Chapter 38: "Every Artist Has A Price!"

"I... Is that really you, Tohno-senpai?" Seo Akira blinks and walks over to me, studying me as if I'm some animal in a zoo.

"...Uh... you don't have to stare at me like that, Seo," I tell her as I pick up my drink and take a swig from it. After a few moments of gas building, I'm forced to pull it away from my lips and belch once more.

"W-Wah! It IS you, Tohno-senpai!" She looks stunned and flustered. "Y... You're... actually out of the house...?"

"...Yeah. And? You act like I don't leave the house, Seo. I leave the house every day we have class, you know." I take a bite out of my hot dog.

"B-But... you're not in your dress... you're eating a hot dog loaded with stuff on it... uh... you're dressed in clothing you wouldn't normally be caught dead wearing!" She looks at me in complete disbelief.

"...Your point? People change." I shrug matter-of-factly and swallow my chewed hot dog.

"Kyaaa! You talked with your mouth full!" Her jaw does not re-close after this statement, allowing one to look inside of Seo Akira's mouth and note the white, perfectly aligned teeth inside.

I blink. What's so unusual about this, really? "You're starting to weird me out, Seo," I tell her. "Spit it out, I'm kind of hungry here."

"Ah... ahahahaha..." She scratches her head nervously, color draining from her face slightly.

I sigh. She's got that same look Kohaku had earlier, honestly. Almost exactly so. What's so surprising about this, really...?

"What, I can't relax from time to time? Jeez, Seo. I'm a hard worker, but not a workaholic. I don't live just to sign papers." Another bite.

…...And a THUD causes me to stop chewing. Seo Akira has fainted.

I swallow what's in my mouth and sigh a bit, putting my hot dog back in its container for now, and I lift her onto the bench by me, sitting her body up and pulling her skirt down so that her underwear isn't exposed, much to the disappointment of the perverts in the crowd who would like to see the underwear of a 15 year-old schoolgirl. She'll recover in a few minutes, I'm sure.

Fainting over something like this... it's stupid. What... just because I'm a little different, it's going to freak her out that much? God, it's not like I'm suddenly running away to join the circus or something. There's no reason for her to pass out over it.

I watch over her as I resume my lunch, ensuring she doesn't fall off of the bench by keeping her legs flat and her back against the back of the bench by using my own legs, as if Seo were some kind of leg rest or footstool. Sure enough, she begins to regain her consciousness as I'm finishing up my meal. With a slight moan and a shake of her head, I can see her head turn towards me, out of the corner of my eye, as I'm sucking my fingers clean.

"...T-Tohno-senpai..." She blinks and watches as I suck on them.

"Mmm?" I look up at her with one of my fingers in my mouth before I realize she's awake. I pull it out and wipe it on a napkin. "Ah, you're awake Seo." Her pupils begin to constrict slightly as her eyes regain their focus on my hand, and the color seems to be faintly returning. "Welcome back to the land of the living. Population plus one now that you're among it."

"Y-Yeah... uh... I fainted, didn't I?" One of her hands goes to her forehead and she shakes her head, in an attempt to get blood flowing to her brain once more.

"Sure did. I pulled you onto the bench. You've been out only a moment or two, so don't worry. Try not to be so shocked next time." A good, long swig of my cola follows. Acidic. Sweet. I burp after a few moments of drinking it, to which Seo turns about as red as her gym bloomers.

"...What? Is something on my face?" I wipe my chin and cheeks with my hand. Nothing. There's nothing on them then, so what gives...?

"N-No... it's just so..." she sighs. "...Nevermind. Uh... hey, Tohno-senpai... wanna go shopping with me?" She quickly changes the subject... probably so that she doesn't risk fainting anymore. "I was gonna pick up art supplies, but if you're here, it'd be nice to go with a friend." She looks at me almost as if expecting the answer no.

"Sure," I reply coolly. "In fact, after that, how about we call up Hanei and Souka afterward, and see if they want to go to the amusement park? It's Culture Day after all, and it's a very warm one this year. We should all relax and enjoy the day. I'll even pay for the tickets."

Seo Akira's eyes widen before they roll back into her head and her body collapses onto the bench. If it weren't for my legs, she probably would have fallen right off.

"…...You fainted again, Seo. And did it indecently, too... Jeez, you're worse than Shiki at this rate." I sigh as I sit up, and pull her back into an upright, rather than a slumped position. After that, I buy some water from the vendor I got my food from while ignoring the terribly amused look he has on his face, and when I return to Seo, I uncap it, take a swig, and then begin to pour it on her face. It revives her immediately, and she sits up, coughing, shaking her head and wiping the water from her face with her hands.

"...Uwaaahhhh... I fainted again... Tohno-senpai's being way too weird..." she mutters to herself, half-lucidly.

"Awake now? Come on, let's get to that store. If you wait too long, your supplies won't be there." I stretch my arms hard and let out a satisfied groan as I do so, before grabbing my cola and giving Seo what's left of the water. "Here. You could probably use it, if for no other reason than for me to throw more on your face if you pass out a third time."

Seo literally looks at me like I'd just said I were a Martian. But soon she sighs, shrugs her shoulders, and gets up off the bench, regaining her footing after a few moments. Together, we walk to the Midori-chou Mall.

"Is that everything you want, Seo?" I ask her as I count out the bills on the counter.

"Y... Yeah," she says, awestruck. "...Y, You don't have to buy me all of this though, Tohno-senpai... I was going to reserve and put some money down on some of it..."

"Nonsense. I've got the money, so why not?" I turn back towards the counter. "Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen thousand and five... hundred." I push the stack of bills forward.

The young woman attending the counter smiles. "Thank you very much for your business!" she announces as she puts the money in the cash register, hands me my receipt, and then begins to bag up Seo's purchase... or rather, the purchase that I made for Seo. The way the cashier bags it, it's certainly the biggest sale she's made today. Maybe even longer than that.

...Well, I suppose I'm simply in a happiness-granting mood at the moment.

Happiness is something we all get in unfortunately too small of a dose. That which makes life on this world more tolerable is a very fleeting thing. When you don't have it, you want it, and when you have it, you want it to never end.

...Unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end, eventually. Just like life, itself, must one day end for us all, even though we don't want it to.

Before long, the woman bags up everything and holds the bags out towards me. "Pleasant day to you!" she announces with a smile. Unlike the supplies, the smile is free.

"Thanks, you too," I say with a smile of my own as I take the bags from her, then I walk over and hold them out to Seo. "Here you go, Seo. That's everything, yes?"

She stares at the bags, and then me, as if expecting me to say that she will owe me something if she accepts.

"...Well? Come on, Seo, I can't hold these forever. Hurry up, before my arms begin to cramp up."

"...R-Right! Sorry, Tohno-senpai!" she says, as if giving into fate, and with a nod, she takes both the bags. She waits for what she must think is some inevitable condition for her to have the bags...

...But it never comes. I have no intention of making her owe me anything. This is, after all, a gift. Her happiness is most of the payment for me.

"So, do you want to come with me to the amusement park or not? I never got an answer, because you decided to pass out." I rest my hands on my hips. I wish she'd make her mind up.

She blinks for a few seconds, seemingly surprised that I'm reminding her of this and offering her the choice once more. "Uh, sure! I'd planned on just going to do some festival stuff by myself, but the park sure beats that any day!"

"Alright then. One question down, one to go. Do you have Hanei and Souka's number in your cell phone, Seo?" I ask.

"Uhh, I think so... hang on." She sets down the bags and she begins to check through it. "...Yeah, it's in here, Tohno-senpai."

"Would you rather call them, or do you want me to?"

"I can do it," she says. She pushes a few buttons and then holds the phone up to her ear. For my part, I smile and sit down at a nearby bench, while I listen to one side of the conversation.

"...Hello, Hanei-san? It's Akira-chan! ...Ah, everything is good, thank you. Uh, hey, are you doing anything? ...Well, I ran into Tohno-senpai, and she wants to know if you and Souka-san want to come to the amusement park with us…..."

She lowers her voice slightly... not that I won't hear it still.

"...Yes, I'm sure it's Tohno-senpai! And she's in this really weird but good mood…... Oh yeah... Yeah, Culture Day. Surely you can manage to sneak out though, right...? ... Uhh, right now? We're at the Midori-chou mall's art shop. I got some art supplies - well, actually, Tohno-senpai bought them, but... Yes, she did! I'm not going to lie to you about that, Hanei-san... uhhh, right... it's..." She pulls her phone away for a moment. "...12:30, just about... within a half an hour? Great! See you then, Hanei-san!"

She hangs up, pushes a few more buttons, and puts her phone to her ear once more. She waits a few moments before speaking, as no doubt Souka had to slip away to answer her phone. "Hi, Souka-san, this is Akira... uhh, me and Hanei-san and Tohno-senpai are going to the amusement park. Do you want to come...? …...Oh... oh, I didn't know you had to tend to your family's shrine today... Well, that's a bummer... uhhhhhhhhh, I can get you something, Souka-san! ...Yeah, I'll try to win a nice big prize, like a guitar or something! ...Hey, what's so funny?ǃ" Seo listens for a few more moments before angrily closing the clasp on her phone.

Seems Souka had a teeny little bit of fun at her expense just now, to which I only have one thing to say... good girl.

Seo puts her phone back in her purse, carefully. "Sorry, Tohno-senpai. Souka-san can't come, but Hanei-san said she'll be here within half an hour or so."

"I didn't think Souka could come anyway, Seo," I say. "It's too bad. I would've liked to spend some time with her today, too." ...Especially considering that if she came, I would be able to ask my questions a little early... "But it's still nice to invite her, after all." I smile.

"Yeah. Hanei said she'd be glad to get out for a little while. She seems relieved... everyone's giving her crap to do." She laughs a bit, and so do I.

"Well, getting Hanei out of doing things for everyone is good for her from time to time," I say. "How long has it been since you went to the amusement park, Seo?"

"Mmm... about three months I'd say?" She taps her finger slightly on her lips as she thinks. "Last time I went... yeah, probably the middle of August..."

"Well, this'll probably be the last time we get to go this year, so let's make it count," I tell her. "You want something to eat or drink while we wait for Hanei?"

"Ah, no thank you. I don't want to impose..." She laughs nervously.

"Suit yourself." I walk to the vending machine and put some money in, getting a bottle of water for myself. Seo hmms, and decides that putting her new sketchpad and tools to use to be a good way of killing time. She pulls them out, finds a good vantage point, and she begins to lightly pencil in lines and forms, that before long will take the shape of something that I could see.

I watch her as she draws. Fascinating speed, really. Within about five minutes, she has a quick sketch of the scene from her position. About ten minutes after that, she has enough structural details down that I can recognize things and places. It's clear that she's been practicing hard. I watch her tilt the sketchpad slightly, and her tongue hangs slightly out of her mouth, in between firmly-pressed lips, as she focuses hard on her drawing, occasionally looking up before returning her gaze to her sketchpad.

Ten more after that, a voice causes us both to turn our heads. "Akira-chan! Akiha-chan!" The voice of Misawa Hanei rings out, alerting us to her presence. Hanei races over as best as she can with that chest of hers, before stopping and getting a look at me. The heaving of her chest up and down from running would surely be something most boys would fight to witness, even though Hanei is fully clothed.

"Wow... she wasn't kidding about you being different, Akiha-chan. You're even dressed differently!" Hanei exclaims as only Hanei can. "What are you going to do next? Dye your hair? Get velcro shoes?"

"...No, Hanei, I don't think I'm going to go that far," says the girl who is masquerading as someone she knows. "Anyway, a change of pace is nice once in awhile," I say with a smile as I throw my hair over my shoulder a bit. "When was the last time you went to the amusement park, Hanepin?"

"Uhhhh... late spring? Early summer? Somewhere around there, I think..." She scratches her head.

"Well, this will probably be your last chance to go, unless you are a fan of going when it is cold and snowing out," I tell her. "Too bad Souka probably isn't coming, but she can call Seo or me if she can duck out of her duties early. Anyway... shall we?" I smile.

...Hanei looks at me almost like I've lost it.

"...What? I'm not entitled to fun every so often?" I look at her. "Or is this because I want you two to come with me?"

"…...No, of course you are, Akiha-chan!" Hanei says with much surprise. "It's just... uhhhhhhh... usually you don't care about that stuff..."

"...Silly Hanei. I like to have fun as much as anyone else." I laugh.

This draws even more blank stares somehow. Silently, both Hanei and Seo blink in disbelief.

Is it really that hard for someone to simply want to have fun? To get out of their usual, boring, daily routine every once in awhile? This is why people take vacations... they cannot avoid their work forever, but they can take a week or two off to pursue leisure time... until the next year, anyway, when they can do it once more.

I don't think they'd understand, but oh well.

For some reason, they seem to think that I'm the sort of person who never likes to have any kind of fun, that I enjoy being stuffed up in a house all day. Well, I don't. I'm sick of it. Sick and tired. There's some days where I want to just run outside and scream. Since I can't do that, this'll have to do.

Besides... it's not like I'm not having fun. I'm actually somewhat amused at how both Seo and Hanei are reacting to me. Clearly, they weren't expecting me to be this way... that just makes this current state of mind all the more endearing to me, at the moment.

"Anyway! Come on. The park won't stay open forever, you know, and the days are getting shorter." With this, I walk off towards the park entrance.

With a collective nod, Seo and Hanei agree, and Hanei runs after me. Seo catches up to us both after stowing her sketchpad.

Soon enough, we're in line for tickets, surprisingly. It seems we're not the only one taking advantage of perhaps one of the last pleasant days before colder winds force us all indoors for four or five months. There's a line of people out here, a pretty long one considering how late in the year it is. Usually, it's never this bad except from late spring to early fall, but it seems like the nice weather has made people come out in droves.

"So uh... what made you decide you wanted to take a trip like this, Akiha-chan?" Hanei asks me while we wait in line.

"Simple: No reason," I coolly tell her. "I did it because when I stepped out this morning, it was a wonderful, gorgeous, late autumn day. Such days tend to make me feel the happiest, so it was really a no-brainer to take a day like today and ensure something good is gotten out of it. After all, I'd never turn down a request from my friends, and I don't think they should turn down either, if they can help it."

"...Uhhhhh, 'kay!" Hanei replies in her traditional "I don't understand a word of what you just said" way.

Fortunately for me, Seo is more perceptive than this.

"...So you wanted to just hang out with us? Is that what you're trying to say, Tohno-senpai?"

"In a nutshell... yes, Seo," I tell her. "Every once in awhile, it's good to just get out of the house. I simply wanted to get out of it today a little more than I normally would have wanted to, I guess," I tell her with a smile.

"You should do it more often, Akiha-chan," Hanei tells me with a beaming, radiant smile. "It's no fun if you're cooped up inside that big house all day! This way, you can play with me more often, too!"

Seo Akira sprays water through her nostrils upon hearing that.

"...You may wish to be a little more careful of your choice of words, Hanei. Seo is particularly vulnerable to blasting drinks out of her nose when she's around you, and you know this."

"...Oh, right! Uhhhh... sorry, Akira-chan. And Akiha-chan!" She nods afterward, as if agreeing with herself.

Eventually, we walk up to the teller. "Three tickets, please. And, ah, student discount." I pull out my ID card from Asagami. After a moment of fumbling in their purses, so do Seo and Hanei.

"...Ah, Asagami? Wow. Don't see lots of you here... let's see, that's 30% off, so for three people... 3675 yen."

No problem, I think to myself, as I calmly pull out a 5000 yen bill and hand it to her. She takes it, gives me the change, and hands us our entrance tickets. I'm all but set to enter the park, when a poster on the ticket booth catches my eye.

"...Huh. 'Ride all day' day, is it?" I ask pointlessly. "How much is it?"

"Yes," the vendor says. "That's 1500 yen per person, but just show them the bracelet and you can ride all day."

"Everything?" I ask.

"Yeah, anything that would otherwise require ride tickets," the cashier informs us. "There's some rides that take actual money to get on still. But those bracelets will be good for anything that uses tickets."

Another 5000 yen bill is out and in front of her by the time she finishes speaking, making the already-shocked looks on Seo and Hanei's faces grow even more shocked.

...They act like I never buy them anything, or never do things with them. Of course I do; I don't see why this is so hard for them to understand. I want my friends to have fun.

More importantly…... I want to have fun with my friends, too.

One of the simplest things someone can have is the ability to just go out and have a good time. That's what friends are for, to ensure that you do have a good time, and to strengthen the bonds between the groups that go.

"Tohno-senpai, you don't really have to pay for EVERYTHING today, you know..." Seo sounds slightly embarrassed, like she's being greedy. Turning to her, I see that both she and Hanei are blushing very slightly. Hanei simply nods silently in agreement, rather than actually say something.

"Don't worry about it, Seo. I'm more than happy to indulge my friends every once in awhile," I say with a slight smile. "Just don't expect me to do it every time, of course."

"R-Right!" She laughs nervously. Well, I can't blame her.

In my altered state, I am a bit more spend-thrifty, I suppose, but not without restraint. I have gotten gifts for my friends, and I am going to have fun with them today. I am going to walk around with them, and ride on rides with them, and just generally have a good time with them.

Why? Because friends are important. Very important. Sometimes they cost money, but lots of things in life cost money, and you only have so many people who you can call a friend in this world... especially close friends, like myself, Hanei, Seo, and Souka are.

If that does not justify spending a little bit of money, then what does?

Still, I did spend most of the cash I had, between buying the shirts, Yumizuka-san's new outfit, Seo's supplies, and now this trip to the amusement park; however, I still have a few thousand yen left. That should certainly be more than enough, though, even if we do stop to eat. Anyone who's been to a park like this knows how expensive the food can get... a simple snack might be 300, 400, even 500 yen. The quality also varies wildly, but generally, it's worth it, because sometimes you can only get certain kinds of food, made a certain way, here.

The cashier hands over three bracelets. They're all colored a very pleasant shade of orange.

"Here you go then! Enjoy your day!" She announces to us as she smiles.

"Thank you. Pleasant day to you," I say as I take the wristbands. I hand over two to Seo and Hanei, and then apply mine to my own wrist, and so do they. "Well! Let's go have some fun, huh?" I smile.

With that, the three of us walk into the park.

It is rare that I get to enjoy times like this with my friends.
Sure, it may not be with the girl they know, but...
It's still worth it, regardless of whether I'm Tohno Akiha or someone else.

Next Week (2/27/11) – Chapter 39: "The More Things Change..."