Title: Free Lunch
Started: 11.29.06 19:37
Finished: 12.11.06 14:38
Author: Sakurai Senzou, the Merines

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

Oh, it's been decided. The narration VA should be read with Mugihito's voice. Also, the whole "slice of life" thing hasn't panned out as I had planned. Thusly, drama has made its way to the forefront.

---

"Jirou-senpai, honestly," Kentaro said with a hearty chuckle, "how did you come up with such an excuse?" The taller man smiled in a goofy way and shrugged his shoulders. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, as they usually were, as the three of them walked towards his apartment. Jirou walked between the twins; Hikari on his right and Kentaro on his left.

"It just kinda came to me," Jirou explained.

"I cannot believe you said something like that!" Hikari exclaimed, her voice showing a hint of frustration.

"What's the big problem? My little lie totally explained away the facts that you had omitted from your article. None of them will ever see me again, so I don't see why you're upset at all."

"It's not that simple, Jirou," Hikari sighed. Though she felt strange not calling him with any honorific title, it also made complete sense in her mind. It just felt right, for whatever reason.

"She's probably right," added Kentaro. Jirou's smile faded just a bit. If Ken agreed, it added another layer of validation to her objection.

"I guess I don't understand," admitted Jirou.

"You weren't in any clubs during high school, were you, senpai?"

"No; the trips I made to America with my parents didn't really allow me to get involved with any group activities. That part of my explanation wasn't a lie."

"Well, our school's Journalism Club is particularly… I guess 'vicious' is the right word to describe it," Kentaro explained.

"Eh? How so?"

"Remember that city council member who was caught cheating on his taxes last year?" Hikari asked. Jirou nodded, though his eyes betrayed a sense of confusion. "It was our school's Journalism Club who discovered it. They also discovered that he was cheating in another way-"

"-on his wife-," Kentaro added.

"-but a large donation was made to the school, so that particular issue was dismissed." Jirou's eyes widened.

"Blackmail, huh? Jeez, I had no idea high school clubs were so… Wow."

"So you see… your little exaggeration will have huge implications for Hikari, especially if they find out who you really are. More than likely, the truth would be uncovered. Hikari would be thrown out of the club and probably ostracized by the entire school," Kentaro explained in a casual way that alarmed Jirou.

"So how come you didn't stop me?" Jirou asked, turning to Hikari. She avoided his gaze immediately, looking down at her feet instead. A hushed redness began creeping into her cheeks.

"Well… I guess I was too embarrassed by the whole situation to do anything at the time… But after my mind cleared, I suppose I thought it might be exciting if Jirou was suddenly thrust into a high school situation again," Hikari said with a little giggle.

"Huh?"

"Well, you know… It might be good for you."

"Why? I passed all my classes, even though I only attended class for two-thirds of the year. There's no point, really…" he trailed off, suddenly distracted by an attractive woman on the other side of the street.

"What she's saying is that it may be good for your emotional growth; your social intelligence," Kentaro bluntly explained. "Plus you don't really look twenty, so you could probably pass as a second-year student quite easily."

Jirou stopped dead in his tracks. The twins took a few steps more before realizing they'd lost him. They turned to find him standing there, shoulders slumped even more than usual, his head held low. A quiet gust of wind blew a stray leaf past his position. Kentaro and Hikari shared a skeptical look.

"Senpai is really over-dramatic, isn't he?" Kentaro whispered.

"It's no wonder he acts that way; all of his social experience comes from the things he reads in manga," Hikari added, also whispering.

"I can hear you, ya know," Jirou deadpanned.

…

Mitsugi Jirou likes to think that his life is similar to a manga. However, in reality, all actions have repercussions. The school year comes to a close, leaving three weeks for Jirou to make a decision. His time, though, is precious.

Chapter 03: Burnt Lunch

…

"OK, I get it! You both think it would be a good idea for me to go back to high school!" Jirou shouted, poorly masking his frustration. He shoved himself further down into his couch. A content smile on her face, Hikari nodded and continued reading some fashion magazine. Kentaro was studying on the table behind the couch.

"Maybe the three of us would be placed in the same class," he stated, his voice full of anticipation. "Wouldn't that be awesome?"

"I never agreed to anything," Jirou reminded. "Keep in mind that I have records on file at the Ministry of Education as well as Kyoto University. Not to mention the fact that I don't really have the funds for tuition, uniforms, books and all that."

"You don't have to worry about those things!" Hikari piped up. "Because of that 'large donation' we mentioned earlier, all students are able to get those items for free until 2017. Scratch that problem off your list of objections, Jirou!"

"I don't have any business going back to high school. If anything, I should be concentrating on getting back into college," Jirou pouted.

"What kind of decent university would accept someone who dropped out once already?" Kentaro asked without looking up from his textbook.

"Well… I can take classes at a lower-ranking school and then use that as leverage…"

"So? Why haven't you done that in the past two years?" A silence descended on the small apartment. Jirou's eyes narrowed and fell to the floor.

I've asked myself that same question so many times that I can't even answer anymore. It's more than simple laziness… I've even wondered if I'm maybe afraid of success. I've considered the fact that living as a NEET is far too comfortable to abandon. In the end… I don't really understand it myself.

"Your silence says it all, Jirou-senpai," Hikari yawned.

"I have ties with both the Art and Computer clubs, so I'm sure they can come up with a passable student I.D. for you," her brother added. "Even if you get exposed, you can just pass it off as an experiment or research for some kind of project. I'm sure that's not too unbelievable." Jirou remained quiet, his face clouded by doubt.

"Well, the semester's almost over, so you've got a few weeks to think about it. Don't worry about it too much."

"Hmm? Oh… yeah."

The rest of the night was unusually devoid of conversation. Both of the two younger humans were busy studying for their final exams. Jirou's mind was filled with simulations of just how he could react to the situation in which he found himself stuck. Hikari found it hard to concentrate. She kept thinking about Jirou's indecision. The fact that he was indecisive didn't bother her; it was the fact that she had never seen him be anything but confident. As far as she could recall, Mitsugi Jirou had never seemed unsure about anything.

Although I guess it's only natural. Maybe Kentaro and I were too blunt in our argument… Calling him emotionally stunted, while true, must have been a shock to him. From what I can tell, Ken and me are the only people he's had any real contact with for at least a year. By the way he talks, Jirou knows he isn't exactly a normal person, but was he really under the impression that he could simply live this way forever?

---

As the clock marched past midnight, Jirou felt more tired than usual. With Hikari sleeping on the couch and Kentaro on his futon, he had been relegated to taking naps while they were at school. He quickly found out, though, that it was a poor substitute for a good night's sleep. Jirou's body had begun aching from falling asleep on his hard wood floor.

I wonder just how long these kids will stay here… Not that I'm not enjoying this, but if it's going to be too much longer, I should probably invest in another futon.

After deciding he would go shopping for another futon the following day, he quickly enveloped himself in the world of a dating-sim. Unfortunately, a 'bad end' cropped up rather quickly, and Jirou lost the will to play anymore. He went into the bathroom and shaved whatever stray facial hairs had popped up during the day, taking a long look at himself in the mirror.

I guess I really don't look like I'm twenty years old. It's true that I always get carded when I buy beer… Maybe I could pass as a seventeen year old? No, no, no… High school was absolutely miserable. Because I spent three months of every year in America, I was never around long enough to make any friends. No one wanted to get close to me.

Feeling rather depressed, Mitsugi returned to his laptop. His eyes narrowed as he tried to concentrate his tired brain on the screen's contents. That same email address, which mistakenly had sent him an email before, once more appeared.

'From there! Regretfully, something has come up on my end. I wasn't able to meet you yet. I'll contact you again when I get another chance to visit Japan. I simply cannot wait to share a lunch with you again! Hopefully you feel the same way.'

Jeez, this is kind of annoying. Maybe I should reply. I'll set up a dummy account first and forward it through my real one, which this person keeps mailing. That way I can still keep some level of anonymity.

For a professional internet surfer like Jirou, this was a piece of cake.

'From senzo.freelunch

I've received two emails from you now (attached) which I believe have been sent to me by mistake. Please try to contact the person you've been trying to contact by other means to verify their email. I'm sure sharing a lunch with you would be great, but since I have no idea who you are, it may be a little awkward. Thanks for your understanding.'

He leaned back from his laptop and read the contents back to himself before pressing the 'Send' button. Almost immediately and prompting a jump from Jirou, his cell phone began buzzing on the tabletop. He hesitated for a moment before checking the caller ID. He breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered that it was his mother's cell number. Jirou stepped outside quietly so the conversation wouldn't bother the twins.

"Hello?"

"Jirou, is that you?" the voice asked after a second of time delay.

"Who else would it be? Hi, mom," he said sarcastically. Jirou leaned against the wall in front of his apartment and shoved his free hand in his pocket. "You do realize that it's past midnight here, right?"

"You're the one who's awake at this late hour," his mom chastised. "Don't you have class tomorrow morning?"

"Uh, actually it's not until the afternoon on Fridays…" he lied.

Jeez… I'd forgotten that my parents still think I'm in school. It's not hard to keep the lie going since they are never around, but I still feel guilty.

"Well, since the semester is ending after next week, why don't you fly over here for a week or two?"

"Mom, I just got back a couple months ago."

"You know that we can't leave."

"Don't you have some kind of vacation schedule at work?"

"No. Both your father and I are important and necessary factors to getting business done. So, how about it?" An idea began forming in Jirou's mind.

"Well…"

"I miss you, son…"

"I do have one condition."

"Condition?" Jirou smiled mischievously. "Why do I get the impression that you're smiling?"

"You know me way too well, mom… Anyway, you know that school I've been at as a teacher's aid?" he lied once more.

"Let's see… I think so…"

"There's a couple of students who have had some hard times lately. Their parents are also overseas on business, so I guess I would be able to come and visit if they could come with."

"How many?" his mother's voice asked indifferently.

"Just two. They're twins, brother and sister," he explained. His mother sighed, though over the cell phone it sounded like interference.

"That'd be OK. I'll have the airline send the tickets to your email; you still have the same one, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, you went through that phase where you changed it every couple months, and I just couldn't ever get in contact with you." He decided not to respond. "So I'll do that. Call me if anything changes. I'll have someone waiting at the airport for you and your students."

"Uh, right. See you then."

"Bye, honey." He ended the call and sighed.

"Sorry, mom…"

---

Kentaro left the school without hurry. The day had been long, filled with the first parts of his final exams. Of course he would undoubtedly pass them and progress on to the next grade, but the act of test-taking was difficult for him.

But I got through the day OK. The rest of the week won't be too bad, I guess.

His thoughts quickly turned to Jirou as he approached the bench, but he halted as soon as it came into view. Wakamiya Fumika, the student council president and most beautiful girl (voted two consecutive years running) in school, was sitting next to Kentaro's senpai. Ken realized that this was a momentous occasion, as did a large number of other passing students who stared as they walked by, or stopped completely.

The student council usually spent their time meeting after school, organizing events or whatever. And by "usually," that meant all the time. Being in the student council was the single most time consuming club activity. Yet, here the president was, only a few minutes after the last bell, casually chatting with someone she had only met the day before.

She must have run as fast as she could! I was initially interested in Jirou because he's so freakin' weird… Maybe the president feels that same kind of interest because he heroically saved Hikari? High-maintenance girls like her are usually attracted to those heroic types. Or maybe she's trying to recruit him for next semester, which would be a huge honor…

"Hey, you." Kentaro turned slowly to face his approaching sister. "What's up?" He shrugged.

"Nothing much. Jirou-senpai has apparently caught the student council president's eye," he explained casually. After a moment of silence he added, "Does that bother you at all?" Hikari looked confused. "Well, you know… Another girl talking to the guy you like…"

"Oh, you mean to ask if I feel jealous?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't want to see you get your feelings hurt…"

"Jeez, brother, I'm not a little kid," she grumbled. "Once she and everyone else gets to know Jirou, I'm sure things will settle down. I mean, he's not exactly the most social person on Earth. The relationship we have is-"

"Oh, 'relationship'? I think that'd be news to him," Kentaro chuckled before being punched in the shoulder.

"Don't misinterpret! You know I like him… and it's true he has been exceptionally kind towards both of us, and that he saved me from that situation… However, I don't think Jirou's actions reflect anything beyond friendship."

"I see… So you wonder if he even realizes that you like him?" She nodded stiffly, blushing a little. "Well, there's no guessing what goes on in that brain of his. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be. Don't give up just because of these things." Both of them turned and looked at Jirou. Even from a distance, they could tell he was extremely uncomfortable as the president rambled on and on.

"Let's abandon him this time," Hikari mischievously suggested. "Helping him would only make him rely on us for social support."

"You're being rather cold-hearted today," her brother said with a smile. "In that case, I received notice that we could return to the house. We can't keep imposing on his lifestyle forever, ya know? We'll pick up our stuff from his apartment after finals week."

The Tanakas took a final glance towards their friend before leaving.

Even if I like him… maybe it's an impossible goal, Hikari thought. Even if he is so nice to us, even if he lets me hang around and pester him, even if he saved me… My interpretation of his actions are probably totally different from his. Is this hopeless?

---

Seven hours later, Hikari had made a decision. Even though it was finals week, she ventured out into the city at almost midnight. Her mind was set.

Jirou… Jirou! … I'll confess my love to you, no matter what.

She finally reached his apartment building and stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Hikari heard the unexpected shuffle of two people walking towards her. The incident from the other day still fresh in her mind, she ducked behind the hedges which lines the sidewalk. Through the bushes she could make out two men walking by. Both of them seemed to be rather large.

"So that punk wasn't home?" one asked the other in a gruff voice.

"It doesn't appear so," responded a silky but deadly one. "But he'll be in for a surprise when he does."

"Damn! I wanted to teach him a lesson!" the gruff one yelled as he cracked his knuckles. "At least we were paid in advance."

"That's for sure. We'll show everyone what happens when you mess with us." The two shared a mean-spirited laugh and continued past Hikari's position. After a moment she peeked out at the men. The backs of their jackets… She'd seen them somewhere before… A single bottle of red sake… Horror gripped her heart when she remembered.

That same biker gang?! Oh my God… Did they come to beat up Jirou? Or to… She shook her head at the very thought. Reaching into her purse, the sinking feeling in her heart only grew worse. My cell… I forgot it at home?! I can't contact Jirou or Kentaro or the police… That one said something about a 'surprise' when Jirou came home.

Tanaka Hikari's mind was locked. More than anything she wanted to find Jirou and warn him, but at the same time she knew the smart thing to do would be to contact the police. However, there was the chance that Jirou would come home while she went to a substation.

Damnit… This is all because of that stupid decision I made in the park… How was I supposed to know some yakuza biker guy would be there?! Why are all of these bad things happening so suddenly? What could they have done to his apartment that would…

She shook her head and tried to think clearly. Hikari decided that, even if something happened, it would be best to inform the police. At least then there would be some measure of protection if something did happen. With that, she bolted to the nearest police substation, which happened to be the same one they had been taken to after the incident before. The two officers recognized her immediately.

"Young lady, what's the matter?" the older one asked. He immediately recognized the frightened look in her eyes. "Is that gang after you again?" She shook her head, still panting from the run.

"Then, that guy who saved you?" the younger officer deduced, though his tone was less tense than his partner's. She nodded. He looked at his partner. "I'll bring up that one's information and put out an APB, you find out what's wrong!" he yelled as he disappeared back into the substation. The wizened old man placed a hand on Hikari's shoulder in an effort to comfort her.

"Whatever's happened, you'll be OK. Understand?" he asked in a more calm tone. Once more she shook her head. "Eh?"

"It's not… me that I'm worried about… They said… his apartment… surprise waiting…" she explained between gasps of air. The officer immediately drew some information from his memory.

"That biker gang has worked with the yakuza in the past. Do you really think they would?"

"Sir! Here's his info!" The elder grabbed the report in one hand and his radio's mic in the other.

"This is substation 26-B; we have an emergency situation! Reason to believe that a man is being targeted; send reinforcements and a bomb squad to this address-"

Hikari didn't hear the rest. As it happened she turned slowly… The bright orange lit up the sky even before the sound of the explosion reached her. Both policemen rushed out of the station, slackjawed. "There's been an explosion! It's from the direction of that apartment complex! Get an ambulance over there now!"

Everything moved in slow motion for Hikari. Eyes wide, she watched the dark sky glow orange from the fire. The two police officers told her to stay put before rushing away in their car.

I… If' I'd only stayed there for a couple minutes… He'd… Jirou would be…

It was all she could think. Jirou had to be dead.

Unable to cope with what had happened, Hikari managed to pull her body into the substation before she lost control. Kentaro was there in less than ten minutes. Apparently it was all over the news. An eyewitness had seen a young man, positively ID'd as Mitsugi Jirou, enter the apartment building three minutes before the explosion. It had been on the fifth floor, in the apartment which had also been rented to Mitsugi Jirou. According to the building manager, none of the apartments around his were currently occupied.

He was suspected to have been killed in the explosion. It was too soon for investigators to know anything definite. Detectives came to the substation soon afterward, though Hikari was of little help. She explained what she had seen, the two men and their conversation. Due to this, they were assigned armed guards. The Tanakas were escorted home in short order.

For the second time in a week, Hikari cried herself to sleep. Although it was past three a.m. by the time they got home, Kentaro was completely unable to sleep. His mind was filled, overflowing with different thoughts of his senior. He was filled with regret, though he knew his sister's was probably worse by an order of magnitude.

Jirou-senpai… I never knew that watching you squirm next to the student council president would be the last time I saw you. Are you really dead? All you did was protect Hikari from some prevent biker. It's not like you killed that guy, or even injured him. You didn't even embarrass him; you're the one who got your ass kicked. So why… Why did they have you killed?

The whole situation was bothersome to Kentaro. Granted, he didn't know much about bikers, gangs or yakuza, but things just didn't add up. He ended up staying awake all night. The next day at school was pure torture for both of them. Every free moment they had was filled with people asking about Jirou's condition, why his apartment was targeted… Kentaro ended up losing control and giving in to anger, which didn't exactly help his already pathetic reputation. After they realized that Hikari was completely distraught, the girls of their class converged to try and console her.

After school they were both taken to the district's main police building. The rest of the evening was taken up with interrogations. By the time they got home, both Kentaro and Hikari were emotionally exhausted. Hikari retired to her room the minute immediately, closing the door behind her. Kentaro took a seat on the living room couch and simply stared out at the dark city.

He stared for what turned out to be three hours before his cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, but Kentaro figured it might be the police and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Is this… uh, you were staying with Jirou, right?" a woman's voice asked.

"Eh… Who is this?" he asked, suspicious.

"Oh my, where are my manners? I'm Mitsugi Ako, Jirou's mother." The tension that had been rising in his body drained away.

"J-jirou-senpai's mother? I… I suppose you've heard by now…"

"Yes, I have," she responded with a sigh. "He'll be so sad that all that manga he'd accumulated was burned."

"Excuse me?"

"Jirou. He still has that unhealthy habit of reading all that manga, right? He thought we didn't know."

"Well, he did… I'm not sure you've been told everything."

"Oh no, both his father and I were contacted just a few hours ago by the Japanese police." Kentaro wondered if she was in denial. "In any case don't be surprised if he imposes on you. Please give him the help he needs until we can sort things out. Goodbye!" Before he could object, the line was dead.

What the hell was she talking about?

He expected a knock on the door, but none ever came.

---

Kentaro's eyes cracked open. It took his brain a moment to come up to speed, but he realized that there was a thunderstorm going on outside. Lightning crashed down all over the city, some of the striking quite close to the house. Suddenly all of the lights in the city went dead. The high-rise buildings all faded into the black sky, only illuminated as the lightning struck. Hikari wandered out of her room, walking slowly and carefully.

"It's a blackout," Kentaro noted.

"Yeah," she replied, too tired to state the obviousness of his words.

"Are you scared?"

"No…" As she spoke the house was filled with a loud boom, and bright white light poured through all the windows. Kentaro instinctively covered his eyes, barely able to make out Hikari's scream over the din.

After almost a minute, the ringing in his ears died away. His body felt like it was tingling. As he reached over to try to turn on the lamp next to the couch, a bolt of electricity jumped from his fingertips to the metal of the light stand. The light bulb illuminated for a few seconds, then died away once more. Kentaro stared in wonder at his hand once his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Was the house… Struck by lightning?" Hikari whispered. He nodded slowly.

"Must have."

"At least it seems like it's over." True enough, the sounds of rolling thunder seemed distant now. A single quick knock came from the front door. Kentaro stood and walked to the door.

"It must be the police who were watching the house, checking up on us," he explained to his wide-eyed sister. He opened the door and immediately felt a weight pushing against his body. He took a step back to steady himself as he struggled to hold this extra weight. He had closed his eyes tightly, probably thinking he was being attacked. The sharp gasp from Hikari only added to his fright.

However, after the initial pressure, there was no more. He felt like he was holding a tall bag of rice. He finally opened his eyes and found Hikari trying to help him with the burden. Kentaro finally realized it; he was holding up a human body. It was too dark to see anything, so he assumed that the officer had been shocked when he tried to approach the house. The two carried the body into their home and rested in on the couch.

"Are you OK?" Kentaro asked. He smelled ashes and what seemed to be gasoline.

"Mmmm…" the raspy voice answered.

"Hikari, would you get some water?"

"R-right!" He heard her footsteps as she went towards the kitchen.

"You'll be alright, just hang in there." Kentaro stood and went to close the front door. He quickly turned about face when he heard glass shattering against the floor. Hikari's hands were covering her mouth, tears once again streaming from her eyes. Kentaro began preparing himself for the grim reality of facing the fact that the officer had been killed by their house's electrical discharge.

However, he was wrong.

On their couch, his body smouldering, was none other than Mitsugi Jirou.

Kentaro tried to speak, to call out, but his voice was stuck in his throat. Jirou's body appeared to be covered in burns, and his clothes were covered in blood. Ken realized that Jirou was holding his right hand close to his body, but upon further examination… he came to the conclusion that there was no hand attached to the wrist.

The twins were both frozen where they stood, Hikari's crying the only sound.

"I have some… explaining…" Jirou's voice finally stated, smoke rolling from his mouth when he opened it. "Don't call anyone."

"B-b-but you… you're covered in burns… and your hand…" Kentaro whispered, unable to force any power into his voice.

"If the two of you… are here with me… I'll recover… so please…" The voice didn't even appear to come from Jirou's mouth, but from the whole room. "Trust me…"

…

As Kentaro and Hikari force themselves to comply with Jirou's commands, both of them are filled with questions. Mitsugi Jirou was not dead. How he was alive, and what had happened in the past twenty-four hours, were answered to which the twins anxiously waited, though they were afraid to even ask the questions. How is he alive? Why is he refusing medical help? How did he get into the house? What meaning was held in his mother's mysterious words?

…

End of Chapter 3.

Postnote: So, a cliffhanger. No doubt you're confused. Answers will come in chapter 4.
P.S.: I'm posting this without really looking over the chapter, so there may be some errors. I'll fix them as I see them. Sorry!