XXVI
Complications and a Letter
Looking in the direction of the voice, Saeko, and her friends froze on the spot. There they were again, the three girls from this morning, who had confronted them and called them names. Just what they couldn't use right now and Saeko felt her body tremble in response at the sight of having those three ready to cause trouble again.
"What do you want from us?!" Yuzuka snapped back to them without hesitation, demanding to know what exactly their problem was. "What have we ever done wrong to you?!"
The trio of girls just stood there and smiled in return. "Nothing, in particular, we just don't like your type. That's all the reason we need, and besides you're just a couple of first years so don't even dare to get so high and mighty against us. We're well above you, and you had better show us the proper respect we deserve, we're your senpai after all."
"I'm afraid we won't be able to do that, not with the way you're treating us," Azusa stepped in, keeping herself as polite as possible in the face of such blatantly rude people. "You started insulting us for no apparent reason and now you even admit to it. Like if you're even proud of it. I don't see at all how you deserve any kind of respect and certainly not from us," she added as she stood her ground.
"Azurin's right! You might be our senpai but that sure doesn't mean I'm going to address you as such! Not with the attitudes you've been throwing around!"
"Tch," one of them could be heard clicking her tongue in disgust. "First years these days just don't have any manners. If you really think that," the ringleader of the group paused to flaunt a coy expression. "Well, you definitely need to get some proper re-education. "
Saeko noticed the group of girls flitting their eyes away from her companions. They were focusing on her. Had they set out for her? If so, then this had nothing to do with either Yuzuka or Azusa. They didn't need to get involved. Taking note of the continued stares she kept attracting, she decided to take a step forward.
"Y-You leave my friends out of this! If you have problems with me then do something about it and leave them alone!" Standing in front of her friends, she spread her arms wide. "We don't want anything to do with you people! Go away, please!"
"You go tell them, Saekorin," Yuzuka cheered, spurred on by the sudden defiance her friend was showing. "You heard her! Just go away and leave us alone! We're waiting for our friend! Not for a few second years that seem to think the world revolves around them!"
Their faces contorted. "What did you just say?! How dare all of you?! How-" The ringleader's barking was cut off by Hinami as she came storming outside.
"Get away from my friends, you hear me!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she stopped in the middle of the two groups, a broom held firmly in her hands. "I know exactly who you are! Senpai told me all about you! Don't even think I'm going to let you get away with harming my friends! I won't let any of you!"
Saeko watched in amazement. "S-Saten-san…?" She couldn't believe it, to think that Hinami would actually be this bold, but then she had been the exact same way when Kikuchi had threatened her. She was glad to hear that the other girl was calling them her friends, that she had accepted their friendship.
"Now, go away, or I'll call senpai! Leave them alone!" Hinami didn't give off the impression that she was going to back away off despite the expressions crossing the other group's faces, her stance firm and resolute. "I'm going to tell sensei about this if I have to! I won't warn you again! Now, get lost! Leave!"
"You've got some nerve to address your senpai like that, but, hey, go ahead and enjoy yourselves this time. We've got more important things to do than to waste our time with you anyway. We'll deal with you some other time." The dark haired ringleader snapped her fingers, hinting at her two companions. "Let's go, girls, we're done with these losers anyway." Making a simple gesture they turned around and left, giving off the distinct impression that Saeko and her friends were beneath them.
Still, they were gone which made her feel a bit more comfortable, for the moment at least.
"Well at least they're gone," Yuzuka mentioned as she let out a huge sigh of relief, still watching to make sure that they weren't going coming back. That would really ruin the mood. "Yeah, it seems like they're gone for today, though," she gave an outward shiver. "I'll hate having to run into them again tomorrow."
Azusa nodded in agreement. "We can worry about that when it happens. Now, I believe the person we've been waiting for has finally arrived. I think it's time for us to hear what she has decided on, right?"
And with that, their attention turned back towards Hinami who was standing there, a nervous look apparent on her face as she suddenly found herself at the center of interest. They were all pretty anxious to hear what she had to say.
The tension in the kitchen rose steadily as Nozomi worked at making the perfect dinner. With advice from Kyou, they had settled on something rather simple and yet—as she kept looking at them—surprisingly delicious: Kyou's special croquettes.
Wiping away the sweat from her forehead, Nozomi let out a sigh of relief. The potato mashing was finally finished. It sure had been more exhausting than she had initially thought. Kyou had made her mash and re-mash until finally giving a seal of approval. "Kyou-chan, I'm finished with them."
Not stopping with prepping the mushrooms and carrots, Kyou barely made more than a grunt to acknowledge Nozomi. "Then you can start cutting the onions. I'll check on how well you mashed the potatoes after I finish with these. We need to prep the meat soon, too."
Nodding her head, Nozomi took the pot off the stove and placed it on the table next to her. There it would be safe until they needed it. "So Kyou-chan just how fine should I cut them?" she asked. She had no idea and cutting an onion was a new experience despite having cooked at the inn before.
"As fine as you can get them. We want a really finely diced onion, so you won't taste it. The same applies to the carrots and the mushrooms. Make sure you keep it good hot and sauté them until they are soft. Then you'd go back to a medium heat."
"Sauté?" Nozomi asked, not sure what Kyou meant. "What is that?"
Tilting her head slightly, Kyou explained, "It's a way of cooking that uses a small amount of oil or fat in a pan over relatively high heat. Ingredients are usually cut into pieces or thinly sliced to facilitate fast cooking."
"Ah, I see, so that is why all of the other ingredients have to be diced into fine pieces?"
She nodded and with that Kyou went back to finishing up the mushrooms and carrots. The meat would be next, and after that, she could start to make the mixture for the croquettes.
About a good twenty minutes later, they had finished just about everything. All that remained
was to put the two mixtures together and then to start to make the balls. So far they were really looking delicious, and Nozomi was becoming rather confident that they were going to help make the special dinner for her father come to fruition.
Coming into the kitchen with little Sei in her arms, Ryou watched as her sister and Nozomi were busy with the work. "Onee-chan, Sawa-san, how's it going if I may ask?"
"Ah, Ryou-chan," Nozomi greeted her. "And Sei-kun. We're doing fine, thank you. I have to admit that your sister is pretty good when it comes to anything related to cooking. I don't know what I would have done without her."
"That's onee-chan. She often does the cooking for us since oto-san and oka-san often come home when it is already pretty late. I help where I can, but I'm not so good as onee-chan."
"I know, dear. Still, it's nice to see that you're willing to help others. You're such a kind person and also a very pretty one." She offered Ryou a gentle smile. "I like that dress you're wearing. Is it new?"
It was a rather simple design while still maintaining elegance—especially on a girl like Ryou who already had this natural sense of grace. It hung from her shoulders by a pair of white straps. A ring off frills complimented the design as well as giving it an almost childlike innocence.
Ryou nodded, blushing at the compliment. "Oka-san went shopping with me last weekend and we found this one. I like how simple its design is and yet so beautiful. You really mean it when you said you like it?"
Nozomi responded, "I do. I think it looks really good on you, but you are one of those girls who's pretty enough to look good in just about anything. The same goes for your sister."
"Oi, Nozomi-san," Kyou approached her and pointed a spoon at her like it was a weapon. "We should keep working otherwise you're not going to get that special dinner for your father ready. I've finished the mixture, but there still is a lot that needs to be done." She paused then added in a sultry tone, "Besides you look pretty cute as well."
With the trio gone, the girls looked at each other, the tension that had plagued them before gone now. Hinami approached them carefully, folding her hands in front of her chest as she spoke. "I want to apologize. You got picked on by those three because you were waiting for me. I'm really sorry for what happened. It's my fault."
"Don't feel bad about it, Saten-san. It's not like you could've known that they'd show up. That said we're pretty glad you showed up when you did, thank you." Azusa reassured her.
"Saten-san," Saeko mentioned as she took the girl's hands. "I'm so glad you came. I'm so happy that you called us your friends. I'm really happy… about that…" And then she began to cry as if she couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
Seeing it happen in front of her eyes, Hinami grew a little nervous at this sudden sight, afraid that she had done something wrong. "I-Is she alright…?" she asked.
Yuzuka shrugged as she explained to the troubled looking girl, "Saekorin tends to react a little different than others when she makes friends. She did the same to us. It's just her personality. Never seen a person happier about it than her either, but we like that about her."
Hinami coughed. "I see…" It was different, but she knew that Saeko was a kind hearted girl. She also reminded herself that some of the things people said about her simply weren't true. The dark haired girl wondered what else there was to find out about the most talked about girl in school.
"Isuzu-san, you kind of make me feel a little embarrassed about it. I'd love to be friends with you and your friends. I'd really like for us to hang out together more often, get to know each other better you know."
Yuzuka jumped forward at hearing that. She gave Hinami a big hug. "Oh, I'm glad to welcome you to our little group. We're going to have such a wonderful time. Oh, this is just asking for a celebration! If we go now, we might just make it before the shop closes down!"
The rest of them looked at each other in utter confusion. Just what was she talking about?
"Don't look at me like that. If we go now, we can still make it to the ice cream shop. Doesn't that seem like a great place to celebrate? I mean we do want to right, and this seems like a good reason for it," she added, turning around as she noticed the odd look she was getting.
Azusa had to laugh. "Yuzuka-san, you just want that ice cream, don't you? It's rather impolite of you to take advantage of Saten-san just having accepted Isuzu-san's request don't you think? You don't want that ice cream so badly now, do you?"
Yuzuka shot up straight, balling her fists as she got red in her face. "Oh, that's so mean of you Azurin! You're being a tease, you know that?!" Yuzuka gave off the impression of being upset even though her lips were holding back a grin.
"I have to say, Isuzu, you sure have some nice friends if they have fun like that. I do have to apologize as I sadly can't go with you, senpai and I still have some cleaning up to do in our clubroom, so if you want to go, you can go without me," Hinami excused herself to them, bowing as she did. "I'm really sorry, hopefully, we can go and celebrate together soon. I'm looking forward to it. Goodbye now." She turned around and went back the way she had come.
Without Hinami, they had to make a decision: ice cream or no ice cream. Walking past the main entrance, they continued until they reached the point where their paths diverted. Without their new friend with them, nobody seemed to be up for having some ice cream. Perhaps, tomorrow would be a better day.
"I guess going for ice cream is off, right? Saekorin, we'll see you again tomorrow. Take good care of yourself, bye bye." Saying their farewells, the group split up. Yuzuka and Azusa turned left while Saeko turned right, walking the rest of the trip home alone.
How much she had wanted for Hinami to have been able to come with them. That way she wouldn't have to walk alone. She didn't like being alone. It would be so much more bearable for her if she had at least somebody to keep her company.
Still, she felt better about herself knowing that she had made another friend at school. Now, she had three of them, and she wondered if her master would be proud of her—if he could see her now. Would he praise her for being a good girl? For doing her best? For making friends?
With the lid placed on the last of the boxes both of them were finally able to relax a little as it meant that the chore they had labored long and hard for was almost at an end. All that remained now was for Nozomi to safely bring it back to her house and to serve it to her father.
"So Sawa-san, will you be going home now?" Ryou asked as she held up the bag for said girl, making sure that everything would be packed neatly and securely in the bag. It would be such a shame if all of their hard work was wasted by an accident in transport. "Are you excited about going to see your father and show him what you made for him?" she asked, sharing some of Nozomi's excitement over the prospect.
"Yes, I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about carrying this with me. I'd feel so bad if I were to drop all of it after all the trouble your sister went through with helping me."
Kyou wiped her nose. "You're right about that. Don't let me find out you wasted it. We worked really hard to make these. I want to hear what your father has to say. If he likes it then tell me."
"I will Kyou-chan and thank you so much for having gone through all that effort for my sake. I really owe you for this, and hopefully, I can repay you soon. You both deserve a reward for your trouble, I also want to thank your parents for letting me use the kitchen."
Both of the twins fell silent all of a sudden. Rubbing the back of her head, Kyou eventually spoke out. "Well, ehm, about that... You see oto-san and oka-san don't really like it when we let other people inside the house. We're also not supposed to go outside on our own. I think it's better if we didn't tell them about this, if you know what I mean?"
Ryou gently nodded in agreement. "They really don't appreciate it. You meant well Sawa-san, but I don't think our parents would be too happy to realize we had someone over. We're sorry, but it's better not to talk about it." She grew silent. Obviously, the thought of having to lie to both of her parents didn't sit well with the young Diclonius.
"I understand. I think it's best then if I were to leave quickly. I'd hate to cause the two of you, even more, trouble, but for what it might be worth, I think you two do deserve to go out more often. You're both good girls."
Grabbing the bags, Nozomi decided that the twins deserved better than this. She wondered why their parents kept them inside, not allowing them to go outside. At least, they seemed pleased with what she'd told them.
"Take good care of yourselves. I hope we get to see each other soon, and please, do spend some time thinking about what you would like in return. You both deserve a reward. Goodbye now, Kyou-chan, Ryou-chan. Be safe." Nozomi made a short bow before turning around and making her way towards the street, already she was feeling not only guilty about having caused some trouble for these girls but also the anxiety about presenting the dinner to her father later tonight. Maybe it would have been better if she had listened to his advice instead.
No, what she had done was right. Her father deserved a special celebration, but what needed to be done now was helping to make the parents of the twins understand that it wasn't so bad for the girls to have more of a life. She would discuss this somewhere later this week with Yuka first.
Keeping on walking, she felt how heavy the bags were starting to become. Likely, she wasn't going to make it home and not spill. Stopping, she turned around and reached for her cell phone, hoping that she would be able to get herself a taxi for the remainder of the journey.
Even though it was already getting pretty late and most of the students and teachers would have likely already gone home by now this wasn't the case for Kouta as he had come to have a talk with Arakawa to discuss if there had been any further encounters with a certain girl. Fortunately, she had decided to not have their talk in the school but rather at her place which had taken them some time even with her using her car. Gazing at the place, he wondered how long it had actually been since he had last been here, certainly not within the last six maybe seven months. Maybe not even since he and Nana had stormed inside.
"You're really sure of this, Arakawa-sensei? That you haven't seen her ever since, or that she may have been watching you from afar?" he asked as he looked at the glass of water she had kindly put on the table for him.
Dropping into her seat, she wiggled until she finally found the perfect spot.
"I am…" she sighed, letting her head rest against the back of the chair. "Honestly, you people keep going on over this, you and the Hirano's. It's all becoming way too much for me to handle. I just want some peace and quiet for a change."
To Kouta, it seemed like a little too much drama. It wasn't like they were in actual mortal danger. He was fully confident that if they kept their eyes open and didn't do anything stupid then they could easily deal with this new situation—one created by the daughter of the former chief of the DRI.
It felt odd thinking that such a kind looking girl was the actual daughter of that madman.
She didn't seem like it. He had heard plenty of stories from both Mako and Arakawa telling him what a kind of self-centered, egotistical maniac her father had been. Kouta just hoped that she wasn't like him, that she did not share her father ideological beliefs. If so, they could perhaps have more to gain from her but that was all going to have to wait.
"Any idea if there is a chance we might see her again?" He asked.
Arakawa shook her head. "To be honest I have no idea. I still don't know what she really wanted to know, never saw that much of her, to be honest. I don't have the slightest idea on what she is after," she replied, getting up from her seat as she poured herself another glass of juice.
Arakawa said, "Personally, I would like to be left out of this. I don't want to have to deal with anything related to the DRI. It already made a big enough mess of my life at it is."
He could relate to that, picking up his own glass and raising it. "Thank you, anyway, for all the help you have given us. I know that it must be pretty hard on you as well keeping such a secret from others. We do appreciate it." He looked down at the floor as he spoke.
"Don't flatter yourself too much, kid, I'm doing this because there isn't all that much left for me anyway, and I'm grateful for the Hirano's for having gotten me out of custody from those creeps at Saseba. Honestly, those guys were just terrible."
Kouta leaned back, having a good drink. "That bad eh? Well, I didn't hear all that much from them. We have Dai to thank for that. Keeping those people away from us and making sure they wouldn't find out about our involvement. He took a lot of risks for all of us."
"That he sure did." Arakawa raised her own glass. "I don't think that anyone of us could have gotten out of that mess unscathed without his aid. We all owe him a lot if you ask me."
Yeah, they sure did, and yet Dai never seemed to make a big deal out of it. To him, it was just a part of his job. That said, they couldn't go on taking unnecessary risks and letting him sort it out afterward.
"I wonder if it's possible for us to befriend that girl. If she has no intention of causing us any harm, then it might not be such a bad idea to let her in. She might be able to help us get the girls further into society."
Nearly choking on her juice, Arakawa shot up straight. "Are you dumb?! How is getting her involved going to help us in the least?! Sure, her family still has plenty of power and resources, but take my advice, kid. Don't get involved with them. I mean it." She fell back in the chair, almost spilling what remained of the juice over her shirt. "You're too naïve for your own good."
"Maybe I am, but that won't make me change my mind. If I'm given the chance, then I'll take it. We need more people to help us since it's only going to become more difficult as the girls grow up. It's starting to become too much for the few of us to handle."
She had to give to him. He had a point there. "Nice one, kid," she mentioned before pushing herself out of the chair once more. "Now, if you wouldn't mind I would like to get some rest and treat myself to a nice long hot bath."
With a smirk on his face, Kouta got up as well. Finishing the last of the water that remained in the glass he bid his farewell, thanking Arakawa for having taken the time to discuss some things with him. He would go home and see how the rest were doing.
Closing the door behind her and making sure that it was locked tightly, Arakawa let out a deep sigh. The bath was going to have to wait as she was more anxious about going further with her research into the special cells she had found within the blood samples of the Diclonius called Saeko.
"Sorry, kid, but I can't let any of you find out about this. This is far bigger than the fate of a few Diclonius, but she is definitely the one I should do my best at keeping safe. It would be such a waste if she were to die and take her secrets with her."
Stretching her back a little, she went towards the basement of her house. There she had set up a small laboratory where she could continue with her research. Perhaps, one day this could help her gain fame and glory. Someday, it was going to be all hers again.
Nana kept listening with utter fascination as Saeko talked about having met the girl in the storage room, the things they had talked about together during their break and then finally the girl accepting her friendship.
She felt happy to hear that Saeko was enjoying herself more at school, but it also pained her to learn how some of the other people in school thought about her adopted sister. Even with her horns hidden, it seemed that some people only needed the smallest excuse to pick on others.
Still, hearing that a new friend had stood up and defended Saeko did restore some of Nana's faith, knowing that were more people outside who would rather look at a person's true nature than be shallow.
"She sounds like a really nice person. I'm glad for you Saeko-san to have met such a kind girl. You must feel a lot better now about going to school, right?"
Saeko nodded even though she was still a little fearful of running into those girls and others like them back at school at some point. "Kind of yes. There's still a lot that I'm scared of, but having friends does make it easier for me to bear with it. They're all so nice to me. They accept me as I am. I like having friends like them. Friends are really nice."
A smile on her face, Nana hoped that she too could get to enjoy having friends in school when she could go. Honestly, she had never given it that much thought, but hearing all of what Saeko was experiencing made it seem that she was missing out on a lot of good things.
"So do you think you're going to invite them to come over at some point? That's what friends do, right? Visit each other's house," she asked as she was curious to find out if Saeko had already given that some consideration, their home situation wasn't exactly what one would call normal and could lead to some rather unpleasant surprises.
"To be honest, I haven't really. I'd like for them to come over and see our house but I'm afraid that they are going to find out about us. It makes me feel ashamed that I can't be entirely honest with my friends while they are, it scares me Nana-chan. It really does."
Well, Nana could certainly relate to that, after all, she too did share the fear of a person finding out and becoming scared of her to the point of contacting the wrong people. There wasn't much either of them could do about that other than to keep their horns hiding from sight, truly it had to be painful for Saeko to keep it a secret from her friends. It was perfectly possible that they like Mei didn't really care about those but was that a risk they worth taking?
"You should take your time with them, you shouldn't rush yourself, I mean look how long it took before Mei-san finally came inside the house. What was it, maybe a year after she had met Mayu? You shouldn't worry given you only know them for a few weeks right?"
Saeko nodded, yeah that was true. She could likely get away with it for the time being allowing them all to think about how to go about it. Well until then they would just have to contend with being together in more public places.
"So are you planning to go anywhere? Will you be joining her club as well?" Nana asked, curious at how Saeko was planning to go further. From what she had told before it appeared that this Hinami was already with a club, to her it seemed obvious that joining the club as well would enable Saeko and her friends to spend more time with their new friend together.
"She does sound like a really nice person and if what she said is true then her senpais in the club also sound like nice people. Willing to help her doesn't seem like bad people to me," Nana remarked as she recalled what Saeko had said earlier.
"You think so? Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it, I was just happy to have her want me as a friend. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to ask her about it, maybe she can even help us."
"I do, besides if she's your friend then shouldn't it be more fun to spend more time with her. Aren't you in a different class than her unlike the other two right? She might be feeling just as lonely as you were in her own class," Nana mentioned, she didn't know if that was the case. For all she knew, this girl might actually be pretty popular herself but it could just as well as she had said. There was just so much going on in school that she wasn't aware of.
Getting up on her feet from where they were sitting next to the pond Nana pointed back towards the house. "Well I guess it's time, we should go back inside. Dinner is gonna be ready soon and Kouta-san will likely also be back. Let's go Saeko-san, we can always talk later."
Saeko nodded and got up as well, following her sister's lead, yeah there still was a lot that they needed to talk about. To her, it felt that she was able to discuss some of her concerns with her family. Likely she would also bring it up with Yuka as well just have some parental advice from her, to hear somebody who knew more about this to give her some good advice on what was the best thing to do.
Taking a quick bite Bando didn't allow his eyes to get distracted from the house, nobody had either left or entered the house after what he assumed had been the father coming home a few hours ago. By his count, only three people were now inside; the father, the mother, and the daughter. That was the one that Mayu had asked him to look after, to find out who it was that was abusing her.
Well for the moment he had two prime suspects and it was on them that he would focus first, after that he would start to dig deeper into any other people he would see entering and exiting the house.
"To think I actually agreed to this, I must be getting soft alright to be doing this for that kid," he told himself as he took another bite from the candy bar, honestly it was starting to make him wonder just how far he would be willing to go just for her sake.
Like it mattered, he would find it out when it came to that. Until then if it didn't cause him any unnecessary problems then he didn't mind but for now, he would focus on her request.
Well for the rest it was appearing that this was going to be a rather quiet night which would make checking out the house itself all the easier for him, it also would enable him to place a few small cameras and microphones so he could gain a better understanding of what was going on inside.
But that was going to have to wait until the lights went out and the people inside were asleep, he wasn't going to risk getting caught. In case the family would leave the house he would also go inside and do some checking, a search through the rooms would hopefully provide him with a clue.
"Just who exactly are you people that you are able to threaten others? What kind of power do you hold?" Oh, it was intriguing him alright, nothing he loved to do more than to punch such a self-imposed rodent in the face, making it clear that for all of their money, their resources and their so-called power that they were just defenseless against somebody like him who didn't give a shit. If he wanted to kill somebody then nothing could protect that person in the end. Money meant nothing in the face of a man with determination.
"I hope you people will put up a nice show for me, it would be a waste otherwise. Ah well at least this beats having to watch after a certain horned brat with obnoxious manners," he mentioned as he drew out a cigarette and lighted it, no reason why he shouldn't make himself a little more comfortable though with the shape that he was in that wasn't all too easy.
His body was still recovering from the wounds he had suffered almost two weeks ago and despite the best help that Mako would reluctantly offer it seemed that he still had a long way to go. He wasn't in any shape to put up a fight though he wasn't going to let that stop him.
"I hope it stays dry for tonight, not much shelter here." Shifting his weight a little to take off some of the stress from his leg he made another study of the building just in case. Every now and then he would spend some time to have a more in-depth look at the house itself and try discover if there were any features to its structure that he could use to his own advantage should he needed to move in closer. Blind spots that would cover his approach, easy access points that would enable him to get outside quickly in case of an emergency.
But it didn't stop just there, no by now he had almost a complete mental picture of the layout of the exterior and a good portion of the interior itself as well. Neither the fence nor the garden would offer him any trouble, the locks themselves were also easy to pick.
All in all, when it would come to that he expected to be inside from where he was standing within less than five minutes, shame about his leg, though it could have been even faster.
"Fucking bastards shooting me in the leg," he let out a curse as his thought went back to that fateful night, back to the Seventh and the horrible monster they had come into contact with. It still eluded him what it exactly was and where it could have come from.
But there was one thing that he was certain of, it wasn't something natural, no way that something like that could simply have emerged through nature itself. No, here people had been involved as well, creating a monstrous being unrivaled in power but to what purpose would such a creature serve? It was a notion that caused a chill down his spine.
"I'll get you for what you have done," he cursed again, this time, his anger being directed to that bastard known only as the Seventh. Just where exactly did that man fit into the overall picture? How was he involved with these mass abductions and just how deep did the rot really go?
He wouldn't be surprised in the least if some high up people were involved in it, he grinned understanding that it was going to make this all the more dangerous and thus far more enjoyable for him. "Show me your might, show me how strong you truly are. I welcome the challenge and prove to all of you not to underestimate me." His fist clenched in response, his ire rising thinking about the fools who would come and stand in his way.
Well, he certainly wasn't planning on simply giving up, he would not cower in the face of strong resistance, on the contrary, he would thrive on it. Feasting on the struggle and the hardships that it would bring him, he welcomed it.
It could all wait, first things first and that meant pushing those thoughts aside and focus back again at the house and the matter in question. Nothing had changed, there wasn't a single hint of movement at all coming from the house nor was there any noise that could give away a hint. "A shame, I certainly wouldn't mind some exercise," he coughed.
Seeing as the cigarette he had lit earlier was already gone he grabbed a second and lit it as well. It was then that he noticed with some sense of delight that the lights in the house had gone out, he smiled as the opportunity he had been waiting for had presented itself.
"Guess it is time to have a little closer check on the pace," barely having lit it he already tossed it on the streets as he stepped away from his hiding spot and carefully made his way towards the rear of the garden. "Let's find out what it exactly is that you people have to hide." Darting across the street he kept to the shadows, this was going to be easy.
Yuka turned around on her futon, feeling restless as she was still awake after the little talk she had earlier with Saeko, and sure enough, some of the things they had talked about were still keeping her awake. Guess she was worrying a little bit too much about it all but then who could blame her after what had happened a few days ago and how poorly her teachers had reacted to it.
Staring at the clock next to her desk she noticed that it was already past midnight, this was going to be another one of those nights that she would go without much sleep at all. And then to think that she was so exhausted when she had come back home, one would think that she would need little if anything to just close her eyes and go to sleep.
'Saeko-chan, I'm really glad to hear that you've found yourself another friend, what you want to do is something that you'll need to decide for yourself. I can't tell you how you should live your life,' she kept going over the words she had given her. Had she said the right things? Maybe it would have been better to just say what Saeko wanted to hear, to just tell her what she needed to do. For some reason, the young Diclonius seemed to prefer it when it was somebody else to take the lead and give her the orders. Well, she did have an obedient personality and one that had been exposed to all sort of vile acts back at that institute, it seemed that much of what had been stomped into her still remained.
'You don't need people that tell you what to do, you can decide that on your own. You're stronger than you might think dear, even without a master you'll still be able to go on. Don't let others dictate your life for you, you're your own master now. You alone.' Would Saeko really have listened to those words? Yuka had lost count how many times she had said similar phrases to her in the past to her. Somehow she was getting the idea that perhaps Saeko just didn't want that, that she was more than happy to follow somebody.
'At least you always treated her with respect, you never took advantage of her even when she offered herself to you. I just hope that if she ever finds somebody to love that they won't take advantage of her kindness, she deserves an honest and upright person to love.' Yuka worried about it, running her hand through her hair, that it was so possible for somebody else to quickly take advantage of the girl's kindness, it was so easy for Saeko to start listening to the wrong kind of person if they had some form of authority.
How much more sleep was she going to lose over this? How much longer would she worry about such matters? Really she would feel so much better that if Saeko were to just find the right person then it was going to be alright, well at least she could find plenty of comfort knowing that she had found what seemed to be another sincere friend.
As long as the girl's friends would be there for her then they would also look after her to make sure that nobody would be that quick to take advantage of Saeko's desires and naivety, Yuka feverishly hoped that this new friend was also honest in that. A few true friends who would look after her when her family couldn't, yeah that would help to put some of Yuka's worries at ease.
'Please take good care of her, she honestly deserves that. As her friends I hope that you'll be there for her, both for the good times as for the bad times, offer her comforting and understanding in the sad times, laugh with her when she's happy, cry with her when she's sad, just simply be there for her. That's all I could ever ask of you, that is all I would ask of you.' Lying there on her side she would have liked to have those girls promise her that but that was not going to happen. No, she wasn't going to but she did have hope for Saeko now.
Pushing herself up she started to wonder if Kouta was also asleep or perhaps if he too was still awake, lying there in his room staring at the ceiling or something. 'Could you be thinking of Nyu-chan? Feeling the remorse and guilt over what happened that day? You shouldn't blame yourself for it, you did what she asked you to do right? You did what you had to do Kouta, don't keep blaming yourself for it, I don't think that Nyu-chan would have wanted for you to keep feeling guilty, she too would have wanted for you to go on with your life'
A tear ran down her cheek, dropping harmlessly on his leg. Looking down at it, she reached out for her face, sure enough, she was crying as well thinking back to Nyu. How much she missed her as well, how much she longed for a chance to see Nyu again, to hold her in her arms and share laughing and crying with her. 'Kouta… I miss her too… you shouldn't have to bear this burden by yourself, you can come and cry with me if you like, I too want somebody to offer me a shoulder to cry on… Nyu-chan' Sobbing she lied down, closing her eyes.
It was already the next day, morning had come so fast, before she had been even aware of it, she was already standing at her shoe locker. Saeko watched with an equal mix of surprise and confusion as she pulled out an envelope from it. That was odd as she couldn't understand the meaning of it or even why anybody would leave it there, turning it around the only thing she could tell from it that it was addressed to her but other than that no other name was written, she didn't even recognize the handwriting.
"I wonder to whom this belongs. Why would anybody send me a letter without writing from who it is? I don't really understand-," she was cut in her sentence as Hinami grabbed her.
"Good morning Isuzu. How you doing? Oh, what is it that you're holding?" Hinami pointed towards the letter that Saeko was holding in her hands. "Oh don't tell you got a love-letter?! That's so awesome, quick you need to open it and see who sent it to you. This is so exciting!" Hinami was being rather cheerful about it though to Saeko it was still rather confusing and why did that make this letter so important all of a sudden; for that matter what exactly was a love-letter? And why was he friend more excited about it than she was? This was something that she hadn't heard or experienced before.
"Excuse me Hinami-san, if I can ask you? What exactly is a love-letter? Why is it so important to you? If it is then you should have it instead of me," Saeko held the letter out in front of her, gesturing that it was alright for said girl to accept it. "Here, it's alright with me."
The dark haired girl couldn't hold it in anymore as she stared at the still sealed envelope. "Oh Isuzu you're really unique aren't you, no that letter isn't that important to me but rather to you. Was it placed in your locker right? Well, then that means that whoever left it meant it for you."
Still uncertain about it Saeko took back the letter and just stared at it. "Then what am I supposed to do with it? Should I give it back to whoever left it by accident?"
Hinami waved her hand in response. "No, no you silly. It wasn't left by accident. Isuzu if that really is a love-letter than it means that there is another person in this school who really likes you, who wants to confess his love for you. Oh, you're so lucky to get one. Now quickly open it. I'm dying to hear what it has to say."
"Huh?" Saeko took a step back, she wasn't sure what to make of this, surely no other person could like her all that much. She was aware, thanks to her friend, of all the unpleasant things that people kept saying about her, the wild rumors and the gossip. It simply had to be a mistake. "I don't understand why somebody like me would? I don't understand why?"
Hinami had a wide smile on her face as she gave her an answer. "I'd say that's pretty obvious, you're a really cute and attractive girl. Plenty of boys here would want to ask you out for a date but I think most of them are just too shy for that, however, this guy isn't."
"M-Me?! C-Cute?!" Saeko's face took on several shades of red, this was so embarrassing for her not to mention awkward. "Y-You're wrong! I-I'm not… I-I couldn't possibly be…?!"
Hinami kept smiling, holding up her hand as she gave a retort, "I'm not Isuzu, you have somebody who must really like you. I'm not wrong about this, I've seen this before."
"N-No! No! No! No! T-That just can't be…" A lump got stuck in the back of her throat, oh this was becoming a little bit too much for her to handle, she felt like she was about to faint. Oh, what was she going to do about this? How was she going to avoid attraction more attention to herself? Her face was bright red at this point, beads of sweat running down her cheeks as she kept exchanging looks between her new found friend and the letter that she had still been holding in her hands. The palms of her hands were wet as well, staring at the letter her breathing became irregular. The mere thought that another person could actually like her that much felt odd, she was in conflict about it, doubt gripped her heart. What was she going to do, the only person she really deserved was her master. She felt sure about that. Besides she wasn't all that attractive or was she mistaken about this? Was she in reality actually an attractive girl? Somebody that other people were drawn to? Her hands started to tremble, what was she going to do now?
"Hey Isuzu, are you feeling alright? You're starting to become a little pale you know," Hinami remarked as she noticed the response Saeko was having as the true meaning of the letter was finally starting to sink in with her. "I think you need to lie down, you don't look so-." And then Saeko just fainted as she dropped to the floor.
"Good day agent Bando, it pleases me to see that you here. That saves me plenty of time from having to find you." Already the sound of Sakai's voice was enough to him a splitting headache, the way the man's tone was grating against his nerves, off all the places that he had to run into this guy it had to be here and ruin his already bad mood, just when this was one of the few places where he could find himself the time to relax.
"There had better be a fucking good reason for you coming here and annoying me otherwise I swear that I'll do even worse than the last time you showed your worthless face to me," Bando spat in spite, other than that he wasn't going to say another word until he had a chance to finish his coffee as sure as hell he wasn't going to grant Sakai the pleasure of ruining this cup for him.
Sakai forcefully cracked a smile in return, it looked rather poor in Bando's mind. "I can assure you of that, in fact, I actually want to hire you for a special job. You see we got some rather interesting if not somewhat confusing information, I think it might be related to what you are looking into as well which is why I would prefer to have you on hand."
Still not saying a word Bando kept on enjoying the coffee, it was a good one he had to admit and it made not giving in to the man's mad ideas all the more rewarding.
"I need somebody who I can rely on, when the going gets tough I need a man who can handle himself on the spot. Someone who won't buckle when things start to go tense. Somebody who also isn't afraid to pull the trigger when he has too."
So that was it, the man was simply just looking for a hired gun. Well, that was not what Bando was going to sign up for. He had his own investigation to sort out and sure as hell that he wasn't going to waste any of his precious time on this one.
"Now I can fully understand any and all reservations you might have over this but please hear me out about the details. I'm sure they will interest you as well. If after that you still prefer to decline my offer, no harm done."
Even that was already going to be a strain for Bando at this point, no he wasn't really interested in the least, not even to a simple explanation. Then again he could likely be persuaded by a nice cup of this store's most expensive coffee. Signaling for one of the waitresses he ordered one, now Sakai could show much he really wanted him in on this assignment.
Leaning back in the seat he waited for a moment before even saying a word. "Sakai, I'm already going to warn you right here and now, don't waste my time. I have other more important things on my mind than going to help some fucking pencil pusher like you."
Grabbing a cigarette he lit it despite the disapproving look that Sakai was throwing him, well as if he was even going to take notice of it let alone going to dignify it with a remark.
"Don't give me that look," Bando remarked in a sarcastic manner as he noticed the gaze he was attracting from Sakai the moment the waitress put down the coffee in front of him. "You want my participation in this right? Well now's your chance to prove just how badly you want it. Don't get cross with me, that's the mistake plenty of others made. Otherwise, you can just fuck off."
Pulling out his card Sakai let out a dismayed sigh, this was going to be a long and exhausting not to mention excruciating afternoon for him. "You're going to be the death of me one of these days. Fine, I will pay for your damn coffee, I just hope you'll choke on it. I really do."
Author's note: Well there you have it folks, the latest chapter and I hope you'll all enjoy it. Now I have two points that I would like to address.
Firstly, I can also tell a bit more about the project that I mentioned in the previous chapter, as some of you guessed correctly it is indeed a new story. Now I want to point out that this doesn't mean at all that I'm going to abandon this story, 'Progeny' is and will remain my main priority until the day I post the last chapter for it, whenever that might be.
'Girls und Panzer', is a series that I've really come to adore and cherish ever since stumbling upon it by accident in late 2012, which is kind of ironic as I really didn't think much of it at first when I heard of it, to the point that to date it's my favorite anime series and I'm hoping that there will be more GuP goodness to be released in the coming years for us all to enjoy. Not surprisingly I was jumping with excitement when Sentai announced they got the rights for the movie. If you haven't seen this series yet go and give it a try, I can highly recommend it.
You can find this story either on my profile page or you can look in the GuP section for 'Girls und Panzer Aftermath', hopefully I can see some of you there as well though it's likely that some of you have already read the first chapter for it, especially those of you who follow my profile.
Now onto the second point and likely this is something you'd rather not want to hear, I'm going to quite with doing the updates per 2 weeks, it's reaching the point where it's becoming too much of a strain for me as over the last few months all I've been doing has been editing older chapters and not having the time to write new material. This doesn't mean that I have nothing left for 'Progeny', far from it as I still have a ton of chapters written from before but I really need to get some breathing space if I also want to get back into writing new content and can do it in a more relaxed manner, I also have less free time on my hands due to following a new course for the next 10 months. Still, I want to keep doing the updates on a regular basis.
Well that's about it, I think I've subjected you to enough of my ramblings for the moment, I wish you all a good weekend and I'll be seeing you all again soon, until then take care.