“He is so dead!“
Kaname practically shoveled the contents of her bento lunch into her mouth, even though she wasn’t really all that hungry. She had dumped Sousuke’s identical box in the garbage.
“You did kind of bring a lot of that stuff on yourself,” Mizuki said. She flinched, seeing tye look that Kaname gave her.
“Everything I did was Sousuke’s doing, one way or another,” Kaname claimed. She dropped as piece of sushi heavy with wasabi. It landed in her lap.
“That Sousuke’s fault, too?” Ryo grinned.
“YES!” Kaname’s shout caught Maya by surprise.
“Kaname!” Maya frowned. Her hand had jerked at that shout. Her pickled plum bounced across the floor. “Sheeesh, girl. You need to lighten up some.”
Kaname sighed. Maya was right. It really wasn’t such a big things as her life went those days. She hadn’t been kidnapped. There was no Arm Slave battle in the street. Amalgam had been knocked down a fair number of pegs.
“So, what did he really do?” Mizuki asked. “Kiss some other girl?” She had no doubt in her mind that Kaname and Sousuke were an item. “Forget a date?” She grinned. “Leave the toilet seat up?”
“No!” Kaname grumped. “I mean… we’re not even dating or anything! Geeez. I’d have to be either crazy or desperate.”
“Which is it then?” Ryo asked.
“AH HAH HAH HAH HAH,” Kaname laughed. “Really funny. Get real. He could kiss as many girls as he wanted. Starting with Mizuki.” She grinned, seeing Mizuki begin choking on her Nori. “She probably still thinks about that one kiss.”
“So, what did Sousuke do this time?” Kyouko asked, placing her tray on the lunch table. “And where is he? We usually see him one or two tables away, watching you.” She sat and opened her own lunch. “You were pretty angry before class today.”
“What, is this Question-Kaname day?” Kaname scowled. Kyouko should know better. “Alright, if you must know, he was acting crazier than usual this morning. He had dropped some things and I asked to help, but he just ignored me.”
“Oooooh.” Maya brought her hand to her mouth. “I did that to Kaname once. The poor fool. He doesn’t know what he’s done.”
Kaname frowned. “Hah hah. After all the help I gave him with his studies this week, he called me a distraction. Me, the distraction. It doesn’t pay to help anyone any more!”
“Was he busy with something, Kaname?” Kyouko wanted to settle her friend down. It was one of her self-assigned responsibilities. “He’s usually very polite.”
“Him and his stupid book!” Kaname bit her lip. Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned that. They’d thing she was losing it. On the other hand, maybe they could help one way or another. “He was doing his best to keep me from finding out what it was.”
“Oh.” The girls all answered at once. Now it made sense. Kaname had wanted to know what something was. Someone did not tell her what she wanted to know. She was not one who took refusal well.
“Does he have any reason to keep secrets from you?” Mizuki asked, her eyes twinkling.
“No!” Kaname said. “Why would it matter, even if he did?”
“Maybe he’s doing what some of the other boys have started doing,” Ryo said. “They write messages throughout their school books, and then pass them along to their crushes. That way, the teachers never suspect anything.”
“Oooooh. But, Sousuke was reading, not writing.” Maya looked at Ryo. Their eyes widened. They looked at Mizuki and Kyouko. “Maybe he was the one getting love notes.”
“Huh?” Kaname began coughing. She looked down at her hand, She had squeezed her mandarin orange so hard, the juice had squirted out. Mizuki handed Kyouko a napkin to wipe her glasses off with. “Well… he… who would ever send Sousuke a note?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be Saeki. Not again.” Mizuki said. “But, if she did it once, there is no reason to think that some other girl might not feel the same way.”
Kaname began to feel a chill run down her back. Could that be it? Might Sousuke have found someone else? No. That’s silly. He would never do that.
Would he?
“No wonder he was sweating,” Ryo said. “I would have been embarrassing if the teacher grabbed that book!”
“That’s… not… it…” Kaname said, a little too heatedly. She forced herself to calm down. “It’s probably something otaku. This could be serious.” her mind was working furiously. There was some truth to what she offered as a supposition. But, what she needed was a reasonable concern to help galvanize the others to action without suspecting her true motives. “You remember what happened before. When that big shot politician in the Metropolitan government came by, because he was a leading member of the district education committee.”
“Yeh…” Ryo said. “Uh oh…”
“Right! He was a strict conservative, who focused on orderly conduct, educational reform, and strict code of behavior. And everyone had tried to get rid of Sousuke for one day, so our school wouldn’t suffer any more loss in reputation.“
“Is he coming back, Kana?” Kyouko asked. “Is that something that you’re worried about as Student Council Vice President?”
“It’s something I’m worried about as a member of this school!” Kaname said, not wanting to lie if she didn’t have to. Her misdirection seemed to be working. Good. “If that otaku idiot is panning some kind of demonstration or something, we might have our classes out in the street!”
“Why don’t you just check out the book?” Mizuki asked. “If you really believe any of that nonsense…”
“Good idea. I should have thought of that myself.” Kaname said. She had to be careful not to lay things on too thick. “But, he’s probably guarding it like a mother hen. That’s what has me really worried.”
“No, Kaname. He isn’t.” Kyouko shook his head. “Sousuke was called to the Principal’s office for some reason. I saw him in the hallway. He didn’t have the book.”
“YES!” Kaname smiled. “I mean, good. He’s usually too difficult to get around. Let’s go before he gets back. It’s now or never!”
“Uh huh. And why exactly do we want to go with you?” Ryo asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Right. We’re still eating. It’s probably nothing.” Maya shrugged.
“I need witnesses, if it’s something that I need to bring to Principal Tsuboi. She requires proof in things like this. I don’t know why, after Sousuke’s role in that whole pamphlet mess before. Like the school needed that, especially when we were trying to attract prospective students to this school!”
“I’ll go,” Kyouko said.
“Me too,” Mizuki added. This had a lot of possibilities, one way or another.
Ryo and Maya hung their heads. Maybe there would be time to eat when they were done. “Count us in,” Maya said, resigned.
“But, maybe we should hold off.” Ryo looked a bit troubled. “If he put it in his locker…”
“B-o-o-m!” Mizuki said, her eyes full of life. “It’s Kaname’s idea. She gets to open the door.”
“That otaku moron might just booby trap his own locker, alright…” Kaname was all too aware of Sousuke tendencies. But, she also had learned a lot about his methods over the past months. She also knew his locker combination. “But, the honor of the school is at stake. As Class Rep, I can’t chicken out!”
“Booby trap. I wonder where that word comes from.” Kyouko rubbed her head. They had gotten out of English class just prior to lunch.”
“It could have to do with sailors or something,” Ryo said. “The Blue-Footed Booby is a seabird. Maybe sailors made a noose or some other kind of trick, so they could catch birds for food.”
“Blue-Footed?” Mizki asked, staring at Kaname’s hair.
Kaname didn’t miss the inference. She scowled, clenching her fists. “That’s probably not it. I spent time in America, remember? A ‘booby’ is a dope or simpleton. Someone like Sousuke. A booby trap probably means some kind of trick able to catch a simple person.”
“I know some other American slang,” Maya said. “Booby. Or boob. It means ‘breast’.” She looked over at Kaname. “He wouldn’t be trying to catch…. Kaname… would he?”
“MAYA!” Kaname objected. “You… he… I…” She glowered. “That’s just plain disgusting!”
The girls all made their way to Sousuke’s locker, but only Kaname stood in plain view of it. Carefully, she disarmed the one true trap she knew was present. Sousuke had put another blasting cap/ink cartridge device just inside the door. That big jerk! She had told him not to do that again, after the last one ruined her favorite blouse.
“It was trapped,” Kaname said with a swelled head. “But, he couldn’t fool Kaname Chidori! The big stupid head. Hmmmppff!”
“See, it’s probably nothing.” Kyouko said. “If it was something important, it would have been in the locker.” Kyouko didn’t want Kaname to find anything that might make her angry at Sousuke. “Maybe he just left it in his desk. I think that we should respect his privacy.”
Ryo, Maya, and Mizuki looked at one another. “No!” When Kyouko put it that way, they all wanted to see if there was some scandal or trouble brewing.
“Did Sousuke respect our privacy wehen he burst into the Girl’s locker room, or put the security cameras in our shower room?” Kaname struck a pose much like those favored by Kurz Weber. “Remember, somehow Onuki managed to get a picture of you, Ky?”
Kyouko turned beet read.
“We’re a team, then.” Kaname put her hand out. With a little prompting the other girls covered it with theirs. “Time to strike a blow for the free world and otaku-free schools.” She didn’t feel so enthusiastic inside. She had begun to worry more than before. What if Sousuke was getting notes from someone else. If it were harmless like Saeki, he would tell her if he thought it was a girl and not some terrorist. If he didn’t tell her about a girl, it meant that he was interested in that tramp, or was disinterested in her.
Things had been going so well. Maybe that by itself had been reason to worry, knowing how fate had treated her throughout her life. The two of them had begun dating in secret, and Sousuke actually seemed to be taking to it. Slowly, but surely. She had no desire to get married next month, or start sleeping together tomorrow; but, it hadn’t been unreasonable to hope for increasing closeness, had it? Damn him. Damn him damn him damn him.
Walking into homeroom, the girls clustered tightly around the desk. Their need for discovery, not to mention gossip, was making them incautious. Their worries about the locker were long forgotten, in part because of Kaname’s successful disarming procedure.
“Shouldn’t we be careful?” Kyouko asked, the sole voice of reason.
“Nah!” Ryo said. “Not in homeroom. He wouldn’t do something here.”
“Not after the last time,” Maya said. “The Vice Principal threatened Suspension. No one wants a mark like that on their record.”
“You mean those stories are true?” Mizuki asked, fortunate member of a different homeroom.
“It is not a problem,” Kaname said, her ego soaring high above her crawling and skulking heart. “So far, so good. I only see one book. There are no trip wires and no motion sensors. I can’t feel any wires leading to a pressure plate.” She held her breath. She had begun to feel paranoid.
The girls all leaned closer.
“A-hah!” Kaname lifted up the book. She pumped her hand triumphantly, never considering the possibility of a delayed detonation timer. Sousuke had been thoughtful. He didn’t want things to explode in someone’s face. That might be harmful.
B-O-O-M
The explosion was not one geared for destructive force, but rather dispersal. An extremely fine powder, which had been sprayed over the surfaces lining the desk, kicked up in the air. The girls were all inundated with the yellow dust. They immediately began sneezing uncontrollably.
“Th-Th-Th-” (achoo)(achoo) “Th-Th-Th-” (achoo)(achoo)(achoo) “Th-Th-That…” Kaname’s valiant efforts were for naught. She couldn’t even curse Sousuke.
Kyouko, unable to see, her glasses coated with powder and her eyes watering, tripped over a chair. Her dress hung down over her head while her legs went straight up. A boy looking in the room had to cover his nose to contain the spurting blood.
Mizuki, equally blind, stumbled and fell, her rump becoming wedged tightly in a garbage can. Ryo and Maya ran into one another, banged heads, and then suffered a fate similar to Kyouko. A growing group of boys was clustered around the door way.
“Move! Now. No negotiations.” That was Sousuke’s voice. The guys soon beat a retreat.
“S-S-S-” (achoo)(achoo)(achoo) “S-S-S-” (achoo)(achoo)(achoo) “Y-Y-Y-” (achoo)(achoo)(achoo)(achoo)(achoo)(achoo) “Y-Y-You B-B-Bast-” (achoo) (achoo)(achoo). Kaname reached out her arms in the direction of Sousuke’s voice. Her hands curved into hooks.
“Sit down, Kaname. There is no antidote. Thinks will resolve in a matter of minutes.” Sousuke’s voice was stern, but there was an obvious undercurrent of concern. Fear, too. “I need to get the janitor’s Shop Vac. Those who did not try to invade my private territory should not suffer the same fate. You will be safe enough while I am gone.”
“S-S-S-” Kaname was trying to shout an incredulous ‘Safe?’ but was unable. The sneezing was too contracted. Her rage having passed the point of reason, she charged I Sousuke’s direction. She could not see him step aside at the last moment. She ran square into the door post banging her forehead, and crashing into a large potted plant.
“Uhhh…” Sousuke swallowed hard. He checked to see if Kaname was conscious, getting a kick in the groin fro his troubles. “Owwww… Ren… your assistance…” He enlisted Ren into helping the girls while he limped off to get the vacuum cleaner.
By the time he returned, the room was quarantined. He was able to don a respirator, enter the room, and quickly remove the remaining dust. While he was doing so, the girls sat in the Nurse’s Office, the one book still in their possession.
“So, what is it?” Mizuki asked, sniffling.
Kaname was too angry to speak. Her blouse was soaked after her nose’s prodigious outpouring of water and mucus. There was a note taped to the dust cover of the text: ‘Kaname, do not touch this book’
“Here.” Kyouko managed to pry the book out of Kaname’s grasp. “It’s Sousuke’s Chemistry textbook.”
“Give me that!” Ryo grabbed the book. She began leafing thjrough it. “No secret messages. No notes. No code numbers. Nothing! Thanks, Kaname!”
“I told you it would be nothing,” Maya said. “Now we’re all in trouble because we broke the damn ‘Don’t Mess With Sagara’s Belongings’ rule. Sousuke got off with a slap on the risk. They were pleased with how quickly he rectified the situation at his own risk. Geeez. It’s so unfair.”
“Rectified the situation?” Kaname said, too quietly for Kyouko’s liking. “RECTIFIED THE SITUATION?” Her voice grew shrill in record time. “Oh no. He will NEVER rectify THIS situation.” She smacked her hand hard against a metal stool. “O-u-c-h! Damn him.”
“Ummm… Kaname…. We did kind of mess with his things. Even if it was only a Chemistry book.” Kyouko almost fell again, stepping back away from a growling Kaname. “I mean… we did… you know….”
“Chemistry book?” Kaname laughed a terrible laugh. “It was just a misdirection, Kyouko. This will not be the book. Why would he set a trap to protect a simple text book?” She rubbed at her eyes. They still stung terribly. The inside of her nose was raw, and her mouth hurt. There was a bump the size of a goose egg on her brow. Enough was enough.
She would get that book, alright. After she did, and had found out the secret, she would shove the damn thing up (CENSORED) as hard as she could!
“Oh, Kaname…” Kyouko said.
[FIC] The Book (part 4)
Moderators: KiLlEr, HELLFIRE, Taurec
