I'm back! LOL..so here's the update... it contains some stuffs that I noticed in real life forums..LOL... and I really tried my best to imitate them..LOL. I even hired a spiritist to let their souls come into me to impersonate them better...jokes! Anyways..I hope you like this chapter. Don't kill me!XD




Rika was walking towards the direction of their office when somebody tapped her shoulders from behind.

“Ohayou Ishikawa-san!” Rika turned around and saw her secretary.

“Ohayou! My, you’re somewhat late today. Usually you’re already inside before I get here.” Instead of answering her question, Mari looked from left to right to see whether there were other people nearby.

“Did I just see you get off Yoshizawa-san’s car?” Rika was taken aback. From the look of her secretary, she knew she can’t lie about it.

“Ahh, you saw that? Well, you see…” Rika trailed, “I was waiting in the bus stop when she passed me by her car. She offered me a ride in her car so I accepted it. Why? Is there a problem with that?” Rika took this chance to know the reason why everyone treated Hitomi like she has a contagious disease or something.

“Well, I guess there’s no problem with that. But don’t let the others see that you’re hanging out with her or you’ll have to deal with some kind of rumors.” Mari related. Rika wouldn’t miss this chance.

“What kind of rumor exactly?”

“Well, any type or rumor that if you can’t take it, I bet you would want to return to the main branch as early as possible.” Rika can’t believe at what she’s hearing right now. Based from her observations, Hitomi’s not the type to do anything that bad that the majority of the employees would want to gossip about it. Rika took a quick glance from Mari. Mari was serious at what she’s saying and at the same time, sad.

“What’s the case with Hitomi? I noticed that most of the employees wouldn’t want to go near her… And one time, we were on the elevator at the same time, it seems like they were talking about us.”

“That’s it. That’s what I’m talking about.” Mari replied. They were nearing their building quickly. Rika wanted to know more but Mari stopped and faced her. “You’ll be out of this branch in two weeks so I think that it’s better for you not to dig deep into it.” With that said, Mari went inside the building quickly. Rika was left outside, thinking about what her secretary had just shared.

……………………
Rika went inside her office with a lot of questions bugging her mind. She really hated staying in the ‘real world’. There are so many problems that she has to deal with; her own work, the people she’s working with, and the responsibility of maintaining her ‘goody-good’ status at the same time. The only time that she’s breaking free from it was by the internet where all her ‘fantasies’ came true. When she saw that’s it’s already lunch time, she left all her work and opened her laptop. There’s no update yet and only her comment was posted in there so she visited her best friend’s blog. Apparently, Ayumi wrote a new comedy fic. In the story that she uploaded, Ayumi and her were riding in a car and a group of bad guys kidnapped them. They were hidden in a secluded place, waiting for their families to take the ransom money to the kidnappers. And then, the ‘Eito Rangers’ appeared, rescuing them. It’s funny in a sense that each ‘Eito Rangers’ has their own ‘weird’ powers. Ryo has a ‘killer smile’ which can make any bad guys freeze when they see him. Subaru has the ‘enka’ power which can make the bad guys’ ears bleed because of his high pitched voice, and so on and so forth.

“WHAT WAS THAT?!?! I’m not like that at all in real life!!! I’m an anime addict but I will definitely NOT do that crap…LOL.Dude, you should make it more realistic. And besides, my birthday’s still a month away... Are you making a suggestion on what we shall do on my birthday? Hehehe, anyways, I liked your fic!!! To the highest level! That was really funny and to think that we are included in the story as the heroines… or the damsels in distress? Hahaha. And mostly in my point of view. That bad guy leader… isn’t he Koki Tanaka? And the rest are the Kattun guys? And I really love that “MOE POWER” of Ohkura and Yassan… Can you edit it? LOL… I just have this great idea that Reina rushes to his brother’s aid and then Eri was there…and then, they just started having those “MOE POWER” too… Just thinking out loud… I really appreciate it, Thanks!!! BTW, I wrote a drabble. It’s somewhat… I don’t know. I just wrote what comes into my mind last night. Please comment on it. Two weeks more and I’ll come back there. And the first thing that we will do… CHRISTMAS SHOPPING!!!! See you soon!!!XD

……………………….
Chapter 8

Reina saw two figures in the court. As soon as she went home, she finished her homework, ate her dinner and slept early. She woke up an hour and a half past midnight and sneaked outside to meet up with them.

“Oi Eri! You’re spacing out again… Did you make contact with your mother ship?” Reina heard Sayumi said out loud. It seemed that the two haven’t noticed her yet.

“Yeah, apparently, they wanted to take me home now.” Reina saw Sayumi dropped the ball and rushed over to Eri. Through the dim lights of the court, she can still see the worry etched on Sayumi’s face as she hugged her friend. She can’t hear clearly what Sayumi’s whispering to her.

“I’m really intrigued by her illness.”

Reina decided that maybe it’s not the right time to barge in so she turned her back on the two but as soon as she started walking away, Eri noticed her.

“Reina! Ohayou! You’re pretty early this time!”

“Ohayou! Well, my team mates were noticing that I improved so much so I need to continue what I’m doing right now. I was watching the two of you play… Both of you were really good.”

“Of course! We’re the best tag team champions!” Sayumi replied. At this, Eri laughed out loud.

“What tag team champions?! Are you watching too much wrestling?” Sayumi didn’t realize what she had said and Reina didn’t get it at first but after Eri said that, the two of them laugh out loud.

“What I mean is that we’re the best tandem in basketball.” Sayumi corrected. “You wanna try us?” Reina thought about it for a moment. It would be a handicap match. Two versus one; and those two were much taller than her. It would be a great way to know her capacity.

“Ok, but go easy on me.”

The three were having a good time playing basketball even though Reina was trying her hardest to score against the ‘two towers’. The only thing that she can be proud of was when she blocked Sayumi’s shot even though she was much shorter than her. And she did score, although the two won by thirty points.

“Sugoi, the two of you were really good.”

“Well, you’re good too. You were really hard to defend. You’re so small and agile.” Sayumi said which earned her a glare from Reina.

“Is that a praise or a joke?” Eri laughed at Sayumi’s blank look. Her friend can be slow at times, which she seemed to get from her. Reina laughed too, after seeing Eri laugh. Then, with no choice at all, Sayumi joined their laughing marathon. The three of them were having a hard time catching up their breaths.

“Why did you laugh?” Eri asked Sayumi. Sayumi thought for a while.

“I don’t really know.” Reina burst out laughing after hearing Sayu’s funny answer.

“You two were really weird.”

“Well, you’re weirder laughing by yourself.” Eri replied after restraining her laugh and giving a wink at her best friend. Reina knew that she was being ‘bullied’ again by this two.

“Ehh? You’re picking on me again. That’s really mean.”

“Then why don’t you pick on somebody else.” Sayumi proposed. Reina got what she meant. It will be a good way to give her friends a scare and at the same time, Eri might tell her the real reason; her sickness.

“Yeah… I remember. My friends were asking me how I improved a lot with my basketball skills and I told them that a vampire was teaching me. They wanted to play with you too. Is that okay?” Eri was taken aback at what Reina had said. She never thought that Reina would really believe what she said. She now feels guilty for lying to her. If there’s a better time to tell the truth, it would be now. Eri decided to tell the truth to Reina.

“Reina, I have something to confess.” Eri started. Reina knew it from the start and this was the moment that she’s waiting for. To know the real reason as to why Eri must go home before the sun rises. “I’m not really a vampire. I have a rare skin condition. It’s like I’m allergic to the UV rays of the sun. If I’m exposed to that, I can easily die, like vampires do. It’s worst than skin cancer.”

“Oh, is that it? It was quite a relief knowing that you’re not really a vampire.” Reina tried to joke. Eri’s eyes lit up. Reina clearly accepted her. “So, are you taking some medicines? What’s your sickness called?”

“Yup, I’m taking medicines and also, a monthly visit to the doctor. It’s called Xeroderma pigmentosa,”Eri added.

“Xeno-what?!? It’s kinda hard to memorize…”

“It’s also called XP… Well, then enough with that talk.” Sayumi butt in, “I have a nice idea on how you can pick on somebody else.”

“Ehh?”

……………………
“Are you really sure that we are safe?” Ai asked Reina. “She won’t bite us right?” Reina wanted to laugh at how her friend was bugging her ever since she they left their meeting place.

“Yah. If it’s not safe, I’m already a vampire too.”

“But maybe, in return for not biting you, you made a promise with her to bring your friends, us, over so that she can eat us instead.”

“HUH?!? Why would I do that for?!”

“Nothing. Just thinking out loud.”

“You know Risa, you’re just watching too much movies. Stop that.” Ai smacked her friend’s head lightly.

“Don’t try to hide your fears Ai. I’m your best friend so I know that you’re twice as scared as I am.”

“Will the two of you stop that? We’re already here. She’s a nice per.. err… vampire. So just act normal.” Reina grinned. This will be interesting to watch.

“Ohayou! Sayu!”

“Oi Reina! You’re early this time. SO you’ve brought your friends.” Sayumi walked towards the new comers. Ai and Risa stepped back a little. Reina wanted to giggle at that scene.

“Hai, this is Ai and Risa.”

“Is that her?” Risa whispered to Reina’s ears. Reina shook her head.

“Where’s Eri? They wanted to see a real live vampire.” Reina asked Sayumi. The tall girl pointed behind them. As if on cue, Eri appeared out of the darkness.

“Ohayou… So these two are your friends.”

“AAAHHHHH!!!!” The two screamed their lungs out. When they looked back, they saw a tall girl holding a bottle on her hands. The two noticed some blood on her lips. They screamed even louder. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Reina and Sayumi covered their mouths.

“You’re going to wake up the whole neighborhood!” Reina whispered to Ai’s ears. “I told you, she’s harmless. Trust me!” The two let go of the two previously screaming girls.

“Hi! My name’s Kamei Eri, nice to meet you.” Eri extended her hands towards the two. Risa pushed her best friend forward to receive the hand shake. Ai’s hand was shaking and so was her voice.

“H..hi. My name’s Taka.. hashi Ai.” Ai slowly reached out her hand and gave Eri a quick handshake. She pulled her friend behind her to do the same. Risa has no choice but to do it.

“Niigaki Risa.” Risa said in her ‘stammering’ voice which made Reina laugh out loud.

“Guys, come on! She’s harmless.” Reina faced Eri. “Hey, is that blood? Is that your favorite AB blood?”

“No, apparently Sayu can’t get any AB blood for me… It’s just plain O type.” Eri answered and passed the bottle to Reina which in turn drank its contents.

“Hmmm, so sweet.” Risa’s eyes widened at the scene.

“I KNEW IT!!! You’ve become one of them! You’re a vampire too!” Reina smiled evilly at the two. Risa wanted to run but Ai caught her hand. Ai stepped forward and grabbed the bottle from Reina’s hands. She smelled it first and drank some of its contents. Risa was shocked.

“What are you doing?! Are you insane? Do you want to become a vampire too?!?” Ai smiled and smack her friend for being a ‘reaction queen’.

“They are just fooling us. This is just a bottle of strawberry juice.” The three laugh out loud when Ai found out that they were just making fun of them. And they laughed even louder at Risa’s stunned face.

TBC
………………………
Jigoku_Shoujo
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! I SO CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED! CAN YOU SMELL THE FRESH TANAKAMEI IN THE AIR? IT'S LOOOOOVE~~~! <3
Mwahaha~ Eri's going to suck your blood if you don't update again! I know cause she told me~ XP
lol, man, this chapter was awesome! I can't believe both Ai and Risa fell for it too XD those stooges! I'm still rofling at Risa, the true overreaction queen and the strawberry juice incident...mmmmm, strawberry juice *drools*.....good god I want a nudie.....
Oi! Why was it so short? And where's the hawt Tanakamei action I was promised -in my head- in the form of rabu rabu or at least KISSES! I heard nothing! Not even the slightest "Chuuu!~"! Why?
Don't tell me you're really a KameShige fan or something... nah it can't be! If you were then there'd really be no point in even adding Reina to the mix and making it so much about her.... unless you're trying to confuse me... THAT'S IT! YOU'RE TRYING TO CONFUSE ME! It's really that awful pairing and Reina's just gonna be all heartbroken, like me, when this is all over. I WONT LET YOU! I'll protest this! I'll camp outside your house and stalk you untill you succumb to the sweet sweet TanaKamei! OR send my baby pandas after you and they WILL lick you to DEATH!
So be wise and choose ..... wisely! Will you go for TanaKamei? Or that awful pairing that really shouldn't even exist and trust me, Shige is content loving herself, she doesn't need Eri to tell her she's cute, she's got a mirror and her own vocal chords for that XD
PS UPDATE! pleeeeeeeeease!~ :3 *puppy face*

Eri_ S.L.A.V.E
JSKFdhnblsnerhnasnlas *hyperventilating*

Quote: “Yeah, apparently, they wanted to take me home now.”
~GaahH!!Eri take Sayu with you to your home planet so you can have your honeymoon already!!!!

Quote: Reina saw Sayumi dropped the ball and rushed over to Eri. Through the dim lights of the court, she can still see the worry etched on Sayumi’s face as she hugged her friend. She can’t hear clearly what Sayumi’s whispering to her.
~GAAAHHHHH!!!!!fhdsbhuaejtirna;tiuu;oisuytgyh…THIS SCENE IS THAT ONE THAT MADE MY BRAIN MELT!!! Even though Reina didn’t hear what Sayumi whispered… I can clearly hear it...
Sayu: “Don’t worry Eri, I’ll go with you to the ends of the universe…” ASKLdvfnib w;tslnigeuzbleayutg!!!!!! *incoherent talking* Gaahhh… It’s KAmeShige at its best!!!

Quote: Reina decided that maybe it’s not the right time to barge in so she turned her back on the two but as soon as she started walking away, Eri noticed her.
~I just hope Eri didn’t notice Reina walk away.. so Sayu and her can be together the whole night/morning… just like before… XD

Quote: “What I mean is that we’re the best tandem in basketball.” Sayumi corrected. “You wanna try us?” Reina thought about it for a moment. It would be a handicap match. Two versus one; and those two were much taller than her. It would be a great way to know her capacity. “Ok, but go easy on me.”
~Ahahaha..Sayumi won’t go easy on you! You’re stealing her girl!!! And she proved that by beating her with 30pts….of course with her loved one, Eri…XD

Quote: “Well, you’re weirder laughing by yourself.” Eri replied after restraining her laugh and giving a wink at her best friend. Reina knew that she was being ‘bullied’ again by this two.
~see what I mean?!? Eri definitely loves her best friend…They are BULLYING Reina!!!..It’s KameShige at its finest!XD

Quote: “Will the two of you stop that? We’re already here. She’s a nice per.. err… vampire. So just act normal.” Reina grinned. This will be interesting to watch.
~she’s a nice…per…vert?LOL

AHaha..been gone for a while…Just recharged my battery and watched Three-tums DVDs at home..gahh..Damn PC..it broke up… So yeah..Didn’t disappear because of that one person…but this is my answer for him…..KameShige is REAL DUDE!!! IT’S REAL!!!!!!!! Even though I can see that there are already two TanaKamei fan here… sorry…but have you watched their Futarigoto? It’s only sayu and Eri..no reina. Eat that one!XD KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige KameShige!!!!100x

Jigoku_Shoujo-
incoherent talking is true indeed ERI_SLAVE because none of that made sense to me. Do you honestly believe it KameShige? Even though the signs for TanaKamei are EVERYWHERE? Oh poor slave, you will be so crushed in the end when it turns out TanaKamei XD
and just cause you may see some small fragments of KameShige it doesn't make it real. You think they chose to do Futarigoto together? Puhlease, I'm sure Sayumi would much rather do it alone (lol) than let anyone steal her screen time and Reina was probably just outside, waiting for them to finish so she and Eri can make SWEET LOVE! you can write "KAMECHIGE" as many times as you want to, but that still wont make it real
TANAKAMEI IS THE TRUTH!

Elevator_Party
Yeah! Go Jigoku Shoujo!!! …Glad you know that we’re already two persons believing in TanaKamei love! Ok… I admit…There are hints of KameShige…. in the PAST…PAST..got that? Stop living in the past and move on..Nowadays.. it’s called TanaKamei..XD

Eri_S.L.A.V.E
@JIGOKU
Your online name suits you…you should go back to hell and also, don’t forget to bring your friend Elevator Party with you. And fyi..who’s CHIGE? I didn’t know that person? I only know one word..and that’s KameSHIGE…. Oh yeah..another fyi… It’s im possible for Reina to be with them at that time because she’s out on an island doing her photobook…Do you need to get out of hell just to connect to the internet and research something as important as that? That is..if you’re really a Reina fan..
@Elevator_Party
It’s TanaKamei who’s on the past…. Kameshige is the past, present and future personified… I don’t need to waste my energy slapping that fact in front of your face…

NiNi
Ahh guys… I don’t want to sound rude but… it’s GakiKame nowadays…yeah…you know.. with Risa Niigaki of Futari?They look good together.XD

Jigoku_shoujo
"Who the hell are you? Kim Possible? quit acting like a know-it-all if you don't know who Chige is. cause only an idiot wouldn't know I was referring to Michichichihchishige Sayumi all right? And quit acting so self righteous!
"I have a right to express my own opinion, that of KameShige being fake and TanaKamei being the real pairing in this story and if you don't like then YOU go to hell."
"And just cause I'm not a stalker like you that monitors every minute of Reina, Eri and Sayu's life doesn't mean I'm an idiot, it just means that I unlike you have a life to live, and don't have the necessary three tv's in the same room with which to monitor them all the time. Oh and just for the record, if me you and them were in a room, I know which one of us they'd be running from. See, I figured you out. You're the type that thinks because you're old and you've been on a site forever, you have the right to treat the new people like your face (aka shit). You live to find flaws and mistakes so you can point them out and feel superior and gain a bit of imagined self worth to justify the countless hours you spend in front of a screen everyday, trying to make yourself feel better and feed your deep superiority complex because you have nothing else to do.
You're the type that substitutes human contact with a cold keyboard. And you're the bitter nerd who's sitting in his/her office chair critiquing everything you see because your life is so pathetic you'd have less trouble pointing out the flaws in a storyline than finding and fixing all your own faults."
"And just for the record, you're wrong, I'm not one of those huge "GA GA OMG MOE MOE" TanaKamei worshippers that talks only of how they're perfect and so on, I actually don't mind KameShige, I'm neutral, it is just so OBVIOUS that this story is in fact TANAKAMEI and not KAMESHIGE and you being too stubborn to realise it is what's pissing me off.

…
Rika blinked several times over her PC. She was somewhat shocked and saddened at what she read at the comments page. Her favorite author’s page has been suddenly turned into a war zone… a 'WORD' war zone between followers of different pairings.

“Ehh?!? They’re destroying Kuwagata’s fic blog! I don’t understand why the simply pairing war has turned into something personal like this. They are just following one group. I need to stop this right now!”

Rika was about to type her comment when her phone suddenly rang. And it was the person she wasn’t expecting to call.

“Hello, Miki?”

“Hi, can you meet me now? It’s your lunch break right?”

“I think you’re worst than my father. I can’t go there in Hokkaido now!”

“I didn’t say that I’m in Hokkaido right?” Rika was shocked. It means that Miki’s here in Saitama. She looked at her wall clock near the door and saw that there are still 30 minutes left.

“Where are you?”

…………………….
“Hey! Nice to see you again. What are you doing here? Don’t tell me Abe-san sent you for some kind of a meeting or something?” Rika queried as soon as she saw Miki on the designated restaurant. She gave a hug and a pat on the back at Miki. Miki moved away after that and signaled her to sit down. She heard Miki letting out a small chuckle.

“You’re really a work-a-holic. Everything means business to you. Don’t I have the free will to visit you without you relating it to work?”

“So you just went here to visit me?”

“Yup. Got a problem with that?” Rika was unsure of what was happening. Miki’s actions were somewhat different. It must be related to Miki’s ‘weird’ look when she visited the Hokkaido branch.

“No, I don’t have a problem with that. So, now that I’m here. What do you want to do? I only have,” Rika looked at her pink wrist watch, “20 minutes left for my lunch break.” Rika KNEW something was wrong with Miki. And she has to know it before her break expires. And then, Miki grinned back at her. “Ehh? Why are you grinning like that?”

“Nothing, I just have something to give you.” Miki opened her brown shoulder bag and looked for that ‘thing’. Rika deduced that Miki will be only staying for the day, considering her small bag.

“What time will you go back to Hokkaido?”

“I’ll be staying here for three days.” Miki replied nonchalantly without even looking back at Rika.

“WHAT?!? You’re staying for three days with that small bag of yours?! You fitted your clothes inside that bag or you’ll shop here?”

“Baka… I have a large bag. I left it on my friend’s home… Ahh, there it is!” Miki announced happily. “Close your eyes first.” Rika furrowed her eyebrows at first before she followed. She felt a hard, square-ish thing; it felt like a CD case.

“A CD? VCD? DVD?”

“Hmm, CD… Of whom?” Miki asked. She covered Rika’s eyes just to make sure she wouldn’t peek.

“How would I know? I can’t see it… There are no Braille marks on it.”

“Make a wild guess.”

“Ahhh!!! I got it! It’s a recording of my voice when I sung in my farewell party!” Rika exclaimed. She really remembered Miki having a digicam that day, even though the other denied before. And during her luncheon visit to Abe-san, she asked for a copy of it. She presumed that Abe-san asked Miki to give it to her when she asked for a three-day leave.

“Why would I record your poem recital that time? I told you before that I don’t have a digicam.”

“Poem recital? Did you forget what happened that day? I sang ‘Asu e no Tobira’ of I WISH. And by the way, Abe-san said during my last visit that she let you hold her digicam.”

“I’m just holding her digicam. It’s not mine. And as a matter of fact, you’re not even ‘whispering sweetly’ as the theme said… And what’s with the ‘they smelled bad’ thing? It’s supposed to be, ‘the love I met’. And it really sounds like a poem recital to me.” Rika thought for a while and then she got what Miki meant.

“HIDOI!!!! I’m singing! You haven’t really changed! Hey, even though I’m not working in Hokkaido, my rank’s higher than you so you should respect me. That’s insubordination. And besides… with glistening sweat, it’d make the t-shirt smell bad right?” Miki laughed out loud, not minding whether the other people in the restaurant will look at her. She didn’t know whether Rika was just joking or she really didn’t intend to. They were like this back in Hokkaido, and sometimes, they join forces to tease Abe-san.

“Sure, do what you want to the best employee of the Hokkaido branch… Come on! This one’s really easy.”

“Fine… Hmmm, since this one came from you… L’ Arc en ciel? Kaggra? Plastic Tree?”

“Do I look like a JROCK fan to you…”

“If you ask me… YES! Or maybe since you like English movies, you might also like listening to English Rock tunes like Slipknot, Mudvayne, System of a Down…”

“You’re much meaner than I thought.” Miki cut in, “I don’t like rock music. I like the jpop/ hip-hop type of music.”

“You’re joking me right?!” Rika wanted to glare at Miki but she can’t because Miki’s hands were still covering her eyes. It’s hard to believe what Miki revealed to her. The image that she established for Miki was slowly vanishing inside her head.

“Believe it or not. I like listening to Maki Goto songs.”

“USO!!!! Really?!? Maki Goto???!!!”

“Yup, the ‘Glass no Pumps’ and ‘Some Boys Touch’ types of songs. Are you giving up? Or do you still want to guess it?”

“Fine, I give up…. What is it?”

“Open your eyes.” Rika slowly opened her eyes as soon as Miki removed her hands. She had a hard time adjusting to the sunlight and her vision was somewhat blurry at first. She was stunned as her eyes revealed the image of the CD. She wanted to scream at that moment. It was the Resonant Blue single of Three-Tums… with their signatures.

“OH MY GAAAHH!!!! THREE-TUMS!!!! AND THEIR SIGNS!!!! MIKI’s THE BEST!!!”
“Oh, so it’s Three-Tums… How did you get their signatures?” Rika wanted to laugh at that instant. She was able to stop her fangirl squeal and was saying it in the opposite way that her head was telling her to do.

“Well, I was with my friend earlier. And then when I saw that CD, I told her what happened to you in Hokkaido and yeah… She gave it to me to give it to you.”

“Really? You’re giving this to me? But, I guess this is too much.”
“AHAHAHAHA!!!! SHE’S GIVING IT TO ME!!! YES!!! I WILL TAKE THIS ONE!!!”

“No, it’s alright. Take that. My friend loves to see that someone is addicted to her favorite group too. So yeah, give that to your best friend.” At that Rika took the CD and put it close to her chest.

“No way! This is mine and mine alone!” Miki blinked several times before laughing out loud. On the other hand, Rika wanted to slap herself. Her façade has fallen off in front of Miki.

“I knew it! So you’re really a fan of them. You don’t need to hide that to me. I understand because my friend is like that too.” Miki explained. Rika smiled at her. She didn’t have to pose around Miki anymore.

“Thanks. I didn’t know that you understand people like us. Hmm, I bet, your friend is fangirling about Three-Tums and you, on Maki. Yeah, that’s interesting to see.” Rika’s imagination started again to change the JROCK model of Miki. Now, Miki was one of those WOTA guys screaming Maki’s name in her concert.

“I think I don’t like what you’re imagining right now.” Miki cut-off Rika’s thoughts by hitting her lightly on the head,

“Hey! That’s not only insubordination but also a form of physical injury!”

“I don’t care… I just have a feeling that I don’t like what you’re thinking right now.” Miki glared at her which made Rika laughed out loud.

“Hahahaha… You knew what I was thinking because you also think the same too… You’re a fangirl after all.” Miki’s glare vanished and joined Rika on her laughing fit. The two ordered sandwich for lunch.

“Is it enough for you? You still have 4-5 hours of work.”

“I’m the boss, I can eat at my office and besides, I ordered three.” Rika answered before taking a large bite at her club sandwich.

“So, you really like Three-Tums…”

“Yup… you can say it’s addiction. I’ve bought all of their singles, been to their concerts, downloaded their dramas and I’ve written and read lots of fanfic about them… and my favorite writer is Kuwagata.” At that point, Miki almost spit out the mango shake that she was drinking. Rika rushed to her side to help her choking friend.

“Hey, are you alright?!” Rika asked frantically as she repeatedly hit Miki’s back. After a coughing fit, Miki was breathing normally.

“I’m fine now, thanks.”

“What happened with you?”

“Ahh, nothing… It’s just that my friend also talks about this writer all the time…”

“REALLY?!?!? Sugoi?! Has she commented on her latest update? What’s her online name? Is she Eri Slave? Elevator Party? Murasaki Aoi? Who who??? My online name’s Charmy…”

“My respected image of you is starting to dissolve rapidly and is being replaced by a wild wota…” Miki said loud enough for Rika to hear her clearly. Rika was stunned. Miki laughed at Rika’s stunned face. “You’re both Kowaii and Kawaii… Hahahaha… geez, I can see that someday, if you don’t control that side of yours, you’ll be banned from attending Three-Tums concerts…”

“Eh? Nani?” Rika looked at the CD that Miki gave her and thought hard as to why Miki said that. Miki saw the look on Rika’s face and decided not to let her ‘suffer’ more.

“Because who knows what you will do there… And I bet, what you’ve showed me is just 10% of it? Right? I know because I’ve seen what my friend can do and I tell you, she’s the worst if you ask me.”

“Oh? Is that it?... Ouch!” Rika yelled as soon as Miki’s hand hit the back of her head. “Why did you do that for?”

“I think you should thank me for doing that. Because, if you don’t move now, you’ll be late for work. It took you 10 minutes to get here and right now…” Miki glanced at her watch, “you have approximately 12 minutes to get back from your work.”

“Oh! Yeah! Work.. I have to go now. It’s hard to wait for the bus…” Rika quickly put the CD inside her bag and stood up. She forgot her agenda to find out what’s bothering Miki. It was all shadowed by the round thing that Miki gave her and the information overload.

“Still not bringing your own car?” Miki asked as soon as her boss looked at the bus stop in front of them.

“Yup… I’ll be gone here in less than two weeks so yeah, didn’t bring it. Thanks for the gift. So where are you going now?” Miki remained seated on the chair.

“I’m going to wait for my friend here. And then we’ll go to Tokyo to visit another friend and spend some quality time together. I‘ll be busy up until the New Year so I’ll enjoy my free time with my friends. We’ll come back tomorrow afternoon.”

“Oh…” Rika muttered. She didn’t expect Miki to have friends’ way back in Tokyo. She assumed that she met them on one of Maki’s concert or something. She shrugged off the thought and looked at her watch. She decided to just hail for a cab. “Tomorrow’s my rest day. Just call me if you want me to tour you around the city… which I think your friend did before…”

“Hmmm, Yep, she toured me years ago but yeah. Sure. I’ll love to hang up with you. And frankly speaking, there’s some things in the branch that I want to talk about.” At this, Rika’s eyes lit up. It might be the reason why Miki’s acting like that. Tomorrow, she will make sure that she will find the answers to her question… unless Miki will give her another Three-Tums merchandise and forget all about it again.

“OK, let’s talk about that tomorrow. Ja!” Rika said as she saw a taxi outside. She went out of the restaurant waved at Miki before opening the taxi’s door. Miki waved back at her and pointed at her watch. Rika nodded and got inside the cab. She wished that the driver was a previous F1 racer.