Fight for Love!
33rd Fight: Forgotten Past
"Again?"
"While I was carrying a glass of orange juice, I accidentally tripped over a banana skin and the orange juice poured all over my blouse. Natsume-senpai happened to be queuing for food so he helped me out. He handed me his mother's dress."
I glanced at my parents for response while I played with my sliced pumpkin cake by poking holes into the amazingly thick starchy paste with my fork. With that lie, I hoped I could resolve the dress issue, as well as that boy named Natsume Hyuuga, with my parents. I saw Dad shake his head and sighed, refusing to look at me even as I told my story to him earlier.
He muttered, "Again?"
"While I was carrying a glass of..." I paused and let out a low groan, running my fingers through my hair in irritation. "Dad, I've repeated myself twice already! This is the third time..."
"I didn't listen."
"Argh! Dad!"
"Now, now, why don't we enjoy our dinner and talk about it later?" Mum intervened with a wide smile as she sliced another pumpkin cake and placed it on Dad's plate. "Although I would love to know more about Natsume Hyuuga-san."
"Mum! He's not what you think he is!"
Dad then commented, "He is definitely a stalker, worse than Nekome-san. Who in the world would give Mikan an old-fashioned dress?"
"It's lend, not give," I corrected.
"Do you think Hyuuga-san likes Mikan?" Mum asked Dad with an amused look on her face. "Anyway, I got a feeling that Hyuuga-san is actually Nekome-san!"
Dad frowned at her words and replied sternly, "Now that you mention it, both give me bad vibes."
"Natsume-senpai is Nekome-senpai. I know it's rude of me for calling him like that. And... he doesn't like me."
I looked down, staring at the numerous holes I had created on my pumpkin cake. I didn't know what face I should make. Should I pretend to look sad? Should I just laugh at myself like some awkward girl who seldom talked about love-relationship stuff?
"If I am not wrong, Aoi-san is a girl," I continued in a rather softer voice. "I think he has feelings for her, judging by how he said her name multiple times."
"A... Aoi-san?" Mum sputtered and I noticed her eyes immediately shifted towards Dad's direction.
Her face paled. Her eyes shifted back to mine and her eyebrows knitted together to show her anxiety. Meanwhile, Dad stopped chewing his food and forced himself to swallow before speaking to me again.
"Who's she?" Dad prompted, finally looking at me in the eye.
"I don't know." I shrugged. "I don't think I want to know who either."
In fact, I wanted to know. I wanted to know who this person was. The person who kept troubling my thoughts... my dreams...
Seeing how Mum reacted quite suspiciously, I decided to ask her, "Do you happen to know... someone whose name is Aoi?"
Mum's eyes widened as she stared at me, keeping her silence. The chopsticks in her hand started to shake slightly, gently hitting the side of the plate. Dad furrowed his eyebrows at Mum and then turned to me.
"You don't remember?" he queried me in a slightly hard tone.
I frowned at Dad. What was going on? Why was Mum and Dad behaving so weirdly?
"Remember what?"
"Izumi!" Mum suddenly snapped and put down her chopsticks in a rough manner.
As soon as Mum clutched on Dad's wrist, Dad slowly wriggled his hand out from her grasp and prompted me again, "Aoi. Do you remember it?"
My eyebrows rose in surprise. "It?"
"Yeah, it!"
Huh?
I glanced at Mum, hoping that she knew what Dad was talking about. Anyway, she should know since she and Dad seemed to know something which I didn't. Mum was obviously trying to hide something from me. Much to my dismay, when my eyes rested on my pale-faced mother, I caught her staring blankly at me. Then, she raised her eyebrows too, exactly just like how I was probably looking like in front of her. Oh, geez.
"I don't remember." I mumbled in reply and started poking my food again. "Why is everyone so obsessed with 'Aoi' by the way? Who's the 'it' or 'she'... or the 'he'?"
Just then, Mum broke into laughter. A loud awkward laugh, to be exact. Dad's lips curled, giving me the most pleasant smile ever since I had gotten home.
"Seriously, Mikan. Aoi was a kitten which you brought home one day!" Dad exclaimed and started chuckling. "You gave it its name. Does it ring a bell?"
"Nope. When was it?"
"When you were... five, I guess."
I shrugged again. "I don't remember."
Honestly, I didn't remember anything before I was six years old, so I obviously didn't remember the kitten. I wondered how the kitten looked like and how long it had lived. Perhaps it didn't live that long. But a cat could live up to more than 10 years; the kitten would be all grown up and still living with me. Could I have lost the cat somewhere else? Or could I have given it up to someone else instead?
"What happened to the kitten?" I blurted out my thoughts unknowingly.
With a sad face, Mum answered my question solemnly, "It met with an accident... and died."
I knitted my eyebrows together. The kitten named Aoi had died in an accident. How it died, I didn't want to know. I felt my stomach clench and my chest begin to hurt. My head was telling me not to find out anymore about the kitten. Aoi had died and that was it. No further detail was required since I did not remember anything anyway. Bringing those sad memories back wouldn't do me any good too. So, why should I bother knowing the truth?
The truth...
My right hand let go of the fork and then clutched tightly onto my hurting chest. Why did I feel so terrible upon thinking about the truth?
But then again, I finally knew why my thoughts and nightmares had associated 'Aoi' with bad things. Even though I didn't remember a thing, my body must have remembered how much I had cried for Aoi when I had found out that it had died. I must have loved Aoi a lot.
Suddenly, Dad interrupted my train of thoughts, "Why are we talking about this over our meals? Let's carry on eating, shall we?"
Mum and I picked up our utensils again and started digging in. As I ate, I couldn't help but to feel that I was missing something very important in my life. The gloominess was so unlike me. I did not usually feel gloomy; like what Hotaru always called me, I was a simple person and bad stuffs had no chance to dwell in my head for long. I wondered if the thought of going back to the Taekwondo Club had actually made me more miserable than I originally thought I was. Or was it that the death of Aoi which I had long forgotten had affected me a lot?
Geez. Cheer up, Mikan. I couldn't Aoi back from dead. As for the Taekwondo Club, I just had to collect data in some ways or another without arousing suspicion. Tsubasa needed help and I wondered what I could do to help him whilst gathering information of the members.
"How's the new manager?" Mum spoke to Dad in a cheery tone, changing the gloomy subject to Dad's workplace.
Dad sulked and grunted, "He couldn't even manage the paper work I gave him. And he doesn't even know how to delegate work to his subordinates. I asked him if this was his first time working in my office and he just laughed. He freaking laughed!"
Mum chuckled and said, "Give him some more time, Dear."
"I am going to observe the manager more from tomorrow," Dad muttered softly.
"Manager?" I stared at Dad for a moment, and a smile slowly formed on my face. "That's... cool."
Indeed, it was cool...
Dad arched an eyebrow at me. "What?"
Shaking my head, I looked back down on my plate excitedly. The gloominess before was gone and was replaced with heated anticipation. Being a manager of the Taekwondo Club wasn't a bad idea. Thanks, Dad!
I began gobbling up my food and left the table as soon as I had finished my dinner. Back to my bedroom, I closed the door behind me and fell into my comfy bed. I reached out for Nobara's camera and a small notebook, which were on the desk next to my bed. The notebook was unused and was bought from Ojisan's bookshop weeks ago. This notebook would be useful for me to record the members' information and 'special' or 'frequent' moves. Should I be questioned, I could share these information with the members to avoid any suspicion. Furthermore, I should get permission from Tsubasa whether I could film the members down for the club's study purposes. If I listed my reasons down meaningfully, Tsubasa would surely agree.
I smiled to myself. Narumi was probably right. Special Club had trained me to be a better thinker than I was in the beginning.
The following day, I headed to the gymnasium when classes ended in the late afternoon. The members weren't present yet, except for Tsubasa and Ruka who were laying down the cushioned mats on the wooden floor. I stepped inside the gymnasium and waved my arm in the air.
"Tsubasa-senpai! Ruka-senpai! Good afternoon!" I greeted enthusiastically.
The two boys stopped their actions and looked up. While Ruka appeared dumbfounded by my presence, Tsubasa seemed to have been expecting my arrival. Well, Jinno must already have informed him. That was good. I did not have to explain myself then.
Seeing Ruka's confused look on his face, I guessed I was wrong. He looked as if he wanted some explanation as to why I was back to the Taekwondo Club. However, I decided to ignore him for awhile and approached Tsubasa confidently, as if I was specially there for an interview and I needed to be proper in appearance and conduct.
"Tsubasa-senpai, from today onwards, I will be... working with you here in this club again." I put my hand out and held it in front of Tsubasa. "Not as someone who wears the glorious belt, but as someone useful to you."
Then, Ruka asked in puzzlement, "What is going on, Yuki..."
"A manager," I cut in and brought my hand closer to Tsubasa. "Please feel free to delegate some of the administrative stuffs to me, like what Jinno-sensei might have told you. I can do loggings... like taking down important notes on our trainings and also our members' welfare."
Furrowing his eyebrows, Tsubasa looked down and stared at my hand for a brief moment before extending his and held my hand gently. With a wide smile, I gave him a little handshake while mentally wondering why Tsubasa looked so troubled. Did my words make him feel uncomfortable? Or was it because he had other plans for me already?
Just then, Tsubasa cleared his throat and let go of my hand.
"You will be a great help to me. I believe that Jinno-sensei must have told you to return to this club to be my assistant. So sorry about that," Tsubasa said apologetically.
I crooked an eyebrow and corrected, "No, he didn't..."
"Truthfully, I am so relieved that I have a club manager now. It's so tiring to take on the all-in-one role. I can't possibly call my juniors to help me because they need to focus on their trainings. Currently, Ruka-san and Natsume-san are my assistant trainers... which is also a good thing," Tsubasa interrupted me with a sheepish grin. "My hair is greying due to the workload."
He pointed at his thick black hair and chuckled. No, I didn't see any grey hair on you, Tsubasa. I just smiled at him and took out the notebook and the camera from my bag.
Then, I started to explain my purpose, "This notebook is for my note-taking and logging purposes... while this camera here is for our reference. Everyone's reference."
"Hm?" Tsubasa stared curiously at the camera, perhaps wondering if the camera was even necessary.
Ruka who had been quiet all these while spoke up, "What do you mean by everyone's reference?"
"Good question," I responded quickly and flicked my thumb and index finger together. "I will specially record each person's body posture and movements. From there, not only is it useful for me to give supporting details for my note-takings, it is also useful for you guys to observe yourselves. Isn't that a great idea?"
Suddenly, I heard clapping sounds echoed inside the gymnasium. Turning around in response, I noticed a figure walk out of the storeroom with an amused look. Her deep violet eyes narrowed at me as a smirk appeared on her porcelain white face.
"Mikan, what an idea you have there," she commented and stopped clapping her hands.
"Hotaru!" I exclaimed in surprise.
"I like the idea, Andou-senpai. It actually helps you to wipe the smiles off those arrogant idiots' faces."
Tsubasa turned and looked at Hotaru. He then shifted his gaze to Ruka who was staring back at him with knitted eyebrows.
"I..." Tsubasa turned to face me again and smiled weakly. "Actually, I'm fine with your proposal. But wouldn't that be too much work for you? Do you need an assistant? I can get..."
"No, I can handle it myself!"
"Really?" he asked doubtfully.
I laughed. "Of course! I may not be a good fighter but I think I am very diligent and skilled at logging and recording!"
Hotaru scoffed and remarked, "You think? Now, I would rather you have someone reliable to be your assistant."
"Hotaru! How mean!" I winced.
"Yukihira-san, I can help you," Ruka offered kindly, giving me his usual smile that gave off the flowery aura.
The way he looked at me... who couldn't reject his help after all?
I looked away awkwardly and stammered softly, "I... Thank you, but... you need to... focus on your training... right?"
"Yeah, Nogi-senpai needs to focus on the Taekwondo Competition. Therefore, as a tiny fly here, I can be of Mikan's assistance," Hotaru said. "And also ensure that Mikan is as diligent as she has claimed herself to be."
I sighed. "Whatever, Hotaru. Whatever."
With that, Tsubasa gave us a thumb up and said, "Then, set. I'm sure the both of you can work well with one another."
"But to repay me, Mikan has to clean the storeroom with me first." Hotaru glanced at me with eyes that were trying to hint something to me but I just couldn't make it out. "Before the other members arrive here."
Before I could say anything, my best friend grabbed my wrist and began pulling me towards the direction of the storeroom. As soon as we entered into the dark room, Hotaru shut the door forcefully behind her and leaned her back against it. She pulled me forward and finally let go of my wrist.
"You have some explanation to do, Mikan. What's the meaning of this? Why didn't you tell me a thing too?" Hotaru asked in a demanding voice. "I thought your parents...!"
I forced a laugh and gave my best friend a wink. "I wanted to surprise you, Hotaru... That I'm back!"
"Huh?"
"My parents didn't know about it so let's keep this a secret, okay?"
Hotaru frowned at me. "Why did you return?
"To be with you?"
"Be serious, Mikan."
"To be of help to Tsubasa-senpai," I declared.
"Are you even serious?"
I frowned back at her. "Then, what did you want me to say?"
"Something legit."
I gave her a deadpanned look. What was more legit than trying to ease Tsubasa's workload? I was a Samaritan. Just kidding.
"Okay. I will be honest with you, Hotaru."
I'm sorry, Hotaru.
"I have came back here to..."
I may be a bad liar... a terrible actress...
"... take back our belt honour."
But I need to stand near the edge of your trust for me...
"You don't have to wear the white belt forever, Hotaru."
... because I am a spy.
A terrible one at that too.
Hi, everyone! I am finally done with my final semester of study! Woohoo!
Honestly, I can't wait for my results and university application to be out. I have decided to pursue higher education in a different field. Currently, I am going to be certified as a teacher after spending 3 years studying in a Education programme. While waiting for the documents to be out, I am planning to work in a primary school as a relief teacher and classroom assistant to see if I really like it, despite my negative experiences during my internship last year. I know it is kind of ironic, but I want to gain positive experiences before changing field. Who knows, I may come to like teaching again. :)
Anyway, back to the routine...
Special thanks to the reviewers:
- MelodyString
- spennYnnep
- loveisfun
- Yoshida Haru
- Fallen angel
- Guest (1)
- Guest (2)
- Mystery555
- Sweet Crimson
- ice princess
- seeceon
Lastly, I would also like to thank those who had story alerted and favourited this story. :)
Brief preview of the next chapter:
34th Fight: Belt Honour
Oh no, not again! Please!
I closed my eyes and screamed internally. Mental sirens warned me on the consequences of being foolish. Yes, I must have been a fool to take up another challenge from Luna Koizumi. I was going to be beaten into a pulp.
"Never close your eyes when your enemy attacks you, Yukihira-san."
I opened my eyes at the reminder from Luna and at the same time, my feet was already on the floor. Her fist was no longer aiming for my stomach. Instead, it was right in front of my face...
... almost two inches away.
Please don't forget to review this chapter and tell me how it is! Thank you ~
