The jittery feeling returned as the time of the interview approached. And when I reached the hotel, I had managed to resist the urge to run back home at least thrice.
Ah, Shunsui should never have asked me to be cautious! Now, I'm all scared! I thought to myself, nervously, as I approached the reception desk of the hotel.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I addressed the young woman standing behind the counter to inform her that I have a rendezvous with someone at the restaurant of the hotel. I gave her Jojima-san's full name, and asked her at which table I could find him.
'Hibiki Jojima, you say?' she said and checked her register, before telling me, 'Oh, he didn't take any table. He took a room upstairs and has asked you to join him there.'
He took a room?!
The urge to run back home hit me more forcefully this time, as all kind of terrifying scenarios began to play in my head. I almost slapped myself within the very minute though.
Hime Kirigakure, get a grip on yourself! Jojima-san is trying to help you! How can you think so badly of him?! Don't be paranoid!
'Are you alright, miss?' the young woman asked me, with a puzzled expression, and I realized that I had unconsciously gripped the edge of the counter and crouched down.
'Ye-Yes!' I replied, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment and laughing goofily. 'I was just… resting a bit!'
She gave me an awkward smile and informed me of the room number, after which I hurried away to avoid myself any further embarrassment.
When I arrived in front of the door of the room, I hesitated for a whole moment before I knocked on the door. My stomach was twisting with dread now.
Jojima-san opened the door, and greeting me with a smile, he asked me to come in.
Timidly, I entered the room, my eyes sweeping around it in search of his friend, but only to find no one. His friend had clearly not arrived yet. My apprehension increased ten-fold.
'I took a room because I thought that it would be more... private,' he told me, watching me carefully, while he was closing the door behind him.
Oh no! Did he read something in my expression?
You're going to end up offending him!
I tried to fix my expression immediately, and smiling forcefully, said, 'I- I see!'
'My friend will be here at any minutes now. But please, sit down!' he added, with a cheerful smile, indicating me to the set of sofa which sat in the middle of the room, at the foot of the bed.
I decided that it was probably best for me to sit down; I didn't trust my legs anymore.
'Don't be so nervous!' he told me, in a small chuckle. 'Your meeting with him is only a formality! I'm going to fetch you a glass of water!'
And on these words, he disappeared into the side room and returned a minute later with a glass filled with water. Sitting himself on the armrest of the sofa by my side, he put his hand down onto my shoulder and asked me to take it easy, while he handed the glass of water to me.
I responded with another forceful smile, and taking the water from him, I began to swallow it down rapidly, my throat feeling so dry.
"Hime, be careful with that Hibiki Jojima, alright? There exist rat-bags in all social classes", came Shunsui's voice in my mind, in all of a sudden, more powerfully than ever before, and I almost spat the water I had in my mouth back into the glass, my heart pounding.
Could he have mixed- No! Just what are you thinking?!
I'm not okay! It won't do! I can't do an interview in this state of mind!
Setting the glass down onto the coffee table, I stood up and began to tell Jojima-san that I had forgotten that I had something urgent to do and that I had to go.
'I'm really sorry. It completely slipped my mind,' I said, apologetically. 'Please tell your friend that I'm sincerely sorry. I need to go.'
But he caught my lie instantly. 'What?' he asked, his expression puzzled. 'No, wait! You're only nervous! I already told you that there's nothing to worry about! Come on, drink some more water!'
Getting to his feet, he caught me by my left arm and picking the glass of water up from the table, he brought it to my lips to make me drink.
'Jojima-san! I'm terribly sorry! But I really can't do this!' I managed to say, as I cringed away from the glass, pushing it gently away with my hand. But he pressed it more forcefully against my lips, urging me to drink. Flustered, I shoved the glass backward with more rigor and it slipped his hand and broke as it hit the floor.
I stared at him, startled by his action.
He seemed a bit shocked too as he stared at the pieces of glass lying on the floor, but then, his face became unusually sinister.
'You've dropped it,' he said, his tone matching his expression. 'And I, who wanted you not to remember a jot of this evening! But it doesn't matter!'
My heart shook at his words.
I knew it at that moment.
I knew that there was no friend. No job offer. No interview. No one to wait for.
I knew that he had actually mixed something into the water that he had offered to me.
I knew as I looked into his eyes that he was one of those rat-bags Shunsui had cautioned me against.
Terror coursing through my veins, I broke out of his grip and flung around in an instantaneous movement to run for the door, but I had hardly taken one step forward that he caught me by my wrist from behind and hurled me against the side wall. He pinned my hand there, his other hand coming over my jaw in a strong grip.
Spontaneously, I gripped at his forearm with my free hand to try to pull it away from my face, but there was nothing to do; I had no force. My whole body was shaking, my mind could not really think straight, my breathing erratic, my heart having gone completely berserk.
'It's true! What do I risk?' he scoffed, his face only inches away from mine. 'You came to this hotel and walked all the way to my room on your own accord. No one forced you. Even if you accused me of anything, no one would want to believe you!'
I stared at him frantically, tears gushing down my face.
'Oh, Hime! Hime! You're so pretty! So pretty!' he cooed, with a twisted smile, and his mouth was all over my neck.
My heart seemed to want to claw its way out of my chest in that instant, and I began to struggle more violently, but to no avail.
But then, my eyes fell onto the flower vase resting on the table to my right. Instantaneously, I reached out for it and gripping it, I hit Hibiki Jojima on the head with it with as much force as my trembling hands could muster.
The vase splintered to pieces as it broke.
The blond male let out a cry and, instantly, he backed off, only to stumble and fall to the floor, one of his hands shooting up to hold his bleeding head.
Without missing a beat, I swung around and dashed for the door.
***
Gōjun Shoran made a grimace as he took a look around of himself.
He couldn't believe it! They were at Kanno Hotel! The same hotel where the dark-haired girl has her interview!
'Oi!' he growled at Shunsui, as they were walking towards the reception together. 'Are you trying to sabotage her interview or something?'
Looking at Gōjun's face, the reddish-brown-haired young man told him in a serious tone, 'Did you know that Hibiki Jojima has moved to this city less than a year ago under a new name, and that his ex-girlfriend from his hometown has accused him of assault. She didn't press charges against him but...'
He left his words hanging.
Gōjun had heard enough to grow tensed.
They had reached the reception desk by now, and Shunsui spoke to the young woman behind the counter, telling her that they have a rendezvous with the said Hibiki Jojima.
'I'm sorry, Mr Shigeizumi. Mr Jojima didn't tell me anything about you,' she told him, with a sheepish look. 'I cannot give you his room number. I'll have to ring him up first.'
Gōjun observed the reddish-brown-haired young man as the latter came out with the heavy artillery at this unsatisfactory response. In effect, Shunsui slipped a money note discreetly up the counter towards the young woman, with his phone number written on a piece of paper on top, combining all of this with a devastating smile.
The woman was floored. She had already been under his charm the moment they had approached her; she simply couldn't resist him after this.
Smiling coyly, she placed her hand over Shunsui's to take the money and his phone number in the same discreet manner, telling him in a whisper, 'Just give me a minute!'
***
The moment I ripped the door of the room open and burst outside into the corridor, I bumped into somebody's chest head-on.
Automatically, a pair of strong hands took hold of my shoulders to prevent me from falling backward, steadying me.
My head snapped up in the instant to look at the face of the person who was holding himself there in front of me, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw that it was none other than Gōjun! Shunsui was standing just right next to him, and both males were watching me a stunned look.
My eyes went wide at them; my heart fluttering. I was so stupefied to see them.
They stared at me for a second or two, alert and mute, before they looked past me through the open door of the room at Hibiki Jojima, who appeared at that moment, coming to chase after me and groaning out my name angrily.
Their expression turned murderous at the sight of the older male.
'You scum!' they roared at him, and without giving any warning, they surged at him and began to punch and kick him brutally to the floor.
I was petrified with shock. All that I could do was to cling myself at the door and stare at Shunsui and Gōjun as they hit him with outrage, my mind seeming to go blank for a whole moment, until Hibiki Jojima was all in blood, and I thought that he wouldn't survive any more blows.
Breaking out of my trance-like state, I threw myself at Gōjun and sent my arm around his waist from behind, while my other hand went for Shunsui's shirt to grip at it, trying to refrain the two young men.
'Stop! Stop!' I cried, sobbingly, pressing my eyes shut, and they both froze into place. 'You- You're going to kill him. I don't want you- to have problems- because of me!'
I was crying so hard now that I was hiccupping. And whatever Hibiki Jojima had mixed into the water he had given to me was beginning to have its effect. My limbs grew utterly weak, my body seeming to weigh a ton; I had the same impression of a person who was about to fall asleep.
In less than two, my legs gave up under me, and I fell to the floor in a squatting position. I could still hold myself up only due to my feeble grip on Gōjun's trouser.
Shunsui and he turned around to look at me at once with a frantic look, and Gōjun crouched down to grab hold of my shoulders to support me.
'What did you give her?!' Shunsui demanded at Hibiki Jojima, in a roar, but latter refused to answer him.
The reddish-brown-haired young man kicked him in his stomach, and the older male rolled onto his side in the ground in pain, clenching his abdomen.
'Come on! Spit it out!' Shunsui hissed at him, in-between clenched teeth. 'If you do, I promise that I won't call the police!'
'Over there!' the blond male moaned, and he managed to lift his hand to point at the night table.
In two strides, Shunsui was in front of the furniture, and pulling the drawer open, he seemed to find what he expected to find.
It was a tablet of medicine, in aluminum wrapping.
My eyelids were so heavy by this instant that I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.
I didn't see what Shunsui did after that, but I understood that he had taken out his mobile phone to call the police when Hibiki Jojima told him that "he had promised".
'Well then, I lied!' retorted the young master.
My body left the ground at that moment, and I managed to force my eyes open for a second or two to see that it was Gōjun who had picked me up piggy-back, while Shunsui was speaking on the phone.
We left the hotel room immediately after, and my consciousness slipped in and out.
I remembered that we came outside into the open- I could feel the wind blowing on my skin- and I remember hearing the sirens of the police cars.
The last souvenir that I had was that of Gōjun sitting on a bench just outside of the hotel and holding me in his lap and watching me with concern.
***
Gōjun Shoran stared at the face of the young dark-haired girl in his lap with raging emotions.
The girl was hardly conscious.
He was deeply worried about her. But he was also angry. Angry at Hibiki Jojima for having tried to hurt her. Angry against the dark-haired girl for having nearly fallen into such a trap. But above it all, angry against himself for having failed to see the trap.
His arms tightened around her small and frail body, his jaws tight.
'I've been able to talk to the police!' Shunsui called at him, running into their direction.
The police cars which were stationed in front of the hotel in the distance were driving away now.
'They have arrested him,' he informed Gōjun, in an urgent tone. 'He won't bother anyone anymore. I've also arranged myself so that they do not have to warn her family.'
'That's good!' Gōjun replied, with a small nod.
They both contemplated the girl's face anxiously for a minute after that, before Shunsui declared, 'I think it's better that we take her to my house. Her family shouldn't see her in this state.'
'Yes, you're right!' Gōjun agreed, and getting to his feet at once, he carried the dark-haired girl to Shunsui's car.
Takara-san was waiting for them, and the old man held the door open for them.
Gōjun placed the girl onto the backseat, before he hopped into the vehicle with Shunsui.
When they reached the reddish-brown-haired young man's house, Doctor Hajime Nakamura, who was the private doctor of the Shigeizumi family, was already waiting for them outside of the gate.
Shunsui had called him when they were in the car, and the doctor made it to his house very rapidly. They conducted the girl to Shunsui's room, where Gōjun placed her onto the latter's bed for the doctor to examine her.
'I think there's nothing to worry,' the doctor declared after he was done, putting his stethoscope back into his bag, and the two young men turned to face him from where they were standing by the window. 'She's only sleeping. She should wake up by tomorrow morning.'
'Alright, thank you!' Shunsui told him, and he accompanied the doctor back to the door, before he returned to his bedroom to watch on the girl with Gōjun.
Even if both males were quite reassured by what the doctor had said, they couldn't help but still feel a bit worried for the dark-haired girl.
'Shunsui?' Gōjun said at one point, 'do you mind if I stay over?'
At this, a tiny smile came to the reddish-brown-haired young man's lips, and he replied, 'Don't ask silly questions!'
Thank you for reading!