This was last Updated/Corrected Mar 22, 2013. (Some details were added, but nothing major that would change the story. If you're curious see notes at the end of chapter.)
Disclaimer: Campione! was written by Taketsuki Jou, I get nothing out of writing this fanfic save personal satisfaction (and possibly reviews).
Author's Notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the second prologue, even though it's a prologue. I was really happy that it got so many. I'm mostly mentioning this because I can't thank some of you personally because of pm blocking. XD I tend to reply to interesting reviews (in case you were wondering why you aren't getting any, but sometimes I just forget). XD
Thanks to everyone who voted in my poll!
This chapter came out early and I'll bi*** about it at the end notes a little. For now, Enjoy!
- - - 7th - - -
Pet na Campione-sama!
- - - 7th - - -
Chapter Ten: Liliana: "...a rather eventful afternoon."
- - - 7th - - -
My master, Kusanagi Godou, and I were on a cab that was supposed to be headed to his home. But instead of a straight trip to our destination, we had to stop at a local family restaurant to have lunch.
Had it been someone else with me, then occasionally missing lunch by several minutes to an hour would not have been a problem (especially if it meant getting home a little earlier).
However, my master was different.
I've yet to fully understand how or why he needs such massive amounts of calories a day; requiring him to eat frequently and in larger quantities than most people. However, I'm starting to enjoy seeing the reactions of random bystanders when they see him eat so much.
- - - 7th - - -
After we left the restaurant, I was about to call another cab to continue our way to his home when to my surprise my master asked to walk instead.
And I could not think of a good reason to refuse him.
...
I later realized that should have thought harder.
...
The path home that he chose was lined with food stalls and restaurants. Just looking at them even made me hungry (and we just ate minutes ago). However, stopping by restaurant after restaurant would take too long. So I somehow convinced him choose something he could eat as we walked.
My master quickly chose to have a two family servings of Takoyaki (octopus dumplings), which I asked the vendor to fit in one large box.
The vendor seemed very surprised; I suspected that he was worried that I was among the non-Japanese speaking tourists that he occasionally gets. But relief quickly filled the man's features when he realized that I spoke the local with some adequacy language. While his assistant prepared my order, he handed me my receipt, change and a three pieces of unfamiliar paper tickets.
When I inquired about the papers, the vendor told me that they were tickets for a lottery wheel that their shopping street would have starting tomorrow. If I were to collect at least five tickets, I would be entitled to a spin the lottery wheel. Of the top prizes that he mentioned the ones that I made note of were: a year's supply of rice, food vouchers for the street's restaurants, and an all expense paid trip to a hot spring for six people.
As we left, I considered doing most of my shopping here.
- - - 7th - - -
A few blocks after leaving the shopping street, we found ourselves at a major intersection. I found it odd that there weren't many vehicles around, but decided to ignore it for now.
While waiting for the pedestrian sign to change color, I double checked the map on my phone.
"How many times must I tell you- I won't do it!" I heard a girl from behind us yell.
From the corner of my eye I peeked over at what was going on behind me. I saw that the girl I heard was still a few steps behind us.
She had a long, straight and untied deep brown- almost like slightly milky coffee- colored hair. I thought it was rather unusual for a Japanese person. But I'm probably not one that should talk about strange hair colors. Despite how proud I am now about my rare hair color, being too different to the point of rarity was difficult experience as a child. And besides, it could also have easily been dyed hair. I've seen stranger colors when Karen and I first came to Japan.
This girl looked about my age and was yelling at a gentleman in a business suit who looked slightly older than herself.
"Mariya-san, please reconsider! ..." The young man surprisingly pleaded with his head bowed deeply.
I thought that it was rather odd for a Japanese male to bow to a younger female in such a fashion... or his request must be really important to him.
Further increasing my surprise, the young man then added, "...you're the first person to have that ability in over a hundred years. We need you. Japan needs you."
Ability? Could she be a miko? Things have become even more curious. Could it be an argument about shine maiden assignments? It was rather careless of them to talk about it in such a public place (fortunately there weren't many people around).
But it's none of my business... for all I know it's a artistic rather than a magical skill.
"I've already said, No! And that's final!" The girl yelled as she turned around and dashed between the small space that separated my master and I.
To my surprise a hand was suddenly raised- and it belonged to Kusanagi Godou. He grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her towards him.
She landed angrily onto his chest, and turned even angrier after my master's arm locked itself around her waist.
"Let-!" But her words were suddenly cut when a large delivery truck blared its horn as its wheels screeched on the pavement when it made its forced stop.
"Watch where you're walking, girly!" The truck driver angrily yelled from his half-opened window. He opened his mouth to say something more, the driver suddenly flinched and all of blood drained from his face.
I turned to my master and saw that his seemingly empty expression had gone a touch dark. There was no evil or killing intent, but that look alone unnerved the man into driving his truck away at full speed.
My eyes darted quickly onto the girl. I quickly noted that she was clearly shaken by what had just happen and leaned on my master for support. Not really surprising. If my master had not pulled her back when he did... well, the important thing was that she's safe.
Still Kusanagi Godou demonstrated exceptional observation and reaction speed, while I was a little preoccupied that I had just barely noticed the speeding truck. Had my master not been here, I probably would have needed to exert a hundred times that the effort he had used just now.
"Um... t-tha-" The girl in my master's arms was about to say something with a shaking voice, but suddenly the man who was talking to her suddenly rushed over.
"Mariya-san! I'm glad you're sa-!" to our (the brown-haired girl and myself) further surprise, a still steaming brown ball coated in a red sauce and mayonnaise flew fast and straight into the young man's mouth; effectively silencing him.
"Hmrph-."
Fortunately (or unfortunately...) before the man could choke on the edible projectile, my master suddenly launched a kick right in-between the young man's legs.
"Uuiiii..."
We tried not to flinch too much as we watched the young man whimper and crumple onto the pavement as he lost consciousness from the pain.
"Kusanagi Godou, wasn't it just a little underhanded to attack him there?" I asked him in a slightly reprimanding tone, with hopes that even he (as a man) would understand how unfair his actions were.
But almost unsurprisingly, my master just looked at me with that confused yet empty expression of his.
"Never mind... I should probably call an ambulance for him."
"Don't bother..." my master suddenly said to me. Adding, "...his subordinates are... nearby," as he started walking away.
"Huh?" I was puzzled. How would he know that?
For the few seconds I watched as he half-dragged half-carried the girl with him as he crossed the now safe pedestrian lane. The girl did not struggle; instead she had clung onto him and let herself to be carried away.
"Liliana... hurry..." my master ordered without turning back.
"Ah! Yes..." I quickly dashed after him and the girl; with the wheels of my heavy suitcase growling as I pulled the container across the rough asphalt road.
After we've cross the street. I turned to check on the man. And to my surprise a few men in business suits were rushing to the fallen man's side.
I then followed my master as he carried the girl and his food with ridiculous ease (and his authorities weren't even active).
- - - 7th - - -
We quickly stopped at a small corner park, a few blocks from that intersection. My master gently set the girl onto bench.
"Are you-"
The brown-haired girl almost jumped off the bench in surprise to his voice, but her shaky legs landed her right back onto it. She blushed at her mistake and sheepishly looked at my master.
Of course my master (being himself) did not seem to understand what she was trying to convey. I suppose it's my turn to help. But I'm not doing this for the girl. I'm doing it because it is my duty to support my master in his endeavors. If it's his wish to help this girl, then I will aid him to the best of my abilities.
"Kusanagi Godou, why don't you sit down over there and let me handle the rest." I suggested as I directed him at another bench half a dozen meters away.
My master looked and blinked at me curiously, before nodding. Then without turning to the brown girl, he walked over to other bench and sat down to eat.
Spotting a vending machine, I told the girl, "Please wait right there." and I dashed towards it. I purchased a chilled can of cherry flavored soda, a hot can of black coffee, and a hot can of tea. I then quickly returned to the girl and asked her which once she would prefer.
"What about him?" she asked while pointing at my master with her eyes.
I flashed her a sincere smile and said, "Don't worry. He's the type that has no preferences."
She looked like she wasn't sure if I was telling the truth, but probably decided that it would be rude to call me out on it. "Then... I'll have the tea please."
I handed her the can of tea, quickly darted over to my master and gave him the cherry flavored soda- after opening the can- and once again returned to the girl's side.
We sat down together for a moment, and I allowed her to take a few sips of the tea.
It was at this time that more of her features registered into my mind. She had bright brown eyes. From the slightly unkemptness of her clothes (after being unceremoniously carried away) I could see hints of lighter skin, she must have been recently forced to increase the frequency of her trip outdoors without adequate sun protection.
But her clothes were what really caught my attention. Her clothes were pretty and from a distance maybe even seem stylish; however, with her now right at my side I could see that these were cheap clothes that where altered by hand. With the impeccably dressed young man earlier, they were as mismatched as my master and me.
Noticing that she had calmed down, I started talking to her. "How do you feel?"
"Still a little shaky... I almost died..." She forced herself to smile. "He hadn't pulled me out-of-the-way... I..."
She looked away, but I could tell that she was trying hard not to cry.
I patted her back. "It's fine. It was a mistake. Fortunately, it's not your last, right?
The brown-haired girl looked back at me, her tears already escaping her eyes. "...yes..." she said weakly.
Feeling awkward, I decided to try to change the subject, "Will that man still bother you?"
She nodded her head. "He and his family have been at it for years. It'll probably set him back for a while... that kick your boyfriend gave him looked really painfu-"
"Boyfriend!?" I suddenly interrupted as my brain finally registered the word.
She looked surprised by my outburst, "Eh? He's not?"
"Yes-No... I mean..." I stumbled over my words for a bit. "Our relationship is deeper than that."
There was a hint of disappointment on her face, but it was overpowered by a burst of excitement, "Could it be... you're getting married?!"
"NO! That's not what I meant! We-we-We're friends... that's right, friends, best friends!"
"Oh..." Her excitement died down and was replaced by relief (which confused me a litte). "So the two of you have known each other for a long time?"
"Uh... no, it's only about... a week now." I informed her without much thought.
"Ehhhhhhh?!" she over-reacted with surprise again. "Isn't best friends after just a week a little too fast?"
"Not at all!" I confidently declared. "Our friendship is one born from battle."
"Battle?"
Ugh... I slipped again. I'm not used to dealing with normal society. "I mean... after we met we faced a lot of trouble together-"
"In one week?!" she interrupted.
I tried to smile as I told her, "It does sound rather ridiculous isn't it?"
She shook her head before saying, "Not at all!" Then clasping her hands together as she happily sighed she added, "I think it's romantic!"
I could only nervously laugh in response. I had thought so as well, but certain unfortunate details have prevented such an outcome.
She fell silent for a moment. However, she no longer looked as shaken as she did earlier. But now what do I say?
Before I could think of anything, the girl hesitantly called for my attention. "Um..."
Not wanting her to feel uneasy, I gave her soft smile. "Hmm?"
"I'd like to... thank him..." she shyly said as she peaked at my master, "but I'm feeling a little..."
My smile widened uncontrollably at that. "Well... don't worry about it. He's probably heard you already."
"Eh?!" The girl's face suddenly turned a deeper shade of red.
A short giggle escaped my lips. "He has rather sharp ears. Isn't that right, Kusanagi Godou?"
To her astonishment, my master turned towards us and nodded some odd seconds after I had spoken (then returned to his food).
"H-h-h... he can hear us from way over there?"
I just gave her a weak smile and nodded response.
The brown-haired girl looked even more embarrassed. And yet, I am not sure why, but she didn't look the least bit displeased. Rather she seemed happy, but now twice as shy. I realized then, that my master had done it again... only this time he conquered this girl's heart on their first meeting (and he's barely said a thing to her).
"Uh I'm-"
My phone suddenly rang just as the girl was about to say something.
"Excuse me for a moment."
Taking out the phone in my pocket, I gasped as I learned who the caller was.
Kusanagi Shizuka.
I had almost forgotten that I called her when we arrived at the airport. I told her that his brother and I would arrive at their house at a little past noon, but it was now close to two.
Mustering my courage, I answered the phone, "Hello, Shizuka-san."
'Liliana-san, where are you?'
"I'm sorry, but we'll be a little tardy. Your brother was hungry and we had to stop for lunch."
'I... see...' She did not sound pleased, but understood the situation. 'Anyway just keep an eye on him. You won't believe how many times I've lost him in this city.'
"I understand."
'Oh! Tell him that grandfather ordered sushi. He should decide to come home.'
"Really?" He had not shown special preferences towards certain types of food.
'Sushi is best while it is fresh. He knows that the sooner he's home the tastier it will be when he eats it.'
I suppose that made sense for most foods, but more so for something that was meant to be consumed raw.
"Alright, I'll tell him."
'Okay. I'll see you later.'
"Bye." Shizuka ended the call as soon as I said that. She sounded a little upset. Then again, she could just be worried about her brother.
"I'm sorry." The brown-haired girl suddenly said.
"Huh?"
"You probably had to lie to make an excuse for being late."
Ah! She thought that I had to make up an excuse just now.
"Don't worry! I did no such thing."
"Eh?" The brown-haired girl looked doubtful.
I turned my gaze to point at my master. "He is a really big eater. What I said about stopping for lunch was true." I explained.
But she looked genuinely puzzled.
"But... what about being late?"
"It's because he just decided to walk the rest of the way home."
She looked at me doubtfully. "Really?"
"Yes."
Relief relaxed the girl's features as she muttered, "I see." to herself.
I noticed that the girl's blush (which had slightly faded during the phone call) had returned with a vengeance; however, the glimmer in her eye was no longer from her tears.
Did I just make her fall in love with him more?
We should get going, but as much as I didn't want to break her heart I couldn't just leave her either.
"We should get going, but will you be alright? Do you need us to call someone?"
"Ah!- no, I'm fine now." To prove her words, the girl gracefully stood up and twirled around once.
"I see." I gave her a smile and stood. "Then, we'll be going now."
"Um wait!"
I immediately stop after a few steps and turned towards her again.
"Yes?"
"I'm... Mariya Hikari," she introduced herself.
I smiled. "Liliana Kranjcar." I then gestured at my master. "He's-"
"Kusanagi Godou-san, right?" Hikari interrupted.
I had almost forgotten that I already mentioned his name a few times earlier. "That's right."
She then turned towards my master. "Thank you for saving my life, Kusanagi-san."
My master didn't respond, but after a few odd seconds later he turned to her, nodded, and said, "Don't worry... about it."
Hikari smiled brightly at him and bowed respectfully to him. Then she turned towards me.
"Liliana-san too! Thank you!" She said as she grabbed my hands to convey her feelings.
"I-I... I didn't really do anything to deserve such appreciation."
But the girl vigorously shook her head still flashing her bright smile. "I was really happy talking to you, Liliana-san. Thank you!"
I couldn't really say anything against that and just returned her smile.
"Will you be safe on your own?" I asked, to change the topic.
Hikari nodded. "Kuhoutsuka-san can be really annoying at times, but I won't be harmed." I noticed that her smile had shrunk. That man must have been bothering her a lot.
"Have you contacted the police?"
"I had actually, but unfortunately he has connections." The brightness of her smile had vanished and replaced with a dark air of resignation. "It would only serve to inconvenience us both, it won't stop him."
"I see..." I felt sorry for her, but I don't really know how to offer her any comfort, nor do I have a solution to solve her problem.
Well... actually I do have one, but it's unpredictable and tends to do as it wants.
"Don't worry about me! It's unfortunate that I can't make him stop, but I'm not in any danger."
"That's a relief." my words actually meant to convey, 'I'm sorry I can't do more for you'.
To my surprise, Hikari's smile brightened once again. "Yes! I'll just find somewhere to waste time before going home today. The only reason he caught me today was because I overslept and did not leave home early enough."
"Then... come with us." My master unexpectedly suggested.
Hikari opened her mouth to refuse or accept my master's invitation. However, before she could get a word out, my master suddenly hurled a large stick (which I later realized was part of a seesaw) towards the entrance of the park and hit a man in a business suit (just as he appeared in the entry way) on the head- knocking him out.
Hikari and I both flinched as the wood or the man's head made a dull and pitiable sound, then watch as his body lifelessly fell onto the concrete walkway.
"Kusanagi-san is really amazing..." Hikari looked completely awed as she commented about my master. Although I was impressed myself, I am starting to worry if these cunningly efficient preemptive-attacks are situational or had always been part of his modus operandi.
"I wished he'd hold back a little though..." I soon realized that the man was one of the subordinates of the young man my master kicked. "It seems that they're still looking for you."
"It does seem that way..."
My master walked up to the fallen man, grabbed him by the back of his collar, dragged him behind onto a bench and used a newspaper he found in the man's vest to cover his face (making the man appear like he was sleeping).
Satisfied with his handwork, my master then walked towards us and said, "Let's go."
Hikari ended up agreeing to coming along with us.
- - - 7th - - -
On the way to the Kusanagi residence, my master had actually incapacitated another two of Hikari's pursuers. The first one was rather unfortunate. My master kicked a rock, which hit an empty beer can, which bounced loudly towards and startled a sleeping cat, which knocked over a small plant in a rubber pot that then hit the man on the head and rendered him unconscious.
The second one was probably the more fortunate than his colleagues. The man was talking on his cell phone with his back turned at us, when my master signaled for Hikari and me to stay where we were as he walked up behind the man. The man did not seem to notice, but he was acting rather strangely. It was almost like he purposely kept my master outside his vision and did not turn around even though my master walked up to him with audible footsteps. When the man ended his call, my master hit him with a quick chop to the neck.
My master did not bother with moving the men out of sight and simply left them where they were.
He then led the way towards his home (probably because I mentioned the sushi after the third encounter), although I later realized that we were two blocks off course and had to take over the task.
- - - 7th - - -
We arrived at the Kusanagi residence at a little past three.
Their home was not what I expected. Instead of a closed bookstore, I had imagined a large traditional ancestral home. But I hardly knew the family, so I can only fault any misconceptions and wrong assumptions on myself.
I braced myself as I rang the doorbell.
I could hear the sound of footsteps as someone rushed towards the door from the inside. The door noisily slid open and revealed angry-looking Shizuka.
"WHAT TOOK YOU So- EH!? Mariya-sempai!?" Shizuka's angry voice had suddenly gone from furiously loud to squeaky panic.
"Eh? I am Mariya, but..." Hikari was puzzled for a moment, but then her face showed that she realized something. "Ah! You must have mistaken me for Yuri-onee-chan."
"Huh?" My master's little sister stared at Hikari for a few moments before she face showed that she understood what Hikari meant. "Ah! Twins?!"
"Yes!" Hikari said happily.
Shizuka looked like she wanted to say something more, but noticed that her voice had drawn quite a few eyes in this residential shopping street. "Anyway, please come in."
- - - 7th - - -
"I see... my useless brother saved you, Mariya-se-san" Shizuka commented after Hikari finished her story.
I was a little disappointed to hear my master's very own sister disparaging him, but that was (probably) because I am his knight and I've seen the side of him that she would not believe. However, I did understand her view of her own brother and since my master did not look like he was the least bit offended (and focused on eating the dishes that had been prepared for his arrival), I decided to stay silent about the matter.
Hikari happily talked to Shizuka about her twin sister, a Miss Mariya Yuri, who happened to be Shizuka's senior in school.
"Kranjcar-san," I heard their grandfather, Kusanagi Ichirou, call my attention away from watching Shizuka and Hikari. "I'd like to thank you for escorting my grandson along on his errand."
I shook my head and said, "Your gratitude is unnecessary as I too profited from the task."
The elder man's eyes sparkled with curiosity, "Is that so..." he said in a rather amused voice, but did not say anything further on the topic. Instead he changed the subject, "By the way, how long do you intend to stay in Japan?"
His question did not catch me completely off guard. I had thought about making plans to stay in Japan indefinitely. However, since most of the details about my master's life are still relatively unknown to me, I could not make any definite plans. But one thing was sure...
"I intend to remain beside and take care of Kusanagi Godou forever."
"Oh?" Kusanagi Ichirou seemed rather puzzled (at me), which then suddenly looked pleased (at me), and then looked impressed (at my master).
Shizuka, however, wasn't quite as thrilled. Breaking her conversation with Hikari, she turned towards me and said, "What do you mean by that, Liliana-san?"
"Exactly as I said, but let me restate myself. I, Liliana Kranjcar, have sworn to be Kusanagi Godou's personal knight and from this point on I shall serve and protect him for the rest of my life."
Shizuka's mouth dropped open; Hikari blushed, but her eyes were filled with excitement as she covered her mouth; my master's grandfather (oddly) smiled at him with great pride.
"I see! I see! I'm glad that Godou has finally found someone fit for him!" The elderly gentleman, said as his eyes twinkled with mirth and delight.
"Oji-chan! This isn't something to be happy about!" Shizuka angrily told her grandfather.
"Why not? Your grandmother was right; there is a girl in this world who would understand and like Godou. And they somehow managed to meet despite being from different countries. Shouldn't we be happy for him?"
I blushed at his words. And although his words could easily be misunderstood to mean something else, I did not say anything so as not to break the control that the elder Kusanagi had in the conversation.
"But..." Shizuka tried to say something, but the topic seems to have finally overwhelmed her to the point where she could not think of what to say.
"Shizuka, I know you've taken care of him most of your life... you've probably taken care of him more than anyone in the family. I know you're very attached to your brother, but everyone deserves to be happy... right?"
Instead of answering Shizuka grit her teeth angrily and swiftly ran out of the dining room. I then heard her run up the stairs and loudly closed the door behind her.
I was about to stand up and go talk to her when the elder Kusanagi spoke to me. "Don't worry about her, Kranjcar-san. She has a rather difficult complex about her brother. She'll be fine after she's been given some time to cool off." He then turned towards my master, "Godou, make sure that you set some of your vacation for playing with Shizuka-chan. Just because you've finally made some lady friends, doesn't mean you can neglect family."
My master listened intently to his grandfather as he chewed his food and properly answered, "I will," after he had swallowed his current mouthful.
The elder Kusanagi then turned to Hikari with a smile. "I'm very sorry you had to see such a display, Mariya-chan."
"It's ok... but perhaps Shizuka-chan will be more open if I talked to her?"
The old gentleman thought about it for a moment. "I think she'll be fine, but I suppose it's a waste that she's not here to enjoy the food with us..."
"Then?"
"Her room's on the first door upstairs."
Hikari smiled (glad that she had permission), stood from her seat and then headed up the stairs.
"Liliana-chan,"
"Y-yes?!" I shouldn't have been surprised by the sudden familiarity the elder Kusanagi had switched to call me (a great majority of people had called me by my first name), but I was.
"You mentioned earlier that you're on your own, right?"
"That is correct." There were a lot of details that I wished I could tell them, but it would only complicate their lives and put them in more danger. So I had to be constructive with my story telling; to ensure that I told them what they need to know or asked without lying or involving them with the magic society.
"My decision might seem rather sudden, but-"
I was prepared to defend my (quite possibly) rash decision; however, to my surprise Kusanagi Ichirou didn't seem concerned about the same issue as I was.
"Have you made hotel or apartment plans? Or do you have friends to stay with nearby?" he asked.
I was a little surprised, but I managed to promptly answer him. "I had an apartment until last week. But even if it's still available for me to rent again, that place will be very inconvenient for me now. I would probably lose about four hours a day on the commute alone."
"Hmm... then in the mean time, why don't you stay here."
"Oh! I-," the offer caught me completely by surprise. "I wouldn't want to impose..." I mentally kicked myself as soon as I had said that.
I had mostly refused to be polite. A big part of me was relieved to be welcomed so easily, but the other half of the family does not seem to want me around.
"I'll handle Shizuka-chan."
For a moment I thought he could read my mind, but I quickly realized that he was watching me closely and probably saw that I was looking towards the direction of Shizuka's room.
"We still have a guest room that you can use. It was their parent's room," he added with a complicated smile, "but they don't need it anymore."
"Oh... I'm sorry..."
"Hmm?..." The elder Kusanagi's face looked confused for a moment, and then suddenly brightened with comprehension and amusement. "Oh!- Hoho!- They are very much alive... just divorced."
I blushed upon learning of my misunderstanding. I felt relieved, but apologized anyway.
The elderly man laughed happily, "It's perfectly all right. Their grandmother and I pretty much raised them ourselves. So sometimes it might feel like that..."
He paused to look over, a cabinet (which I assumed was a house shrine of sorts) "My wife had passed on a few years ago..."
I was about to offer my condolences; however, he quickly silenced me when he suddenly turned his attention back to me and added, "but I'm sure she would have been happy to meet you."
I felt very flattered. I think I now understood (at least partly) where my master got his charm.
"She was always worried that Godou would forever be misunderstood and that Shizuka-chan would have to sacrifice her own happiness to take care of him."
I watched as he turned towards my master and fondly watched him seemingly ignore everything (and just continued to eat).
This pause gave me some time to ponder the offer to stay with them.
Living with my master would be very convenient and incredibly ideal. And although I did not want to be a cause of friction between my master and his sister, it wasn't an offer I could easily refuse.
I had no prior preparations. Unlike my last trip here, Karen and I had someone arrange living quarters for us beforehand. This time I was hugely on my own. The only ones that personally knew that I was even in Japan were Diana and a few apprentices. I had not asked her to prepare anything for me (and I will not). I had considered staying at a modest hotel until I can arrange for something more permanent.
Before I could consider things any further, Kusanagi Ichirou suddenly mentioned something I overlooked.
"What about your schooling, Liliana-chan? Will you be attending the same school as Godou and Shizuka?"
"I-"
Before I could answer, my master suddenly interjected in the conversation.
"Liliana," I turned towards him. "It would be nice... if we're in... the same class."
I'm glad that he said that. Partially because I probably would have stuttered and embarrassed myself in front of his grandfather; as I had forgotten that normal people of our age should be in school. But mostly because he's telling me what he would like me to do.
I smiled and said, "I would like that too."
"Great! Then I'll get in touch with a few friends. It's probably not too late for an exchange student to enroll." Kusanagi Ichirou said as he stood up from his seat.
"Thank you, but... won't you finish your meal first?"
"I could... but I'm hoping Mariya-chan can coax Shizuka-chan out of her room."
The elderly gentleman then left the room to make those calls.
I turned back to my master and noticed that he had stopped eating. He was looking at something on the kitchen floor, but (from where I was sitting) I could not see what it was.
"Kusanagi Godou?"
"Hmm?" My master responded without looking at me. (How odd... he usually turned his attention when called by name.)
"What are you looking at?"
"Himari."
"Himari?"
"My... cat."
"Oh?" I was a little alarmed, but tried hard not to show or sound like it. As a witch I can faintly sense the presence of animals and sometimes communicate with them if I used a spell or potion. But I did not detect the presence of this cat... if it really is there. The only times that this should happen is if the cat was actually a summoned spirit or a regular cat turned into a powerful familiar with magic (like Lucretia's).
I leaned over to get a better view and saw a pure white cat peaking at my master, while it cowered behind the kitchen counter.
The cat suddenly flinched when my master put down the now empty bowl of rice in his hand. The cat shrank back when my master extended his hand towards it.
"Come here... Himari."
The cat suddenly hid behind the counter when it heard his voice, but peaked out its head again soon after.
"Has it always been shy?" I asked.
My master shook his head, and then said only one word, "Afraid."
I surprised myself that I quickly understood his meaning. He was correcting me; in that the cat wasn't shy, but afraid. (Was he an animal whisperer as well? Or did one of his authorities include the language of animals?)
My master lowered his hand until it almost touched the floor. Then with a slower and softer voice he called out to the cat again.
"Himari... Come here..."
I watched as the cat very slowly crawled over towards my master.
Once it was close enough, it warily half-circled around the hand as it sniffed his fingers. It then pressed its head on my master's palm, which my master then rewarded with a few gentle strokes on its head. Then to my surprise (its fear seemingly forgotten) the cat leapt onto my master's lap and rubbed most of its length onto my master's abdomen.
A small hint of jealousy filled me as I watched my master tickle the cat's chin and offered the cat a small piece of tuna.
I tried ignoring it, but I quickly realized that I hated this cat. I wasn't sure about the first one, but I was sure that I definitely saw it stick out its tongue at me the second time.
But I controlled my anger. I don't know what this cat was, but I'm sure that it's not normal. Unfortunately; however, it was my master's cat and thus currently untouchable.
"AH! Onii-chan! You're spoiling the cat again!" I suddenly heard Shizuka raised her voice as she walked up to her brother.
It seems that she and Hikari had just returned.
My eyes caught Hikari's for a moment. We shared confused smile before turning our attention to the siblings and their cat.
Shizuka quickly snatched the cat from his lap.
"I told you before that raw fish are bad for cats!" She said as she stuck her hand in its mouth and pulled out the raw tuna.
I tried not laugh at the cat's suffering, but unfortunately my lips still managed to form a smile.
Once Shizuka had confiscated the slice of sashimi from the cat, it leapt off Shizuka's arms and hid itself between my master's legs.
"Shizuka,... don't bully... Himari."
"This is your fault!" Shizuka angrily yelled at her brother; however, (as I expected) my master's confused empty stare was enough to aggravate her into forgetting the issue.
- - - 7th - - -
When Kusanagi Ichirou returned from his phone call, he happily told me that he had made some arrangements for my enrollment at Jounan Academy. He even said that he convinced his friend to make sure that we were assigned in the same class.
I couldn't thank him enough for that. And although Shizuka looked rather displeased, she decided not to say anything further.
And to our surprise (well mostly mine), Hikari revealed that she too will be attending the same school this year. Shizuka's mood brightened a little at that revelation.
- - - 7th - - -
While my master was still eating, his grandfather thought that it would be a good idea to show me to my room. And since Shizuka was here to watch over him, I decided to give her (and Hikari) some time with my master and followed Kusanagi Ichirou upstairs with my luggage.
I was happy to know that spare room was the one beside my master's. It was on the third floor of the house. However, I was suddenly concerned when the room seemed to have been the residence's master bedroom.
And it turns out I was right. But before I could complain, Kusanagi Ichirou opened the door to the room with the tag 'Godou'.
To my surprise the room was very bare, containing only: a simple closet; a table with only a laptop, headphones, a few textbooks and notebooks on it; an office chair; and (very oddly) a king size bed that ate most of the space in the bedroom with a twin sized kakebuton (quilt blanket).
He explains that his grandson never needed much space, but they could not leave him in a room that had its own bathroom. Shizuka already had the large room in the second floor and didn't want to bother moving. While he was content with using the smaller room downstairs because it was easier to regularly clean.
This former master bedroom would also give their guest some privacy (apparently to reduce the chances of accidents that Kusanagi Godou might cause), although it's rarely been used.
I could not refuse the room after such a thorough explanation. So I resolved to work hard to not only ensure my master's well-being and security, but also to not be a hindrance to this family.
- - - 7th - - -
It was already passed five. I had just finished helping Kusanagi Ichirou with cleaning up the dishes. Actually I had offered to do it all by myself, but he thought it was rude to let a guest do the dishes so we settled on doing it together.
I had told him about my master's trip (or at least the version that omitted everything that had anything to do with the magic world).
When we returned to the living and dining room, I noticed that my master had remained on his seat and was pampering the cat on his lap.
The cat looked at me for a moment and (for a moment) looked haughtily at me. I tried to ignore it, but I keep getting the distinct feeling that the cat was smirking at me.
"Godou, why don't you, Liliana-chan and Hikari-chan walk around for a little bit?" The elder Kusanagi's suggestion was actually a subtle way to telling Hikari and me that we were free to drag Kusanagi Godou anywhere and to have him safely escort Hikari home.
I was about to take him up on that offer, but then I noticed that Hikari had quickly turned to Shizuka; curious as to why she did so, I turned to her as well.
Shizuka pouted for a few seconds. She then looked at me, then at Hikari, before she sighed and said, "Have a nice walk..."
- - - 7th - - -
Chapter Ten: End
- - - 7th - - -
Chapter End Notes: Have you ever been so bummed by someone else's fanfic? (Because they killed your favorite protagonist to insert their favorite and made you feel like making a fanfic that kills theirs?... I was tempted to... but I didn't... because some of you probably love that same character (the one I wanted to kill) and would hate me and this story for doing that.)
I had intended to make this longer, but I was bummed out and I could not progress the story any further without changing perspectives. You might have noticed that around after they got to the Kusanagi Residence.
(So on the down side is that this chapter is shorter than I wanted to make it. However, on the plus side it's out early. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing... at this point I'll have to defer to your judgement. XD)
Foreign exchange students: I'm not actually very familiar with the exchange student/ home-stay thing... so I'm pretty much making it up based on assumptions and what I see in anime.
Family names: I'm sure some people are wondering why Godou and Shizuka's are still named Kusanagi if it was their mother's maiden name. If you're one of them, (Shame on you! You haven't watched enough anime! ...Just kidding!) then know that in Japan it seems that it's possible for a man to marry into the woman's family instead (I think some other countries have it too, but I have no idea which ones). I'm not sure if this is actually canon. If it is... lucky guess; and if it isn't... aww screw it (I ain't changing it)!
Liliana's moving in wasn't originally planned. I thought about it, but not so deeply at first. But 9th mentioned it in his review and the ideas avalanche'd in my head. Thanks 9th! (That's why I love reviews!)
Recent Changes:
Some sentences and conversations were slightly rewritten to flow better or to resolve some grammar issue/
Change the shopping street's lottery wheel start date.
Changed a little bit of the events with the truck and Liliana.
Added more details on Hikari.
