Chapter 10
A wonderful day ending in disaster. Laugher turning into screaming, and the vibe suddenly becoming so thick and full of anger. It's all Mion could think about the next morning after she awoke from her long-lasting sleepless night.
Keiichi's words hurt, and what made it worse was that Mion and her close friend had fought, which was something they didn't often do. At least not about anything serious.
"Ugh," she let out and sat up in her bed. Although she didn't care what Keiichi said and that it wouldn't change how she felt about Akio, she still felt very distressed. He's my friend, she thought, he's supposed to support me.
Mion climbed out of her bed and let those thoughts run through her head as she prepared for school. She still couldn't figure out how Keiichi got a horrific idea about Akio, not that she believed him. But still, it was a lot to take in, and she was shocked the boy could even think of something so terrible.
The girl knew that Akio was kind and gentle, and more than that, but he admired Mion as a wonderful leader. She couldn't go against that, even if it was Keiichi who tried to convince her so.
Mion decided to head to school extra early and skip out on meeting up with her friends. She even gave Akio a call to let him know that she wanted to be alone. She just needed to walk this out and think things through.
But Mion had to make sure she got to school before anyone else so she could have some time to herself. As the class leader, it was up to her to set a good example and be kind to the other children. She had to clear her mind before they would arrive.
Meanwhile, Rika was up making breakfast as Hanyuu sat at the table and Satoko still slept on her futon. "Do you think Keiichi can help?" Hanyuu asked as she watched the blue-haired girl stand on the step stool and work on the scrambled eggs.
"He has to," Rika said in her mature voice as she kept her eyes on the skillet. "Keiichi is the most motivated out of us all. Besides, it's Mion who needs to hear this, and if anybody can convince her that Akio is up to no good, it's Keiichi."
"Hauu," Hanyuu let out as she nervously squirmed in her sitting position. "I have this feeling that she isn't gonna listen."
Rika kept quiet for a few seconds as she mashed up the eggs with her spatula, making them extra fluffy. "I thought so, too," she replied softly, "but then I remembered to have faith in my friends. Remember that Hanyuu. It worked out the last time."
"Hauu, that is true. But we should still keep our guard up." Hanyuu didn't hear anything else from Rika and stared down at the table. She knew Rika had faith and she knew she had to have it, too. However, she was cautious and had an odd feeling that things would not turn out well a second time.
"They have to," Rika said, hearing Hanyuu say her thoughts out loud.
After Mion got to school, she entered the classroom and slumped into her desk. Soon enough, her friends would arrive, and she would have to face Keiichi, something she was in no position to do. The girl sighed. Everything was going so great, and she and Akio were getting serious. She rested her head in her arms and continued with her thoughts.
Time went by, and Mion hadn't even realized she fell asleep in her desk. She did remember a few footsteps, probably coming from Ms. Chie walking in and out of the classroom, refusing to disturb her. Soon, Mion heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, Sis!" Shion appeared by her sister's side and places her hand on the desk and waited for Mion to reply. When she got nothing but her eyes opening and gazing up at her tiredly, Shion grinned and ewnt on her knees right in front of her sister. "Why did you come so early?"
Mion softly moaned as she raised her head. She wasn't going to keep the situation a secret from her own twin sister. "Shion, we're twins, right?" she says. "And we stick together no matter what?"
Shion gave her a puzzled look, understanding now that something was going on with her sister. She smiled. "Of course, Sis. What's up?"
"Do you like Akio? I mean, what do you think of him and I going out?" She watched Shion closely, waiting for an answer. She hoped it would be good, but she wanted to know either way.
"Hmm," was all Shion gave at first. She wasn't sure why Mion was asking her that. She didn't think anything wrong of Akio, although she did notice her wanting some time alone with the guy while walking to school. Still, it wasn't drastic enough to think anything of it. "Why do you ask, Mion?"
"Well, Kei-Chan seems to be really uptight about the whole thing. He said some terrible things about Akio and expects us to break up."
Shion stood up and kept her hands placed on the desk as she looked at her sister intently. "What kind of things did he say?" She looked certain she was on her sister's side, but she wanted to be sure of what was going on was serious.
"Just things like he is violent and so is his dad. I don't know why he would make that up, but—"
"Has Akio ever been violent with you?"
Mion blinked a few times. "No, he's always been sweet with me."
Shion gave a small glare as she held up her fist in front of her. "I think Kei-Chan is afraid of the change. He wants things to be like the way they were. Things aren't the same, but I still think you are good as balancing out Akio and the rest of us."
"You really think so? There is nothing wrong with me going out with him?"
"I agree with you. You need to tell Kei-Chan that things change and may not exactly be the same. However, you will always be his friend and fun times will remain. Make him understand the balance."
"You're absolutely right, Shion!" Mion stood up from her desk and looked at her sister. She could tell that she was sincere, and she was glad that she was on her side. "I deserve a guy like Akio."
Shion smiled. "Of course, you deserve him." Her face then soften as she looked down at the desk in front of her. She was reminded of how much she missed the love of her life, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way of her sister's happiness. "Everyone does."
Ten more minutes passed, and Keiichi, Rena, Rika, Satoko, and Hanyuu arrived at the school. As they were about to head inside, Rena told everyone but Keiichi to go on without them. Keiichi knew that meant Rena wanted to speak with him, probably about Mion. He was quiet all morning and the whole walk from home to school, so there was no doubt his friend had some concerns, most likely about Mion.
Satoko and Hanyuu didn't think anything of it, and immediately entered the school building. Rika, though, was so close to head in when she stopped halfway through the door and secretly listened in.
"Keiichi-Kun," Rena said, "you are upset, are you?" She was very insightful and knew all too well that something was going on. "Did you talk to Mi-Chan, did you?"
Keiichi forced a smile, not wanting his friend to worry. He didn't notice Rika listening in on them in the corner. "Rena," he started, "are you worried?"
Rena couldn't help but eye the boy and pouted cutely. It was one of her features which charmed Keiichi, although he didn't always admit it. "Of course," she answered, "and I did tell you to talk to her, right? So, did it not go well, huh?"
Keiichi looked down at the grass. He didn't want to worry Rena, but he knew that the sad look on his face didn't pass her.
Rika waited anxiously for Keiichi to speak. She had already told him what was going on with Akio, and she knew that Keiichi would talk to Mion. By the looks of his expression, there was no doubt that it didn't go well.
"Yeah," Keiichi said, "I mean, I did talk to her, but she didn't believe me." He kept his eyes on the ground as there was a pause. He didn't expect Rena to react right away, since it was so much to take in.
Rika felt a sharp pain in her chest. No, she thought, if Mion doesn't believe Akio's true nature, then what are we going to do? She suddenly felt all was lost. Mion was the club leader, which meant if anybody had to be on board with the truth, she did. And if Keiichi couldn't get her to understand, nobody would. Still, she waited to see what Rena had to say.
"Don't worry, Keiichi-Kun," Rena finally replied.
Keiichi looked up at her. There was emotion in his purple-shaded eyes, which seemed to be leaking briefly with tears.
"Rena will talk to her and make things all better." She seemed sincere, and it was enough to get the boy to perk up, having a hint of hope. Rena then grinned, trying to brighten the mood.
Rika took that moment to walk inside and think about what Rena said as she made her way down the hall and toward the classroom. She wasn't so sure that Rena could save the day, but she still had some hope and planned on watching.
Soon after Keiichi and Rena arrived, the two couldn't help but feel a horrible vibe as they walked into the classroom. Keiichi could already tell that Mion was ready to avoid him.
Mion chattered with Shion, but at the corner of her eye she was watching Keiichi, and the boy could tell. He sighed as he took his seat next to her, trying his best to avoid eye contact.
Keiichi wasn't going to try talking with her since he knew that Rena would do the job. However, he wasn't sure when that would be. He hoped it would be soon, because the suspense was killing him.
Shion who was facing Keiichi on the other side of Mion, noticed the boy and then she winked at her sister. "Go on," she whispered, "tell him how things will be."
Mion sighed, not feeling up to talking to Keiichi now. But she still knew it had to be done, so she slowly turned her head toward him, and her eyes met his.
Keiichi didn't know what to do, nor what to say. He wasn't so sure if she was waiting for him to apologize, or if she was going to apologize herself. However, an apology was far from the issue. He just wanted his friend to believe in him so she wouldn't get hurt.
Before Mion could open her mouth, two hands covered her eyes from behind her, and Keiichi instantly turned his head forward, not wanting to look at Akio's face and actions.
"Guess who?" Akio asked in a teasing way.
Mion chuckled. "That is so lame, I know it's you, Akio." She felt his hands remove from her face, and then watched as he sat on her desktop.
"Missed you this morning," Akio said. "Wish I could have walked with you."
"Yeah, sorry," Mion replied, "I just needed some room to breathe. Ya know, have me time. You understand that, right?"
Keiichi waited for him to reply. He imagined that a guy like Akio would want to keep Mion all to himself, and would not understand. Keiichi always imagined that Akio wanted to have every waking moment with the girl, especially since he was planning on using her to get what he wanted.
Also, Keiichi had a slight idea that Mion, too, was wondering the same. It was almost like the girl was testing him. Keiichi kept his eyes on his books.
Shion waited for Akio to reply as well as she had very serious eyes on the boy. Even though she supported her sister, she, like Keiichi, didn't want the girl to get hurt, too, no matter how it would be.
"Of course," Akio said with a modest smile, "You gotta balance out your life."
Mion grinned, and so did Shion, who gave her sister a wink. "That's good," Mion said in a way that sounded like she was relieved.
Keiichi's hands squeezed into fists. He's good, he's pretending to be perfect. He then turned to Rena, who glanced at him slightly. He wanted to know when she was going to talk to Mion. Perhaps that moment would be a good time. He gave her a look, waiting for her to do something.
Understanding his eyes, Rena shook her head, saying that now was not the right time. Then she went back to reviewing her homework.
Keiichi did the same, although he was watching Mion at the corner of his eyes. She and Akio were having a casual conversation, which Keiichi tried to tune out.
Rika, who was sitting in her desk next to Satoko and Hanyuu, stared at the wall silently. Just like Keiichi, she was waiting for Rena to make the move on speaking with Mion. She was Rika's last hope, otherwise she would have to try to fix things herself, and she knew that was far from possible. It works when everyone is in on it together, she thought.
"Rika?" That came from Satoko, who was now looking at her friend with concern. She could tell that something was bothering her and felt like it was happening too much. "Rika, what's going on?"
Rika turned to her friend with a straight face. She didn't want to tell Satoko what was going on, because she didn't want her to worry. However, she knew that once Mion believed in the truth, Satoko would eventually have to find out. Afterall, when everyone worked together, things ended up right in the end.
"Rika?" Satoko asked again, eagerly waiting for her friend's response. She was beginning to grow apprehensive. "Rika, if something is bothering you, you need to tell me. I'm your best friend, and remember you grow strong with our help."
"Mii," Rika started as she grinned, "I had forgotten how true that is. I promise, I'll tell you after club activities."
"You promise?"
Rika giggled. "I'm your best friend. Everything will be alright." It assured Satoko that everything would be alright, and she went back to reviewing her homework with a clear head.
"I have to cook dinner tonight," Akio said to Mion, "but I'd like to talk to you about something afterwards."
"Hm?" Mion asked as she looked at the boy, puzzled. "About what?"
Akio grinned. "I'll let you know than. Meet me at the dump, okay?"
"The dump?"
"Well yeah, that is your guys' favorite place, right?"
Mion chuckled. "Right." The conversation ended there when Ms. Chie entered the room and asked Mion to start the class.
Throughout the day, Keiichi waited and waited for Rena to show signs of attempting to talk with Mion. But so far nothing had happened. By lunch, Keiichi was about to ask Rena if it was time.
As everyone gathered with their lunch boxes, Keiichi watched Rena approach Mion, who was already at her seat, with Akio on her side. Keiichi got eager, hoping that this was the moment Rena would set things straight with the green-haired girl.
"You make extras again, Rena?" Mion asked happily.
Rena giggled. "I sure did. But I'd like to talk to you in private for a moment. Will you Mi-Chan, will you?"
"Hm?"
Keiichi sat down and watched the two intently. He knew now that this was the very moment Rena would fix things. He only hoped that Mion would listen to her.
"Let's go out in the hall," Rena said. She seemed very determined to get Mion alone, and even more willing to get everything out and convince her of the truth about Akio.
"Alright," Mion replied as she stood up, and attempted to follow Rena out to the hall. They were curiously watched by the others, as soon as they were out of the classroom, everyone went to their eating.
Keiichi was the last one to have his eyes still on the door, even after Mion and Rena had disappeared into the hallway.
"Keiichi-San, what's with you?" Satoko asked rudely. "You been spacing out a lot."
Keiichi jerked his head over to the blonde and forced a smile on his face. "Sorry, tired day. What did you cook up today?"
"It's a bunch of premade stuff," Satoko said, "I'm not the best cook."
"Hah, better than Kei-Chan," Shion said with a laugh. She was always teasing Keiichi, just like Mion and the others.
"Shion!" Keiichi exclaimed with a glare. He got nothing but more laughing from the girl, along with Satoko and Akio.
"Is he really that bad?" Akio asked with a chuckle, yet not giving Keiichi any eye contact.
"He almost burnt his house once," Satoko replied. "He's lucky his parents weren't around. Ohohoho!" The girl swung her arm toward Keiichi, accidentally knocking over the boy's instant noodles, which spilled into his lap.
"Ack!" Keiichi let out as he jumped from his seat in surprise. "Satoko!" He heard a few gasps, and a soft chuckle, speicially coming from Shion.
Satoko was cut off guard, not meaning to pull such a stunt. "Oh my," she said. Her stunned expression slowed her words, but once she saw the wet spot on Keiichi's crotch, she knew it was all to perfect. "It looks like Keiichi-San wet himself." She put her hand up to her face and snickered.
Keiichi blinked in confusion and once he peaked down at himself, he let out a shriek. "Satoko!" He instantly put his hands down in front of his groin so the others wouldn't see, although he was sure it was too late.
"Ohoho!" Satoko cackled, and so did the others.
The only solution was to run to the restroom, so he could clean himself up, and wait in there until he was dry. The boy ran for the door and left the classroom.
After Keiichi shut the door behind him, he paced down the hall, heading for the restroom, when he heard a familiar voice coming from the left wing. He sneaked over and peeked to get a glimpse of the conversation.
"What gave you two this idea?" Mion asked with her arms crossed. She didn't seem pleased with what Rena started to say, and it was the same look she gave after Keiichi spoke to her yesterday.
"Rena believes in Keiichi-Kun," Rena said calmly. "We only just met Akio."
Mion lowered her arms and her face softened, but she was still far from giving in. "Why would he? He's never been violent with me, and he takes care of his dad."
"Keiichi-Kun saw," Rena replied. "Why would he make it up, why?" She seemed to have an immediate answer for everything, and its astounded Keiichi.
The boy looked down, but he kept still as he waited for Mion's response. He was beginning to think that he's lost his touch with words, and the magic grew in Rena instead. Still, whatever it took to get his green-haired friend to believe him. He just couldn't let her get hurt.
Mion didn't know what to say. Not that she didn't want to believe Rena and Keiichi, but it was just too much to take in. Akio had been a prince since day one, and she slowly felt for him. It would be ashamed to throw it all away.
Rena was patient as she and Mion stood in silence, and Keiichi began to shake uncontrollably. Come on, Mion, he thought.
"I think I'm gonna eat outside by myself today," Mion said. And with that, she started for the direction of the classroom, as Keiichi went to hide in the restroom. The boy just couldn't believe it. She won't believe Rena, either?
After Keiichi cleaned himself up and dried up, he met Rena outside the classroom. He was distressed that Mion didn't understand Rena's words.
"She needs time to herself to think this over," Rena said maturely, "be patient."
Keiichi understood, but it wasn't enough to keep the boy satisfied. Even if Mion did need to think things through, she was his friend, and she should have believed him from the beginning. It was hurtful for her to reject him and Rena.
However, he and Rena left Mion alone for the rest of the day, and the topic was not brought up by either one of them.
Even during club activities, Mion acted as if everything was normal, but she barely acknowledged Keiichi or Rena, unless they were completely direct with her about the games.
Rika, on the other hand, was a bit quiet, because she knew Rena had already talked to Mion, and by the looks on both Rena and Keiichi's faces afterwards, it seemed it didn't turn out well.
Satoko did her best to break Rika from her thoughts, even though she knew something was wrong. Rika was going to tell her what was going on after everyone went home, so she wasn't fretting about it.
Akio skipped club activities so he could go cook for his father. Or at least that was what he claimed. Keiichi didn't know what to believe, and Rika was sure the guy was planning more on his evil scheme.
Rika decided that she would call Keiichi after dinner that night and discuss things with him. Whether Mion believed Akio was up to no good or not, they had to plan to stop him.
After club activities were over, and everyone started for their houses, Rika told Hanyuu that it was time to tell Satoko what was going on. Hanyuu gave an approved nod, and the two walked home with the girl, explaining everything.
"So, Akio is our enemy?" Satoko asked. It was hard for her to believe, but she knew her best friend wouldn't make stuff up. "What do we do?"
"Keiichi and Rena are trying to convince Mion," Rika replied. "Once we get our club leader on our side, I'm sure she will have him out of the picture."
Satoko sighed as she shut her eyes while waling in a slow pace, along with Rika and Hanyuu. "Mmm, this will be tough. Mion really likes Akio."
"Hauu, that's the tough part," Hanyuu said anxiously. "She didn't believe Keiichi, and we don't think things worked out after Rena talked to her."
"What about Shion?" Satoko asked. "Does she know about this?" Shion and Satoko were very close, especially since her brother had Shion promise she would look after Satoko.
Rika shook her head. "You and Keiichi are the only ones I told. But I'm gonna talk to Keiichi tonight over the phone."
The three kept quiet the rest of the way home, and they continued with their regular routine by changing their clothes and preparing dinner.
Mion wasn't sure yet to take Rena's words to heart, but either way, was still planning on meeting Akio at the garbage dump. And once dinner was over, she did exactly what she had planned.
On her way, though, she started to think about what Keiichi and Rena said, but it was hard to grasp. Akio had been a wonderful man to her and everyone else, and it was almost impossible to reject him.
However, Rena and Keiichi were Mion's friends, and she didn't want to reject them either. Perhaps, she would confront Akio about this and figure things out. But what she would say to him, she had no idea.
Once Mion arrived, she slowed down as she saw Akio in the distance with his back facing her. The girl took a deep breath as she made her way over.
Akio finally turned to her and smiled. "You're here," he said, as if he were afraid she wouldn't show up, even though she wasn't late.
Mion gave a soft smile. "Yeah, of course. So, what did you want to talk about?" She was very curious now of what was on the boy's mind, so she thought it was best he would tell her before it was her turn.
"Mion," Akio started, "you are next in line to be the head of the Sonozaki family. How do you feel about that?"
"Well," Mion replied, "I wouldn't wanna say I'm waiting for Granny to pass, but even though it's a tough job, I know I'm ready." She gave a confident smile and placed her hands on her hips.
"Well, what if you had someone to help? Ya know, a prince?"
Mion blinked in confusion and then forced a laugh. She wasn't sure what the guy was getting at, but it sounded a little childish. "A prince? It will be my job, and nobody else's. Don't' worry about me."
Akio frowned softly and looked up at the sky, which got Mion wondering why he would bring up the subject. "Mion," he continued, "I think we are great together, and my father thinks so, too. He agrees it would be wonderful if we took care of the village together."
Now Mion understood, although she wasn't sure why Akio would want to hold that responsibility. Still, she knew it was meant to be only hers'. "Sorry, Akio, but-" she grinned, "don't worry, we will still have fun just as always."
Akio's face hardened more, and he was almost glaring. "Listen, I think I'd be great at it, and I would think that you of all people would accept my offer."
"Offer?" Mion didn't like the sound of it, and she wasn't a big plan of the emotional change in the boy. "Akio, I already said no." She placed her hand over her heart. "It's for me, and me only. Even if I had to choose someone after me, it would be Shion."
That got Akio to completely change, and once he was in a complete glare, he attempted to strike the girl with his left hand.
Mion, though, caught his move before he could make it, and slapped his hand back with her own as she shrieked. "Hey!" She was now beginning to understand why Keiichi had confronted her. And it was no question for Rena to come to her afterwards.
"Mion, you should reconsider it," Akio demanded. He was raging.
"No!" Mion stepped back, and with that, she could do nothing but take off. She ran away from the dump and didn't turn back to see if he would follow her. She didn't hear his footsteps, though. She didn't hear anything but the cry of the evening cicadas.
After Keiichi cleaned up his plate from dinner, he decided to take a step outside to enjoy the evening breeze. He was already in his comfortable house clothes, and he placed himself in the backyard, in the grass.
He knew that Rena said Mion needed some time to think things through about Akio, but he was beginning to grow antsy. He hoped that she would come around. Otherwise, the boy didn't know what to do.
"Kei-Chan."
Keiichi glanced up next to his right and noticed Mion standing there. She had a soft expression on her face, and it got the boy curious. He, though, had noting else to say to her, so he waited for her to talk first.
"I'm sorry how I acted," Mion said. She then went down to her knees so she could be at her friend's level. "You were right, Akio isn't very nice."
Keiichi looked down at the ground, still unable to find the words to say back to her. Although he was relieved that Mion had finally admitted he was right.
"I was way over my head," Mion said.
Keiichi turned to her and smiled. "Nobody is perfect,"
Mion forced a soft smile. "Yeah, but as club leader, I should have realized what Akio was up to." She waited for Keiichi to come up with some smart remark, but she was surprised that the boy didn't say anything.
Mion then looked up at the sky. "Hey, have you ever noticed how wonderful the stars are?"
Keiichi looked up as well and saw the millions of beauty lights in the sky. "Yeah, it's not like in the city. I like it."
"Well, no matter what happens, the stars are always there, even if you can't see them." She began to slide her index fingers around in the dirt.
"Yeah, but I like to see them. Makes me feel safe." He wondered if that sounded stupid, but he didn't ask her.
Mion looked up at him and grinned. "Say, have you ever wished on a fallen star? They say if you wish hard, it will come true."
"Fallen star?" Keiichi knew he had never seen a fallen star before, but it sounded amazing.
"Hey look, there's one now!" Mion shouted with glee as she pointed.
Keiichi jerked his head back up at the sky. So far, he didn't see any movement, until five seconds later. A Flashing light flew down, and he knew for sure that it was a fallen star.
"Another one! Make a wish." Mion closed her eyes and clamped her hands together. She didn't see, but she knew that Keiichi was doing the same. And when she opened her eyes, the boy was smiling at her.
"So, what did you wish for?" Keiichi asked.
"You know I can't tell, it's bad luck!"
Keiichi scoffed. "Come on, I don't believe that."
"Okay, if you don't, then what did you wish for?"
Keiichi could see the excitement in his friend's eyes, and it made his heart pound with joy. His smile remained. "Easy. I wished that all of us, everyone in the club, would stay together and happy. That you and I would stay friends forever. No matter the circumstances."
Mion couldn't help but feel her cheeks warm up. She looked down shyly, as Keiichi looked back up at the sky. "Me, too," she said softly, "that you and I would stay friends forever." She paused before deciding to add one last thing. "And maybe someday, much more than that."
That got Keiichi's attention, and he jerked his head back at her. He had a look of shock and waited for Mion to explain herself more. But all she did was smile at him, and the two gazed at each other as the stars continued to shine brightly in the sky.