Later that night, Erina was lying on her bed alone in the darkness of her room contemplating the fact that she was now all alone with nobody to interact with other than her father for the foreseeable future. As she was settling into this depressing reality, Erina heard her name being called out in a loud whisper from her balcony. As she looked out to see who it was, she suddenly saw Alice's head pop out over the balcony rail, struggling to steady herself and get Erina's attention.
"Alice!?" Erina exclaimed, "What are you doing here!?" Alice whispered back, "We're getting you out of here." As Erina went to the balcony, she saw Alice being held up by Hisako, who in turn was being steadied by Ryo as the base of this human totem pole. As they were trying to get Erina to come with them, the three heard a voice speaking to them through the earpieces they had on, saying, "Keep it down. Do you want the guards to be all over you?"
Not too far away, from a row of bushes lining the outside of the mansion property and out of sight, Daniel was monitoring everything via a combination of a wireless headset (with microphone), a pair of night vision goggles, and, most importantly, a Totsuki-issued laptop computer. While Alice had the headphones and earpieces, as well as the goggles (for what purpose, Daniel didn't ask), she had to employ some diversion and sneak tactics to get the laptop Daniel needed (though she knew exactly where to get it). With the laptop, Daniel not only had an easier time accessing the Totsuki wireless network, but he could also hack into the mansion's video surveillance system without being noticed.
Once he was in the system, he figured out which cameras would be the ones they would have to worry about before putting his plan into action. First, they waited until nightfall, when Daniel began recording a minute or two of non-activity from each of the relevant cameras. He then set the recordings so that they would be transmitted as they played on an endless loop, leaving the other three undetectable via the cameras. Once they moved to get Erina out, Daniel kept an eye on things from his position both through the real surveillance that he was seeing, as well as the movements that he could see from his position via the night vision goggles. Based on what he saw, he would relay instructions via the microphone to the other three.
A/N: I do not endorse in any way, shape, or form, the act of computer hacking in a manner that would be illegal (i.e. if the hacking is not an exercise lawfully authorized by a recognized authority). I'm only using it as a thread in this story for the purposes of plot development, which is a work of fiction and not to be taken as an idea for real world application.
As the other three were finishing the task of getting Erina from her balcony to the grounds below, Daniel noticed a guard making his rounds going past him. He then relayed the information to the others. "One's coming your way! Get going and make yourselves scarce!" A few minutes later, he could see the three girls plus Ryo coming to his position. Since the alarm hadn't sounded, he assumed that they had been able to remain undetected. As Daniel began to remove the goggles and the headset, the group approached him, with Erina becoming very surprised by Daniel's presence.
"Daniel Horowitz?" Erina exclaimed in a whisper. "What are you doing here?" Having given the other items aside from the laptop back to Alice, he whispered back, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm helping to spring you! Just give me a moment to cover my tracks and shut this thing down." As he was doing so, Erina shook her head and replied, "That's not what I mean!" Before she could go further, Daniel restored the original video feed, closed the laptop, packed it in his knapsack, and told everyone, "Alright, let's get out of here before we get caught!"
As they began to run with Daniel leading the way, Erina spoke up again. "What I meant to ask was why are you here helping me?" Hisako then replied, "I thought that he could help us in our plan to help you escape from the mansion. He's the one who coordinated everything." Erina nodded and said, "I appreciate it, but why him in particular?" Before either Daniel or Hisako could give an answer, Alice interjected teasingly, "Apparently, Daniel here is Hishoko's boyfriend." Erina's eyes widened as she reacted to this news. "Wait, what!? Since when!?" she exclaimed. In an attempt to quell any concerns for the moment, Daniel turned to Erina and said, "We'll explain everything later. Right now, we've got to get you someplace safe to hideout for a while." As Alice began to tell Erina what she knew, Daniel thought to himself, 'Dang it, Alice! You had to open your big mouth about that now!?' He then thought back to when he met up with Hisako, Alice, and Ryo before the escape plan began, and he and Hisako had to explain their new relationship to her. 'I knew we should have given her a cover story,' he thought.
As they continued to make their way through the woods in the darkness, Erina asked, "So, where exactly are you taking us?" Daniel turned and replied, "Polar Star dorm. It's where I've been living on campus. I know that it's not fancy like you're used to, but it's cozy, there's extra rooms available, and it's highly unlikely that anyone will look for you there." As Hisako asked about the dorm's other residents, Daniel said, "Don't worry. They may have their quirks, but they're very nice and extremely trustworthy."
As they arrived at the dorm, Megumi met them just outside with an umbrella as the sky began to open up in heavy rain. They were then whisked inside, where the five jail-breakers were each given a towel to dry off. In addition, the rest of the dorm residents had gathered in the main lobby to see who had come by at this time of night. They were shocked to find the princess of Totsuki, Erina Nakiri, in their dorm drying off with a towel and asking to stay for a while at Polar Star. As murmurs of confusion began to sound off, Daniel began to look around and noticed someone missing. "Hey, has anyone seen Soma around?" he asked.
Before anyone could answer, Miss Fumio spoke as she came out of the kitchen, "Master Senzaemon came by earlier to have a chat with him. I think they're still out." As Erina, Alice, and Hisako began to wonder why Senzaemon would want to talk to Soma, Fumio looked at Erina and commented, "You look like you've had quite a day. How about we draw you a nice hot bath. We also have an extra nightgown and an extra room for you, as well." Erina nodded as she accepted the offer with gratitude. As Fumio went upstairs to draw the bath, Soma came in through the front door and noticed the crowd gathered around. After noticing his presence, Erina muttered, "Hello, Soma Yukihira. I'll…be staying here for a while."
After asking what was going on, Daniel gave the story of the escape plan they had just executed, with Hisako and Alice filling in some of the details. After they were finished, Soma exclaimed, "Woah…you ran away from home! Nice – I dig it!" At this, Erina reacted with, "Don't you dare tease me!" Soon after the bath was ready and Erina went upstairs to take it as Fumio had set everything up for her. Once Erina was in the bathroom and everything looked to be under control, Alice and Ryo took their leave, saying they would check in every now and then as Daniel handed them the items he had requested and used earlier.
After Alice and Ryo left, the rest of the dorm residents began to murmur amongst themselves, still confused as to why Erina had run away from home and why she felt she had to come here. As they began to ask questions, Hisako got their attention and asked them to calm down and listen to what she had to say. Before she began, she also asked that what she said not be repeated outside the dorm. At this, Daniel spoke up, saying, "Please listen to her – it's important." After promising Hisako to keep whatever she said confidential, Hisako began to tell them about what she knew about the relationship between Erina and her father. When Erina emerged from her bath, the dorm's residents were almost all in tears at hearing what she had been going through, cursing Azami for being a horrible father. Yuki then exclaimed, "You can stay here for as long as you want, Erina-chii!" As Erina looked confused by what had just happened, Hisako, Daniel, and Soma looked on, relieved that everyone had gotten behind Erina staying at Polar Star.
Before long, the suggestion was made that they have an impromptu welcoming party for Erina, as was the thing to do at Polar Star, complete with games and plenty of food, made by the residents. As the dorm began to buzz with activity, with a party atmosphere beginning to take hold, Erina tried to get everyone's attention. "Hold on a minute!" she shouted. Erina then turned to Daniel and exclaimed, "Before anything else happens, I'm still not finished with you yet!" Daniel gave a confused look as he asked, "What are you talking about?"
Erina then shouted back, "Have you already forgotten!? There's still the matter of you apparently dating and fooling around with Hisako for the last month!" At this, the other dorm residents' jaws dropped in shock at the revelation, including Soma, while Hisako sweat dropped at Erina shouting that out loud like that. Daniel, meanwhile, was stunned that Erina would say such a thing. 'I know that we're not really close, but after everything, does she still have that low of an opinion of me?' Forgetting exactly where he was and who else was around for the moment, he reacted to Erina's comment by declaring, "Listen here! Hisako and I are not fooling around. I love her!"
As he heard gasps coming from behind him, Daniel was brought back to his surroundings as he realized what he had just said and done – and in front of who. As he looked around, he could see Hisako blushing brightly at his declaration, while the other girls in the dorm were gushing over the romantic moment they had witnessed. As for the guys, their mouths continued to be open in stunned silence before it was broken with a "Woah" from Shoji, followed by a "Dude" from Daigo. As Daniel began to blush himself, he looked at Erina once again and saw a sly smile on her face. It was then he realized, 'She just wanted to see if I would actually say it aloud and mean it,' he thought to himself, 'Well played, Erina.'
Erina then broke the awkward silence as she turned to Hisako and said, "Well, Hisako, it looks like he's sincere about his feelings for you. If you truly feel the same about him, then I have no objections. As long as you're happy with him, then I'm happy for you." As she said this, she gave Hisako a genuine smile, to which Hisako bowed as she replied, "Thank you so much, Miss Erina!" Erina then marched closer to Daniel before addressing him again. "However," she began in a stern voice with her finger pointed towards him, "If you break Hisako's heart, I'll not only make sure that you are expelled from Totsuki, but also make your life a living hell. Are we clear?" Daniel simply nodded his head and replied "Crystal."
Once the tension cleared, the party atmosphere returned as the food and games were brought out. In addition, the girls started to surround Hisako to ask how she and Daniel had gotten together, with her providing what information she could, while Daniel was surrounded by the guys and being congratulated on having a girlfriend. Soma, especially, was happy for his best friend. "I must say, you have very good taste, my friend." Daniel could only give a nervous laugh as he said, "Thanks." Soon after, the party turned once again to Erina, as many of the residents tried to get her to taste their dishes. As they looked on, Hisako commented to Daniel about how much fun Erina seemed to be having. Although Daniel couldn't see how Hisako could tell that, he decided it was best not to question her on this point.
Once it was clear that Erina had a place to stay, and that she was in good hands, Hisako took her leave, saying that she would be back to check in on Erina and to bring her some changes of clothing. As she walked out the door, Daniel walked with her to the gate as he continued to reassure her that Erina was in good hands. Hisako nodded as she said, "Alright then. I'll trust you to take care of her here." As she was about to leave, she turned to Daniel and said, "Thank you for all of your help tonight." Daniel smiled and said, "Of course. I was happy to do it." Hisako began to blush as she added, "And Daniel…" As Daniel looked at her anticipating what she would say next, Hisako took him by surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a deep kiss, which he reciprocated. When they parted, she smiled at him and said, "I love you, too," before she started on her way home for the night.
Over the next couple of days, when Hisako, Alice, and Ryo came by, Daniel tried to suggest that they get the police involved and have Azami charged with child abuse for what he had done to Erina. While Hisako and Alice appreciated the thought, they pointed out several problems with the idea. First, the only evidence they had was the word of a few people with reason to dislike Azami, only one of whom had direct knowledge of what happened. Plus, Azami would be able to hire the best lawyers to refute everything. To top it off, Erina was still too afraid to confront her father, and without her testimony, it would be hopeless. "Besides," Hisako added, "None of us – including master Senzaemon – would ever try to get her to go through something like that." Although frustrated at how they didn't want to consider this option, Daniel nonetheless dropped it for the time being and was determined to find a different way to go after Azami.
Hisako returned multiple times to drop off some clothing and other comforts for Erina – once wearing a ninja-like outfit, which Daniel had to admit looked very good on her. In addition, Alice and Ryo came by to check in on Erina a couple of times. Meanwhile, Erina began to adjust to life at Polar Star, with all of the quirks and craziness that came along with it. For the first time, she immersed herself in everyday housework, such as laundry and vacuuming, trying to make herself useful and learn about the so-called 'commoner' world that she had been isolated from her whole life. They even went to a public bath one night after Daigo and Shoji broke the dorm's while cleaning it together.
Mealtimes were also entertaining, as Miss Fumio yelled at the residents for constantly using all the ingredients for dishes they frequently made for Erina, forcing them to wing it with vegetables from the Polar Star gardens. While these turned out pretty well in and of themselves, Soma tried once or twice to get Erina (and everyone else) to try his 'experiments,' which inevitably led to Daniel shoving said experiments back in his face in retaliation. Erina, especially, got a chuckle out of this routine, as she commented to Daniel, "It appears that Hisako chose well with you." As thanks for the dorm's hospitality, she and Hisako even cooked for everyone one night – a modified version of the menu she had for her Moon Festival restaurant.
This continued for about a week, as the dorm and the school remained in something of a holding pattern, wondering what would become of the change in leadership. Then, one evening, as the Polar Star residents – including its newest guest – were playing cards and enjoying themselves, an announcement was made to the student body. The next morning, Azami would deliver a speech to the entire school over the closed-circuit broadcast system to share his vision for the future of Totsuki.
I hope you all liked how Daniel and Hisako's relationship was revealed to their friends. Definitely not the way they had planned it. They no longer have to sneak around to see each other, though there are now going to be bigger problems to worry about. Please review! As usual, comments and constructive criticism are welcome, while flames are not.