Gym class had been something else. Ever since Naseru joined her school, it was like watching two angry blue flames eviscerating the court during the boys' games. Kaho couldn't take her eyes off them. Ryota and Naseru were so different, but they both specialised in the same sport, didn't they?
It had been gnawing at that nasty persistent spot in her brain. He was clearly good, why didn't he want to join the team.
"Hey Matsuoka!" Kaho said, picking up her pace to walk with him, she reached into her bag and produced a mango. She offered it to him. He shook his head.
"Did you get one of those, too?" Naseru asked, raising his brows.
"Yeah, definitely," Kaho lied, "I saw you in gym class today, you've got to be really good to match up with Ryota."
Naseru's eye twitched.
"I think," Kaho said, "Ryota is one of the best players at our school, you know. He has such a chaotic and unpredictable game style. You're really good. Why isn't it that you want to join the Hanagawa basketball team?"
Naseru pursed his lips, "What about you, Aigawa? Any thought into joining the art club?"
Kaho took a deep breath and flashed a toothy grin. She leaned forward and put her hands behind her back, "You know what? I just might!"
Naseru's lips quirked up slightly. He narrowed his eyes and used his head to beckon her away though the art room, "Come on then."
Kaho froze. He'd called her bluff. She hadn't packed her drawing tablet. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Naseru raised his eyebrows sardonically.
"Come on, Aigawa," he said, "Club room's this way."
Kaho let out a little sigh and turned away from the school gates, marching in step with Naseru. He opened the door to the art club room. It was covered in clutter, some of the club artists having taken over. In the middle of the room was Makoto. He'd shed his blazer and was covered in chalk pastels, turning his crisp white shirt into a canvas of its own. He jumped up from his artwork, a sheet of black paper on the floor and pushed up a pair of glasses, putting a blue smear of pastel on his nose. He put his hands on his hips and grinned.
"Hey Matsuoka! Good to see you."
Naseru nodded, pulling up a chair at the long central table. He reached into his pocket and produced his phone and earbuds, leaving Kaho in a room surrounded by artists.
"Good to see you, Kaho!" Hikaru said, he was pouring oil paints into a palette, shades of brown, orange and red oozed into the plastic, "Thanks for the mango!"
"Mango?" A first year girl said. She had been thumbing through a sketchbook, "I love mango! Did you know a truck down by the station crashed and had to write all their fruit off. Damn. I wish I'd been there."
Kaho smiled at her and produced the same mango she'd offered to Naseru. The girl took it from her and was about to bite into the fruit when she made an excited sound. She made a grasping motion to Hikaru, who handed her a piece of paper. The girl started drawing the fruit. Kaho furrowed her brows, and dug in her bag for her own stationary. She began to doodle in a ruled notebook.
"Uh, no," Makoto said, "Every member gets a portfolio, here," he handed her an A-3 sketchbook.
"Thank you, Makoto."
After the art club meeting, Kaho had taken the long way home, walking behind Naseru, trying her best to stay out of his sight as he strode, headphones on, from school to his sprawling house. Getting there had been fine, making her way back to the suburbs, not so much. She realised, the third time she managed to get lost, despite using Google Maps, that she was definitely going to miss dinner.
She texted her mother, debriefing her on what Kikiyo had told her, and apologising that she was taking so long, she would buy herself dinner from a convenience store on her way back from an errand. Her mother, likely assuming she was with Kikiyo, replied with a thumbs up emoji.
On the way home, she saw Ryota at a court again. He was laying on the floor, gazing up at the basket, tossing his neon pink basketball to his chest.
Kaho made her way over to him.
"You're far away from home," Kaho said, joining him on the court.
"So are you," Ryota replied, sitting up and rolling the ball to her. She rolled the ball back.
"I was just having a bit of a wander," Kaho lied.
Ryota shrugged, "Hideki from Konoichi High said he'd play me when he finished his shift at the convenience store."
Kaho sat on her knees and tilted her head, her twin tails cascading past her shoulders. She frowned at him, "Do you one on one anyone and everyone?"
Ryota nodded, "I want to sharpen my skills, and not just those trick moves Taiga has been enabling."
Kaho nodded, "I didn't know you were friends with kids from the other schools in the area."
"You're literally dating a guy from Muraniko," Ryota replied dryly.
"Good point," Kaho replied, bowing her head, "I meant, aren't they your rivals?"
Ryota shrugged, "Only when we're on the court playing against each other. I've actually played video games with Hideki online since we first played each other in middle school. I changed out of my jersey into a 'S.A.S Fighter Force' shirt on it and he came over and told me he loves to play and asked if I wanted to play with him.
Kaho hummed, nodding, "I guess rivalries on the court die when the whistle blows?"
Ryota nodded.
"But what about Matsuoka? If he joins the team will you be okay with him in your pocket?"
Ryota shrugged, "Probably not. Not if he thinks I'm a slacker."
"He called you that?" Kaho asked, rasing her eyebrows.
Ryota nodded.
"Asshole. You work so hard!"
Ryota shrugged, "There's always gonna be someone better but just because I'm not in the NBA or something doesn't mean I suck. I just can't believe he's that full of himself to say I'm a slacker and still refuse to join up."
Kaho nodded, reaching over and giving Ryota's hand a squeeze, "Well, I won't keep you from your game, I'm going to go home."
"Kaho?" Ryota said.
"Yeah?"
"Your house is that way," he said pointing to the left.
Her cheeks burned scarlet and she took off. It was getting later and later, and she still had to buy something to eat. Dinner would have long since finished.
Himiko was asleep and Taiga was nowhere to be seen when Kaho got home. She boiled the kettle and filled her instant noodles up. As they warmed through with water, she heard her mother talking in a hushed voice.
She was on her yoga mat, in the tree pose, with one hand to her ear, holding her phone.
"No, I don't care what time it is, I need you to listen to me!" Mrs Aigawa hissed, "We need to help them, at least until I can get hold of their grandparents."
"She's working two jobs, Raffy. I'll take some of that for the bills if I have to. Or I'll pick up another shift. Taiga can help out around here. We can clear out the gym equipment in one of the rooms and give it to the boys. Kikiyo and Ichigo can share our guest room."
"Your parents only come over once a year. They can stay at a hotel; these kids are going to be homeless!" she hissed.
Her voice grew harsher, "To be honest, I'm only calling you as a formality. When are you next due back here?"
A pause, "That's what I thought. They're staying here and that's final."
"Yeah. Bye."
Kaho slumped against the door and sighed, they were moving in. Kikiyo wouldn't need to start working at 'Luvrz'. She wasn't going to die.
For the second night in a row, Kaho followed Naseru home. Except this time, he didn't go home. He walked with her, a few steps ahead, quickening his pace and adjusting his stride every so often. He took the bus deeper into town and further away from Kaho's house. She jumped on the bus after him and sat beside him. He scowled at her every time she opened her mouth to ask a question.
"Hey Matsuoka, is it true you spent time in the States, I bet you're finding our English lessons really easy! I'm jealous!" Kaho said.
No reply.
"Oh! Matsuoka! That restaurant over there does the best steamed bao! I know you're new to town and thought you'd want to know – Taiga promised the basketball team a tray of them when they qualify for the championship league this year."
No response.
When Naseru pressed the bell to disembark the bus, Kaho went with him.
"What is it with you, Aigawa?" Naseru asked as the bus pulled away.
She frowned, "I don't know what you mean."
"Why are you following me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about – I totally had business here."
Naseru scowled, "You're an idiot you know that."
Kaho put her hands on her hips, "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, for someone who's pretty bright, you really are stupid."
"You're insulting me?" Kaho said, incredulous, "Matsuoka, I'm just being nice to you. A lot's happened this year already, and with everyone so focused on Sayuri and Hiroko and wherever the Hell Kibata Mae is, means you never got a warm welcome."
Naseru sighed, his shoulders sagging, "What do you want?"
"To make sure you have a friend to talk t-"
"What do you want from me, Aigawa?" Naseru repeated.
She shrugged, "You're acting all aloof but you clearly care about stuff. I think you're lonely."
"Lonely?" Naseru said, aghast.
"Mhm." Kaho said, skipping ahead, "So I am going to be your friend. You're like a Toosie Pop, hard and crunchy on the outside, a softie on the inside, I can tell."
Naseru raised an eyebrow, "The candy?"
"Mhm!" Kaho exclaimed, "Now come on. Let's go."
He didn't move. They remained at the bus stop. Stationary.
"Why are you so determined to get to know me? Do you have a crush on me or something? Do I need to remind you I almost hit you with my bike?"
Kaho crossed her arms, "No! I just want to be your friend. I want to make sure you're okay."
Naseru's stern expression softened for a moment. He raised his eyebrows again.
"Won't your boyfriend be jealous that you're following me all the time?"
Kaho opened her mouth to retort, but paused, the words stolen from her mouth, a question in its place; "How did you know I have a boyfriend?"
Naseru shrugged.
"Well," Kaho said, "I do like you, like a friend, you know? I want to be your friend. There's good in you, you're a good person, and I don't want you to feel alone here."
Naseru's lip quirked up a little, before his face darkened. He turned her around by the arm and backed her up against a wall, trapping her against the wall of a laundrette with his arms.
"I'd hurt you," He said, "I can be horrible. I am horrible. And to think I'm anything else is just…"
Kaho's heart raced. She looked up at Naseru and sighed. He was looking down at her. Towering over her. She couldn't quite believe it, but in the dim, evening light, under the glow of the neon sign of the laundrette, he looked almost alluring. Everything from his Spain ancestry to his firm dark eyes and the way his braids cascaded down by his ears. He bit his lips, his dark brown eyes trained on hers.
She stared at him, at the way his lips parted as he breathed her name and a shiver raced down her spine. What was she doing? She had Tatsuya. There was nothing between her and Naseru – they weren't even friends, he'd said as much himself.
And yet, there she was staring at him. Waiting for him to say something – to do something. He looked at her face, and brushed a strand of her dark hair away from her oak brown eyes. Blush crawled across her cheeks.
His lips parted again, eyes darkening as he drank in every inch of her skin. Suddenly she felt naked in her school uniform. She shuddered, looking at his eyes again. This was ridiculous. Was it cheating to find another man attractive? Surely not. Girls fawned over Tatsuya all the time, he was a model! It wasn't her fault that suddenly, under the darkening sky, Naseru looked so different, so warm, welcoming and safe.
She wanted to be his friend, she knew that much, but what was this feeling?
Her blush deepened as Naseru lowered his gaze to her lips.
Her heart beat louder, faster and she was sure he could hear it. He paused.
"You know what I think?" Naseru said, lowering his lips to her ear. She shivered again.
"What?"
"I think you're being naïve."
She shook her head furiously.
"You won't do it," she breathed.
"Oh really?" he said, a smirking, "I could. I think you know I could. But it would be too easy."
"I have a boyfriend," she said, "You won't kiss me because I have a boyfriend."
He sighed, forcing his gaze away from her lips. She bit her lip. He tensed.
He was going to kiss her. He'd been about to kiss her. And Tatsuya, just the mention of Tatsuya had wrenched him back and away from her. She could move, if she wanted to, but she didn't.
Naseru sighed, "What do you want from me? Just tell me so you can stop bothering me."
Naseru walked away from the bus stop. Kaho didn't have the heart, or at least the nerve, to trail along after him after that. Her heart was racing.
Naseru had headed down a bustling side street full of bars, mopeds, and the odd stationary car boxed in by bollards and drunks. Little tables and stools littered the outside space, soaking up that extra sunlight before submerging the street in the glow of hundreds of tiny artificial suns. Kaho couldn't see much of him, just the back of his head. But she couldn't bring herself to look up. Had Taiga wanted things to go this far?
Her attention was snatched away by a wolf whistle, a leery, middle-aged man staggered closer to her. He had a sallow face, an unshaved, bristly beard and a crooked nose. His narrow, cone-like shape made him look like a cactus. Kaho shuffled away and adjusted her school bag on her shoulder. The alley was hot, and the buildings in this part of town dwarfed her. Two more men made their way over. They loosened their ties and strode out of a dive bar toward Kaho.
"Hey Cutie!" one man hollered.
"What are you doing all alone?" shouted a second.
"You lost Baby Girl?" added a third.
Kaho ground her teeth and surged forward, head bowed, her brisk step just making the men worse.
"You running away? Don't worry Darlin' I'll help you find yourself," the second man, who had an unfortunately disproportionate forehead said.
"Damn you're cute, look at that little skirt, you tease. The shorter the skirt the easier the access," the first said, leering again. Kaho stiffened.
"What's a cute thing like you doing out here all alone?"
"Aren't you just delicious," the cactus looking man caressed her face with his grimy fingers. His breath was hot and stank of sake. He staggered over and slung an arm around her shoulder.
"I'm," Kaho swallowed, "I'm actually meeting someone."
"Oh looks like she's spoken for! You got a pimp already princess?"
Kaho winced, the drunk man's spittle hit her cheek. She dared not wipe it off. Her knees buckled. The three men drew closer to her, backing her up. She stepped back, again and again until she found herself against a wall. A much less desirable wall.
Her eyes welled with tears, a heavy feeling settling in her throat, "My boyfriend's coming! He'll be here any second!"
"Is he now?" Forehead said, "I don't see him."
Kaho opened her mouth to call for him, but no sound came.
"I think she's spinning lies, don't you?" asked Spittle.
"Ack!"
Forehead and Spittle whirled around just quickly enough to watch Cactus fall back, having been punched in the face and knocked off balance.
"See him now?" a new voice said.
Kaho's heart leapt into her throat. Naseru! He'd come back!
Cactus' nose was gushing blood, it trickled into his mouth. He spat a glob of blood onto the floor. He wiped his mouth with his fist, but his heavy breathing was punctuated with shouts of pain.
Forehead lunged toward Naseru, grabbing him by the blazer. Naseru stomped on his heel on Forehead's foot and wrenched his arms out of it and ducked out of his grasp, straight into Spittle's waiting fist. Naseru stumbled back a step, taking an offensive stance like he was in a dojo.
Forehead and Spittle stormed him, one grabbed Naseru's hair and the other went behind him, delivering an elbow to the back of his neck. Naseru went down with a thump. He curled into a ball and as Forehead went to kick him, grabbed his shin and pulled him down to the ground. Forehead smacked his head on the ground.
Naseru staggered back to his feet, wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and glared at Spittle and Cactus.
But while Spittle sneered at Naseru, Cactus strode toward Kaho, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a switchblade. Kaho whimpered.
Cactus pulled Kaho in front of him and held the blade to her neck.
"Leave her alone," Naseru commanded.
"Nah, buddy, you're not in the position to be making demands, not with your girlfriend in a sticky situation here."
"I'll give you money."
"We might have taken that deal before you fucked with us, asshole," Cactus spat, baring his bloodied teeth.
"Leave her," Naseru said again, "She's innocent. She didn't ask for this. She came here after me. Go hire a prostitute if you're so miserable and pathetic you have to pay for sex. It's bad enough they have to sell their bodies, but at least they'll be paid. Society's failed them already, and turned a blind eye to their pain, and rendered you parasites. She's innocent. Don't corrupt her."
"Please," Kaho said, her voice barely audible, "Please, we don't want any trouble. We'll go, we'll go right now."
Spittle snorted, "So you've got money, too? Maybe we should take it and her. Teach you a lesson."
Kaho squeezed her eyes closed. Forehead wasn't moving, but he was breathing. Maybe he was unconscious? Or he was armed too, like Cactus, and was going to stab him. She took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. She remembered a film she watched with Mariah years ago back when they both used to go to the dojo. She said a silent prayer and held her breath, thrusting her elbow back into Cactus' stomach. He doubled over, dropping his knife. He staggered forward, gasping for air, and Kaho hooked her knee around his, flipping him over like she used to do to Mariah in the dojo.
Cactus landed in a heap on the floor. Spittle turned to Kaho, eyes wide with surprise. Naseru picked up the switchblade from the floor and knelt down beside Forehead who groaned, his eyes rolling back as Naseru held his head up by the hair. He pointed Cactus' switchblade at Forehead's nose.
"You are going to leave us, or he is going to take a blade to the septum," Naseru said, pointing the tip of the knife at Forehead's nose. It was like he was a piercer, with perfect precision he found the weakest area of cartilage in Forehead's nose.
"Now get the fuck away from us," Naseru said.
Cactus and Spittle shared a glance, brushed themselves off and scarpered, leaving Naseru and Kaho on the side of a narrow, densely populated street, surrounded by people. Several were on their phones. Kaho wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
Kaho's heart was beating so loudly she could hear it pulsing through her eardrums. She couldn't catch her breath; it was like her whole throat was lacquered with treacle.
Then the sirens started blaring. The police, headed by none other than Officer Ueno arrived.
Kaho never expected to be arrested. But Forehead, when he came to, pointed the finger at both of them, babbling about assault. Naseru had kicked the switchblade into a drain when he heard the wailing of police cars. Kaho was crying again. Both of them had been shoved in the back of one patrol car. Neither were cuffed, but she felt like a criminal. She hadn't done anything! She was okay, she knew that, she'd acted in self-defence. But Forehead could have been seriously hurt. He'd been taken to hospital! Hospital!
Kaho hadn't uttered a word to Naseru as Ueno drove them to the station. She fobbed them off to a receptionist, a a kindly elderly lady, who introduced herself as Honda, signed them in and took them to a cell. She'd set out a stool for Kaho outside of the cell, and shut Naseru in behind bars.
"Why is he in there please?" Kaho asked, "He was just protecting me!"
"I understand that, sweetie," Honda said, "And I'm very sorry you and your boyfriend here ended up in that mess, but, according to his record, he's a delinquent, with a few cautions for loitering, theft and other stuff. Oh, I shouldn't have said that. Crap," she swatted herself, "Now, let me put the kettle on. Another cup of tea, Dearie?" Honda asked, turning to the cell opposite Kaho.
"Please," a male voice said.
His voice was vaguely familiar. But in a small town like Hanagawa, that wasn't surprising. Honda squeezed Kaho's hand, "When Officer Yukino is finished with his lunch break, he'll take your statements, and when that's done, if your guardians arrive, you'll be good to go. You don't need to worry at all. Now," she clapped her puckered hands together, "Tea?"
Kaho and Naseru shook their heads. The older lady shrugged and waddled off to a small adjoining kitchenette.
"This wasn't your fault," Naseru muttered, "I mean, you shouldn't have followed me. But I shouldn't have taken you to a shady part of town looking for trouble. Now look at us."
"You- you went there on purpose?" Kaho asked, incredulous.
Naseru sighed, leaning against a wall and closing his eyes. Honda arrived not long later, disturbing their silence just long enough to open the cell across from them, hand the resident in the cell his cup of tea and waddle away.
"Heh," a voice said from across the hall, "Fancy seeing you here, hey, Matsuoka?"
Kurosaki Katsuo, kidnapper, sex trafficker and creep was in the cell opposite them, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin, with a knowing look glistening in his eyes.