Author's note:
I'm back!
Felt good to write again, but it it's been so long that I needed to go back and reread things.
Hopefully the chapter isn't too much of a mess.
Cheers!
Chapter 42: Cheaters Suck
Tuesday, September 20th, 20XX After school
"So, Kasumi, you running back the same routines this weekend?"
"Hmm?" Freezing in the midst of her stretching, Kasumi looked up at her coach. "What are you talking about, Coach Hiraguchi?"
"So, you did forget," Hiraguchi sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "You were always so on top of tournaments that I didn't think I had to but…"
"AH!" Kasumi gasped. Paling, she ran through the date in her mind. If it was in fact September twentieth than… "The inter-regional cup is on the twenty-third to fifth. How did I forget!?"
"I owe you an apology, I should have mentioned it earlier. You just seemed to be dealing with other problems."
"This is a bigger problem!" Kasumi huffed. Jumping to her feet, she faced Coach Hiraguchi frantically. "What is Sumire doing!? We need to do four routines! It has been ages since she had to do all of them."
Hiraguchi shrugged. "I always make two variations of the routines, you know that. She's ben learning the mirrors to the routines you danced at the invitational."
"Right… But if I do the same ones…"
"National scouts will probably be confused. Concern will rise that you just drill the same routines endlessly with no ability to adapt and learn others."
"But there is always the possibility that I am hiding things for nationals…" Kasumi mused. "They can't be certain."
"That is the risk you run. Do you have special ideas for nationals?"
"You're the coach," Kasumi shot back, "I was hoping you would."
"Oh, I have several," Hiraguchi smirked. "So, you are running back the same routines?"
Pausing for only a moment, Kasumi nodded. "I barely have enough time to remember them. Besides, the invitational was so much smaller."
Hiraguchi nodded reluctantly. "I'll do my best to protect you in the stands. Run the clubs routine when you're finished."
"I already am!" Kasumi smirked.
"Oh, is that right? You doing better?"
"Haha, what are you talking about? I'm always doing well." Kasumi's excuse felt weak even to herself. Her coach's raised eyebrow stare was as cynical as any she had seen.
"Oh? That awkward smile, must be a boy."
"B-Boy!?" Kasumi's voice caught. The feelings from yesterday flooding back in and colouring her face. "I just… Got a little support."
"…Sure you did." Hiraguchi laughed. "The time for dancing is now, save the kissing for later."
"Why you…" Unable to find a counter, Kasumi stalked off to the practice mat. At least she would be safe from barbs about her personal life while performing.
Tuesday, September 20th, 20XX After school
"Finally…" Joker breathed a sigh of relief as he slid his card into the reader. 100,000 coins. A fortune that had taken a lot of effort and collective scheming to generate. Still, it had not taken too long to collect. Simply by beating each of the games set in front of them either by cheating or straight-up, they had acquired enough, if barely.
"Hell yeah!" Skull cheered, "let's finally get to the core of this place. I've had too much of this cheating shit."
"…" Queen stayed silent looking at the golden scales upon which their bridge rested.
Taking her silence as acceptance, Joker inserted the card. The screened flashed twice, a green light of acceptance comforting Joker, and then it went red.
DENIED!
"Huh?" The red letters in all caps were scrawled across the screen where the price had once been shocked Joker. Eyes wider than the head of Skull's mace, Joker could not understand what was happening.
"Foolish thieves. You honestly thought it would be that easy!? The price of entry has increased! It is now one million coins! Muwahaha!"
The pronouncement came down from the other side of the gap. Standing on top of the last golden stairs that they could not reach was a figure they had only seen once: Nijima Sae. As before, she was wearing that odd witch's outfit, designed to emphasis her perfectly sculpted body. That was as far as her beauty reached however as the sneer pasted on her face distorted her features into the realm of disturbing.
"Sister…"
Queen's whispered voice of pain was run over by Oracle's shout. "What do you mean one million!? It clearly said one hundred when Joker paid for it!"
"You must have read the screen wrong. The font was simply too big and one of the zeroes was hanging over the edge."
It was a horrible excuse, but Joker could find no rebuttal in him. It had been obvious from the outset that they needed to cheat to make the coinage necessary. Still, they had persevered, excepting naively for the end to be an achievable goal. It was an unforgivable oversight based on not appreciating the environment that they were in.
"Ah, hell no!" Skull followed up on the yell. "Lower that bridge and let us beat yo ass fair and square!"
"My, my, so aggressive." Shadow Sae almost purred. Running a hand up her leg, she split the slit on her dress exposing more of her flawless skin.
"You need a better idea," Panther spoke up. Simultaneously, she gave Skull a harsh poke in the ribs as his dissent had turned into a silence of appreciation.
Shaking himself, Joker whispered to Fox. "Got any ideas?"
"…None," The boy frowned. "If she had only doubled the entry, we would be fine. To increase it tenfold…"
Joker frowned. "Why is double fine?"
"The withdraw system," Fox explained, "We never used it, but really all we needed was 50,00 coins, we could have just withdrawn the other half."
Joker blinked at that. They had ended up doing the smarter thing since the number to hit was now one million, but that had still been a major oversight. Still, there was one more thing to confirm. Raising his voice, Joker addressed the shadow that was still observing them smugly from the far side. "You agree on one million then? Is that a deal?"
"…Yes boy, that is the price you need to pay for a date with me."
"Very well then." Joker whirled around and strode out of the room. The thieves filed out around him. The sound of Sae's laughter chasing them out.
"I swear," Skull growled, "if I see your sister I will punch her in the mouth."
Queen sighed but did not actually rebuke the harsh words. "Good luck. She's an expert in Aikido. I'm not sure you'll survive the encounter in one piece."
"Stop letting your muscles control your actions," Mona shot the conversation down. Pacing restlessly, their cat companion looked troubled. "How do we solve this? We made it all the way here! How can we possibly get through!?"
"I doubt we can," Queen sighed, "it was a fun dream that we would be able to help my sister but—"
"Hold on. Just because we encountered a set back that doesn't mean we can't figure this out!"
Panther's argument was complimented by rapid nodding from Oracle and a single sharp one from Fox. Noir's absence from the party was keenly felt as a gap appeared where her comforting her mannerisms would have helped.
"How then?" Queen asked sadly. Gesturing vaguely to the casino as a whole, she sighed deeply before continuing. "We ventured through all of this and struggled to procure one tenth of what we need."
"There must be a way," Joker broke in. "It seems a little early to give up. Plus, can't we win the jackpot multiple times?"
"For 5,000 coins? We both know we don't have the hundreds of days that will take."
"Four hundred thousand coins," Fox mused along to Queen's protestations. "It is a much more reasonable figure, yet still daunting. We may need to consider real-world solutions."
"Like how we removed the barrier!" Mona perked up in agreement. "Brilliant Fox! We just need to find what that bridge means to her and have us cross it in the real world!"
"And what would that be?" Panther asked the logical follow-up with a confused head tilt.
"Uhh, like a bridge, right?" Skull frowned, scratching his head.
The last member looked the least optimistic. Queen was frowning and shaking her head. She clearly had no belief in this idea. Cutting through the other's thinking, Joker addressed her. "You have an opinion, Queen?"
"…Yeah. I don't think every aspect of a palace is based on a real-world equivalency. There has to be a bit of extrapolation and fantasy in the creation of the palace. Isn't that the very reason for safe rooms? There are areas where the ruler has a poorly formed cognition of the place either due to them being inconsequential or rarely frequented?"
Joker paused trying to put together the statement in his mind. Parts of it seemed like guesswork, but he thought he understood her point. "You mean that that bridge is a kind of anti-saferoom. Despite having no equivalent, it is an area where her cognition is powerful. Likely because it is an important part of the casino."
"Basically," Queen nodded. "I mean, Oracle may understand it better than I, but this is an area where the palace ruler is in charge. This casino is only a tangible object inside my sister's mind. To get us across the bridge would require a massive change of thinking in my sister's mind. If the palace core is right up there, then she would basically have to confide her inner thoughts and secrets. …I think."
"I… would agree." Futaba spoke reluctantly. "The core of the palace in particular has little to nothing to do with the real world and more to do with acting as a vault for the treasure. This bridge is a final defensive mechanism, keeping everyone away from what Sae wants to hide."
"But like… couldn't Makoto get in?" Skull asked, his deeply furrowed brows signs of his strain to follow the conversation. Have a heart-to -heart or something? That would get her like a VIP pass to the core in her, right?"
"It does seem a possibility," Fox nodded. "Noir was able to penetrate quite far in her father's palace because of their link."
"Impossible," Queen shut them down. Her voice cold not with anger but a raw sadness. "After our last conversation Sae has stopped coming home. She stops in only in the middle of the night to shower and change."
"What?" Joker asked flabbergasted. "But where does she sleep? A boyfriend's?"
Queen shook her head dully, "I have no idea, but I doubt it's a love interest. She is doing it to avoid me. The sight of her useless little sister must be too upsetting."
"Queen…" With only Panther's comfort and awkward gazes from the rest, conversation quickly died. Noir would have been able to say something but all of them were too stunned by events. Leading them out of the casino, Joker sighed as he felt the suit and its freedom melt off of him. The stiff collar of his school uniform once more forming a noose around him.
As everyone filtered away, Ren caught Makoto's arm, "hey, I wanted to ask you something."
"…What is it?" Makoto eventually asked. The clear exhaustion in her face made it obvious that she wanted nothing more than to run away and sleep off the disappointment of the day.
"Don't give up on your sister."
"Huh?"
The genuine shock and new attention brought a smile to Ren's face. "She is clearly avoiding you because seeing you hurts too much."
"That's supposed to help?" Makoto growled back, ripping her arm away. The surprise morphing into rage.
"I mean you probably remind her of a different life," Ren pushed through. Tripping over his words, Ren cursed his delivery. "You show her that what she is doing is wrong and she can't handle that."
"Oh…" Makoto lowered her head. "Thank you."
Hoping he wasn't overstepping, Ren reached out and squeezed her hand. "We are all here for you. I'll find a way to get one million coins, you focus on supporting Haru and your sister."
"Will do." Makoto returned the squeeze before walking to her station.
Footsteps sounded out behind Ren. "Thought you were going to blow that."
"Oh, quiet Futaba, like you can do better."
"Of course not. But you're supposed to be the charismatic protagonist."
"Nah, that's Mishima." Ren laughed, turning to walk beside her. Looking her up and down, he found the conspicuous absence of a cat. "Where's Morgana?"
"With those two," Futaba waved an uncaring hand. "More importantly… Mishima? Is that the Phansite guy!? Is he awesome? Can you introduce us!?"
"Absolutely." Ren nodded repressing the laughter. "He's going to be a big deal someday. Expert website designer, aspiring film maker."
"Ehh, whoa… Maybe we should invite him to join!"
"Absolutely not," Joker shook his head, completely serious. "I don't want to lose my place as leader."
"Whoa!" Futaba nodded along eagerly. "I'll need to keep raising my stats to have a chance at him!"
"You bet," Ren winked. "Better start working on it."
"Hmm, but if he is even better than you, then he probably has his own harem forming…"
"True, better get in early to secure one of the primary spots."
"Ugh, but that's kind of sleezy." Futaba whined. "I mean, seriously? What happened to old school monogamy?"
"Exactly that, it's old school," Ren continued, struggling not to laugh at their ridiculous conversation. "Besides, you need at least three people to afford children."
"Oof, the troubles of children and being able to afford basic commodities. You almost sound like a real adult."
"Compared to you, I am a real adult," Ren teased. Lifting a hand, he patted the grumbling girl on the head. "Now come on. At least one of us needs to come up with a good idea."
Tuesday, September 20th, 20XX Night
Breaths slowing, Haru could feel sleep slowly overpowering her as her eyelids closed. Jerking back awake, she felt that rush of alertness. Like the last five times, it started to fade, faster than ever before. Eyelids slipping lower as her chin fell, Haru cursed herself.
I can't be sleeping, My father needs me. I can't…
Zzz…
"Gah ha! Agh!"
"Huh?" Jerking up again at the noise, Haru looked down at her father who was hacking. His whole-body convulsing as he coughed into his hand. "Dad!"
Moving forward off her chair unto the ground, Haru clung to one of his hands. She'd fallen asleep. She could have stopped this. She could have…
"Ha…ru?"
Freezing in place, Haru felt a bead of hope blossom in her. "Dad? Are you there?"
"We barely have enough food for Haru. Your insistence on high-quality produce is driving our company into the ground dad. I won't let you kill my family! I won't!"
"D-Dad?" Haru gasped at the outburst. Her frozen mind could not process the words that she had heard. Her Father's glazed eyes were staring at her but not seeing her. They roved around not fixing on her eyes.
"Why did you leave, Mariko? Haru needs a mother… She, she lost her mother… I need to… I need to…"
"Dad…" Stroking his hand, Haru waited for more. Both anxiously and excitedly. She had never gotten a chance to listen to her father ramble. Even when he drank, he brooded, he did not spill secrets.
Heart thumping wildly in her chest, Haru was keenly aware of the room around her. The hardwood floors hurting her knees, the pale moonlight leaking through the open curtains covering the floor-to-ceiling window.
"We can't let your grandfather keep us like this! We must… asc… We… We need to change it… I think."
"You mean we need to ascend?" Haru frowned in confusion. It was his catch phrase. Why had he trailed off like that?
"Ascend? Why do that? I-I think… We are fine here. A hungry stomach is fine. You were right, Father."
The change of heart! Haru gasped at her father, leaning over him. "Grandpa wasn't wrong, but neither were you father! You wanted that spaceship model, remember?"
"Spaceship…?" Kunikazu's eyes closed, and he relaxed back into his bed. With a heavy sigh, his breathing became regular. Waiting for another moment, Haru wondered if her father had slipped off back to sleep. As she gave off hope, his final syllables were uttered. "I don't need things like that. We should all just… give up and be told what to do."
"Huh?" Hands shaking, Haru released her father's hand as she stumbled to her feet. "No, this is a lie, right? Healed? What a joke. All we did was—"
Steal his desires. Gripping her hair, Haru felt her fringing sanity crack. "This is why I was against changing hearts. This is why!"
Panting, Haru felt a sudden desire to throw something. Or a helpless shadow that she could slowly… "No, No, I can't…"
But the tension in her body would not fade. The anger, the helplessness that would only build until released. Groaning, Haru fled from the room and the mansion in general. She needed to reach Shibuya.
Wednesday, September 21st, 20XX After school
"Ah, Miss Okumura. I was told that you would be stopping by. Would you like a cookie?"
Forcing herself through the door, Haru gave Dr. Maruki a weak smile. "No, that's alright."
Hooding her eyes against the doctor's bright smile, Haru looked at her body. It still surprised her that he couldn't tell—that no one could. Why can't anybody notice the sins that she has committed? How were they not immediately obvious? The blood that she had bathed in last night should have marked her out instantly.
"Oh, I see. Why don't you sit down, and I'll make you some tea. I've heard that you are fond of coffee, unfortunately I don't have any here."
"Unn." Haru grunted. He'll notice even more if I don't shape up. I need to force a smile.
Taking a deep breath, Haru looked back up with the expression that she had practiced for many hours. She had worn it to banquets, brunches, and whatever other things that her father had brought her to.
"Well, here you go, and—I see."
"Huh?" Blinking, Haru briefly frowned at Maruki's strange reaction. "Thank you for the tea."
Forcing the smile back on, she took a sip, not tasting to the hot liquid. Tea was supposed to calm a person, but she felt nothing. Not even the warmth of the drink was reaching her.
"To be blunt," Maruki spoke softly, "we can do this as you want. Please feel free to just sit and cry if you want or we can talk."
"Huh? Cry? Why would I need to cry?"
"I could not tell you Haru. But I've seen that look before. It is not a look that a normal student ever produces. But I have said too much."
With that, Maruki simply sat back and began drinking his tea. Haru gaped and waited as time ticked past. He did not even look at her, merely drinking his tea while scanning pages from a small text that he pulled from a pocket of his lab coat.
The break gave Haru a chance to look around the room. It was her first time in the office. She knew that Sumire had been often, but none of the others had really frequented the counselor. It had little in the way of decoration. A couch, a few chairs, a coffee table, and a small counter with a sink where one could make tea. Small but adequate.
"Why are you leaving?"
"Hmm? Maruki looked up from book. "I was simply offered a chance to help more people. It was as simple as that."
"…Then why ever come here?" Haru asked, holding onto the conversation as a lifeline. It was her first normal interaction with a person since… She wasn't sure anymore. The staff at her home don't count. Her father's ramblings certainly don't. She had only shown up at the final bell to talk to Maruki thereby avoiding school and students.
"I thought I could help many people by being here," Maruki took a brief sip, pocketing his book. "I have changed my mind. I know believe Okinawa has the answers I seek."
"Okinawa!?" Haru repeated incredulously. "There's like… no one there. Why Okinawa?"
Maruki chuckled. "Sometimes you need to leave what seems important to find what truly is."
It was a dubious statement, but Haru conceded the point, taking a sip of her tea. Maruki must have boiled it ahead of time, it was already cooling. "I don't think one should have to leave something important to begin with."
"Oh, is that right? Your house is likely important to you, but you cannot spend time with friends, or even enjoy a sporting event without leaving it. An absence does not need to be forever."
Haru shrugged awkwardly. The conversation felt a little too high level for her. She should not have disagreed with a counsellor about his area of expertise.
"Oh, please do not feel embarrassed. It was only my intent to provide another way of thinking. That is my job after all. You may be shocked to find out how much changes when you change your approach."
"Change my approach…" Haru mused. "Is it really that easy doctor?"
"Hmm, it depends." Maruki mused, not giving the careless assertion that she had been expecting. "Addictions for example are a habit that often needs changing. It is naïve to simply tell an addicted person to change, however. Furthermore, there are often reasons that a person has fallen into a way of doing something. It is easy, or comfortable, or they enjoy it. Neither of which precludes the fact that there are people who would be far happier in life if they were willing to take the plunge and change."
"I-I suppose?"
"Sorry, I rambled," Maruki gave her an awkward laugh. "Is your tea empty, I'll get you another cup."
"No, I barely…" Trailing off, Haru looked down and realized that she was down to her dregs. Wordlessly, she handed it to Maruki who took it with a soft smile.
Left alone again, Haru fiddled her thumbs. The heat had brought back memories of her sleep-deprivation. She hadn't collapsed into her bed until nearly four in the morning and gotten up around eight to look after her father again.
"Here," Maruki offered another cup. "Please enjoy."
"Thank you…" Haru sipped it again. "Do you drink a lot of tea?"
"Hmm, it depends on the day." Maruki pondered, leaning back into his chair and crossing his legs. "If I am too engrossed or busy with something, then I will often forget to have more thana cup or so. When I get the pleasure of talking to wonderful people like yourself, well.. I can lose track of refills."
Smiling at that, Haru still paused. I want to change too…
"No need to force anything, just enjoy the tea for now."
"Sure…" Taking the extra time given to her, Haru busied herself with sipping the tea. The warm liquid the only thing stopping her from sinking into the couch and off to sleep.
"Are you a fan of beaches, Haru? I can't help but worry that the change in climate from Tokyo will get to me. Well, as long as we don't get hit with a typhoon it should be okay! Either way, I get the feeling that my lab coat will start to be a little too hot."
"Oh, umm, yeah, that's true…"
"And the culture change. No large public transportation, idyllic island life… It almost sounds like a different country! At least I can keep speaking Japanese, my English has degraded from my med school days."
"You are fluent in English, doctor?" Haru asked, surprised.
"Fluent is a bit of a stretch, but it was a necessity. English is the global language for science communication. As much as you may think Japan is the center of the world, we really are only one piece in a much larger puzzle. North and South America, Europe, the rest of Asia, there are so many places contributing to our understanding of the world. English is the medium we use to communicate with all of them."
"That's…" Haru sighed. "I suppose that makes sense."
"I foresee a future where Japanese kids are raised to be bilingual from birth. The globalization of the world is pushing ever further, and we can't afford to fall behind!"
"Doctor," Haru cut him off. "Don't you care about why I'm here?"
Maruki's complexion changed in that instant. Leaning forward, his eyes seemed to shine from behind his glasses. An irresistible kindness emitting from his smile. "I care very deeply Haru. Please, tell me why."
"I like hurting things." No, stop talking. It isn't true. "I get excited when people beg for their lives." No, I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine!
"I understand why you are concerned Haru."
"You… do?"
"It can be a disturbing realization when you interact with media that is supposed to make you feel one way and you feel another. Despite what you may think, this is more common than most people think."
"I-It is!?"
"Absolutely," Maruki flashed a deep smile, relaxing back into his chair. "This is often called living vicariously. People grow fascinated with things that they don't experience in real life. These fantastical situations absorb the imagination and really make us think about what we would do if they did occur."
"R-Right…"
"What is important to remember when these desires swell is to remind yourself of who you really are. Think about the great friends you have or the vegetables that you are growing. Ultimately, you are a kind girl who would not commit those sins if presented the opportunity."
He didn't understand at all… Haru almost laughed. The situation would have been funny if it wasn't so pathetic. Haru should have realized before she said anything. No normal person would think that she had tortured her father's image of herself while taunting her father's own mind. Nor the things that she had done to helpless, weak shadows.
"You are right," Haru smiled wistfully, "That's all I need to do. I just need to remind myself about how nice I am."
"You do not believe me," Maruki said softly. "That is okay. You do not need to. I'll give you the contact information of a psychiatrist that I know. She can give you a psychiatric evaluation if you want. I am afraid that the evaluation is likely to agree with my assessment, however. Should we make a bet on it? Say… Who gets the last cup of tea?"
"That seems like an impossible wager…" Haru grumbled, putting her cup down. "Thank you trying doctor. I just… I don't know how much longer I can take it for. What if I do break? What if I start hurting the people around me?"
"As long as you continue to talk like this, it will not happen." Maruki said solidly. "Keep worrying, keep caring about your thoughts. If you do not like the fact that you engage with this material, make a conscious effort to remove it from your life. If it's mostly on weekends then maybe try arranging a weekend trip with friends. Go camping, get away from the media that you are consuming."
"Change…" Haru muttered. It was the same reason that the phantom thieves had forbidden her from coming into Sae's palace yesterday. An endeavour that had apparently ended in failure. "I don't think I can change doctor… I need it. It is the only thing that drains my stress. It makes me feel alive."
"…I understand. I will be gone at the end of next week, but until then, please come visit me every day until you feel better."
"Is that really possible?" Haru asked desperately. "Can I really feel better without it? I-I have grown addicted… I-I…" Sputtering, Haru's words failed her. Clenching her hands, she felt the pain of her nails digging harshly into the skin. It was a weak barrier against the blanket of darkness coating her mind. An infinite darkness whispering to her of the release of sleep. A way to escape the nightmares of the truths she was learning about herself.
"You can do it. Envision the person you want to be. Find that woman and make yourself into her."
"Make myself…" Haru could no longer see Maruki. When did my eyes close? "Into her…"
"Do you see the changes you must make?"
"I-I do… The perfect daughter that my father always wanted. Demure, obedient. A good wife."
"Good, good."
"My desires… were wrong."
Wednesday, September 21st, 20XX Late evening
Groaning, Makoto stretched and looked around the empty student council room. The sudden absence of people as the last orange rays of the day peaked through the window gave her a twinge of longing. Picking up her phone, she found that Haru had still not replied. That was weird. She had gotten confirmation that Haru had arrived at the school. Was she still meeting with Maruki?
Having nothing better to do, Makoto stretched and stood up, finally done. She never would have thought that there was so much paperwork for a school trip. How was it possible to fly an entire grade of students to America and back before having all the forms done?
It didn't make sense to Makoto, but she was done now. The school was breathing down her neck and she had been dreading getting dragged to the principal's office again.
I only got to finish because we couldn't change my sister's heart…
Slapping her cheeks, Makoto pushed that disappointment from her mind. Ren would figure something out, he always does.
He has to…
Feeling dejected all over again, Makoto's negative thoughts were starting to rush back in now that she was not immersing herself in work. "I need to study…" Makoto was not sure if she had ever dreaded the task as much as she did in that moment. In the face of everything that was going on… It felt so pointless.
The corridors of the school were predictably barren. Not even the athletes were left behind. Makoto just had to hope that the front gate was still unlocked. She had a key as the student council president, but the security system would let the school know that she had been there late.
Giving them another thing to yell at me about…
Descending to the first floor, Makoto wound her way away to Maruki's office. True to her hopes, a soft light peaked out from underneath the closed door. As Makoto approached, she realized the door was not completely closed. It rested against the frame; the latch not engaged. Freezing for a reason she could not explain, Makoto listened.
"Yes, I suppose that could work…"
Maruki's voice was tense and formal. Confused by the exchange, Makoto slunk back, ears perked up.
"Of course I am pleased that you are paying for the flight. The earlier timetable however… Yes, I understand, there is just a girl here that—"
After a terse silence, Maruki eventually sighed. "Yes, I will be on the plane this Saturday. It is not a problem."
After it was clear that the call ended, Makoto knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The tired voice of the doctor was unlike what Makoto had ever expected to hear. He always came across as affable and kind. Entering the room, Maruki's gaze was distant, not even acknowledging her.
"Umm, doctor, I was wondering if… Haru!" As her eyes wandered, Makoto found the girl of her question laying on the couch, a light blanket covering her body. Rushing over, Makoto fell to the ground beside her, gripping Haru's shoulders.
"Urgh, Mako-chan? What are you doing here?"
"Me? Why are you asleep on Maruki's coach!?"
"So much for doctor," Maruki mumbled, rising. "She merely grew exhausted and fell asleep. Please do not panic needlessly."
Flushing, Makoto averted her suspicious gaze. "S-Sorry, I was just worried for her."
"I understand," Maruki assured her. "You have had a bad experience with teachers abusing your fellow students."
"Yeah… I suppose." Turning her head to Haru to avoid her embarrassment, Makoto found her friend looking at her with dopey eyes. Haru was clearly awake but… not really there. "Umm, Haru?"
One blink, a second. Then after Haru's eyelids rested a third time for a longer moment, her eyes focussed. "Umm, where am I?"
"Maruki's office…" Makoto said, getting worried once more.
Haru meanwhile shared none of Makoto's worry and sat up, shedding the blanket to reveal her slightly mussed but still very present school outfit. "Ah, right. I came here to talk. Thank you again doctor. I think that maybe you were right. If I can just change a little, I'll be fine."
"Yes… change."
Feeling left out, Makoto followed her friend out of the office. Turning to bow once to their teacher, Maruki's voice followed Makoto out.
"Be wary about listening at doors, Ms. President. Many others are not as forgiving as me."
Wishing she could sink into the ground, Makoto scuttled out of the room.
Haru stared at her sideways. "What was that all about?"
"N-Nothing! Umm, what were you talking about?"
"Hmm…" Haru shrugged off and started walking to the school's exit. "Not much. In fact… we really did only talk about silly things."
"Oh. Umm, is that helpful?" Makoto asked.
"Probably not… yet I think I feel better. Oh, my father woke up briefly last night. I'm going to go see him and hope he has woken up again."
Makoto nodded, still unsure about everything. She couldn't help but feel daunted by the tasks in front of her. "D-Do you have time to get ice cream or something? We can talk about more light-hearted things."
"No thank you. I want to be there when my father wakes."
"Oh, right…" Arriving at the gate, Makoto gave her best friend a half-hearted wave. "Well, take care then."
"I will, goodbye Makoto!"
Makoto? "Bye… Haru."
Thursday, September 22nd, 20XX After school
Putting one foot in front of the other, Ren used his unexpected free time to go for a run. The lake nearby the school was a pleasant place that reminded him of Sumire. While she was off practicing with all her might, here he was, retreading the same ground that they had once walked together.
Why am I doing this? Ren was not even a big fan of running. He wasn't Ryuji, nor did he have a fascination with stretching like the Yoshizawa sisters. Either way, Ren could not bring himself to stop. Breaths growing ragged, the scenery repeated itself again as he completed another lap around the lake.
Am I expecting to see her? She won't be here… Ren's thoughts were negative, but he scanned the hill anyway for the distinctive red and white tracksuit of their school.
Fabric flying through the air, a ponytail swirling behind it.
Stumbling to a halt, Ren gaped at the girl. "Su… Kasumi."
Somehow hearing his voice, the girl stopped her tumbling at looked over at him. "Oh, Ren. You sound disappointed. My sister is doing last tune-ups to her routines for tomorrow."
"Oh, right, the tournament…" Ren had forgotten about that. More like, he did not have the mental capacity to consider any other tasks at the moment. He wished Sumire all the best, but he did not have time to deal with it.
"Yeah, that thing…" Kasumi said passively, glaring at him.
Ren briefly wondered why before remembering how they had parted last time. I told her I wanted to care for her…
He hadn't put it into quite so many words, but thinking back on it, Ren wanted to go back and hit himself. There had to have been a better way to handle that. He had been lost from Sumire's rejection and the problems following the failure to properly change Owada's heart.
"I don't get you. I mean, seriously, you call me to a rooftop, give me some dumb speech about failing to care for me then strode off and never talk to me again. What's your game here?"
It was a side of Kasumi that Ren had never faced before. Always before she was teasing and light-hearted or seriously talking about her sister. This straight-forward, guarded expression was new. Ren hated it. They had been close once. This was how one talked to a stranger that you happened to have had a previous encounter with.
"I am sorry," Ren sighed, "for a lot of things. Should I keep running or…?"
Kasumi sighed, rubbing her head. "Whatever you want. I should do final cool-down stretches so I'm ready for tomorrow."
Taking that as permission, Ren sauntered over and collapsed onto the ground next to her. When he landed, a soft moan escaped his lips. The consequences of his mindless running catching up to him with a storm of sore and cramping muscles.
"What's wrong with you?" Kasumi snorted. "Run too far?"
"Yeah," Ren admitted, trying to work out the knots in his body. Slowly grinding his calf muscle, Ren winced through the experience.
"Idiot," Kasumi sighed. "Stop that and follow along with me."
Looking up at her, Ren found Kasumi sitting across from him and entering a stretching pose. One foot to the inside of her thigh and the other leg extended. With deliberate movements, her body fell across her left leg until her head was resting on her lower shin, hands on the ground well beyond her foot.
Without a word, Ren followed along. The stretching forcing the exerted muscles to their limits one more time, releasing knots and reducing tensions. It was a calming sort of pain. A pleasant torture of healing agony. Within that world, Ren followed after his tutor, copying her movements with his own clunky motions. The routine systematically fixing all of the problems that Ren had inflicted upon his body.
Only when they were done, did Ren finally speak. "Thank you for that. I can't imagine the humiliation if that had happened on the subway."
"Hmm, thinking about it makes me wish I had sent you away."
Wincing, Ren flashed her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I interrupted your stretching with uhh… my stretching."
Kasumi did chuckle at that, her expression softening a little. "I couldn't leave you there. After all, you may be my brother-in-law at some point."
"That possibility grows more distant everyday." Ren whispered. "Even just watching you stretch, I guess I see a little of what Sumire means. It is hard to imagine someone beating you."
Kasumi snorted, shaking her head. She gave Ren a look that said she thought he had just called the sky green. "You sound like a child bragging that their father is the strongest. You don't even know what you don't know. My strengths, my weaknesses, how close I am to the top level."
"I understand that," Ren agreed, raising his hands in defeat. "Just a feeling you give off I suppose."
"Oh, is that right?" Kasumi laughed. "Is it like one of those anime things? Will my opponents not be able to dance correctly when I'm competing?"
Ren chuckled. "I don't know. I'd have to ask Ryuji to explain it to me first."
"Ah, well so much for you being useful here. Guess I'll have to figure out my superpower on my own. Although I must admit, you did manage to divert us quite nicely."
Ren shrugged. "I don't think either of us really want to talk about Sumire right now."
To his surprise, Kasumi shook her head. "It's fine. I should apologize as well. I do hope the two of you get along well. I think you'd make a nice couple."
That was… sincere? Ren could find no trace of sarcasm or mirth in Kasumi's clear brown eyes. She seemed completely, totally honest. "You look… happier."
"I am," Kasumi nodded. "I have gymnastics, and I… I found someone else who needs me."
Huh? "You… found someone? A boyfriend?"
"Haha, that might be nice. I guess I'll see how it goes. At least he is someone who cares about me."
Unlike you. The words floated in the air. Ren was shocked by the denial that clenched his gut into a painful ball.
"Sorry."
"Hmm? Oh, ah, no, I wasn't blaming you… That… Wasn't my intention."
Kasumi's faltering words eventually halted as she too looked awkwardly at the ground. The once peaceful air between them corroded into a mixture of awkwardness and guilt. All of Ren's questions that he wanted to ask sounded arrogant even in his mind. Impossibilities of a life he had never lived.
And how much would have had to change for it to be her instead of me? Sumire's words floating up inside Ren's mind.
"Umm, this boy… is he nice?"
"Nice?" Kasumi convulsed with a wave of laughter. "Not in the slightest. He's the most ornery asshole I think I've ever met."
Ren forced his gaze back up, confusion building. "Then why choose him!?"
"Oh?" Kasumi's eyes took on a challenging look as she leaned forward as well. All of her stretching had been forgotten. Sitting on the grass, their faces were less than a meter apart. With their matching tracksuits, passers-by probably thought they were playing a weird game.
"Well then Senpai, please tell me, who should I choose? Who will actually give me their attention and be someone who looks to me first?"
Ren could not answer. It could not be him. There was no way for him to say that without being the biggest leacher he knew. And yet… "Can I at least meet him? I'm sure there are many nice people that you could—"
"Many people who won't slow me down?" Kasumi cut him off. "No, I've only found two up until now. Maybe there are more, but I have to choose from the options around me."
Two. Then it clicked. "Goro." Ren practically growled the name. The cocky detective that was always bashing the phantom thieves on television flashed through Ren's mind. An unlikely acquaintance that he had fought with on a couple occasions.
"There it is," Kasumi chuckled, "that quick wit. Honestly, I have no idea how the school was convinced you were a delinquent for more than a week."
"Not quick enough," Ren admitted. Leaning back, he looked to the sky, the overcast day fitting his mood. "My distaste of Goro aside, I've been completely stumped."
"Oh?" Kasumi asked, interested. "By a puzzle or a question?"
"…A puzzle," Ren decided, accepting Kasumi's option as the truth. "You have to get one million coins at a casino, but it is impossible."
"Tell me."
With a few quick sentences, Ren explained the four ways of making coins at the casino and the output, and how it only ever gets to one hundred thousand. A tenth of the value needed.
"Hmm, this is odd," Kasumi complained. "There are too many variables for this to be a riddle. Either way, I think you are correct, it is impossible without a second account."
Ren blinked. "Second account. What do you mean?"
Kasumi shrugged. "That seems to be the easiest way to make the coins required, betting on yourself. I assume you can't do that while participating, but the second account should be able to abuse a mixture of money lending and all-in bets in order to procure the required sum. Again, that does seem like cheating… Maybe—"
"You're a genius!" Jumping to his feet, Ren looked down in awe at Kasumi. "That was incredible. Honestly, how did you possibly come up with that?"
"Huh? Isn't that the logical next step?" She stuttered in response, meeting his gaze suspiciously. "And why does this puzzle mean so much to you anyway? Hold on, this better not be some bet with Akechi."
Ren waved away her objections. "No, nothing like that. Well, not directly anyway." Before Kasumi could grow too suspicious, Ren kneeled so he was at her level again. "Once again I owe you thanks. It seems all I have done is hurt you… I hope to change that one day. If there ever comes a time when there is something that I can do for you…"
Kasumi shook her head, smiling softly. To Ren's surprise, she reached out and grabbed his hands in hers, causing his pulse to quicken. She really was beautiful, her beauty mark only accentuating it by giving her a mysterious air.
"Taking care of my sister is a greater present than any other. For doing what I cannot, I will love you forever."
"W-Wha…" Before Ren could get out the whole statement. Kasumi had already risen. There was a small touch of warmth as she pressed her lips to his head.
"Bye now! Remember to do some more stretching tonight!"
"H-Hold on!" Ren said when his voice worked again. It was pointless, she was beyond earshot. "What do you mean…?"
Falling to the ground again, Ren's head was left swirling. Once more he had been subjected to the Kasumi tempest. Pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow. She brought it all and then left without an explanation.
"I swear Goro, if you hurt her…" Making a promise to the absent detective, Ren slowly pulled himself up. He needed to track something down and then talk with the thieves. Sae's palace was a possibility again.
Friday, September 23rd, 20XX Afternoon
A force like a million butterflies was traumatizing the entirety of Sumire's digestive system. Beneath the bright lights of the stadium, Sumire could not help but question her memories. Had the mat always been this rough on her feet? Were the stands not larger than they had been?
After half a year away from competition, Sumire could not help but look around in awe at the place she now found herself. Standing on the floor that she had danced on last over half a year ago, Sumire felt a simultaneous nostalgia and dissonance from the experience.
So, so much had changed from the last competition she had been in. The least of all being the girls surrounding her. In high school now, Kasumi had entered the open category. That constituted every girl and woman that was not pro. There were a few women in their mid-twenties who had never made it to the very top dancing here today. Despite them almost all being older than her, Sumire's height was average to tall. A symbol to how cruel this sport was. A few unwanted inches and you could never keep up with the competition.
Beyond that, Sumire could feel the weight of emotions from the last five months at school pressing down upon her. The pain, the stress, the good moments, the laughter with friends. Every single moment of that time had scratched away the darkness in front of Sumire's eyes and let her see the truth. That she would not be free until she won.
Ahead of her were a pair of shoulders the same size as her own, only infinitely more skilled. More aggressive, more daring. Just once. Just once Sumire had to see past that massive and look out at what was beyond. Just a single peak was all she needed to know that something waited for her.
Senpai…
As she thought about that gentle warmth, the butterflies stopped flapping. Ren's heat filled her body and Sumire's hand stopped shaking. Making herself stand a little straighter, she waited as the final pre-tournament notes were read.
One routine today, two tomorrow, and the last on Sunday.
Clubs, hoop, ball, and ribbon.
Sumire would start off with her second best, forget about hoop after tomorrow morning, and then finish the tournament with her strongest. It was the order that she had ran at nationals in March. It had been one of her best outings with a final score of 62.340. A ways off an elite level performance but solid. Just over 15 points a routine. At the time, Sumire had been devastated to miss the podium. Now, she just hoped to break sixty.
Looking over the line of girls, Sumire did not have a view of her sister. This would be the first time they'd compete against each other without declaring their goals. Of course, it was the same each time. Kasumi would declare that she would defeat Sumire and claim first. Sumire would simply copy that declaration.
Sumire kind of wished that they could have exchanged those vows once more. It would have helped bring her back into tournament mode.
I'm… calm.
The realization startled Sumire. But the harsh reality was, it simply wasn't terrifying anymore. Sumire had fought for her life, thought that the boy she loved was going to die by himself trapped in a palace. She had even caused the compete mental shutdown of a man, essentially killing him.
Now, standing here among the girls with their nervous smiles plastered on their faces as they waited for the ceremony to end, Sumire could not connect with them. Instead, she felt a budding excitement about the upcoming routine. She had practiced hard and her movements have never been better.
Closing her eyes, she let Coach Hiraguchi's advice rise into her mind one more time. Smile and enjoy the dance. Don't force yourself through the movements.
With the celebrations wrapping up, Sumire left the stage with the others. Going to see the performance list, Sumire found her name and stage. She was performing on the side stage in around half an hour. Kasumi was on the main stage one performance ahead of her.
"I guess I can't watch her…"
With her slot coming up so soon, Sumire fell into a routine of stretching. All except the one's performing near the end of the day were following her lead. Those up soon even had their props out, getting acquainted with it so they would not drop it during their performance.
In her weird state of dissociation, the time flew by quickly. Before she knew it, Sumire was taking the stage. The polite clapping. The bow.
Then she was one dancing. With a swift flick of her wrist the club in her right hand ascended to the ceiling.
Don't rush.
Lifting her right foot as she leaned forward, Sumire pushed off her left foot to complete the flip. Straightening up, the club fell back in her right hand. At least it hit it. Lowering her hand, Sumire swiped the club from the air as she moved into her next movement.
Calm.
Stay calm.
After the difficult start, the routine stabilized, and Sumire was able to get through the middle movement without issue. Pausing, she took a deep breath before the end. Launching herself into the end of the routine with a jump, she landed and immediately began juggling the clubs in a loose arc while twirling around. Catching both in her right hand, Sumire vaulted forward unto her left hand, catching her body as her legs spread above her head.
Don't force it, just let…
Slipping through her fingers, one of the batons fell onto the mat. With her body suspended in the air, there was no way to recover it immediately. The fault sitting there for everyone to see.
Calm, CALM!
Gritting her teeth against the embarrassment, Sumire finished the move, vaulted back up, grabbing the falling club while she did so. Taking one last breath, Sumire tossed first the right club and the n the left high into the air as she entered her final movement. Somersaulting across the length of the floor, she ended the move upright, arms outstretched and prayed.
Thud! The first club fell perfectly into her right hand.
Thuack! Painfully landing on her left pointer finger, the club bounced off her finger. With barely a conscious thought, Sumire snagged it from the air before it could hit the ground.
Arms raised, routine finished, Sumire posed for the crowd. Smiling as brilliantly as she could, her breaths came ragged through her gritted teeth, chest still heaving from the exertion of the routine.
Mentally, she was already tallying up her mistakes. Dropping a prop requiring zero steps to retrieve: 0.3 points. Two catching errors that didn't have defined errors but were likely at least half a point each. She would be lucky to get a seven in execution, difficulty should be around an eight..
Fifteen… Considering the number, Sumire bowed once more and walked off the stage. It was the number that she had been shooting for. Still, she had made mistakes that demonstrated her lack of practice with the apparatus. Her body felt good, but she clearly needed more time working on the actual routines.
A wave of murmurs ran through the crowd. Looking up at them, Sumire tracked their fingers and gazes to the scoreboard. Appearing right at the top was a name that Sumire knew well: Yoshizawa Kasumi, 17.430.
World class.
The number that gymnasts shot for to maintain a chance on the world circuit was 17 per routine for a total of 68. To win prestigious tournaments one needed scores around 73 to 77. Kasumi was currently on pace for 69.7, an incredible feat. Looking at the dizzyingly high number. Sumire struggled to believe that a number like that was even possible with a difficulty eight routine. That meant her execution score was around 9 out of 10.
Elite.
The word was thrown around often, but Sumire could only look up at that scoreboard and feel it in her bones. It was like staring up at the summit of a mountain beyond a scraggly, steep cliff. Sumire had gotten better. She could feel it when she was up there. She moved better than ever before. Her taller body no longer felt awkward, she was in control again.
She stood around for so long that the scoreboard updated again with her score. Well below Kasumi, all the way in tenth place, Yoshizawa Sumire: 15.120. She would fall far further than that before the day finished. It was a middle-of-the-pack score and her position in the standings reflected that.
Above her name, the scores increased slowly until second place at 16.840. An impressive score just off of the boundary of world class. It should have given the girl a solid start to the tournament and a good chance to win the individual portion. Instead, it was dwarfed by a laughably large 0.6 points.
"Why is she even here?"
"Huh?" Turning, Sumire was surprised to find herself addressed by one of the older girls. She had been on Sumire's stage after her. Looking back at the scoreboard, she found the girl's name. Nakamura Michimi, 15.050. For a girl who once had professional aspirations, the low 15 must be infuriating.
"Your sister," Michimi snapped. "I mean seriously? She just shows up and drops a seventeen? Why did she even bother coming just to dance the same routines?"
Sumire shrugged. "She needs to dance well to win. It is a competition. We are competing."
"Yeah, I guess that's the answer you have to keep telling yourself to retain hope. Take care."
"H-Hold on!" Sumire reached out to the departing gymnast. "What do you mean by that?"
Sumire got a raised eyebrow as Michimi clearly did not believe that she did not understand. "I mean if I lost to my sister every time for years on end… I'd probably give up."
"I can't…" Sumire whispered the words to the departing back. Looking back up at the mountain before her, Sumire saw that number once more, 17.430. It was high, and yet still lower than her dreams. To achieve those, Sumire had to push even higher.
Ren deserves a girl that can reach her goals.
Determination in check, Sumire went to cool down and then find her parents who would be around here somewhere.
