Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater
(featuring the Higurashi family pet)
With typical Japanese circumspection, Akane Higurashi's home life was generally described as "difficult." This was, perhaps, one reason why she got along reasonably well with her fellow HiME, many of whom had all kinds of family issues. Indeed, Akane felt lucky compared to, say, Nao or Mikoto, whose issues could not be properly resolved by the ownership of a metallic cat the size of a mountain lion.
However, the situation caused problems in her relationship with Kazuya Kurauchi, her boyfriend. Unlike the HiME, Kazuya was an ordinary student at Fuuka Academy, who came from a well-to-do family. His mother, especially, was extremely class-conscious, and found a girl of Akane's dubious social background to be highly unsuitable as a potential bride for her son. This was not the kind of problem that could be addressed through the ownership of an oversized metallic cat.
"It's not so bad," Kazuya tried to reassure her as they walked along together, hand in hand. Autumn leaves drifted down from the trees overlooking the sidewalks and lay scattered on the pavement.
"She hates me," Akane sighed, her emotions completely at odds with the peaceful setting. "She's going to work as hard as she can to put up roadblocks between us."
"She's coming around, though. Thanks to your Kazahana Scholarship and the Academy's escalator program, you'll be able to take an advanced degree like you planned." He grinned at her. "My fiancée, the doctor. That cuts a lot of ice with my parents. And Mom even likes Hari. She volunteered to cat-sit while we're on this walk, after all."
"But even so…"
"Hey." He stopped, turning her to face him and taking both of her hands in his. "I'm not going to let anything come between us. After what you've already been through, I know that there's nothing that can stop you now, and my family is just going to have to accept that."
Akane's eyes sparkled.
"Kazu-kun!"
The sudden, open adoration made him feel a little sheepish.
"I…I hope I didn't sound too silly?"
"Nope, you were just right!" She grabbed his arm and nestled up against his shoulder for the rest of the way back to the Kurauchi house, where the mood came to an abrupt end, as they could hear the screeching all the out on the front walk. Concerned, they paused only to kick off their shoes in the entryway before rushing after the sounds of the yowling voices.
The noise took Akane and Kazuya to the Kurauchi's front parlor. In the center of the room, a plump young woman in a maid's uniform was hollering almost unintelligibly, waving a feather duster while Hari sat facing her and answering her howl for howl.
This, however, took a distant second place in the newcomer's attention to the reason for the argument. The parlor was a Western-style room done up fancifully with Persian carpeting, antique furniture, fancifully upholstered chairs, delicate occasional tables set with even more delicate cut-glass lamps and sculptures, and a sideboard where bottles and decanters bore beverages in a rainbow of colors. Mrs. Kurauchi had chosen patterns, styles, and colors that complimented one another with a careful eye to the impression she wanted to present.
She had not chosen to drape the entire room in long strands of wool dyed in bright bands of red and orange as if a giant spider had spun a web over, around, and through everything in a sort of art nouveau horror.
"Hari…" Akane moaned.
"In my mother's defense," Kazuya said, "she was probably right when she said yesterday that while it was one thing for a cat to play with a ball of yarn, we didn't need to scale that ball up to match Hari's size."