Title: Free Lunch
Started: 11.25.06 17:43
Finished: 11.28.06 15:03
Author: Sakurai Senzou, the Merines

… denotes narration
--- denotes a change of time and/or scenery
Italicized are thoughts.

---

Just as Jirou thought, the twins Tanaka were sobered as they searched through their home for some important, necessary belongings. As he stood in the entryway of their small house, he felt strange. It was the first time in more months than he could remember that he had placed foot into the home of another human.

He felt like he was invading their privacy. Their house smelled so clean, the air so cool and fresh. Being in the home of another person wasn't something Mitsugi Jirou was used to. So he remained in their entryway, arms folded and head down, as they ran through their house.

Kentaro had once told Jirou that his parents were currently overseas on business, which is why the two of them had continued talking after their first encounter. So while Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka were away (which was apparently most of the time), their children were left alone and unattended.

Obviously, though, they had been raised well. Jirou knew both of them had grades in the top ten percent of their class. Hikari was a promising writer with a hope for Journalism. Even though Kentaro had decided against choosing a club during his first year of high school, he'd once remarked to Jirou that hanging around with an adult like him was "a learning experience worthy of being considered an extracurricular activity."

Whether that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult… Well, the jury's still out.

A quick series of bangs from upstairs garnered Jirou's attention. He watched, unmoving, as a rather large suitcase fell down the two flights of stairs between the bedrooms upstairs and the ground floor. It eventually tumbled down and came to a halt in front of his feet.

…

Mitsugi Jirou is a self-proclaimed NEET. Tanaka Kentaro is a sixteen year old high school freshman who has taken a multi-faceted interest in Jirou. Kentaro's younger twin sister, Hikari, is experiencing her first encounter with the elusive thing humans call attraction.

These three people have been thrust under the roof of Mitsugi's apartment because of a horrifying murder. On the same night as this accident, Jirou received a mysterious email recounting an experience he does not recall. Is this really just a case of a mistyped address, or did something happen to Jirou in America?

Chapter 02: Shared Lunch

…

Hikari appeared at the top of the staircase. "Jirou-chii, why didn't you stop my suitcase from rolling down there? What if there were breakable treasures in there?" He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Then I would ask why you were taking them to my apartment."

"What if someone decided to break into our home when we were away? I'd never part with my breakable treasures."

"Jeez, you have a comeback for everything, don't you?" She smiled down at him, though some of her inner sadness and anxiety shined through. It was completely understandable, of course. One of her fellow club members had been killed. What else could she do besides put on a brave face?

Though if she just continued crying like last night I wouldn't blame her either.

Jirou stared at the bulging suitcase for a few long moments before grabbing its handle and properly setting it on its bottom. It was surprisingly heavy. Hikari reappeared, carrying an identical case with both of her hands. A bemused Jirou simply watched as she dragged the bag down the stairs. "How in the world do you expect to carry both of these heavy bags all the way over to my apartment?"

"You've got arms, don't you?" she asked in a sinisterly cute voice. Jirou took a defensive step back before deciding not to fight the inevitable.

"Yes, princess…" he grumbled. "Where's your brother?" As if on command, Kentaro stepped down onto the landing between the floors, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Uh, well it seems I have some business to attend to here. Bills to pay, calls to make: stuff like that," he explained as he put a hand behind his head. "You two go on ahead."

"A-aah… Are you sure that's a good idea?" Jirou quickly asked. Hikari shot him an evil glance. "I mean… Well, are you sure you'll feel OK being here alone? And walking home alone as well?"

"Well, this is my home. Where else would I feel safer?"

It's my safety that I'm more worried about…

"You aren't hungry or anything? We could all share lunch together-"

"You and I can share a romantic lunch, Jirou-chii. No more objections!" Hikari happily exclaimed. "Let's get a move on, Jirou-chii! Grab a bag."

---

One half hour later…

"Arg! I'm totally maxed out…" wheezed Jirou. He set the identical bags down with a thud as his body ground to a halt.

"What's this? You're a man, aren't you?! Let's goooo! Show me that hunter spirit!" Hikari yelled. She stood a couple meters in front of the doubled-over Mitsugi with her hands on her hips.

"Any such spirit within me died long ago, killed off by modern conveniences…" he huffed. "Besides, how did I end up carrying both of them?"

"Are you sweating? It's barely enough to be considered warm out here. Aha!" A disgustingly genius idea had just popped into Hikari's brain, judging by the twinkle in her eye. "I know exactly how to recharge your energy."

"What could possibly inspire me to do more heavy lifting, short of the hand of God Himself?" Jirou asked, still short of breath. Hikari took a couple more steps away from Mitsugi and positioned her body so she was facing away from him.

"Oh, no!" she cried in a forcedly awkward way as she looked over her shoulder. "A sudden gust of wind!" Then, the hand of God Himself went to work and created just the right gust of wind, blowing the rear of her skirt upwards and exposing her panties. Jirou froze immediately and, as designated by his male programming, took a mental picture of the panties. They were white and frilly, covered short, little, cartoony-

"Candles?" a voice asked in disbelief.

"Oh my, you've seen my panties. Whatever shall I do now?" Hikari asked. Her voice was a mix between despair, sexiness, embarrassment, and happiness. You know, the way that only girls can sound in these kinds of situations.

Jirou, feeling in no way rejuvenated or invigorated, opened his mouth to inform her of her utter failure, but then something happened. The apparent source of that other male voice rushed past Jirou, nearly pushing him over as the stranger ran towards the source of the panties.

Hm… This never happens in manga. The male character is supposed to get a nosebleed or freeze up or something.

As Jirou tried to work out the situation in his heavily manga-influenced brain, the stranger had approached Hikari. "Y-you have candle panties! I saw them!" he exclaimed with the kind of madness that panties can bring out in men. She tried to step away from the strange pervert, but he kept pressing his body closer to her, while at the same time cutting her off from Jirou.

"Uh, um…" she stuttered, unsure of what to do.

"That's a school uniform, right? Why aren't you in class? Are you some kind of deviant? I'm totally into that kind of girl," the man explained quickly. Hikari was beginning to get scared, the adrenaline rushing through her body. "You and me should hang out…"

Like some kind of automatic targeting system, Jirou's eyes suddenly came into perfect focus as the strange guy put his arm over Hikari's shoulders, pulling her body close to his. The guy was a little shorter than Jirou, but not by much, and obviously a few years older. His jaw was square, and he had a scar above his left eyebrow. He had a thin mustache and wore a black leather jacket over a black tank top. Everything about this guy said trouble, but most of all, the look in his eyes infuriated Jirou. It was a look that was etched in Jirou's heart.

The man pushed his hand over Hikari's mouth, and she began to scream. Mitsugi was frozen, his mind unable to work, as Hikari's desperate eyes pleaded with him. However, he could only stand there, fighting with himself. The man completely ignored the fact that Jirou was behind him, watching everything. As Hikari felt the man begin to drag her away from Jirou, instinct took her over. She managed to bite the man's hand, causing him to cry out in pain.

She was released and quickly regained her footing. However, in an instant, before she could even get a step away, the man slapped her with the back of his heavy hand. Hikari fell to the ground quicker than gravity would have dictated, so great was the force of the stranger's blow. She let out a little burst of noise as she hit the concrete of the sidewalk… and then went silent.

The stranger took a quick look at his hand before reaching down for her again.

"STOP IT!" The man halted immediately, slowly turning his head to stare at Jirou. Hands balled at his sides, Jirou faced the man's increasingly murderous glare. The man stood straight again, though he could still easily kick Hikari if he so desired. As much as Mitsugi Jirou knew what to do to defuse the situation, he brain worked too fast to compile that information properly. "Don't touch her again," he warned. The man gave an exaggerated shrug.

"Or what? What can some skinny punk like you do?" the man asked angrily. He cracked his knuckles in an effort to intimidate Jirou.

"A real man… never hits a woman…"

"Eh? What did you say? I couldn't quite hear you! Punk bitch!" The man took a couple steps forward, towards Jirou and away from Hikari's unmoving body. "Who is this girl to you? Your girlfriend?" Jirou didn't respond. "Ahaha! Shit, of course not! A little punk bitch like you could never score a babe like that! Who are you to stop me from taking this girl? You must be goddamn insane!"

"You talk a lot… I'm surprised your vocabulary is that large," Jirou stated in an unwavering manner.

"What?! Do you know who I am?! I'm the infamous biker: Bloody Mari!"

"I've never heard of you."

"What's that?! You've never heard of the biker gang, the Alkoholicz?!" the man asked in a more and more high-pitched voice. Jirou shook his head.

His stomach was in unexpected agony. Jirou's eyes widened. He hadn't even seen the man take a swing. But, nevertheless, the man's fist was now lodged in his gut. Jirou was powerless to defend himself as the man's other fist pounded his stomach again. The pain was so great, he couldn't even make an effort to defend himself or run away.

At least he stepped away from Hikari… In the end all I could do was provide her the time to escape.

The biker swung his fist into Mitsugi's stomach one final time before taking a step back, an insane yet satisfied smile on his face. Jirou collapsed onto his hands and knees, barely able to hold his body up. He coughed painfully. His blood spattered onto the pavement below. "Had enough? One girl can't be worth that much pain." Mitsugi wiped the blood from his mouth and smile weakly.

"You're wrong… This is nothing to me."

"What did you say?!" Jirou stood unsteadily, gingerly holding his stomach with one hand, but still stared straight at his opponent.

"I said this pain is nothing."

Jirou watched in slow-motion as the biker swung at his face. He didn't feel a lot of pain, but a dark warmth enveloped him soon enough.

---

-"e's coming around."

The voice seemed to echo around inside Jirou's head. He opened his eyes slowly and then blinked a few times to separate the colors which oozed together at first. They finally separated into their proper sequences in his brain.

"Young man, can you hear me?" Jirou tried to open his mouth to respond, but a sharp pain in his jaw hindered that action. He chose to simply nod instead. "You're at a police substation, so don't be worried. The girl who was with you is OK, too." Mitsugi sighed, prompting a smile from the police officer.

Just as he felt himself begin to lose consciousness again, he saw another officer let Hikari into the room. His brain registered her running towards him, her tear-streaked face… then faded into darkness again.

Hikari wrapped her arms around the unconscious Jirou's body. "He only stayed awake long enough for me to tell him that you were OK, then he was out like a light," one of the officers stated with a quiet chuckle. "Your boyfriend is truly a brave man, through and through." The young woman's body shook with sobs of joy and relief. The officers shared a glance and then exited the room.

"Jirou… Jirou…" was all she could say. The mixture of emotions boiling inside her heart overwhelmed her. Mitsugi Jirou… She realized that she really did not understand him at all. In her mind's eye, she remembered the day seven months earlier when her brother told her about an odd person he had encountered after school. For the next few months, nearly every day Kentaro would come home with a new story. Then the stories suddenly stopped, and Kentaro explained that Jirou was out of the country visiting his parents.

In the two months he was absent, Hikari became more and more interested in this odd, quirky person. She even began to approach her brother, who had a slight interest in psychology, with various theories about this person's behavior. After receiving news that this 'Jirou' person had returned to Japan, she spent a week watching him from afar. Whether or not all young girls have a predetermined type of male they are naturally attracted to… Well, that's a mystery. In any case she felt an immediate attachment to Jirou.

So naturally, she told her brother of the feelings beginning to simmer deep inside her. While he was neither outraged nor angered by the idea, he did provide her with a word of caution. "Don't be offended by anything he says or does," he told her. Hikari approached him on the first day of spring. She was shy at first but found him easy to talk to. She quickly broke the 'touch' barrier, much to Jirou's semi-false chagrin, and the playfulness between them had only grown.

But… She couldn't even begin to understand why he had acted in such a way.

He put himself in extreme danger for my sake. Even though I made him carry both of my bags, even though I do nothing but annoy him and cause him discomfort… The whole situation came about because of my foolish actions. Despite these things, Jirou compromised and sacrificed his body to save me. Why? Who am I to him, that I deserve so much?

The door to the small room burst open, and Kentaro rushed into the room. "Hikari! Are you alright?" She pulled herself away from Jirou's body and wiped her eyes.

"I'm fine… Thanks to him," she quietly explained, looking back down at the twenty year old. Kentaro sighed a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall behind him.

"Thank goodness… We already owe so much to him." Hikari sniffed and nodded slowly. "The police said someone called them reporting an attempted kidnapping, then another call about a beating in the same area. They caught that biker who assaulted you guys even before they found you both. I guess he had some priors and was immediately arrested."

"Is he related to what happened…?" Kentaro shook his head.

"The police aren't sure, and I couldn't get much more information out of them. I guess the doctor they called said Jirou would be OK after a while, but prescribed this pain killer," Kentaro continued, pulling a bottle full of pills out of his dark green school-issued jacket. "Hikari… How did this happen to you?" He immediately regretted the question when he saw her eyes well up with tears once more. "Nevermind… I guess that's not important, ya know? At least nothing worse happened."

"When… will he wake up?"

"Jirou? He's probably being affected by the medication that was used on the scene. I'll see if they can't drive us to his apartment."

---

Back on the old fifth floor, the door to the Mitsugi residence slowly opened. Kentaro immediately flipped on the main light switch, then helped the drugged and battered Jirou inside. The young man had regained consciousness, but the medication had made him extremely groggy. Hikari and a young police officer then filed in; the two heavy bags hadn't been forgotten. The young officer set them down in the foyer and then stepped outside the doorway.

"We'll contact you for witness statements later on," he explained with a tip of his hat before walking away. Hikari closed the door slowly and quietly.

Kentaro helped Jirou over to the couch, where the tall young man plopped down onto the cushions without further ceremony. Ken took a short look at his sister before letting his body finally relax. "I'm going to take a shower," he stated, the toll of the past couple days' events showing on his face.

As the door to the bathroom closed, Hikari's eyes fell to Jirou once more. The apartment was completely silent, aside from the sound of running water. He must have noticed her, because he weakly gestured for her to sit next to him. She did so, but kept her distance. He lazily twisted his head to look at her and smiled, though it was a little malformed because of the huge bruise on his left cheek.

"Jirou-chii… I… I'm so sorry all this happened… It's my fault…" she whispered, again feeling the tears coming.

"You're one shtep closher to adulthood now," he slurred. Her eyes widened. "Da female body ish a double-edged shword. Use it wisely. What I did today was a natural reaction…" His eyes became glassy, but he was able to continue talking. "When I was in junior high, my mother's youngest sister… who was only a couple years older than me… was abused by an older boyfriend she had. Ever since then, I can't stand it when women are mistreated… Sho you she… I would have done that… for any woman… Well…" He paused and smiled at her, though it pained him to do so. "Maybe… that'sh a bit of a lie…"

"Oh, Jirou-chii, I…"

"Jirou."

"Eh?"

"Please just call me Jirou." Tears began to fall from Hikari's eyes once again, so she pushed her face into Jirou's chest. By the time Kentaro had finished his shower, he found the two of them asleep together on the couch. He found the scene saddening yet touching and let them be.

Thus ended the first day of the rest of their lives.

---

On a lovely late-spring afternoon, Mitsugi Jirou sat on his most favorite of benches, staring out into the cloudless blue sky above. It had been two days since he had taken that beating. The left side of his face was still very bruised, but the swelling had gone down significantly. A great number of high school students passed by him without a second glance, but today he didn't care. Wearing a light blue Diesel T-shirt (and the same pair of blue jeans which he treasured so much), he was waiting on his friends.

Though it's a little pathetic that it has been so long since I've been able to say that. Two years ago… Back when skipping class to hang out was more exciting than the thought of finishing college and starting my career. But if I'd done that, I wouldn't be here right now!

"Jiroooou!" His attention immediately fell to the form of a girl running towards him, her hand waving in the air. He smiled widely, though it wasn't forced like it had been for so long. He actually felt genuinely happy to see her.

"What's up?" he asked in a contently. She took a couple deep breaths and sat down next to him, pulling something out of her backpack.

"A special issue," she explained. "My story about what happened made the front page." Jirou wondered if it was because of the events that had occurred in the past few days, but Hikari's usual hyperactivity had been toned down.

"That's wonderful. Too bad you had to go through so much," he pointed out. She shook her head and smiled back at him.

"Like you said, it's just a part of growing up."

"So?" Jirou asked as he held out a hand.

"What?"

"Can I read your article?" Hikari suddenly held the newspaper close to her body and recoiled a little. "What're you doing?"

"Uh, well, you see…" Her face became progressively redder. "I had to change some of the facts…"

"And?" he deadpanned. She pressed her two index fingers together and averted her eyes from his gaze.

"You see… it's a little strange, in the ignorant public's perception anyway, for a sixteen year old girl to be living with a twenty year old man who is of no blood relation… So, you see… I had to change a couple things…"

"I was edited out, in other words."

"Basically… Please, though, don't be angry with me! It was only-"

"I went to high school once, ya know," he stated in a controlled tone. "I understand how important your image is, especially when surrounded by your peers. Explaining everything in some huge disclaimer would have ruined your article. Don't think I'm angry or anything."

"Well, you weren't totally edited out."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Uh… Maybe you should just look." She unclamped the newspaper and slowly handed it to Jirou. He took it and read the headline slowly.

'MYSTERIOUS TALL STRANGER SAVES LOCAL STUDENT'

"It seems," Hikari explained sheepishly, "that someone took a photo of the three of us leaving the police substation. Rather than put myself into such a compromising position… I kinda wrote that you just happened to be walking by, and I had no idea who you were."

"But then, what happens if-"

Once again, the hand of God Himself stepped in. A large group of students was suddenly swarming around Jirou's sacred bench. They appeared out of nowhere, like so many ninjas. Many of them had the same newspaper in their hands, looking back and forth from the picture on the front page to Hikari and Jirou. A collective roar rose after someone yelled, "Hey, he's the mysterious tall stranger!"

All at once the students began shouting questions and comments. Whether due to his painkillers or because he was surrounded by so many bodies, Jirou began to get dizzy. Hikari simply squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears. Soon the truth would be told, and her happy school life would become a hellish nightmare.

As quickly as it began, though, the clamor died away. A path began to form in the back of the crowd, slowly leading towards the bench. Jirou expected Kentaro appear from between the masses, but was dismayed to discover that a group of three girls had spearheaded the movement.

Now this is something that I may recognize. These three are probably… the student council president and her minions.

The girl in the center of the group was tall, though as Jirou stood up he realized she wasn't nearly as tall as him. Her blond hair was extremely long- down to her waist- and styled perfectly. Her body was probably as curvy as any high school student Jirou had ever seen, in real life anyway. Her school uniform showed off her long legs. Her mannerisms screamed out 'rich girl' as well.

"I am Wakamiya Fumika, student council president as well as president of the Journalism Club," she explained politely. Her voice was smooth and refined, as expected, but had a sense of modesty to it. "Thank you for saving our club member. We've gone through a difficult time in the past week," she added with a hint of sadness. "Please accept my heartfelt apology for any trouble Tanaka-san has caused." With these words, the president took a deep bow, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise.

"Oh, well… It was nothing, really… Anyone would have done the same…" A small smile grew on Fumika's face.

"Your name is? I feel strange referring to you as 'mysterious stranger'," she admitted with a giggle.

"O-oh, my name, right…" He glanced down at Hikari, who looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Well, I'm not really a good liar, so I'll tell you all the truth to keep the matters simple." He noticed Hikari covering her hands with her face.

Sorry, Hikari-chan, but this can only be called payment for saving you.

"I'm Mitsugi Jirou. I'm seventeen years old, but because I have moved back and forth from Japan to America my whole life, I am only classified as a second-year student. Pleased to meet you," he explained with a wide grin.

Then his manga-influenced brain took his charade just one step too far.

"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions about what happened, but I can answer them all in time," he declared to the crowd. "Though I was unsure before, I've decided to choose this school as the institution where I will finish my secondary education, beginning with the new school year."

Just as this information was relayed through the swarm of students, Kentaro had finally gotten close enough to the crowd's center to hear what was said. His face paled for just a moment, but he quickly recovered. The crowd broke out into cries of happiness and laughter as Jirou shook Fumika's hand.

Jirou-senpai has really done it now. He may have been trying to save Hikari the embarrassment of being caught in a lie, but that was perhaps too much. Well, knowing him like I do, this sure is an interesting development!

End of Chapter 02.

Author's afternotes: So, here we are again! This chapter went as such: comedy, drama, drama… A bit more serious than chapter 01, huh? The change of tone was intentional. The three characters are even closer now, which I felt was important to the story from this point out. You may think that I ignored/forgot about the mysterious email, but I haven't. The chapter is really only five scenes, but by the end I accomplished my goal of explaining how the main conflict of the story will pan out. We all, at some point, wish we could go back to high school… But that wish usually passes quite quickly. Poor Jirou… and poor Hikari!