Chapter Nine: Skeletons in the Cupboard

When Tappei went home that day, his mind was full of things. He decided to stop by at a cafe to clear out his mind. He sat down for a long while, a cup of coffee next to his folded arms. His mind was fully occupied, only the steam of the drink that could keep his focus.

So Momo had a car accident that left her paralysed from waist down. That was one for sure.

Is it the big secret?

Well, if it was, it surely explained a lot of things. It explained Momo's condition and his friends' reluctance to tell him what actually happened. That was understandable; Tappei didn't need to know that, and perhaps Momo herself didn't want to be pitied. Tappei knew that famous trait belonged to Yamada siblings; their strong attitude, masked beneath humour and coolness, never wanted people to be sorry for them.

And it explained Yamada's unwillingness to drive.

Tappei's mind stopped right there. He remembered the driving licence belonged to Yamada, and slowly a question sneaked itself into his mind. It was a frightening one.

Does this accident have something to do with Yamada?

Miiko was drinking her milk—yes, even in her mid-twenties—when Yuuma walked into the room. Their colleagues greeted him, and he replied them before took his usual seat next to Miiko. It was common for a 'junior journalist' to sit next to journalists like Miiko herself, especially because both Yuuma and Miiko had known each other before the part-time job.

"Hello, Yuuma-kun!" Miiko greeted with a huge grin. Yuuma nodded and threw his bag onto the ground before turning on the computer in front of him. "You're done with the interview?"

"Yeah. Straight from campus. I'm beat." His tone was harsh, but Miiko was used to it. She was used to his older brother, after all.

Speaking about interviews, Yuuma had done a small one towards some citizens to fulfil a survey that was made by the newspaper about the new train schedule. It could be hectic, especially when there was nobody who wanted to stop walking for a minute and give him their opinion.

"Want some milk?" she asked again, offering him a carton of it. Yuuma eyed her and the box for a while before taking it. He knew she'd keep persisting if he refused.

He was typing down some answers based on the records he made in the interviews when he stopped. "Yamada-san," he called.

Miiko looked up from the newspaper she was reading. "Hm?"

"You're reading the interview with Eguchi-san again, aren't you?"

A blush suddenly crept on Miiko's cheeks. "No, I'm not!"

"You are."

"Am not!"

"You are."

"Am not!"

"Dammit, Yamada-san!" Yuuma half-exclaimed in annoyance, almost knocking the carton of milk on the table. "It's the sixth time I caught you reading it since the article was posted!"

"Okay, okay!" Miiko almost yelled back. She was sure that she was blushing so badly. "So what?"

Yuuma laughed. It sounded mocking. "Finally. Like him that much already?"

When Miiko didn't answer, Yuuma let out a long groan. "Dammit," he cursed again. Just like Shouma, he liked to curse. "We're in for some tough ride over here..."

"So, you're done messing up with Momo-san?"

That was what Tappei heard when he entered Lazy Moon and encountered Yuki behind the counter. She sneered at him, but he merely walked past her. "Where's Mom?" he asked eventually.

"Out. I'm in charge today. Why don't you just get here and help me? You don't have anything else to do, right?"

"Okay." Tappei looked around and shrugged. "I'll change first."

When he came back, Lazy Moon was as empty as when he entered minutes ago, so he took a seat next to his stepsister. He wondered why she wanted his help; today was surely a slow day. But he realised he had something to ask her. And now was the best opportunity.

So he did. "Why do you keep asking me questions like that?"

"Like what?"

"Me messing up with Yamada."

A smirk appeared on her face. "I just like the way you react."

"And how exactly do I react?"

"Like a tsundere," Yuki stated the truth, winking. Tappei wanted to punch her. But she wasn't someone he used to punch, so he didn't. So he only settled on a glare, but that didn't even budge her. "I'm serious! You keep denying it but your face is a different case entirely, old brother. You say things like 'I'm visiting Yamada' but go all blushy when I tease you."

Tappei clamped his mouth shut, because he knew it was true. Maybe he only needed someone to say that out loud. "Whatever," he grumbled in English.

Yuki laughed. "My English is quite good, you know," she said in fluent English. "I can be your conversation partner."

Tappei had to admit she was good. "Who taught you?" he asked, and then realized how lame that question sounded.

"School, of course," Yuki replied sarcastically. "And Momo-san's English is one of the best things I've ever heard."

That remark shocked Tappei. "Did she tutor you?"

"She does tutor me until now. Haven't I told you?" Yuki didn't look guilty as she stated one of the things that Tappei had wanted to hear so badly. Now he really wanted to punch her.

"No, you haven't," he answered grimly.

"One look to your face and your lousy hair and I know that you want to know what happened to her," Yuki concluded. "Listen, I don't know much about what happened. So I only hang on rumours, okay? That's a head start because I don't want to mislead you."

Tappei sighed. At least rumours are better than nothing. He could feel the big ball of unsatisfied curiosity inside him began to bounce in anticipation. He nodded, letting his stepsister start her story.

Yuki crossed her arms on the counter and started to speak. She didn't even look at him as she said, "Momo-san had a car accident. The car hit a tree after it ran out of control and out the street."

"Go on," Tappei urged when Yuki fell silent.

"She almost died, but help came on time. She lost her ability to walk, because somehow her spinal cord was crushed in the crash. But her sister was totally fine, survived with some minor injuries."

That was something unexpected for Tappei. "Yamada was there?"

Yuki nodded. "And do you wanna know the rumour I meant earlier?"

"Of course." Tappei was leaning forward as he said this. He couldn't believe this. Yamada siblings were nice people, how did this happen to them?

Then a pathetic thought came into his mind. He should've been the one who got paralysed, got that curse of inability to walk again... just because he abandoned his friends and breaking their fragile hearts for years.

I deserved that.

"Hey, you're not listening to me."

"I do now." Tappei blinked several times to regain his concentration.

Yuki didn't look convinced, but continued nonetheless. "It was obvious that Momo-san was the one who drove the car, since she ended up on the driver's seat. But people keep saying that Yamada-san was the one driving. That it was her that made the car lose control and hit the tree. But nobody know the real truth, it's just a rumour spoken here and there."

Tappei was flabbergasted. That explains everything.

"Listen, old brother," Yuki continued; her face darkening. "If you dare using this to hurt Momo-san, I will never forgive you."

Her stepbrother merely leaned back, a bit frightened. "Whoa, calm down. I won't do anything."

But to be honest, he couldn't really promise that.

A/N: Hi, I updated! Yay?

Anyways, this is more like a filler chapter, but an important one nonetheless. At first I wanted Mari to explain this to Tappei, but she won't be really subjective, and she won't be that easy to buckle.

And how much I love the word 'flabbergasted' is indescribable. Ha.

Time to reply the reviews!

Olivia: Thank you! :D

Marybelle:

Hi, you're back! Thank you for sticking with this, and glad that you like Yuki and Momo. :)