Chapter II – Challenge Accepted.
|| January 11, 20** || Sunday || 8:03 AM
Today was raining and the cold weather only makes you want to sleep more. But…
*riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnngggg*
A noisy alarm clock can't make you stop from going to work. Harumi reached out to her desk with her left arm and tried to turn off her alarm. Once she felt the cold button, she pressed it, silencing the alarm. She took the clock and looked at it. 8:03 AM. Harumi sighed and put the alarm back on the desk. She removed her covers and got up from her bed, stumbling as she did so. She opened the curtains and looked outside.
The clouds aren't as pretty when raining. Thunder jolted from the skies. Harumi yawned with her hand on her mouth. I'm still sleepy but I guess I'll go to work. Harumi thought. Harumi took her towel and robe on the racket and gone outside her room. She yawned several times and finally got to the bathroom.
|| 8:58 AM ||
"Hmmm…" Harumi hummed as she cooked breakfast after taking a bath and changing her clothes.
"Oh…you're already awake Harumi-neesan!" A voice echoed around the kitchen. Harumi turned to look at her little brother. Her brother was still in his pajamas, probably just woke up I guess. Harumi turned back after confirming her little brother's presence. Her brother just widely smiled and walked up behind her.
"What are you cooking? Is it my favorite?" Her brother, Hiroki, asked excitedly. Harumi smiled. Hiroki beamed.
"Yay!" Hiroki shouted in happiness while running around the kitchen happily. Even for her brother Hiroki who was 16 years old, he was a cheerful guy with an innocent aura, much like Taneshima but he wasn't like the other guys she encountered. He was referred as "The Shining Prince" in his school.
"Just go take a bath and change. This will be done in a minute," Harumi said as she flipped the pancake. Hiroki nodded happily as he ran to his room and got out to take a bath in the bathroom. Minutes later, Harumi finished cooking the pancakes with her brother waiting on the dining table. Harumi served the pancakes, equally separating the pancakes for the two of them.
"How's work going Harumi-neesan?" Hiroki asked while slicing his pancake. Harumi thought for a while.
"Pretty fine…I guess." Harumi replied, unsure how to answer her question. Hiroki hummed while munching the pancake she ate.
"Do you even talk there? I mean…a lot?" Hiroki asked again. Harumi took her glass of milk and drank it before answering.
"Not really. It depends on the situation," Harumi replied, resuming on eating the pancake. Hiroki stared at his sister for a moment and blinked twice.
"Hmm…I see. I wonder…does someone get along with you?" Hiroki asked again. Harumi continued eating while also thinking of what her brother asked. I can't say I'm close to one of my co-workers there but…
"I think there is one. Younger than me but she's the most social and cheerful worker there," Harumi replied. Hiroki blinked for a second, stared at his sister and smiled.
"I see. It's a girl right? You never get along with boys, except for me," Hiroki happily smiled, glad that his sister was able to get along with her co-workers. Harumi nodded. Hiroki laughed coolly at his sister's silent response.
"I guess…" Harumi responded.
|| 9:17 AM ||
Harumi got to work after preparing at home and saying goodbye to her younger brother. She entered the backdoor and was greeted by Taneshima.
"Good morning, Takukega-san! I hope we work well today!" Taneshima beamed at Harumi. Harumi nodded at her, also saying a silent greeting. Taneshima smiled, ran and waved goodbye to Harumi.
"Good morning, Takukega-san. I see you have a cheerful little brother. The Sunshine Prince huh?" Souma suddenly greeted her. Harumi flinched and turned around, just to see Souma smiling evilly. Harumi cringed. She shot a questioning glare saying how-the-hell-do-you-know-him?! Souma kept his cool, but a bit bothered by Harumi's deadly aura.
"Hehe. Sources," Souma smiled playfully.
*BOOGSH*
The impact on the wall made it broke but a smaller damage applied than Inami. Harumi's punch was near Souma's face and he avoided it in the nick of time. Souma shivered under her unnerving gaze.
"Aha..ha. It was just joke Takukega-san. I was kidding!" Souma answered, panicking. Harumi made a 'tch' sound.
"Just this once and never meddle with my life again, especially my family. You got that?" With Harumi's stern demanding voice, Souma hurriedly nodded. Harumi backed away from him a bit. She sighed and faced him. Souma flinched.
Harumi bowed, saying she was sorry for acting recklessly. Souma was frozen for a moment heaved a heavy sigh. Harumi turned away from him and got into the girl's dressing room. Taneshima, Takanashi, Yamada and the others ran towards where the sound of Harumi's punch came from. They looked to see what was going on, and seeing Souma's pale face, Takanashi thought, He did something again. Takanashi sighed.
"W-what happened Souma-san?" Taneshima asked as her head turned to the damage applied to the wall and looking back at Souma's terrified state. Yamada stood behind Taneshima, staring at the damage on the wall.
"Inami's not here right now, her shift will start soon but why…or rather who did this to the wall?" Takanashi asked suspiciously, worried that there was someone who could break a wall like Inami. Souma gulped as he answered.
"Takukega-san," As Souma said the name, Takanashi, Taneshima and Yamada froze in their spots. Five seconds later, Taneshima perked up.
"I-impossible, Harumi would never have strength like that," Taneshima brushed off his confession as she waved her hand with a bead of sweat on her temple. Takanashi also nodded in agreement with glinted glasses but Yamada didn't have the same reaction. Instead of brushing it off as a joke, she rejoiced and pumped her fist in the air.
"That's cool!" Yamada cheered. A vein popped on Takanashi's temple and thought, How can she think that's cool?! It's dangerous to have another Inami-like punch in this place, also adding the fact that our manager is even a former gangster and has a lot of underlings too!
"Cool?!" Taneshima exclaimed, also shocked with Yamada's reaction. Souma staggered as he stood up and he was helped by Takanashi to get up. His pale and terrified face didn't fade away. He laughed half-heartedly.
"Takukega-san has some strength in her, I respect that," Souma said hoarsely, "though, I would prefer if she was a little gentle with us." Takanashi remained still with his glasses glinted.
"Um…is something wrong?" A sudden but very familiar voice asked. Takanashi turned to see her and he was right, it was Inami. Taneshima beamed for a second, seeing Inami.
"G-good Morning Inami-san…ummm well, something just happened. Haha…" Taneshima trailed off as Inami looked to where Taneshima was looking at. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell agape. W-what?
"W-what happened here?" Inami asked, confused and worried that someone had enough strength like her to damage a wall. Yamada grinned and held her chin.
"Inami-san, it's time for you to meet your long lost soul twin, who is…" Long lost soul twin? That kinda sounds made-up. Inami thought.
"Takukega-san!" Yamada finished as she pointed her finger at Harumi who just finished changing into her uniform. Harumi shot a questioning look to them. What? She seemed to ask them. Souma perked up, Hoho, I see. Souma smiled.
"Eh?! Yamada-san, you're kind of going overboard, there's no proof." Inami said as she shook her hands in front of Yamada. Yamada only smiled smugly and was about to say something but was interrupted.
"I think Satou-kun is her long lost soul twin Yamada-san," The once terrified and weak Souma was now back as the black sparkles flew all around him. The real Souma is back! Takanashi thought.
"Oh! How so, Souma-san?!" Yamada asked as black sparkles flew around her too. Takanashi only sighed, frustrated. Harumi only watched from a distance. Long lost soul twin? What? That sounds terrible. Harumi sighed but didn't say anything.
"Harumi is quiet, kind, strong, hard worker and patient. You can see how similar Satou-san and Takukega-san are, don't you Yamada-san?" Souma said but Yamada frowned.
"Yes she is like that but isn't Inami-san the same? They also have the same blood type, O," Yamada said. Souma pondered for a while and smiled.
"Takukega-san is straightforward and does not hesitate to ask or say honest comments. Satou's like that you know?" Souma said but Yamada interjected again.
"Takukega-san is born in April one, like Inami-san."
"Takukega-san is also a good listener, like Satou-san," Souma replied. Inami, Taneshima, Takanashi and Takukega watched the two argue on whom Harumi's long lost twin is. Taneshima thought, Yamada-san and Souma-san knows a lot!
On the other side, both Inami and Takanashi got scared that they knew so much information about Takukega and Satou. They're really at it. Takanashi thought as a bead of sweat slid down his temple. Harumi watched and her eyes narrowed deeper as Souma and Yamada pointed out her characteristics and personal information that were similar to Inami and Satou.
"Oi, what are you all doing here? We're swamped with customers, get back to work," Satou said as he entered the break room. His eyes stopped to a crack on a wall, "…what happened here?" He asked.
Takanashi sighed, noticing that almost all of them are here in the break room, fussing over the crack on the wall. It was expected since this time, it wasn't Inami who did it. "I'm guessing Inami-san did this," Satou said as he looked over at Inami. Takanashi sighed yet again.
"Souma-san said it was Takukega-san," When Takanashi said this, Satou looked over at Harumi. Harumi stared back at him.
"I did the damage and I am terribly sorry. I just lost my patience for personal circumstances," Harumi explained. Satou looked at Souma who was still debating with Yamada.
"…You're horrible Souma," Satou said. As he uttered those words, an imaginary arrow shot through Souma's heart. "Inami-san is-!" Yamada was about to continue but noticed that Souma's head was slowly turning at Satou's.
"That hurts Satou-kun," Souma said. Inami and Takanashi sweat dropped as they watched Satou and Souma. With a strained smile, Inami waved her hands in front of her.
"Calm down everyone, Takukega-san already apologized, so I think its fine," Inami said, doing her best to calm the situation. Takanashi sighed and thought, it was really Takukega-san who did the damage on the wall…one more weirdo.
"Hey, what are you all doing here? Get back to work!" Kyoko said as she entered the break room, but when her eyes landed on the wall, she stood still. With mouth almost opening, Takanashi beat her to it.
"It's Takukega-san's fault." Takanashi said, yet again. Kyoko turned to look at Harumi, who still didn't move from her position. Harumi sighed.
"I'll fix it later, but now, we have customers to attend to," Harumi said. One by one, each of them got back to work, with Souma still affected and whining to Satou and Yamada pouting; sad that she wasn't able to continue the debate. Kyoko was the only one left in the break room and Yachiyo later came.
"This is indeed surprising," Yachiyo said as she touched the wall. Kyoko nodded, "For now, let's go." Yachiyo nodded and smiled.
|| 12:03 PM ||
Harumi entered the break room and was about to go in the girl's dressing room until she heard…shrewd voices.
"Ah! It's too tight!" Inami's voice could be heard as Harumi listened outside, her mind having dirty thoughts. Souma hid and did his best to stop his snicker. "Ooh! Let's do this shall we?" An unknown voice said. Harumi had beads of sweat forming on her head and temple as one drop of it slid down her chin, falling to the ground.
Takanashi was about to enter the break room, but found Souma covering his mouth with his hand, doing his best not to laugh. Takanashi sweat dropped. What is it this time? He thought and sighed for the millionth time. Ignoring Souma, he entered the break room, seeing Harumi all antsy and nervous, with a blush on her cheeks in front of the girl's dressing room. That's rare. Takanashi thought. Takanashi was about to ask when he heard a sudden voice coming from the dressing room, stopping him.
"Ah!" A high pitched sound escaped from Inami's voice as Harumi, not noticing Takanashi, listened to it. Harumi and Takanashi froze in their positions, with Takanashi having a dangerous glint on his glasses and a mild blush, and with Harumi, blushing thousand shades of red. Souma remained still on his position and this time, he used both of his hands to cover his mouth, preventing him from laughing out loud.
As the blonde and brunette froze, the dressing room opened, revealing Inami with a…frilly and cute outfit. She wore a hairband with pink frills and a butterfly design on it. She wore a choker with pink and white strips and frills on each end, connecting a fuchsia pink dress with white frills. It had its sleeves bounced up, and on Inami's waist was an apron with white and frilly ends. Harumi released the breath she held while Takanashi watched in astonishment.
"Inami-san?!" Takanashi exclaimed, seeing a high level cuteness coming from Inami, while Harumi flinched, not noticing Takanashi's presence at all. He blushed furiously as Harumi calmed herself down. Not being able to hold it longer, Souma finally laughed, earning a frightened flinch again from Harumi.
She sighed, and thought, who was the other person in the dressing room though? As if to answer her question, a lady with a huge bust and flushed cheeks was seen to go outside the dressing room and with a huge smile on her face.
"Inami-chan is sooo cuteeee!" The unknown person said, with a drunken demeanor. Harumi was totally confused right up to the batter, questions adding up in her head, though not really showing it in front of them. She calmed herself and returned her stoic expression. A vein popped out in Takanashi's temple as she saw the person in question.
"Why are you here, Kozue-neesan?! And on top of that, why were you in the dressing room with Inami-san?!" Takanashi asked furiously. Kozue smiled happily, not even noticing Harumi who was watching in in complete silence.
"I'm testing new outfits for Inami-san! Isn't it wonderful?" Kozue said happily, grabbing Inami's shoulder, earning a yelp from her. Takanashi's eye brows narrowed dangerously. "Get out." Takanashi said sternly. Kozue pouted childishly, releasing Inami and grabbing onto Takanashi's shoulder.
"Souta is so mean! Uwaaah!" Kozue wailed. Harumi remained still while Souma continued to laugh amidst the arguing siblings. Takanashi was about to grab Kozue but she suddenly grab ahold of him first, pinning him down. I think I just got a deja vu. Inami thought with a bead of sweat on her temple. Kozue perked up, when she saw Harumi while still pinning Takanashi down on the floor. Her mouth made a shape of 'O' when she saw Harumi.
"Ah! I haven't seen you working with my brother. Are you a new recruit?" Kozue asked casually. Harumi also had a bead of sweat on her temple, but nodded as an answer. Kozue had a questioning look, confused by Harumi's actions then later smiled.
"Oh my, aren't you the silent type?" Kozue asked, releasing Takanashi as she took a closer inspection on Harumi. Harumi leaned back a bit but did not complain. Kozue nodded happily.
"You have such a manly face while having a stoic face~!" Kozue cheered. Harumi froze instantly the moment she heard manly but paid no heed to it. Kozue launched herself to Harumi and hugged her tight, squealing in happiness as she did so. Harumi's face remained neutral.
"Kozue-neesan, you're clearly suffocating Takukega-san!" Takanashi yelled, staggering as he stood up. Inami remained quiet and thought, I really can't help but feel guilty, with a bead of sweat on her temple. Harumi signed Takanashi to stop.
Takanashi stopped, confused as to why she stopped him from saving her from his sister. Harumi grabbed hold of Kozue's shoulders and pushed her gently, not really removing Kozue's arms around her neck but it helped her get a good look on Kozue's face with at least 10 cm distance. Kozue smiled.
"Do you want me to kiss you?!" Kozue bluntly said. Inami and Takanashi froze with mild blushes on their cheeks. Harumi however, sighed and thought, I should be able to maintain this distance without someone affecting my position.
That's what she thinks but a certain purple-head; Yamada, got down in the attic, stumbling as she balanced herself but to no avail and pushed Kozue in the process and with that, she kissed Harumi…on the neck. A look of horror appeared on the faces the trio; Takanashi in shame, Inami in embarrassment and with Yamada, guilt. Souma stood behind the break room smiling at the scene.
Harumi froze, feeling Kozue's lips on her neck. Kozue squealed as she deepened her kiss on Harumi's neck. It sent shivers down Harumi's spine, as she barely kept her body composed, trying not to do any brutal damage to the woman. Yohei appeared out of nowhere and entered the break room.
"Hey everyone, what's with the commotion-" Yohei was about to continue but when he saw Kozue on Harumi, he froze and turned to run but to no avail.
"Yohei~!" Kozue squealed, releasing Harumi and ran towards Yohei, hugging him tight in the process. Their voices fade as Yohei does his best to run away from Kozue, with her hugging him tight in a piggy back ride. A moment of silence rang in the break room.
"I'm really sorry Takukega-san!" Yamada apologized, as she recovered from her astonishment, and bowed down in front of Harumi. Harumi sat down on the nearest chair, covered her face with her right palm and sighed deeply. Takanashi put up a strained smile on his face with a bead of sweat on his temple, for some reason, she looks like Satou-san when doing that, he thought.
"So…was that your older sister, Takanashi-san?" Harumi asked, totally ignoring Yamada on the spot. Takanashi froze as he realized what he did. Crap! I totally forgot that Takukega-san was here and I didn't realize that I called Kozue-neesan! He thought as a look of horror spread onto his face for the second time.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Harumi said and she turned to look at Yamada, who froze and stood straight.
"Also, it's fine Yamada-san, just…please be careful next time," Harumi said and stood up. Inami stood still as Harumi looked in her direction and said, "I like how you look though." Inami couldn't grasp if Harumi was complimenting her since her expression didn't show a hint of sincerity. Both Yamada and Harumi got back to work, leaving Inami and Takanashi in the break room.
"Inami-san," Takanashi said turning in her direction, earning a flinch from her as he did so, "How did Kozue-neesan enter here?" Inami sighed and explained.
"She entered in the back door…and you know how things would go if it was her." Inami smiled. Takanashi blushed, thinking of how she was so cute when she smiled. Then he froze his jaw falling on the ground in the process, here I go again! Ugh! He thought frustrated.
Takanashi observed Inami one more time and sighed, defeated. Inami blinked in confusion, wondering if there was something bothering Takanashi. Takanashi shook his head, debating if he was going to say it out loud. He sighed.
"T-though, I admit that…you uhh…look cute." Takanashi said, blushing as he did so. Inami however, froze and blushes twice as much the blush Takanashi gave off.
She fidgeted and put her head down, smiling happily under it. "Thank you." Inami quietly said, but didn't go unheard by Takanashi.
"Let's get back to work then." He smiled. Inami happily smiled back and replied.
"Yeah."
Well, if it wasn't for fun, there were two people outside who were watching through the window. Kozue smiled happily while Yohei only watched silently, bothered by the fact that they were invading their privacy.
Meanwhile…
When Harumi and Yamada got out of the break room, they saw Souma who was still laughing so hard. Harumi sighed while Yamada got in front of Souma, bended on her knees and poked Souma on the stomach.
"Souma-kun, you've been laughing so much, stop for a minute." Yamada said as she stood up again, waiting for Souma to stop. However he didn't, making Yamada pout. Yamada thought evilly and mentally smiled cruelly, I'll have to use that again, since Harumi-chan's here! Ohohoho. Harumi watched as she felt the dark aura around Yamada.
Yamada formed tears on her eyes as she rubbed it, "Souma-neesan is so mean, and he won't listen to me!" Yamada wailed as Harumi watched, dumbfounded by the fact that she called him her brother. They didn't even look alike, though they may have the same tendencies to get sadistic. Souma perked up and froze when Yamada sobbed. He turned to look at Harumi and saw her make the face saying you-made-her-cry, he formed a tiny tear on his right eye.
He could mentally see how Harumi looked at him with obvious disgust, but what happened next surprised him. Harumi gave a gentle chop on Yamada's head. Yamada perked up, mouth agape, surprised that Harumi gave her a sudden chop on the head, it didn't hurt though.
"Please refrain from acting. It's useless," Harumi turned to Souma, "Though I'm happy to know that even you have a weakness. Well, another one at that." Souma stared at Harumi, processing what he had heard. Then later on, his jaw fell on the floor, realizing that Harumi found his one and only weakness.
Harumi patted Yamada's hair soothingly and gave her thumbs up, with a small smile this time. Yamada smiled widely, happy and very comfortable under her soft and gentle pat, much better than Takanashi. Harumi was giving a silent message saying 'good job'.
"W-well, what do you mean by another one?" Souma asked, confused. He did only have one weakness right? If it was not by his mistake, he saw a sudden flash of sadness in Harumi's eyes, but it was quickly covered by a strong sense of bravery. Souma shrugged it off but it left him curious.
Harumi stared back at him, "You admit that you really have a weakness?" She asked. Souma flinched and a bead of sweat appeared on his cheek. Now, this is really frustrating. Souma slowly stood up.
"Hmm~, I guess I have no choice, I'll just have to find a proper weakness from you," Souma said, grinning as he did so. Harumi stopped patting Yamada's head, leaving her sad while pouting. "Try, you won't find any…I think." Harumi said, unsure if she was supposed to tell him that.
"Ahaha, you are pretty bold. I like it. Then, a challenge is a challenge." Souma said with excitement. Yamada turned to look at Harumi, then at Souma, then at Harumi again. She was confused to what team she will join. For the first time, Harumi slyly smirked. Yamada and Souma's eyes widened, seeing a new expression from Harumi.
Well, how unsettling. Souma thought. Yamada finally pumped her fists and ran to Harumi's side, surprising Souma.
"Since I want to know more about my big brother, I'll join Takukega-san's side." Yamada said, black sparkles appearing around her as she did so. Souma smiled with a bead of sweat on his cheek. This will be a little bit troublesome, Souma thought.
"Thank you, but this time, it will be on our own." Harumi said as she declined. Yamada pouted but nodded, understanding Harumi.
Then an idea popped into Souma's head. He smiled, this will be fun, he thought.
"Then how about I make Takanashi-kun accept his feelings for Inami-san, while you—" Souma was cut off as Harumi added his sentence, "Convince Inami-san to confess her feelings for Takanashi-san? Deal." Harumi said. Souma smiled.
"You get the topic pretty well." Souma said. Yamada pouted as she held onto Harumi's uniform.
"What about me? I can't just stand doing nothing." Yamada asked. Harumi and Souma thought for a while then said.
"Find out what happened between Todoroki-san/Yachiyo-san and Satou-san/-kun." Harumi and Souma said unison. They turned to look at each other, and Harumi shrugged it off, but Souma had one question.
"How did you know that Satou-kun invited Todoroki-san on a date?" He asked. Harumi turned to look at Yamada and said,
"Yamada-san told me about it." Harumi replied.
"Then, you also know about Inami and Takanashi's date last year?" Souma asked again.
"Taneshima-san told me about that, though, it was my own instinct that Inami-san has feelings for Takanashi-san." Harumi replied again.
"…You're sharp," Souma said, a bead of sweat forming on his temple. Harumi shrugged. Yamada smiled happily as she looks from Souma to Harumi.
"Then, does this mean I have a task?" Yamada asked. Harumi nodded while Souma said yes. Yamada rejoiced and then fist pumps in the air. As if on cue, Takanashi and Inami got out the break room with mild blushes on their faces. Souma and Yamada greeted them while Harumi pondered over on Inami's outfit.
"Are you working with that outfit?" Harumi asked. Inami froze as she realized this. She then apologized for her air-headed brain as she ran back into the girl's dressing room. Harumi only watched in silence while Souma approached Takanashi, putting his hand on Takanashi's shoulder.
Time to be a man/woman, Takanashi-kun/Inami-san.
Both Souma and Harumi thought, determined. Yamada only rejoiced in the background…poor girl.
Author's Note:
Well, this is a long chapter, I presume. Was the fluff good? It wasn't, was it? I did my best I swear! And also, at least 4 months passed since I've updated. Sorry about that, but here it is! Was it rushed? Yeah, I rushed a bit at the end, I hope you don't mind. By the way, if any people have requests, don't hesitate to ask me. I will gladly accept any requests as long as it doesn't affect the plot I have for this story. Haha, also, sorry for the half-assed ending, it just suddenly popped out in my mind. Anyways, my reply to all of the reviews! :D
To Kurome: Thank you, but you are right. My focus here is Souma and Harumi's relationship. Including the second main focus; Inami and Takanashi's pairing. Thank you for your review again Kurome, it is very much appreciated. :D
To bubblyshipper: Thank you so much. You don't know how much your review motivated me to write. Thank you for saying that I did a good job. I honestly wasn't that motivated at first but hey, thank you! I keep on saying thank you. XD
To Anonymous: Now, I've got a flame! Cool! :D Anyway, I just want to explain some details about this story I'm making. I get what you're trying to imply but Inami and Takanashi are not yet in a relationship here. It is simply a pairing, a second one at that. I also said in the last chapter that I will add Inami in the third chapter. This is the third chapter that I'm releasing since the first one was just a prologue. Say, the pairings are just pairings, still not in a relationship, soon I guess. ;) Anyway, I thank you for this review, I'm glad I made Harumi a likeable character (if that's what you were trying to imply). Thanks again. :D
To Kiacii: Thanks, big sister. (-.-)
Haha, anyway, I hope that you look forward the next chapter! I think it won't be long as much as this chapter, but hey, I'll do my best. Reviews are motivating and inspiring me, so give me as much as love and hate as you want! :D
See ya~!
R&R