AN: I hope all of my fellow American's had a wonderful Thanksgiving! And to all of you non-Americans I hope you have all been well! This chapter covers the events of manga chapter 233 and roughly half of 234. The Forester training trip is pretty sparse on material with large chunks of time being "montaged" through so even with my changes and additions this chapter is roughly the average length for this story. The next few chapters will also have more original content to compensate for this exact issue with this section of the manga but I wanted to preserve the overall structure of the trip itself with this chapter.
Hope you enjoy it!
I'm Trusting You
Early morning of May 3rd – Tokyo
The morning sun shone brightly on the assembled drama club members as they milled about near one of the parking areas of the campus. Amid the chatter distinct conversations could be made out: talking about recent events, wondering what the trip would be like, setting expectations for themselves, etc. The members of Forester had gathered early on this Friday morning for their annual training camp in the countryside outside of Tokyo, and the excitement in the air was palpable... for all but two members. Natsuo and Ibuki were at the front of the crowd, near where the buses would park, going over their plans one last time.
"I can't believe there was this much work involved in this... damn Nara-san for convincing me to accept the role as president," Ibuki grumbled as he sat down on the curb.
Sighing in agreement Natsuo commented, "I mean... we knew it was going to be a lot of work. Too late now though right?"
Ibuki waved his hand dismissively as he replied, "Yeah yeah I know. Doesn't mean I can't have some regrets about it." He paused for a moment to double check the seating assignments, there were two buses and it was the easiest way to make sure there were no disputes about seating. Though he didn't expect any issues it also made sure he had everyone accounted for. After a moment he added, "Just so you know, at the end of the weekend I'm going to test your acting skills."
Natsuo did a double take before practically shouting, "What?! I thought we agreed I wasn't cut out for it."
"Look I'm not saying you suddenly have to be our new star or anything. I just want you to be able to give a decent performance if needed, and to set a good example for the our fresh faces. I know I joked about you giving them a confidence boost by comparison, but the fact is that Nara-san and the others thought you could handle it, hell Serizawa thinks you can do it. And if she thinks you have what it takes then it must be true," Ibuki explained calmly and genuinely, still looking over the seating.
"Ibuki-san..." Natsuo trailed off, rendered nearly speechless by the unmitigated vote of confidence from his colleague.
Before either of them could say anything else a female voice chimed in, "I heard my name being mentioned, what are you two talking about?"
Turning in the direction of the voice the two saw Miyabi approaching them, her bag hanging at her side. Natsuo was the first to speak, "Ibuki-san was just telling me that he wants me to give a performance at the end of the weekend."
"Oh? What for?" Miyabi asked in surprise, she'd also been under the impression that Natsuo would be sticking to the more logistic side of things moving forward.
"Because I want him to be able to give a decent one if there's ever a need for someone to fill in, doesn't have to be perfect or anything, just passable. You think he can do it right Serizawa?" Ibuki asked as he stood up from his sitting position.
Miyabi didn't hesitate with her immediate and cheerful response, "Of course I do! If Natsuo-kun puts his mind to it, and can get into the right head space I'm sure he can be a decent actor."
Nodding, Ibuki stated, "Well then that settles that. Serizawa, I want you to help him this weekend. I'll give you both the script when we get there... I don't feel like digging it out now when the buses will be here any minute."
"You want her to help me? I thought Miyabi-san was one of the main instructors for the new recruits?" Natsuo wondered, having been partially responsible for assigning various roles to senior members.
"She is, but that won't take up all of her time. You don't mind do you?" Ibuki responded as he turned towards Miyabi.
Shaking her head confidently Miyabi answered, "I don't mind at all. I'm instructing new members each morning and afternoon, including today after we arrive, so evenings will probably be the best. Does that work for you Natsuo-kun?"
Natsuo looked back and forth between his two colleagues and friends, realizing he really didn't have a say in this and conceded, "Yeah, that should work just fine. I'm in charge of dinner preparation though so it'll have to be after dinner time."
"You're in charge of dinner prep? I bet Rui-san got a laugh at that," Miyabi asked with a chuckle of her own.
Returning the laugh Natsuo replied, "The irony was not lost on her. I'll have you know that I'm decent in the kitchen... but I'll leave the actual cooking to the ones who volunteered for it all the same."
The three shared a laugh at this, but Miyabi's gaze was momentarily pulled to the side before she said, "Natsuo-kun, don't look to your left, but Nene-san is watching you."
Natsuo followed Miyabi's directive as he grumbled, "Of course she is. I wish she'd just drop it."
Ibuki, also making sure not to look in the indicated direction asked, "What's going on with Kuzuoka-san? I do remember she was acting... odd when we all sobered up at your place."
Miyabi and Natsuo glanced at each other briefly, both wondering how much of their theory they should share with Ibuki. Miyabi decided and said, "We're not entirely sure but... she has some sort fixation on him. She seems hell bent on... well you've heard the rumors about her I assume?"
Ibuki's face grew a few shades darker as he remembered the vivid rumors about Nene. He shook his head before asking Natsuo, "So what are you doing about her? I can't imagine you're happy about this."
"I've told her repeatedly that I'm not interested in her in any capacity. Right now it basically comes down to not giving her the opportunity to try anything more drastic than she already has," Natsuo answered with a grimace.
"More drastic? What has she already done?" Ibuki asked, concern growing.
Natsuo shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably as he looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone who was obviously listening in before replying, "Well when everyone was sobering up and we were about to play Uno, do you remember how she excused herself to the bathroom?" He paused to wait for a response and when Ibuki nodded he continued, "Well while she was in there she... took off her underwear and hung it from the shower head so I'd find it later."
Ibuki stared blankly in shock for a moment before hissing, in order to avoid shouting, "She did what?! Fuji, that's not a fixation; that's full on harassment. Are you sure it's a good idea to just hope she doesn't escalate further?"
"What else can I really do? She hasn't done anything else since that, so hopefully that was the end of it. If she tries anything this weekend, which hopefully with what tasks we assigned her, she and I won't come into contact except at meals where everyone else is too, then I'll consider what to do next," Natsuo explained with a tired expression.
"Fine, but I don't like it. I have half a mind to kick her from Forester just from what you've already said. We'll do things your way for now Fuji, I just hope I don't have to say 'I told you so' later," Ibuki relented with an exasperated sigh as he took out the seating assignments again and made an adjustment.
Miyabi leaned closer to ask, "What are you doing?"
Ibuki turned the paper towards her and answered, "Seating assignments for the buses, just to avoid confusion and make sure everyone was accounted for. I'm switching Kuzuoka-san to the bus I'm supervising instead of Fuji's. Give her one less chance to pull anything."
"I hadn't even thought of that... thanks Ibuki-san," Natsuo admitted with a sheepish laugh.
"Yeah no problem... Serizawa, do me another favor and help manage that bus. With all this stuff on his mind having some back up is probably for the best," Ibuki requested, receiving a nod from Miyabi in acceptance.
It was at that moment that the two buses the club had chartered pulled into the lot and up to the waiting students, the doors opening and the drivers giving friendly nods. Noticing this, the waiting students began shifting towards the buses from where they had all been scattered. Ibuki motioned Natsuo and Miyabi towards the rear bus as he moved towards the one in front.
"Alright everyone listen up!" Ibuki said into the small megaphone he had brought with him. When he was sure he had their attention he continued, "Okay, I've got seat assignments -" the crowd groaned, "Hey don't give me that, this is just for my own sanity. I'm going to read off the list that will be on bus number one with me, if you don't hear your name then you're on bus number two with vice-president Fuji who's being assisted by Serizawa. Don't give them too much hassle or I'll have to give you a talking to."
Natsuo and Miyabi both gave awkward waves at the gathered group in response to Ibuki's manner of explanation. After a few more moments of minor complaining from the crowd the sorting was completed, the buses boarded and they were on their way.
Early that afternoon – Outside of Tokyo
The meal hall was abuzz with activity and conversation as the members of Forester filtered in to get their lunch. Having just gotten back from a long jog with several of the other guys, Natsuo was sitting at a table off to the side so that he could watch a large portion of the room. The bus ride had been mostly uneventful, with only one rowdy incident that he and Miyabi has quelled quickly, and after arriving he'd thankfully been so busy with his own responsibilities and then the jog that he'd not really had the downtime to worry about Nene, but with everyone coming in for lunch there was that possibility.
A large group of the new recruits walked into the room, accompanied by Miyabi who wore a proud grin on her face as she continued to talk to few of them. Seeing this Natsuo had the thought, "Looks like her morning class went well, that's good." He continued to survey the room, both looking for any issues he'd have to step in on and watching out for Nene.
It was when he took a moment to eat his own lunch that Miyabi sat down beside him with her lunch and asked, "Why are you all the way over here by yourself?"
Jumping slightly at her arrival, Natsuo answered, "Well this seemed like a good place to watch the rest of the room, and also... well I was too hungry after the jog and didn't stop to clean up..."
"Huh?" Miyabi wondered before noticing that he did look like he'd been sweating a lot beforehand. She laughed and continued, "Oh don't worry about that. It's pretty warm out already, nobody's going to care." They both shared a laugh before Miyabi added, "The new members have some real potential, they kept surprising me in that class I just had."
"That's good to hear... and sorry you're also stuck helping me I addition to running the classes you are," Natsuo mumbled sheepishly.
Miyabi shook her head as she countered, "No need to apologize, I'm more than happy to help you out. If I wasn't I would have refused when Mizusawa-san asked me to. Speaking of, have you had a chance to look at the script he gave us?"
"A bit, I haven't much downtime since we got here. I'll give it a thorough read before tonight though... kinda wish he hadn't sprung this on me this morning," Natsuo groaned at the realization he was expected to memorize all the lines and give a passable performance over just the three days they'd be there.
"Excuse me, is it okay if we sit here? A lot of the other seats are taken already," an unfamiliar voice cut in before Miyabi could reply to Natsuo's statement.
Looking up they saw two of the new members, a girl with short light hair, and the other with shoulder length dark hair, standing on the opposite side of the table, looking slightly nervous at approaching the upperclassmen. Miyabi smiled brightly as she answered, "Of course you can! Make sure to eat up, you both did very well earlier."
The dark haired one replied with a grateful smile as she said, "Thank you Serizawa-senpai, it means a lot coming from you."
The light haired girl mumbled, "What do I do now... I didn't think she'd say yes."
Miyabi tilted her slightly in confusion at this, causing the other girl to blush slightly when she realized she'd been heard. The dark haired one laughed and added, "Sorry about my friend, she's a big fan of yours senpai; she decided to get into acting after seeing your performance last year."
Seeing the light haired girls embarrassment, Miyabi asked, "You're... Sakura-san, yes?"
The light haired girl's eyes widened at this and said, "Y-yes. I'm Sakura Akane... I can't believe you remembered my name..."
"And I'm Matsumoto Suzume," the dark haired girl added as they both sat down across from Miyabi and Natsuo.
"Of course I remembered, you surprised me with how much passion you put into the drills I gave you in class earlier. Keep that up and you're going to do great, I'm sure of it," Miyabi replied confidently, causing both girls to beam at being praised by her. Hearing Natsuo chuckling quietly to himself Miyabi turned and asked, "And what's so funny?"
"I wouldn't say "funny", it's just different seeing you in a mentor role. You've even got your own fans now to take under your wing Miyabi-san," Natsuo chuckled as he took another bite of his food.
Miyabi paused for a moment before blushing ever so slightly before responding, "Well when you put that way it's a little embarrassing Natsuo-kun..." she trailed off before returning her attention to the two girls and added, "It means a lot to know that I inspired you to get into acting, I never thought I would inspire anyone else."
"It doesn't really surprise me," Natsuo chimed in as he also turned his attention to Akane and Suzume, "She's the best actress we have, maybe the best actor we have in general. Be sure to pick her brain if you have any questions at all."
Miyabi's face darkened more at the unexpected praise from Natsuo, which caused Akane and Suzume to look at at each other, both having similar thoughts before Akane spoke, "There is something I'd like to ask..."
"Oh? Go right ahead," Miyabi said encouragingly, her face returning to its normal complexion.
Akane hesitated before slowly asking, "Well... forgive me if this too personal... but are you two dating?"
Miyabi and Natsuo's reactions were on completely opposite ends of the spectrum: Natsuo immediately coughed and started choking on the mouthful of food he had just taken before the question, managing to force it down and followed it up with his drink; Miyabi stared in confusion at Akane for a moment before silently mumbling, "Huh...?"
Being the first of the two to recover, Natsuo answered, "No we aren't, we're just very good friends."
"That's right," Miyabi added as she regained her composure, "We've known each other for about a year now, and we've become great friends. Be sure you don't spread any kind of rumors though, Natsuo-kun has a girlfriend and it would be a real headache if people started to think something was going on."
"Oh! I'm sorry! It's just that you two are always around each other and seem to get along so well... I jumped to conclusions! I'm sorry!" Akane apologized frantically as she bowed her head, Suzume shaking her head in response to her friend's actions.
As this scene unfolded, a pair of calculating eyes watched from the across the room. Slightly annoyed that the table Natsuo was sitting at had filled up before she arrived, Nene was taking the time instead to observe and think about her strategy. She had intended to grease the wheel at lunch, but she'd been held up in arriving and had to rethink her plan.
"Whatever you're scheming: don't," a male voice said as her view was blocked by someone sitting directly in front of her.
Shifting her gaze slightly to the person's face, Nene asked innocently, "What do you mean Mizusawa-san?"
"Don't bother with the sweet and innocent act Kuzuoka-san. Fuji and Serizawa already filled me in on the stunt you pulled that night at his apartment," Ibuki shot back, showing he had no patience for her.
Nene's eyes shifted slightly, and her tone dropped as she responded, "Oh did they? I don't really see how that's any concern of yours though. What does it matter to you?"
"Listen: Nara-san may have turned a blind eye to your "activities" because as far as he knew it was just university students hooking up, no harm in that. But I'm not going to ignore blatant harassment, if you don't drop this not only will I kick you from Forester, I'll report you to the university administration. Are we clear?" Ibuki explained coldly.
Nene was quiet for a brief moment before she stood up and answered, "Yes, we're perfectly clear Mizusawa-san." Not waiting for a reply she turned on her heel and began walking away.
"We'd better be," Ibuki mumbled as he watched her walk away. Once he was sure she'd left the meal hall he turned towards where Natsuo was and thought, "You and Serizawa were right, there's something... off about her. You better keep your guard up in case my warning doesn't deter her."
That night...
"Let's take a break," Miyabi suggested as she leaned against the wall and took a drink from the water bottle she'd brought with her.
A few feet away, also leaning against the wall Natsuo grumbled, "Sorry about this... trying to help me with this must be aggravating. As they'd planned that morning, after dinner and all of the group activities had wound down Natsuo and Miyabi had retreated to the hall used for the various acting classes that weekend so they could work on the scene for Natsuo's test. They'd been going for the better part of an hour at this point.
Shaking her head Miyabi replied, "I'll admit that it's more challenging than I had thought it would, even more so than some of the new members. Even so, I agreed to help and I know you can do it."
"And here I thought I'd managed to memorize all my lines..." Natsuo trailed off with a sigh.
"That's not really the issue Natsuo-kun. Memorizing the lines is one thing, but even if you forget a line and have to ad-lib in the moment that's fine," Miyabi said reassuringly as she capped her water bottle and set it down.
"Right... of course..." Natsuo trailed before asking, "What would you say my biggest issue is then? You're the expert."
Miyabi closed her eyes in thought for a moment as she went over everything from the last hour, and his previous attempts at acting. She nodded to herself and answered, "I'd say that you're too stiff."
"Too stiff?" Natsuo asked in confusion.
"Yeah. When you're delivering your lines you're too stiff; you have the words memorized but it just sounds like your reading them off the paper and not putting any feeling or emotion into it," Miyabi explained calmly, not wanting to discourage him. Seeing that Natsuo was mulling over what she had said she added, "Have you tried putting yourself in the character's shoes? And I don't mean just imagining the situation that they're in like your watching it happen, really put yourself in their place."
Natsuo thought to himself for another moment before answering, somberly, "Well... I thought I was... but I guess I still haven't fully wrapped my head around it."
Nodding at his response Miyabi suggested, "How about we go over the character again? Who he is, his motivations and his feelings."
"Well.. Eddie is a detective and he infiltrates a cabaret to in order to investigate some rumors about the proprietress, and while there he helps the dancer Grace who was being harassed by a customer," Natsuo recited from memory.
"Right, and then over the course of his investigation he and Grace fall in love with each other, but because it would put her in danger he says he can't accept her love and tries to distance himself from her. That's what you need to channel, you need to think about and embody the suffering that Eddie must be feeling as a result of that," Miyabi added further as she fought back tears thinking of the story.
"His suffering huh... okay, let's give it a shot," Natsuo said confidently as he moved away from the wall.
Smiling at his determination, Miyabi nodded in agreement before she too moved from the wall and got back into her spot, and focused on getting into Grace's mindset for the scene, which was easier than she'd care to admit. The two acted out the scene several times over the next hour or so, until Miyabi called for another water break and said, "You're definitely improving slightly from before... but I'm still not seeing or hearing enough emotion in it."
Groaning in frustration at himself Natsuo replied, "Now that you've pointed it out I'm noticing it too. I don't know why it's so hard to put myself in Eddie's situation."
"Well we better think of something, after tonight we'll have tomorrow night and little bit of time Sunday evening before your test. I don't think you'll pass if you stay at this level," Miyabi stated truthfully as she drank her water.
Natsuo opened his mouth to reply but what was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing from where he'd left it on the floor neat his water, the sudden noise echoing around the room and causing both of them to jump. As Natsuo rushed over to it he exclaimed, "Shit I thought I put in silent!" Sighing in relief as he silenced the phone he added, "It's Rui, you mind if I step away for a few minutes?"
"Oh! Go ahead, we could use a few more minutes to rest anyway, no worries," Miyabi replied with a smile as she sat down.
"Thanks!" Natsuo said happily as he started walking to the door while answering the phone, "Hey Rui, good morning! Sleep well?"
Miyabi smiled to herself as Natsuo left the large rehearsal area to have his conversation. She checked the time on her phone and thought to herself, "Nine o'clock here so that means... eight... no: seven in the morning there. She must have just gotten up for the day. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for them with their days and nights effectively being reversed, only being able to talk for a bit here and there. Now that I think about it... Natsuo-kun said that she left during the autumn, so that means she should be back in a few months at most... that's good though, they've been apart long enough, especially with everything that's happened... Wait maybe she's the - "
Her thoughts were disturbed by a hand suddenly waving her face and a voice calling, "Miyabi-san? Are you okay?"
Snapping out of her thoughts she turned her head to see a concerned Natsuo and answered, " Huh? Oh, uh, sorry... I got lost in thought there for a bit. Ready to continue?"
Shaking his head Natsuo held out his phone and said, "Rui said she wanted to talk to you."
"She wants to talk to me?" Miyabi asked, blinking in confusion. When Natsuo simply nodded she took the offered phone and greeted, "Hello Ru – I mean, Tachibana-san, you wanted to talk to me?"
"I did," came Rui's curt reply, "Natsuo told me that you're helping him with his acting for some kind of test?"
"That's right. Mizusawa-san, the president of the club, asked that I help him out with it. He has the potential to be very good at it, there's just some hurdles I'm helping him over," Miyabi explained calmly, not wanting to give Rui any misconceptions.
Rui was silent for a moment before briefly asking, "It's just the two of you?"
Miyabi mentally groaned at this question before she explained, "It is. We all agreed that if more than one person was trying to help it would be counter-productive, and I have some experience with the specific scene he's performing. I'm giving him the same instruction I would give anyone looking to improve their acting skills."
There was silence again before Rui spoke, "Okay. He also told me about your theory about this Kuzuoka girl. He said he hasn't noticed her doing anything since the incident at the apartment other than watching him like a hawk this morning. Have you noticed anything?"
"Other than the staring this morning no. Unless it's in the common areas for meals or whatnot I haven't seen her, and Natsuo-kun's own vice president duties have been keeping him busy and around plenty of other people," Miyabi answered reassuringly.
"I hate to ask this of you... given our last interaction... but can you keep looking out for him for me? I love him, but sometimes he can be shockingly oblivious," Rui asked, ending with a small laugh.
Miyabi smiled, the tension leaving her as she responded, "Of course you can Tachibana-san. It's the least I can do, and I don't want her to do anything regardless."
Rui sighed before she said, "You already call Natsuo by his first name, so don't be so formal Miyabi-san."
"R-right! Thank you Rui-san," Miyabi replied shakily, but with a smile.
"No need to thank me. But just remember: I'm trusting you," Rui stated with just a hint of warning in her tone.
Those three words shot through Miyabi like a bullet. While rehearsing with Natsuo, the role of Grace had been causing her feelings, which she was making progress on moving beyond, to flare up slightly; but now that Rui had put her trust in her Miyabi felt her determination surge above them. She realized she'd teared up slightly, and while wiping them away she declared, "Understood, you can count on me Rui-san."
"Thank you," Rui sighed in relief before adding, "Can you hand the phone back to him? There's a few more things I need to talk to him about."
"Of course! Take care over there, and keep up your hard work," Miyabi cheered in farewell.
"You too, take care," Rui offered simply in return.
Having said their farewells Miyabi handed the phone back to Natsuo so he and Rui could finish their own conversation, though they kept it brief for the sake of Natsuo's limited practice time. Once the conversation was finished Natsuo returned to Miyabi and said, "Sorry about that, I think I'm set to continue now."
"About that, I had a thought right before you handed me the phone to talk to Rui-san. I think I figured out a way for you to more easily get into the role," Miyabi replied cheerfully as she put her water down and stood back up from where she'd been waiting.
"You did? What is it?" Natsuo asked hopefully, willing to try anything at this point.
Miyabi smiled sheepishly before she replied, "I'm not sure why I didn't think of it before just now, but I want you to try and imagine this: instead of Eddie and Grace being in this situation, imagine that it's you and Rui-san. Imagine that you're in a situation where admitting your feelings for her and being with her could potentially put her in harm's way. Think you can do that?"
Natsuo's eyes widened at the suggestion, but as he thought back to the stress and pain he and Rui had put themselves in when they were hiding their relationship he answered, "Yeah... Yeah I think I can do that."
"Good! Then let's give it a try, time waits for nobody!" Miyabi exclaimed with determination as she took her place for the scene.
Natsuo nodded with determination as he moved to take his place as well. Closing his eyes and taking deep breaths he tried to put himself back in the place he and Rui had been before they revealed their relationship properly. It was fainter than it had been, but he felt the familiar pain in his chest and the knot in his throat. When he felt he had a good grasp on it he opened his eyes with the thought, "I can do this!"
Later that night...
"I can't believe it's already midnight... I guess we got a bit carried away," Natsuo observed as he and Miyabi walked through the dark corridor leading away from the rehearsal room.
Stifling a yawn Miyabi responded, "Maybe just a little... but you made some amazing improvements tonight."
"You really think so?" Natsuo asked; he thought he'd done well but to hear so from her meant a lot more than is own opinion.
"I know so. After we changed up how you visualized being in the character's situation it was like night and day. We still need to work on your line delivery, but your body language and expressions are much improved. I can't make you a pro by Sunday, but if you keep up this momentum you'll definitely pass Mizusawa-san's test," Miyabi explained, shifting into what Natsuo had started calling "instructor mode".
Laughing quietly to himself Natsuo said, "I owe it all to you sensei."
"I thought I told you not to call me that!" Miyabi hissed in embarrassment as she shook her head dejectedly.
The two continued their walk in silence, both because of how tired they were and because they didn't want to risk waking anyone up – it would be easy enough to explain why they were up and about but it wouldn't stop the more gossipy members from spreading rumors. As they were approaching the intersection where they'd split off to head to the different bunk rooms they slowed down as they heard what sounded like a rhythmic thumping and muffled breathing. As they got closer it was Natsuo who realized at the last moment, "That sounds like... oh shit!"
Before he could say anything the source of the sounds came into view, resulting in a sharp gasp from Miyabi as she saw it. There in the very middle of the corridor intersection, impossible to avoid, was a partially undressed Nene, straddling one of the new male members of the club, who was equally undressed. Nene had her hand over his mouth in order muffle the sounds he was making, though she was not muffled herself. Miyabi stared in shock for a moment before she seethed, "Nene-san! What the hell are you doing?!"
Nene, pretending to have just noticed them, looked up at them with a seductive smile as she practically moaned, "Well now... what are you two doing out here at this time of night? Also, not so much what as who. Since you're here... care to join in? The more the merrier!"
Miyabi and Natsuo locked eyes for just a second, but it was enough to communicate what was needed. Without a word they both sprinted forward, each turning down the hall in opposite directions to get to the male and female bunk rooms.
As Natsuo closed the door behind him he leaned against while trying to calm his breathing down from sprinting at full speed. He was far enough from anyone who was sleeping that he was confident that his elevated breathing wouldn't alert anyone, but he didn't want to take the chance of moving from the door just yet. After a moment he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and he was immediately thankful that he set it to silent after Rui's call. Looking down at the screen he saw the newly received message and had a brief exchange.
Miyabi: I can't believe her! To just be doing that right in the middle of the hallway like that! That couldn't have been a coincidence right?
Natsuo: I don't know, but the odds of her being right there at the exact moment we were on our way back seem... low. Tomorrow we'll talk to Ibuki-san about what happened. Until then just to try to get some rest.
Miyabi: Yeah... you too Natsuo-kun. See you tomorrow. Good night.
Natsuo: Good night.
Putting his phone back in his pocket, Natsuo felt that his breathing had steadied enough to make it back to where he was going to be sleeping. It was slow going but he managed to do so without making any noise or disturbing any of the sleep members. Despite his best efforts though sleep evaded him, the adrenaline in his system keeping him too alert to drift off, which is how he heard the faint noise of the door opening and closing again as the guy who had been with Nene sneaked back in.
"The timing of it all is way too convenient... Miyabi-san was right, there's no way that was a coincidence... Kuzuoka-san planned for us to find her like that," he thought to himself as he felt his disdain and anger rising again. It was several hours later that Natsuo finally managed to drift into a fitful sleep.
AN: Not much to say here other than how annoying it is for characters in the manga to not have names - hence my coming up with the names Akane and Suzume as I wrote that scene. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you feel so inclined leave a review to let me know your thoughts!
