her notebook to the floor in sudden fright at his actions, before looking rather irritated at his selfishness. "W-What are you doing, you're –" She stopped short when she noticed the thin film of perspiration lining his brow; his wrist dangling over his eyes to shield out the glare of the ceiling lights.
"...so noisy, let me sleep for a moment..." He muttered under his breath. Hisui stared down at him, before her hand clamped down firmly upon his forehead.
"...Laboured breathing; body temperature appears to be higher than normal; and that amount of perspiration is abnormal." She lectured sternly, and pulled his hand away. A pair of tired, glaring golden eyes met her discerning gaze. "I haven't seen you in a month and you come back, sick as a dog. What on earth have you been doing?"
Igarashi Tora let out a chuckle. "It's been a month and that's what you have to say? Are you sure you should be worrying about someone like myself?" He would be quick to dearly remind her of their particular 'experiences' the last time they had met.
Hisui deflected his retort and pulled him up, prying his head off. "A sick person shouldn't be sleeping insensibly on the couch like this." Pulling his arm over her shoulder, she hoisted him up to his feet. Begrudgingly, he stood up at her bossy notion and looked slightly groggy at the sudden shift of balance.
"How chivalrous of you, Hisui-chan. I might just try to grope you if you help me like this." He teased, but his usual, sharp energy was absent. She grimaced at his poor joke, but said nothing as she pushed him along the long corridor once they exited the parlour room. If she remembered correctly, his bedroom was somewhere down this way...
"Over here." He muttered, pushing a heavy set of doors open. She followed his lead, carefully letting him down as he sat down on the edge of his bed. He was hot to the touch – running a fever most likely, from the inhuman workload he had been going at for the past month. Hisui wasn't surprised to see him at such a state; taking over the media affairs in place of his father as the temporary head of the Igarashi Group didn't seem like such an easy task to accomplish.
And he had been working this hard, for one month already. He was truly a fearsome person.
"Have you been eating properly? I don't think you've gotten much sleep either. Do your ribs hurt? Your body is probably stressed out from the lack of nutrients and the aches are signals, telling you to rest." She immediately pressed him with questions, rummaging through the pocket of her uniform blazer for her handkerchief. He didn't respond, except staring blankly back at her; looking somewhat pensive at the same time.
At his lack of response, she simply shook her head with another sign, and began to pat the perspiration away from his forehead. "I'll go get someone to fetch some medicine for you." Hisui murmured, brushing away the fringes of his hair away as she continued to wipe his sweat off. "Be sure to take them properly with plenty of fluids, and take a bath when you can."
When her handkerchief had trailed down to his cheek, his hand shot up and grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer – too close and too fast; that in fact, that before she had a moment to register in her mind what was happening, she was only dimly aware that she could feel his ragged breathing on her neck and that her cheek was gently brushing against his –
And he toppled over, nearly falling off the bed when the Igarashi heir lost consciousness for a brief moment. Letting out an indiscernible noise of surprise from her throat, Hisui immediately pulled him back up after recovering from the shock and placed him back down his bed so that he was lying down this time. His hold on her wrist slackened, and she hesitantly pulled it away, getting back up to her feet.
"I'll... I-I'll go get Hanagata-san to get you some water and medicine." She abruptly replied, before scurrying out of his room, hearing nothing but the sound of her blood pulsing loudly inside her ears. Throwing one last glance back to see if he was staying put, her eyes slightly widened when she caught him staring back at her expectantly with a pleasant smile on his face.
"S-Stay right there, alright? If you get up again you're just going to cause people trouble!" Hisui burst one last time before exiting his room, closing the door quickly after her. It was her turn to become flustered; her turn to have her face heat up to a higher-than-normal temperature; her turn to have an irregular heartbeat. Swallowing uneasily, she took in a deep breath before marching down the hallway in pursuit of the familiar footman.
As if she didn't have enough on her plate! First it was final exams, then the culture festival and the health committee, and now this.
To be frank, Kogarashi Hisui wasn't quite sure what to deal with everything; but somehow, this little act of kindness towards to person who had caused her the most grief felt somewhat... oddly good. As if helping him out, even if just a little, soothed her own heart in the process.
"Urgh...! Am I using people as a proxy for my passion to become a nurse?" Hisui mused aloud to herself, looking rather worried as she continued in her search for Hanagata, unaware of the hidden implications that has yet to surface within her understanding.
A/n: Alas, the six-month long lack of updates was due to being away from my computer for my studies in the states, but the fifth chapter is out! And a sixth being worked on currently at the moment as well. I should be more wise in the future to back-up copies of the chapters so I can work on them wherever I go.
I'm very happy to see that my reviewers are pleased with the writing and pacing; of course I'm always open to suggestions and criticisms on anything, especially the content and pacing, so drop a review or a message about your thoughts if you wish.
Thanks for reading!