July 21, Monday

Afternoon

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"What a coincidence, that you're now working for my aunt."

"Yeah. What a coincidence," Mai agreed. "I can't even have one summer without seeing your ugly face."

"Ugly? I believe the term you're looking for is 'tasteful'."

"Pft. Who even says that word anymore? And what are you—sushi? 'Ooh, I'm so tasteful.'"

The sun was nearing the horizon, and so her new employer, Azami, told her to take a hike immediately after signing a (surprisingly) legit contract for her employment. It had clauses and all. She even had to sign more than once.

Well, Azami didn't really tell her to 'take a hike' in those precise words, but it seemed that way. Her boss said it in a professional, extremely roundabout way.

"Shoo. I have to prepare for tomorrow. Reichi, you too. Go away, both of you," Azami had said.

Anyway, now Mai was stuck with this guy. Exactly why, she had no idea.

"Are you sure Keiko and Michiru will be there at the docks? Maybe you're just pulling me into one of Senpai's schemes again," she accused as she skipped over a crack on the pavement, and another crack. And another. She was basically playing hopscotch by herself.

"Why would I voluntarily go to that maniac if I don't have to? I'm as much of a victim as you are whenever he searches for either one of us," Nakamura said, shivering slightly at whatever imaginary torture he must be conjuring.

This was maybe the only thing they had in common: thinking that their upperclassman was crazy. Like, crazy crazy. Absolutely mad.

"Yeah. Sure. He might have bribed you with less work with the student council just to lure me into another trap," Mai continued her assault, walking faster ahead of her companion, though it wasn't much before he matched her stride again. This boy had freakishly long legs, she thought to herself.

He sighed and said no more. He knew when Mai Taniyama's pigheadedness reached its fullest. It was futile to engage conversation in her giddy state right now, yet her glee was... subdued, somehow. Perhaps it was because of his appearance, he thought bitterly. She never showed her emotions fully whenever he was near her.

"Hey, hurry up, old man!" Mai yelled. "The train's about to take off!"

Two minutes into the ride, she realized something.

What the heck? Why am I obediently following this fellow? What if this really is one of Senpai's schemes?

Mai shuddered. That upperclassman of theirs was a force to be reckoned with. He was devious, cunning, evil. He was even scarier since he had power over them; he was the student council president, and an eccentric weirdo to boot. Neither she nor Nakamura were in the council, though he always managed to order the two around as if they were his personal slaves. It was hard to resist him; he had leverage.

Not the kind of leverage like the blackmail Mai had on Nakamura, but something even more—his madness. He promised them he would never leave them alone, ever, if they did not bend to his whims. Even the Fields of Punishment would not be able to match Senpai's insanity.

Ah, but who cares about him anyway? She got a job! A job a job a job. She can make her own money now and she wouldn't feel guilty about taking from her parents' life savings anymore. Although this would be a slow and excruciating process, she was a step closer to reaching her dream school now that she had a means of preparing her own tuition.

And...

She had an excuse to feel normal.

Shibuya, despite her complete distaste of the place, was where her friends usually hung out. It was the center of youth, a place of freedom—as she had been told. Most normal teenagers frequently came there, and in extension, wouldn't she be one now too? Since she would be there most of the summer and all...

"Mai, come on. Your friends are waiting," Nakamura said as the train stopped. The people around then were already shuffling out, pushing them along.

"...Nakamura, what are you doing?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Let go of my hand."

"We'll get separa—"

"I'm going to scream."

He let go then. They walked quietly to the designated meeting place, the familiar discomfort of awkwardness filling the tension. This atmosphere had never appeared between them before though. Mai's familiarity had sprung from a certain bus buddy.

Who she had not thought of for days now. How odd.

"There you guys are! We were almost about to ditch you," Keiko said, both hands waving above her head.

"Oh, don't lie, Keiko. You had just arrived too," Michiru scolded. "You all made me wait for half an hour."

"Sorry," Mai said, scratching the back of her neck. "I didn't even know about this until just a while ago."

"Because your phone's turned off."

"Or maybe because you blocked our numbers again."

"Um..." Mai scratched her neck even more.

Keiko sighed. "Well at least we got a hold of you. Good thing you were with Reichi-kun, huh?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Shut up, Keiko."

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A/N: Welp. I've been sitting on this thing for months now, and I'm still not satisfied. Then I thought, 'Fu—blah it.' (Even Beethoven with his Kreutzer Sonata is encouraging me to fu—blah it.) So, here ya go. Something half-baked, yet again. Happy Holidays!