So here is Chapter three! Finally Anri joins the group and you get to meet the other information broker in Ikebukero. Enjoy! please let me know what you think :)
Another day of school was over and done with, I won't go back out even if one of my informants calls me, but I should go pick up some cupcakes today. Suddenly during the clean up after class Masaomi poked his head out the door. "Mr. Nasujima are you sexually harassing her?" He glanced back towards me and I could tell what he wanted me to do, "Wow you sure were getting handsy there with our class rep teach. I mean if that wasn't sexual harassment then I don't know what is. So you like the sexy harasho types." He then left the classroom to talk to them, I moved and placed a mop and bucket of water outside the door, I then stayed out of sight and listened.
"Kida stop clowning around." he turned back to the girl named Anri. "Anri I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea and start spreading rumors."
"Does she really look like the gossipy type to you?" Masaomi asked.
"No you got a point, you kids take care," he said trying to laugh it off.
"And you have nothing to worry about, the only one spreading rumors will be me," he said smiling, our teacher then glanced at me and tripped over the mop bucket I had just put in the hallway.
"Oh, so sorry are you ok teach?" I asked, but he just scurried away. Mission accomplished. Masaomi stood in front of Anri looking pleased with himself.
Mikado showed up then, "Masaomi? Kitomi? Anri?"
Everyone was standing around awkwardly so I elbowed Mikado, "well then lets quickly finish up and get out of here. How about we go get some cupcakes?"
Anri Sonohara, had now joined our group. I have to admit I understand why the guys are into her, we left the school. Anri was really cute and kinda shy, she seemed like the type that needed someone to watch out for her. Masaomi had told me she was getting bullied by some girls from her Jr. High and Mikado swooped in and saved her yesterday. Now though the four of us walked together in awkward silence.
"You took some guff the other day," Mikado said trying to break the silence.
"Oh, yah," she said noncommittally. She doesn't seem really comfortable around people, but both of the boys seem to like having her around.
After a moment Masaomi broke the silence, "I sure didn't see that coming. You putting the moves on her before me, and after Kitomi hit on you and she doesn't hit on anyone."
I blushed and shot Masaomi a glare, I wasn't hitting on him. "That wasn't what I was doing," Mikado told him.
Masaomi walked over between Anri and Mikado, "But you know its all good I think if I were you though I would have taken that shot and scored. By now I would be whispering sweet nothings in her ear at West Gate Park." He suddenly turned and knelt in front of Anri, "Dump the chump and go out with me!" He declared throwing his arms open. He had a big cheesy grin on his face and looked absolutely ridiculous kneeling in front of her.
"Hey what are you. . ."Mikado stared at his best friend confused.
"Umm I'm not," Anri mumbled quietly avoiding eye contact with anyone.
"Really Masaomi?" I said smiling and laughing at the discomfort of the groups two new members.
"It's alright you don't need to answer right away," he declared waving a hand in her face, "I have the same offer out to seven other girls and I still don't know which one I want most.
Mikado closed his eyes and shook his head, "Don't waste your time trying to make sense of this guy Anri, it'll just make your head hurt. I know he acts like a playboy but he's far from it. Last time he hit on girls. . . " While he was talking I watched as Masomi crawled over to the rail and climbed onto it, he sat their perched like a bird.
"OK, you've said enough." Masaomi declared from his new perch, he suddenly jumped on top of Mikado and they both fell to the ground. Anri watched in silence as they flailed around on the ground but I laughed wholeheartedly, it was the first time I had laughed so much in a long time and I had to wipe a tear from my eye.
"I can tell you're good friends." Anri said flatly.
"Yah, best friends," Masaomi said letting up on his tickle attack towards Mikado.
"It's the cross I bear," Mikado told Anri good naturedly. Causing Mikado to start up his attack again. It took a while before the boys would start walking again but that didn't matter, a part of me didn't even want to go to where I was leading them.
We arrived at a cute little shop that I had been to a few times, it was called "The Cuppycake", and the sign for the place had a redheaded chibi holding up a cupcake with aqua frosting, even without the sign the Victorian style building stuck out. Masaomi looked at me concerned, "Are you sure you want cupcakes?" He asked.
"Yah, I REALLY need some cupcakes right now," I said smiling at him, please just let it go and I will explain later. I promise. "Besides its a great place for us to talk and get to know Anri better," I said looping arms with the other girl.
The interior was entirely aqua and mocca, and despite the classic exterior the interior was modern styled. I had them get us a table and I went up to the counter instead of waiting for a waitress, "Is Kanoki here?" I asked the cashier, "I need to make a special order."
The girl kept a passive face and nodded,"She can be with you in just a moment,"
"Perfect, and could you please send a variety of cupcakes to my friends over there," I said pointing to where Anri, Masaomi and Mikado and sat down. "I'll cover the tab." She nodded to me and got another worker started on collecting cupcakes to take over.
The redhead didn't keep me waiting long, the chibi out front was actually styled after the owner of the store, Kanoki Himefugigo was bright and bubbly and while she owned this store that wasn't her main business. "Hello Kanoki, I was hoping I could talk to you about a special order?" I smiled brightly at the woman, she was an information broker, just like Izaya but she would never leave Ikebukuro, because her boyfriend would never leave.
Shizuo Heiwajima and Kanoki had been going out for as long as I had known them, it was because of how many enemies he had that she always wore a short sword attached to her thigh, he kept trying to propose to her but had never succeeded. "Well lets go in the back and take a look at what I can do for you." She said smiling, her aqua eyes looked like they wanted to say more but she stuck to the script.
Her office was in the back of the building, down an elegant spiral staircase. Once we were in the back it all dropped though, "I don't know how much help I can be, Izaya bought me out." I was afraid of that, I had been hoping it would take him longer to cripple her information system than mine but apparently it had been a vain hope.
"Who is in control of the yellow scarves now?" I prayed that she could tell me because I was running out of places to turn.
"Sorry, all I know is that they are coming back, despite how much effort you seem to have put into their complete disbanding." I shook my head, I should have known that she doesn't have anything.
"Well it was worth a try." I smiled at her, "I better get back, as it is I have a lot of explaining to do." The redhead nodded and I went back to the table with my friends.
"Sorry about that, so what did I miss?" I asked snagging a chocolate cupcake.
"I was just warning her about Nasujima," Masaomi told her.
"Don't worry about him, he won't mess with you if we are around." I told her happily.
"They already told me," she said quietly taking a bite of her cupcake.
"Anyway about those girls, the ones that were bullying you. Their from your Jr. High right?" Mikado ashed Anri.
"How? How did you know that?" she asked surprised.
"Well it was just some of the things they said to you, it seemed like there might have been some other girl around to stick up for you but I guess that girls gone now and so those girls came back to harass you again.
"Yah thats right a friend of yours has disappeared. Still no sign of her yet?" I asked her.
"I't Mika Harima from our class right?" Mikado added, the three of us then waited patiently while she pulled out a little scrapbook of pictures of her and her friend. Mika looked like she was a female version of Masaomi, bright and outgoing; she had brown hair and smiled brightly in all of the pictures.
"They're saying that she's just absent from school right now, but she's been missing since school even started." Anri looked down at the pictures worriedly, the two of them looked so different that it was shocking they would get along but the worry in Anri's eyes told me she really cared about the other girl.
"Shouldn't we tell the cops about this." Masaomi asked her, finishing off his cupcake.
"The last I heard from her she had sent a text to me and her family, she said her heart was broken so she was taking a quick trip and not to worry." She said it like she didn't believe what the text, I wonder if she blames Mika's parents a little, I thought but I didn't let myself linger on such dark things.
"Her heart was broken, what happened?" Mikado asked, both of the boys seemed to be taking a genuine interest Anri's problems, She might end up being a permanent part of the group, I thought happily. I had never had any friends close to my age that were girls.
"Well she. . . listen, this might come as a bit of a shock to you" She looked worried about telling us more about Mika.
"After what I've seen these past few days I doubt anything can shock me." Mikado told her and Masaomi gave her a thumbs up in agreement, I nodded for her to tell. Does Mikado really think this city can't still surprise him? I thought worrying about him if he thought that way.
"My friend Mika is a stalker," Mikado choked on his food and Masaomi just nodded as if that is what he expected.
"Gotcha so that guy we overheard you talking to earlier, Mika was stalking him, no sorry she was deeply in love with him and had to go on a trip because he rejected her?" Masaomi pieced together and looked to her for confirmation.
"Mm hm," She confirmed not looking any of us in the eye.
Thats an issue for her family then, not you if she doesn't come back soon they'll call the cops." Masaomi told her as if the case were closed, but Mikado wasn't done asking questions.
"Were the two of you close? Were you good friends?" Masaomi and I both looked at Mikado confused, She said they were best friends, wouldn't that imply that they were close?
"Well we were together all the time. I'm not naturally very social but she dragged me along wherever she went. It was only because of her that I actually met people. Then when I found out she chose the same highschool I did I actually felt kinda guilty about it." She smiled to herself and looked at hands.
"So then. . . " Mikado trailed off and so I finished his thought.
"So she was using you, but you knew that." The boys both looked at me in shock but Anri just nodded.
"Thats true. Mika was only using me to make herself look better, but to be completely honest I was using her too. Depending on her made my life easier, pretty soon I couldn't imagine living any other way." Anri said it as if that was how all friendships worked and it made me feel sorry for her
"Umm. . ." Mikado looked uncomfortable and I couldn't blame him, the conversation was quickly becoming awkward.
"But now I think I'm OK, I realized I don't really need her. I'm used to it now, I'm doing fine without her. To tell you guys the truth I only asked to be class rep because thats the job she would wanted. I figured I should just do it in her place, I wanted to prove to myself that I can be better than she is. You think I'm devious don't you." She smiled at us and I almost wanted to tell her that there was nothing wrong with that way of thinking, but Mikado spoke first.
"Actually I think its devious that you're telling us this. It kinda seems like you're asking for our forgiveness or something. The fact that you want to be better than her isn't something you need to defend. If you ask me that's something you should really own and be proud of. but. . ."
"You're right, thank you Mikado. " There was an odd atmosphere around them that I couldn't break, They've connected, I thought looking at them, I wonder if she likes him?
Masaomi seemed upset about being left out of whatever was going on between them so he smashed Mikado's cupcake in his face, "You're lame!"
"How am I lame?" Mikado asked trying to wipe pink frosting off his face. At that moment the bell rang and someone I knew walked into The Cuppycake. Tatsuko walked into the room, I noticed her arm was in a sling then her green eyes met my blue ones. I glanced over at Masaomi and noticed him staring, I promise I had no idea, I haven't seen or heard from her since Izaya left.
"Lets go guys, I think if I eat anymore cupcakes I'll explode." I got nods all around as we were leaving I noticed Tatsuko going into the back to talk to Kanoki, Is she coming to ask for help? I wondered, Or is she on an errand for Izaya? I knew I would never know the answer but I couldn't stop myself from wondering.