The morning came and Tomiko’s phone woke her up. She touched the screen and looked at the time, turning the lights on and rubbing her eyes in quick succession. She looked to her side and Hangaku was not there already. “Weird. Where did she go? And where am I… Oh, right, I forgot for a moment. Better if I get dressed, we were supposed to eat breakfast with Sakamo-kun.”
Tomiko went to the closet to get her clothes and school bag, and Hangaku’s stuff was not there, except for the new pyjama. She frowned as she was changing, and put her pyjama inside the closet as well while mumbling, “Maybe she wants to stay here another time. Better if I leave mine as well, just in case. Now, where did she go…”
Tomiko went down the stairs and heard voices. Near the isle of the kitchen, Hangaku was seated on a chair while Sakamo was taking care of something on the stove. Tomiko sat on the empty chair and asked, “Why you didn’t wake me up? And at which hour you got out of bed? I didn’t notice!”
“Yeah, I woke up before my alarm clock rang, and I was feeling hungry. I got out of bed and changed clothes in silence, trying not to wake you up because you were sound asleep.”
Tomiko grabbed the plate that Sakamo offered her. “Thanks, this looks yummy! Why did you leave your new pyjamas in the closet, Hangaku-chan? You pretend to sleep here tonight as well?”
“No, I just thought it would be difficult to explain why our bags had pyjamas inside if someone saw it in School. But now that you ask… Sakamo-kun, can I sleep here again tonight?”
“No, tonight you sleep in your house. I had a hard time concentrating on my work after you came asking for a goodnight kiss. I kept on thinking on your lips, and it took me forever to finish a simple email that would take me two minutes on a normal night.”
Hangaku giggled as she ate, “Hihihi! At least you liked my kiss. I was worried, thinking that I was the only one enjoying it. We should kiss more often, that one was very good.”
Sakamo made a slight smile as he grabbed his plate. “Yesterday was special. We need to know each other a lot more to do that more often. A kiss should always be special, to at least increase the bond and love of a couple. Don’t you think?”
“I… guess you could be right. I never thought that deep. For me, a kiss was just a kiss, but probably our kiss last night was so good because of how much I care about you. I can be wrong, but I could bet you also have strong feelings for me because of the way you kissed me.”
Sakamo took a sip of his tea and nodded. “I could say you would win that bet, but I would be admitting something that I want to keep a secret for a little while longer. You can’t think I am easy, or you might lose interest.”
“I think I wouldn’t lose my interest in you, even if I tried.”
Sakamo saw Hangaku’s beautiful smile, and he stared at his plate, focusing on the food instead of that hypnotic smile.
After Sakamo placed the dishes inside the sink, he grabbed his bag and opened the door for his guests. On the other side of the street, the same man in a dark blue suit was waiting and made a slight nod to Sakamo.
While Hangaku Mae and Tomiko Hari were wondering who that man was, he spoke, “Good morning, Sakamo-san. I have something to report and to ask you. May I speak freely?”
He glanced at the two girls and waited. Sakamo answered after thinking for a few seconds, “Be careful about what you say. What’s the matter?”
“Regarding that criminal group you asked me to check yesterday, we found a few, and the police already arrested them. There are others we are still searching for, and my sources told me your name came up among them, as a person to be… taken care of. I advise you to be careful, and I will take care personally of your safety until they are all caught. At least outside School, because in there you are on your own.”
“Thanks, that was fast! What about what you want to ask?”
“How are you going to… your part-time job from now on? May I suggest a ride instead of going on an unsafe train?”
“I guess… I am going today after School, can you come to pick me up at five? Don’t forget that I also want to go to a concert at the National Stadium at ten.”
“Of course, none of that would be a problem. You need me now?”
“No, I am going to School with my friends.”
The man made a slight nod to Sakamo and the girls and left in the opposing direction while Sakamo went in the direction of the main street to get Takechi Hito. Hangaku and Tomiko ran after him, and Hangaku pulled his sleeve. “No way you are leaving without explaining what that was all about! Who was that man?”
“Hangaku-chan, I don’t want to lie to you, so please don’t ask. It seems those bullies yesterday told their friends to get me. Stupid fools, they surely don’t know with whom they are messing with…”
Hangaku bite her lip and asked with a worried look, “You… are in a Yakuza group or something like that? Because I can’t be near you if you are…”
“No… Let’s just say that I know some very important people that like to have me around, and they take care of my safety. I am not a criminal, neither I have any kind of relationship with a criminal group, you can rest assured. Remember when I said yesterday that I was coming and going from Nakanojo to Tokyo for the last two years? I met a lot of people during that time. Let’s drop this subject, okay? And try not to babble about this in School, it’s already difficult to put up with the constant questioning from Takechi-sama.”
Hangaku pouted and kicked a stone in the street. “Alright… If it annoys you that much, I will stop. It’s just… I got worried about that conversation. And that man looked dangerous.”
“He is very dangerous indeed, but he tries his best not to look too suspicious. I guess he could smile more, he always looks so serious!”
They continued their walk in silence, with Sakamo thinking that probably was not a good idea to let them hear the conversation with his bodyguard, but now was too late.
Near the corner of the main street, Takechi was already waiting, holding bags with the symbol of his family restaurant. He gave one bag to each of them with a special smile towards Tomiko.
“Good morning, my purple Goddess. Here, a lunch box that I made for you. My grandma took care of the others. She said she was going to put this on your tab, Sakamo, and you can pay her by the end of the week or the month, you choose.”
Sakamo grabbed his bag and tried to smell the interior. “I think I recognize this scent from yesterday’s dinner… By the way, don’t say a thing about these two pretty girls staying at my place, okay? It will for sure raise a few rumours, and it will probably cause them trouble.”
“Sure, as long as you tell me what happened after I left. Did you try anything weird with any of them, you pervert? All alone inside a big house with two pretty girls…”
“I did nothing inappropriate, if that’s what is worrying you. I worked all night while they were sleeping, and I slept two hours before going down to make breakfast. Hangaku-chan came as I was almost finishing, and we were talking until Tomiko-chan woke up. We ate, and we came to get you. See? Nothing strange.”
Tomiko spoke while looking at her fingernails, “If we don’t count with the good night kiss you gave Hangaku-chan that made her arrive at our room with a big smile on her face and trembling all over with excitement, that is.”
Sakamo choked, and Hangaku squeezed his arm that she was holding since they left his house. Takechi looked worried at him. “Man, you just dug up your grave! As soon as all those girls in School realize that you are already taken, they won’t be happy.”
Sakamo nodded with a serious face. “You might be right on that. I read the letters that were in my locker yesterday, and there were a few with a lot of descriptions about what they want from me, or what they wanted to do to me. There was one inside a pink envelope that had a lot of scary things. A certain Hangaku Mae signed it. Probably a crazy girl that only cares about satisfying her fantasies. Some fantasies were very interesting, but scary nonetheless.”
Hangaku pierced his arm with her fingernails, making him flinch in pain. “A girl in love is never crazy, you know? I doubt any girl in School will be stupid enough to annoy me by trying something to get near you, but I could be wrong. I saw a lot of older girls looking at you yesterday, and some of them might kick my ass in a fight.”
“You are already thinking about fighting because of me? Easy girl, I am difficult to dazzle, you know? Let them try to impress me. It won’t work. I already have my hands full. Besides, I am used to having girls after me without even knowing me.”
Hangaku pierced his arm again with a scary smile. “Really? You are so full of yourself today, aren’t you? I might need to punish you if you keep on making me jealous like that. What about if we stop talking about other girls before I rip a piece of flesh from your arm?”
“Ouch! Alright, calm down, will you? I was just joking! I can’t even joke with you?”
Hangaku leaned her head on his shoulder and spoke in a low voice, “Not about other girls, it worries me. I am still trying to make you fall for me, but if I have to worry about you getting interested in other girls…”
Sakamo bumped his head gently against hers. “I am sorry, I didn’t think it would make you sad.”
“That’s okay, as long as you don’t repeat this joke again…”
Sakamo asked in a low voice, “What’s the matter? You are acting differently from yesterday. Since we met, you were always so confident, and now you look worried about everything.”
“Yeah… I thought a lot during the night, that’s why I woke up so early. I couldn’t sleep properly. I… never had such strong feelings for a boy, and it’s scaring me. We don’t know each other for that long. How can I be like this? Sorry, probably I am ruining the image you had of me. I am way more confident than this, but I don’t know why I am so nervous.”
“Don’t be nervous, I am here with you, you are holding my arm, and I am not running away or telling you to let me go. Believe me when I say that you are way ahead of any girl in our School that only looked at me and thought they were in love.”
Hangaku made a big smile and squeezed his arm. “Thanks, I needed that. Strangely, you always know what to say, don’t you? You are wise, Sakamo-kun.”
“That’s one advantage of being raised by Monks. Some of them spent their entire life thinking about everything and I learned a lot with them.”