Strands of hair slipped from OTaru's fingers, and he suddenly clutched onto the the loose ponytail that had been left on his desk.
"It's starting again..." Otaru muttered to himself, Always to those important to me. He pulled his eyes from Keiko's hair, and looked towards the doorway. How can they expect me to keep my distance?
Episode Fifteen: Binding Promises! --Otaru's Beloved Setsuko
Staring at the doorway of Keiko's room, Otaru held his Sempai's ponytail lowered at his side, and rose a hand to knock on the door. He hesitated, and then looked back down to the ponytail. How do I explain this?
In the contemplative silence, Otaru could hear Keiko's frantic shuffling and whimpering inside, which brought his eyes back up to the doorway. Without knocking, Otaru gently turned the knob to Keiko's doorway, and slowly opened the door. As he stuck his head in, Keiko spun around, only to greet him with a grief-stricken, tearful gasp.
Otaru stood in the doorway, mouth agape and speechless. Keiko's hair messily fell in her eyes, clinging to her flushed cheeks, dampened by hot tears.
Keiko quickly brought the back of her right hand to her nose and sniffed, looking at the ponytail in Otaru's hand. Otaru took a few steps futher into the room, and offered the ponytail back to its owner.
Keiko looked from Otaru to his hand, and hesitantly retreived her severed ponytail. She then turned to look in the mirror hung above her desk, the hand holding her ponytail clenching closed mercilessly.
Otaru appeared behind her in the mirror. "Hey...will you be okay...?"
Keiko slowly lifted the ponytail to her neckline, staring at her reflection. With a slight shrug, she tossed the ponytail by the ties that bound her wrists together. With a slight croak in her voice, she lowered her head a bit, and shoved her hands in her pockets. "It's just hair, right? It'll grow back..."
"But--!"
"It'll grow back, right?" Keiko tugged at her collar, "Cowards...they'd never attempt something like this if Anji were here..."
"Sempai..." Otaru furrowed his brow, and put a hand firmly on Keiko's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should've put a stop to this at the very beginning."
Keiko spun around, her face angered, "How would that fix things?! You'd still be bullied, wouldn't you?!"
Otaru stepped back, pulling away his hand.
Keiko continued, "This school is so weak! All of you! As long as you don't make noise, it's okay, isn't it? As long as it doesn't cause problems outside..." her trembling fists stiffened, and she rose her voice. "I can't stand it! You're all so reclusive! How can problems ever get solved that way?!"
Otaru looked away for a moment, his voice solumn. "Sometimes the damage has already been done. You can't turn back time."
Keiko froze at Otaru's hopeless response. What? What is he saying? Through the tears welling in her eyes, she saw the empty gaze of Otaru as he stared out the window. This...this isn't the cheerful--no, not even the practical Otaru I know...why...?
Keiko looked again at her reflection, at the uneven tresses falling at her neck. She furrowed her brow, and lowered her head. Am I going to believe that? You can't turn back time, but...am I going to use that as an excuse to give up?
"That might be true, but..." Keiko put a hand to her bare neck, smiling slightly. Otaru turned away from the window to look to her. Keiko turned around to look over her shoulder. "...that doesn't mean things have to keep going the way they are."
"Sempai..." Otaru blinked in surprise.
Keiko pulled open her desk drawer, and reached in for some scissors. "A western philosopher once said that the only thing needed for evil to succeed is for righteous men to do nothing." Taking a strand of hair, Keiko trimmed it.
"Ah! W-wait a second!" Otaru rose a hand to stop her. He quickly took the hand holding the scissors, "Sempai, you can't!"
Keiko simply smiled up to him. "How about it, Otaru? Are we going to keep going the same we've always been?"
Otaru's hand slid off of hers, which she caught with her other hand. She placed the scissors in his open palm.
"We're here to grow, aren't we? Isn't that it?" Keiko closed his fingers around the handles. "So--" she squeezed his hand with both of hers. "Let's move on from this."
Otaru's voice was caught in his throat as he stared at Keiko in astonishment. "M...mmh."
Keiko was given plenty of time to speculate Otaru's suddenly somber turn while he trimmed up her hair. What was he talking about? Keiko watched him in their reflection. I already know there's more to his bullying than meets the eye, but...I'm getting an ill feeling about it...why?
"Maybe going home after this isn't the best idea, Sempai..." Otaru said while trimming.
"Eeeh? No way!" Keiko protested, "This is a perfect opportunity!" she cheerfully brought a fist to her chest, "A confident new look for an exciting new environment!"
Otaru nervously smiled, "I wouldn't call my house exciting..."
"Tally-ho! We leave after work, then!"
"...I still need to pack, though..."
"You've got all night and morning! Prepare for departure at noon!"
"Yes, sir..."
Kakeru walked into the music hall to see, much to his surprise, a bright and bouncy Keiko wrapping up her duties for the day.
"Good morning, Shiranui-kuuuuuuuun!" Keiko chimed, humming to herself.
Kakeru appeared less than thrilled. "You're up early."
"Mmh! Had to get everything done before noon, that's when the bus leaves." Keiko stepped down from the stepladder and dusted off her hands.
"You're still going to Chinen's place, huh?" Kakeru's tone was apathetic, at best.
"Mmh!" she grinned aggressively and replied in a threatening tone, "And your cheap shot at trying to keep me here was a total bust, too."
Kakeru looked up from his violin as he pulled it out of his case, "What?"
Keiko turned red in the face, and she pointed to her neck, "My hair, you creep! In case you didn't notice!"
"Whatever. How would that stop you? It's a long way from your heart." Kakeru didn't even appear to put forth an effort in defending himself. "Besides, if I wanted to sabotage you, why would I cut your hair? I mean, don't you actually benefit? You look even more boyish and way less pretty now."
Keiko felt severely insulted by this, and began to growl, "Why, you--!"
Kakeru laughed. "Look, you're even behaving more brutish now! Really, you should thank whoever did that to you, it's actually working in your favor!"
"I'm SO GLAD I can get away from you for a few days!!" Keiko shouted.
"Not so loud, some students are sleeping in." Kakeru droned.
Keiko huffed and put away the cleaning supplies.
Kakeru watched her from the corner of his eye. How could you accuse me of such a thing? Haven't I treated you well enough lately? "Geez..."
Otaru kept stealing glances at Keiko as they waited at the bus stop.
Keiko held onto her suitcase, going through the mental checklist in her head of all essentials to make it through the weekend incognito. She noticed Otaru's squirming, and looked across the street. "What is it?"
Otaru snapped his gaze back to the street. "Oh. Sorry. Nothing."
Keiko frowned, and rubbed the back of her neck self-consciously. "Does it look bad?"
"I'm just getting used to it." Otaru admitted. "Your hair--well, it was a part of your image, y'know?"
Keiko huffed a bit. "I don't care about having an image."
"That's a lie." Otaru said with a smile. "Or we wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place."
Keiko guiltily hunched over, and Otaru laughed. "You and Amuro-kun are actually two the most self-conscious people I know."
Keiko growled at that. "What?!"
Otaru's face suddenly lit up. "Ah! That's it!" He held up a finger. "The missing link! That's the connection between the two of you!"
Keiko's aggrevated expression intensified as she prepared to argue the fact.
But fortunately the bus had arrived. Rather than continuing the argument on board, Keiko decided to quiz Otaru on his home life.
"So, do you have any siblings?" Keiko and Otaru sat on opposite ends of an aisle, each taking up an entire bench seat.
Otaru nodded, "My parents are divorced. My younger brother lives with my father, while I live with my mother."
Keiko's eyes grew wide. "Oh..." Better be careful, sounds like the classic "mama's boy" scenario...
"...but my mother's the real party type--she hasn't seemed to have grown out of the clubbing and dancing scene." Otaru nervously smiled. "...and it got worse after she and Dad split."
Keiko sweatdropped. "C-clubbing?"
Otaru sweatdropped back, "I guess it's a good thing to warn you now, she might start hitting on you, don't let it scare you."
Keiko got pale. "Too late..." I don't want Otaru's mom to feel me up and discover that I'm a girl...
"Don't worry, it's not like a regular thing." Otaru laughed a bit. "It's just been known to happen."
Keiko looked away, crossing her legs and folding her arms casually. "Guess I don't have to ask if she likes to cook or nothin'..."
"Oh no, she doesn't cook..." Otaru waved a hand.
"Hmm..." Keiko looked out the window. What an unpredictable homelife for you, Otaru...I wonder...she looked over to him in the corner of her eye. I wonder how you play out your day-to-day life when at home...is it normal?
Otaru sat back in his seat. "Ah! So did you see the Amuro girl over Spring Break?"
Keiko sighed, and blushed a bit, not really in the mood for playing games about her true self. "What're you talking about?"
"Jiro-kun mentioned something about her walking out during Shiranui-kun's concert, I was wondering if you knew anything about that."
Keiko resentfully "hmph"-ed. "Why would I?" She tried to remain cool about the whole thing.
Otaru let out a disappointed sigh. "You weren't with her? And here I was rooting for you, too..."
"She has someone she likes, okay?!" Keiko snapped, "So stop asking me about it already!"
Otaru was taken aback by this. "Oh--" and he found himself going into deep thought about it as the bus ride continued. She likes someone...and it's not Sempai...well, that strikes out any chance with--what? Why did I have any attachment anyway? I was rooting for Sempai--but, I almost feel relieved that she doesn't like Sempai. Was it because I wanted a shot at her hmyself? Then why aren't I disappointed about her liking someone? He watched Keiko glare out the window. Could the one she likes be Shiranui-kun? He quietly gasped to himself at the revelation. That would make sense, the hostility...but poor Sempai...
That stupid Otaru, always thinking about the girl me...when I'm right in front of him, no less! Keiko sulked. Besides, it's not like the Amuro girl he knows will ever exist again...She stroked the back of her neck where her ponytail formerly rested. Not with me like this...now there really is not runing back, is there? It's either come clean or don't ever let him in on the real me...
Keiko stiffened as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Otaru giving a sympathetic smile.
She blinked, a blush creeping up her neck. "What?"
"Sorry for bringing it up. We won't talk about it anymore." Otaru softly said.
Keiko looked at Otaru, her chest tightening as she hesitated to reply. Stop...stop being so nice to me, Otaru...it just makes it harder to decide...She stiffened her lips, and tore her gaze away from her best friend. She resumed her stare out the window.
Otaru took his arm off of Keiko's shoulder. "You're my best friend, Sempai." I'm going to make sure you're happy again.
Keiko kept herself directly behind Otaru as they entered the doorway.
Otaru stepped out of his shoes, "Anyone home?" He stepped into a pair of slippers and entered the hallway. He turned around to speak to Keiko while walking backwards deeper into the house. "Wait here, I'm going to see if anyone's home, and I'll grab you some slippers."
"Mmh." Keiko blinked as she looked around the entrance. Otaru disappeared into one of the side rooms. She set her bag down and stepped out of her shoes. As she was bent down, she heard footsteps approaching from the side softly, but quickly. She looked up just as an assuming, gentle looking girl stepped into the hallway, her delicate face softly beaming. "Welcome home!" She was holding up a set of slippers, and was wearing a modest skirt and sweater set in soft pastels. She then blinked in surprise and stopped dead in her tracks at the edge of the hallway as she fixed her eyes on Keiko, and a bit of color came to her cheeks.
Keiko also found herself blushing. Th-this is Otaru's mom? She was incredibly young-looking, easily mistaken to be her own age. Her thick, jet-black hair was fixed in a bob that hugged her face and flattered the back of her neck just perfectly. Her eyes were deep and dark, and her face pale. Indeed, delicate and womanly.
But wait a moment...wasn't she supposed to be a party girl? This little thing?
Otaru reappeared into the hallway. "Ah-! Setsuko-chan."
The girl's face lit up, and with an exhuberant gasp, she spun around and hugged Otaru. "Otaru-chan! Welcome home!"
Keiko immediately felt awkward, especially when Otaru caught quick eye-contact with her before diverting his attention to the girl hugging him.
"Are you here by yourself?" Otaru's beaming face matched Setsuko's.
"Your mother should be home after work, she knows you're coming." Setsuko turned back to Keiko, "And you must be Fujishige Kei-kun, right?"
Keiko bowed slightly, "I'm Fujishige."
Setsuko's face lit up even more at Keiko's trite introduction, and as her eyes searched Keiko's features, her smile faded.
Keiko and Setsuko's eyes were fixed on each other for a moment, and before Keiko could determine what Setsuko was communicating in her stare, Setsuko turned to Otaru.
"I thought you said he had long hair." she stated quietly.
Both Otaru and Keiko sweatdropped. Keiko let out a small sigh of relief.
"Well--" Otaru put a hand to his head, but before getting to an explanation, Setsuko cut him off and bent down to offer Keiko the slippers.
"Let's get you out of the doorway." Setsuko tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "We can continue in the kitchen. I'll make some snacks for us to chat over."
The three made their way into the kitchen. It was a bit smaller than the one at Keiko's house, but it was certainly more cozy. Keiko found herself sitting alone at the dinette table as Otaru kept inisiting on helping Setsuko prepare snacks.
"Really Otaru, just go sit down! You just got here!" Setsuko said with a giggle.
"But I never feel right about a guest cooking in my house." Otaru gently argued back.
"I bet you haven't even had lunch!" Setsuko took Otaru by his shoulders, although he towered over her in compariosn. "Besides, how many years have to pass before I'm no longer considered simply a guest?"
Keiko watched this with an unamused stare. What is this? I'm already feeling pretty out of place here...
Otaru sat at the table across from Keiko, and leaned forward onto the table. "It's a good thing Setsuko was here, or you'd be stuck with me cooking your meals."
"Come now, Otaru-chan, your cooking isn't terrible." Setsuko set a plate of apple slices on the table, "Let me get some tea before you start on those."
"It's what you'd expect from a student my age, I suppose." Otaru sat back in his chair as Setsuko returned with some tea.
Setsuko set down the cups in front of the two, and then stepped back properly.
Both Otaru and Keiko sipped their tea. Both let out a relaxed sigh.
"Sure beats what they have at school." Keiko said with a smile.
Otaru nodded in agreement. "Definitely!"
Setsuko beamed. "I'm so glad to hear it!" She turned around. "I've still got a few things to do before your mom gets home, so I'll let you two alone for a while if that'd be okay."
Keiko blinked. "Mmh." She picked up an apple slice and bit off of it.
"We don't mind." Otaru looked to Keiko and picked up a slice himself. "Sempai needs a tour of the house, anyway."
Setsuko sweetly smiled. "I'll try to stay out of your way, then." She took a final look at Keiko before leaving the kitchen.
Otaru took notice, but didn't seem overly enthusiastic about it. "She appears to have an interest in you." He muttered before biting off the edge of his apple slice.
Keiko looked to him. "What?" That's odd, Otaru's tone totally changed. She thought about how he usually approached those topics with lighthearteness. Was it just a front for Setsuko--is the earlier conversation still bugging him? She bit off another piece of apple.
Otaru looked at the doorway still, finishing off his apple slice. "We should get you settled in before my mom gets home." He stood, and smiled gently and politely. "Shall we?"
Keiko quickly nodded, and picked up another apple slice and shoving the remnants of the piece she was eating in her mouth. She stood and followed Otaru back into the hallway.
"Setsuko's been living with us for the last few months, so she's been occupying the guest room." Otaru took his bag. "So we'll be sharing my bedroom, but it's roomy."
Keiko was bending down to pick up her bag, and she quickly straightened up at this. "Eh?!"
"Hmm?" Otaru noticed the reaction. "Is that a problem? We'll be setting up a futon on the floor, it's not like we're sharing a bed."
Keiko's face turned even redder. I...I hadn't even thought of that...!! She shook her head. "I'm fine, it's all fine!"
Otaru led Keiko into the room furthest to the back, and set his bag on his desk. "S'not much different from my room at school, but I'm barely here anyway."
Keiko looked around. Otaru was right. It was quite plain, save the vase of fresh flowers on the croner of his desk.
Otaru unzipped his bag, and unpacked a few books before noticing the blooms. "Oh, Setsuko must've gotten those..."
Keiko set her bag down, and uneasily began unpacking. Keeping her gender a secret was going to be a lot rougher if they were sharing a bedroom.
And that wasn't even counting the obstacle of not getting felt-up by Otaru's mom.
After unpacking a few minimum necessities, Otaru buried himself in a play manuscript, which left if up to Keiko to entertain herself.
Or at least occupy herself. She found herself doing insane micromanaging with her class assignments...structuring a "to-do" list and prioritizing her duties for the next two weeks.
They heard the door close downstairs, and Otaru lowered his book to his lap. "I guess Mom's home."
Keiko set down her pencil, and looked up from the planner which she was hunched over. She followed Otaru as he got up.
"Just stay behind me, okay?" Otaru gave a slight smile as they made their way down the stairs. "That way we can have damage control--"
Keiko sweatdropped at Otaru's warnings. "You make her out to be some crazy sex offender."
"It's embarassing!" Otaru's voice took on a whining tone as they entered the kitchen.
A slender woman wearing a sleeveless nylon shirt and black mini-skirt was hovering over the sink, her back facing the teenagers. Quiet scraping could be heard of chopsticks against styrofoam.
"Mother! We have company!" Otaru rose his voice a bit to get his mother's attention.
"Mm?" Otaru's mother turned around, her chopsticks still in her mouth. The woman's eye-makeup was bright and flashy, her lips heavily glossed. "Ota-chan, you're a week early."
"Eh?" Both Otaru and Keiko gave a blank stare.
"I told you I was coming up this weekend!" Otaru began to sound uncharacteristically aggrevated.
"This weekend? I had you down for next weekend..." Otaru's mother pulled out her palm pilot, and checked on her planner. "Damn it, or I wouldn't have set up my date for tonight..."
"Date?!" Otaru's voice went up an octave. "B-but Mother!"
Otaru's mother clapped her hands together and bowed her head, "Sorry--! Buy whatever you want for dinner, and I'll pay for it, okay?"
Before Otaru could spout a protest, his mother was scooping up her things and dumping them in her purse. She tossed her to-go chopsticks and container in a trashcan. "I'm sorry, I know you have a friend, but my co-workers will never let me live it down if I skip out again--" She faded off as she gained eye-contact with Keiko.
Keiko stiffened, and bashfully lowered her eyes.
"Ah! He's so lovely, Ota-chan!" Immediately Otaru's mother rushed to Keiko to admire her features.
"Mother, please..." Otaru tried to step between his mother and Keiko to server as a barrier.
"I've got a great idea! How about you two come clubbing with me?" Otaru's mother clapped her hands together gleefully, her eyes lighting up. "That way you can bail me out if he turns out to be a total bust!"
Otaru grimaced, "Have you no shame?!"
"I don't think I'd have anything to wear..." Keiko thought out loud.
"Sempai, don't even--!" Otaru protested, but was cut off by his mother.
"I'm sure Ota-chan's got something you can fit into." Otaru's mother insisted. "Maybe some sporty jacket he outgrew..."
Keiko waved her hands defensively. "I think it'd better be something inconspicuous..."
"Mother, I'm not going to allow me or my best friend to fall prey to one of your clubbing excursions!" Otaru sternly stood between Keiko and his mother.
"But what if it's a disasterrrrrr?!" Otaru's mother whined.
"You're a grown woman! Handle it yourself!"
Keiko immediately sympathized with OTaru's mom as a girl, and felt compelled to step in, "C'mon Otaru--shouldn't you look after your mother?"
Otaru's face went completely blank. "What?"
"As the man of the house, after all--" Keiko stated matter-of-factly. "You're a big boy, it's a man's duty to look after a lady in need..."
Otaru's mom squealed and latched onto Keiko's arm. "Otaru, what a darling friend you have!"
"Sempai, are you turning on me?!" Otaru gawked.
Keiko and Otaru both couldn't budge from the entrance of the nightclub Otaru's mother dragged them into.
"Hey...Otaru..." Keiko could barely make out her own voice against the throbbing bass coming out of the speakers.
"Sempai?" Otaru spoke just above the music.
"Have you ever been in a...?"
"This is my first time..." Otaru replied.
"Boys! Over here!" Otaru's mom motioned them over to a bar where she sat among a group of pretty--WAY TOO PRETTY--Keiko thought--men who circled around and fawned over Otaru's mother.
"Don't worry, baby, we're all here for you." One of them picked up a drink from in front of him. Keiko noticed the black eyeliner the man was wearing made his eyes look even more sunk into their sockets.
Another groupie wrapped his dry lips around a cigarette and sucked slowly on it. His protruding cheekbones stuck out even more.
Otaru's lip curled up in disgust at this, and Keiko could read on Otaru's face a calculating expression--one that was devising a way to get the heck out of there.
The smoker exhaled the smoke through a thin slit in his lips. "That's right, if he turns out to be a total dirtbag, you can bail with us."
"That actually won't be necessary tonight, boys. I brought my own escorts." Otaru's mother linked an arm through Otaru's, to which her son grimaced.
The groups both let out excited gasps, and the smoker set down his cigarette, "Darling, who are these precious boys?"
Otaru cowered back apprehensively from the man speaking.
"My son and his friend are visiting from the Unicorn Academy." she replied.
The one wearing heavy makeup leaned over to examine Keiko, "Ooh, mingling with the blue bloods. I feel more expensive already." Keiko noticed that at a closer distance, she could see through the makeup well enough to tell that the groupies were no younger than Otaru's mother or her own parents.
"Mother, who are these people?" Otaru squirmed out of his mother's grip.
"Just some drinking buddies, Ota-chan...don't worry, they're perfectly safe!" Otaru's mom gave him an "if-you-know-what-I-mean" look.
For who...?! Otaru craned his neck to make sure the other groupie wasn't bothering Keiko.
"Just a little while, Ota-chan. HE should be here any minute..." Otaru's mother gave a wide, tipsy smile, "Then you and Kei-kun can leave, with or without me."
In a huff, Otaru took Keiko by the elbow and they sat on the oposite end of the bar.
"You should at least get something to drink for being dragged here by your mom." the smoker came between Otaru and Keiko, to which both leaned away.
"That's..." Otaru began.
"I'm under-age." Keiko nervously smiled.
"That's not a problem--your mother's a favorite here, they'll let you." the groupie smiled back.
The two teenagers looked to each other, and shrugged.
"We might as well, to pass time." Otaru admitted.
"I have no idea what to order..." Keiko faded off.
"Allow me." the smoker rose his voice. "Bartender! Let's have a Sapporo and Amaretto Sour over here!"
The students soon found themselves with drinks before them. Keiko took the amaretto sour, and sipped it slowly at first, but was surprised to find it very sweet and refreshing.
Otaru was much slower in downing his beer. In fact, when Keiko was on her second sour, Otaru was still brooding over his first.
Keiko finally spoke up to ease Otaru's tension--he needed to relax..."Hey, Otaru, y'figure once we're all graduated n' everything--we'll be drinking buddies?"
Otaru cracked a smile, "Of course." He lifted his beer and took a good gulp of it.
Keiko grinned, and lifted her glass, "That's better! Let's make the most of the situation!"
Otaru blinked, "Be careful, Sempai. Those drinks are stronger than they taste." He took another gulp of his beer, and let out a sigh.
Keiko smelled her drink. "Yeah, I'm slowing down--gotta let you catch up!"
The two watched Otaru's mother chat with the two make-up men, making small talk as they waited patiently for the blind date to show up.
"So did those two set her up?" Keiko asked.
"Most likely." Otaru took a fresh mug of beer, and started on it.
Keiko waited for her third drink, and turned around on her stool to join Otaru in watching the three adults. She blinked a few times, and took note not to make such quick movements again, and she waited to steady herself before taking her next sip. "How long has she been--?"
Otaru took a few gulps, and leaned back casually, his eyebrows raised. "Just this past year, actually. Even with Setsuko around a lot, Mom always was bored in the evening. But I guess she wanted to wait until I was back in school."
Keiko nodded, and took another sip of her drink. She slowly exhaled, and jerked her head at the sound of Otaru's mug dropping. "Oops--we're cutting you off--" She stood to kneel down and pick up the mug, and her glass slipped through her fingers before her knees hit the ground.
Keiko woke up feeling sticky and smelling like warm beer and stale smoke. Her head was pressed against the glass window of a taxi, and her vision was blurred. Her hair stuck to the sides of her face, and the streetlights flickered by quickly. She winced as she peeled her face off of the window, and leaned back with an exhausted sigh.
Otaru's face was pressed up against her ribs, seated in an awfully uncomfortable position. He, too, was saturated by spilled beverages, and his hair was stuck together against his cheeks.
Otaru's mother was in the passenger seat, glowering. Keiko opted to remain silent, and she looked back to the still-sleeping Otaru.
What happened...? Keiko's eyelids still felt heavy. Did we both drink too much?
Otaru stirred, and Keiko quickly shut her eyes to feign her slumber. She felt Otaru's head move, but the pressure under his weight remained.
"Mmh..." she heard him moan, and then relax again.
"Just rest, sweetie. We're almost home." Otaru's mom sounded perturbed. "I'm so ashamed, you poor things getting drugged all on my account..."
So that's what happened...
Otaru stirred again, and pushed himself up. "What? How long--?"
"About an hour, now." Otaru's mother sighed. "We're just about home--try waking Kei-kun up?"
Otaru gently shook Keiko's shoulder, to which Keiko pretended to stir out of her sleep.
"We're almost home, Sempai." Otaru gently spoke.
Keiko opened her eyes and squinted to focus on Otaru's face. He looked around to search for Keiko's glasses. "Mother, where are Sempai's glasses?"
"In my purse...here." she dug them out and handed them to Otaru.
Otaru clumsily put Keiko's glasses back on her face, and leaned forward a bit. "Any better?"
"Otaru..." Keiko furrowed her brow. "...I drank too much..."
"I don't think that was quite the case, kiddos." Otaru's mom replied, "I'm sorry, I take full responsibility for this."
The three managed to quietly enter the Chinen residence without turning the lights on.
"Otaru-chan, I--" Otaru's mother began.
"It's okay, Mom." Otaru supported Keiko on his shoulder, although his stability wasn't much better than her own. "Let's just call it a night, and I'll see you in the morning."
"But--"
"'But' nothing, Mother." Otaru encouraged. "Are we men, or aren't we men? Better us than you, definitely." Keiko watched Otaru's features, highlighted by the porchlamp outside the doorway, soften a bit to show disappointment. "I'm just ashamed that we fell victim so unwittingly."
Otaru and Keiko slowly made their way up the stairs, to which Setsuko flipped the light switch on.
"Ahh!!" Both Otaru and Keiko flinched and covered their eyes, blinded by the light.
Keiko felt another pounding headache come on, which had to be the traces of a hangover.
"Ow, my head--Setsu-chan, turn it off!" Otaru leaned against the hallway wall.
Setsuko was in pajamas, "It's nearly one in the morning--where have you guys been?" She brought her hand to her nose and pinched it. "And you smell awful!"
"Shower..." Keiko mumbled, and made her way into the bathroom. She turned on the light and shut the door behind her, turning on the shower.
Setsuko and Otaru exchanged glances, and Otaru walked past her to get to his bedroom. "Goodnight."
Setsuko stepped back and let him pass, and watched silently as he closed his bedroom door behind him. Setsuko then turned to the bathroom door, hearing the shower run behind the closed door. "I should probably get Kei-kun some spare clothes..." she mumbled as she went towards the stairwell. She switched off the hallway light, and quietly snuck past the kitchen into the laundry room.
Setsuko didn't say a word as she opened the door to the upstairs bathroom. She leaned in and set down a set of neatly folded pajamas by the sink. "Hmm?" she noticed, through the wafting steam of the shower, a sink full of water, with bandages soaking in it. She blinked, and stepped completely inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She fanned away the steam, and pulled one of the dripping bandages out of the sink to observe it. She then looked to the folded glasses on the sink counter, an the heap of clothes on the floor. She let the bandage sink back into the water, and slowly stepped towards the shower. In one swift movement, she pulled the shower curtain back, and a shocked Keiko spun around.
Keiko let out a loud gasp, and threw her arms over her chest, and her feet began to slip on the bottom of the tub. She let out a yelp, and pulled her arms away from her chest as her feet pressed against opposite sides of the tub's floor, and her hands against the tiled walls. Her wide eyes froze on Setsuko, and her mouth hung open.
Setsuko stood there, holding the shower curtain back still. "I knew it." Her quiet voice was nearly drowned out by the running water. "But why?"
"I...I..." Keiko stuttered, still frozen in her awkward position.
Setsuko reached over, and turned off the water.
Keiko bashfully put her arms back over her chest and turned her back towards Setsuko. "So you knew."
Setsuko pulled a towel off the counter, and opened it for Keiko to wrap herself in. "Otaru-chan doesnt, or does he?"
Keiko looked over her shoulder at the towel Setsuko offered, and refused to make eye contact as she took it. She tightly tugged the towel around her, and made an angry frown. "he doesn't know yet."
Setsuko was quiet as Keiko stepped out of the shower. "But, why? The Phoenix School is every bit as good a school."
Keiko drained out the water in the sink, and began to squeeze the excess water out of her bandages. "I've been investigating that music hall incident form last year. My brother and I still think it's leaving a stench, if you know what I mean."
Setsuko tensed up at this, and she spoke up a bit. "Are people getting hurt again?"
"Well, no, but..." Keiko set her bandages aside, "...someone is trying to keep it covered up."
"They'll probably stop once you let it die, you know." Setsuko picked up Keiko's bandages, "I'll throw these in the dryer for you."
"Thanks." Keiko slipped on her glasses. "But I can't just let this die, Setsuko-san. People have been hurt, careers have been ruined, and those responsible have not been brought to answer for themselves."
Setsuko put her hand on the handle of the door, and opened it slightly. She looked at the doorhandle, and lowered her voice again. "What good will that do? It won't do anything to change the damage that's been done."
Keiko blinked, utterly confused. She saw a sharply painful look on Setsuko's face. What...what just happened?
"Kei-kun, I'll keep your secret from Otaru on one condition." Setsuko looked up. "You must promise me you'll drop the music hall thing, and stop your investigation."
Keiko was shocked once again to see tears in Setsuko's cool eyes. "Eh?"
"Promise?" she pulled the door open a bit more.
Keiko hesitantly nodded. "I promise."
"Thank you. Goodnight." Setsuko took the bandages, and closed the bathroom door behind her.
Keiko listened for Setsuko to walk downstairs, and then leaned against the bathroom counter, sighing. Just as she was thinking the music hall mystery coulnd't get more hopeless, it had now become even more baffling.
Setsuko came into Otaru's bedroom early that morning, and snuck Keiko's bandages under her blankets. "Remember your promise." She whispered before walking back out.
Otaru remained reclusive during their late breakfast. Keiko felt an air of tension during the entire time Setsuko was present. Soon enough, though, Setsuko had gone out, and Otaru was left alone with Keiko. Keiko wasn't quite sure if Otaru was simply uncomfortable with what went down the night before, or if he was in fact upset about something. But then again, maybe it was just Keiko who perceived any tension in the air. After all, a lot more happened to her last night than Otaru was privvy to. Or so she hoped.
As Keiko stood to leave the kitchen, Otaru finally spoke up.
"What happened between you and Setsuko?"
Keiko froze, and she looked to Otaru, who looked straight back at her. She sighed, and sat back down. "What do you mean?"
"She said to remember your promise." Otaru's friendly tone was scant, at best. "What promise?"
Keiko curled her feet nervously, and she kept a rigid posture in her chair. She smiled uncomfortably. "Well, the truth is..."
"Don't over-complicate matters, Sempai. Just tell me." Otaru cut her off.
Keiko lowered her eyes. "She wants me to drop the music hall thing." She hoped she could get by with the bare minimum of the truth.
Otaru blinked at this, his stern expression softening a bit as his eyes shifted from Keiko to the stairwell. He relaxed a bit. "That's not surprising."
"Huh?" Keiko leaned forward. "Why do you say that?"
"Setsuko was a Phoenix School student--she was enrolled until last year." Otaru rested his hands on the table, and stared at them. "When she was hospitalized."
Keiko saw where this was going.
"Setsuko was the victim, wasn't she?" Keiko's tone got even more serious.
Otaru nodded, "She was Phoenix School's star violinist, with skill that rivaled Shiranui-kun's."
Keiko nodded, "So it's no surprise she was targeted."
"She apparently suffered no brain damage from the accident, but the events raised enough suspicion for conspiracy--resulting in our current headmaster resigning." Otaru continued.
"So why didn't Setsuko go back to school?" Keiko asked. "Was she afraid of being targeted again?"
Otaru shook his head. "She lost her scholarship this last summer when she stopped playing violin. While apparently she didn't suffer any brain damage, it turned out that as soon as she picked up a violin--" Otaru then looked up to Keiko, "--nothing."
Keiko gasped. "She lost her memory of how to play!"
"If only it were that simple. She remembers how to play--so she can teach." Otaru counted off on his fingers. "...and she's physically able to play. However, the part of her brain that controls her motor skills--putting A and B together...was damaged, so it just doesn't hapen anymore, no matter how hard she tries."
Keiko slammed both of her arms on the table in complete and utter exhasperation. "That's AWFUL!"
Otaru didn't budge at Keiko's outburst. "Imagine how it must've been for her."
Keiko was at a loss for words. "That's...! That's...!"
"It probably would've been better if you hadnt told her that it was being looked into." Otaru sighed. "But I guess it can't be helped now."
"Otaru--did this happen before you--? I mean--" Keiko suddenly regretted being curious, but she had already opened her big mouth. "What I mean is, was that why the two of you--?"
Otaru smiled a bit, "Not really. It was mostly a result of her moving in with my mom." Otaru stood, "It'd look really bad for a girlfriend to be living in the same house of her boyfriend's family without any official engagement in sight, and we felt that we were too young to do something so final so early in our lives."
"Mmh." Keiko nodded, feeling an ill twinge in her stomach that felt similar to jealousy or disappointment. It sounds like things aren't completely splitsville for them, I guess...
Otaru noticed Keiko's droopy demeanor, and leaned over the table to give Keiko an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Don't let that get you down, Sempai! What's done is done! Setsuko's moved on with her life, she's just wanted to be assured that we're not deepening old wounds, that's all."
Keiko looked up to him, and forced a convincing smile, although it wasn't as sincere as she'd liked. "I understand."
"C'mon, let's pack up. The bus'll be here in a few hours and we don't wanna be rushed." Otaru dropped his arm and headed upstairs.
Keiko nodded in agreement, and followed him upstairs.
On the bus ride back, Otaru turned to Keiko and nervously smiled. "Sorry that wasn't the most relaxing retreat you've been on."
Keiko gave a shrug, "Trust me, after what'd happened at school, this was a welcome change."
Anji hadn't made it back to school yet by the time Keiko had arrived. Maybe she could just pass off the hair-thing as something wild she did over the weekend. But would that really do any good? Probably not, especially if the threats continued.
She contemplated all of the things that had happened over the past two days. This music hall scandal was proving to be more serious than she had anticipated, and overwhelmingly more complicated.
She was a violinist for TUA's rival school. Her skills matched those of Kakeru's...just as Keiko was ready to strike Kakeru out of the list of suspects, he suddenly became a possible guilty party again.
"I take it you met Chinen's girlfriend, right?" a familiar voice came from behind Keiko. She spun around to see Kakeru in the doorway of her dorm room.
Kakeru's eyes grew round for a moment, but he quickly regained his aloof composure. "What happened to your hair?"
Keiko turned back around to finish unpacking. "Please leave me alone, I'm tired."
"Suit yourself." Kakeru casually sighed. "Gee, it must suck to find out that your best friend is keeping so many secrets from you..." He threw his arms behind his head. "But come to think of it, maybe it makes it seem like all of your lying is justified?"
"You..." Keiko didn't look up from her unpacking, but continued to bait the violinist. "...you're the last one to talk about keeping secrets."
Kakeru took Keiko by the shoulder, and pulled her around to face him. His expression was one of confidence, and he teasingly tapped the rim of Keiko's glasses. "I would take that back if I were you, Fu.Ji.Shi.Ge." Kakeru stressed the syllables of Keiko's phoney last name. "Because, I'm sure you'd agree..." he tucked a choppy strand of hair behind Keiko's ear and smiled, lightly slapping the side of her face a few times. "...I'm the best at keeping secrets."
Keiko turned a scarlet color as she angrily huffed up. Kakeru turned on his heel and proceeded out of the dorm room. "See you tomorrow." He then shut the door.
Keiko watched the door shut, and then let out a furious shriek. How frustrating! I have let a suspect get way too close!!! She ruffled her hair, and re-adjusted her glasses. That jerk! He's back at the top of my list!
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End Episode Fifteen