Title: Sawada Shin's Day Off
Summary: One man's struggle to take his mind off his homeroom teacher.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: The usual blurb (i.e., Gokusen and its characters belong to Kozueko Morimoto; OHHC and its characters belong to Bisco Hatori, etc.).
Spoiler warning: The events are centered around Chapter 8/9 of vol. 7 of Gokusen.
A/N: Work in progress. In this and the next couple of chapters, I'm borrowing a supporting character from Ouran High School Host Club for a cameo appearance; no full-on cross-over is planned for now.
Inferno
1. The virtuous pagan
"Irashaimase!" The greeter at Madam Hades's Parlor of Love welcomed the entering customers. "O-hime-sama and her gallant escort, please follow me this way." Sheesh, another energetic girl; what are they putting in the water these days? Shin also thought that there was something vaguely familiar about the greeter, but he wasn't quite certain, partly because the lighting was dim (Hiromi sure seemed to love dark places!) and partly because she was wearing a hooded cloak. Meh, whatever. He shrugged and descended behind the women.
"If you could please complete this form about your relationship histories, Hatashi-sama will be with you shortly." The young woman led them into a busy waiting room and handed them each a clipboard.
"Oi. I don't remember entering a hospital! Isn't she a fricking fortune teller? Why doesn't she just 'look into my past' or read my tea leaves or whatever? This is the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" Shin ignored Hiromi's jabbing elbow. The afternoon had been such a drag so far that even the prospect of annoying the ever-supplicant Hiromi seemed like an improvement.
"You are right, sir, Hatashi-sama is clairvoyant and can reach into the recess of your past herself," the greeter responded politely. "However, a full reading takes a great deal of energy and time to prepare; and a powerful enchantress, such as Hatashi-sama herself, is very much in demand, as you can see. Some preliminary information from her guests would help her focus her mana and be more efficient in her consultations. Of course, if you would prefer to arrange for a special deluxe private session, Hatashi-sama would be perfectly delighted to perform the divination rites on you."
"......" Short of an apt zinger to return, Shin accepted his defeat and the clipboard.
"When she is ready to receive you, you will consult with Hatashi-sama individually. Rest assured that your information shall remain confidential. So please do not feel inhibited!" The greeter bowed courteously once more and left.
Shin already hated this place. He looked around for somewhere to sit down. The room was teemed with teenage girls in trios or quartets, all engaging in murmured chatters with occasional outbursts of "kyaaaa!"
Oh fuck. Am I the only jackass who got dragged to this rip-off? Shin was swearing at himself when he noticed something odd. At the furthest corner of the room, a young man sat alone. Although the crowded room left many people standing, there were empty chairs all around him. Everyone seemed to take pains to pretend that he was not there.
Shin started to walk toward the seats.
"Sawada-kun, let's not go sit there," Hiromi pulled on his arm.
"Eh? Why not?"
"That guy," she whispered, "he looks mean and dangerous. Maybe he's a delinquent!"
Him? Not fucking likely. The duality of this situation mildly amused Shin. Viewed from behind, the two of them might have been perceived as twins: both were tall, lean, and crowned with a crazy mop of red hair. Viewed from the front, too, they shared the same curse: an unforgettable face that brought them opposite but equally undesirable fates. Just as Shin's handsome features had garnered him an endless stream of unwanted female attentions, his twin's intimidating expressions froze the faint-of-hearts with terror. Shin did not recognize the guy's uniform as one from any of the nearby high schools; he could tell, however, from the way his tailored blue blazer draped and gave off a muted sheen as only cashmere could, that he went to an exclusive private academy. Those kinds of schools run serious background checks during admissions; no way he can be a delinquent.
"You are on a date with a guy from Shirokin, the infamous Delinquent High, remember?"
"That... That's different!"
"Don't go judging people by the way they look. You wouldn't like it either if a guy took one glance at you and thought you could polish off a whole tiramisu log in 10 minutes." Ok, even if she was annoying and prejudiced, that was a cheap shot. Shin felt a twinge of guilt. If Yankumi were here, she'd give me an earful about not exploiting young women's weight anxieties. He thought. Oh great. I've internalized her sermons. Yet, at the same time, because Hiromi finally clammed up, he couldn't help feeling also a little gleeful with the success of his retaliation. After all, hadn't he suffered her company enough this afternoon? Almost to further provoke Hiromi, Shin sat down next to his scary twin.
"Oi. Got a pen I can borrow?"