As usual, much much love to you dian for the review! And thanks to my readers and those who faved and followed this story!
To commemorate the release of the 21st chapter, I'm opening a new poll on my profile page. It's a sort of like the old 'Akemi X ?' poll. But this time, I'll give it a twist. Call it a survey. The question is, who do you want to see her interact with more? (I'll still end up using Akemi X?) Because I know there's been a lot of Atobe in the recent chapters. Whether romantically or not...well let's see how it goes. Of course, you may express your wish and vote in reviews/PMs! ;)
I'll post this chapter's background information on my tumblr blog soon. Maybe the occasional poll results too?
(Friday late afternoon)
Pausing at the traffic lights, Akemi brought a hand around to the back of her neck, aching from hours spent bending over books. Grimacing as she rubbed on the sore spot only eased the pain a little.
The false sense of euphoria this morning faded completely as she sat through the term's last paper. Coupled with fatigue and anxiety, the stress built up over the course of three weeks numbed her to the core. It was all she could do to keep up with Marui, Kirihara and Jackal as they crossed over to the next street; definitely looking forward to that hot cup of coffee.
Tired brown eyes took in the bustling scenery.
As October drew to a close, the weather was generally pleasant. With dropping humidity, the air's cooler and fresher. Daylight hours noticeably grew shorter each day. Apart from the trees which were just starting to turn, autumn in Japan reminded her of summer in Britain. Though if it weren't for the non-subtle signs – from the excited whispers to the glaring decorations adorning shop fronts – popping up everywhere in the shopping district, October might easily be passed off as June for the noirette.
Akemi gave the gaudy posters plastered on a window a withering glare. For as long as she remembered, she detested Halloween with a fiery passion, like someone bitter with an old grudge.
So when Kirihara asked if she's interested in watching the costume parade with them at La Cittadella come Sunday, she flat out refused to join the merriment.
"But it's an annual event, senpai!" he protested, lips puckered in a pout. "You've got to come with us, or you'll miss out!"
"There'll be loads of food, games and music," Jackal helpfully supplied.
Akemi scoffed, hefting her bag higher up her shoulder. "I don't know about you guys, but my idea of a fun Sunday is staying in bed with a good book for the entire day." Narrowing her eyes sharply, she added, "And don't tell me everyone's going too, because I doubt Genichiro-san's going." She held her head up determinedly. "Anyway, give me a break. Exams just ended two hours ago. Frankly, hibernating sounds more appealing."
"If you're not going, then none of us will!" Marui boldly declared, earning a look of bafflement from Kirihara and Jackal.
"Don't drag me into this. If you really want to go – go. I'm sure your little brothers will be less than impressed if you don't take them."
Akemi took his sulky silence as defeat.
XXX
(Next Monday after morning practice)
When they were discussing plans for her birthday, Akemi – bemoaning the over-commercialisation of the traditional harvest festival – straightforwardly stated she's uninterested in anything Halloween related, including horror movies and dropping by at a haunted house after school. Before she'd voiced her opposition, Yagyuu seemed oddly perturbed by the barrage of ideas.
"Are you feeling alright? You're looking rather pale," Akemi inquired worriedly, one hand hovering uncertainly over his shoulder.
"I-I'm fine – nothing to worry," Yagyuu assured, adjusting his glasses with one clammy hand.
"You hardly look fine," she chided tightly, scowling.
"Really, I am."
"Now, stop saying that –" she raised her voice but abruptly broke off, blinking in surprise. For a moment, she felt indignant that Yagyuu was hiding his nervousness. 'Why do I suddenly feel empathy?' Suddenly realising Marui was talking to her, she shook off the thought and turned to him.
"...Atobe's Halloween party, are you going to skip that one too?"
Akemi averted her gaze.
"You are!?"
"It doesn't matter," she shrugged indifferently, watching a ladybird scaling up the wall before turning back to the regulars assembled outside the clubroom. "He knows I'm not going anyway," she murmured audibly.
"And he's fine with it?" Sanada raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"Yes," she nodded. 'Though, I don't see the point of sending an invitation card when he knew my reply. Either he's being overly optimistic or shamelessly presumptuous,' she mentally rolled her eyes.
"If you're not, then none of us are going!"
Not this again...
"Really, you can go to his party if you want," Akemi insisted exasperatedly. "Don't let me be the reason for stopping you guys. I'll feel guilty."
"It's not that, we just want to celebrate your birthday with you!" Kirihara reasoned. "And going to his party will be like tsu bird stonu!"
Akemi winced sharply. 'My goodness, if he fails his English oral, I'm going to get an earful from his teacher.' Glancing around, everyone seemed to share his thoughts, which made the situation even more awkward for her. "I'm...gratified, but I already have dinner plans with my parents."
The corner of Yukimura's twitched upwards as he tilted his head towards her. "You couldn't have done us the honour of telling us earlier?"
"Well, it wasn't like any of you were giving me chances to butt in until now," she defended glumly, arms crossed over her chest in an attempt to hide her uneasiness at his frosty smile and that strange glint in his eyes.
And so, they're back to square one.
"Tsch! All this birthday planning was a waste of my time," Niou drawled irritably, swinging his bags over one shoulder. He turned on his heels. "She's a killjoy. It won't surprise me if she snubs the beach suggestion next."
"...okay."
Footsteps abruptly died. Heads swirled.
"I haven't been to the beach in a long time," she mused aloud. Suddenly registering the dead silence around her, Akemi lifted her head. "What?" She raised an eyebrow at the looks on their faces as though wondering if the girl standing in their midst was an impostor.
XXX
There's a popular rumour among the student populations that the week leading up to Halloween, strange things would happen in school. With the end of October looming ever closer, the balderdash tale cooked up by a bored scaremonger rekindled feverishly within the gossip circle.
At least, that's the opinion of the noirette until she opened the door of her shoe locker to an exasperating sight.
That article published on the school newspaper suddenly felt like ages ago. Despite the written warning, fans found a 'less intrusive' way in leaving letters for their much beloved idols around for her to pick up. Her shoe locker (a.k.a. special post box) quickly became a hotspot. Sometimes, she'd find a few lying on her shoes. More often, her footwear buried underneath a heap of letters. Walking home barefooted never seemed more appealing.
Akemi scowled irately at her jam-packed locker.
'Clearing my shoe locker last Friday was pointless. I wonder if it's possible to have the slits on my locker permanently sealed,' she fumed, pulling out a stack of letters. As she leafed through the stack, the strong mixture of different perfumes caused her to wrinkle her nose in disgust.
About halfway through, the shuffling noise of paper stopped dead.
Brown eyes squinted closely at the four characters written vertically on the white envelope. The name in blank ink was familiar...frighteningly so.
Dropping the letters, she leapt back with a cry of astonishment. Her back hit the lockers behind with a resounding crash.
"What was that?" "Akemi-chan!?" "Senpai!?" "Akemi-san?"
The noirette stood on the toes of her shoes, her back pressed firmly against the lockers, eyes the size of platters as she stared down at the letters strewn messily across the floor at her feet, horror and revulsion etched across her ghostly pale face.
Apart from those, she appeared unscathed to the nonplussed group.
"Err...are you alright, senpai?" Kirihara scratched his head.
Speechless, Akemi bobbed her head jerkily in a nod and cautiously tip-toed to the safe side where the Troublesome Trio lingered, while Yanagi calmly investigated the scene.
"Oh, looks like this one's addressed to you," he observed with a note of amusement, one hand gripping his chin and the other holding the letter.
"Eh!? Akemi-chan has a secret admirer?" Marui darted forward, mindful of the mess, and peered over Yanagi's arms and gasped. "It's true! Your name's on it."
"Don't you want to read it?" Yanagi waved the letter in the air.
"No!"
"I'll read it for you then." Ignoring her protests, he lifted the envelope's flap and took out the folded paper. His eyebrows flew upwards, disappearing behind his fringe. "Well, this is quite the confession letter."
Akemi exchanged looks with Kirihara and Jackal for a moment, before joining Marui on the other side of the Data Master, and gazed down at the long strip of paper.
Written vertically in fluid calligraphy, the characters spelled out more puzzlement than the horrors.
Leave
XXX
(Lunch at the rooftop garden)
Eyebrows furrowed together in deep concentration, Sanada studied the characters on the letter and envelope for a few moments of pensive silence.
"The one who wrote this has complete confidence, rigid determination, and self-discipline." He traced the dried black ink with one finger. "And one who holds themselves with pride. At least it's safe to say, this person holds no grudge against you."
Relief as she might be at the last statement, Akemi couldn't help but eye him dubiously. She had misgivings when it came to analysing personalities through handwriting.
"And you know this just by looking at the calligraphy?" she asked with undisguised scepticism. The warmth seeping from the paper cup was a comforting sensation as she adjusted the hold on her coffee. Normally, she'd eat lunch with Hinata in class, but this was an outright emergency.
"He is the top of his class in that subject. Even I can't outdo him," Yanagi admitted, chuckling heartily as he picked a slice of grilled salmon from his bento box.
"Well, at least we can rule out Niou and his circus tricks. But who would leave such a letter in my shoe locker if not to threaten?" she frowned, chewing on her bottom lip. "And what does it mean by 'leave'?"
"There are many possibilites. However unless we have more clues, it won't take us anywhere conclusive."
Akemi dropped her gaze, concern clouding her brown eyes. Not knowing the identity of the sender made the situation even more unsettling and frustrating. If Sanada's right, whoever it was bore no malicious intention, except wanting her out of...what?
A hand gently grasping her shoulder made her look up.
"Don't let that ruffle you badly," Yukimura advised, withdrawing his hand. "If there's anything at all, we're here to help. All you need to do is ask."
The benevolent smile earnestly assuring her was quite a contrast to the one he had worn this morning. Akemi couldn't help but smiled wanly back.
XXX
No similar letters arrived in her shoe locker since then.
Akemi could ease the tension clamping her muscles tightly when she stood in front of her shoe locker. Never had the regulars seen her grinning in delight at the sight of fanmails clogging the tiny compartment.
She's starting to think it was someone's lame idea of a joke to see her faffing over a piece of paper, to the point she's convinced it was all Niou's doing. Regrettably her argument's, however coherent it might be, invalid until proven otherwise with solid evidences to back her up. This she learnt from her father who spent half his career publishing scientific papers when not lecturing. A well-impressed Yanagi supported her infallible logic whole-heartedly.
Meanwhile, the Trickster wondered if he's the prime subject of whatever clandestine ploy she's planning. Her constant not-so-discreet glances in class and tennis courts didn't escape his notice. When he brought this up with the other regulars while she was away for the toilets, all he received from the captain was a mere chuckle dismissing his suspicion.
If anything, Yukimura's offhanded response increased it tenfold, and disconcerted Niou wondered if the two were in it together.
XXX
(Friday...31st October)
On the day marking her birth and the harvest festival she abhorred with every fibre in her body finally arrived. It could be said she dreaded this day.
Perhaps...
Akemi stared listlessly at the high school girl reflected on the mirror for a dubious moment before slapping her cheeks hard.
...today would be different.
Early morning started off with a spectacular view of the rising sun from the hilltop on the morning walk to school, and the sound of plops reverberating in the mild autumn air as practice matches commenced with gusto.
And in the midst of the tranquil scene, the most unexpected group of visitors turned up at the tennis courts.
"Happy birthday!" they sang in unison; each with differing levels of enthusiasm, and one whose lips barely moved.
Clipboard and pen plummeted onto the ground with a clatter.
Emanating a bright and cheery aura that's not suited for an early morning sight, the Hyotei regulars (a certain captain's missing from the throng) stood before the flabbergasted manageress.
Hands aloft in air, a suitably thunderstruck Akemi gaped at them, her mouth opening and closing soundlessly several times. Perhaps she'd horribly mistaken at assuming her body-clock's fine-tuned to early wake-up alarms.
"It's from all of us!"
"We hope you'll like the surprise!"
"Open it when you're at home."
"Don't let Atobe know!"
"Err...I...umm..." she floundered desperately for a single word. Before she could comprehend further, something was shoved into her hands, snapping her out of the stupor.
She glanced down and blinked in surprise. The gift-box was rather large, but surprisingly light-weight. It was wrapped up in a brilliant shade of orange that reminded her of mid-autumn leaves, and even came with silver ribbons tied into a butterfly bow on top.
"Th-this is quite sudden. I really don't know what to say, except...thank...you?"
Where the group stood was now an empty spot. And in the far distance, she could barely make out several dark dots hastily retreating from view.
XXX
(Lunch break)
"You better not take me to somewhere dodgy or do anything weird," Akemi threatened darkly, arms crossed over her chest. "I'll kick your face in before the vice-captain can put you in the ground."
The hands clutching onto her shoulders stiffened noticeably. A nervous chuckle sounded behind her, momentarily muffling the crunching of their shoes falling on the dirt path.
"Rest assured, I won't dream of bringing any harm to you," the voice of Kirihara echoed in the darkness as he led her to...somewhere.
"You better be right," she retorted airily. "It's one thing being steered towards an unknown destination; it's another having my own necktie wrapped over my eyes. You have the audacity to do something like this to your senpai – duping me into waiting outside the entrance hall with a question about your English homework."
Her dry humour was lost on the terrified freshman.
"I-I'm acting under buchou's order!"
"So it really was him," Akemi drew a long sigh, exasperated at the captain's apparent fondness for vexing her. "What's he up to this time?" She broke off almost abruptly, one eyebrow raised in an arch when the wind blew in their direction.
A puzzling scent wafted in the air. It smelt strongly of earth...and burnt leaves? Each step they drew closer to the source, the smell strengthened. Her nose detected another aroma that felt oddly familiar, but she couldn't put a finger on it even if she racked her brain hard for a clue.
Murmurs, laughs, people shouting, and scuttling of feet drifted over.
Chirruping birds, crackling fire, rustling leaves suddenly grew louder in her ears the moment Kirihara guided her to a complete halt. She felt the necktie loosened and slipped down her eyes. What came next utterly and completely blew her away.
"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Rapturous cheers and loud pops erupted around the tennis courts.
Mouth agape, a dumbfounded Akemi could only blink owlishly as the confetti shower rained down. In the state of shock, Kirihara eagerly led his senpai by the arm towards the waiting club members – all forty-nine of them including the seven regulars.
Slowing to a stop before the congregation, the manageress gazed questioningly at the dignified figure of Yukimura in the frontline.
"Birthdays aren't always the best kept secrets, especially in school. The walls have ears and eyes," he smiled amusedly. "Some of the senpais overheard our discussion, and the rest you can imagine. Everyone wanted to hold a celebration for you before we steal you away after school."
Right, because the captain actually cancelled today's club activities for the beach trip. Considering earlier sunset time, those in the committees also took permission to be absent despite her heated protests. Akemi was (and still) utterly perplexed.
One by one, they presented her with flowers. When Yukimura stepped back after his turn, she was clutching a bouquet of orange, yellow, pink, white and red cosmos. The bright and cheerful display of colours warmed her heart. But it was the boys who caused her to flush deeply in embarrassment.
They snapped their backs straight – their synchronised stomping of feet sent tremors into the ground for a brief moment – and bowed sharply from their waist with accurate precision. A quick glance around, Kirihara had followed suit beside her; Yagyuu had one hand firmly on the back of a miffed Niou's head, forcing him into the bowing position. Even the much revered Three Monsters of Rikkai mirrored everyone's posture.
"From this day onwards, please continue looking after us!" they chorused vigorously.
Feeling more flustered than gratified, Akemi bowed profusely back...
"S-s-same here! Pleasemeaftertoolook!"
...and muddled her appreciations horrendously to the regulars' amusements. Lifting her head, she beamed demurely at the assembly. "Th-thank you!"
Without warning, Marui punched a fist into the air. "It's time to bring out the sweet potatoes!" he whooped gleefully, bounding towards the impromptu pit fire where a pile of leaves smouldered inside a chalk ring.
Cautiously shifting the bouquet in her arms, Akemi raised an eyebrow. 'Sweet potatoes? Oh, so that's what the smell was.'
"HOI! No monkeying around at the courts!" Sanada barked furiously, eliciting a few chuckles.
Shaking her head with amusement, she turned to Kirihara who had disappeared into the clubroom for a moment.
"I was going to give it to you later, but it looks like you need it now," the freshman grinned boyishly, looking absolutely pleased as he presented a simple ceramic vase to her.
Akemi glanced from the bouquet to the vase. "Haha – how convenient," she chuckled dryly, though the heartfelt grin remained.
XXX
"Yukimura-san! Yukimura-san!"
The conversation between Yukimura and Yanagi abruptly ended. They turned around to the astonishing sight of their manageress grinning ear to ear, waving her half-devoured roasted sweet potato wrapped in aluminium foil over her head, and her phone clutched against her chest.
Yanagi quirked an eyebrow, "I've never seen her looking this excited – much less running up to you." Because she's always seen (literally) approaching the captain with extreme caution as though he might suddenly bite her hand off.
Akemi skidded to a halt before them, panting heavily from the run. "Look!" Ironically, there wasn't much to look except for the blurry bright screen as she waved the phone frenziedly in front of their bemused expressions. But the manageress took no heed. "There's an email from an editor for a book publishing company. He came to the school festival last month, and was impressed with our play. He's interested in turning it into a children's book!"
"That's –"
"If we say yes, he wants to meet up for further discussion!"
"– sounds –"
"Ah but, I won't feel comfortable talking to a stranger. So can you please come with me?"
"I'm fi –"
"Oh, and the head PE teacher handed this to me." A letter was promptly pulled out from her blazer's pocket. "It's an invitation letter to the U-17 training camp."
As far as they're concerned, her priority's set differently from the rest of them.
Bzzz. Bzzz.
The continuous vibration could only mean someone's calling her.
Briskly excusing herself, Akemi turned around just as the other regulars (drawn by the fuss she made) formed a circle around Yukimura who was reading the letter. She was about to answer the call when she glimpsed the caller ID projected onto the screen, and stopped abruptly in her tracks.
The smile plummeted from her face.
Frowning, she tapped the green button and held the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"
"Akemi! How are you doing my girl?"
"Dad, just skip to the point."
A sigh of resignation came from the other end.
Her parents who made a pit-stop in Hong Kong after Zurich for another week-long holiday and were meant to be on a plane right this moment, had been stuck in the airport for more than two hours due to a strike. Until the situation mellowed down, the airline couldn't fly them back. And even then, the backlog of passengers created by the problem and full flights meant there's only a slim chance they'd be back before her birthday dinner...much less today.
"...That's how it is. We'll negotiate with the airline staff again. Meanwhile, I'll keep you updated." Her father sounded tired from the trip, but also the current predicament. "I'm sorry it has come to this. Can you cancel the dinner booking?"
"Of course, I'm fine with it," she assured; voice steady and calm. The grip around the roasted sweet potato tightened; something else clenched behind her chest. "Don't worry about me. I'm heading to the beach with the guys after school, remember?"
Her father gave a mocked sniffle. "My girl is all grown up. Hanging out with eight lads –"
"Dad! Act more like an adult!" she hissed down the phone.
The belly laugh lifted the heaviness dulling her heart, but only by a fraction.
"Happy birthday, Akemi."
At the tap of a button, the screen went blank. The silhouette of her features reflected on the glass. Sighing wearily, she glanced over her shoulder, eyebrows drawn in a flat line.
"Can you guys at least be more subtle with the eavesdropping?"
XXX
(4:12pm)
From the edge of the raised promenade, nine individuals sporting similar blank expressions stared wordlessly at the beautiful scenery before them.
Tokyo Bay glistened in the sunlight, waves rolled back and forth the shore, seabirds soared over the long stretch of sand, the occasional planes flew in and out of the nearby Haneda Airport, and the low traffic hummed behind.
And not a single person's frolicking at the beach.
"..."
If tumbleweeds rolled, right now would be apt.
"Why did we pick the beach of all places? This place is deserted!" Kirihara threw up his hands, the surfboard he carried, landed painfully on his toes. Crying and swearing on top of his lungs, the hapless freshman bounced on one foot while clutching the other.
Crossing her arms, Akemi scowled deeply. "I was hoping to see the sunset," she grumbled irritably, whilst Sanada admonished the freshman in the background.
"Well, it is the end of October," Yanagi reasoned. "Anyway, since we're all here, might as well enjoy ourselves regardless."
"You heard that?" Marui pulled the freshman (much to his chagrin) into a headlock and ruffled his hair with his knuckles. "Now stop complaining so much."
"Alright! Alright!" Kirihara shouted, finally freed from the redhead's clutches. "Geez!"
Turning to the noirette, Marui demanded hotly, "And Akemi-chan, what the heck are you wearing?"
'So much for stop complaining,' Jackal rolled his eyes.
Said girl glanced down. Her casual wear consisted of a quarter-sleeved denim jacket, a tunic top and knee-length leggings. "What about it?" she asked in puzzlement.
"Why aren't you in a swimsuit? This is a beach for crying out loud!" He threw his arms out and gestured wildly around. "Look! We're all wearing trunks even though the breeze is freezing our butts off!"
"You don't speak for everyone," Yukimura smiled icily.
"Oh that?" Akemi shrugged. "I don't have a swimsuit."
"You agreed to the beach idea!"
"I did. But that doesn't mean I'm getting into the water."
A loathsome snigger sounded.
"Well, if you're not. Why don't I bring the water to you?" Sneering evilly, Niou whipped out a bucket filled with seawater. When he had nipped away and back without anyone noticing was lost on them.
Akemi scarpered away before she could be hit. Unfortunately, those standing behind her didn't react as quickly.
Gritting his teeth tightly, a drenched Sanada balled his hands into fists. His face bright red with unadulterated fury, it's a wander the water dripping down his skin wasn't evaporating. If looks could kill, the Trickster might just be lying on his pool of blood. As it were, the incensed vice-captain snatched one of the water guns from Jackal's bucket and stalked towards the imbecile.
"Niou Masaharu," Sanada growled menacingly.
The Trickster sniggered as he backpedalled slowly – the similarly doused Troublesome Trio armed eagerly joined the vice-captain – and bolted, grabbing an unwilling Yagyuu along with the four in hot pursuit.
Watching the six of them running back and forth the sandy beach, Akemi exhaled wearily, her shoulders drooping. "You'd think they are kids with the way they act."
"It's not bad every once in a while," Yanagi chuckled. "A break from the daily stress makes a good change." He tilted his head towards her. "By the way, want to build a sandcastle?"
Akemi slid a look to the Data Master. "You're just as bad as them."
XXX
"What...are you guys doing?"
Head turned away from the miniature version of Osaka Castle to the sight behind her, Akemi gazed bemusedly at what Jackal and Marui were trying to make out of the sand. The reason being Kirihara's resting on his back, unbothered by the mound of sand weighing his body down...or the fact that they're moulding what-could-be an extremely muscular figure from neck down.
The freshman twisted his around with some difficulty and grinned toothily at her. "I'm always envious of fukubuchou's built. But I'm never going to put myself through that crazy muscle training regime." In short, he's (sort of) living the dream. "Call me KiriHulk!" he declared throatily.
"Good for you," Akemi chuckled dryly.
Eyes closed contently, Sanada basking in the sun nearby snorted. "Only truants opt the easy way out. Tarundoru!"
Akemi and Yanagi briefly shared a look. "And what about you, Genichiro?" the Data Master raised an eyebrow at the formless behemoth mountain of sand burying the rather chilled vice-captain; all they could see was his head.
"This is endurance training."
'What is he enduring this time?' Akemi wondered wearily, turning back to the sandcastle.
"Hey! We've got the watermelons!"
Heading back from a nearby grocery store, Niou lifted the two fruits (surprisingly still in season) up. Beside him, Yagyuu was carrying a bunch of sticks in his arms.
"Yoish!" Marui leapt onto his feet and dusted the sand off his back. "Akemi-chan, you're having a go on the watermelon splitting game!" He dragged her onto her feet and pulled her along. "Come on! You've never tried it before."
"At least let me walk on my own."
"Oi! Wait for me!"
Jackal scurried after the two.
"This seems interesting."
Yanagi abandoned the sandcastle.
"Hey! What about me, guys!?"
Kirihara wiggled furiously under the sand. But the sculpted muscles proved more of a hindrance. He (provisionally) took back what he'd said about the 'crazy muscle training regime'. Because a little bit of muscles would help aplenty right this moment...
"Don't leave me alone with fukubuchou!"
XXX
"A little to your left...that's it...move four steps up..."
The sensation of somebody looming over him stirred the vice-captain awake. Groggily, he opened one eye and –
Wham!
That dull thud. Akemi groaned despairingly – she missed again. One hand reached up and lifted the cloth from her eyes. She glanced down, and instantly recoiled as a shrill shriek of horror tore through her throat.
The bat fell onto the ground beside the head of Sanada whose face's as white as sheet. The only sign of life was the weak, sputtering noise.
"G-G-G-Genichiro-san! I-I'm sorry!" Akemi whipped her head around, and glared murderously.
Fingers promptly jabbed in a certain someone's direction. Who she thought was Jackal giving directions was in fact...Niou.
"Pupina," the Trickster sneered delightfully, clearly amused by the tumultuous confusion he wrought.
Cracks formed across the sand mound as the once slumbering monster rose. Akemi didn't flinch or resist when the bat was deftly grabbed from her grasp.
Hitting the wooden stick on the palm of his hand, Sanada took one ominous and deliberate step forward, took a deep...deep breath and roared. "NIOU MASAHARUUUU!"
"Uh oh."
Niou hightailed as the provoked monster gave chase. This time, he wasn't unarmed. Drawing a water pistol from the trunk's pocket, the Trickster jumped, twisted around in mid-air, and aimed the nozzle directly at the vice-captain.
Sanada adroitly evaded the squirt of water, skidding to the side, and darted forward, brandishing the bat over his head like a make-shift katana.
Not wanting to be left behind, the Troublesome Trio (Kirihara eventually broke free from his sand-prison) armed themselves and joined in the fun. Yanagi and Yagyuu glanced at each other, shrugged, and picked up the toy weapons from the bucket.
XXX
"Not having a go?" Yukimura piped up, the dark orange hue of twilight reflecting in his eyes which were fixated on his drawing.
Pausing in her tracks, Akemi glanced back at the lively water warfare unfolding in the far distance. It had quickly descended into a 'red vs blue' team battle, with the red team outnumbering the other by one. But they more than made up the last man with power.
"You're going to regret the day you challenged this tensai!"
The smug voice of Marui rang out. The redhead hoisted his water bazooka onto one shoulder. Screams and shouts tore through the atmosphere as he took aim at...just about anyone.
Tearing her eyes away, Akemi chuckled dryly. "No thanks." She drew closer to the promenade where Yukimura sat sketching away to his heart's content since arriving at the beach. "What are you sketching?" she asked curiously, peering over his arm.
"Whatever's in front of me," came the aggravating cryptic reply.
Akemi scowled; her height was at a disadvantage – she could hardly see anything.
"Come on up," Yukimura invited, patting the empty spot beside him. Realising the difficulty it might pose, he offered a hand. But Akemi was already heaving herself onto the boardwalk with surprising ease. A small smile tugged at his lips as she scooted closer for a look.
On the coarse white page, the captain was in the midst of imprinting the ongoing battle in pencil. Most of the regulars were doing the running as Sanada chased them. That'd be fine if it weren't for the questionable inferno whipping around the vice-captain whose physique resembled the Hulk impeccably.
"You're really drawing whatever."
Chuckling light-heartedly, Yukimura shuffled through his bag. "Would like to draw something?"
"Eh!? Oh no no no." She shook her head fervently. "I'm not good (hopeless in fact) in this kind of stuff." Seriously, she couldn't even draw a cross-section of a hibiscus without messing up the pistils.
Perhaps because it's her birthday, Yukimura actually listened to her for once.
Akemi eyed the captain suspiciously, wondering if it's Niou's face hiding behind the calm and composed features. It wasn't long before she let some of her guard down and lapsed into silence. Hugging her legs to her chest, she rested her chin on her knees. Her glazed eyes stared ahead pensively.
"I haven't thanked you guys for going all out for little old me."
"The way you said it, it's like you don't think you deserve it."
Akemi frowned; clearly troubled by their kindness but also... "You guys can still go to Keigo-san's after this. Don't have to hold the dinner party at Kuwahara-san's." Because dinner with parents was now impossible, the regulars had suggested that they'd go in their stead. It sounded absurd.
"We're going to his party regardless even if it's the last half," Yukimura maintained evenly, looking up from his sketch, and regarded her unwaveringly. "Didn't that compromise agree with you?"
"Well, I couldn't possibly say no since Kuwahara-san called his father," she sulked. "I'll feel guiltier if we cancel it." Here she was contradicting herself. Truthfully, she didn't know what to make of it. And that left her confused and guilt-ridden.
Yukimura sighed softly. "Instead of putting yourself in the wrong and worrying about us, maybe it's time you think about what you want."
'What I want?' Her frown only deepened at the ambiguity of it all.
"Remember, we're doing it willingly." His lips stretched into a warm smile. "But more importantly, friends stick with each other in times of strife, right?"
Brown eyes widened a fraction as a look of astonishment briefly flashed in them. Slowly and surely, a small smile formed on her lips.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask. And you don't have to answer," Yukimura briskly added. "Do you dislike Halloween so much?"
A grimace crossed her features before she could stop it.
"The way you looked whenever someone greeted you with 'Happy Halloween', I think over-commercialisation is just partly the reason you dislike the festival."
Heavy silence hung over their heads. Then –
"I abhor it."
Without an incentive, she leapt into a tale from her past after a few moments of silence.
"I was probably ten then. While I was walking home from the grocery store, a bunch of kids my age wearing ghoulish costumes jumped out of the bushes behind me. Well, being young and everything, I was frightened out of my wits," she let out a pathetic laugh.
"Then what happened?"
Akemi shrugged. "I reacted on impulse – attacked without thinking. When my Karate sensei heard about it, he was furious and lectured me until it was well dark outside." Pointing finger in the direction of Tokyo Bay, she mimicked her former sensei, "'You lassie lack self-discipline! Might as well pack your bags and leave this place, you are a disgrace!'"
Her voice was hoarse and deep. But it was the strong Scottish accent that befuddled the captain.
Oblivious to it, she chuckled light-heartedly; some of her usual self returning. "Funnily, I was more controlled from then on."
"He must be a remarkable man."
A wistful smile crossed her features. "You can say he reminds me of Genichiro-san, and vice-versa." Akemi leaned back on her hands; the twilight sky reflected in her eyes. "Maybe that's why I can tolerate his abrasiveness." She scowled at the darkening sky. "Though, I'm still against the way he dishes out punishments." Frankly, she had her qualms about their arduous training regime. "I know he's stern and vice-president of the discipline committee to boot, but there must a line somewhere."
"You won't be the first to raise this concern," Yukimura chuckled heartily, turning back to his sketch. Hands moving across the sketchbook, he glanced furtively out from the corner of his eyes.
His silently brooding companion, who had returned to hugging her legs, was somewhat reserved concerning her personal matters and true feelings. And if she'd ever mentioned her past, it was frivolous compared to her earlier avowal. Aware of the delicate issue though, it's understandable. She's still wary of trusting the people around her.
That's why her sudden openness stunned him.
"But...that's not all."
Perhaps those tiny cracks on the glass coffin were there all along, waiting for the perfect moment.
"The real reason I hate Halloween –"
"Hey! Hey! You ladies over there!"
Hands deep in pockets, two burly college-aged men sauntered towards them, swaying side to side as though their legs couldn't decide which direction to walk. Drawing closer, the brunette realised a gross error.
"Eh!? That blue-haired chick is a dude?" he balked.
"Are they the first to raise this?" Akemi teased the unruffled captain.
Regardless, they halted before the two high schoolers. The brunette's friend, whose shaggy ashen hair draped down his neck, bent down to assess her. "Why don't you ditch that chopstick and come with us, onee-chan?" His lips twisted into a lewd sneer. "We'll show you plenty of fun."
Narrowing her eyes, Akemi scrunched her nose, disgusted by the strong alcohol breath and their uncouth motives. "I'll give you the best option: leave us alone," she retorted curtly.
"Us?" The older men shared a brief look and smirked. "Then, we'll just have to get rid of the chopstick."
A hand shot out and seized his wrists before the brunette could grab Yukimura. His fingers curled inwards like claws were merely an inch from the captain's face.
"L-let go!" He struggled vainly against the relentless iron-hold.
Despite the fiery hatred burning inside, her cold voice was deadly calm and measured when she spoke. "I'll repeat once and only once." Akemi twisted his right arm sharply at an angle, causing him to cry out in anguish. She was mindful against doing any serious physical harm, but enough to send the message across. "Leave."
"Akemi-san!"
An arm snaked around her stomach. In that instant, she realised the brunette's friend was swinging his leg at her. His lips parted widely as a wild cry ripped through his throat.
But that kick never came.
Suddenly, the ashen-haired was effortlessly lifted off the ground, flailing in the air as he shrieked for Sanada to free him. Soon, his brunette friend joined him on the other side.
Staring up through wide eyes, Akemi had never seen the vice-captain so...maddened.
"I have enough of you delinquents running around freely!"
With ruthless strength, he threw them bodily on the ground. They lay sprawled on their backs a few feet away, writhing in pain and swearing colourfully.
"D-d-damn old geezer" the ashen-haired sputtered, the alcohol running through his system throwing him off balance as he tried to push himself off the boardwalk.
"Buchou!" "Akemi-san!"
Rushing towards them, the other regulars waved the bats and toy guns over their heads.
The more sober brunette uttered a terrified squeal, hastily hoisted his friend up and scrammed.
Sanada made a move to follow, but was promptly held back.
"Leave them be." Akemi stepped away. "If they're registered in college, it should be easy to identify them. Look." She held up her phone. On the screen was the picture of the scuffle. But more importantly, the two faces of their assaulters. "If you can send this to your father, that'll be great." A triumphant smirk crossed her features. "I'm sure the police can match their profiles in their database."
Sanada visibly struggled between the options, but ultimately let out a sigh of frustration and grudgingly yielded to her plan.
Yukimura walked up to them. "Thank you, Akemi-san. You saved me," he smiled gratefully, "I'm really glad you're our manageress."
"Next time, fight your own battle. And for the record, 95% of my time is spent being your secretary instead."
"Actually, that would be 63.2%."
"Ohhh...we missed it."
"Why do you sound disappointed, Kirihara-kun?"
"I finally nabbed Marui-senpai's bazooka! It'd have been so cool!"
"You think a kiddie toy is going to scare them?"
"Oh! If only we have a flame-thrower!"
"You'll be thrown behind bars for having that possession."
Akemi watched them head back to the waters while the Three Monsters lingered behind.
"If you want to watch the sunset, you should turn around now," Yanagi glanced over to the noirette. "We're not exactly looking westward."
True, the sun was setting behind the city of Kawasaki instead of Tokyo Bay. The autumnal light fell on their backs, casting long shadows of the four figures standing on the promenade over the sandy beach.
"Meh, I don't care about it anymore," she shrugged and beamed. Engraving this moment in her mind satisfied her enough. Her hair billowed gently in the wind. "The atmosphere isn't bad."
"AHH! My kite!"
Kirihara broke into view as he scurried frantically after his kite soaring from his reaches.
Not bad at all.
XXX
(10:58pm)
Her lips parted widely with a yawn.
Running the comb through her slightly damped hair, Akemi sat down behind her desk which was littered with the usual knick-knacks...and then the presents.
A beautiful floral print scarf with subtle hues of blue from Hinata; collection of sketches of the beach trip from Yukimura; clipboard with an in-built LED light (battery not included) and a pen holder from Yanagi; calligraphy scripted by Sanada; cookbook (unofficially) endorsed by Marui; Jackal's family restaurant's vouchers (unfortunately, not lifetime supply of ramen); a fantasy novel from Yagyuu and Niou (the latter's plan to swap it for an anger management was thwarted); the cosmos in the vase crafted by Kirihara.
And lastly, there was the present from the Hyotei regulars.
'What...went through their heads exactly?' Akemi pondered bemusedly. Holding the stuffed bear in her hands, she studied its dapper suit closely.
At the stroke of eleven, a petal of royal blue shade had appeared out of nowhere, swaying gracefully in the air before landing softly on the black snout.
She carefully held the delicate petal to her eye-level. 'Is this a blue rose? Where did it come from?'
A couple more – then a few dozens of them – drifted into view. The curtains flapped noisily in the evening breeze. And above her bed and behind the opened window, a cascade of blue rose petals rained down before her very eyes.
...
...
...
...
"W-w-w-w-wh-what the heck is going on!?"
The blue roses should be a big hint. Thanks for reading and see you next chapter!
Review?