Chapter 14: Cloudburst

A certain somebody was sipping a cup of coffee in a nearby coffee shop in the metropolis. By the way he was dressed: black overcoat and slacks with a striped necktie dangling from the white polo collar inside, he was a businessman. He was not very young anymore; yet his appearance denied the fact that he was a senior citizen. He was able to watch the news through the use of his cellular phone which allowed live TV broadcast. He saw on the small screen of his mobile phone an aerial view of the crime that was happening as he sipped. The kendo match had already started and both gave out their 100 at the very start. The police had the entire vicinity surrounded just in case the negotiator lost the battle. He seemed to be waiting for someone to come in the spot where he sat right now. When he had finished his cup of coffee, Miyuki appeared just behind him.

"Here I am, as you asked, uncle." She said.

"Very well then, shall we get going?" The man asked.

"Yes."

"I'm going to give those two a piece of my mind."

Together, they boarded a black limousine waiting just in front of the coffee shop. He told the driver their destination; the driver complied. Along the way, Miyuki and her uncle talked about the ongoing incident.

"I didn't believe he would do such a thing." Miyuki said. "And what's even worse, he used my best friend as his hostage."

"I too feel sympathetic since those boys are my responsibility." Her uncle responded. "They let their personal feelings get in their way."

"All I wanted was a happy day for him and Kagami-san. Today is a special day for them. But then he had to ruin it all."

"Avoid holding a grudge, dear. It's senseless to change the past. All we can do now is hope for them to avoid having a terrible future."

"I feel responsible for Kagami-san. She had no idea that this was coming."

"I guess by now her parents have been informed of the ongoing incident. The possibilities are dreadful. Your friend and Takashi might be forbidden to meet anymore after what just happened."

"Not only her parents, uncle. Her friends also know about it."

"This is not good for the image of the family company. I'll have no choice but to look for another successor."

"Uncle…but that's like saying that you have no son capable of running your firm."

"Me…have a son? I'm renouncing all of that starting now."

"Please uncle, give them another chance. Everybody can change for the better."

"They were given plenty of time to change. They wasted it on their differences between one another. It's absurd."

Meanwhile in Saitama, Konata spoke with her cousin Yui on the phone. She told everything linked to the hostage situation happening right now outside the metropolis. Unfortunately, she was of no help at all.

"I wish I can help you, Konata. But I'm in the traffic department. I'll be fired if I went AWOL on the job."

"I see…sorry to have taken your time."

"Don't worry…your friend will be okay."

A saddened Konata reentered the dining room where her father and her new mother stood worried while they left the TV on which was tuned to the latest update on the scene of the crime. By now, the news would have reached the entire nation from top to bottom; from Southern Kuril to Ryukyu. It meant that she and her parents weren't the only ones worried about Kagami's state. The whole world was now watching the actual bout of two passionate men fighting for their right to the heart of the goddess. While most of them were rooting for Takashi, some were cheering for Sano; as if this was a fight with money running on the game. Most of the viewers were even too worried to cheer for either side because they were more concerned on the poor girl who was dragged to this unexpected event. Konata wanted to be there for Kagami, despite the fact that she always teases her, unfortunately the issue on motherhood was still far from over.

"Konata, go to her." Souijiro suggested.

"But dad…" Konata hesitantly replied.

"The problem can wait. Right now your friend needs you."

"Dad…okay, I'll go."

Inside the Hiiragi household, everybody was tuned in to the live feed of the ongoing match between two men. The mother couldn't bear watching siblings hurt each other in a one-hit death match. She pleaded that he release her daughter before anything bad happens. Even the efforts of comforting done by her husband proved fruitless. Tsukasa was still locked up in her room, crying and sobbing for hours. It had been a couple of hours since she accidentally dropped a plate on the floor which, according to her, signified an ominous presence of an unfortunate event. Despite the fact that crying over spilled milk would be useless, the sorrowful burden she carried since noon still pressed on. Just as soon as she seemed to be ready to jump out of the window or execute hara-kiri, the first child Inori immediately hugged her tight.

"No, don't commit suicide! You'll be more miserable that way!" Inori said, weeping.

"Onee-san…Kagami onee-san is in danger! I can't take it anymore!" Tsukasa replied.

"Don't say that! We'll all get through this. I promise you."

"Onee-san…I want my onee-san…please!"

"Don't cry Tsukasa. We will get through this. Everything will turn out for the better."

0

Everything started with the appearance of Hajime Takashi, a senior at Ryouou High School. Since childhood, he had admired Hiiragi Kagami but from behind the shadows. During those times, he feared embarrassment the most; thus, his confession which was supposed to be set before his entry into middle school was utterly delayed. Takashi got his chance during his senior years in the campus. To prove his word being the real deal, he brought a bouquet of flowers just for her. Seeing that she was still confused on his sudden declaration, he gave Kagami three days to think about what he had just said. Her final decision would be determined in their little meeting in Tokyo Tower. Also, during those three days, Kagami faced terrible ordeals—challenges that put families and friends to the ultimate test. In the first of the three days, the power of her mind was tested by means of putting it in the state of confusion. In short, she had no direct answer for him; plus, three days wouldn't be enough to make a choice that would make or break her destiny and her life. The second day was the test of the will to live. Coincidentally, the second day was the day when the monsoon season waged a full-scale downpour into the urban area. Not only that, thunderstorms loomed over the town, endangering anything that was drenched in the rain or dry. Kagami had fallen victim to the full blast of a lightning strike in the rooftop of the school. Again, it tested the extent of the bonds of everybody close to her. Everybody in her class were worried and desired to be with her until her full recovery. Only three people volunteered to stay with her as the rest of the pack went home to safety. A small flicker of hope sparked and eventually they were rescued. The third day was the preparation; this time, she had everybody on her side: friends and family not to mention dead relatives of friends. During this day, Kagami was exposed to an actual danger of sexual pleasure as demonstrated by Konata. It didn't serve only as a lesson but also as a warning for it was very difficult to spot a wolf in sheep's clothing. In addition to that, Konata's late mother Kanata appeared before Kagami; only to deliver a certain message about the capabilities of temptation as a manipulative force in exercising devious acts—simply speaking: temptation can convince a person to engage in sexual pleasure. After three days of being subjected to deadly obstacles and lessons in life, she was reborn as a person who would go out and make a stand.

All that hard work made by the people who backed her up until the very end actually paid off. Both of them had an enjoyable noon passing by culture-rich temples, premium shops with hefty price tags on display, and not to mention traditional restaurants serving traditional food. They were blessed to have each other to keep company. Finally, they ascended to the sky-high view deck of Tokyo Tower where Kagami was supposed to either agree or disagree to become somebody's girlfriend; with the view of the metropolis as the audience. Then the inevitable came and ruined everything—jealousy. It was the force that inspired Hajime Sano's revenge against his twin brother simply carrying the reason of sibling superiority. Kagami was taken away from Takashi; acting on what Sano thought was the right thing to do. Now that the whole nation from Southern Kuril to Ryukyu is watching the hostage situation with all eyes and ears on everybody's TV sets, the die has been cast…the result of the cast cannot be undone anymore.

So…will everything end like this? Did the hard work that Kagami's family and friends have spent during the days of preparation were a complete waste of time? Will dignity be still restored to its proper form? More importantly, will this be the end of a week-long relationship between a boy on the quest for love and a girl on the quest for romance?

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Sano yelled, struggling to turn the tide in his favor. "You always had it in you: knowledge, kindness…what did I even do to be forsaken…to be a hollow shell?"

"What are you talking about?" Takashi replied. "I never took your glory away. I never planned to do so!"

"Liar; you just did…several years ago! I was next in line to succeed dad in the company. But instead, he picked you over me! Then you got the nerve to make Kagami fall in love with you?"

"What do you mean? It was never my plan to make her fall in love with me! That would be depriving her freedom of choice! You're the one who has that kind of nerve! You forced her to come with you to this very spot. That's kidnapping—and it's a crime!"

"You be quiet! Your reasoning has interfered with my affairs for the last time!"

"Sano, don't be so stubborn! I don't know why we need to fight! I never said anything about you being inferior."

Despite Takashi's defensive attempts, he was knocked down by Sano's outrage. He was about to go for the kill when all of a sudden…

"Stop this nonsense, the both of you!"

The fight was completely halted by the power of words—words coming out of the mouth of a formally-attired man standing before them with Miyuki beside him.

"D-Dad…!"

"You two have disgraced the family honor! If everything still ran under the influence of the Bushido, I would have you commit suicide. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

The man then faced Sano first. "Sano, all my life I have never forsaken you. I respect your skills in business administration to be first-class. But like I said before, I did it for our very survival. Who will continue on the legacy if both of you are drenched in the waters of rage? I never mocked your abilities and your personality. But instead, you decided to fight for your right. And even worse, you fought with the wrong ideals!"

Afterwards, he faced Takashi. "Takashi, you also face the same burden as your brother. Your appearance to the media has embarrassed our family and not to mention our company. To be honest, I'm even too ashamed to appear before the media. I don't know how I will explain this to everyone. I decided to move the crown of succession to somebody else. I don't know how you will live your life after this and after I die. Reflect on your mistakes and avoid doing the same ones in the future."

After his speech, the police moved in to finally arrest Sano, charged guilty of kidnapping and was taken inside one of the police cruisers with handcuffs binding his arms. Kagami slowly went down the stairs of the hut and approached Takashi. But it wasn't the look he had expected after being rescued.

"Kagami-san, I—"

In a stunning turn of events, Kagami let out a forceful slap against Takashi's right cheek.

"Stay away from me from now on." She said subtly but with anger building inside her.

"I know I've been such a jerk. I'm sorry."

"You two used me as a prize. You took me for a trophy."

"Kagami-san, it's not like that."

"We're done talking. Don't look for me anymore."

Kagami walked right past him as if he was a complete stranger to him. At the same time, Kuroi-sensei's car arrived at the scene. Konata hurried outside the car to meet up with the infuriated girl. As the place was devoid of police cruisers, all of them went home; each with a heavy, melancholic heart.

END OF ACT III

TO BE CONTINUED

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Sequel to the well-acclaimed story:

"Kagami in the Rain 2: Desolation"

Coming soon…