CH 8: Because I'm better than Ryuu-san!
Author's Note: This chapter brings back the humor. I hope :)
A week passed by quickly, thus, bringing Hiromu's teaching assignment into completion. Consequently, there was ample time for leisure, research and academic duties. However, though a big load may be carried off his shoulders, there's an "equivalent weight" that he cannot bear:
Youko was being "uninterested" with him around and she was avoiding him for some reason.
Hiromu thought that this happened eversince—
"the frappe incident!" he pointed out.
His buddyroid Nick tilted his head sideways for the young man's poor conclusion. Before, he was told in secret that Youko had cried a few days ago. But Nick never expected that Hiromu would be too clueless to trace Youko's apathy to two frappes that were never reimbursed.
While in deep thought in his favorite place at the hallway, Youko did happen to pass by. She paused for a short time to glance at them and Hiromu thought there was a hint of sadness from her eyes. Normally, Youko would be friendly towards him, but he never realized that a distance would grow between them. He thought that it had to stop. We're comrades afterall, he told himself.
Youko gave a small nod and walked steps further. She jerked big time when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, forcing her to move towards the exit.
Perplexed, she asked, "Doko ni? (where are we going?)"
"somewhere that settles my debt" Hiromu replied happily.
First Debt Settled
Youko found herself in a coffee shop that took her interest some days ago. It was the same shop that refused to reimburse their frappes despite their heroic deed at the plaza. Hiromu only released his grip from Youko when the latter took a seat beside the window. Then he proceeded to the counter to order the same frappes with extra frosting.
Why is he doing this? Youko asked herself with a pout.
The frappes with extra frosting came and Hiromu couldn't help but ask, "happy now?" His face was too easy to read that Youko came with a conclusion that he was trying to bring back things in order between them. She settled aside the thought about Phantom Thief Pink Buster as she couldn't contain herself to be amused. "you're so dense, Hiromu!" she chuckled.
Hiromu heaved a big sigh of relief with Youko being in the "friendly mode" again. She seemed to be the kind of person who can be cheered up easily with food or anything cute. As Nick said, she's a girl, afterall.
"you were sad for the past few days" he said bluntly as he slumped in his seat, "I thought you were avoiding me"
Her eyes widening in surprise, she cleared her throat and said defensively, "I'm not avoiding you. Something..worries me..that's all".
"what makes you happy, then?" he asked, trying to mask the embarrassment from his tone.
Youko contemplated about the things that she and Ryuu-san did when she was a toddler, "Didn't you ask Ryuu-san? He knows how to cheer me up" she replied. She froze after realizing that she just made a silly and demanding suggestion. Consciously, she grabbed a newspaper from her side to cover her beet-red face.
Hiromu drew himself closer to examine the blushing comrade in front of him. His eyes slowly turning wide as Youko's, he pointed out, "you have an oniichan-complex!" He said it too loud that people in tables nearby were giggling in discreet. Mochiron! He thought. Youko happened to disclose the following signs of oniichan complex before: 1) She was spoiled by Ryuuji, even to the extent of tolerating her impulsiveness, 2) she believed that as a family, she had a voice in his marriage interviews and 3) she let him plan her future by deciding what highschool and university she had to go to.
"y—you—SISCON!" Youko retorted, mocking Hiromu's closeness with her oneesan, Rika-san. Like Youko, Hiromu was raised by a sibling and he still lived with her at the country side even if he's already 22 years old.
For minutes, the words "siscon" and "oniicon" were heard repetitively.
Second Debt Settled
Youko danced her eyes to the ribbon display at a fashion accessories store. Smiling in delight, she took two yellow clip-on ribbons and tried it on her pigtails. She had dozens of yellow ribbons in her care, but each pair had a different design. Moving on to hairpins, she saw a yellow rabbit hairpin and tried it with the yellow ribbons still on.
"You look like Usada turning to a Christmas tree" Hiromu said candidly
Youko looked at him with an unpleasant expression on her face. Hiromu suppressed his laugh in return.
"why don't you buy your oneesan with something like this?" she asked, returning the items in their previous places to transport herself to another display.
It seemed like a good idea. Hiromu just gained an insight that most girls liked fashion accessories. His oneesan, regardless of her age, was still a fan of anything cute. While Youko tried some accessories from a display nearby, Hiromu took interest at differently-colored item from the ribbon display.
It was a red ribbon.
Suddenly, an idea sparked from Hiromu's mind. He called Youko from afar and asked, "what's your most treasured item?."
Youko glanced at him from the corner of her eye and muttered aloud, "a blue-striped handkerchief."
Bemused, Hiromu continued his search by shifting to another display.
Some minutes after..
Both exited the shop looking very satisfied with their own purchases. Youko bought five yellow hair accessories and a cellphone charm which she would give to Nakamura-san later. On the other hand, Hiromu bought a silver brooch for his oneesan
"Rika-san would love that" Youko commented while peeking at Hiromu's gift bag.
Third Debt Settled
"Did Ryuu-san give you that blue-striped handkerchief you mentioned before?" Hiromu asked while he walked Youko towards the door of her room.
"n—no" Youko replied hesitantly, "just from someone who saw me crying befo—DEMO! Ryuu-san gave me a rabbit plush when I was five. I still sleep with it even if the ear needs mending".
She left her door opened while Hiromu waited at the hallway. She returned by showing him her old rabbit plush. Youko hoped that Hiromu was distracted enough to refrain from asking about the blue-striped handkerchief.
Hiromu took the plush from her hand and examined the torn ear.
"let me borrow this for a while" he said, and walked briskly towards his room at the end of the next hallway.
After dinner..
Youko wondered why Hiromu asked two band-aids from Nick. When she tried to ask him, all he could give was a short smile. Out of the blue, she remembered that she had to do her homework, so she settled this thought aside and headed straightly to her room.
She pulled her workbooks from her bag and placed everything on a low table. She turned to her right and was surprised to see her rabbit plush on her bed, with a small note folded inside its yellow jumpsuit. Beside it was a small package wrapped in yellow. She unfolded the letter and read:
To Youko,
Because I'm better than Ryuu-san.
Signed, Hiromu
She traced the ear of the plush and was amazed to see that its right ear was back in place. Her fingers trembling, she opened the yellow package and was stunned to see a differently-colored ribbon inside. With this additional ribbon in her collection, this item would surely stand out.
Mochiron! because it's red…
A red ribbon.
Youko crept beside her desk to open the top drawer.
She pulled her treasured item, the blue-striped handkerchief.
"arigatou," she said, as she contemplated subsequently about how she got in possession of the handkerchief:
It happened a year ago.
Youko denied that she was crying just because
Ryuu-san showed his weakpoint for the first time.
Her morphin brace rang and she was told that the megazord was fast approaching.
A young man in red returned to her after his harsh criticism.
He gave his blue striped handkerchief to her and said,
"it may be wrinkled, but it's still clean".
And Nick, his buddyroid could only remark, "that's the way to go Hiromu!
I told you that you can do it if you try!"
Author's Note: For clarification, the first debt was a frappe. The second was a red ribbon. And the third one, a repaired rabbit plush. Hiromu did all of these due to his claim: "because I'm better than Ryuu-san!".