Yey!!! I MADE IT JUST IN TIME!!!! ahahaha...I got extended from work and thank goodness there's no traffic at this time of the night. So, I'll just get straight to the point... HAPPY B-DAY RIKA!!!! This FINAL chapter's my gift for you!!!XD


Rika typed her comment on Kuwagata’s blog but before she decided to send it, she thought that it contains a lot of information on the writer’s part. She just posted the first part and then decided to just send her analysis through PM.
Charmy

Hi there, Kuwagata-san. Finished your fic and I want to congratulate you for making me cry.. No pun intended.. but yeah, that was a really good ending for your fic. My best friend would squeal as you decided to end it as TanaShige. Or is it? ahahaha..So this is your answer right? I’ll just PM you my analysis coz I know, you don’t want me to expose your real identity here…Just reply if my ‘theory’ is wrong but mind you… I’m very good at analyzing stories…. Why? Because I had a pretty good grade in our Personality Psychology class. So, I’ll send it to you now~! XP

Rika clicked the send button. She grinned as she remembered to highlight the word ‘TanaShige’ as an answer to those who were fighting before. She was glad that after giving that lecture, those readers decided to not to take pairings seriously and be open minded about it. And they were still commenting on the story.

“If only those guys knew the real story…” She then opened another browser and typed in her personal e-mail account. She pasted her ‘analysis’ on it and sent it to Hitomi’s business e-mail account. She forgot to ask for her ‘personal’ account and since she had a database of the employees’ e-mail addresses, she used it to find Hitomi’s account.

To: yoshizawa_hitomi@ishikawagroupofcompanies.com.jp
From: kawaiicharmy@yahoo.co.jp
Subject: Analysis on Searching for the Light

Hey there! Sorry if I had to e-mail you using OUR official add..but yeah.. I forgot to ask you about your other email add so I had no other choice…Unless of course, you want me to tell the whole world about the real Kuwagata…LOL

First of all, I think, your story is not that ‘parallel’ on Miki’s story, since you’ve said it’s more on symbolism type. So… here’s my guess… Eri and Sayu are one… I mean..well, based on what I’ve learned on Miki’s story… You liked her… So I guess, Eri’s your ‘other’ side, (and her sickness was being gay towards someone)… and Sayu’s the normal one… I was having a hard time to decide who’s who at first because Sayu’s really hard to predict. And, you killed Eri… I think that means, you killed your feelings towards Reina… or Fujimoto-san in real life... and since Eri asked Sayu to be friends with Reina… I think you’re telling me that you wanted to be friends with her again right? And what you did with the ending… I think, “Eri’s” wish came true. Although… that doesn’t explain why Miki had to slap you in the park…I don’t mean to be rude or something. Just don’t answer it if you don’t want to. But how can you say that the two of you were alright when you left after Miki slapped you? Well, there is that hug but still… Hmmm… So there’s my analysis… I really hope you can reply to this PM. Don’t think that I’m just being nosy or something. Honestly, the two of you were fairly close to me that’s why I want to understand what happened before. I really hope that it’s already fixed now, just like in your ending. 


Rika clicked the send button and logged off on her account. She took a glimpse at her ‘temporary’ apartment. She almost didn’t notice it but it’s almost time for her to leave this cozy place. She lay on her bed and tried to get some sleep.

“Don’t be. I’ll wait for you, promise.”
“GAAAHH!!!! STOP PESTERING MY MIND!!!!” Rika shouted frustratingly. Somehow what happened earlier keeps popping out of nowhere. Her mind was playing some nasty tricks to her as she can’t seem to forget their ‘date’ especially Miki’s kiss. She knew she was blushing as she touched her lips; even though it’s just a short contact, she can still feel Miki’s lips on hers.

“Think rational Rika… It just can’t happen! Why did you do that! You’re giving her false hopes! She’s already hurt before and now, you will hurt her more! You’re a coward Rika. You just can’t do that. You have dreams. You have a good future ahead of you!”

“A good but sad future if you ask me.” Rika sat up from her bed and looked around. She was trying to remember whether she locked her door or not. When she remembered that she locked it, she returned to her lying position.

“Why do you keep on running away from reality? Why you just don’t grab the chance that you’ll be happy?”

“Who’s there!?” Rika shouted. The voice didn’t reply.

“I must be imagining things. Maybe I’m stressed out from work.”

“You’re stressed because you can’t face who you really are.”

“Who the heck are you?! And why are you telling me this things?!”

“Sorry if I haven’t properly introduced myself. My name’s Charmy.

“What?! Charmy?!? Hey that’s my…”

“Yes, your name… sometimes you’re so slow ne. I’m you if you don’t notice it.”

“So that means it’s all in my head…. WILL YOU JUST DISAPPEAR! I want to sleep!” Rika closed her eyes tightly and covered her ears. She knew it wouldn’t be effective because the voice was coming from inside her.

“Sorry.. but I can’t do that.”

“May I ask why? You’re just a figment of my imagination. YOU are not REAL!”

“Yes you are correct. I’m just a figment of your imagination… you know. I’m tired too and I really want to sleep.. so stop thinking about me and make me vanish already.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do! You just keep on popping out of my head!”

“You know why? It’s because your other side, represented by me, can’t rest until you solve your problem..I mean OUR problem caused by your ‘Reina’.”

“There’s no problem right! I already solved it. It just can’t happen okay. That’s my answer so stop bothering me.”

“You represent the head part and I represent the heart. My answer and your answer are contradicting each other that’s why we’re in this mess.”

“God placed our head to the higher part of our body to be used first before the heart.”

“But sometimes, we have to use our heart for the same reason as to the head because, it’s the right thing to do. We perceive the heart as weak but actually, it’s the stronger among the two.”

“Stronger?? If we follow my heart, we’ll only get hurt in the process and then…”

“Then we’ll be able to learn eventually. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They are the one’s teaching us a lesson.”

Rika sighed. It’s really hard to fight with her inner mind especially if it was just showing her the truth… It’s hard to accept that her ‘other’ one was winning against her more ‘rational’ side but then again… love’s not really rational right?

“I hate you…”

“Correction… You hate yourself… because I’m you too.”

“Fine, geez… You know. I’m really tired. I know you can feel it too so let’s just settle this topic tomorrow. How’s that?”

“I’m okay with it. At least you’ll have a clearer mind to analyze things, Ms. I’m A+ in Psychology subject.”

“Shut up!” With that said, Rika immediately fell into the dream land.

……….
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIKA-CHAN!!!!” Ayumi half shouted/ half greeted her best friend as soon as the door to their mansion opened.

“Thanks!!! You really have a way with greetings right?” Rika rolled her eyes and opened the door wider for her best friend to get inside.

“Well, you squealed at my ears many times when you’re fangirling over Ohyass and Three-Tums. It’s just a little payback for making me deaf for many years now.”

“Geez, Ayu, you are so thoughtful. You haven’t forgotten that.” Rika replied sarcastically and then the two started laughing.

“Share the happiness with me.” The two looked towards the direction of the voice and saw Rika’s mother in the dining hall. Ayumi skipped towards her and hugged her best friend’s mom, which she considered as her second mom.

“Ka-san!!! You look gorgeous in that dress.” Ayumi complimented.

“Thank you Ayu. Now that’s what you call a compliment, right Rika.”

“Ka-san… you’re not a teenager anymore… It doesn’t fit your image.” Rika replied which earned her a light nudged courtesy of her best friend.

“Come on Rika. It looks nice on her.. Just chill ok? It’s sometimes good to try the unconventional rather than the tradition.” Mrs. Ishikawa nodded her head in approval as she pat the shoulders of Ayumi.

“Now, who’s hungry?”

………………
“Happy birthday Rika!” Mr. Ishikawa greeted as soon as he entered the dining hall. The three of them started eating the appetizer when Mr. Ishikawa arrived. Rika got up from her chair and hugged her father.

“You’re late. And you’re the one who doesn’t want to be late.”

“Just got stopped by someone.” Mr. Ishikawa moved away from her daughter and went to kiss his wife before sitting in his chair. Today was exclusively a family celebration. Rika celebrated her birthday party last night at their main office. Ayumi’s parents were present there too but they had to excuse their selves early to catch their flight to America for a business trip. Most of the executives of the other branch were present like Mr. Nishida of Saitama branch and Ms. Abe of Hokkaido. Hitomi was also there too and she gave Rika a watch as a gift. She then handed her a pink folder. Hitomi whispered to her that she really tried hard to write that ‘kind’ of story; a steamy and ero fic about her favorite pairing, TanaKamei. The party ended an hour after midnight but through that time, Rika felt lonely… She’s missing someone badly.

“Why didn’t you go to the party last night?” Mr. Ishikawa directed her question at Ayumi.

“I already told Rika-chan about it a week ago… She didn’t tell you?”

“Sorry, I forgot! Ahahahaha.” Ayumi playfully hit the back of Rika’s head, making her jerk forward a little.


“Oh by the way. Here’s your REAL gift, last night was just a prelude.” Mr. Ishikawa handed her daughter a small envelop. Rika looked quizzically at her father as she was thinking what was inside.

“Is it a check? A gift check? Another ticket to a Hanshin game? A plane ticket for my visit to another branch?”

“Why don’t you open it now?” Mrs. Ishikawa smiled at her daughter. Ayumi nudged her so Rika peeled the sides and pulled out its contents. Rika and Ayumi was shocked at what Rika received as a gift.

“You two have fun in watching that concert. Just make sure you’ll be back after midnight.” Mr. Ishikawa said as he drank his coffee. The two were still speechless. Mr. Ishikawa gave them a VIP ticket to the Hello! Project’s Chinese New Year Concert next month where Three-Tums and Futari are going to perform. Ayumi finally decided to say something after being awestruck for a minute.

“I told you, your parents are cool.” Ayumi nudged at her immobilized friend. Rika looked seriously at her father.

“Wha…wh… how.. did you find out?”

“Well, it’s because you left your ‘secret’ cabinet unlocked when you were still in college and when I opened it, I was greeted by anime and Three-Tums paraphernalia.” Rika’s father smirked as he remembered something. “Tanakamei Forever huh… If you asked me, I like the yankii and narcissist combo.”

“YEAH!!!!Wat to gO To-chan!!!! TanaShige rocks right?” Ayumi yelled excitedly as she shook the hands of Rika’s father. Rika was shocked at the revelation. She felt like someone possessed her father. Her ‘real’ father wouldn’t act like that. She turned her attention to her ‘unmoved’ mother, as if asking for a help or explanation. Her mother looked towards her and smiled warmly.

“If you ask me,I like the KameShige pairing. Best friend’s still the best, right, Rika and Ayumi?”

“KASAN!!! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?! Ayu’s JUST my best friend!!”

“Yeah ka-san, Rika already has Rein…hmphh!” Rika quickly covered her friend’s mouth before she spilled anything ‘confidential’. Her parents grinned at her.

“Rika, let go of your best friend’s mouth… I’ll ask her something.” Mr. Ishikawa said sternly.

“But…”

“Rika….. let her go.” Rika has no choice but to obey the words of her father. She leaned back on her chair and glared at Ayumi. Mr. Ishikawa turned her attention to her daughter’s best friend who was slightly shaking from the glare of Rika.

“Now Ayumi, can you repeat what you’ve said earlier?”

“Uhhh… Rika already has Reina. You know.. She idolizes Reina so much. Ahahahaha.”

“Oh really? I thought that she’s more of an Eri fan because there are tons of Eri’s posters on her cabinet.”

“And don’t forget Eri’s photobooks, dear. She completed all the releases.” Mrs. Ishikawa followed. Rika was sure that her face was bright red from embarrassment.

“Of course, she’s my daughter. I know she would complete that. Just like my collection of Dragonball.”

“eehh?!?! To-chan.. are you… an otaku before?” Ayumi questioned.

“Yeah… and you know what.” Mr. Ishikawa looked at Rika, “your mother and I met in an Anime Convention where there’s a concert of SMAP.”

“NO WAY!!!”

……………………
Rika entered her room and went directly to her table where her laptop was awaiting her. There were many things that she learned today. She learned that her father was an anime otaku while her mother was so into SMAP. Her father showed her his ‘secret’ cabinet full of dragonball DVD’s, figurines and other things. She opened her laptop and decided to write something before her birthday was officially finished.

After all, she promised it.

…………………..
Second Chance

“Ohayou minna!”

“Ohayou Ms. Michishige!” The people in the boutique answered as the raven-haired girl entered. Sayumi Michishige, the daughter of the owner and president of a certain brand of perfume, went to manage the newly opened store in Kobe. She will stay there for a month or two until she saw that the store can stand alone. Before she was assigned by her father there, she was the store manager of the Saitama branch for three months. Apparently, her father opened another branch in Hokkaido so she was sent there to train the people working in there. She’s a good leader, daughter and person but there’s only one flaw to her excellent personality…. She’s a closet Otaku. Most people associate the word OTAKU with men but there are also girl’s like her who are addicted to Anime. As a proof, she has a collection of manga, Anime DVD’s and MP3’s, posters, cards, magazines, etc. in their house. She even had some costumes of her favorite Anime characters which she always wear in Anime conventions, which her parents didn’t even know.

The Kobe branch is much smaller than in the pioneer store in Hokkaido. There were only five of them inside the store. She was close with all of them except with the management trainee. Managers were supposed to look approachable and friendly but this girl was somewhat different. She was warm and caring when it comes with the customers but when there were no people in the shop, she preferred to be left alone.

“Good morning Tanaka-san! Let’s have fun today!” Sayumi greeted the new management trainee but was answered by a snob. She’s the boss and her subordinate was acting like this towards her. A way to punish insubordination was by suspension but Sayumi tried to restrain her ‘evil’ side and tried to be civil first. What she meant by ‘civil’ is by ‘teasing’ the other girl.

And that’s what the boss was doing every single day. And every single day, her efforts were being returned in a form of snob, glare, hiss and a frown. It went for a week and Sayumi was really considering making a verbal and written warning before suspending the girl but a miracle happened.

“Isn’t that the DVD of the new season of Kyou Kara Maou?” Sayumi’s eyes widened. Her ‘secret’ has been out and most importantly, the one who saw it was Ms. ‘Glaring’ girl.

“Uhhh… yeah.”

“Ahhh, there are many Yaoi parts in there especially between Yuri and Wolfram.” Sayumi turned around and stared at the girl behind her who was grinning widely. “And the ending was just priceless.”

“NO WAY?!? YOU KNOW THIS ANIME!?!?” Reina swiftly covered her boss’ mouth as the other staffs were looking at their direction.

“Ahahahaha, don’t mind us. We’re just discussing something about the monthly sales analysis.” Reina lied. The staffs went back to their work. “Geez, do you plan on telling the whole world that you’re an otaku? Do you want the staffs to make fun at you because of that?” Reina whispered as she let her hands off Sayumi’s mouth.

“Thanks… you’re an otaku too?” Reina just replied with a smile. And that’s the start of a beautiful friendship between the two.
…………………..
“Reina, can I borrow your Vandread DVD?” Sayumi asked as she scanned the DVD collection of her friend while she was waiting for the other to finish her bath. Reina yelled her affirmation. “Reina, can I borrow your Ouran Host Club DVD?”

“SURE!!!”

“Reina, can I borrow your Tsubasa Chronicle DVD?” This time, there was no answer. “Reina? Can I...” The door of the bathroom opened and Reina came out with a white towel draped on her body.

“Just get what you want to borrow.” Reina said casually but the other one was not listening to her intently because the other one was busy staring at her. “Hey… Did you hear what I said?”

“Uhh.. yeah.. I heard it. Thanks.” Sayumi quickly move her attention back on the DVD’s but her mind was constantly showing Reina’s body.

“Geez… this is the result of watching too much yuri animes…”

………………
“Good Morning! Welcome to…”

“Reina!!!!” Sayumi’s eyes twitched as the girl with a toothy-grin ran past her.

“Oi, Eririn.. Wacha doin’ here?” Sayumi has only a little knowledge about dialects but she knew that Reina just said that in Hakata-ben. She turned around and saw the ‘girl’ hugging Reina. Reina saw her questioning eyes and move away from the girl.

“Ms. Michishige, this is my best friend, Kamei Eri.” Then turning to the girl, “Eri, this is the owner of this store, Michishige Sayumi.” With that said, Sayumi saw the girl’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Ow..ner?”

“Yeah.” Sayumi tried to say it in a nice way but she was sure that she sounded proud there.

“I’M SO SORRRRRYY!!!!! REALLY!!!! I’M SORRRY!!!! I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE THE OWNER!!!! SORRRRRRRRYYYY~!” Eri started bowing down excessively that Sayumi and Reina were getting dizzy over her. Reina held her back to stop her. Reina turned towards Sayumi.

“Sorry about that.. She’s the Ahou-Queen.”

“Hey! I’m your best friend but you’re ruining the name of the turtles in front of your boss!” Sayumi chuckled. Eri was a complete opposite of Reina and she was wondering how the two ended up being best friends.

“Hey, it’s okay. Tanaka-san, why don’t you take your break and talk to your best friend. I’ll take over for now.”

……………………
For the next five days, the three spent time together. Eri was into anime too and the three of them would have a pajama party at Reina’s house where they will watch different animes until the wee hours of the morning. And on their last night, the truth came out one night.

The three of them were sleeping together in Reina’s not so wide bed. Reina was in the middle while the two were on the side. Sayumi was awoken by some whispers coming from the two. She didn’t open her eyes and just listened intently on the conversation.

“Reina. Please, come back to me.”

“I can’t. I’m busy here.”

“You can’t or you don’t want to?”

“Let’s not talk about it tonight. She might wake up.”

“Ohh… so you’re busy with your boss. I should have known.”

Sayumi resisted opening her eyes. The topic was about her. She tried to control her breathing so Reina wouldn’t feel that she’s becoming tense and thus blowing up her cover.

“Eri, I already told you before… I can’t love you the way you loved me. You’re my best friend. I don’t want to ruin that and besides, you have Gaki-san now.”

“We’re already through because you’re the one I truly love! Can’t you understand that? I tried loving Risa the way I loved you but… I can’t seem to forget you.” Sayumi can hear Eri’s light sobs. Reina moved a little bit towards her best friend’s direction.

“Look, you can’t love two persons with the same zeal for each. The result will always vary because those two people are not the same. Well, sorry if I can’t fully explain it to you, but I hope you grasp the idea there.”

“Please, I beg you… just try to love me… more than a best friend. Even just for a day.” Eri begged. Sayumi felt Eri’s arm on Reina’s hips, tightened.

“I don’t know about that…”

……………………
“Hey, where’s your alien friend?” Sayumi asked even though she knew the answer. She was awake pretending to be asleep when the turtle left the kitten’s apartment.

“She went back to our home town. An emergency came up.”

“Ohhh…”

“Yeah… so, what are you up to today? There are still lots of animes to choose from.” Reina asked, forcing a smile on her face which Sayumi quickly noticed.

“Why don’t you follow your friend? It’s clear that you’re somewhat lonely today.”

“I’m not lonely? I’m glad that ahou-queen was not pestering me.” Sayumi thought deeply. Maybe a little ‘push’ will help her friend realize something.

“If that’s the case then, let’s enjoy ourselves together. How about watching Strawberry Panic together?” Sayumi inched her way closer towards Reina which caught the other off guard.

“Wacha doin’?!” Reina blurted in her native tongue as Sayumi caressed her face.

“Come on… I know you think that I’m hot and sexy.” Sayumi leaned forward to whisper something on Reina’s ears. “What are you waiting for?” Sayumi moved forward to kiss Reina’s lips when the other pushed her away.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Reina… I’m your boss, you should do what I told you or else, you’re fired.”

“No I won’t I would rather kiss Eri than you!” Sayumi pointed at the shorter girl while grinning widely.

“AHA!!! Now the truth finally came out from your own mouth! You love your best friend!!!”

“Ehhh?!? NO!!! I was just… I was just…”

“I heard your conversation earlier… She went away because she was broken hearted courtesy of you. What are you afraid of? She really loves you very much and I know she won’t do something that will hurt you.” Reina decided to remain quiet. Sayumi can see that the other was contemplating. “Look, just follow what your heart says. Don’t mind what the other people will say to you. It’s your own life.” Reina’s eyes lit up as she looked at Sayumi’s warm smile.

“Go to her and ask for a second chance.”

The End

Written by : Charmy
Posted : January 19






oh yeah..that's the ending!!! *runs off to hide from those who wants to kill her*
that's the last chapter but I'll make an epilogue..hehehehe..fooled you there.XD

This one's a belated b-day fic for Eri!!! ahahahaha... It just came into my mind..so yeah... Happy birthday Eri!!! and Advance MERRY XMAS TO ALL!!!XD



“GAAAHHH!!!!” Ai screamed with her ever famous ‘manly’ scream. Her sleep was interrupted when she felt like there’s something ‘crawling’ rom her legs. She threw the blanket away from her, in fear that the crawling thing that touched her leg was a cockroach. Ai opened the lamp beside her bed and saw a cute little green turtle with a small card on its mouth.

“Merry Christmas Ai-chan… From Santa Eri.” Ai squinted her eyes at the message and focused on the name of the sender. She smiled as she scooped up the little animal.

“Thank you, little Eri-chan.” She kissed its head and was about to go back to sleep when she noticed something else written on the card.

“PS: Your gift is on your dresser.” Ai stood up and went to her dresser across her room. Her eyes widened at the said ‘gift’.

“FINAL FANTASY XIII!!!!!”

……………………..
Sayumi bolted up from her sleep as she felt that ‘something’ was touching her hair. She grabbed her cell phone beside her and used it as a ‘flash light’.

“Who’s there? This bunny’s not afraid of you!!!” Sayu yelled. She looked closely on top of her pillow and saw the ‘culprit’. It was a cute little turtle with a card on its mouth. Sayumi scooped up the little creature and got the card.

“Merry Christmas, Sayu!!! Tone down from using your power, the ‘evil tongue’…Hahahaha… From Santa Eri.” Sayu laughed at the message. Her best friend really is weird. She put the turtle beside her when she felt something hard on her bed. She hovered her cell phone and saw the ‘hard’ thing coupled with another note.

“PS: Please take care of this or you’ll end up with seven years of badluck.”

“KAWAII!!! It’s a PINK, BUNNY MIRROR!!!!”

…………………………….
“Don’t disturb me… Stop it…. GEEZ, WILL YOU JUST STOP BOTHERING ME!!!!” Risa yelled as she sat up from her bed. Someone was playing tricks on her and ‘touching’ her left hand. She raised her hand and saw that a small turtle was ‘holding on’ into her hand. She put it close to her eyes and read the paper that the turtle was biting.
“Gaki-san! Merry Christmas! Let’s always do our best on our radio show! From: Santa Eri.

“What the heck are you thinking now? You really are weird.” Risa said to the turtle as if she’s talking directly to its ‘master’. Risa put the turtle on the floor.

“Go home now, little friend. Your weird ‘master’ might have been waiting for you to come back.” Risa saw the turtle walk up towards her door. She laid on her bed when something hit her back. She sat up again and looked for the item.

“PS: I want to see you wear these nails on our concerts.”

Risa smiled, her friend gave her a pack of assorted nail art stick ons.

………………..
Reina felt like something was tugging at her pajamas. She was too scared to look so she didn’t move even a bit. When the ‘tugging’ of her pajama turned into ‘touching’ by something cold, she can’t help it but yell and turn her lamp, on. Reina blinked many times before laughing real hard as she realized that she was so busy freaking out with a little turtle.

“Reina, Merry Christmas! Please stop being a yankii and be a good girl from now on… just like me… From: Santa Eri

“Sugoi…” Reina looked at the turtle and smiled. “How did she train you?” A note fell from inside the turtles shell.

“Look underneath your bed and your real gift lies there.” Reina gulped. What if Eri was just toying at her? Eri knew that she’s afraid of scary stuffs.

“Why did it always have to be ‘under’ the bed?” Reina breathe a couple of breaths before taking a peep under her bed. Her eyes grew large as her gift was waiting there, in a Santa Clause costume.

“Eri! What are you doing under my bed?!?”

“I’m going to give you your gift.” Eri said teasingly and pulled Reina towards her. She immediately lay on top of the other girl and removed Reina’s clothes.

“Now, be a good girl will you? Santa’s going to give you a very nice gift.”

…………………….
*Shabondama Ring tone*

“What? Where? Who???” Eri quickly sat up as she heard her phone.

“Who the heck is this… and we were just getting into the best part.” Eri got her phone and read the message sent to her at this ‘unholy’ hour. There were many messages from her fellow members but she decided to read the message of the last person who mailed her.

“Eri, Happy Birthday! The other members probably sent their mails at exactly 12:00. But Reina thought this specially for you. As your birthday is on December 23, I send this at 12:23!”

~Reina

Eri blinked many times. How could she forget that it was her birthday today? She quickly typed in her reply to that person..

“Reina, I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH! THANKS!” Eri waited for a few seconds before the reply came in.

“I love you to, Eri. Can’t wait to see you again.” Eri’s eyes, glistened with mischief as she typed her reply.

“Me too… Hey, do you want to role play when we meet up? I’ll be Santa Claus and you’ll be my reindeer.”

The End

I'm back!!!! Ahahahaha... anyways.. to those following my 'fangirl' I'm happy to tell you that I may post it some time next week... but for now, this fic is based on my grueling experience last Saturday when a typhoon hit our country. The incidents really happened.. but I added some 'fluff' scenes which didn't happen in reality.. So yeah.. I hope you would have an idea at what I went through that day...(although I made this one short..yeah... SHORT)I hope you like it!

PS: Yeah, the banana shake was true and so as the 'picnic'. There's that "TanaKamei' thing goin on...I did eat that chocolate, 'Matsuura-san's really gay.. 'Nakazawa' really ran off. There's really that shivering 'Risa' beside me..though in real life Risa's a HE and I definitely didn't do what Ai did. Talk about code names.. :)


“I wish I went out earlier”

I let out a deep sigh as I grabbed my phone from inside my bag. I have to message my manager that I’ll be late. Now my record of having a clean slate would be tarnished. I looked outside the window and saw that the rain was still pouring down hard. I hate rainy days.

~Good morning mam!~
“What’s so good this morning? I’m going to be late!”
~It’s me, Takahashi-san. I think I’m going to be late. The bus hasn’t move due to the flood for about forty minutes now. I’m really sorry.~

After I sent the message, I put my phone back to my bag and pulled out a book that I bought two days ago. I can’t seem to focus to my reading as my ‘responsible’ side was bugging me.

“If you only didn’t play PSP earlier, you would probably be in the store right now.”
“I can’t help it. I can’t wait to try the new game.”

“And now, look at you. Why are you reading that book when there’s only 20 minutes left before you will be officially late from work?”
“I’m going to be late anyways. There’s no need to make haste.”

“What are you saying?!? Are you really a team leader?! A leader isn’t supposed to say those things!”
“And what should I do?”

“How about you, getting out of this bus right now and run towards your store just before your time expires.”
“And what? Be soaking wet from rain and mud?”

“Remember, this will be the first time that you will have a ‘late’ record!”
“But if I do that… I’ll have an ‘x’ mark on my ‘uniform’ in the checklist. You know Fujimoto-san’s strict when it comes to appearance.”
”But you will be late!”
“This is my first time… and I can’t control the weather. I think Fujimoto-san will understand me.” As if on cue, I pulled out my phone from my bag and read the message.

~It’s ok. I’ll just adjust your time if you will be late for an hour. The store’s in a mess right now. We closed the ‘Smoking’ section due to the heavy rain.~

I smiled. Our ‘scary’ manager really has a soft side. The ‘responsible’ me vanished after reading the message and I’m left alone with my book. I finished four chapters and looked at the time. It’s been thirty minutes pass my ‘original’ schedule but the bus only moved an inch…or so. I messaged my manager again to tell her about my current situation although nothing much changed since then. It’s just to show her how ‘eager’ I am to get to work so she should stick to her word about adjusting my schedule. I continued exchanging mails with my manager. I learned that our front was already flooded and although our store was on the third floor, due to the wind, the outside was already ‘flooded’ too.

It’s already an hour and fifteen minutes passed since I was stuck in this traffic jam. I looked outside and noticed that the rain had died down. I sent one last message to my manager. I’m glad I bought some load before I got on the bus.

~I will walk now~

…………..
“I should have listened to my other side”...I shouldn’t have fallen for that new game.
I cautiously walk along the highway. One, because I don’t want my pants to get dirty and two, because I’m walking beside the cars and buses. But I’m not alone in this kind of ‘Exodus’. I was thinking to use the train for convenience but after seeing that I have to ‘swim’ to get to the other side, my feet automatically turned towards the flyover. I took a picture towards the ‘brownish sea’ below me as a form of evidence. I was nearing the end when I saw that it’s also flooded. I quickly boarded another bus to get to my destination. So here I am in our store, almost 2 hours late if not for the adjustment.

“Takahashi-san~! How are you! Glad you made it.” I was greeted by my ever ‘weird’ sub-leader. She’s reliable… yeah… But sometimes.. She’s just plain weird. I didn’t know how Rei can keep up with her weirdness. Oh yeah, did I say that in our store, it’s forbidden to have a relationship between your co-workers? They always say, ‘one must die’ if they ever found out but hey, you can’t stop love. And surprisingly, Matsuura-san found out, but still kept quiet. It’s because Tanaka-san and Kamei-san knew something about our Matsuura-san and Fujimoto-san’s relationship which I knew from the beginning because I was ‘fairly’ close to Matsuura-san. Yep, I have an open mind about the third sex. Anyways, Michishige-san was reapplying her make-up when I approached the cashier’s area.

“Hey, what happened here?”

“The ceiling’s leaking. We had to cover the POS and elevate the UPS so that it won’t get wet. And I had to hide my cute face under this hood so I won’t get wet too.” Shige-san’s narcissistic side attacked again. I smiled as I walked past her and put my bag into my locker room. Nothing much happened for the rest of the day. I just did some paper works, checked the stocks, and cleaned what was needed to be cleaned.

“You want some banana shake?” Jun asked me. I looked back at the dining room and saw that the others were already drinking their share. I know he liked bananas but a shake at this weather? Well, I guess it’s not that bad.

“Sure. You made this one?”

“Yeah…” There were no guests given that there’s a typhoon in our country right now. Fujimoto-san suggested that we had a ‘picnic’ and at the same time, helping our store to have some sales. Aika suggested that we use our tip in case we don’t have enough money. Lin-chan and Jun-kun made our orders. Rei-kun and Eri-chan made the drinks while Shige-san and Aika-san went to the lobby and tried to get some customers, if there were any. I sat down beside Fujimoto-san.

“Is Matsuura-san alright? I heard in the news on the bus that her town’s flooded right now.”

“Yeah, apparently, her subdivision is the only place where there’s no flood.”

“Glad to hear that.”

………………..
It’s almost six in the evening and finally, some real guests arrived. It’s only four transactions but still, at least we sold something. Due to the bad weather, we closed early that day. We left the store at 9 in the evening. I’m the only person who goes home in the south.

“Are you sure you’ll be ok?” Linlin asked worriedly. Among the staff in the kitchen, Linlin was my favorite. She’s really funny and I like to tease her a lot about her eating habits. Besides, we get along pretty well when it comes to cooking so even though I’m a dining team leader, she would let me cook sometimes when there are few guests.

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’ll keep in touch.” I waved at them as they crossed the street. Rei-kun lives nearby but I know he will accompany Eri.

“Don’t you wish you had a boyfriend?”
“I’m still enjoying my single life.” Yeah, my single, BORING and REDUNDANT life. Shaking that feeling aside, I had to squeeze my way in just to board a ‘nearly’ full bus. Normally, it would only take me thirty minutes to reach my other bus stop but then, some of the streets were still flooded. I sighed in resignation. My legs were numb from an hour of standing on this crowded bus. After another thirty minutes, I got out from the bus. I really wish that there’s a bus line that would travel straight to my place so I won’t have to board a bus twice.

And as if it’s really my UNlucky day, I’m waiting for at least an hour now. It’s almost midnight but there’s no bus going towards my town. My stomach growled and I instinctively opened a pack of chocolates inside my bag. Sorry Kusumi.

-Flashback-
“Hey mom, I just got here… I’m stranded for two hours.”

“I told you not to go to work today but you didn’t listen.”

“I can’t help it. I’m a team leader.”

“Anyways, I think you should sleep at your cousin’s house.”

“Why?”

“Apparently it’s really flooded outside. We’re on the second floor now because the water on our first floor is waist deep.”

“Ehh? How about my PS2? My computer? My books?”

“Don’t worry about it. We saved it just in time.”

“Thanks. I’ll call Kusumi now.”

“Ok, be careful on your way home.”
…………….
“Hello? Kusumi? It’s Ai.”

“Ai-chan? Hi there! How are you doing~! Where are you~!” Still my ever hyperactive cousin.

“I’m here at work. Mom said that our house is flooded and she thought it would be better if I would stay there.”

“GREAT~~~!!! LET’S PLAY ~~!! I HAVE A NEW GAME~~!! And please.. BRING SOME CHOCOLATES~~!”

-End Flashback-

~It’s not flooded anymore. Where are you going to sleep?~

~I’ll go home. It’s already midnight and I don’t want to disturb Kusumi’s sleep.~ That is, if she really sleeps at night. That kid’s always full of energy.

There were many buses going to the town next to mine. It’s a nice option but still I didn't want some ‘adventure’ in the middle of the night. Another option was I can sleep in a hotel… or motel but I didn’t have extra money with me. When all hope was lost, a miracle happened. A lady driving a white pick-up truck stopped in front of us and asked the old man beside me where he’s going. Apparently, the old man was from the same town as mine, and so are the others beside me. The kind lady told us to ‘hop-in’ on her truck. Finally, I was going home.

But that didn’t end my sufferings. We were again, stranded just right after midnight. Add to that, the rains were pouring harder. I’m glad I brought an umbrella that day but I can’t be happy when there are other people on the truck who were soaking wet because of the rain. Two hours have already passed since I boarded this truck. The kind lady checks us time to time. I learned that her name was Yuuko Nakazawa and she’s working in our city hall. That made sense as to why she helped us.

I tried to sleep but I can’t. My ‘seatmate’ kept on moving. She was sitting beside me before but when I observed her, her knees were close to her chest while she lay her arms and head on the side of the truck. She was shivering badly, probably due to her wet shirt and she was probably conserving her body heat with her current position. It began raining again and this time, I shared my umbrella with her. She looked up as she felt that the rain wasn’t falling on her. I vaguely see her face but I definitely notice her eyebrows and bean-shaped forehead.

“Thanks.” She mumbled.

“It’s nothing.” I looked away and observe the other people on the truck with us.. There’s the old man, a woman with her pet dog, a student.. a lot of office workers and a lovey-dovey couple in front of me... hmm… that’s interesting. At first sight you would think that they’re a normal couple because that short-haired blond GIRL really looks like a guy but then again, my gay-dar’s improved all thanks to Matsuura-san giving me on-the-spot quiz every now and then with the guests that eats in our restaurant were gay or not. I continued watching them and noticed that they were sharing their body heat with each other; my inner side spoke up again.

“Now, do you wish you had a boyfriend?”
“In this circumstance… yes.”

I looked back at the girl beside me. She’s still shivering. She shifted her position so that she was again sitting beside me on the side of the truck, with her head on her lap and her arms crossed over her chest.

“Care to share your body heat with someone?”
“Ehh? But I don’t know her!”

“Being a leader means you are sensitive towards the other’s needs.”
“Yeah.. I can see that she’s really cold right now but the thing is… I DON’T KNOW HER!!!”

“Then take this a chance to, you know, make friends.”
“But… I can’t.”

“Come on! This is really easy. You are working in a restaurant where you HAVE to interact with various STRANGERS! Show them why Aya made you a leader!”
Ok. First things first, I’m a shy person. I’m not the one who usually made the first move or started a conversation. I was really surprised when I learned that I’ll become a leader although I already had the feeling that Fujimoto-san and Matsuura-san will choose me. I was just doing my job properly though they saw me as ‘hard-working’ and ‘perfectionist’. Did I already say that THEY think I’m ‘responsible’ too? Anyways, I’m a leader but it’s like that I’m the one being lead by the others. And another thing was, I would rather forecast and analyze the stocks and input something on the computer than to face the guest. I would serve them, yeah… But sweet-talking them as to why they should eat in our restaurant wasn’t really my thing. I always leave that to Kamei-san or Michishige-san while I always hide in the bar where I’m enjoying making/tasting the drinks.

“Just do it. Look at the other passengers. They are talking even though they don’t know each other. Look at Nakazawa-san, she let us ride on her truck even though she doesn’t know us. She talks to us from time to time just to check on us. She’s not even the mayor but just a simple worker in the city hall but she still decided to help us. So I think, that’s enough reason for ‘us’ to help this person who’s in desperate need of heat.”
Gaah, I hate it when my inner mind tells me what to do. She made it look like it’s really easy. I sucked in my fear and faced the girl.

“A..a.. are you cold?”
“Geez can’t you tell yourself?! OF COURSE SHE’S COLD THAT’S WHY SHE’S SHIVERING!”

“A little..”

“Ahhh…” The reply made me want to cut the conversation but my inner side was still bugging me. I looked down at my jacket. “I can share you my jacket.” The girl looked back at me with a shocked expression on her face.

“Ehh?!”

“Yeah.” Our conversation was going smooth. Did I sound sarcastic there? Anyways, I started taking off my jacket when the girl straightened up and stopped me.

“It’s your jacket. I’m fine.” Finally! A full sentence from the girl.

“But I can see you shivering.” The girl blinked several times at me. I knew that she was trying to think of an answer.

“Well, it’s because of this weather. It’s just normal.” Woah, I didn’t know that there’s a person who’s stubborn than me. I can’t give up now right? Not when this strange feeling of confidence has swept me. I moved closer to her and put half of my jacket on her.

“I think its ‘normal’ for me to share this jacket with you.” This time the girl was speechless with my bold action. I can’t remember the last time that I’m being bold like this. I tried starting a conversation and my efforts have not been wasted. I learned that her name was Niigaki Risa, she was just hired as a receptionist in the hotel in front of our building and she lives near my cousin’s house. It’s really a small world right? We talked about lots of things; from our current situation now, which wasn’t going any better, to our work and hobbies. And then after almost four grueling hours, the cars were already moving. We laughed at the scene. There were many cars and buses that weren’t moving, probably because the driver has fallen asleep. We approached the toll gate in a matter of 15 minutes. But, when it’s our turn to pay, Nakazawa-san sped off.

“Ehh? Why?” Risa asked me, as if I know the answer.

“Maybe she’s just pissed off because we’re stranded for hours and they didn’t do anything.”
And what do you know, my hunch was right. Apparently, a high-way trooper followed us and asked Nakazawa-san to pay.

“WE’VE BEEN STRANDED FOR HOURS AND YOU PEOPLE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!”

“The flood is out of our hands. We can’t control things like that.” And so, we innocent people have to listen to this heated argument. The trooper called some back up and I felt Risa stiffen as soon as she saw that the other trooper was holding a shot gun. Nakazawa-san was still driving slowly because the cars in front were driving slowly too. I bet the flood hasn’t gone down for good. And then my reverie was suddenly halted when the door of the passenger seats opened and the people inside there, transferred to our place… while the truck was still in motion. A girl was crying and freaking out.

“He aimed the gun at Nakazawa-san! I was really scared!” I looked at the couple in front of me; the girl with the long black hair was stroking the scared girl’s back.

“Don’t worry about it. He will not shoot her. There are many witnesses if he did that.” The boyish girl answered. Risa looked at me with a scared expression on her face.

“Don’t worry. Nakazawa-san works in the city hall. She’ll be alright.” After a couple of minutes of heated argument, the troopers finally left us. The rest of the journey was uneventful, after all, it’s almost four in the morning and all of us were already tired.

“You guys alright back there? Nakazawa-san shouted from the driver’s seat. “Just shout when you need me to stop.” All of us answered yes.

“I’m almost near.” I said to Risa. “I can leave you my umbrella and just get it tomorrow at the hotel.”

“Thank you but I decline your offer. You’ve done a lot for me.”

“We’ll see each other again.”

“Hai!” Risa answered. I’m glad that I listened to my inner self. It feels good to earn a new friend. I shouted to Nakazawa and she stopped the truck. I jumped down and took one last look at my new friend before going to the front and thanking the kind lady. It’s muddy and dark at our place. I quickly got my lighter and opened it. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t smoke but we had a smoking area so a lighter was part of our ‘readiness checklist’. When I got home, I quickly mailed my manager, asking whether she can change my schedule, again. Thank goodness Matsuura-san was already awake at that time and replied that I can go to work at lunch time. I quickly replied thanks and put the phone on my drawer. It’s been a tiring day for me but I experience a lot of new things and earned a new friend.

The End

Here it is!!! The continuation of Rika's fangirling life...LOL



Chapter 4
Eri looked up at the face of the person next to her. She didn’t expect her to be there. It was 30 minutes too early for her. She bolted up from the floor and sat straight.

“Hai, daijobu.” Eri looked away. She can’t help but to remember the ‘crazy’ thing she did two nights ago. As she felt the other person sat beside her, she felt like her energy has been sucked away from her.

“Are you really feeling alright? You’re all sweaty and I remember that you were so energetic before.” Reina commented and thus, making Eri’s face blushed once more. “You play here often?” Reina decided to change the topic after seeing that she’s making the other girl embarrassed. Who knew that they will meet again after that night? When she came home her memories about her lessons in school and the practice in basketball have been replaced by that weird girl who bumped into her. It felt so odd to be attacked by a person who you just met for the first time and saying that she wanted to be friends with you yet, it felt so soothing, so warm to be desired by someone.

“Hai.” Eri replied shortly. Her mind went blank. She wanted her to be her friend but now that the opportunity’s right in front of her, she can’t even express herself. She was asking herself where the confident Eri disappeared to. Eri glanced at the girl beside her. She was wearing a dark blue jogging pants and a white shirt, a towel was placed over her shoulders and her wavy hair was carefully put up into a pony tail. “You play here too?” Eri bit her lower lip. It is such a stupid question to ask because she already knew the answer.

“Hai, I’m always practicing here.”

“Yeah, I know.” Eri whispered.

“What? Did you say anything?” Eri bit her lip. She didn’t want the other person to think that she was a stalker (although she acts like one). She shook her head vigorously. Reina looked at her, puzzled but decided to let it off. “Well, anyways I think we’re not properly introduced. My name’s Reina Tanaka.” Reina extended her right hand to Eri for a handshake.

“I bet you know that my name’s Eri Kamei.” Eri shyly took Reina’s hand and squeezed it. She immediately retrieved her hand and put it on top of her lap. She was shy originally but that particular night, her shyness disappeared and was able to present herself towards Reina. She needed that confidence back right now but it seems that it’s not yet going to happen.

“Yes, I remembered that. By the way, why are you laying on the floor? It’s rather dirty.”

“I was tired. I just finished playing.” Eri replied. She looked at her watch and saw that her time’s nearly up.

“Woah, you’re early… And I thought that I’m early today. What time did…” Reina stopped talking when she saw the other stood up. Eri bowed her head to Reina.

“I’m sorry, I should head home now before my aunt wakes up. Thank you for your time.”

“Hai, it’s nothing really… Uhmm, where’s your house?” Eri looked up. She wasn’t expecting her to ask that.

“Ehh?”

“Well, uhhm, you see…” Reina couldn’t look in Eri’s eyes. Deep inside she wanted to see her again so knowing her house would be a good idea. She thought hard for a plausible excuse. “You didn’t say that last time. You were all talking about your favorite stuffs and food.” Reina saw Eri’s uneasiness vanished and was replaced by a smile.

“It’s that two-storey house near the hill.” Eri pointed. “I’ll be here again tomorrow.”

“Hai, I’ll try to be here as early as possible. I want to play with you.”

“Sure. Bye!”
………………..
“SAYUUUUUUU!!!!” Eri screamed as she saw her friend enter her room. She ran towards her and hugged her tightly. “Guess what happened this morning!”

“Uhhh, you went out in your ‘space suit’?” Sayumi joked. It was far from a space suit. It looks a lot like those worn by geologists who were studying an active volcano. It was made by aunt Kaori for Eri wanted to go out in the morning too when she was little. It’s her protection against the harmful UV rays of the sun which can become a source of death to a person born with XP.

“Baka… It’s not that. Do you think I’ll be this happy if I went out with that?!”

“Ok, I give up. What happened?”

“I talked with her!!!!” Eri replied and squeezed her friend tighter.

“Itai~ Give me a break will you.” Eri loosened her grip on her friend. “Who’s her… HER?” Sayu eyed her friend. Eri was grinning like a mad person and nodding her head vigorously at the same time.

“She was early this morning that we met before I went home…. She’s so cool!!! She said she wanted to see me again and play with her. She even asked where I lived…. Ahhh, I can’t believe that this day will come!” Sayumi stood still. She didn’t know how to react. She’s happy for her friend and at the same time, she felt jealous that someone will take Eri’s precious time away from her.
“Ahh… Is that so? I’m happy for you.” Eri looked up at her friend without even releasing her.

“Your face says otherwise…. You’re jealous right?!” Eri chided.

“What if I am? You have any objections?” At this point Eri realized that they were in an awkward position. Her face was really close to Sayu; so close that she can feel the other person’s breathe on her face. “I already told you that you’re making me jealous.” Eri can feel her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. She remembered the day they accidentally kissed and her heart started beating fast. Is she feeling something for her friend? She asked herself but she’s still confused to answer.

TBC

…………………………
“Ahahaha… Deshou? Yeah, like her I don’t know what I’m doing when I get excited over something. I kinda become impulsive especially when it comes to…… So, uhh can I meet her?” Hitomi bit her lower lip. She wanted to laugh but she tried her best to remain composed. Her ‘cool’ boss becomes totally disoriented when it comes to her ‘addiction’.

“I don’t know. We haven’t seen each other for a while.”

“Ehh? Then why did you have her draft?” Rika inquired. Hitomi looked at the paper on top of Rika’s table.

“My PC broke, I can’t proof-read her fic so yeah, she sent it to me via mail instead. Kinda low-tech right?”

“Sugoi! So you’re her official proof-reader… nice….” Rika walked right back to her chair and sat. She placed her hands on her chin, as if she was thinking deeply. She suddenly gazed back at Hitomi. “So, where’s your real business report?”

………………………..
“Really? Why didn’t you make a blog account too? You see, my best friend Ayumi was the one who introduced to this blogging stuff and she’s making fanfics too. Mostly TakaGaki of ‘Futari’ and Ohyass of Kanjani 8 and I might say that she’s really good. Well, she told me to try writing and I did. It’s fun to write; mine mostly based from experience or from something that I’ve read or watched. It’s also fun meeting other fangirls or fanboys, sharing ideas and news about our favorite group. I already met some of them in real life during anime or toy conventions. Ayumi’s the one posting for a meet-up at least once a year. Did you know, the first time that I commented outside my blog and my friend’s blog is on the fic blog of your friend?” Rika raised her eyebrow towards her companion. She then sipped a little from her red wine before cutting the steak that she was eating. Her companion took a while before answering her, seemingly enjoying every move that Rika made from her graceful cutting of the meat to refined way of chewing it.

“Well, now I know. You sure do talk a lot when it comes to these stuffs nee?” Rika wiped her lips and smiled. Hitomi quickly looked towards the steamed salmon that she’s eating. Rika’s smile was something, its warmth seeped into her skin.

“I guess you can compare me to a spring of water hidden inside a wooden box. It looks tranquil on the outside but there’s a lot of force inside pushing on its walls. Once it finds an opening, even a little one, it will only take a small time before that box will burst and all its water will come out. You’re the small hole, my addiction is the water, and my front is the box, so yeah. You triggered my fangirling side, that’s why the water came out, my addiction came out.” Rika added some hand gestures when she explained it to help the other visualize what she’s trying to explain.

“Nice analogy there. Me? I’m the trigger? If I’m the trigger when I’m just her friend, how much more when you meet her?” Hitomi commented. Once again, she caught a glimpse of Rika’s sweet smile.

“Exactly, I need to have some valium to calm me up.” Rika laughed at her own joke but was suddenly stopped when her phone rang.

“Excuse me for a while.” Rika said to Hitomi before placing the phone on her ears. Hitomi continued eating her dinner. “Hello? Yes, may I know who’s speaking?.... Miki? Who’s Miki? AHHHH!!! Fujimoto-san! How are you? How did find my number? Yes… it’s working well? I’m glad about that. I miss you guys… Ok, take care. Keep in touch always… Ja!” Rika clicked the end button.

“Friend of yours?” Hitomi asked. Rika put her phone back into her purse and looked at the ceiling.

“Ehh? Are we friends?” Rika asked herself. She wanted to say that their kind of relationship is higher than being an acquaintance but lower than being friends. She decided not to tell it because she, herself, is not sure.

“Kinda… I met her when I was assigned in the Hokkaido branch. She’s just saying that the plan that we made before is working really well and is meeting up the established goals for the year. I might say that she’s a good marketing manager, just like you. She can predict what will happen in the future if we do this certain idea and so on and so forth. We were a duo back there but sadly, after 3 months I had to go back to the main branch. The people there are accommodating and friendly. I really miss them.”

“Well, there’s the phone and the e-mail. There are many ways for communication if you’re missing someone.” Rika stared at the person in front of her because she noticed that there’s a hint of sadness in Hitomi’s voice. She was about to ask something related to that but decided not to pry into her co-worker’s life for now. After finishing a scrumptious meal at the restaurant, the two walked together towards the bus stop. HItomi wanted to take her home using her black Toyota Vios but Rika really wanted to use the public bus so she decided to walk her ‘boss’ to the bus stop while leaving her car in the car park of the restaurant.

“Don’t you have any cars? You’re still the CEO’s daughter.” Hitomi asked after arriving at the bus stop after almost 5 minutes of walking from the restaurant.

“I have back in our town. I want to experience new things while I’m staying in a different place that’s why even though I can have one here, I didn’t do it. In a bus, you can see different types of people. Experience determines knowledge, so if that’s the case then what can I learn if I’m always alone, inside my car right?” Rika explained.

“I’m guessing that you have attended a pragmatist school?” Hitomi asked. “The way you think and act… is not more about practical things and not the traditional type. You must be a liberal student right?”

“Hmmm, I guess you could say that. I’m just following my dad, he’s the liberal one so technically, I became liberal too.” Rika breathe in the cold night air and suddenly coughed out loud. Hitomi rushed to her side and checked up on her.

“Are you alright?”

“Hai, I’m fine. I just remembered something. I used to I like the scent of the night air but Miki told not to do it often.” Hitomi raised her brows.

“Ehh? Why would she tell you that?”

“It’s because, we’re not the only ones who’s using oxygen; the plants breathe in oxygen at night. I laughed at it at first but now, it all makes sense. We are not living alone, there are other living things like the plants and we need to share the things that they also need. In return, when the morning comes, they will return something good to us like releasing oxygen that we breathe. They may look like they’re doing nothing on the outside but if it weren’t for them, we can’t live on this earth because we can’t produce the needed oxygen by ourselves. It’s just a matter of give and take relationship.”

“That’s so her…”

“Ehh? What did you say?”

“ I said, you really have a way with analogies.” Hitomi replied. Rika faced her and grinned.

“I’m not the one who thought about that. She just mentioned it to me, and now I’m saying it to you.” Rika looked up at the starry sky as if she was trying to express what she wanted to say ever since they were eating inside the restaurant. After a momentary pause, she looked back again at the person beside her. “And besides, I feel like I can compare you to the plants that are doing things that people don’t usually see with their naked eyes.”

“Ehh?! Me? Why?” Hitomi pointed her finger towards herself. Even though her voice sounded like she was surprised, her face still has no emotions.

“Hmmm, how will I start it?” Rika trailed off, “well, at first, I thought that you are a stoic person. You barely get out of your office, I hardly see you hanging out with other people… But after talking with you right now, I realized that you’re different from what I perceive you to be. I feel like you’re just trying to suppress something, just like me.”

Hitomi looked at Rika as she said the last part. She was right; she was trying to suppress something that she showed before. The thing that made her who she is now. Rika noticed the change in Hitomi’s behavior. She might be right with her theory. She decided to continue even though the bus was approaching them.

“Most people are close minded and they usually misjudge us so in order not to get hurt by their criticisms we tend to put on a façade that will agree to their beliefs. But for us, it’s hard to hide who you really are, right?”

“I guess so.”

“What I’m trying to say is, feel free talk with me in my office about your fangirling stuffs . So even if it’s just an hour of lunch break or overtime with dinner like this one, you can at least show your other side.” Rika extended her hand and offered a hand shake. “Well, have a nice evening and take care!” Hitomi took her hand and smiled.

“Sure, you too. I hope you will have lots of experience in the bus.”

“Of course! But next time, you have to drive me in your car. And by the way, you look better when you smile.” Rika said before going into the bus and sitting near the window. As the bus moved on, Rika waved goodbye to her co-worker. Hitomi waved back. When the bus disappeared into her vision, she walked back in the direction of the restaurant to get her car.

“You have no idea what I’m trying to conceal.”

………………………..

Rika immediately opened her laptop as soon as she came back into her apartment. She checked whether ‘Kuwagata’ had already posted a new chapter; the chapter that Hitomi proof-read. Hitomi even asked her earlier if she can use the company’s computer to send the finished draft to her friend’s email so that she can post it within this day. Rika gladly let her use it for ‘personal’ purpose even though it’s contradicting the company’s rule. She can’t believe she did it just to satisfy her fangirling side. She saw that there’s a comment already. She started reading it again even though she just read the draft earlier. And she was glad she did because she learned that it’s different from the draft. After finishing it, she typed a comment and browsed the net for about an hour to read about the latest news and gossips in the music world. She returned to ‘Kuwagata’s’ site after it and read the other comment s that have been posted in there.

NiNi said:
Cool chapter!!! Space suit? That confirms it… Eri’s really an ALIEN!!!XD

Charmy said:

EHHH?!?! What did you do? You revised it? I met your friend and accidentally read your draft. … But, I might say it’s waaaaay better than the first one. LOL…. Reina taking the initiative to talk with her is really like her in real life. I remember the first time they were interviewed. When asked about Reina’s special ability, she said she can easily make friends easily with someone…It’s TanaKamei at its best! XD

Eri_ S.L.A.V.E said:
A new chapter and it’s starting to be interesting. It’s really a different story from the movie. KYAAAAHHH!!!! Forget Reina and make it KameShige instead! HARHARHAR!!! :D

Kuwagata said:

@NiNi- Hehehe, she landed here on earth with her aunt Iida. :D

@Charmy- Yes, she mentioned you to me earlier… She said that you’re really hyper that time..Well, I just wanted to revise it… After all, the one that you read was a draft. ^_^

@Eri_S.L.A.V.E- hmmm, it’s based on my mood… Up until now, I still don’t know whether it will end as TanaKamei or KameShige… Or maybe TanaShige…. We’ll see… :)

Murasaki_Aoi said:
It’s a love triangle!!!! Reina can’t forget Eri… Sayumi’s making her move on Eri… This is fun! Maybe Sayumi will always guard Eri to make sure that Reina will not make a move on her… Hahahaha.. just thinking out loud. LOL..XD

@Charmy- Kuwagata revised it? What’s the original one looked like? XD

Elevator_Party said:
I agree with Eri_S.L.A.V.E. It’s a totally different story. So she did talk with her… and then ran away… *damn sun*… If Reina was only a little bit earlier, then they may have talked about a lot of things.

@ Kuwagata- Ehhh??? Can we please take a look at your draft too? I’m curious. XD

Charmy:
Eri noticed that Reina was coming and she hides behind the bench. Reina started playing basketball but didn’t notice her until Eri started running away because the sun is almost up.

“Ehh… Should I answer it? Kuwagata did revise it. Maybe she has some other plans.” Rika deleted what she had typed just now and replaced it with something else.

Charmy:
@ Murasaki_Aoi-Hmmm, it’s really different… Just ask the author about it… HARHARHAR… XD

Rika pressed the post button and after a while turned off her laptop. A lot of things happened in that day and she felt so exhausted. She literally crept into her bed to sleep. Tomorrow, she will call her best friend and tell her about her officemate who’s also a fangirl like her.

…………………………..
Hitomi threw her keys on her table and quickly went inside the bathroom to relax a little bit before going to sleep. She put a milk bath on her bathtub and added some warm water; checked the temperature first before completely dipping into the tub. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. It has been ‘a weird’ day. Her boss is somewhat a weirdo… a weirdo like her. She can’t help but smile at the funny antics that her boss can do... for the sake of fangirling. Her smile vanished when her reminiscing of the day’s happenings brought her to the restaurant part.

“Miki…”

Hitomi rose up from her resting position on the tub. She looked at the small wall clock near the door. She noticed that half an hour had passed since she first entered the tub. She didn’t know whether she was just thinking so hard or she fall asleep right there. She simply shrugged off the thought and proceeded to rinse herself. Hitomi slid on her ‘cute’ orange pajama with tiger prints after drying herself and lay on her bed. She’s really tired; physically and mentally and she need to have enough strength for she will go to Tokyo to check some supplies needed by their company. She will go first to their company for the list of products before proceeding to Tokyo. It will be a long and bumpy ride so she really NEED to sleep right now; even though her memories were preventing her from doing so.

A continuation at the start of December!!! WEEEEEE!!! I made a cameo role here as my other blog name, Murasaki_Aoi...hehehe... Enjoy reading!XD



A week had passed and she now fully understands how the management works in there. Good thing that Mr. Nishida provided her with a competent secretary. She learned that Mari’s birthday was January 20, a day after her birthday, and she’s older than her by 2 years. She was really amazed at first when she was introduced to her because her secretary and a famous JPOP idol, being linked to her ‘crush’ Shun Oguri, has the same name and surname. Mari knocked on her door and told her that they will have a luncheon meeting again. In the main branch, they only have monthly meetings or emergency meetings whenever a problem arose but here in the Saitama branch, they make it a point to have a luncheon meeting every week. The conversations were lighter than the regular monthly meetings and it’s not that stressful. It’s like they’re following a rule which states: ‘Prevention is better than cure’ so before any problem emerged, they can prevent it because of the regular meetings held by the management.

She was again, the first one to arrive in the meeting room. Rika can smell the aroma of the cuisine in the other room, and then her stomach grumbled. Good thing that she was there alone and no one heard it or so she thought.

“Good morning. I see you’re hungry already.” Rika froze on her chair. Someone did hear her. She looked towards the door and saw the somewhat ‘stoic’ face of the area manager.

“Good morning too, Ms. Yoshizawa. Yeah, I didn’t take my coffee break earlier that’s why I’m somewhat famished now.”

“I see.” Hitomi replied. She went again to her chair; the one opposite Rika, and sat. “I’m sorry about the incident before. I was thinking about something.” Rika thought about it at first and then nodded. Hitomi was pertaining to their first meeting. For the past week, she often left her room and did some rounds on the office but she can’t see her. Mari said that Hitomi rarely leaves her office, even on lunch breaks. If there were things needed to be done outside, Hitomi’s secretary, Yasuda Kei, was the one doing it. It’s normal in an office environment but for Rika, she will do whatever things she can do besides paper works especially if it involves meeting other people. It’s another way of supervising the company and she can see firsthand whether a department was experiencing difficulty at work.

“It’s alright, I understand.”

……………
Rika was delighted at the Italian cuisine served during their meeting. The Alfredo Bolognese pasta with Pancetta toppings was scrumptious. Coupled with a Black Forest Cake, as a dessert with an ice cold fruit punch, the meeting became silent for a while because all of them were enjoying the delicacies served in front of them. After the meeting, Rika excused herself and went to the rest room to brush her teeth and to re-apply her make-up.

“You were drooling over the foods earlier.” Rika knew that voice. She looked up from the sink and saw Hitomi standing beside her. She was really intrigued by this person. She can make funny comments while staying in her ‘stoic’ face. Hitomi got her toothbrush from her purse and started brushing her teeth too. Rika applied some lipstick lightly.

“You saw that? You’re very observant.” Rika replied. She was about to put her lipstick inside her shoulder bag when she saw something dangling on Hitomi’s purse. “Kawaii!!! It’s a cute pink insect!” Rika’s eyes grew wide. Her façade had fallen off. She showed her ‘fangirl’ side to someone, much worse, to her co-worker. She moved back slowly and cleared her throat. “A… ano… it’s cute.” She said plainly.

“Ahh, it sure is. A friend gave it to me. It’s called a ‘Kuwagata’.”

“Kuwagata?”
“So, this is where she got her username. But why choose an insect? I can understand if her username’s Alien… or ERIen… because she likes Eri…but an insect? Does Eri like insect?”

“You’re in a stance just now.” Rika noticed that Hitomi was looking at her intently.

“Gomen! I just thought of something just now. By the way, where did your friend buy that? I really love pink things.” Rika noticed the girl looked away, as if she was hiding something.

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask her. I’ll better get going now.”

………………….
Chapter 3:

“W… why?” Eri stammered. This is the first time that her best friend looked intensely at her.

“Because, you didn’t do that the day we met.”

“Is that it? Come on, you know that I’m an introvert person before. I’m glad that you made me open up like this.”

“Like a turtle coming out of her shell.” Sayumi laughed forcefully. “I remember you squeezed between two cabinets when your auntie introduced you to me. You were really funny that time… till now.”

“Waaah!!!” Eri screamed while remembering the earlier events. “Don’t make me remember what happened earlier. It’s really embarrassing.”

“Now you realized it?” Sayumi sarcastically said. “You know, I wanted to do that to you too before. You’re so mysterious that time; only going out when the sun had already set. Thankfully I didn’t because I would look like a complete idiot and instead, I’ve asked your aunt Kaori to introduce you to me.”

“Hai, arigatou. I’ll follow your advice and ask her properly next time!” Eri joyfully exclaimed. Sayumi frowned.

“EHHH?!? I didn’t say that you can do it! You’re making me jealous… I’m your best friend!”

“Yes, I know. You are the bestest best friend that I ever had. It’s just that…” Eri turned serious. “I can’t explain this feeling growing inside of me whenever I see her. I really wanted to become close to her. I can’t explain it.”

“Dude, are you gay?” Sayumi asked seriously. Eri looked at her with disgust.

“Ehh?!? What are you thinking?! I’m straight, straight… STRAIGHT!!! I just want her to be my friend… OUR friend.”

“I see.” Sayumi smiled at her friend. She noticed that Eri exaggerated a little bit with her response and she can’t look straight into her eyes as well. That’s a sure sign that Eri’s lying or guilty about something. She knew her friend too well.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“Because you are funny. Saa, let’s continue our game.”

……………..
“Yoh!” Sayumi greeted her friend.

“Woah, did you cut class? You’re an hour early today.” Eri rose up from her bed as soon as she saw her friend.

“It’s the first Monday of the month. There’s a meeting. Oh yeah, I have a surprise for you.” Sayumi showed her camcorder to Eri. She went to the television to set it up.

“What are we going to watch?” Eri asked curiously. She sat on the floor beside her friend.

“You will like this, I promise.” Sayumi finished connecting cables and stuffs on the T.V. She switched it on, as well as her recorder. She clicked the video button on the T.V and pressed the play button. Eri’s eyes grew wide from shock. It was showing a class room. But more importantly, the video focused on the girl she always saw playing on the court.

“Her name is Tanaka Reina. Tanakacchi as her friends fondly call her is a sophomore student in our high school, like me. Her close friends are Risa Niigaki and Ai Takahashi, the captain and sub-captain of our Basketball varsity team. They influenced her so she’s practicing really hard to be able to be accepted in the varsity team. Apparently, she likes yakiniku and goes to karaoke frequently, she’s considered as a ‘yankee’ because of her fashion sense, her blood type is O and she was born in Fukuoka last November 11, 1989.”

“Woah, you did all of this for me?!? Thank you!” Eri hugged her friend tightly and due to her excitement she kissed Sayumi. Apparently, Sayumi was suffocating due to Eri’s tight hug. She turned to face her friend to say that it’s enough. But when she did, Eri’s kiss which is supposed to land on her cheek, landed on her lips instead. Both of them were shocked by the incident.

“GOMEN!!! I really didn’t mean it! I was just about to kiss your cheeks, not your lips!”

“I knew it, you’re gay.”

“No, I’m not! It’s your fault for turning around!”

“It’s your fault trying to suffocate me!”

“Oh, I did?” Eri suddenly calmed down and looked at her friend. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it. You know me when I get excited right? Sorry…”

“It’s ok… So, let us just continue watching it.”

……………………
Eri sat down on the court, panting and sweating profusely. She just finished her daily ‘training’ in basketball. She grabbed her bottle of water and gulped it down in one breathing. She lied down on the ground and looked up at the stars.

“Will there be a time for me gaze upon the morning sky?” Eri looked at her wrist watch and saw that she still has a full 20 minutes before sunrise.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

TBC


………………………
Charmy: Hmmm, something fishy is going on here… I feel that Sayu’s the one who’s gay towards her friend… is she? But then, she did have Reina’s profile and even recorded her on video for Eri’s sake… Now I really didn’t know where this story’s getting at. Who will it be? KameShige or TanaKame? XD

The last scene…. That’s Reina right?!? LOL

*Waits for the next chapter*

As Rika clicked the ‘post’ button, someone knocked on her door. She immediately minimized the internet explorer and opened a sales report in MS Excel. She pretended that she was editing some of the graphs present in that report.

“Come in!” Mari opened the door wider and went inside the room. She was holding a light blue colored folder and handed it to Rika.

“It’s the business report made by Ms. Yoshizawa about her business trip in Kanagawa.”

“Thank you very much.” Rika received the folder and waited until her secretary closed the door. Lunch break’s over and she knew she had to resume her work but for some reason, she can’t get enough. She clicked the maximized button. She smiled as she saw that her comment had been posted. She proceeded with reading the earlier comments made by her fellow fangirls/fanboys.

Eri_S.L.A.V.E said:
Woot! They kissed!!! THEY KISSED!!!! Although it’s only an accident but… you made my day there…XD

Murasaki_Aoi said:
Hi! I’m a newbie here… I really liked your fic that’s why I ‘came out of the dark’. I also watched Taiyou no Uta last week and it made me cry a lot… I hope you will not let me cry in your fic too..LOL… Please update the next chappie… 

Elevator_Party said:
The next chapter’s pretty interesting!!! If based on the movies, then in the last scene, that’s the guy… guy= Reina in your fic… There are only two possibilities that I’m thinking… One is that Eri will talk to her (like in the movie) and two, is that Eri will run away (considering she was a shy person at first). I’ll wait for your next chapter! XD

@ Murasaki_Aoi
Yatta!!! After years of convincing you, you finally made a blog account!!! Omedetto!!!XD

Kuwagata said:

Eri_S.L.A.V.E- You really are a KameShige fan. That one’s dedicated to you. ^_^

MurasakI_Aoi- Welcome and thank you for reading my fics.. :)

Elevator_Party- I guess the answers will be revealed on the next chapter… Are you and Murasaki_Aoi friends in rL? 

Elevator_Party said:
Yep, we’re friends. I’m the one who introduced her to Three Tums, and she got addicted to it.

“Woah, they’re like Ayumi and me…” Rika blurted. She logged out of her account and went to a different site, her best friend’s blog. She looked over it and saw that it her friend had another fic… and this time, it’s a comedy fic about OhYass. Rika became teary eyed for she was trying her best to constrain herself. After finishing it, she clicked the ‘comments’ button.

Charmy
SUUUUUUUUUGGGGOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!! That one was really unexpected. At first I thought that Ohkura’s mom was slow…. You know, Mari only looked like Yassan in some angles, not totally for they are not twins or anything, but hey, in the end she knew!!!! Harharhar… XD

~“Actually, I just wore my ultra-high shoes… So, Ohkura wouldn’t have a hard time when his kissing me.” Yassan accidentally blurted out.~

THIS ONE REALLY MADE MY DAY!!!! I was really trying so hard to stop myself from squealing (I’m still in the office and they might hear me) that my eyes became teary.

~”Yass… Yaguchi-san, will you marry me?”
“Ha… Hai, Tadayoshi kun”
“That’s good! Now kiss her intimately!!!!” ~

Ohkura has one cool mom… She’s supporting him even though his preference is a guy..LOL

~“That was it?! I didn’t get a chance to shoot a picture…. Ohkura, do it one more time… And this time please be passionate. Just think that you’re the only ones here. I’ll not bother you, so just do your stuff.” Ohkura and Yassan couldn’t believe what they are hearing from this old lady…~
I can understand Ohkura and Yassan. They are in such an uncomfortable atmosphere. :D
~“That’s great! So, who’s on top?”
“What?! I didn’t get it… Of course I’m always on top.”

“Ahh, it’s just that you’re both guys… I didn’t know who among you plays the Seme and Uke…”~

So they thought that they will be successful in deceiving Ohkura’s mom but… in the end they are the ones that were deceived. AHAHAHA..XD

But my favorite part was the one that Ohkura’s mom requested them to kiss in front of her… You gave me an idea that his mom is a Yaoi fanatic… (like us?LOL) I pictured her to have some banners and pom-poms yelling ‘GO OHYASS! GO OHYASS!!!’ like that.

I hope you will write a continuation… ONEGAI!!!!
(Oh yeah, did you know that my secretary’s name is Mari Yaguchi? Not the well-known JPOP artist who took my Shun… LOL…. Another ‘epic’ type comment, nee? XD)

Rika closed her laptop and went back to work. She finished reading and editing some documents before getting the blue folder that her secretary gave her. When she opened it, she was surprised to see the text written, crudely, by hand. They have a protocol in that company to print any submitted reports. She was about to put it down when she noticed that it’s not a report. Rika started reading the first paragraph and as she progressed her eyes widened with excitement. She continued reading it until she finished it.

” I can’t believe this! No way!” Rika quickly pressed the number 1 button on the intercom.
“I want to see Ms. Yoshizawa here, ASAP!”

………………………

Hitomi has just come back from her appointment on third floor. When she sat on her table, she felt that something’s missing; and indeed there is. She immediately called her secretary. Kei arrived a moment later.

“Yes Miss Yoshizawa?”

“Have you seen a light blue folder here a while ago?”

“Yes, you’ve told me earlier to pass your report to Ms. Ishikawa.” At that instant, Hitomi’s eyes widened with rage.

“WHAT?!?” Hitomi yelled as she slammed her fist on her table. Her secretary was getting scared for it’s the first time that she had seen her boss getting angry. “You’ve passed that folder to her?!? But you’re supposed to pass this folder!” Hitomi raised the dark blue folder on the left side of her table. Kei was surprised.

“I’m so sorry ma’am. I didn’t know that I’m supposed to pass the one in the dark blue folder, not the light blue one.” Kei explained. Hitomi opened the folder and showed her the front page.

“And I bet you didn’t even open it, right?”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but …” Kei looked over the phone as it rang. Hitomi slumped on her chair and pressed the phone’s speaker on. She tried her best to hide the irritation in her voice.

“Hai?”

“Ms. Yoshizawa, Ms. Ishikawa wants to see you in her office immediately.”

“Hai, I’ll be there in a moment.” She gave a piercing glare to Kei. Kei was as nervous as ever because for the last year that she had been her secretary, this was the first time that her boss got really angry. It’s as if there’s some kind of mystery inside that folder which she doesn’t want Rika to know. “She wanted to see me…” Hitomi coldly said on her secretary. She rose up, got the folder and left her room. Her office was in fifth floor and Rika’s in seventh but for the first time, she took the stairs instead of the elevator to delay the time and when she arrived, she knocked three times before hearing Rika’s voice telling her to come inside. She saw the girl, sitting quietly on her chair, looking at the ‘report’.

“There has been a huge mistake. Yasuda-san was supposed to pass the report on the dark blue folder, and not that one. ” Rika motioned her visitor to sit in the chair in front of her. Hitomi sat on the chair, feeling rather anxious at how her boss stared at her.

“Ms. Yoshizawa, I will ask you a question and I want you to answer it honestly.” Rika said in a stern voice. Hitomi nodded.

“Who wrote this story?”

Hitomi bit on her lips. She was having doubt telling about the truth for her boss might not believe it but, she has to say something. “Ahhhm… my … my friend. I was just...” Hitomi was cut short when Rika rose to her table and walked slowly towards her.

“So, your friend is the one who wrote this… Now I get it… the accessory on your bag that she gave… It all makes sense.”

“Huh? What are you saying?” Rika stopped when she was in front of Hitomi. She gave a wide smile before snatching Hitomi’s hand and gave her a very long hand shake.

“OH MY GOSH!!!! YOU ARE KUWAGATA’S FRIEND!!!! I really can’t believe it! It felt like I’m only dreaming.. My gosh!!!! I’m Charmy!!! I’m one of your friend’s greatest fan…Can I hug you?!” Before Hitomi managed to say anything, Rika took the liberty to hug her tight. She stood up from her chair and walked over in front of Hitomi.

“Didn’t you know that your friend’s really good??!!! I can’t believe it… Do you have a blog too? What’s your on-line name?” Rika released her grip and looked at Hitomi’s puzzled face. It’s like a cold water has been flushed onto her as she felt really stupid doing that. “Ah, gomen… I was just… shocked to know that my favorite writer and you are friends. Can you please let her meet me if that’s ok?” Hitomi looked at her from head to foot. Rika paused for a while and suddenly realized what she just did.

“Ahhhm, I really don’t know what to say…” Hitomi replied. Rika showed again her ‘genki’ mode. Only Ayumi knew this side of hers. It’s been a long time since she acted like this towards other people. Ayumi invited her to an Anime convention when they were in 3rd year high school. She went nuts over a certain ‘Uchiha Sasuke’ cosplayer and went as far as to get his email account and cellphone number. After a few months, she ‘upgraded’ and morph from being an anime addict to jpop addict. She listens from various artists; groups and soloists alike and she found Three-Tums to be interesting. Hitomi smiled for the first time since they met.

“I acted like Eri in her fic just now… Did I?” Rika asked and earned a nod from the sales manager. Rika caught a glimpse of Hitomi who was staring oddly at her. She looked at the floor immediately so her colleague wouldn’t notice that her face was already turning red.

“And just like Eri, you’re blushing from embarrassment right now.” If she were a cartoon character, she pictured her face will be crimson red and steam would be coming out of her head and ears. Hitomi nailed the spot and that made her even more embarrassed.

“I wouldn’t do what Eri did in her ‘draft’ for chapter four…. I want to know her better aside from our superior-subordinate set-up… And maybe… through her, I can get the first hand access to Kuwagata’s fics!

I just passed the licensure exam for teachers and I am now a certified professional, Home Economics Teacher!!! My days of reviewing paid off... Coincidentally, I just finished watching Yorosen episodes 16-20 and a rp idea popped into my mind. I hope you like it... XD




Eri: “Tasukete!!! I’ll be the next teacher in Yorosen!”
Cogi: “What subject?”
Eri: “Home Economics…”
Cogi: “Well, you’ve come to the right place! I will teach you how to become a real Home Economics teacher! *grin evilly* “First of all, Home Economics is a very broad subject it can blah blah blah….”
Eri: *stare, brain is in hiatus*
Cogi: “Understand?”
Eri: *wakes up* “Uhhm, honestly no…”
Cogi: “How can you be a good role model if you, yourself is not listening?”
Eri: “Because they already chose the topic and it’s about tuna…”
Cogi: “Oh, is that so.. Aherm, moving on, you must first act like a real teacher.
Eri: “Hai.”
Cogi: “Let’s work on your ‘visual aid’.”
Eri: “…vi..su..al… aid??? Nani?”
Cogi: “You must wear appropriate uniforms, *hands out the long sleeved turtle neck and white apron*
Eri: “I can understand the apron but why wear this long sleeved turtle neck?”
Cogi: “Because we don’t want our student to drool over our exposed skin… and besides, you’re a turtle…”
Eri: “No one will gawk at me… All of us are girls…”
Cogi: “Trust me… there will be some who will drool over you if you don’t dress right. So ok, you must remember to smile always, write legibly and largely for those students at the back… and don’t get angry easily…. Ok?”
Eri: “Hai, I understand!”
Cogi: “Always get your class’ attention Do some interesting activities related to your topic. Since it’s about tuna, for sure, tuna tasting will be inevitable and always reward your student or give nice comments if they answered you correctly or perfected the test.”
Eri: “Hai!”
Cogi: “And the golden rule of all… you must never come in class, unprepared. Don’t read what you’re going to say! You must memorize and understand it by the heart… Got that?”
Eri: “Hai! I’ll follow all of your advice..”

-After the taping of Yorosen episodes 16-20.
Cogi: “WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?! You are reading your notes…”
Eri: *whisper* “the other teachers did it too…”
Cogi: “What kind of drill is ‘I love tuna!’ thing? The drill is an activity that should interest your students!”
Eri: *whisper* “They were interested to know that about me.”
Cogi: “The only thing that I’m proud about you is that you managed to make Reina active in the class discussion and she got a perfect score.”
Eri: *lighten up* “Arigatou!”
Cogi: “But did you know that you can be sued for having a teacher-student relationship?”
Eri: “It’s alright, we’re back to being classmates again…”
Cogi: “Oh, you finished your role play as a teacher? Then…. I’m rooting for the two of you!!!” *puts on her eye glass and red tracksuit ala Yankumi* “GO TANAKAMEI!!!!”

End

Another post-bday fic I guess..LOL. This fic is based on my fic 'Inside the Elevator' and 'What Happened Next'. This is a continuation..XD



Reina’s “wonky” eyes were somewhat red and swollen that day so she decided to wear her sunglass inside the practice hall. When she placed her bag on the bench, she took that opportunity and lied down for a while.

“OHAYOU REINA!!” Eri greeted while removing Reina’s eye protection. The turtle was taken aback by the redness on Reina’s eyes. She quickly imagined her friend crying her heart out last night. She shook her head and sat beside her friend.

“Do you have a problem? You know, you can always share it with me and together, maybe we can solve it.” Eri smiled warmly.

“A problem? You’ll help me fix my problem?” Eri nodded. Reina took a deep breath and looked at her friend’s eyes seriously. “Well, my problem is Sayu! She won’t let me sleep last night! She kept on blabbering and saying irrelevant things over the phone. I only have an hour of a good sleep. I doubt if Sayu will come today.” Reina ended her ‘litany’ when the door opened and revealed a really hyper and enthusiastic “Shige Pink” and “Koha Pink”.

“OHAYOU!!!!!” The two simultaneously shouted. Reina tried to remain calm though she knew that her patience would come of short due to lack of sleep.

“Ohayou, you seem to have an endless source of energy for a girl who only slept for an hour.” Reina added a sarcastic tone to let Sayu know that she’s in a really bad situation right now.

“Hai! “I drank coffee to energize myself! I’ll call you again this evening ok?” Sayumi sweetly said to her friend. As much as Reina wanted to stay calm, the image of her having another “phone marathon” later that night, made her snap.

“What! Do you have sleeping problems lately? If you have, then please don’t involve me. Eri’s your friend, and so is Kusumi. Why don’t you bother them instead of me?.”

“Awwww….” Sayumi replied, “but I want you…. It has to be you, no one else..” Both Reina and Eri were shocked by what Sayumi had said. Kusumi was… a little too preoccupied with something else(or pretending to be preoccupied with something else).

“What?!? Just because Yocchan graduated, you’re already replacing her as your prince?!” Reina returned to her normal self and lightly smacked Eri’s head because of her weird comment.

“Baka… That’s not what she probably meant. It could be something else, right?” Reina glared at her narcissistic friend.

“No, that’s exactly what I mean..” Sayumi grinned. Reina tried to send a hidden message to Eri to save her. She can‘t focus on what Sayu was saying last night, and what she probably will say today must be related to all of her rantings. And Reina didn’t want her day to be “messed up” by her narcissistic friend. Luckily, Eri ‘detected’ her signal, (with her alien antenna of course) and helped her.

“No way! I will not let you do that! She’s mine first! Your Oji-sama is Yocchan…. I’ll tell Yocchan about your infidelity to her…”

“Oh yeah?! And when did you start claiming Reina as your prince?” Sayu crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow on her friend. Eri blinked for a while.

“Uhmmm, just now?” Sayumi grinned. She knew that she had won. Reina massaged her temples. She didn’t like where this conversation was heading as Eri defended her answer.

“I’ve always been in love with her! You probably don’t realize it because I always spend my time with Mame-chan but it’s true. And I won’t let you take her away from me!”

“So, here’s another couple in our group… I’m so thrilled.” The four looked back and saw the rest of the members headed by their leader. Risa smacked their leader’s head lightly for making that sarcastic comment.

“Eri, is it true?! You’re in love with Reina?! Woah! It’s just like we were stalking Hitomi and Miki last week… and then…” Risa looked at Ai. Ai blushed and looked in a different direction. “and then… this?! My gosh! And as a bonus, you’re a love triangle!!! How cute!!!”

“NO way!!!” Sayumi screamed. It will be a Reina-Sayumi pairing. There’s no love triangle!”

“Really?!? There are lots of TanaKamei fanfics on the net than your pairing. Give it up Sayu!”

“No! I won’t give up! Reina’s mine!!!”

“Mine!!!”

“MINE!!!!”

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” The two Chinese girls screamed.

“WILL YOU STOP SHOUTING!!!!” Reina yelled. Her fellow rokkies stopped and so did the other members. “Look, I haven’t had any decent sleep last night so please… and what the heck is that Reina-Sayumi or TanaKamei pairing? There’s no pairing right?!? I’m straight!!!”

“Straight my ass… That’s what Aichan said to me last time.”

“Aherm…” Ai coughed, “enough Risa… Let’s just settle this argument so we can proceed with our practice for today. So, where will we start first?”

“Why don’t you start with the one who caused this problem, right?” Aika got into the room just after Kusumi and Sayu so she heard most of the story. Ai nodded and looked at Reina.

“So who caused the problem in the first place?”

“Sayu… She’s been bugging me since last night! And because of her… I have eye bags!” Reina pointed to her red, swollen eyes with blackish markings on the lower part.

“I was just having a good, ol’ chat with you on the phone.”

“A nice chat is ok, but depriving me of sleep is really not good!” Reina answered back.

“Ehhh?!?You’re getting angry with me?! Hidoi!!! You’re going to make me cry…”

“It’s me who wants to cry because you didn’t give me enough time to sleep!!!”

“STOP!!!!” Eri raised her voice, making her two friends stop their argument. “Thank you… So, Sayu… what’s your main reason for calling Reina in the first place?” Eri hit the spot. Sayumi looked down and played with her fingers. The long pause made the other girls impatient.

“C’mon Shige Pink! Don’t make me wait like this! What’s your reason?!?” Koharu shook her sempai’s shoulder. Sayumi put on her usual ‘cutesy’ smile.

“Remember your ‘theory’ last week? I was just following it…” Sayumi confessed. The other girls ‘literally’ smacked their own faces. They forgot that it’s Sayumi who they’re dealing with so they should expect some ‘weird’ answers from her.

“So?!? What about that weird theory of hers?! I don’t want to be your sub-leader!”Reina replied.

“Ehhh?!? If you don’t want to be my sub-leader then… I’ll be the sub-leader instead… And you’ll be the leader!”

“It’s not like that Sayumi…” Risa spoke. “It’s based on seniority. So, if Ai and I will graduate, the probable leader will be Kame-chan and you will be the sub leader. Reina’s younger than you, remember?”

“Hontou ni!” Sayumi shouted with joy… “I thought that it’s based on singing talent… So, there’s nothing to worry about.” She looked at Eri with her usual ‘cutesy’ grin. “I’ll call you later, ok?”

“Help…” It’s Eri’s turn to look at Reina.

“I’m going to sleep early tonight… Good luck!”

The End