3.1
Look Both Ways
Chapter 3: Chasing Tadpoles
Part One: The Morning After
Author's Note: In this chapter, Yabu makes his first appearance. Yay! (And so does a certain cockroach-fanatic. Yes, kemshu, I'm talking about you.) I'll be slowly introducing the rest of the members as the chapters progress to make it less overwhelming. Anyway, this will be a very random chapter. I figured I needed to give Hikaru a bit of a break here if I even intend to keep him alive for his next misadventures. XP ENJOY!
Summary: When a mishap-happy Konako decides to set the dogs in the pet shop free on a sudden whim, all hell breaks loose. It’s one accident after another for the clumsy and uncoordinated college student. And unfortunately, it spells nothing but trouble for a certain dentally challenged Hey! Say! JUMP member. Will they make it through the afternoon?
By some miracle, they do. But it’s only the beginning… Feeling guilty over all the pain she almost single-handedly inflicted on Hikaru, Konako presents him with his very own turtle. Hikaru is ecstatic. Unfortunately, he only realizes too late that he doesn’t know a single thing about raising pets --- let alone turtles! What is an idol to do?
Konako woke up feeling rather refreshed. It was a beautiful day. The sunlight was entering the window perfectly, basking Konako's entire private domain with a hint of orange and gold. Its effect on her mood was impeccable. Konako instantly felt better, less stressed, and more at ease...
She rolled over to one side and stretched her limbs. Yes, it was a good day. She had to start it right.
When she unfurled her curtains, she immediately had to do a double take. She pulled them shut and turned away, staring wide-eyed at her unmade bed.
Was that real? she asked herself. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
When she felt like she was ready, Konako slowly turned around to peak at the windows again, just to check if her eyes weren't playing any tricks on her.
She gulped. They weren't. Crowding in the street in front of their modest home was a large pack of people. They all seemed to be cueing up for - no, that wasn't right. They were too unorganized for that. They were squeezing, forcing themselves into the pet shop's entrance.
Konako couldn't help but stare. She flipped the curtains back and shut the jalousie closed.
“What the heck..?” she wondered. The shop has never faced this many customers. This was beyond normal. She found it highly unlikely that Uncle managed to surge in popularity overnight. What happened that could cause such a drastic change in sales? And more importantly, why the hell was a vast majority of those customers female?!
That's when she remembered last night's events.
The burglar.
Yaotome Hikaru.
Inoo Kei.
Her eyes went wide at the thought. "No freakin' way..."
In a second, Konako had bounded downstairs, nearly tripping over herself. She arrived just in time to catch the morning news.
"Spectacular news from the station: the man who had been responsible for all the hold-ups close to Meiji University has finally been caught. It was all thanks to a little pet shop tucked away at the corner of..."
Konako ogled at the screen. Flashed in the news was their little pet shop.
"Surprised?" her older cousin asked.
Konako couldn't speak. Her throat had grown tight and dry. With no other means of communication, she nodded.
"Yeah," Kuraki said, quietly finishing his omelet. "That's how I reacted when I made my way downstairs."
"Is Uncle at the shop?" she asked shakily.
"Yep."
"D-does he need help? I should probably help... He can't possibly manage that crowd on his own."
But Kuraki shook her head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. It might get messy. Dad's been trying to tell them to knock it off but it hasn't been going well. If it gets so bad, he's planning to close up shop for today instead. Told me to forget about it and just prepare for school. As should you, by the way."
Konako reverted her attention back to the live broadcast. There it was again: their shop. She wondered if any of Inoo Kei's fangirls had figured out that he had graced her family's shop with his presence. Would they chase after her? Corner her and bombard her with questions? Would they murder her for the mere possibility of getting in the way of their perfect fantasy?
The prospects proved too much for Konako to consider. She was beginning to feel dizzy in the vortex of her thoughts. She decided she'd rather not listen to the rest of the news and hobbled back upstairs. She had lost her appetite anyway.
"Oy!" Kuraki called. "You're not even going to eat your breakfast?"
When she failed to answer, he shrugged and drifted back to eating. He picked at his food hungrily, barely listening to the rest of the program.
"...But that isn't why females have flocked all over the vicinity," the newscaster continued. "Apparently, there have been rumors going on about several Johnny's Entertainment talents being involved in the scene of the crime. But what roles they had to play, we can't be too certain. We do have reason enough to believe that these unidentified personalities are part of renowned J-pop group, Hey! Say! JUMP."
At that moment, the television flashed several recent photographs of the aforementioned group, including a clip of several interviews and their latest music video.
Kuraki couldn't care less for a bunch of pretty boys, though. He had covered his face with the bowl, flicking the last of its contents into his mouth just as Hikaru's laughing face panned through the screen.
"The ten-member group has just recently announced the scheduled release of another album, which they will be performing in a concert by the end of the summer..."
Kuraki finished devouring the his meal and started groping around for the remote.
"Boring," he mumbled. "Wonder what's on sports?"
*************
Unlike Konako, Hikaru did not wake up refreshed. Instead, he felt sore all over but with no recollection as to how that happened.
"What the -?" he asked himself as he scratched at his bedhead. “OW!”
Even raising his arms proved difficult.
"What the heck happened?" he wondered. "What did I do last night? Why am I so - "
He turned over to the other side and received the surprise of his life. For perched on top of his bedside table was a glass bowl. And it wasn't just an empty glass bowl.
It had a turtle inside.
Hikaru stared, grinning like crazy as the memory of last night crashed through his head, one after the other. Of course. How could he have forgotten? Now he remembered.
The pet shop.
Being blasted by pepper spray.
The burglar.
That cursed baseball bat.
Kei.
And Konako.
As well as an older boy who stood as Konako's cousin. What was his name again? Oh right, Kuraki.
Oh, and the pain. Oh yes, the pain. It reverberated through his core, a raw reminder of last night's adventure.
And the turtle. Dear sweet Lord, the turtle. Ruru-chan. The manifestation of Konako's appreciation, gratitude, and apology. His own pet.
He stared at the little green creature with absolute wonderment. He couldn't believe he finally had one.
He grinned, displaying the set of disarranged teeth he was best known for.
"Ruru-chan!" he sang.
Chapter 3: Chasing Tadpoles
Part One: The Morning After
Author's Note: In this chapter, Yabu makes his first appearance. Yay! (And so does a certain cockroach-fanatic. Yes, kemshu, I'm talking about you.) I'll be slowly introducing the rest of the members as the chapters progress to make it less overwhelming. Anyway, this will be a very random chapter. I figured I needed to give Hikaru a bit of a break here if I even intend to keep him alive for his next misadventures. XP ENJOY!
Summary: When a mishap-happy Konako decides to set the dogs in the pet shop free on a sudden whim, all hell breaks loose. It’s one accident after another for the clumsy and uncoordinated college student. And unfortunately, it spells nothing but trouble for a certain dentally challenged Hey! Say! JUMP member. Will they make it through the afternoon?
By some miracle, they do. But it’s only the beginning… Feeling guilty over all the pain she almost single-handedly inflicted on Hikaru, Konako presents him with his very own turtle. Hikaru is ecstatic. Unfortunately, he only realizes too late that he doesn’t know a single thing about raising pets --- let alone turtles! What is an idol to do?
Konako woke up feeling rather refreshed. It was a beautiful day. The sunlight was entering the window perfectly, basking Konako's entire private domain with a hint of orange and gold. Its effect on her mood was impeccable. Konako instantly felt better, less stressed, and more at ease...
She rolled over to one side and stretched her limbs. Yes, it was a good day. She had to start it right.
When she unfurled her curtains, she immediately had to do a double take. She pulled them shut and turned away, staring wide-eyed at her unmade bed.
Was that real? she asked herself. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
When she felt like she was ready, Konako slowly turned around to peak at the windows again, just to check if her eyes weren't playing any tricks on her.
She gulped. They weren't. Crowding in the street in front of their modest home was a large pack of people. They all seemed to be cueing up for - no, that wasn't right. They were too unorganized for that. They were squeezing, forcing themselves into the pet shop's entrance.
Konako couldn't help but stare. She flipped the curtains back and shut the jalousie closed.
“What the heck..?” she wondered. The shop has never faced this many customers. This was beyond normal. She found it highly unlikely that Uncle managed to surge in popularity overnight. What happened that could cause such a drastic change in sales? And more importantly, why the hell was a vast majority of those customers female?!
That's when she remembered last night's events.
The burglar.
Yaotome Hikaru.
Inoo Kei.
Her eyes went wide at the thought. "No freakin' way..."
In a second, Konako had bounded downstairs, nearly tripping over herself. She arrived just in time to catch the morning news.
"Spectacular news from the station: the man who had been responsible for all the hold-ups close to Meiji University has finally been caught. It was all thanks to a little pet shop tucked away at the corner of..."
Konako ogled at the screen. Flashed in the news was their little pet shop.
"Surprised?" her older cousin asked.
Konako couldn't speak. Her throat had grown tight and dry. With no other means of communication, she nodded.
"Yeah," Kuraki said, quietly finishing his omelet. "That's how I reacted when I made my way downstairs."
"Is Uncle at the shop?" she asked shakily.
"Yep."
"D-does he need help? I should probably help... He can't possibly manage that crowd on his own."
But Kuraki shook her head. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. It might get messy. Dad's been trying to tell them to knock it off but it hasn't been going well. If it gets so bad, he's planning to close up shop for today instead. Told me to forget about it and just prepare for school. As should you, by the way."
Konako reverted her attention back to the live broadcast. There it was again: their shop. She wondered if any of Inoo Kei's fangirls had figured out that he had graced her family's shop with his presence. Would they chase after her? Corner her and bombard her with questions? Would they murder her for the mere possibility of getting in the way of their perfect fantasy?
The prospects proved too much for Konako to consider. She was beginning to feel dizzy in the vortex of her thoughts. She decided she'd rather not listen to the rest of the news and hobbled back upstairs. She had lost her appetite anyway.
"Oy!" Kuraki called. "You're not even going to eat your breakfast?"
When she failed to answer, he shrugged and drifted back to eating. He picked at his food hungrily, barely listening to the rest of the program.
"...But that isn't why females have flocked all over the vicinity," the newscaster continued. "Apparently, there have been rumors going on about several Johnny's Entertainment talents being involved in the scene of the crime. But what roles they had to play, we can't be too certain. We do have reason enough to believe that these unidentified personalities are part of renowned J-pop group, Hey! Say! JUMP."
At that moment, the television flashed several recent photographs of the aforementioned group, including a clip of several interviews and their latest music video.
Kuraki couldn't care less for a bunch of pretty boys, though. He had covered his face with the bowl, flicking the last of its contents into his mouth just as Hikaru's laughing face panned through the screen.
"The ten-member group has just recently announced the scheduled release of another album, which they will be performing in a concert by the end of the summer..."
Kuraki finished devouring the his meal and started groping around for the remote.
"Boring," he mumbled. "Wonder what's on sports?"
*************
Unlike Konako, Hikaru did not wake up refreshed. Instead, he felt sore all over but with no recollection as to how that happened.
"What the -?" he asked himself as he scratched at his bedhead. “OW!”
Even raising his arms proved difficult.
"What the heck happened?" he wondered. "What did I do last night? Why am I so - "
He turned over to the other side and received the surprise of his life. For perched on top of his bedside table was a glass bowl. And it wasn't just an empty glass bowl.
It had a turtle inside.
Hikaru stared, grinning like crazy as the memory of last night crashed through his head, one after the other. Of course. How could he have forgotten? Now he remembered.
The pet shop.
Being blasted by pepper spray.
The burglar.
That cursed baseball bat.
Kei.
And Konako.
As well as an older boy who stood as Konako's cousin. What was his name again? Oh right, Kuraki.
Oh, and the pain. Oh yes, the pain. It reverberated through his core, a raw reminder of last night's adventure.
And the turtle. Dear sweet Lord, the turtle. Ruru-chan. The manifestation of Konako's appreciation, gratitude, and apology. His own pet.
He stared at the little green creature with absolute wonderment. He couldn't believe he finally had one.
He grinned, displaying the set of disarranged teeth he was best known for.
"Ruru-chan!" he sang.