51 Chapter Seven: Gals And Their Worries

"Thanks for walking me home Akio-kun," Kanako said as the pair arrived at her house. "No problem. I can't believe the buses completely stopped running. We ended up having to walk for a while," Akio said. "Yeah, b-but I'm kind of glad," Kanako said. "Glad?" Akio repeated. Kanako gave a small nod. "Because I got to be with you longer." For a moment, Akio frowned, but by the time Kanako looked up at him, he had replaced it with a smile. "Same here."

However, Kanako's mood shifted as she stared at Haruna's house. "Do you think Haruna is okay?" she asked. "Kana-chan, that's like the fifth time you've asked that," Akio said. "I-I know," Kanako said. "But she just looked so upset..." "Why don't you go check on her?" Akio suggested. "I-It's not like I don't want to, b-but..." Kanako said quietly. Seeing Haruna in the mood she was in reminded Kanako of the times when the two girls weren't getting along. It was true Kanako could hold her own against Haruna when push came to shove, but it took a lot of pushing to even get to that point, making it an experience that Kanako wasn't eager to go through again. "Haruna can get pretty mean when she's angry..." Kanako thought.

"I think... I'll give her space," Kanako decided. Akio shrugged. "If you say so. Well, good night." "Good night," Kanako said as the boy walked away. Once he had gone far enough down the sidewalk, Kanako gave Haruna's house one more long look before shaking her head again and going inside her own home.

*****

In the living room of the Endo residence, Haruna was currently sitting on the couch with her legs pulled up to her chest. The lower half of her face was buried in her knees as she stared at the television. At the moment, a variety show was on, but every so often Haruna would click the remote, changing the channel to something else. It was just past dinner time, and when Haruna flipped the channel for the ninth time, it drew the ire of her mother.

"Haruna dear, please just pick something and stick with it," she said. "And I would appreciate it if you would sit properly on the couch." "Leave me alone..." Haruna muttered. "Honestly, that's no way to speak to your mother..." the elder Endo said with a sigh. She went over to her daughter and sat down next to her. "Did something happen?" she asked. "Nothing at all," Haruna lied. "Did you have a fight with Kana-chan?"

Haruna's head shot up as she stared at her mother. "How did you-" she began to say. "You'd get that same look on your face whenever you fought with Kana-chan when you were kids," her mother answered with a little laugh. "I guess some things never change." "Whatever," Haruna said, going back to sulking. "Anyways, it wasn't really a fight. I just got frustrated, that's all." "Well, whatever happened, don't let it go on too long. I��d hate to see you go back to how you were before making up with Kana-chan for all those years," Haruna's mother said. "How I was before?" Haruna repeated. "You always just seemed angry all the time. I mean, you're always moody, but it was worse then. Ever since Kana-chan came back into your life, you've seemed happier," Haruna's mother explained. "Happier, huh?" Haruna mumbled as she went back to staring at the TV screen.

She couldn't deny that that was true. Having Kanako around had become something that Haruna enjoyed, even more so than when they were children. Of course, her own feelings played a role, but Haruna was sure that even if she wasn't in love with Kanako, it was better to have the girl as a friend than to try to make her seem like an enemy.

"I think I'm going to take a bath," Haruna said, getting up from her seat. "Okay. Try not to stay in too long. And make sure you get your homework done," her mother said. "I knooow,��� Haruna said as she walked through the hallway. Arriving at the bathroom, she turned on the lights and locked the door behind her, then proceeded to twist the knob of the faucet and let warm water fill the tub. While that happened, Haruna stripped down, proceeding then to go through the process of washing herself before actually getting in.

Once that part was complete, Haruna climbed into the tub and sank in as far as she could without her face getting submerged. Being as tall as she was, Haruna couldn't entirely fit underneath the water. The tops of her knees stuck out if she tried to cover her chest, and of course her chest stood above the water if she tried to put her knees under the surface. "It's times like these that I wish I was shorter," Haruna thought, feeling a little annoyed. For the most part, her height didn't bother her, but when problems such as 'trying to put all of yourself into the water in a bathtub' came up, Haruna always thought that she wouldn't mind having a couple of inches shaved off. "I bet Kanako never has this problem," Haruna complained inside, recalling the other girl's short stature.

Thinking about Kanako made Haruna remember the day's events. Sinking far enough into the water so her mouth was under the surface, Haruna let out a stream of bubbles as she thought, "Stupid Miyashita-kun." She knew that it was entirely possible he had appeared by chance. The part of town they had been in had a lot of good places to shop at, and if Haruna remembered correctly, she thought he might have had a bag in hand. "So maybe it was coincidence," she said to herself. "But the timing..."

The timing had been weird. The way she and Kanako had run into Akio, it had almost looked like he was waiting for them. But how could he have known where they'd be? Haruna was certain Chiyo wasn't relaying information to him anymore. "I guess he could've been lurking around a nearby corner at school and overheard us making plans," Haruna thought. That idea creeped her out. "Seriously, who spies on people like that?" Haruna knew that Akio had been watching her and Kanako in the beginning of their deal, but it hadn't lasted long. "I doubt he went back to doing that," she decided. "Although, that still doesn't answer the question of how he'd know where we were..."

Haruna wanted to know. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced Akio had shown up intentionally. "Maybe he put a tracking device on me!" Haruna suddenly thought, then quickly shook her head to clear the idea away. "Yeah right. My life isn't some action movie." She tried to come up with any other possibilities, but nothing feasible was coming to mind. "I guess I'll just have to ask Miyashita-kun about it," she thought. "Too bad I know he won't give me a straight answer." Haruna felt herself getting more annoyed at the boy. "When did he get so elusive?"

Much to her disappointment, Haruna's bath continued to be more stressful than she would've liked. By the time she got out, she was pretty sure she was only more stressed than she had been before her bath. Trying to do her homework resulted in similar failures as well, with Haruna constantly coming back to her worries about Kanako and Akio.

"Ugh, this totally sucks!" Haruna yelled, flopping down onto her desk. It was possible to apply that comment to the worksheet in front of her, but Haruna was much more concerned with what was going on inside her head. "Why did today have to go like that? It was going so well, and then..." Haruna muttered. Deciding to try to ignore it once more, Haruna kept trying to do her homework, going through a couple of painful hours until it was finally finished. Once it was done, Haruna decided that she had had enough for the day. "All I want to do is sleep," she thought. And that's what she did.

Sunday turned out to be rather uneventful, with Haruna just lazing around. Or, she looked like she was being lazy. Her mind was running as fast as a hamster on a wheel as she tried to understand all of the recent things that had happened. Unfortunately, it all just seemed like a muddled mess. Haruna couldn't be sure of anything, and by the time her Sunday ended, nothing had gotten better.

*****

The next day at lunch, as Haruna, Chiyo and Jasmine sat on the roof, it became very clear to the two gals that Haruna was in a very bad mood. "What's her deal?" Jasmine whispered to Chiyo. "Welllll, it might have to do with what happened this morning," Chiyo whispered back. Jasmine gave her a questioning look. Chiyo looked at Haruna, then back at Jasmine before deciding she'd tell the story.

So what had occurred on this Monday morning? It had all begun with Akio's appearance. As per usual, shortly after his arrival Chiyo showed up as well and the group of four had continued on their way to school with the now-normal amount of tension between them. While they walked, Akio naturally kept talking to Kanako, which served to irritate Haruna. However, that was not what had put her in such a foul state. A conversation had taken place that had managed to truly irk Haruna.

"So Haruna-chan," Akio had begun. "Sorry about Saturday. I didn't mean to upset you." "Sure you didn't," Haruna had thought bitterly, responding aloud only with a "Whatever. You didn't bother me." "Are you sure? You seemed pretty mad though," Akio said, the lack of concern in his voice subtle but still discernible. "I said it's fine," Haruna reiterated. "Well if you say so. It's too bad you left so early though. Kana-chan and I had a great time talking. You missed out on some wonderful conversation," Akio said, being sure to rub it in that he had gotten alone time with Kanako.

Thoroughly incensed by the boy's attitude, Haruna had spent the first half of her day fuming, leading to a very angry lunch for her. "What's his problem anyways?!" Haruna yelled to no one as she continued eating. "Hang on, I think I'm missing something. Miyashita-san always pokes at you Haru-chi, so why're you so mad now?" Jasmine asked. "Actually yeah, I was wondering that too. He said something about talking with Kana-chan. Did he like, show up on your date or something?" Chiyo asked.

"Yeah, he did! He just waltz in and acted like it was completely natural! That jerk! Who does he think he is?! I know Miyashita-kun knows what's going on here! Why can't he just leave me and Kanako alone?! Argh!" Haruna screamed, her own words only igniting her anger more. "Wow, that's weird. I wonder how he even knew where you two were?" Jasmine said. "He claimed it was coincidence. Like I'd believe a crappy lie like that," Haruna said. "What do you think Chiyo?" Jasmine asked. "Chiyo?"

Looking to her right, Jasmine stared at Chiyo, who had a pained expression on her face. "Yo, earth to Chiyo," Jasmine called, waving her hand in front of the gal's face. "Huh?" Chiyo let out, looking back at Jasmine. "You okay girl? You totally look a little pale. Maybe you should go sleep in the nurse's office," Jasmine suggested. "No, that's okay, I'm fine," Chiyo said with a wave. "Buuut, it's nice to know you care so much about me Jas-chin! Watching me so closely makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." "If you can joke like that then I guess the only thing wrong with you is up here," Jasmine said as she gave a tap to Chiyo's forehead.

"More importantly Haru-chi," Jasmine said, changing her focus of attention. "Are you an idiot?" "Hah?! What the hell Jasmine-chan?!" Haruna exclaimed. "You seriously ran away and left Kana-chan alone with Miyashita-san, the boy she's in love with?" Hearing her situation put like that made Haruna droop. "Maybe I am an idiot," she moaned. "It's okay Haru-chi! You'll just have to sweep Kana-chan off her feet next time!" Chiyo said encouragingly. "Yeah..." Haruna said quietly. "How'd the date go before Miyashita-san showed up?" Jasmine asked. "It... was really nice," Haruna answered shyly. "Now that's a maiden in love," Chiyo snickered. Haruna glared at her a bit, still blushing. "Shut up."

With that exchange, things felt a little more normal. Obviously nothing had been actually fixed between Chiyo and Haruna, but it seemed as though the gap between them had become a little smaller. Perhaps it was only a perspective, but perhaps it was also the truth. It wasn't as if either girl wanted to be fighting with the other, and in fact, some would be hard-pressed to even call what was happening between the two girls a fight at all. But, when as many feelings were involved as they were, it made making easy judgements difficult and misunderstandings larger than what they really were.

Through just that brief bit of conversation, it was undeniable that both Chiyo and Haruna could feel a shift in their stalemate of hearts. For Chiyo, she hoped it was the first step toward fixing for what she believed to be her fault for breaking. For Haruna, she could only think that maybe, with time, she could regain that level of friendship with Chiyo that she felt she had lost. Even Jasmine, who was an outsider to it all, could feel the change. "It'd be great if they would make up already," she thought.

They were an odd trio. There was Chiyo Wakabayashi, the gyaru from Tokyo who had quickly gotten a reputation for being easy. There was Jasmine Hiraoka, the half-American, half-Japanese gyaru native to the Hokkaido region and who was a bit of a mystery herself. Finally, there was Haruna, whose looks were, at points, comparable to the gals she was surrounded by, but she was so stiff and stubborn that it negated those good points. While it made sense for two girls like Chiyo and Jasmine to become friends, it was admittedly a bit bizarre that Haruna had joined them. Yet, the three of them had come together.

For several years they had maintained their relationship as friends well. But, through this second year of high school, Jasmine felt like so much had already changed. Certainly, as time passes and life ebbs and flows, things will change. Jasmine understood that and wasn't averse to it at all. However, the one thing she simply wished to keep were the two girls next to her. So naturally, seeing them at odds to any degree was something she didn't like to see. Jasmine would never say it out loud, but Chiyo and Haruna had become the two most important people to her in her life.

But, even understanding that wasn't enough to make her act directly. Sure, she had become more involved in Haruna's situation since the beginning, but beyond her small acts Jasmine wasn't sure of what else to do. Being at loss, she felt all she could do was observe. Subconsciously cursing her own personality and looking at Chiyo, she wondered how her fellow gal was able to take action so easily. "If I could be more like her, would anything be different?" It was a fleeting thought, passing through Jasmine's mind with such speed that it was hard to say if she even really considered her own question.

"Hey Jas-chin, I thought you had said something about eating with Mayu-chan and Itsuki-chan?" Chiyo said suddenly. Jasmine did remember saying something along those lines. The truth was, while she did enjoy Mayu and Itsuki's company, she preferred to be with the ones she was closest with. "Did I?" Jasmine said in an evasive tone. "Did'ja miss us that much?" Chiyo goaded. "It's more like I'd hate to leave you alone with Haru-chi. Who knows what you'd do to her," Jasmine said with a fake shudder. "Do you think I'm an animal or something?!" Chiyo whined.

However, even with that banter, Jasmine couldn't shake her observations from the forefront of her mind. Haruna was clearly struggling with Akio over Kanako, and Chiyo had something to do with that. The brief moments that Chiyo's cheery façade dropped were enough to tell Jasmine that whatever role she had played was clearly hurting her. With both of her friends dealing with their own troubles, Jasmine wanted to help. She wanted to, but... she didn't. Only when prompted did she offer a hand. Wondering if that part of her would ever change, there Haruna, Chiyo and Jasmine sat, all appearing fine in their conversation with one another on the surface, but contending with their personal issues underneath.

*****

After school, Akio Miyashita sat in a dimming classroom. Looking at his watch once again, he saw only five minutes had passed since he had last checked. "Man, waiting sure does take a while," he said to the room. He had already been sitting in the desk chair for 20 minutes as he waited for both Haruna and Kanako to get out of their clubs. "I could always go see how Haruna's conditioning is going," he thought. "Maybe tease her a little too." But, Akio decided against the idea. He had no desire to give Haruna a hard time if it didn't involve Kanako.

Thinking back, he wondered how things had gotten to be the way they were. "I'm sure if I asked anyone who knows the situation, they'd say it's my fault," Akio thought. To an extent, he agreed. After all, had he never proposed the deal that he had originally made with Kanako and Haruna, most of what had happened probably never would have. The most he could've ever hoped for was Haruna and Kanako managing to reconcile on their own.

Thanks to his intervening, Akio had gotten his two childhood friends back on speaking terms. However, that wasn't enough. There was more Akio wanted, more that he needed. He knew that the actions he had taken thus far and the ones he planned on taking would most certainly confuse everyone else involved, but selfishly, a part of him didn't care. "If it all works out..." Akio thought, not bothering to finish that thought. He already knew what the rest of it was, as he had said it to himself many times already in order to justify his actions.

As he mused upon his acts and future plans, the light coming in through the open doorway lessened. Noticing the change, Akio looked toward the area in question. "Oh?" he let out, surprised by who had come to see him. "How did you know where I was?" he asked. "I didn't. I just kept checking rooms until I found you," the girl said, looking a little annoyed. "You know, that sounds like something a girl in love says. Don't tell me you've fallen for more too?" Akio joked. "Sorry, but I think that queue's already full."

"Cut the crap Akio-kun," Chiyo said, moving in closer from the doorway. "I heard about what you did. Messing with Haru-chi's date? Aren't you doing enough damage already?" Akio sighed. ���It's not like I set out to find them. It really was all by chance." He said that, but the glint in his eye betrayed his words. "Akio-kun," Chiyo said. She spoke his name not with anger, but with a tone of sincerity. "Why? Why do you have to go this far?"

Akio looked away. "You already know why," he said softly. "But this is ridiculous! Can't you just-" Chiyo began to protest, but Akio cut her off. "Ridiculous? Are you forgetting that you agreed with me in the beginning?" "If I would've known you'd be willing to go this far, I like, totally wouldn't have," Chiyo said painfully. "You're going to hurt her Akio-kun. You're going to hurt both of them!" "...They'll be okay. In the end, everyone will be happy," Akio said. Chiyo stared at him. "Please Akio-kun," she pleaded. "Just leave them alone."

Finally, Akio turned to face the gal. "I won't," he said strongly. Seeing the determination in his eyes, Chiyo faltered. "I think... I'll go see Haruna-chan after all," Akio said. Then he walked right past Chiyo and out of the room.

Staggering, Chiyo slumped down into a nearby chair. "Why...?" she muttered. "Is what you told me back then really that important?" Feeling tears forming in the corners of her eyes, Chiyo wiped them away. "It's happening again..." she mumbled, barely audible. Slowly, a tear escaped her hand, trickling down her cheek before dripping off her face and landing on her thigh. Silently a few more drops fell, each one reminding Chiyo of her past. "Stop it..." she squeaked out. "I told myself I wouldn't cry again... Not over that..."

Soon enough, Chiyo managed to stop the flow of tears, and when she looked at the clock on her phone, she saw that it was about time for clubs to let out. A pang ran through her at the thought of Akio being with Haruna and Kanako. Quickly, she went to find them, but by the time she got out of the building, they were long gone. Disheartened, Chiyo stood still for a moment before something caught her eye.

Two golden strands of hair waved in the wind, highlighted by the sun that was just beginning to dip. The short girl that they belonged to was just about to pass through the school gates. Upon seeing her, Chiyo's legs began to move, soon breaking into a dash toward her target. Closer and closer she got, until finally she was close enough to leap onto the unsuspecting girl.

"Mi-chan!" Chiyo cried as she glomped onto her. "G-Gah?! What the hell?! Get off me idiot!" Michi shrieked. However, she got no response. Instead, Chiyo simply buried her face into one of Michi's buns of hair. "Mi-chan," she said softly. "W-What are you doing you weirdo?" Michi said, unsure of how to react to the gal's actions. Chiyo's arms were still wrapped around Michi, and for a moment the two of them stayed like that.

"...Can you let go already? I need to get home," Michi said. Chiyo did as she was told, releasing the girl. "No prob! I got my fill of Mi-chan, so I'm good to go!" she proclaimed. "God, that sounds so creepy," Michi said. "See ya later Mi-chan!" Chiyo said happily as she started to head toward her own home. As she left, Michi watched. She couldn't help but notice that Chiyo had acted weird in a different way than usual, at least in Michi's eyes.

"...What was that about?"

End of Chapter Seven.