151 Chapter Seventeen: A Change In Address

Mayu Kawaguchi's life, in a word, had become eventful. Merely a year or so ago, her day to day consisted of waking up and getting ready for school, helping her little sister Kanade along, and following her mother's instructions. It was simple, easy, and never required much thought. Was that a good or bad thing? Honestly, Mayu wasn't sure. Then again, if asked this same question one year ago, she probably wouldn't have had much of an answer then either, so perhaps it was bad after all.

Regardless, those days were long behind her, as a pink-haired storm had come rolling into her life. Although, storm might be an inaccurate descriptor. It was more like quicksand, Mayu supposed. No, wait, that wasn't right either… How best could she describe the rush Jasmine had created in her life?

Mayu had gone from simple, obedient daughter to questioning and maybe a little rebellious (at least by her mother's standards). That was purely thanks to a certain gyaru who, like it or not, was now a more regular part of Mayu's life. She didn't particularly mind, but her mother, Ai Kawaguchi, a traditionalist by all standards, did in fact mind quite a lot.

It was on a particular Saturday in what was now early June that yet another disturbance occurred at the Kawaguchi residence. With the weather finally warming up in earnest, Mayu, Jasmine and Itsuki had made plans to spend some time outside. What exactly they were going to be doing, they hadn't decided yet, but knowing Itsuki and her love of being outside, it most likely wouldn't take long to figure out something.

Still being in their first term of their third year, Itsuki still had to go to track practice. She didn't seem to be bothered by this, but it did mean that Jasmine and Mayu would be stuck waiting for her. So, Jasmine went to go pick up Mayu, and the two of them would walk together to the school to meet up with Itsuki.

Arriving at Mayu's house in her school uniform (worn extra loosely; the only reason she had it on was because they were going to the school and she didn't want to get yelled at for not wearing her uniform. Then again, she'd probably get yelled at anyways,) she knocked. With a tremendous thumping of feet, the door slid open quickly.

"Jasmine-nee-chan!" Kanade exclaimed happily. "Heya Kanade," Jasmine said, smiling and patting the little girl's head. With her black hair tied in a single braid, her face looked quite a bit like Mayu's, but that was about the only similarity. This girl was energetic and had a completely different sense of style (currently wearing a green t-shirt with blue overalls). Though, that all made sense for the now nine year old.

Just like many of Mayu's other friends, Kanade had taken to Jasmine after only a visit or two. However, unlike the others, she just seemed to enjoy sitting and watching Jasmine, mimicking what she did. When Jasmine asked about it, she received the following reply from Kanade: "You're so cool! I wanna be just like you!" Incidentally, that was probably also the first time she had ever seen Mayu look wounded. "I guess her pride as an older sister got hurt," Jasmine thought at the time, both feeling a little bad and amused.

"Are you here to play with my big sister?" Kanade asked. "Yeah, but we're not stayin' here," Jasmine said, which got a "Booo!" out of Kanade. Then she scampered off, all the while calling for Mayu. Thanks to the commotion, it turned out that the next person to arrive was not Mayu, but the elder Kawaguchi. She stood in her traditional dress wear, a small scowl on her face.

"Hello, Hiraoka-san," Ai said, only giving a greeting out of formality. "Hey Ai-chan," Jasmine said back coolly, deepening Ai's scowl. It didn't make her happy at all to hear Jasmine be so casual with her, especially adding a -chan to her name. "I've told you repeatedly to not call me that," Ai stated harshly, but Jasmine just shrugged. "Why not? It suits you." "It most certainly does not!" Ai exclaimed, causing Jasmine to smirk. "Like mother, like daughter," she thought, recalling some of Mayu's reactions.

"Haah," Ai then sighed. "And why are you here this time?" "Just spending some quality time with a lonely little bunny," Jasmine teased, which was immediately met with a shout of "I'm not a bunny!" from Mayu as she entered the room.

"Geez Jasmine-chan, when will you stop calling me things like that?" the girl complained. "Mm, maybe when you lose your ears and tail?" Jasmine joked. "Huh?" Mayu let out in confusion. Jasmine walked over to her and held up the girl's braids, positioning them like they were rabbit ears behind her head. "Here are the ears," she said, continuing in a lower tone of voice. "And if ya want, I can show ya where your tail is at." With her sultry look and seductive tone, it took Mayu a moment to gather her thoughts.

In that moment, Ai had begun whacking Jasmine with a rolled-up newspaper she had carried over with her. "Shoo! Begone! Stop disturbing my household!" Ai yelled as she swung away, repeatedly hitting Jasmine in her arms and back. In response, all Jasmine did was laugh, her usual response to Ai's beating. When Mayu had first seen it happen, the whole scene had been bizarre to her. She asked why Jasmine had just laughed about it, wondering if she enjoyed it or something. However, Jasmine hadn't given much of an answer, simply saying "I just do" when asked why she laughed. Mayu had a feeling there might be more to it, but she hadn't pressed the issue any further.

Regardless, it seemed that no matter how many times Jasmine came over, this moment was destined to play out repeatedly. After collecting herself again, Mayu turned to Ai. "Mother, please stop hitting my friend. It's improper." "And what about this girl's appearance?" Ai retorted. "That's truly the improper thing here." "Jasmine-nee-chan looks cool!" Kanade declared upon re-entering the room. "Don't you dare learn a thing from her Kanade!" Ai exclaimed.

With all exchanges made, and several warnings given to both Mayu and Jasmine from Ai, the two were finally off. "Sorry about mother again," Mayu said. "I wish she would try to get along with you instead of being so mean." "Don't worry about it," Jasmine said with a shrug. "Her reaction's like, pretty tame compared to some of the other one's I've gotten." "It's hard to imagine worse," Mayu commented, having little to no exposure in regards to relationship drama. "This one time, a mom was so mad about her son bringing me home she burned my clothes while I was in their bath," Jasmine said. "B-Burned your clothes?!" Mayu said in shock. "T-Then how did you get home?"

Seeing an opportunity, Jasmine leaned in as they walked along the side of the road. "Whaddya think I did Mayu-chi?" she asked wryly. "Are ya imaginin' me running home completely bare?" "E-E-Eh?! N-N-No, why would I think such a thing?!" Mayu exclaimed. Honestly, she hadn't been thinking about that at all, but now that Jasmine had put the idea in her head, a brief visual did appear in her mind. Mayu did her best to shake it away.

Having had her fun, Jasmine stood back up straight and looked ahead. "I don't usually get worked up about too much, but I had just bought those clothes, so I was kinda in a foul mood. I told the woman, if ya don't go buy me more of those same clothes right now, I'll sit outside of your home naked until you do." Then Jasmine turned to Mayu and smirked. "It took about two minutes of me sitting outside for the woman to go and buy the outfit for me she had just burned."

"I'm not sure if I should be impressed about how that worked out, or bothered by the fact that you can be so shameless as to put your body on display just to get what you want," Mayu said. "Feeling both those things is probably the best option," Jasmine said. "So what happened to that relationship?" Mayu asked. "Well obvi, I couldn't go back," Jasmine said. "But I did hear that apparently, the guy I had been dating got an earful from his mom about his 'relationship choices,' whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. I guess she also just really didn't like me, because the next time I saw her was when we walked past each other in a store or something, she tried to trip me." "Was this really an adult woman?" Mayu wondered aloud, causing Jasmine to laugh. "Who knows?"

*****

Arriving at Iwanai Municipal, the two girls made their way not into, but around the building, heading for the track. They had gone to pick up the third member of their group, who was currently stuck at track practice on a Saturday morning. Arriving at the spot, Jasmine and Mayu watched as various individuals practiced.

There were some practicing high-jump, others throwing things, and of course, some people were on the track itself. Among them was Itsuki, lined up and about to take off for a 100 meter dash. Moving closer, Jasmine and Mayu stood off to the side and watched as someone at the end of the start line raised a hand. In it was a starting pistol, gleaming under the sunlight. "Ready!" the woman shouted. Then with a pull of the trigger, the gun fired, and all six girls on the line took off.

Within 20 seconds of the shot, the race was over. Itsuki had finished second, and she appeared to be pretty tired. However, as soon as she stood up straight again and saw her two friends, she beamed and waved happily, her short, black hair swaying with her motions.

"Do your cool-downs, then practice is dismissed!" a coach declared to all in earshot. So Itsuki did as she was told, jogging a few laps and doing a few stretches before finally coming over to Jasmine and Mayu. "Heya guys!" she said. "Sorry you got here before practice ended." "It's fine," Mayu said nicely. "It's fun watching you." "For some reason, hearing that makes me feel a lil' embarrassed," Itsuki said with a shy laugh, but then she clapped her hands to switch gears. "Alright! I'm gonna go get changed and probably shower in the locker room, then I'll meet you back out front!" Then Itsuki ran off toward the faded white building.

"I'll never understand how she has that much energy," Jasmine said. "Sometimes I think Itsuki-chan and Chiyo are similar," Mayu mentioned, but Jasmine just shook her head. "They might both be energetic, but I can guarantee ya if Chiyo had to go through this practice, she'd be winded for sure."

The two girls soon made their way back to the front of the high school, opting to sit on a nearby bench as they waited. They sat and sat, and as more and more minutes ticked by, Jasmine began to get impatient. "Seriously, where is that girl?" she wondered aloud. "Do we have to go lookin' for her?" "Maybe a coach stopped her to talk about something?" Mayu suggested. "Are ya sure she didn't just get lost?" Jasmine said, half-joking but also half-serious. "I wish I could say that was impossible…" Mayu sighed. With an exchange of looks, they decided it would be best to go looking after all.

As luck would have it, it didn't take long to find Itsuki. She was standing just outside of the locker rooms. "Hey, Itsuki-chan," Jasmine called. "C'mon, let's go. We got things to do, y'know." However, Itsuki didn't move a muscle. "Itsuki-chan?" Mayu called, approaching her. When they reached Itsuki, they circled around to see her face, getting only a blank expression.

"Uh… you okay?" Jasmine asked, poking her cheek. That seemed to finally do the trick. "W-What do I do…?" she muttered. "Do about what?" Jasmine asked. Coming back to her senses, real panic began to set in on Itsuki's face. "W-W-What do I do Jasmine-chan?! I really might've gone and done it now!" Grabbing Jasmine's shoulders, Itsuki started shaking her. "Ya gotta help me Jasmine-chan! I really need your help!" "Alright, alright!" Jasmine yelled, managing to free herself from Itsuki. "Would ya just tell me what's goin' on?!"

*****

After getting the full story, all Jasmine could do was put a hand to her forehead. "...So lemme get this straight. Ya just blurted out you wanted to go on a date, and he said yes?" "Y-Yeah…" "I legit don't know whether to call that good luck or bad…"

Having left the school, the three girls had made their way to a family restaurant and were currently sitting at a booth. They had all placed orders, and in their waiting time, Itsuki had told them the story of what had happened while she had been outside of the locker rooms.

As it turned out, there was a boy that Itsuki had a crush on who was also on the track and field team. This wasn't really surprising news, but what was was the fact that Itsuki had apparently gotten a surge of confidence upon seeing him. "I had just finished changing, and when I came out, there he was, waiting for someone," she told them. "We're friends, so I started talking to him, and before I knew it… I went and asked him if he was busy, and he said no, s-so… I asked him to go out with me somewhere."

"If he said yes, isn't that good?" Mayu asked. "Well, yeah," Jasmine said. "But with this being so sudden, no one really has any time to process, so it could end up goin' bad. Say, when is this date anyways?" Hearing that question, Itsuki looked at Jasmine with teary eyes. "T…Tonight…" she whimpered.

"TONIGHT?!" Jasmine exclaimed, a rare sight for her. So rare that it made Mayu and Itsuki jump in surprise. "J-Jasmine-chan?" Mayu said. "God..." Jasmine moaned. "Itsuki-chan, c'mon girl… That's way too quick…" "I-I know…" Itsuki sighed. "Maybe I should just call him and cancel." "That'd be even worse," Jasmine said. "You went out of your way to plan a last-minute date, and then you turn around not even ten minutes later and cancel? That'd definitely leave a horrible impression."

Itsuki hung her head. "But what should I do? I've never even been on a date in my life! We don't even have a plan! All I managed to sputter out was, 'It's a surprise' when he asked what we were doing! Ugh, me and my big mouth!"

Mayu, sitting next to Itsuki in the booth, put her hand on the girl's shoulder to console her. Across from them, Jasmine sighed. "I swear, why does everyone around me suck at stuff like this?" "Uuu…" Itsuki cried. "Jasmine-chan, can't you do something to help?" Mayu asked. "You know a lot about dating, don't you? Surely there's something you can do."

"......haaaaaah..." Jasmine let out a long sigh. "Seriously, what a pain… Fine, fine, I'll help. I guess after we were done hangin' out all I was gonna do was sleep anyway. We'll have to swing by my house to pick up some stuff." "Huh? Can't we just stay there?" Itsuki asked. That question turned out to land Itsuki on thin ice, as Jasmine coldly glared at her. "No. Way."

Standing up, Jasmine made her way to the register. "Did I… say something wrong?" Itsuki asked. "Mayu-chan, is there something up with Jasmine-chan's house?" "It's not my place to tell you things like that," Mayu said, standing up as well. "If you really want to know, I suggest you ask Jasmine-chan directly. It would be better that way, don't you think?" "Yeah, I guess so…" Itsuki mumbled. Admittedly, a part of her did really want to know, but for some reason, she also got the feeling she shouldn't ask. "It's not like I really need to know really personal stuff like that anyways," Itsuki thought.

*****

By the time they stopped by Jasmine's house to get what they needed, then going to Itsuki's house, it was already mid-afternoon. "What time did you say you were meetin' this guy?" Jasmine asked as they approached Itsuki's place. "Around seven, I think?" the girl responded. "Well, at least making you look good won't take long," Jasmine said.

The house they had arrived at was on the larger size, but that was mostly due to Itsuki having a larger family, plus a dog. The inside was decorated with all sorts of familial objects, such as photos, signs with importance of family written on them, and just an overall homey feel. The place itself looked more Western than Japanese, but there were parts here and there that showed the building's roots.

Glancing all around, Jasmine let a comment slip. "You must be close with your family." As they walked down the hall, Itsuki stopped. "Yeah, I guess so," she said, turning to look at Jasmine. "We've always gotten along." "Must be nice…" Jasmine muttered. Having never really experienced a tight-knit family environment, it was a bit much to take in for her.

Arriving at Itsuki's room, it was both what Jasmine expected and not expected. Having more of a tomboy disposition, Itsuki's room had more sporty-type things such as a few weights and posters of runners. However, there were also just as many girly clothes strewn about, along with a small vanity table. "Just what kind of girl is she supposed to be?" Jasmine wondered as she took in the sight.

"Oh, I guess this is your first time here, isn't it Jasmine-chan?" Itsuki remembered. "Well, welcome, haha!" "I don't understand your room…" Jasmine commented. "What does that mean?" Itsuki asked, confused, but Jasmine just waved the question off. "Nevermind. Let's get to work."

"Huh? A-Already?" Itsuki said nervously. "Well like, I've got all these outfits and makeup with me, so I thought I'd just have ya try a bunch of stuff," Jasmine said. "That way we won't have to do this every time you have a date."

And so, the Itsuki dress-up parade began. For the next two hours, the girl tried on various combinations, along with a few different kinds of makeup, to see what worked and what didn't. Admittedly, at first Jasmine had been a little annoyed to have to go through all the trouble, but about partway through, she realized how much fun she was having. "Maybe… doing something like this as a career wouldn't be so bad…" she thought.

Finally, the time came to get Itsuki ready for real. "Okay, put on this, this and this," Jasmine commanded, holding up a set of three pieces of clothing. "Then afterwards I'll do your face." "Great!" Itsuki said, beginning to quickly get changed. While she did, Jasmine and Mayu sat off to the side. "It's nice of you to do this for Itsuki-chan," Mayu said. "It's not like I could leave her on her own," Jasmine said. "That would've guaranteed disaster for sure." "H-Hey! I can hear you!" Itsuki cried, causing Jasmine and Mayu to laugh.

"But still," Jasmine thought, looking around. She watched Itsuki as she struggled with her top. She looked at Mayu's profile as the girl giggled at Itsuki. She looked down at her own feet, and the carpet beneath her. Everything around her felt so… normal. In a way, that was freeing to Jasmine. It felt like she could just sit back and actually breathe for a few moments, enjoying the serenity. "Who would've thought… even I would get to do something like this?"

Boyfriend after boyfriend after boyfriend had been Jasmine's life, with some Chiyo mixed in. That hadn't been the worst, but… it had certainly felt empty. Now, Jasmine's life actually seemed to be full of, well, life. And really, she couldn't recall a time when she was happier than these times she was experiencing now.

"Gah, finally!" Itsuki shouted. "Okay, Jasmine-chan, I got it all on, but… are you sure about this? I-I don't know if this is really me…" "It suits ya just fine," Jasmine said confidently. "An outfit like this will knock any boy off his feet." "If you say so…" Itsuki said, still uncertain.

Standing in the middle of her room, Itsuki was wearing a plain white t-shirt that held a little tightly to her figure, and a black skirt that was similar to a pencil skirt, but allowed for a bit more breathing room. "Alright, now for makeup," Jasmine said. "I'm not gonna put on a lot, because like, you don't really need a whole lot." "Aw, you sayin' I look good au naturale?" Itsuki joked. "If that was true, you wouldn't need the makeup at all," Jasmine retorted. "Harsh!" Itsuki cried. "Please work your magic, oh great gal!" "Yeah, yeah, just hold still."

A few minutes later, Jasmine was finished. She had only applied some highlights here and there, enough to thin Itsuki's eyebrows a tiny bit, make her eyes pop some and her lips stand out. "That should be good," Jasmine said, satisfied. "You look nice, Itsuki-chan," Mayu said, nodding along. "Y-You really think so?" Itsuki said, looking herself over. "I wonder if he'll like it…"

"Just have some confidence," Jasmine said. "Really, the whole point of looking good is for yourself anyways, not your date." "Huh? It is?" Itsuki asked. "Isn't the saying, 'look good, feel good?'" Jasmine pointed out. "It's true it's good to dress up for someone else's sake, but you're the one wearin' all this stuff in the first place, so the one that matters most is you."

That advice seemed to boost Itsuki's spirits a little. "Okay!" she said, energized. "We're meeting at a bus stop downtown, then we'll figure things out from there. I should probably get going, huh?" So the three girls headed back downstairs, Itsuki stopped to give a quick explanation to her parents about her appearance, and then she was on her way.

"...It's weird to see Itsuki-chan like that," Mayu said suddenly as they watched Itsuki go from the side of the road. "What? Being in love?" Jasmine asked. "I suppose because I never gave it much thought until recently, I assumed Itsuki-chan hadn't either. Apparently I was wrong," Mayu said, beginning to walk away. "Mayu-chi?" Jasmine said. "Somethin' up? You seem… bothered."

However, Mayu just shook her head, braids swaying with her. "No, I'm not bothered." Her tone of voice though told Jasmine differently. "Yeah, she's definitely annoyed about something. But what? It's not like anything's really happened… oh, wait a minute…"

Sliding up next to Mayu, Jasmine stared at her. In the past, Mayu had always been a girl with a gentle demeanor, and she was one who never really showed negative emotion. It wasn't because she was hiding it or anything. It was just because she didn't really get feelings like that. But, ever since she had met Jasmine, it seemed like many things in Mayu's spectrum of emotions had changed.

It wasn't completely obvious, but staring at her profile, Jasmine noticed that Mayu had a very slight pout on her face. "Hey," Jasmine said. "Are you… jealous that I spent so much time focusing on Itsuki-chan?" Hearing that question, Mayu flinched. "W-Why would I be jealous? You were helping out our friend. I find that admirable," Mayu said, doing her best to cover up her real feelings. "C'mon, you can tell me the truth," Jasmine said softly. "Was my little bunny feeling neglected?"

"I-I'm not-! Oh nevermind…" Mayu sighed. "And… maybe I was… a little…"

That honest answer took Jasmine by surprise. "Oh, uh," she sputtered. "Sorry, I guess?" "It's fine," Mayu said. "Like I said, I appreciate you helping out Itsuki-chan. I can put aside my own feelings for something like that."

"I really enjoy that the three of us get along so well," Mayu continued. "It's fun to spend time together, and to share these experiences with both of you. My life has changed so much as the end of our high school days continue to get closer. But… because of that… because I know it's ending soon… I often find myself wanting to spend as much time as possible with you Jasmine-chan, because I don't know what the future may hold. For all I know, we could end up being on opposite ends of the world, never to see each other again. So, while I know it sounds selfish, I'd like to have more moments like these, where it's just the two of us, along with our times with Itsuki."

Mayu had kept walking as she spoke, but it turned out assuming Jasmine had been right beside her had been wrong. Stopping, Mayu looked behind her, spotting Jasmine standing a few feet back. "Jasmine-chan?" she said. "Are you okay?" The gal was standing in an odd position, with her head turned away from Mayu and her body shifted to the side. "I-I'm fine," she said. "Totally fine! Just, uh, give me a sec, 'kay?" "Sure…"

Mayu stood where she was, confused by Jasmine's actions. If she had been able to see the gal's face though, perhaps it would've all made sense, as it was entirely shaded in red.

*****

While Saturday had turned out to be rather enjoyable, Sunday did not hold the same fortune. What started as a bit of yelling had gradually grown into a full-blown screaming match at the Hiraoka residence. Naturally, it was Jasmine's step-father who was the root cause of it all, swearing up a storm and kicking things here and there. Luckily, he didn't go so far as to physically attack others, but that was far from meaning that the situation wasn't bad.

The yelling went on and on, but as Jasmine stood there, she soon fell silent. Not because she felt defeated, but because she began to feel like it was all so pointless. Why did she have to stay here and deal with this? True, she was still just a high schooler, but she could probably figure out something to make living away from home feasible.

The past Jasmine would've just shouted back and stormed out, or gone to her room, but things were different now. She found herself thinking about Mayu and Itsuki, along with her other friends too. Somehow, that seemed to be enough to change how she approached moments like these. "Why should I get upset about the stuff that happens here anymore?" Jasmine thought. Perhaps it swayed more optimistically than the gal would usually allow, but in that moment, standing there listening to her step-father shout and her mother hardly make a peep, Jasmine just didn't care anymore.

"Whatever," she finally said, stopping the vile man mid-sentence. For a second, he stood there seemingly dumbfounded, but once he regained his bearings, he doubled down. "Don't you just say whatever and think you'll get away with that, you ungrateful bitch!" And in response, Jasmine could only sigh. After that, she turned around and walked out, her step-father lobbing insult after insult after her.

*****

In the end, Jasmine had wound up sitting on a park bench some distance from her house. A part of her felt empowered for doing what she had just done. While she wasn't sure if it would be permanent, it felt as though she had managed to make her life better by walking out that door.

But, at the same time, her anxiety rose. "What am I gonna do now?" she wondered. "It's not like I can go back home, at least not anytime soon. Honestly, I don't even wanna go back." Still, Jasmine needed a place to stay. "I could ask Chiyo," she thought, but then she shook her head. "Nope, that's a bad idea. Who knows what'll happen if I have to stay there long-term." She considered Mayu too, but there was no way Ai would allow it.

"Damn it…" Jasmine thought. "Did I just like, make a really stupid mistake?"

With nowhere to go, she began to wonder if she'd have to backtrack. The thought alone made her cringe in disgust. "I can just see the look on that bastard's face now. He'll be so smug, and I bet he'll be even more insufferable than he already is." It was a scene that Jasmine did not want to experience. She'd sooner sleep on the bench she was sitting on than go back home.

"Eh? Jasmine-chan?" a voice suddenly said. Staring ahead, Jasmine's vision focused on the girl in front of her. She was wearing a navy blue tracksuit, walking a dog half her size. "What're you doing out here?" It was a simple enough question, but at the moment, it was hard for Jasmine to think straight. She had just been ready to fall into despair, and now someone she hadn't considered had just appeared before her.

"Itsuki-chan…" she uttered. "Uh, yeah, that's me?" Itsuki said, confused. Jasmine opened her mouth, about to ask if she could crash at her friend's house, but then she stopped. "No… I can't ask for something like that," she thought. "I mean, we're closer now, but asking someone to stay at their place for a few nights, especially when I'm still in high school… I doubt that'd go over well. Itsuki-chan's parents would probably say no, anyways…"

"Jasmine-chaaaan," Itsuki called, waving a hand in front of the gal's face. At the same time, the dog started licking Jasmine's bare shin. "Guh…" Jasmine let out, finally coming back to reality. "Great, now my leg's all sticky and wet." "Sorry about that!" Itsuki said as she pulled the hound away. "Anyways, what's up? You seem like something's bothering you."

"Well…" Jasmine began. "I guess you could say I like… ran away from home?" "Ran away from home?!" Itsuki repeated in shock. "J-Jasmine-chan, that's no good! Ya can't just run away! What about your parents? Won't they worry?"

"Ah…" Jasmine thought. "Yeah, she won't get it unless I explain, will she?" Jasmine wanted to just brush it off and act like she hadn't said anything, but between the fact she had already brought up the subject, and now Itsuki was giving her full attention, there was no getting out of it. "Itsuki-chan, you should sit down," Jasmine said. "What I gotta tell ya is gonna take a minute."

*****

Itsuki was speechless. To someone who came from a good family background, hearing Jasmine's story was almost unimaginable. "It's okay, you can say whatever ya want," the gal said, leaning back on the bench. "I-I really don't know what to say…" Itsuki muttered. "I never knew you had it so hard, Jasmine-chan." "I guess that's just how life is sometimes," Jasmine said with a shrug.

Suddenly, Itsuki stood up. "I refuse to accept that!" she declared. "Uh, what?" Jasmine said, staring at her. Itsuki turned back to Jasmine, her face resolute. "You're coming with me!" "I- h-hey, hang on! Itsuki-chan!" Before Jasmine could get out much of a protest, Itsuki was grabbing Jasmine's wrist, pulling her to her feet and then down the road.

Before she knew it, Jasmine had been taken to Itsuki's house. "Does this count as kidnapping?" she wondered, still trying to figure out what was going on. Unfortunately, she wasn't given the chance, as Itsuki continued marching along until they finally got inside and stopped in the living room. Inside were her parents, and seeing that their daughter had returned home, they were about to greet her when-

"Mom! Dad! Please adopt Jasmine-chan!"

"...Eh?"

"Wha…?"

"...I'm so confused right now…" Jasmine mumbled, her eyes wide.

The entire room froze for at least a good thirty seconds before Itsuki's mom spoke. "Um, so what's going on?" she asked. Itsuki turned to Jasmine. "Would you mind if I told them?" "I guess it's fine?" Jasmine said, still trying to figure out what Itsuki was doing. So with permission given, Itsuki then told her parents the more summarized version of Jasmine's history and her current situation.

When she finished, Itsuki's parents, much like their daughter had been, seemed to be at a loss for words. "That's… certainly unfortunate," Itsuki's father said. "I'm sorry to hear about what you've gone through," Itsuki's mother added. "It's fine. Don't worry about it," Jasmine said.

However, it seemed as though they intended to worry about it. "Should we do something?" the mother asked her counterpart. "I'd like to, but I'm not sure. I'd hate to cause more problems, but I feel like we could help out here," he said. "After all, we do have an extra room." "That's true," Itsuki's mom said. "And really, I think we could afford it."

"H-Hang on," Jasmine said. "What're ya talkin' about?" "Hm? I thought you were going to live here with us," Itsuki's father said matter-of-factly. "We can't technically adopt you like Itsuki asked for, but we can at least give you a better home than what you have now. And as for your parents, we'll just… have to have a talk with them, I guess."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jasmine protested. "Live here? With your family? C-C'mon, that's a bit much, right?" "What do you mean?" Itsuki asked with a tilt of her head. "You guys hardly know me," Jasmine said. "And now you're acting like taking me in is completely normal? Seriously, what's happening here? It's some kinda joke, right? Like, I'll agree, and then you'll say 'just kidding!' and all laugh, right?"

True kindness wasn't something Jasmine was accustomed to. It wasn't as if people were never nice to her, but it was more common for her to see the bad side of people rather than the good. To see someone so easily opening up their home to her, seemingly with no questions asked, was so baffling to Jasmine.

"It's a genuine offer, Hiraoka-san," Itsuki's father said. "Isn't it normal to offer a helping hand to someone in need?" "T-This is more than a helping hand…" Jasmine said weakly. "I mean, it's not like I can pay rent or anything. I'll just be like, some freeloader. Really, you guys don't need to worry. I'll just figure something else out on my own. It's fine."

"Do you really hate the idea of living here that much?" Itsuki suddenly asked, causing Jasmine to flinch. "N-No!" she exclaimed. "That's not why! I-It's just… W-Well I… ah, damn it, I just don't know…" "I know we've had our problems in the past," Itsuki said. "But we're past that now, aren't we? I think of you as one of my best friends, Jasmine-chan. I hate that you're suffering so much at home too. I wish you would've told me about it sooner! Think about how much fun we could've been having already if you had been here earlier!"

Then Itsuki leaned into Jasmine's ear. "And if you lived here, you'd probably be able to see Mayu-chan more too, because my house is closer to hers than yours is." "M-Mayu-chi has nothing to do with this!" Jasmine said louder than she meant to, causing Itsuki to laugh. "Yeah, maybe not," she said. "But still, can you really think of a good reason to say no?"

Jasmine thought… and thought… and thought… and couldn't come up with a single one. There was, of course, the feeling of guilt for becoming what she felt like was a freeloader, but otherwise, there wasn't one good reason to refuse. "A-Are you… really sure ya want a stranger just livin' in your house?" Jasmine asked meekly. Itsuki's mom smiled. "It's true we haven't talked much, Hiraoka-san. After all, we hardly cross paths. But if you live here, that gives us a chance to get to know you better, and then you wouldn't be such a stranger anymore. Besides, I think having a gyaru in the house could be fun! It'd really make it lively here, you know?"

"It's probably lively enough here, to be honest," Itsuki's father commented. "We have enough kids in this place as it is. However, that being said, I just can't bring myself to turn my back on you, Hiraoka-san. Knowing I had the ability and resources to help, and did nothing, would keep me up at night. So if you're okay with it, you're more than welcome to take our extra room and join our family."

Jasmine was speechless. Only hours ago, she had left her home after yet another argument, and she had no plan for what she was going to do about living arrangements. A part of her had begun to wonder if she'd have to go back to her old way of life and try to mooch off of boyfriends. Now, she was being offered a room and more.

She was confused. Bewildered. Completely and utterly dumbfounded by this turn of events. So maybe it was because of all the overwhelming confusion that she was suddenly able to move past all of it and just shrug, thinking, "I guess that's just how things go sometimes." Then she smiled, genuinely happy that somehow, it seemed that things were taking a turn for the better.

"If you're really okay with this… then I… I'll accept your generous offer," Jasmine said formally and bowed. "Please take care of me."

"Alright! It's like I just got a sister!" Itsuki said with glee. "L-Let's not go that far yet," Jasmine said. "Huh? Why not? Kanade calls you nee-chan. Can't I?" Itsuki asked innocently. "It's way too late for a high schooler our age to start calling someone else that," Jasmine said. "Nee-chan," Itsuki said, directing it right at Jasmine. "Y'know what? I kinda like how that sounds." "What're people at school gonna think when they hear you say something like that?!" Jasmine exclaimed. "Come on, let me call you nee-chan!" Itsuki whined. "You and Mayu-chan get to have nicknames!" "This goes way beyond a nickname, girl!" Jasmine shouted back.

Watching the scene unfold, Itsuki's parents smiled. "She's fitting in already," the mother said. "Hopefully the boys take to her well," the father added. And so, the Yukimura household gained one new member.

*****

Needless to say, the next couple of hours were particularly chaotic. Thanks to her sudden change in address, Jasmine now had to move all of her stuff. Having plenty of it, the prospect really dragged down her mood, but what contributed even more so was having to explain this to her parents. "Then again, Itsuki's mom and dad said they'd take care of it, so maybe I won't have to do anything," the gal thought optimistically.

When it came time to go, Jasmine began putting her shoes on, but she was stopped. "We'll take care of it dear," Itsuki's mother said, placing her hand on Jasmine's head as she was sitting on the step near the front door. "What? No, I can't let you confront them by yourselves," Jasmine insisted. "They're like… we'll they're not great people. I'd feel awful if somethin' happened…" "We promise we'll get things figured out," Itsuki's father said. "So you just stay here. No sense in giving them a reason or way to keep you from going, right?"

And so the Yukimura parents headed out the door, leaving behind a very nervous Jasmine. "I really don't know about this…" she mumbled, her doubts surfacing again. "It'll be fine, Jasmine-chan," Itsuki said reassuringly. "You sound way too confident," Jasmine commented, causing Itsuki to laugh. "I just believe, that's all."

It was hard for Jasmine to share those same feelings, but she did her best to try to be optimistic about it all. Really, it would be better for all involved if Jasmine was allowed to live at Itsuki's house. "But just because we all know that doesn't mean they'll agree to it…" the gal thought. Her mother most likely wouldn't put up a whole lot of resistance, but her step-dad was different. He didn't like Jasmine, but he also wasn't the kind of man who would let others take things from him.

The whole situation was really a toss-up on how it would turn out, and all Jasmine could do was wait. The minutes slowly ticked by, piling up. Seeing more and more time caused Jasmine to be ready to give up, but then she heard someone open the door. "We're back!" a cheery voice called. A woman walked into the living room where Jasmine and Itsuki were. She was smiling.

"You're officially ours, Hiraoka-san."

Jasmine's jaw nearly hit the floor. "W…Wha…?" was all she could manage to say. Then Itsuki's father joined them. "That man at your house was certainly stubborn and mean," he said. "But he became a lot less stubborn and mean after I hit him a few times."

"Y-You hit someone?!" Itsuki exclaimed, having never known her father to be violent. "Sometimes people will only talk through their fists," Itsuki's dad said sagely, but the mother sighed. "If that was supposed to be a conversation, it was awfully one-sided." "W-Well, I had a lot to say…"

"You…punched him?" Jasmine asked, managing to recover a little from the shock of everything happening. Itsuki's father nodded. "Yep. Right in the jaw. After that, he seemed to agree it was better just to let you go." "Won't there be consequences?" Itsuki asked. "You're not really supposed to go around hitting people…" But surprisingly, Jasmine just laughed. "There's no way either of them could call the cops or anythin'. After all, they're just as guilty as your dad!"

Jasmine kept laughing. It felt like it was all she could do. The situation was just so… ridiculous. Crazy. Sudden. Exciting. Happy. It was all of those things and more to the gal. "I give up," she thought. "If that's how it is, then that's how it is. This is where I live now." After experiencing such a whirlwind in the span of a few hours, Jasmine just accepted it all.

"We'll have to celebrate once everyone's here," Itsuki's dad said. "Who's everyone?" Jasmine asked. "Oh, I've got two brothers," Itsuki said. "Didn't I mention that?" "Uhhh," Jasmine let out. "Maybe?" "I bet I did and you ignored me," Itsuki pouted. "That… might've happened," Jasmine admitted. "Geez, you can be so mean to me nee-chan," Itsuki teased. "Don't call me that!" Jasmine protested, and Itsuki stuck her tongue out at her.

*****

That night, Jasmine went to pack her things (with Itsuki coming to help). When she arrived, she found her mother standing outside. She wasn't wearing much of anything, with only a plain black bra, a flimsy pink overcoat and a pair of gray pajama pants on. In her hand was a cigarette, looking like it had already been smoked for a while.

As for the woman herself, her figure was actually quite attractive, as it was very similar to Jasmine's. The biggest difference was the hair color, with the parental Hiraoka having her's dyed a combination of deep brown and a hazy blonde. Spotting her daughter, the hair that came down past her shoulders swayed as her head turned. "Oh look, if it isn't my lil' rebel," she said, her words slurring.

"Are you drunk?" Jasmine asked, though the question had little emotion in it. "Of course I'm drunk," her mother answered. "Who wouldn't be after watching their husband get beat up by some random thug?" "Hey!" Itsuki exclaimed, going to defend her dad, but Jasmine put up a hand to stop her. "In my opinion, it's about time someone did it," she said.

Her mother was silent. "...Yeah, maybe you're right…" she said quietly, surprising Jasmine. "If I'd known things'd go like this, I woulda made better choices at least…" Then she looked at Jasmine, her eyes looking a little clearer. "I know I suck as a parent, Jasmine. Honestly, I was never plannin' on havin' kids in the first place. But then, poof! Suddenly you appeared!"

The woman took another drag of her cigarette before continuing. "You can have a lotta what ifs in life y'know? For me, a lot of them are about us. What if I hadn't gotten pregnant? What if I had been with a better man? What if I would've tried to be more prepared for raisin' a kid? There're all sorts of questions I could ask. They're questions I've asked myself for a long time, actually."

"So ya wish ya never had me. Great," Jasmine said, moving to walk past her mother. She was tired of listening to her, but before she could get far, the woman grabbed Jasmine's arm. "Just… for once, could ya listen until I'm done talking?" "...fine…"

"I wish things were different, Jasmine. I really do," she said. "But they aren't. I screwed up a whole lot, you paid the price, and now ya hate me. I don't blame you. Any kid would probably end up like that if they had your life."

Jasmine's mother paused for a while, and the gal was beginning to wonder if she'd speak again when she suddenly did just that. "I wasn't ready for a kid, but that doesn't mean I got to dodge getting maternal feelings and stuff. I still want you to be safe and happy, even if I did a shitty job of showin' it. So if sending you to live at those people's place is what's best for ya, then fine."

"This is all sounding pretty mature coming from you," Jasmine commented, getting a snort out of her mom. "Yeah, well, between all the booze, nicotine and watching your step-dad get the shit beat outta him, I guess I've been doing so much thinking that it's all comin' out sounding good."

Then she made the most surprising announcement yet. "I'm leaving, Jasmine. I'm gonna go back home to America."

"What?" Jasmine uttered. It was true she didn't feel much affection toward her mother. However, it's nearly impossible to shake those feelings entirely. Hearing that one of her parents was now going to be completely gone from her life was a little rattling. "I mean, it's not like I depend on her for much, but…" Jasmine thought. And while she thought, her mom continued.

"After what happened tonight, it really got me thinking," she said. "My life's a mess. My husband is a piece of garbage. That couldn't have been more obvious after watching the display he put on. And now, my kid's runnin' away. It's just got me thinking that maybe I need to go back home and figure a few things out."

Then Jasmine's mother looked at her with an expression Jasmine couldn't recall seeing. It was a mix of apology and… love. "I think… I wanna get right, Jas," she said, using an old nickname that she hadn't used since Jasmine was a child. "I wanna be able to come back one day and be proud to say I'm your mother. Right now, I'm nothing but a sorry excuse for one. So, I gotta go, and I hope that, maybe when I come back… we can start over. I know it's impossible, technically, but I really want the chance to be able to be a mom for you. If I learned anything tonight, it's that."

Speechless. Jasmine was absolutely and completely speechless. Never in her life had she heard her mother say anything like what she was saying now. "Is this really the same woman?" she wondered as she tried to process it all. But, before she could, her mom got closer.

"I booked a flight for tomorrow morning. I'm gonna head for Sapporo tonight and fly out from there. That means this is the last time I'll see ya for… I'm not sure how long, really. Oh, but don't worry, I won't make this some long, emotional goodbye. It's not like it'd mean much right now anyways, coming from me how I am now. So, I'll just go. Oh, and I'm assuming you're here for your stuff, yeah? You don't have to worry about that man being in there. He's at the hospital getting his busted-up face fixed."

Then the woman began to walk away. Jasmine watched, and as she did, she felt the urge to call out to her. She had no idea what she'd say, but… "M… Mama!" she called, causing the woman to stop and turn to look at Jasmine. It was an awkward moment, to say the least. Jasmine's eyes darted here and there, as if searching for the words she wanted to say. Finally, she settled on something. "...Have a safe trip…"

Perhaps those words were just standard to say for most people, but coming from the daughter who had such a fraught relationship with her mother, it held quite a bit of meaning. Sending her off with well wishes was like the equivalent of Jasmine saying "If you come back, we have a chance to try again." Understanding that, Jasmine's mom smiled. Then with impeccable timing, her taxi arrived, and she was carried off to Sapporo.

The strength leaving her legs, Jasmine slumped to the ground. "J-Jasmine-chan?!" Itsuki exclaimed, dashing over to her and crouching down. "You okay?" "This is too much…" Jasmine mumbled. "This is seriously way too much to happen all at once…" "Yeah, things have gotten pretty eventful for you, haven't they?" Itsuki agreed. "C'mon, let's go pack up your stuff. We can spend all the time you want afterwards talking about, um, everything."

So the two girls got up and made their way inside. Naturally, there was no way for them to pack everything Jasmine owned in one night. Deciding to just take the essentials and come back later, Jasmine and Itsuki gathered up everything the gal needed before finally calling for a ride back.

"Hey, Itsuki-chan," Jasmine said as they walked out. "Yeah?" the girl said back. "I just remembered ya haven't told me a thing about that date you went on last night," Jasmine said, causing Itsuki to let out an "Urk…" Then she sighed. "Let's just talk about that later." "Sure," Jasmine agreed.

While they waited for their ride, Jasmine turned to look at her house. It wasn't much. Honestly, it was more shack than home. But even so, Jasmine had spent a decent amount of her time living there. Plenty of memories, both good and bad (mostly bad) had been made there. "Now, I'll be living somewhere different…" she thought. The idea certainly made her nervous, but it helped she had a friend with her.

It seemed fresh starts were going around for the Hiraokas, both mother and daughter alike. Jasmine truly hoped her mom could take care of all the things she needed to. Whether or not that meant they could have a good relationship going forward, it was impossible to tell at the moment, but Jasmine still hoped.

End of Chapter Seventeen.