This is the chapter I've been wanting to do for ages! Like, I had this idea in my head since I was writing the Burger World incident. It has been rewritten and reimagined a few times and I even had to rewrite things after I thought I had this chapter done. I really hope I haven't screwed the pooch on this. So here we go!
Mahou jogged to school by herself with a big smile on her face. She saw Anzu and Miho up ahead.
"Anzu! Miho-chan! Good morning!" Mahou called.
They stopped for her to catch up.
"Good morning, Mahou!"
"Mahou-chan, good morning!"
"What has you so happy this morning?" asked Anzu. "And where's Yuugi?"
"Oh . . ." Mahou's expression slipped. "Yuugi left before me . . . And it's such a nice day. How can I not be happy?" She smiled again.
Anzu and Miho smiled back at her.
Students and faculty were greeting each other in front of the school as they arrived. Ahead of Mahou, Miho, and Anzu was a redheaded teacher in a bright green skirt suit.
"Good morning, Chouno-sensei!"
"Good morning," she responded.
"Chouno-sensei! Good morning!"
"Ara. Ishida-sensei. Good morning."
"Good morning," a pair of students said with a bow at the gate.
"Chouno-sensei is beautiful again today," Miho commented.
Anzu turned to her. "Whether the sensei is pretty or not has nothing to do with us."
"Hey, you," Chouno-sensei called. A female student was stopped in front of her. "What is that?" She pointed to the girl's bag and the keychain clipped to it.
"It's a mascot," said the girl.
"That's against the rules. Hand it over." Chouno-sensei yanked the keychain off the bag. "Be careful next time." She walked through the gate.
Anzu shrugged. "Plus she's strict with rules."
"But that's what sensei-tachi have to do, right?" Miho asked.
"Chouno-sensei is trying to make them even more strict," Anzu replied.
"You're kidding!" Miho gasped.
"I wish," said Anzu.
Mahou was a bit fearful of Chouno-sensei. She's gotten fifteen students expelled in the last six months. She constantly tries to get the rules changed and twists the existing ones to her advantage. It doesn't help that everyone falls for that overly painted face, she thought bitterly.
"Ano . . . Anzu-chan. Miho-chan. Mahou-chan." A green haired girl from their class was behind them. She was looking at the ground in front of her.
"Good morning, Mayumi," Anzu greeted.
"What's wrong?" Miho asked.
"I need some advice," Mayumi told them.
The four stood in the hallway outside of their classroom.
"Eh, Jounouchi?" Anzu said loudly.
Miho slapped her hand across Anzu's mouth. "No, Anzu!" she hushed.
Mayumi put her finger to her lips. "Anzu-chan, your voice is too loud."
Mahou turned around to look in the classroom to see if Jounouchi heard them. He was too busy squabbling with Honda. Yuugi was trying to calm them down unsuccessfully.
Anzu pulled Miho's hand away. "I get it! But . . ."
Honda was pointing his finger at Jounouchi. "Hey, you! You skipped out on your cleaning duty yesterday again! As a beautification member I cannot forgive that!"
"Please forgive that. Please, Honda!" Jounouchi begged. "I had something to do."
"Just what do you like about that Jounouchi?" Anzu asked Mayumi.
"It's hard to say what . . ." said Mayumi.
"You shouldn't ask things like that, Anzu!" Miho clasped her hands and stared off fondly. "Love doesn't need a reason!"
"I wonder what Jounouchi-kun likes," said Mayumi.
"What he likes?" Anzu repeated.
"What are you going to do?" asked Miho.
"It's a present!" Mayumi explained. "I'm going to give Jounouchi-kun something he likes as a present."
Anzu tapped her cheek. "What does he like?"
"He and Honda-kun often talk about lewd videos," said Miho.
"I can't give that as a present!" cried Mayumi.
Anzu turned to Mahou. "Mahou, do you know what Jounouchi likes?"
Mahou gave a shake of her head. "No."
Anzu and Miho crossed their arms and sighed. Then Anzu had an idea.
Honda grabbed Jounouchi by the collar. "Unforgivable!"
"Don't be so serious," Jounouchi brushed off.
Yuugi waved his hands. "Stop it, Honda-kun. Jounouchi-kun is sorry."
Honda looked at Yuugi and pointed a finger in Jounouchi's face. "Yuugi, be quiet! How is he sorry?"
Jounouchi gritted his teeth at the insinuation.
"Yuugi," Anzu called, stopping what was sure to be another disagreement. "Come here for a bit, Yuugi."
"What is it, Anzu?" asked Yuugi.
"Just come here. Hurry."
Yuugi headed for the door.
"What? Us too?" asked Jounouchi.
"You guys aren't needed! Just Yuugi!" snapped Anzu.
Jounouchi looked at Honda. "What was that?"
Honda put his hands out. "Dunno."
The girls questioned Yuugi.
"Something Jounouchi-kun likes?" he repeated.
"Yeah. You'd know, right?" asked Anzu.
Yuugi thought for a moment. "He probably would like lewd videos," he replied with a smile.
The girls were floored by the brightly spoken answer.
"Not something like that!" Anzu scolded. "Something a girl can give as a present!"
"And Anzu is giving it?" Yuugi asked, confused.
"Why me? The one giving it is Mayumi!" Anzu told him.
Mayumi gasped, betrayed. "Hey! Anzu-chan!"
"It's okay. Yuugi wouldn't tell anyone," Anzu assured her. "Right, Yuugi?"
"If it's a secret, then I'll keep it a secret," Yuugi promised.
"So. The present?" pressed Anzu.
Yuugi tapped his cheek and looked up at the ceiling. "Jounouchi-kun likes games. Maybe something from our shop?"
"I see. Yuugi's grandpa's place," said Anzu.
"Let's look after school," said Miho.
The four girls and Yuugi asked Sugoroku about a present for Jounouchi.
"I see," said Sugoroku. "A present full of the feelings of the opposite sex? It's sure nice to be young."
Mayumi leaned over for Anzu with her hand to her mouth. "Hey, Anzu-chan."
Anzu whispered back, "It'll be okay. You can trust this old man."
Sugoroku hit his fist into his palm. "Ha! I've got something for that!"
"Really, Grandpa?" asked Yuugi.
"Yuugi, I've told you this is how I got your grandmother," Sugoroku explained. He turned around and started rummaging for something on the top shelf. "If I recall, it's in this box . . . Dust!" He coughed as a large cloud of dust rained down on his head.
"Is this really a good idea?" Miho asked.
"I think it'll be okay . . ." said Anzu.
"Oh, here it is!" Sugoroku took down and old box. "Here it is. This is it." He blew off the dust.
The others coughed.
Sugoroku opened the box. "Here."
They looked inside.
"This is a jigsaw puzzle?" Anzu asked.
"But there's nothing drawn on it. It's blank," Miho pointed out.
"Yup," said Sugoroku. "Send your feelings to the other person in pieces. The receiver will put the pieces together one by one. And the message will expand. It's romantic!"
Mayumi clasped her hands together. "That's lovely! Really lovely! Really romantic!"
"Yup! Yup!" agreed Sugoroku.
"I'm buying this!" said Mayumi.
Sugoroku began to wrap it up for her. "Here. Come again!"
"Ah! But what kind of message should I write?" Mayumi asked them.
Sugoroku chuckled. "Tomorrow's Sunday. Take your time to think about it."
Sugoroku awoke to the sound of someone rummaging around in the kitchen. He went out to find Mahou sitting at the table with a plate of sliced fruit.
"Mahou?"
She looked up from her snack with wide eyes.
"It's two in the morning," Sugoroku pointed out. "What are you doing up?"
Mahou looked down glumly at her plate. "I couldn't sleep . . ."
Sugoroku sat down at the table. "What's wrong? Did something happen at school today? You weren't late because of the phone call, were you?"
"No . . ." She started pushing a piece of strawberry around with her fork.
"Good. I thought you had plenty of time to get to school. You only left ten minutes after Yuugi and he left early." Sugoroku continued to watch her. "Is it about the phone call?"
Mahou didn't answer.
"Did you not want to sell that painting?" Sugoroku tried.
The fork stopped moving. "I wasn't expecting it to sell . . . It wasn't finished . . ."
Sugoroku smiled. "Mr. Scarletta made it seem like the buyer didn't mind." His smile slipped seeing Mahou's mood not improving. He sighed. "Bad memories, eh? I noticed . . . You always seem a bit down when one sells."
Mahou opened her mouth to protest.
"You're happy at first," Sugoroku cut her off. "But then later you get quieter than usual for a bit . . . And you don't sleep for the next night."
"Y-you know?"
"Ho ho! You thought I didn't notice a few snacks missing? I notice a lot of things, Mahou. And I know a bad night when I see one. Now you tell Grandpa what's bothering you. We have all night . . ."
There was silence for a long moment.
"It's a Vermeer . . ." Mahou finally spoke. "He was having me forge it . . . It was the last painting I did . . ."
"Oh, Mahou . . . It's over now," Sugoroku assured.
"It doesn't feel like it. I'm scared of a locked room. I'm scared of the dark. Some nights I wake up thinking I'm back in that room . . . He can't hurt me anymore, but . . . he's still hurting me . . ."
Mahou looked directly ahead, a heavy hand on her shoulder. She was steered into a convenience store.
"Let's pick out our dinner, Mahou-chan," Takamine said brightly. "You did so well today. You passed your tests with flying colors."
Mahou glanced up and saw the dark gleam in his eyes promising the worst if she tried to run. She nodded and wandered the aisles. Takamine went to the cooler to pick out some already prepared meals. Mahou stopped in the newspaper and magazine rack. There were fashion magazines with teenage girls in the latest styles, a stark contrast to the art pieces Mahou studied.
"Mahou-chan, come along!" Takamine called saccharinely after paying the clerk.
Mahou quickly followed him to the door. The heavy hand landed on her shoulder again and squeezed painfully.
"Don't wander so far, okay?" he said with a smile. "We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."
Mahou was shoved to the floor.
"You were so good earlier. Why did I have to call you at the store? Pay attention!" Takamine went to kick her.
Mahou curled up, putting her arms around her middle. Takamine hesitated. He kicked her in the shins instead. Then Mahou was alone. She uncurled herself and reached under her blouse. She pulled out the fashion magazine. She stared at the cover, smiling. Miniskirts, tight tops, slouchy socks, customized blazers, different patterns and colors, all opposite from the neutral, modest outfits she wore.
Something grabbed her left ankle and jerked her back. She dropped the magazine and was dragged across the floor. She was pulled into darkness.
"Now none of that," said Takamine. "We wouldn't want you to be distracted from your work because of your clothes, right?"
Mahou was forced onto a hard stool. A single light came on above her. The half-finished forgery of the girl with the pearl earring stared at her.
A doorbell rang.
Mahou tried to run for the door, but fell. She turned around to find she was chained to the wall by her ankle.
"I know it's a little late for tea, but perhaps you would like some? Or sake perhaps?"
Mahou opened her mouth to scream.
"Go ahead. Scream," Takamine's voice taunted. "What happens then? You think somebody's going to rescue you? You, a criminal? Who would want a sniveling little girl whose own parents didn't want? Who would want to play a game on your behalf? Heh heh heh . . . If anything . . . the game would be on you!"
Mahou was yanked back onto the stool.
Crimson eyes glowed in the darkness. "You lied to me, Mahou-san," Yami accused.
"I'm sorry . . ." she whimpered.
"You lied to all of us. Now . . . it's game time!"
Mahou sat up in bed. Panting, she saw she was in her bedroom. Tears gathered in her eyes. She pulled her knees up to her chest and quietly sobbed.
When Monday came around the girls and Yuugi got to their classroom before anyone else did.
"Did you write it? Did you write it?" Miho asked excitedly.
Mayumi opened her bag and took out the puzzle, now giftwrapped neatly. "Mmh!"
Miho clapped her hands together. "Cute!"
"I did my best all night," said Mayumi.
"So what do we do?" asked Anzu.
"Probably secretly leaving in the desk is best," said Miho.
"But if that guy finds it wouldn't he just start working on it in front of everyone?" asked Anzu.
"Ano . . ."
They turned to Yuugi.
"When that happens, we'll bring him to the roof," said Yuugi, glancing at Mahou.
Mahou nodded in agreement.
"Okay, let's do that," said Anzu.
"Yeah." Mayumi tucked it to the back of the desk.
The bell rang for the start of class, but neither Jounouchi nor their period teacher, Chouno-sensei, were there.
"Jounouchi isn't here yet?" Anzu asked from beside the empty desk.
Miho turned to Mayumi. "Could it be he's absent today?"
"No . . ." moaned Mayumi.
Jounouchi threw the door open. "Phew! I made it in time!"
"Jounouchi-kun, you're late!" scolded Miho.
"Take your seat already. Sensei will be here soon," said Honda.
Jounouchi shut the door and took his seat. "I stayed up watching videos last night. I went to bed late."
"Oh, lewd videos?" Honda whispered.
Jounouchi turned around in his chair. "Don't insult me! It was Hong Kong action!"
The door opened and Chouno-sensei walked in. She was wearing her bright green skirt suit and her usual heavy makeup.
"Stand up. Salutation. Take seat."
The students greeted their teacher.
Chouno-sensei began class. "Okay, open your text book."
Jounouchi gave a little laugh. "My textbook is in my desk year round." He reached in and found the present. "What is this?"
Anzu hissed, "Stupid Jounouchi, hurry and hide that!"
But Chouno-sensei had already noticed. "Jounouchi-kun, what are you doing during class?" She walked over to his desk. "An ayaben? What a cute bentou lunch." She took the present from him.
The rest of the class laughed.
This is great, thought Chouno-sensei. I found something good!
"That's not mine," Jounouchi said easily.
"Not yours?" Chouno-sensei repeated. "But you had it, right?"
Jounouchi turned his nose up at her. "It was just in my desk. Someone must have put it in there by accident."
"Accident? I see." Chouno-sensei went back up to the front. "But . . . but sensei always tells you: Don't bring things to school that aren't related to class. What could this be, Jounouchi-kun?"
"I already told you I don't know!"
"Really?" Chouno-sensei ripped off the wrapping paper. Puzzle pieces dropped out. "Oh! A jigsaw puzzle? That's no good. You shouldn't bring a plaything. You'd probably take it out and completely lose yourself in it. Truly adverse to studying."
To Anzu's anger, Yuugi's horror, and Mayumi's embarrassment, Chouno-sensei started putting the jigsaw puzzle together.
"Oh! How interesting!" Chouno-sensei gasped dramatically. "When you put the pieces together words come out. 'Ever since I met you . . . I've always been preoccupied . . .' Oh no, is this a confession?"
The class erupted into laughter.
"That's no good," Chouno-sensei continued. "This would be a terrible distraction. In other words, against school rules. Perhaps leading to expulsion. Who owns this? Well, to continue."
Meanwhile, Mahou stared at her desk.
"Now none of that," said Takamine. "We wouldn't want you to be distracted from your work because of your clothes, right?"
She clenched her fists, trying to ignore the tightening in her chest.
Anzu stood up. "Stop it, Sensei."
"What, Masaki-san?"
"That's a message. A letter. I think it's cruel to read other people's letters," Anzu said.
"Cruel?" repeated Chouno-sensei. "But as a teacher I must know who brought this to school. And by putting the puzzle together, I will know the name."
"That . . . is mine!" Anzu confessed.
Mayumi's jaw drop.
"Anzu-chan . . ." gasped Miho.
Anzu gave a smile in their direction. It's okay. I'll just tell Jounouchi it's a joke.
"I see," said Chouno-sensei. "So it's Masaki-san's. When class is over, go to the advisor room."
Yuugi was staring at Anzu in shock. Anzu . . .
Yuugi, Miho, Mayumi, and Mahou waited outside of the advisor room for Anzu to come out. She and Chouno-sensei hadn't been in there very long, but they were all anxious.
The door opened and Anzu walked out.
"How'd it go?" asked Miho.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault," Mayumi apologized.
"Hey. What did she say?" asked Yuugi.
Anzu handed the puzzle box to Mayumi. "First, this."
"She gave it back?" Mayumi asked in amazement.
Anzu smiled. "Work hard for the rest. I also have to work hard, too!"
"Work hard?" Yuugi asked.
"I'm going to collect signatures from the students about revising the rules," said Anzu. "And it'll be brought up at the next staff meeting."
"Is that what Chouno-sensei said?" asked Mahou.
"Mmh. She said I need to find out what the other students think and the best way would be signatures," Anzu confirmed.
Mahou frowned. Why would Chouno-sensei allow the chance for the rules to be loosened? Unless . . .
Anzu put up her poster about her rule petition up on the bulletin board in front of the school. "This should be good."
"You're really doing this, Anzu?" asked Yuugi.
"If little rules are gone, I'd be free to work," said Anzu.
"But . . ." Jounouchi started.
"What do you guys think about the rules?" Anzu asked.
"I think it'd be better without that," said Jounouchi."
"Okay." Anzu held out her clipboard. "Then give me your signature."
"Umm . . . maybe I can help?" Yuugi offered.
"Really?" Anzu grabbed another poster. "Then put this poster up on the west tower."
"Okay." Yuugi ran off.
"Ah, Yuugi," Anzu called after him, causing him to pause. "Thanks."
It wasn't long before the posters were vandalized. Graffiti called Anzu stupid and a busybody and things were fine as they were.
"How mean!" cried Miho.
"What a petty thing to do," said Jounouchi.
"We can just redo it," said Anzu. She started taking the poster down.
"Harassment?" Jounouchi wondered aloud.
"Such people exist," Anzu pointed out. "But I'm sure everyone doesn't like the rules."
During math class, Anzu was called up to the board to solve the problem. She stared at it in confusion.
"What's wrong? Can't do it yet?" asked the teacher.
"But, Sensei . . . We haven't learned this yet," said Anzu.
"You'd know it if you prepared for the lesson," reprimanded the teacher. "Don't waste your time doing useless things."
"What do you mean?" asked Anzu.
"Go sit down," he ordered.
Puzzled, Anzu went back to her seat.
Mahou squeezed her pen. That witch! She's using the teachers against Anzu!
After class, Anzu and Yuugi stood by one of their posters. Two girls walked down the hallway.
"After the test I got it," said the one.
"Please! Please give me your signature to change the rules!" Anzu called to them.
They ignored her.
The others watched from the other side of the hallway.
"She's working hard," said Jounouchi.
"I hope she can gather enough," said Miho.
"Let's make part time jobs and fashion okay at school," Anzu continued. "Please!"
"How is it going?" asked Chouno-sensei.
"Sensei."
Chouno-sensei took the clipboard from her. "Oh. You haven't gotten any."
Anzu took the clipboard back. "I've only started."
"If you can gather any." Chouno-sensei walked away. There's no way you'd gather any.
The group left the school together.
"Ah, if only people would be more brave and sign," said Anzu.
"Anzu, haven't you heard the rumor?" asked Miho.
They stopped.
"What?" asked Anzu.
"Students that signed for the rules revision . . . have been targeted by the sensei-tachi," said Miho.
"But . . . that's not true," said Anzu. "Who would say that?"
"I don't know," said Miho.
Is it? The math teacher seemed to have it out for Anzu today, thought Mahou.
"When I gather the signatures, I'm sure the sensei-tachi will change their minds," said Anzu optimistically.
The next morning Anzu, Yuugi, and Mahou stood outside the main doors of the school and tried to get signatures of students as they went in.
"Everyone, let's change the rules together," Anzu called. "Please!"
"They sure are working hard," said Jounouchi.
"If not for that rumor," Honda began.
Several male students surrounded the trio.
"Will you give me your signature?" Anzu asked politely.
"Who would do that?"
"The rules are fine as they are right now! No one would sign that!"
"Yup. There's no point."
"It'll just call the sensei-tachi to target you."
"If you're not going to sign, that's fine!" Anzu snapped. "But don't get in the way!"
One of the boys grabbed her clipboard. "Look! She hasn't gotten anything!"
"Let me see."
"Give that back!" Anzu lunged for the clipboard, but the other student held it out away from her.
"No! Give that back!" Yuugi tried to help.
Mahou said nothing and went for the clipboard. As she did, one of the students shoved Yuugi back into her and they both tumbled to the ground. Yuugi landed in the dirt, but Mahou wasn't as lucky. She had turned to try to catch herself and her head hit the steps leading inside.
Anzu turned around to check on them. "Yuugi. Mahou."
"This is crap." The student tore up Anzu's papers.
Mahou got to her feet and ran off.
"Stop it, you bastards!" Jounouchi ran across the courtyard.
"You're with them, too? What a rule breaking punk!"
"You're the one harassing them!" Jounouchi argued. He pushed him to the ground.
"Jounouchi!" Anzu tried to stop.
"That's bad, Jounouchi-kun!" cried Yuugi.
"I can't forgive them!" Jounouchi threw the first punch.
Mahou leaned over a sink in an empty bathroom.
"I was afraid of this . . ." she panted. The panting turned into sobs. "The teachers . . . the students . . . Chouno-sensei holds all the power. It's just like with him . . ."
She looked in the mirror. There was a scuff mark above her eye from where she struck her head. It wasn't much and would heal easily. She wiped at her cheeks. She hissed, noticing her hands were scraped as well. Looking down she found her knees hadn't fared much better. Mahou sighed and turned back to her reflection.
With Takamine . . . I got a message to Mr. Scarletta and he saved me. But how do I send one that the sensei-tachi will listen to?
Mahou stopped crying and continued to look into the mirror. Her expression turned thoughtful and then to resolute.
Outside in the hallway a muffled thump could be heard.
Mahou walked to the staff room. Students stopped and gasped in horror when they saw her.
"Is that Mutou-chan?"
"Mahou-chan!"
"How awful!"
"What happened?"
The door to the staff room was open. Inside was the vice-principal and a couple other teachers.
"Excuse me, vice-principal," Mahou said clearly.
The teachers turned to her and gasped.
"What on earth?"
Shocked, the vice-principal jumped up from behind his desk. "Mutou-chan, what happened to you?"
"You once told me if I had a problem to come to you." A gash above Mahou's eye was bleeding sluggishly and made a grizzly sight. "I have a problem."
The school nurse tended to Mahou in the infirmary. The vice-principal and the two other teachers who had been in the staff room at the time stared in disbelief at Mahou.
"Chouno-sensei? Chouno-sensei caused the scene in class. Not Masaki-san?" asked Ishida-sensei.
The math teacher looked guilty. "That's not the story Chouno-sensei told us."
"Yes, sir," said Mahou. "Anzu wants some of the rules revised, not all outright repealed. Chouno-sensei told her to gather signatures from the students. She even checked on Anzu to see if she got any. Not that she did. As soon as Anzu made the announcement about wanting to get the rules revised, our posters were vandalized and rumors started spreading that anyone who dared to give their signature would be targeted by the sensei-tachi."
"Why not come to someone on the staff before this?" asked the vice-principal.
"Chouno-sensei," answered Mahou. "She has the most power in the school. She's gotten fifteen students expelled in six months. If someone spoke against her, would they be taken seriously? And even if they were, who is to say she wouldn't find a way to get them expelled?"
"Expulsion is a matter for all the staff, not just a singular teacher," said the vice-principal.
"Fifteen students in six months," Mahou repeated. She looked at the teachers. "What did they do?"
The vice-principal sighed heavily. "We will need to look into this."
"Sir . . . After this, could you please take some time to listen to Anzu's rule revision ideas?" Mahou asked timidly. "Some of these ideas . . . she has a point . . . Maybe try to come to a compromise?"
"If Masaki-san feels so strongly about this . . ." said the vice-principal. "Tell her to prepare her proposals tonight. I'll have some time in the morning to listen to them."
Mahou's face brightened slightly. "Thank you, sir."
"Now, we have been neglecting our other students," said the vice-principal. "They are probably wondering where their favorite teachers are."
They left leaving Mahou and the nurse alone.
"Do you want to go back to class?" asked the nurse.
"Yes," Mahou replied. She stood up and left the infirmary to go back to class.
She walked slowly through the hallway.
You did it, Mahou. You did it . . . she thought to herself.
She sucked in a breath hard, feeling like she wasn't getting enough air. She stopped. Soon it felt like her heart was in her throat. She broke out in a cold sweat.
No! Not now . . . Not here . . .
Mahou exhaled slowly. She squeezed her eyes shut.
I can do this.
Mahou returned to the classroom to find a different teacher filling in for Chouno-sensei. The teacher briefly paused in the lesson before motioning for Mahou to take her seat. Mahou felt the stares on her as she took her seat.
"Mahou . . ." whispered Yuugi.
"Where's Chouno-sensei?" Mahou whispered back, getting out her textbook.
"She disappeared after we met with her in the advisor room," he told her.
"Disappeared?" Mahou stared at Yuugi before glancing at the Millennium Puzzle. She faced forward and tried to follow along with the lesson.
They all went up to the roof after school. The boys were sitting against the wall at the edge of the roof while the girls stood in front of them.
"Chouno-sensei hasn't said anything," said Jounouchi. "I wonder if we're in the clear."
"It's probably fine," said Honda. "As a beautification member, I think she was unreasonable."
Jounouchi sat up. "By the way, what was that jigsaw puzzle, Anzu?"
Anzu put her hands together in front of her. "S-sorry. It was just a prank."
Jounouchi scoffed. "Just a prank."
Miho leaned over to Anzu to whisper. "Mayumi confessed to a second year senpai! We can't tell him now that she doesn't like Jounouchi-kun."
"That's fine!" Anzu whispered back. "He's probably better than Jounouchi."
Yuugi and Mahou were bemused, but said nothing about the subject.
"Anzu?" Mahou began. "I talked to the vice-principal about your rule revision idea. He said to prepare your proposals about the rule revision tonight. He has time tomorrow morning to listen to them."
Anzu blinked. "What? He said he would listen? With no signatures?"
Mahou nodded.
Anzu grinned. "Yes!" she cheered, punching the air.
"Hey. What did happen after you ran off?" Honda asked Mahou.
Mahou stiffened and looked around to see who else was listening. "I'll tell you . . . but not here. Yuugi, do you think Grandpa would be mad if they came over?"
Yuugi shook his head.
Sugoroku was a little surprised to see everybody when the door opened. "Welcome back. Huh?" He saw the bandage on Mahou's face as well as her anxious expression. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Mahou stared right at Sugoroku. "Grandpa, there's . . . something I need to tell them all."
Sugoroku's shoulders sagged. "Okay. Go on upstairs. I'll close the shop and be right there."
Mahou made tea and prepared a few easy snacks. The others watched as she brought the tray in. She was tense and clearly worried, her hands even shaking when she handed them the little plates of snacks. Sugoroku came upstairs as Mahou finished serving them.
"What happened to your face, Mahou?" Sugoroku asked.
Jounouchi scoffed. "Some bastards started harassing Anzu over the rule revision. One of them knocked Mahou down. She hit her head."
"It just looks bad," said Mahou. "What happened after I ran off?"
"Jounouchi punched the guy that knocked you and Yuugi down," said Anzu. "And then he got us sent to the advisor room and Chouno-sensei threatened us with expulsion. What about you?"
"I hid in the bathroom," Mahou admitted. "I'm sorry, I panicked."
"No worries," said Miho. "Miho would have done the same."
"And then you went to the vice-principal," said Honda.
Mahou was silent for a moment. "If I told you that . . . it would be a lie . . ."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?" asked Anzu.
"When I hit my head, it didn't leave much more than a mark," Mahou admitted.
Mahou looked in the mirror at the reflection of the toilet stalls behind her. She turned around and walked over. She pushed the door opened and faced the edge. Mahou ran her finger over the mark on her face. She slammed her head against the frame's edge, a loud thump echoing through the bathroom. She bit her lip and sank down to the floor holding her head. She checked her hand. There was blood on it.
The friends and Grandpa stared at her in shock.
"You . . . you did it to yourself?" Honda asked.
"I had to get them to take me seriously," said Mahou.
"By slamming your head into a wall?" cried Jounouchi. "Are you crazy?"
"It was the only thing I could think of!" Mahou shouted.
The others startled.
"Chouno-sensei controlled everything! The sensei-tachi wouldn't have listened, so I had to make them listen! If she would have won, what would be next? People like her don't care about anything but the power they give themselves! More rules, more punishments, humiliation . . . It was like I was back with him!"
"Mahou," Sugoroku interrupted.
"I can't . . ." she said, tears coming to her eyes. "I can't keep lying to them . . ."
Everyone else looked back and forth at Mahou and Sugoroku.
"What's going on?" Yuugi asked.
Mahou swallowed hard. "I'm not your cousin, Yuugi. I'm not even a Mutou."
"Huh?"
"I've been lying to you all since I moved in . . ." she sniffed.
"Not all of us," corrected Sugoroku. "I helped and agreed with this plan. I suppose it was only a matter of time before the truth came out."
"So then who are you?" asked Honda.
Mahou opened her mouth to answer.
"She's a Mutou now," Sugoroku cut in. "That's all you need to know about that."
Mahou sighed. "Thank you, Grandpa." She gathered her courage and began to tell her story. "I told you all my uncle died suddenly and the Mutous were the only family I had left and that's why I moved here. But that's a lie. The man who died was not my uncle. He was my jailor. I was twelve and he saw my memory, my talent, my art and how I could mimic different styles. He made me paint for him: portraits of people, random landscapes and still lifes . . . research and use the styles of the masters to forge works he could sell on the black market. I was confined to an apartment with little contact with the outside world."
"How horrible . . ." breathed Miho.
"Takamine never shared who the artist of the non-forged paintings were, just said it was some recluse who didn't want to be known," Mahou went on. "Then Mr. Scarletta, an American, came. We never got guests, but Mr. Scarletta was a persistent man. Takamine let him come to the apartment. I had painted a portrait of his late wife. He wanted to meet the painter. Takamine did his trick of pretending to talk on the phone with the artist while I served Mr. Scarletta and his men drinks. I saw it as my one chance. I passed a message to Mr. Scarletta's translator, hoping he would understand. He did. They came back later. Takamine wasn't happy about that. There wasn't much he could do on short notice; they already knew I was there. Mr. Scarletta and his men came for me, helped me pack, and we left together."
"What about Takamine?" asked Anzu.
"Mr. Scarletta told me he wouldn't hurt me anymore," Mahou let hang. "After that, he contacted Grandpa, got the paperwork that I would need to show I was a Mutou and brought me here."
"Why not go back with your parents?" asked Anzu. "Unless something happened to them. They're not dead, are they?"
A bitter laugh came out of Mahou's mouth before she could stop it. "My parents . . . My parents sold me, Anzu. They sold me . . . My own parents sold me for 2,000,000 yen . . . All I was ever worth to them was the sum of their debts."
Silence. Nobody could say anything. Not even Sugoroku had heard this part of Mahou's story.
"Takamine always reminded me of that," Mahou continued. "That he was kind to me as I had a roof over my head and food to eat and he would buy me nice things when I did a good job. And that if I tried anything, he would beat me . . . My legs and sides, never my head or arms. I was useless if I couldn't paint for him. His favorite threat was he would break my foot since I didn't need that to paint. And . . ." Mahou reached down and pulled her left sock off. There was a band of scar tissue around her ankle.
Jaws dropped and they gasped.
"He would chain me in my workroom so I couldn't get distracted by other things. Distractions could lead to mistakes in the paintings," Mahou finished. "And if he was done with me for the day, he'd lock me in my room in the dark."
"What a monster!" shouted Honda. "How could someone lock up another human being like an animal? Someone should chain him up and see how he likes it!"
Jounouchi nodded in agreement, a dark look in his eyes.
"He's dead. There's nothing you can do now," Mahou added. She took a shaky breath. "He's dead and he was still hurting me. Every time Mr. Scarletta sold one of the remaining paintings, every time there was a locked door, every time the lights went out, certain phrases . . . I would always be reminded of him, that I wasn't a Mutou, that I was lying t-to y-you . . ."
And then the tears came.
Anzu and Miho were horrified. Jounouchi, Honda, and Sugoroku were enraged to varying degrees. Yuugi seemed to be trying to wrap his head around everything. And if the Millennium Puzzle seemed to have a subtle glow, nobody noticed.
"Now you know . . ." said Mahou. "What happens now?"
"What happens now?" repeated Anzu. "We're friends, Mahou. We're not going anywhere."
"Did you think we'd abandon you if you told us the truth?" asked Honda.
Yuugi nodded. "You might not really be my cousin, but I wouldn't mind a sister."
Mahou wiped her eyes. "Yuugi, we share the same birthday. Who would be the older sibling?"
Jounouchi snickered. "Be weird to call Yuugi 'big brother', wouldn't it?" he teased.
"Hey, I'm not that short!" Yuugi retorted.
The others laughed, including Mahou.
Mahou was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on her door. She opened it. Yuugi was standing outside with something in his hands.
"Yuugi?"
"Can I come in?"
Mahou stepped aside for him.
"I found this. I thought you might like it." He held up what looked like a plastic tropical fish, but Mahou realized it was a nightlight.
"Thank you, Yuugi." She found an outlet and plugged the fish nightlight in. She flicked on its little switch before turning off the room lights. The little fish light put off enough of a glow to see where she was walking around the room, but not enough that she couldn't sleep with it on. "It's pretty."
Mahou flipped the room lights back on and met crimson eyes. She staggered back at Yami's sudden appearance.
Yami had a dark expression on his face.
Mahou cringed and closed her eyes. "If . . . if you're going to do something, please be quick. I won't even fight you."
He continued to stare. "You surprise me, Mahou-san," he finally said. "While I challenged Chouno-sensei, you went and took her power from behind."
Mahou winced.
"Not something I expected from you . . . but now knowing your past, it's understandable. However . . ."
Mahou felt his fingers raising her chin. She opened her eyes.
Yami gave a pointed look at her bandage. "Don't resort to this again. Understand?"
". . . Yes," she replied in a small voice.
Yami lowered his hand. "Good."
Mahou took a shaky breath. "What happened to Chouno-sensei?"
"Chouno-sensei learned the hard way you shouldn't cheat at a Yami Game," he replied.
Mahou's eyes went wide. She cheated?
"Just as a mirror reflects, for the people she has hurt . . . she feels what it is to be hurt herself," he went on.
Mahou blurted out, "She's a narcissist! How . . . ?" Then she realized. "You took her mask away."
Yami nodded. "She will continue to try to hide what she truly looks like, but makeup can't hide her ugliness."
For Chouno-sensei, attacking her appearance was the worst he could do to someone like her, thought Mahou.
He turned to leave the room, but paused at the door. "And Mahou-san, remember this . . . Your parents were fools. You are worth far more than a meager 2,000,000 yen." He left, pulling the door closed but not quite latching it.
Mahou stood frozen for a moment. She darted for the door, yanking it open and stepping out into the hallway. "Wait!"
Yuugi looked over his shoulder. "Huh? Mahou?"
Mahou froze. "Thank you again for the nightlight, Yuugi. Um . . . good night!" She ducked back into her room and closed the door.
"Good night . . ." Yuugi repeated awkwardly. He shuffled back to his room. "That was weird . . ."
On the other side of the door, Mahou sat on her knees.
"Your parents were fools. You are worth far more than a meager 2,000,000 yen."
Nobody's ever said that to me. A little smile came to her face. Thank you, Yami.
I got so scared at the end of this. The conversation between Mahou and Yami was so difficult and even now I'm not entirely happy with it, but I wasn't sure what else to do with it. But now the friends know what Mahou's story is and when the situation calls for it, can be a manipulative piece of work.
Also, a rough estimate of two million yen back then is about $20,000 USD if I did my math somewhat right. Yeah, Mahou's parents sold her for twenty grand.