November 12, 2011 at 10:50am
Previously...
Everyone's raving about Mitsuhiko Diei's sudden change, and as Yaotome Hikaru and the gang resolved to go to the bottom of things, what will they uncover?
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Diei found Chinen leaning on one of the swing poles and waving at her with a bright smile; the kind of smile that distracted her from noticing Inoo's, Takaki's, and 2nd Years Kunihara Mabee’s and Okamoto Keito's jaws dropping at the sight of her turning away from the school gates and approaching this cute young guy with the bright smile who was waving at her from by the park. If Diei could have seen them she might have laughed at the look on their faces, but she didn't and returned the smile to Chinen as they met on the swing.
"Ohayo Nee-chan!"
"You.." Diei said shaking her head in disapproval, but his smile was effectively still lingering on her. She sat on one of the swings, "So? How was the first morning of freedom?"
Chinen stared at Diei, which caused her to laugh.
"Oh c'mon, I've been there too," Diei reminded him as she reminisced her first days of high school and of living alone after she convinced her mom to move in with her second family, with Chinen and Ueda. It was her way of letting her young single mom go and enjoy life a bit and not all about work. And although their ages are only a year apart it always slips her mind and tend to think he's a lot younger, so she assumed he needed a mom more than she did.
"Well alright, you got me, this feels the best!" Chinen confessed while Diei chuckled. For all it's worth, it was always best to talk about something light first before a serious confrontation. That's what she learned from Hikaru's presence.
"Hachyi - uuhnm - ummph!!?!"
Meanwhile as their backs were to the common street, they didn't notice Yaotome's sneezing muffled by Takaki and Inoo, as they and the other 3rd Years inched closer to Diei and Chinen behind the bushes, trying to get near enough to hear what the two were talking about.
"Really Hikaru, if Diei finds us I'm going to skin you alive!" Do whispered; putting one more hand over his mouth without tearing her eyes off the swing.
"Hmmn, hmmnhh hmmn hmmnhh -" Yaotome tried to talk and signal to them that it’s ok to let him breath now. He finally remembered how to use his own hands and pulled theirs away from his face. "Hoohhhh!" he exclaimed in a hoarse whisper as he took a deep breath. "God, if you guys are trying to kill me at least let me know the reason first!??" he said through gritted teeth while motioning towards the swing. They have just finally reached the safest, within-hearing-distance to eavesdrop without getting caught, so it was understandable why they are being extra careful and talking in low voices.
"He's cute," said Arioka who didn't even bothered to turn or pay attention to the racket the others were making.
"Like Yamada-kun cute," Takaki agreed.
"No I think he's cuter," observed Jeyn.
"What, you don't think Yamada's cute?" asked Inoo as he turned to scrutinize Chinen more closely again.
"I mean, Yamada-kun's cool-cute, this one's more cute-cute."
"Diei don't like cute," Yaotome said with finality.
"Yeah but I'm sure as hell that kid we're looking at is the definition of cute," said Arioka.
"Urusai! I can't hear them!" snapped Do without looking at the others making them stare at her. Through their sudden silence they caught the two's conversation again.
“- Yuri. Why didn't you wait for me?" Diei was saying.
"Ah, datte, I thought the class will start at eight am, but some students I met a while ago told me I got it wrong and that it was not for the next twenty minutes more. Ahehe!"
"Don't you want my school to know you're my -?"
Diei stopped mid-sentence as Chinen suddenly moved away from the pole towards her but paused in front of the empty swing seat next to her as he smiled before he hopped on it and started swinging while he's standing on the seat, his eyes resting on the sand box infront of them. When he realized Diei was still looking at him, he said, "I don't want to cause trouble for you."
"Because it’s going to be pretty complicated to explain?" Diei followed his gaze at the sand box, both not actually seeing it.
"Isn't it? How we’re living together now?"
"What if I don't care?"
"I care," said Chinen who finally stopped swinging but crouched down on the swing seat looking sideways to his Nee-chan. Diei looked back at him and tried to find proof of anything otherwise in Chinen's serious face. She found none.
"Hehhh…" Diei said after a moment. She turned back at the sand box and leaned sideways on Chinen's shoulder whispering "somehow, you've grown up since the last three years we last met, otouto-kun."
Chinen laughed heartily and he felt his heart grew warmer. It was the first compliment from his nee-chan as they've never actually had a serious conversation before. But now he could see how his second mom was able to let her only daughter live on her own when Diei was just about to be in high school.
After a minute though, Diei sighed deeply. "Fine then, if that's what you want." She suddenly removed her head on Chinen's shoulder and moves the swing back and forth. Casually, she said, "So Chinen-san, have you met her yet?"
Chinen's shock was still so clear in his face when Diei glanced back at him when she didn't hear him answer.
"How did you know?" he demanded. Uso, even his sister knew; is he really that obvious?
Diei gave him one pitying look and rolled her eyes. "Oh you know, a new, cute, charming, guy walking on his own to his new school, people being overly-nice to him, - I'm pretty surprised you even got here on your own. I thought I'd have found you causing some sort of hold-up at the gate, not even able to get a clear view of the park here."
"What?" Chinen said confused.
"Oh come on, you must know how you seem to charm others, especially the girls!" Diei exclaimed with a laugh.
"Whaha-haaat?" He half-laughed at himself as he finally caught on what Diei was talking about. "Wait, you know, I didn't walk the main road, I got a bit lost…" he trailed off as Diei finally stopped laughing and gave him a questioning look; what did he thought they were talking about?
"Areh?" Diei said in wonder while Chinen colored after a few seconds, comprehension dawning on her. "You really did meet someone you like? Already?" The corners of Diei’s mouth were already threatening to betray her attempt to hold out on teasing him. Chinen moaned in his hands in surrender, she already got him and she knew it, so she finally gave in and laughed starting to tease him. "You've been what, less than thirty minutes out of the house, you haven't even set foot inside the school yet and you've already found yourself a girl-"
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, I haven't even met her yet you know!" Chinen interrupted her over head shakes while covering his ears with his hands to not hear anymore.
"What?"
"I just kind of know her, and that she's here, but I haven't really met her...”
"But you said you were lost..?"
"Daakaaraaa, I don't think it had anything to do with my charms at all," he winced at repeating Diei's embarrassing words, "I really only did meet nice people on my way here. And they're not all girls," he added foreseeing another teasing from Diei. "I just turned a few blocks before we reached the school while I answered your call and the next thing I know, I was in front of Beagles & Donuts. Then I met a first year who very nicely had us go round a corner from the main road.." Come to think of it, he did vaguely remember Airin didn't take him back to school by the main road. He looked at Diei and saw her nodding as she listened to his story.
"She lives there, she's president of the manga club even though she's still a first year. Nice girl with great drawing skills." Diei understood. "Really nice then, to use her abilities to assure you easy school passage," she was trying to keep a straight face. Really.
Chinen rolled his eyes, his sister's never going to let go of it.
"Oh really, Diei-samaaa?" emphasizing the last word. That sobered Diei up. "I heard this pack of girls debating whether to wait for you at the gates or met up with you half-way to school. They actually gather up by there," he pointed to the sidewalk just beside the first tree of the park behind them (where the eavesdroppers were actually hiding on the other side), "then wait where they can stage meeting you by chance on your way," he finished to Diei’s horror cracking a victorious grin.
"Oh, shut up," Diei said, embarrassed. "Those girls, really!" she clucked disapprovingly. "And, how did you escaped them?" she asked grumpily.
"I was using that swing and didn't turn around." They laughed together.
"I told you so," Diei said shaking her head as she swung herself faster, higher and higher. "C-h-a-r-m-i-n-g!" As she said the last letter, she launched herself from the swing, landing perfectly with both feet on the safe spot inside the sandbox to do that kind of stunt. Then she turned to Chinen who was applauding her.
"So why didn't you ask for my help?" she asked knowing his answer.
"I want to find her myself," he answered knowing she understands.
She smiled at him as they stared at each other for a while. "She's going to be lucky when you find her," she told him. He smiled brightly back at her and quickly moved the swing to follow suit on her stunt. Higher than she did. She chuckled.
"Ahh-haahhh," she turned away from him, stretching up for a bit and straightened her uniform that got ruffled from sitting on the swing. "I wonder," she started saying at the moment Chinen let go, "if I'd be jealous of her?" Chinen landed farther than Diei did but not as perfectly because he almost stumbled from surprise at Diei's words. He turned quickly but her back was to him as she was picking up their bags.
"What the -?!" she exclaimed in shock when Chinen ran straight at her and suddenly hugged her. "Heeeyy! I was only joking!" she tittered from embarrassment. She forgot that the kid was fresh from another tragedy in his life having a second mom die, so family is a bit of a sensitive topic for now. Bad move thinking he's mature enough for such teasing. Gratefully, Chinen let go of her just as quickly too.
"Geez, you crybaby, I know you'll be able to find her even before today ends, so I was just trying to see if I'd get lucky enough to make you promise you'll bring her around later so I could meet her too you know?"
"How come no one's lucky enough for you?!" he asked frustratingly at her.
She snickered, throwing an arm over his shoulders and gave him a one-armed hug. "You've been lucky enough, o-to-to-kun!" she breathed the last syllables in his ear and then ruffled his hair affectionately, trying to lighten up the younger boy's mood.
"Mou!" he shied away from her hand, but Die had already pulled away and was already making her way towards school.
"Don't be late Chinen-san or I promise I will tell Akanishi-sensei not to spare you even if it is your first day!" she cheerfully called out to him in parting. Within just their short talk, she had already agreed to their unspoken agreement of keeping quiet about their sibling status, at least until anyone asked. She also learned more of him than he thinks his parents ever knew. Lastly, she cared enough to let anyone in who wants to have a share of her life, even if she feels a little uncomfortable about it. Careful but considerate.
"Really, how can Nee-chan not find anyone yet?" he muttered to himself as he shook his head and followed after Diei through the school gates.
Unfortunately though, the eavesdropping Yaotome and the others couldn't hear as much as when the two were not whispering. Therefore it wasn't surprising to find them coming to conclude the most obvious relationship two people could have with what they just heard: "The" Mitsuhiko Diei's secret ex-boyfriend, who's currently living with her in the same house, had now come as the new THS transfer student, Chinen Yuri, who also already have a new girl in mind to replace Diei of.
"Uwaaah poor Diei!" Jeyn wailed.
"Shut up, she's not as weepy as you are," Takaki said to his cousin sniffling.
"I can’t believe it," Arioka shook his head in disbelief, "There must be some other explanation...”
"Like what?" Do jumped grasping at his words. "We can't just ask it out of them…"
"I'll ask," Yaotome offered.
"We can't! Especially you!"
"Yeah, it'll be pretty suspicious if we ask them the thing they’re most keen for others not to know," Inoo backed up Do.
"Okay, Okay! We don't say anything," Yaotome agreed as the school rang its first bell. They all jump to their feet and hurried towards the school, at the same time discreetly composing and re-arranging their guilty faces. "Ahhhhhh yabe, I don't like this, I don't think I can go on!"
"You must!!" Do and Jeyn squealed at him and helped him pat off the leaves, creases of his uniform, his clamminess - evidences of their eavesdropping.
"You have to sit through the meeting! You have to lighten the mood there, we'll let you have free reign of the jokes," coaxed Takaki as Arioka and Inoo nodded. The other students that were also in the meeting were coming their way and they tried to see if anyone else were as shell-shocked as they, although they didn't seem to notice the looks they were getting over their manhandling of Yaotome.
"Yeah, yeah that's right.. Now where’s that Ryosuke-kun? He never get's to the meetings on time, that's rude!" Yaotome said, eyeing the 2nd Years passing by him.
Jeyn sighed. "You're so lucky Hikaru; you could just change your attention from one thing to another in a drop of a hat."
"Let's just hope his attention flip lasts long enough," Arioka said direly.
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Ohayou - Morning ; informal way to say ‘Ohayo gozaimasu’
Nee-chan - Sis ; informal/cutesy way to say ‘Onee-san’
Urusai - Shut up ; used as very rude way to say ‘quiet’ here
datte - because
Otouto-kun - used for speaker’s little brother
-san - suffix for both sexes ; used for formality
Uso - lies ; used as ‘no way’ here
Areh - usual japanese exclamation version of ‘Eh’
Dakara - That’s why
-sama - suffix for both sexes ; used for admired/respected people
Mou - usual japanese exclamation version for emphasizing the speaker's feelings
-sensei - suffix used by speaker for teacher
Uwaa - usual japanese exclamation version for sounding surprised or whining
Yabe - usual japanese exclamation version for "yabai" loosely translating to ‘dangerous’ or meaning to say ‘now I’m in for it’
-kun - suffix used by speaker for younger male names or males close with