Noriko paid the
cashier.
Only two rooms
left, she thought.
Tomorrow she'd
receive more than a few harsh words from their class rep, but Noriko
didn't care. Joining the club members rather than going out with her
class was a given, as it had been for almost everyone else.
“Bro, I've paid
until eight, but after that anyone staying here will have to pay for
themselves.”
Ryu looked back
at her from a door opening. “We'll only be one room by eight. I've
told them already.”
When did you
grow up to be this reliable? Noriko nodded and gave her brother a
smile. More and more often he deserved her approval these days.
And who was
that Irishima High girl? I can't recall seeing you
spend so much time alone with one girl. Ryu without either harem
or fan-club was a scary thought. You're changing.
Her brother, no
longer 'idiot bro', left the karaoke box and walked over to her.
“Any news?”
he asked.
Noriko shook her
head. An email told her Kyoko and Yukio were on their way to the
hospital. They should have arrived by now.
“Haven café or
home?” she asked instead.
Ryu grimaced.
“Haven,” he said. “We need to break the news to them.”
“Do we have
to?” Noriko said.
“Transparency,”
Ryu said. “That's the one thing Urufu is adamant about. They
deserve to know, and we can't start cheating now.”
Noriko bit her
lower lip and clenched her hands into fists. “How much do you
know?” Distrusting her brother wasn't fair, but if he knew anything
more she had to know as well.
“As much as
you,” he answered. “Honestly. Nakagawa and Kuri might know more,
and perhaps...”
“And perhaps
Kyoko and Yukio,” Noriko filled in.
“And perhaps
Kyoko and Yukio,” Ryu agreed. “You know, sis, I'm scared. I don't
think I've ever been truly scared before.”
“It's Urufu
we're talking about. The barbarian knight from Red Rose. He's too
stupid to know how to be hurt,” she lied. The words came out
strange from her mouth, and Noriko hoped Ryu didn't notice. One look
at him told her he had.
“Yeah,” he
said, “your idiot knight in shining armour.”
Does my voice
sound that forced? It probably did, because Ryu's
voice held no conviction. My knight in broken armour, more likely.
Looking behind
her brother Noriko saw Nao leaving the room.
“Haven?” he
asked when he arrived at the counter.
Noriko nodded.
“Anyone else?”
Nao looked over
his shoulder. “I think the rest from our box will join as well.”
As if to prove
him true Sakura-chan and Nori-kun showed their faces and entered the
corridor hand in hand. They were soon followed by Fumiko-chan and
Hitomi-chan, and with that the remaining eight club members all fit
inside the last karaoke box.
Noriko smiled at
Nao and made for the exit. “I guess we're leaving then,” she said
over her shoulder.
She felt his hand
take hers and when they entered the street outdoors her brother
flanked her on her other side. Noriko could hear him speak with
Sakura-chan, but as usual there were almost no answers from the
silent girl.
With a smirk
Noriko tightened her grip on Nao's hand and felt him respond in turn.
The evening
turned colder and she had to tighten the collar of her jacket to keep
the wind out. Within a few weeks a scarf wouldn't be out of order.
As they came
closer to their destination, and for that reason closer to their
school, they met more and more groups of Himekaizen students. Most
seemed to be on their way home from an hour of karaoke bawling, and
in the case of larger parties on their way to some restaurant to
celebrate the most insane cultural festival in the history of
Himekaizen.
Noriko waved to
those she recognized, and their group was waved at from a lot more
fellow students. Fame hadn't passed them by.
Before long they
arrived at the run down coffee house they'd made their second home.
Noriko gave students around her a cursory glance before she opened
the door and entered to the sound of jingling bells.
Over a dozen
culture exchange club members sat spread around three tables and
cheered their arrival. When the karaoke die-hards finally arrived
virtually the entire club would be present. Only four members absent,
four of her best friends absent, and all of them at the same
hospital.
Noriko nodded at
James when he pointed a thumb in the direction of the espresso
machine. Apart from her coffee she ordered some sweet cake and went
to grab a table.
She looked up
when Hiroyuki came over to her and shot her a worried look.
“I'll tell all
of you later,” she answered his unspoken question.
Ryu, Nori-kun and
Sakura-chan joined her, and behind them she saw James carry a tray
with their orders. Fumiko-chan and Hitomi-chan chose chairs at the
closest table and hung their coats over the backrests.
Noriko waited for
James to return with the last of the orders in a futile attempt to
postpone the inevitable, but as he left for the counter with an empty
tray pressed to his body all conversations around the tables silenced
and a multitude of eyes sought hers expectantly.
She rose and met
the eerie silence from almost twenty club members.
“I have
something to announce,” Noriko said and felt how brittle her voice
sounded. “During today's fashion show Urufu was assaulted by
visiting students from Red Rose Academy.”
It took the
combined effort from Ryu and Hitomi-chan to silence the angry roar
that filled the café.
“He was taken
to a hospital and some of our friends are there right now to find out
how bad it is. I'm afraid that's all I know.”
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