The apartment was composed of a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, as well as a bathroom. We started by cleaning it in its every nook and corner, but this didn't go without any complaint on Gōjun's part.
'I thought that we only had to move a few furnitures!' he grumbled, as he was dusting off one of the walls.
Shunsui, Natsui and I exchanged a look with one another, chuckling to ourselves. He sure looked out of character with a broom in his hands, and a scarf tied over his head to protect his hair from dust.
'Doesn't he resemble a true little housekeeper like this?!' Shunsui giggled.
Gōjun had been about to open his mouth to retort something at him, but the reddish-brown-haired young man cut him off before he could, by sending his arm around his neck and telling him, 'Think about the Ebi Tempura! Ebi! Ebi! Ebi Tempura!'
'Stop that!' Gōjun shouted at him, grumpily, and Natsui and I exchanged another look with each other, chuckling again.
Yūsei Nishoji joined us by that moment. The ginger-haired girl had told him that she was moving apartments, and the blond-haired young man had kindly proposed her his help.
He apologized to her for his late arrival, and I watched the two of them with a smile as they chatted with each other in good humor while they worked.
They seem to get along well!
When we were completely done cleaning the apartment, we then shifted all the furnitures and boxes in from the truck. However, we left everything as it was to get to lunch. It was already past noon and our stomachs were groaning.
As I was preparing to put the ebi tempura in the hot oil of frying pan, I took a glance at Natsui where she was sitting at the low table behind me in the kitchen. The ginger-haired girl's expression was anxious. I had to admit that I was growing increasingly anxious too with every hour that was ticking by. Half of the day was spent and her mother has not showed up yet.
When I looked back at the frying pan which was burning on the stove, I noticed that it lacked some oil. Picking the cup of oil up in one of my hands, I started to pour more of it into the recipient, while thinking about Natsui's mother.
I was scared. I wondered what would happen if the woman doesn't show up. The ginger-haired girl would be completely shattered. She, who loves her mother more than anything in this world, would be left heart-broken, if not broken in short.
Oh Natsui…
I looked at the ginger-haired girl again over my shoulder, my chest tightening.
'Oi, watch out!' I heard Gōjun cry out to me, out of the blue, with alarm.
Even before I could have looked back around, his arm had shot past me from behind to seize my hand and pull it out of the way of the rising flames.
I froze in stupefaction.
While I had been watching Natsui, I had poured oil past the frying pan to into the burning fire, which has caused the flames to blaze up! If it had not been for Gōjun's intervention, I would have burnt my hand!
'Are you alright?!' Shunsui exclaimed, jumping to his feet urgently, together with Natsui and Yūsei Nishoji.
'Y-Yes,' I replied, a bit shaken, and putting the cup of oil back down very quickly on the kitchen counter, I turned to Gōjun on the spot to grab hold of his hand in both of mine and check that he didn't get burn in my place, my heart fluttering with worry.
'Yokatta!' I said with relief, when I saw that he was not injured in any way.
'You ask for so much attention!' he muttered at me, reproachfully, causing me to flush bright red.
'I- I'm sorry...' I apologized, lowering my eyes and squirming a little.
After we had all taken lunch, Natsui and I started to talk about the police officer who had made irruption at her home last night and prevented the disaster from happening.
'You didn't ask him what he was doing there?' I asked her, as I served Yūsei and she their dango.
'No. I didn't really get the time to, not to forget that I was still very much shaken by what happened,' she replied, as intrigued as the blond-haired male and I. 'But he gave me his card.'
'I see.'
Gōjun returned by that moment. He had gone outside to smoke a cigarette with Shunsui. I noticed that the reddish-brown-haired young man was not with him anymore.
'Where's Shunsui?' I inquired, as he moved to take a seat at the low table.
'He's still outside, smoking,' he replied, and serving him his dango, I told him that I was going downstairs to inform the reddish-brown-haired young man that the dango were ready.
As I came down onto the street, I caught sight of the latter where he was standing a small distance away, with his back turned into this direction, a cigarette in his hand and his mobile phone over one of his ears.
I hesitated to approach him. He was on the phone with someone. Just as I was thinking to turn around and head back upstairs, with the intention to come back later, suddenly, the conversation that he was having on the phone caused me to stop.
'Where is she staying? She hasn't returned to the apartment, has she?' he asked.
Shunsui?
'I see. She's found refuge at a colleague's house. Continue to keep an eye on her. Don't let anything happen to her. I'm with her daughter right now.'
My breath caught, everything becoming clear in my head in that instant. It was more than evident to me that the person he was referring to was Natsui's mother. And I understood immediately what that police officer had been doing at the Mizoroge's last night!
As he hung up and turned around, the reddish-brown-haired young froze with shock when he saw me standing there on the street with him.
'Hime...' he gasped.
'Shunsui...' I murmured, tears flowing down my cheeks, and running up to him, I cuddled myself against his stomach in a hug, thanking him with all my heart for having preserved Natsui from the tragedy that I had known.
'Hime, don't cry!' he told me, with panic. 'People are watching! They're gonna think I made you cry!'
Letting go of him, I brushed the back of my hands over my eyes, but my tears wouldn't stop flowing.
'Hime, I beg of you, stop crying! People are giving me strange looks!'
'Just look at this!' a middle-aged woman who was walking by muttered to herself. 'Nowadays boys do not hesitate to make a girl cry in public at the drop of a hat!'
Shunsui's expression turned awkward.
'But- But I didn't do anything!' he said to the woman, but the latter pretended as if she didn't hear him and turned her face away to snob him.
His expression turned all the more awkward.
'I'm sorry,' I said, wiping my tears again and giving him a sheepish smile. 'I couldn't control myself.'
'It's okay,' he sighed, holding the side of his head with his hand. 'You don't have to apologize.'
Wiping my tears completely then, I told him, cheerfully, 'Let's go upstairs again! The dango are ready!'
He nodded.
Just as I had turned around, suddenly, his hand closed around my upper-arm to bring me to a stop. I looked at him in the eyes instantly. He had bent into my face from where he was standing by my side and putting his forefinger over my lips, and smiling crookedly, he told me, with a small wink, 'You're not telling Natsui anything about what I did, okay? It's our little secret!'
I nodded in agreement, giving him another smile.
We moved upstairs after that, and when we had finished putting all the furnitures into place, we helped Natsui unpack all her things and arrange them around the apartment according to her choice.
By the time we were done, it was already dusk and I started to cook us dinner.
As we all took seat at the table to dine together, a heavy atmosphere had by then settled in the small apartment. Natsui's mother has not arrived yet. None of us dared to talk about it. And the ginger-haired girl barely touched her food.
Shunsui, Gōjun and I stayed with her for a whole while after dinner, and when we decided that it was time for us to leave, it was with a heavy heart that I bid the girl goodbye.
We came down onto the street to wait for Takara-san to arrive with the car, the boys lighting up a cigarette, all three of us lost in our respective thoughts in regards to the ginger-haired girl's mother.
I felt extremely depressed. If I had been scared this morning; I was now totally terrified.
'Come on! Don't worry!' Gōjun told me, unexpectedly, putting his hand down onto my head.
Instantly, I looked up at his face.
He was staring straight ahead.
Gōjun… Yes, I'm sure everything will be fine...
***
'Do you want us to watch some TV?' Yūsei Nishoji asked the ginger-haired girl, feeling agitated for her.
'Yes,' she replied, giving him a poor smile.
Getting to his feet, the blond-haired male moved to the television set to switch it on and grabbing the remote control, he returned to sit with her again on the floor of the living room.
They were showing a horror movie tonight, and Natsui couldn't help but giggle a little, and say, 'Ah, that's not the kind of movie that Hime would appreciate to watch!'
But that was the only time that she would show a reaction to the movie.
Every now and then, the young man would take a glance at the ginger-haired girl and he would find her watching the television screen, but her mind was definitely elsewhere. She reacted to none of the terrifying scenes, and when the movie was over, she didn't even seem to notice it.
The blond male received a text message by that moment from Naoyasu Hanabusa who was asking him where he has reached. It was very late and Yūsei knew that it was time for him to return home now. However, he was worried to leave the ginger-haired girl before her mother would arrive. In fact, he was starting to lose all hope of the woman ever showing up.
'Are you sure that it's okay if I leave?' he asked her, anxiously, as she accompanied him to the door.
'Hm-hm! You don't have to worry about anything,' she told him, giving him a large reassuring smile. However, he was not duped by it. He knew what the girl must be feeling right now. He wished there was something that he could do for her. But it all depended on the ginger-haired girl's mother now.
'Alright! See you tomorrow at school!' he whispered, and reluctantly, he greeted her goodnight and left.
As Natsui had closed the door after him and turned around, she felt all the emotions that she had been stifling during the whole day, overwhelm her. Her eyes started to well up with tears, but just when she thought she was about to crack, abruptly, she heard a knock on the door behind her.
Fixing her expression immediately, she wondered if it was the blond-haired male who had returning because he had forgotten something, and turning back around, she yanked the door open, only to go still- her heart skipping a beat- at the sight of the person who was standing there at the head of the staircase.
'Okā-san...' she whispered, allowing her tears to pour freely now.
The woman was crying too.
Closing her eyes and smiling widely, the ginger-haired girl greeted her in, saying, 'O-kaeri nasai!'
'Oh, Natsui!' the woman sobbed, and throwing herself at the girl's neck, she apologized to her fervently for having reacted like she did last night.
The ginger-haired girl hugged her back, telling her that it was alright, that they were both safe now and there was nothing that could prevent them from living a happy life from now on.
And both mother and daughter plumped down on the floor to hold each other like this for one long moment, crying all the tears of their body.
After they had wiped their cheeks dry, Natsui took the woman by her hand to provide her with a tour of the apartment and present to her their new living quarters.
'Natsui, do you- do you have a grudge against me for having brought you to this world?' the woman asked her, hesitantly, and melancholically, sometime later when they had taken a seat at the low table in the kitchen to drink a cup of tea together.
The ginger-haired girl understood by that instant that this was what had been gnawing the woman; that if she had reacted as she had last night, it was not to punish her, but because the woman was afraid of this and felt guilty.
'No,' Natsui replied, sincerely, 'I'm happy that I came to this world because this has allowed me to meet you!'
The woman's eyes went wide at her and they became filled with tears again.
'Natsui...'
'This has also allowed me to meet with people like Hime,' the girl continued, 'And to discover the world of mangas and other beautiful stories. And there are also chocolates and sweets, not to forget music and dance!'
She chuckled as she said that last part, and the woman couldn't help but join her, both mother and daughter laughing in good humor.
***
After Shunsui Shigeizumi had dropped the dark-haired girl and Gōjun Shoran at their respective homes, he took his mobile phone out and dialed a number. His respondent picked the call up at the first ring itself.
'It's Shunsui Shigeizumi,' he said, in a serious tone. 'Have you received the money I have transferred to your account?'
'Yes, Sir!'
'After the expiration of six months, you shall receive your rent for the apartment on a monthly basis, as agreed. I've already given my directives to an accountant of the Zaibatsu.'
'Hai!'
'If there are any problems or lateness in payment, you may enter into contact with the accountant directly. I'll sent you his contact details in a minute.'
'Hai!'
'And, remember, the Mizoroge should never discover about our little arrangement, understood?'
'You can count on my discretion, Sir!'
'Good!'
***
The moment Gōjun Shoran entered the doorway of the house, little Yamcha ran to jump at him, mewing several times.
'Oi!' he uttered, as he lifted his hands automatically to hold the small animal into place where it had clawed itself to the front of his T-shirt, clinging at him.
Gōjun was deeply surprised. The ball of fur has apparently been waiting for his return in the hall. He had asked the domestics to feed it while he was away, and therefore, he was quite certain that it was not due to hunger.
He stared at it for a minute, and the kitten closed its eyes at him, seeming to give him a smile.
'You're going to ruin my T-shirt, you little monster!' he groaned, poutily, pulling its claws out of the fabric, before he carried it upstairs to his room.
Setting it down on the floor, he disappeared into the bathroom for a moment, only to find upon his return- just like on the previous night- that the small animal had put itself comfortable on his bed during his absence.
It had curled itself onto the same pillow it had fell asleep on last night.
Jumping into bed too, Gōjun watched the small animal sulkily for a whole moment where it was resting close to his feet, before he lied backward and closed his eyes to sleep.
A few hours had elapsed when, unexpectedly, he was awakened by a tingling sensation on his cheek as he rolled to onto his side. Instantly, he pulled his face backward and opened his eyes, only to realize that the tingling sensation he had felt on his cheek was none other than that of Yamcha's whiskers! The small animal had moved up to him while he had his eyes closed to sleep by his side, with its head resting on his pillow!
'Oi!' he growled, sitting up in a jerk.
He had never heard of any cat doing this before!
'I'm already allowing you to sleep on my bed! Don't push the plug too far! Sleep on your own pillow!' he muttered at it, and picking it up by its scruff, he put it back onto the said-pillow, before he went back to trying to get some sleep.
However, he was not out of the woods yet.
Just as he was about to fall back to sleep, his eyes blew wide open again as he felt something small and furry wound itself half-around his neck from behind.
His teeth gritted together, his face scrunching up.
It was the small ball of fur which has made itself comfortable next to him again by resting its head on his pillow and which was hugging his neck from behind!
'Oi!' he groaned, rolling to onto his other side to seize it and push it away with one of his hands, only for the small animal to hold itself on tightly to onto his hand and start licking at his fingers.
'Ew! Don't do that! I'm not a cat like you!' he muttered, trying to pull his hand away, but the little ball of fur didn't allow him to. It clung itself more tightly to onto his hand with its fore-legs and started to bite at his fingers, while kicking his palm with its hind-legs playfully. 'Do you think this is the right time to play?! I have school tomorrow!'
Sitting up, he tried to take his hand back, but the small animal only came up with it as he lifted his arm. It ignored him completely and continued to gnaw at his fingers.
Gōjun's face scrunched up further.
Exhaling sharply then, he rested his head back onto his pillow, allowing the kitten to do whatever it wanted with his hand, until it released him on its own. When it finally did, it sat itself up to onto its hind-legs to watch him in the face and start to mew.
'What do you want now?' he demanded, only for it to give him a few other mews in answer.
Sitting himself up again and holding his head with his hand frustratedly, Gōjun wondered if it was thirsty. He told himself that maybe if he gave it some milk, it would calm down and go to sleep, and thereby, allow him to sleep too.
'Mendokusai ne!' he muttered, and picking the small ball of fur up in one of his arms, he made his way downstairs with it, sulkily.
His eyes were half-closed with sleep, and grabbing a sauce pan, he poured some milk in it and put it to heat on the stove, while the animal sat on a chair, waiting patiently. Once the milk has become warm enough, he poured it into its drinking bowl and watched it with a grimace as it lapped at it eagerly.
'Why do I have to do this?' he asked himself, in annoyment, as he put the sauce pan away in the sink.
Turning back around, he had been about to wait for the small animal to have finished its milk in order to carry it up to his room again when, abruptly, he saw a dark figure, armed with something, appear in the doorway of the kitchen.
He stiffened, but realized that it was only Kenren Shoran.
'Gōjun, it's you?!' the dark-haired male said, setting the baseball bat he had in his hand down on the floor by the side of the door. 'You scared me! I thought we had an intruder!'
'I'm sorry I woke you up!' the teenager told him, scratching the back of his head and averting his eyes.
'It's okay. But what are you doing in the kitchen at this hour? You have school tomorrow!'
'Yes, I know,' he replied, and grimacing at the small animal at his feet, he told him, 'But this little monster wouldn't allow me to sleep!'
The man came around the table, his eyes falling onto the small ball of fur only then.
'I see! It's funny, but I've just realized that I have never asked you its name before.'
Gōjun's expression turned awkward.
'Its- Its name? How do I answer that?!'
'Eh?' Kenren gave him a perplexed look.
Keeping his eyes averted, Gōjun answered, uneasily, 'W- Well, it's Yamcha!'
'Yamcha?!'
Gōjun looked at the man's face now to read his expression. The dark-haired male was watching him with a dubious look.
'Isn't that a Cantonese term for going out to eat dim sum?!'
'I know!' the teenager muttered, testily, as he thought of the dark-haired girl. 'It was not my idea! It's the Princess who named it like this!'
'The Princess? Who?'
'Yeah! It's a long story!' he exhaled. 'Well, whatever… I think I'll go to sleep now.'
And on this, Gōjun picked the small animal up under his arm again to carry it back to his room. The latter was cleaning its face with its paw now, completely satisfied.
'Alright, good night!' Kenren told the younger male, following him of the eyes, surprised by his behavior. He couldn't believe it that Gōjun had gotten up from his bed in the middle of the night to prepare milk for the small animal. And there was also that someone that he calls Princess...
''night!' he responded.
Thank you for reading!
Glossary
Mendokusai ne - "what a pain"; troublesome; bothersome