Burning The Midnight Oil
Chapter 25
Detective Work
~Ichika~
"Nino!"
She didn't run, she escaped through the door like air sucked through a breach in a space station. She threw the door closed behind her like a child slamming shut her toy chest, locking all her friends inside. Uesugi almost crashed into the door as he tried to follow, with Itsuki close behind. He muttered something to himself and opened it again, and amid the rumbling laughter and jeers from the class the two left hot on Nino's trail.
Ichika hid her delicate laughter in her hand, a whispered secret in her little world.
Yotsuba's head swiveled like a lost child searching for mommy. She was always terrible with split-second decisions. Oh lord, was she actually whimpering? She looked so pathetic! She couldn't decide whether to follow or stay with the class! Come now, class rep. You wanted the job, now take responsibility. You're all that's left now that your partner abandoned his duty. He is a flaky one, isn't he? But then again, you chose him, didn't you? I guess that's your fault as well.
Yotsuba paused, breathed in the remnants of her courage, and nodded to herself. She sprinted to the front of the room and faced the class, putting on a brave face that reminded Ichika of a spoiled child demanding money for the candy shop.
"A-alright! Listen up, everyone! What this is, I mean whoever did this, everyone has to know that this is really not okay!"
Ichika mused how class consensus was against poor Yotsuba. Please, dear sister, don't die on this hill. You still have so much potential.
Yotsuba flailed her arms around like a peacock desperate for attention, "We should never, never ever treat a classmate like this! I don't know why someone would say such mean things, but they definitely aren't true! Someone is making up lies and slander and I think, I think that whoever had a part in this needs to say so! Say so, and apologize! That's the only way this is gonna get better!"
Ichika could hardly believe it, she actually waited for someone to speak up! She scanned the room like a security camera, meeting every student's eye, pleading silently with them to take her moral high ground.
She said, "Anyone? Anyone at all?"
One of the girls near Ichika fidgeted uncomfortably. She shot her a glare from the corner of her eye, it was like a ray of scorching heat that welded the girl's mouth shut. Whatever she might have known, it stayed behind her thin, glossy lips. No one else dared to tattle.
"Come on guys, someone's really hurting now. This is only gonna get better if someone says they're sorry."
Ichika gazed out the window and smiled. It was such a lovely day.
"Alright class, settle down."
Ichika turned as their teacher walked in. Takeda followed. They must have been chatting before class, not that Ichika cared to wonder about what. A teacher's pet would always be at his master's heel.
"Nakano, what are you doing?"
Yotsuba shrank as if she were guilty of a crime, "Ah, teacher, I was just, you see-"
"Speak straight, we don't have time to waste. Lots to learn before tomorrow."
She couldn't say it out loud. She could circle the subject like rings around a bullseye drawing attention, but she couldn't pin it with language, it was no wonder her scores were the lowest of the low. She simply pointed a shaking finger at Nino's desk like a toddler telling mama who stole her cookie.
Their teacher roughly set his books at his desk and went to investigate. His eyes lit up halfway there as he noticed the marks. No student was brave enough to shatter the silence when he reached the vandalized desk. His hand held up his chin as he examined the desk like a piece of abstract art. He read every word, counted every condom, and thought whatever his aging brain could manage.
Silence drew on for half a minute, feeling like twenty, when he said, "Nakano, where is this student now?"
Yotsuba blubbered, "T-teacher?"
"Did she see this?"
"Y-yes, teacher."
"And where is she now?"
"I don't know. But! But class representative Uesugi and Itsuki Nakano followed her when she left!"
"How long ago was this?"
"Um, a few minutes?"
"Thank you, Miss Nakano. That will be all."
Yotsuba blinked, "What?"
"Return to your seat. Now." He glanced at Takeda, who was still taking in the desk, looking confused. "You too, Takeda."
He walked slowly towards his place at the front of the class. Ichika heard his hip crack as he turned to face his students. He laced his fingers behind his back and lifted his wrinkled chin, glaring down his crooked nose as he said, "Who is responsible for this?"
He waited. Someone whispered something in the back of the class. Their teacher said, "Mister Inagi, shall I take that as a confession of guilt?"
The boy stiffened and shook his head defiantly, "No, teacher!"
"Then I suggest you keep your nonsense to yourself!"
Their teacher's voice deepened like a sinking ship, "Now I suspect whoever did this is right here in this room. I'm going to find whoever is responsible, one way or another. So I'll make this offer: this will go far easier on you if you come forward and confess. If you do not, I assure you that your punishment will be much more severe. Now, let's give this one more try: whoever defaced Miss Nakano's desk, stand. Now."
Ichika was amused by their teacher's serious tone. And she wasn't alone. Several students held back giggles at his absurdity. Did he really expect someone to just get up and confess to this?
Only, apparently he did. He stood there like a viper in the dunes patiently waiting to pounce on the first rat to venture out of its cave. As the minutes dragged on and he continued to wait, the silence began to change. His eyes were like great searchlights scanning the prison yard, strangling whatever humor lingered in the air. His gaze was like an inquisition to everyone they met. And anyone who dared to look away was ordered to keep their eyes front. Class was still in session and their teacher demanded undivided attention.
After five minutes of waiting, one of the girls dared to raise her hand. "Excuse me, teacher?"
"Yes?"
"Shouldn't we be studying? The mock exams are tomorrow."
"We should."
"So, are we going to start?"
"We will start, Miss Urumikaya, when whoever saw fit to disrupt our learning environment steps up to apologize."
"But sir-"
"Sit."
She swallowed sharply and did as she was told.
Their teacher said, "Do you hear that, everyone? Whoever vandalized that desk now has two things to apologize for. I have a full day's cram material planned to give you the very best preparation we can provide, but we cannot begin until someone comes forward! This person is now taking from all of you! And we will continue to wait until this person finds their conscience and stands up to make amends for what they have done."
Ichika rolled her eyes and continued looking for birds outside the window. Why was the teacher being so serious about this? It was just a prank, no one got hurt. Maybe it'd even humble a few overinflated egos. And now he wanted to hold up everyone's education for, what, exactly? Did he really think that anyone was going to stand up and say, 'Yes teacher, it was I who humbled the class bitch'? How absurd.
He crossed his arms in front of class and waited. He didn't fidget or shift, he stood still as if his legs were frozen in time. Only his neck swiveled and his eyes queried, waiting for an answer. They discovered their teacher was a very patient man.
"Teacher?"
She glanced at Takeda as he stood. The teacher said, "Takeda, should I believe you had something to do with this?"
"No sir, but if it's alright, I'd like to clean it up."
He nodded, "Go."
Yotsuba blinked like a computer refreshing to clear up RAM, then bolted upright, "Oh! Teacher! I wanna help too!"
"Fine, get going, both of you."
Takeda and Yotsuba left the classroom to gather cleaning supplies. Ichika heard a sharp intake of breath like air leaking from a tire. She recognized it instantly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Miku watching Yotsuba close the door and gripping the sides of her desk like a woman caught in a flood clinging to a piece of drift wood. For the smallest moment, she looked ready to follow. Then she sighed and slackened into her chair, her eyes losing their momentary shine.
It felt like a knife in her back. Miku, why do you care? We both knew she had it coming.
The pair returned with gloves, rags and cleaning spray. Takeda carried a plastic bag and carefully picked up the condoms while Yotsuba furiously scrubbed the desk like a stone carver thoroughly preparing her canvas. The teacher let them work against the silent crowd as he continued voicelessly asking his students to confess.
Ichika passed the time watching the birds soaring against the clouds. She counted them one after another pretending it was math practice. She saw two birds dancing together in the sky like a tornado funneling up to heaven. She looked away and sighed. Suddenly she saw her teacher staring into her, asking her for everything she may know.
It was a spark that lit Ichika's fury like a powder keg. Did he really think that she had anything to do with this? This was her sister for goodness sake! She would never do something so disrespectful to her blood! She would never write that herself, never. Not about Nino, not about anyone! She wasn't that kind of person! How could her teacher be so stupid even to wonder!? And to think this was the man in charge of their education, it was no wonder they'd needed a tutor! If this was the quality of Japan's teaching cadre, she was surprised Japan ranked anywhere above rock bottom!
And was this really worth wasting everyone's time for? Why did everyone have to suffer all this unpleasantness because of a little prank? That's all it was! A silly prank! No one was hurt! Everyone was gonna walk away from this just fine! But now they had to lose, what, at least an hour of their precious time because he wanted someone to blame? Between her and everyone else that was more than a full day of life they'd never see again. What was the point?
Why was he still staring at her? Why the fuck was he still staring at her!? She didn't have anything to do with this! She never called her sister those names, not once. You can ask anyone! All she did was share a few vignettes about her family. That was it! She was innocent! Everything she told her so-called friends was one-hundred percent true! There was no lying or speculation, everything she said was absolute fact! Why was it her fault if people filled in a few missing details? So what if some people took their games a little too far? Was she supposed to be everyone's nanny and make sure they all played nice like in preschool? No! So stop looking! Stop it, old man! Stop it now!
The bell ringing in the hall broke the spell. Still no one dared to move without their teacher's permission. He held off a moment longer as if to hope that someone would actually step up and own it. He sighed when he accepted that no one would. "You've all disappointed me today. Dismissed. We'll resume lessons next hour."
Ichika picked up her things and stormed from the room before her friends could follow. She was sick of all this shit. Why was she still here anyways? She didn't need a degree, she had a burgeoning career all her own! If this is what she could expect, maybe it was time to think of an early exit. She couldn't wait to graduate and leave this crumbling classroom behind.
~Nino~
She burst through the rooftop door and into the sunlight. There were no couples seeking a moment of romance, no staff enjoying an under-the-radar smoke, no would-be gangsters malingering like their little sliver of defiance in the universe mattered to anyone important. She had the place all to herself.
She looked up to the sky and watched the clouds laze in the heavenly breeze. She watched the birds fly and listened to the insects whine. She felt the wind brushing her cheek and smelled the last of the morning dew riding the breeze. She felt everything she was meant to feel, and still couldn't believe she was really there. Everything felt fake, like the world forgot how it was supposed to smell, or sound, or look, and could only pretend. She hated them and wanted them to go away. They should just leave her alone.
"Nino!" Itsuki called as she came through the door.
"Go away," she said, as if Itsuki had knocked on an occupied stall and not the most breaking moment of her life.
"Nino, are you-"
"Are you seriously gonna ask me that?"
She hesitated, then said, "Sorry."
Nino only turned when she heard Itsuki unlock her phone, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Calling Uesu-"
"No! Put it away, right now!"
"But I-"
"Now! Why the hell is that so hard to do!?"
Nino turned away. She stormed to the fence guarding the edge. Whoever got paid to design a juvenile prison deserved to live in it for the rest of his stupid life! She gripped the chain links until her hands hurt and stared at the ground. She could see the courtyard five stories below. She wondered how long it would take a peach to fall if she squeezed it through the links. She wondered if it would pop like a water balloon when it hit concrete.
"Nino?" Itsuki tried.
"Just go back to class."
"Nino, I don't wanna do that."
"Why? Can I not have a few fucking minutes by myself!?"
"Nino, can you please get away from the edge?"
Nino shoved the fence, it rattled as she stormed to her sister, "You think I'm gonna jump? There's a big goddamn fence in the way in case you hadn't noticed!"
"I'm just saying-"
"I came up here for a little privacy! That's all I wanted! I can't get that anywhere else! Not at work, not at school, and definitely not at home! Why can't people just leave me the hell alone!? Why is anything I do everybody's fucking business!? I just wanna be left alone!"
Nino ran to the fence. Itsuki followed, screaming, "Nino! Don't-"
"Shut up!" She screamed as she kicked the fence. "I'm not gonna fucking jump! I'm not I'm not I'm not! Why can't you get that through your thick skull? I'm not gonna jump, dammit! I'd never give those gabbleheads the satisfaction!"
She beat the fence until her toes hurt, and then kicked it some more. "And everyone, yes, everyone in that stupid classroom saw what they did and no one bothered to warn me! Even Miku, and Ichika! No one did jack shit for me! You know what that means? They believe it! They think I deserve it! Why? Why would they think that? When have I ever done anything to make anyone think I'm easy? I haven't done anything, no kissing, no dating, not even fucking hand-holding before Futaro! I know, oh I fucking know some of those bitches would need two hands to count all the guys they've sucked faces with! So why me!? When have I even acted like I was open to that shit? I don't even dress slutty when I go out! I'm good! I'm good, dammit! So why!? Why!? I didn't do anything!"
Nino gave one last mighty blow to the hated fence. It wobbled for a moment, then it went still. Nino wished she'd broken it so she could watch it fall, she felt like she'd kicked it hard enough. She breathed like she was trying to rob the world of air, her fists clenched like she was ready to continue her assault. But her energy was gone, she had nothing left.
"I didn't do anything…"
"I know," Itsuki said.
"Why are they doing this?"
"I don't know."
"It just isn't, it's just!" Nino gasped. She grit her teeth and fought back the tears she knew would come. Not now. Not like this.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. She heaved and grabbed it, wanting to feel its warmth more than she wanted to feel alone. But these fingers were longer than Itsuki's, and familiar. She peeked over her shoulder and saw Futaro. His face twitched as if trying to learn a new expression. He never learned to pity. She hoped he never did, she didn't want it.
"Hey," he said.
"How long have you been there?"
"Since you tried to break the fence."
Nino looked away quickly. His presence was like a judge at a murder trial. She couldn't meet his eye because if she saw even the slightest hint of belief there, if he even suspected that what they said about her was true, well, she didn't know what she'd do. They might not be able to come back from that. She couldn't bear him accusing her too.
"Hey, Nino?"
"What?"
"Can you come here?"
"Don't wanna."
"Okay."
She looked down. She did want to, though. She really did. She wanted him to ask her again, and again, until she felt safe enough to say yes.
He squeezed her shoulder, "Nino?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm here."
"I know you are."
"Is that okay?"
"I guess."
"And, are you-"
"Don't ask me. Not now."
"Oh, alright." Futaro shifted, unsure of what else he could do. But he wasn't leaving. Nino wondered if he did, would he ever come back?
"I didn't do it," she choked out.
"Do what?"
"What they said, I didn't do anything."
"I know."
"They're all liars!"
"Yeah, I know."
She turned to look at him and she couldn't hide her fear that he wouldn't believe her. She asked him, almost pleading to know, "I never did anything like that. I'm not a, I'm not a," she choked.
Futaro slid his arms around her, "I know."
Nino felt the tears come and she was too tired to fight them. She clung to Futaro and whimpered, "I didn't do anything."
"I know. It's not your fault."
"They're all liars."
"They are."
"I don't know why they said that, I'm not that kind of girl. I'm not."
"I know, Nino. I know."
And with every reassurance he pulled her a little closer, and Nino let herself go a little more. Finally she looked up, and through her tears and her sadness she saw how he looked at her, asking what he needed to do to make this better. And she knew he believed every word she said. She felt stupid to have doubted him, and more guilty, which only made her cry harder. She couldn't say how long they stayed like that, but it didn't feel like long enough, and when she finally let go she wanted to go back to where she felt safe.
She looked at his chest and said, "I got your shirt wet."
"I noticed."
"They're gonna see it."
"I don't care."
"You never did," she smiled a little.
She took his hand and wanted to walk to Itsuki, but she nearly collapsed under her foot when she tried to move. The pain was like a beating heart pulsing through her bones. Futaro caught her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"My foot, it hurts."
Itsuki ran over and said, "You must've hurt it on the fence."
Futaro sat her down and said, "Let me take a look."
But Itsuki said, "No, I'll do it. Futaro, go wait by the stairs."
"I know how to handle-"
"I know you do, but you know what'll happen if someone stumbles up and sees you holding her foot."
Futaro glared, "I'm only helping her-"
"I know! But just think what they'll see. Things are bad enough as they are. No need to add fuel to the fire, right?"
Futaro wasn't convinced, but Itsuki said, "I can handle this. Please."
Nino liked him leaving her as much as Futaro did, but Itsuki was right. She didn't want to see heads poking out the door and acting like this confirmed all the nasty things said about her. Futaro helped her sit and went inside to stand sentry at the stairs.
Itsuki helped her unlace her shoe and remove her sock. Her toes were puffy and red like a nose halfway through a cold. She tried to wiggle them and felt her muscles unionize in protest.
"Stop fidgeting! Let me see," Itsuki said. She gently took each to starting from her biggest and tested them. Nino winced whenever her testing sparked pain. She took each toe and Nino felt her pressing the joints and ligaments, feeling around for the bones inside.
"Nothing broken, I think. Thank god. But it's gonna swell. We should get some ice."
"Don't need it."
"You're being stubborn."
"So what? It's my foot. I'll do what I want with it."
"Nino-"
"I know, I know. I'm being stupid." Nino paused, then said, "Sorry."
"For what?"
"For shouting."
Itsuki smiled sadly, "It's alright, I get it."
She asked, "Did you know anything about this?"
"No, of course not."
"But you noticed everyone's been looking at me funny. Everyone in school. I thought it was because of my glasses. My own friends even hinted at this last weekend," she held her glasses and examined them, feeling like such a fool, "How the hell didn't I notice?"
"Stop blaming yourself, you couldn't have known," Itsuki insisted.
"Oh yes I could. I know how the rumor mill works. Someone's been spreading this crap about me and of course I'm the last person to find out. I'd have noticed if not for, not for, well, all of this! What the hell is going on with me!? I should've seen this coming!"
"There's been too much going on to catch this, it isn't your fault."
"I know that! I just, I don't get it. I don't get it at all. Why me?"
"I don't know."
"I hate it," she said, her voice shrinking like a dying speaker, "I hate them too. All those dastardly, two-faced assholes. I hate them all."
"I know," Itsuki said as she worked her fingers over each toe, "But we know that's not what you are. So does Futaro. Everyone who actually matters knows."
If there was a single spark in all this, there it was. Forget them, forget everyone who had any part in this. She had exactly what she needed right here, just like she always did.
"I'm gonna go back to class," Nino said, finding her voice.
Itsuki looked up, "You sure?"
"Yeah, they're not gonna stop me. And I'm going with Futaro, too. Let them think whatever they want, I'm not gonna care. They do not get to decide how I live my life."
Itsuki smiled, "I knew you'd get there. But let's get some ice on this first."
They grabbed Futaro and headed to the nurse's office. There she got an ice pack and soothed her swelling for half an hour. Then she slipped on her sock and shoe and readied herself to face the class. Let them know that they could call her a slut and a whore and a dumbass, but they would never stop Nino Nakano.
~Miku~
She'd wanted to say something. She did. She just couldn't make herself act in time.
When she saw Nino's desk, she stopped and squeezed her eyes shut as if to clear the slate and give them a second chance. The words hadn't made sense. This wasn't Nino at all. Why would anyone say that about her?
She pondered the question all the way to her desk, it was all too bizarre to be real. The worst she'd ever seen one student do to another was plant a whoppie cushion in their chair. That was as harmless spur-of-the-moment prank. This took time, planning and recklessness. Whoever did this had to know exactly when the room would be empty. They'd have to buy a box of condoms and fill them with, well she didn't want to know what it was. She hoped it was spit. This wasn't something done on a whim, this was a plot. But who would want to do that to Nino?
And then she realized her sister must be on her way. Nino, she could take almost anything, but even iron can break. She had to warn her! She whipped out her phone and typed...nothing. She didn't know where to begin. Come on, just tell her not to come. Text Itsuki, or Yotsuba, even Futaro if not her, but despite her begging her hands to move, they wouldn't form the words. She didn't know what to say. How could she approach the people she cut off from her life?
And then Nino arrived, and she saw everything. And Miku saw that even her indomitable sister had her limits. Her phone sat heavy in her hands with the guilt that she could have stopped this. A part of her wanted to follow her when she ran, but she couldn't see the point. What could she offer now?
She saw another chance to act when Takeda offered to clean. As he and Yotsuba left to collect supplies, she was seized with a need to get up. She gripped the sides of her desk and rose from her seat. Then she saw the teacher looking at her, asking what she wanted to do. He wasn't malicious, he didn't look at her accusingly like everyone else, he didn't think she had it in her. But still, his gaze made her question what she was thinking, as if she needed a thesis of an answer before she had permission to act. She lost all faith that she was doing the right thing. She slumped into her chair and went still.
This was the world she couldn't understand. It was like arriving to a new city and getting lost in the crowd. It was too busy, too cluttered for her to find her place. And every time she tried venturing out of her safe little bubble, she would always find a set of eyes watching her, asking her what in good graces she thought she was doing. That doubt infected her like a virus riddling her body with weakness, because what did she have to offer? There was always someone better, someone more suited to whatever she was trying to do.
And again, the world proved her right. Takeda and Yotsuba finished cleaning the desk alone, it hardly took five minutes. They didn't need her after all, she'd have only slowed them down.
She stayed sitting as the bell rang and their teacher set them loose. She watched her classmates disperse and reassemble before class could resume like the tide going out and in. And then, right before the top of the hour, Nino returned.
She threw open the door and stepped inside like an exiled princess returning to claim her birthright. She silently challenged the class, her eyes glaring like flamethrowers. She was above the leers and chuckles thrown her way, they bounded off her like arrows on good castle stone. She held her head high as she took her seat and opened her books. She was strong, they wouldn't beat her, no matter how hard they tried.
Miku was so proud of her sister. She didn't know where she'd found that unparalleled willpower, but she knew it would serve her well. And she wondered, if they really were born equal, where hers had perished long ago.
~Futaro~
This never happened before. He read the words he needed to read. He heard the teacher's lecture as clearly as a gunshot in the valley. But nothing stuck. It flowed in, then out, like one breath after another in a room filled with Carbon Dioxide.
But it'd be a mistake to think his mind was inactive, it wasn't. It was always moving like the fabled perpetual motion device he'd tried more than once to design as a thought experiment. He pushed the limits of mental endurance daily, until strain was nothing more than his base operating state. But he couldn't think about school, or tests, because none of that mattered right now.
What did matter was making sure this never happened again. This wasn't the first prank he'd seen, just last year he'd heard about a pair of hooligans who set a pail of water over the door two classes down. Their teacher not only got soaked, but grew a respectable lump on his balding head. They managed to avoid expulsion, but they'd be cleaned the bathrooms every day after class until graduation. The principal had a reputation for walking a hard line. Yet someone was willing to risk it just to humiliate his girlfriend. And he wondered, what was stopping them from doing it again?
He had no proof that they'd dare another prank, that didn't matter; what did mattered is that it happened in the first place, and it might happen again. If whoever set this up wasn't satisfied, if they wanted to humiliate Nino so deeply she'd never recover, and if this was somehow personal, they'd try something else, maybe something worse.
He couldn't unsee his girlfriend's tears, or the fear that those who still loved her would see her as what they said. It was a dagger in his chest worse than any red tick on his homework, worse than anything less than a three digit test score. It consumed him like the rising ocean under a glacier-melting sun. He was going to stop this and make sure she never hurt like this again.
So he investigated. He ignored the lecture and his lessons and formed an inquisition inside his head. He ran over all the details and facts from the last few weeks like turning over all the stones on a beach, and when he was done he didn't have any solid leads. But he knew where to start.
He wanted to keep Nino as far from this as he could, but he needed Yotsuba's help to make this work. The only chance he'd have is when Nino had her foot reexamined by the nurse after lunch.
He kept close to her as they entered the cafeteria. He didn't need to look for proof that word got around, he knew how quickly the rumor mill turned. No one gave them any trouble as they reached their corner booth, but he couldn't stop the mocking look in their eyes. They ate quietly, Itsuki tiptoed around the anvil hanging around Nino's neck.
When she left for the nurse's office, he knew Nino wanted him to go with her. He gave her an excuse, saying the teacher wanted his and Yotsuba's advice on what kind of cheating to watch for during the exams. This was news to Yotsuba, and disappointment for Nino as she left alone with Itsuki. Futaro promized her he'd see her again before class resumed. He watched her go with Itsuki holding her arm, and he realized as he watched a pair of boys eyeing her that she wouldn't be going anywhere alone for a long time. It wasn't safe anymore.
Yotsuba followed him through the hall, asking, "So what's the teacher think we know about cheating? I get that as class reps we gotta help him out, but wouldn't this be better coming from someone who actually, you know, cheats?"
"That was a lie."
"Oh. Why?"
"I'll tell you in a minute."
A bundle of students was chatting near the window. One pointed towards them and whispered something, causing a wave of laughter to echo through the hall. Yotsuba asked, "What's that about?"
"Probably think you're Nino."
"Again?"
"Again." It was really pissing him off.
He took her into an empty copy room. It was little more than a broom closet, but he suspected they wouldn't be disturbed here. No one actually wanted to work on a lunch break, except maybe himself and Takeda. And if anyone saw them, no one would question class reps making copies the day before an exam.
Yotsuba held her hands in front of her like a nun and said, "Futaro, I don't think it's a good thing to lie to your girlfriend, whatever the reason."
"She can't know about this, okay? It stay between us."
"What does?"
"I know how to find out who did this."
She paused, "You do?"
"Yes. You cleaned Nino's desk, right? Did you take a picture before then?"
"Why would I do that?"
"Evidence!"
"Oh, well I didn't. But do you think Takeda might have?"
"Why would he have one?"
"He helped me clean. It was his idea, actually, so really I helped him."
"It was?"
"Yup!"
Futaro didn't know what to think of that. Takeda seemed far too prissy to voluntarily clean someone else's mess. His father probably hired help to clean up his own. He'd have to dissect that thought further when he had time.
"Well I doubt he took a picture, he doesn't seem the type either."
Yotsuba smiled sadly, "So no go?"
"Yes go. Gimme your phone."
He took it and checked her apps. He paused, "Uh, which one's twitter?"
She offered her hand, "How about you guide me?"
He had her check for any updates in the last few hours until just before the start of class, he suspected if anything had been posted earlier, Nino would've seen it. She scrolled through her feed full of selfies, clear skies that all looked like they were taken from the same window, and food pics. He'd never understand why anyone would bother to brag about cafeteria food. Then she found it.
"Got it!"
"Save it and zoom in. There, let me see."
He took out a folder of papers he'd been carrying and sifted through them, swapping his gaze from paper to phone before moving on to the next sheet.
"What're you looking for?" Yotsuba asked.
He pointed, "See this character? How many people round the circle with the trail ending at the bottom?"
"Uh..."
"I'll tell you: almost no one, most people start circles at the top. If I compare the handwriting on the desk to our last assignments, I can figure out who wrote this."
Yotsuba's mouth slackened, "Wow. That's so cool!"
Futaro sifted through a half dozen more papers before he found what he was looking for. "Here she is: Mizuri Tsuga. And she had the perfect opportunity yesterday, she was assigned classroom cleaning duty. She'd have been the last one in that day. Her handwriting's a perfect match, see?"
"I don't! But I believe you! So that's who started this?"
"No, all I know for sure is she's responsible for the desk. But she's the key to figuring out who's behind the rumors."
"How's that?"
"Because I have this to hang over her head if she won't tell me. All I have to do is get her alone. That's where you come in."
Yotsuba looked uncertain, "Me? What can I do?"
"I need you to change the cleaning assignment board. Switch out whoever's supposed to clean the classroom with Tsuga and me. If she complains, tell her that she must've misread the board and thought she had duty yesterday."
"But isn't that, I don't know, it's abusing our positions, isn't it?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"It just seems wrong to me."
Futaro looked at her hard, "Yotsuba, I stopped caring the moment we walked into class today. Will you please help me with this?"
Yotsuba looked up, down, and all around to avoid answering. She fidgeted with her hands, ringing them like she wanted to get all the blood out of her fingers. But Futaro already knew she'd give in. He'd have felt guilty pressuring her if it were for anything else, but he was beginning to realize how far he'd go for someone he cared for.
"Well...alright, I'll do it. But I'm gonna feel really, really bad about this and I wanna make it up to her, okay?"
"You know this is the girl who called Nino a slut, right?"
"I know, but still...I don't wanna be mean."
"You're not." Just leave that part to me, he thought.
Tsuga didn't exactly blow up when she discovered the change, but she didn't take it with grace either. Somewhere in the middle, which suited him just fine. She complained how unlucky she was to be stuck at school with the class robot the day before the mock exams. Futaro was looking forward to spending the afternoon with her. He really was.
He promised to meet the sisters at their home for their final night of cramming after he finished cleaning. Nino was suspicious how he'd suddenly gotten cleaning duty. He just shrugged and pointed to the chart. She told him he should've used his position as class rep to change it, who wanted cleaning duty the day before the exams? If only she knew. He'd tell her someday, she'd be so proud of him. He could almost picture her feisty grin on a job well done.
Futaro waited in the emptying classroom while Tsuga gathered supplies. The room was empty when she finally returned with arms loaded with broom, dustpan, sprays and rags. She dropped it on the front desk and complained, "You could've helped, you know."
He nodded to the whiteboard, "Start there. I'll get the table tops."
He sprayed the rag and began wiping as Tsuga cleaned the discolored whiteboard. After the third desk, Futaro dropped his rag and closed the door before approaching Tsuga.
"I know it was you."
Tsuga paused, glaring over her shoulder, "What was what?"
"Do you wanna go home? Because this is gonna go a lot faster if you quit playing innocent."
"I don't know what you're-"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure." Futaro stepped closer, happy that Tsuga had nowhere to run. "First bit of advice: next time you vandalize someone's desk, try to change your handwriting. It took me five minutes to figure out it was you."
Tsuga raised her rag like a knife, "Oh that's it? That's cute, Uesugi. Real freaking cute. Or at least it would be if it wasn't so sad. Are you the reason I'm stuck here again? I get it, your girlfriend's getting called out. But that doesn't mean you've Sherlocked your way to an answer, I've got nothing to do with this."
"Here's what's gonna happen: you're gonna tell me who's behind all these rumors. If you do that, and I won't tell the teacher it was you."
She laughed, "Tell the teachers!? With what? That little crackpot theory? Get lost, you nerd."
Futaro grinned darkly, "That's right, I'm a nerd. I'm the biggest, smartest nerd in the entire country. And can you guess who knows that?" She looked confused. He sneered, "All the teachers in this school. Every. Last. One. I'll be on every teacher's resume from here to retirement, 'I taught this year's number one student in the nation'! Wanna guess the perks that nets me? I can do just about anything I want. I can check out as many books as I like for as long as I want them. Teachers let me do all my homework for the year in advance so I can study what I want without getting distracted, I literally finished our coursework over break. And they will believe every single word I say. Do you think they care that I swapped you on the cleaning chart? Do you think they'd care if I make you clean the boy's nasty restroom every single day to graduation? Because I will if you don't tell me. I will make your senior year the most miserable of your entire life, and no one's gonna stop me!"
She curled into herself like a snake ready to strike, "What the hell, Uesugi? Why do you wanna take this out on me? You should be thanking me, you ungrateful prick! Now you know exactly what kind of girl she is! You should be angry at her!"
"I already know what kind of girl she is. And now I know what kind of girl you are, too."
There it was, the moment of doubt. He said, "Second piece of advice: don't mess with the smartest guy in the room, or the people he loves. Now tell me what I wanna know, or get the scrubber."
~Ichika~
She'd been looking for an excuse to get away. The doorbell was as good as any.
"I'll get it," she volunteered.
Takeda asked, "Did you finish problem thirty-two?"
"I'll get to it in a second!"
"You'll lose focus if you stop now."
"I will not! It'll only be a second!"
Takeda looked ready to continue, but Miku tugged his sleeve and asked, "One of us has to get it anyways. Can you show me how to graph this again?"
Takeda sighed and rubbed his temple. Ichika remembered Uesugi sitting right there doing the same thing countless times. She looked away and left before she started thinking about it further.
She answered the wall terminal and said, "Nakano residence, who's this?"
"Come down."
She recalled the last time she froze like a grassy field before a winter sunrise. Not surprisingly, it was also because of Futaro. He'd been so close to her face she though, maybe hoped that he wanted his reward from her. A reward she'd have happily given in spite of the audience. She remembered his eyes were so curious and soft they sent tingles down her spine, and his voice was so excited and warm she wanted it to sing her a lullaby every night before bed.
His voice had no warmth now. It was cold as a camp in the Antarctic.
"You hear me?"
Ichika realized this was a stranger at her doorstep, a part of Uesugi she'd never met. And she understood why this stranger was knocking at her door, she realized what he must know. Ichika realized that if she went down, she couldn't know what was waiting for her. So she determined to stay exactly where she was.
Ichika checked to see if Takeda or Miku heard. Takeda was busy explaining quadratic equations for the fourth time. She said, "Uesugi? Sorry, we're in the middle of study hours. You know how pricey tutoring can be. Come back some other time. Or better yet, let's talk at school."
"Ichika, either you come down right now, or I'm going to use the card I stole from Yotsuba to come in, I'm going to take the elevator to your floor, and I'm going to break down your god damn door."
It would have been less threatening if he'd screamed it, but hearing him describe it so calmly, as simple as if not A, then B, was terrifying. She asked herself if Uesugi could really be so bold, and realized that she couldn't know. She wished they lived in a building with security guards. Technology only offered so much protection.
She said, "Have it your way. I'll be down in a minute." She cut the call and told Takeda she needed to go down to meet with her manager. It was a reasonable lie, this wouldn't be the first time. Before she left she went to her room and grabbed her purse, and something else. A small cylinder with a nozzle at the top, and instructions to 'point away from face' printed on the side. Just in case.
She rode the elevator to the lobby and saw Uesugi waiting outside the glass doors the moment she stepped out. He must've come straight from school, not that she could tell. Did he ever wear anything except their school uniform? She couldn't fathom how Nino could date someone so unfashionable.
Uesugi motioned to the door, silently demanding she come out. Ichika smiled serenely and shook her head. He couldn't get in, he must have lied about stealing a key. She wasn't about to get any closer than she had to. Instead she took out her phone and called.
He picked up and said, "I know what you did. Don't you dare play dumb, I saw your texts and heard exactly what you've been spreading."
Of course he had. Why else would he be here? She tilted her head to the side innocently, saying, "Yeah? So what?"
Uesugi's eyes widened, she could see his hand shaking the phone by his ear. He still used an old flip phone. Probably bought it at a pawn shop, the cheapskate.
"So what? Is that all you have to say to this? This is Nino, your sister for goodness sake! How could you do this to anyone, let alone her? Do you know how deeply this hurt her?"
Ichika checked her nails and sighed, "Again, so what?"
Uesugi's jaw went slack. Looks like she'd finally put him at a loss for words.
She continued, "You think I'm spreading rumors? Well that isn't right. All I've been doing is telling stories, and they're all one hundred percent true. Did Nino not walk in on you at the hot springs? Did she not try and practice kissing with me? Did she not meet a strange boy in the woods and come back with a rip in her skirt? It's all true, Uesugi. So don't go calling me a liar, I don't deserve that."
"Cut the crap, Ichika! You kept the context out of it every single time! You told it in just the right way for them to reach the conclusion you wanted. You knew where they would take it, and you never stopped them. That's lying all the same."
"I'm not their keepers. It sounds like you should be talking with them about making unfounded assumptions, Uesugi."
"Not me. You."
She blinked, "Excuse me?"
"You started this, so you have to end it. You have to tell everyone that these rumors aren't true and that they took this too far. That's the only way we can fix this. And you cannot, not ever, start spreading this again."
Ichika yawned, "Uesugi, the mock exams are tomorrow. I really don't have time to humor you." She hung up and grinned at Uesugi through the glass.
He looked to his phone, then to her. His eyes were dangerous like a bull ready to charge.
He took out Yotsuba's key card and swiped it. The doors opened. Ichika realized the only things between them was air. Uesugi stormed towards her.
Ichika screamed and reached into her purse for the spray, but fumbled and couldn't grip it. She walked backwards and tripped on the carpet. The contents of her purse spilled out, she reached for the spray, but Uesugi stepped on it first. Ichika's mind was blank as she tried to scramble away. He lifted it and inspected it, then focused on her with eyes that would boil water. He tossed the can over his shoulder and glared death.
"If it were you and me, she would've accepted it. She would've loved you no matter what."
Ichika crawled away, breathing sharp, hurried breaths as her heart pounded like a battering ram in her chest. "Get away from me! Get out, get out get out! Right now!"
Uesugi frowned and pointed to her, "End this Ichika. Now. Or else." Then he left. By the time Ichika got to her feet, he was out of sight.
Ichika curled into a ball and cried against the wall. The fear ate at her heart like a phantom haunting her steps. She could still see Uesugi lording over her like an executioner. She imagined all the horrible things he could have done but didn't, but he looked so close to letting loose with fists and screams and hands and so much more that she could feel it! She could feel his touch and his selfishness all over her and she felt disgusting. Ichika touched her body all over to make sure she was safe and well.
She hiccuped as she told herself over and over that she was okay. She was okay. He hadn't hurt her. She was okay. But she wouldn't go calm, Uesugi's presence lingered over her like a bad smell, and her fear boiled into rage. He had violated her deeply, too deeply to go unchecked. She wanted to hurt Uesugi in the most painful way possible. And she knew exactly how to do it.
End it now? Fuck you. She wasn't going to change for Uesugi. Fuck him and fuck her too for loving him!
She wiped her tears and climbed the elevator to her floor. She ran through the door and up the stairs, hoping to be quick enough that Takeda and Miku couldn't see her face. She told them she needed something from here room. They didn't notice when she went into Nino's instead.
Her sister's old room was largely untouched, she may have threatened to occupy it like a closet, but she hadn't wanted to touch the filthy place. But now she needed something. Nino always was the sentimental one. She'd built scrap books and photo albums dating back before their mother's death. She had pictures of everything. Everything. Even the things she hated.
She found what she was looking for under an older album in a box next to her desk. Inside she found a well of unsorted pictures, the ones Nino either didn't care for or wanted to get rid of, but she never could, she clung to every memory as a hoarder clings to old newspaper clippings. She sifted through them until she found the picture she wanted. She took a pic with her phone carefully cropped the image. Then she sent it out in a group text.
'Check out my little sister Nino! Isn't she so cute with all that metal? Can you do me a favor? I want this all over school tomorrow. It'll be a great surprise!'
A/N
This one's gonna hurt.
A while ago I said this story would have three main arcs, but as I've continued storyboarding, I've decided on four distinct arcs in total with an epilogue after all is said and done. We're now approaching the climax of the second, and there'll be two distinct climactic moments before it's done. There's a lot more story to tell, and bit by it will be written.
We're going to see a different side of Futaro here, a part that he hasn't had a chance to know himself. When you love someone, that empathy forces you to share their pain. So Futaro feels Nino's pain in a new light: someone he loves is hurting, and he wants it to stop. And he's going to learn how far he'll go and what he will do get what he wants. And in doing so, he's going to learn that he has a lot of growing left to do. These are young adults still learning right, wrong, and how little those two words can actually mean.
The board is set now, the dynamite stacked and the fuse is lit. Something is going to blow, and people aren't done getting hurt. After everyone is blown away by the blast, it'll be on the strong to pick up the rest.
Thank you all who have reviewed, you shared some strong reactions to the last chapter, which is exactly what I was trying to elicit. I want it here again, I hope this chapter delivers some curious emotional tangles. There'll be more to come next time. Until then, please review and share your thoughts with me, I'll greatly appreciate it.
Chapter published: July 16th, 2020