@ Her Awesome Holiness: Yes now to figure out what Ken should be brewing
I loved their Take Off is Now performance too !!!
You'll be surprised by how people change between their professional lives and their personal lives. I mean I for one have to, because of the occupation that I have, keep my personal personality and my professional one separately. I know a couple of others that have that same idea too
@ K: Urg!!! Bloodshot eh???
You mean you didn't like them as much before??....We'll have to do something about that
Maybe I should incorporate a nick for Ai nee?? Monkey baby sounds good for me....but let's wait it out
Chapter 38Date: April 4
Time: 10:13 pm“Babe, let’s party!!!!!” Reina knocked glasses with Eri. As usual, when they have free time and money to spend they would waste it on shopping, alcohol and clubbing. After a good evening at the local malls buying to their hearts content, they decided to take Maimi’s Ducati and hit the local clubs.
At that moment, Eri’s favourite dance music started playing, as she downed her martini and dragged Reina to the dance floor knowing perfectly well that Reina would never say no to grinding against Eri. Reina wasn’t as into dancing as she was into drinking so more or less most of the time she would step away from Eri to grab a drink. Eri was just as knowledgeable about this fact so she never let it get to her, she’ll usually take the keys away from Reina and would just continue to dance.
“Babe, I’m going to the restroom alright?” Reina whispered into Eri’s ear. Eri gave a slight nod before Reina weaved through the mass of people. As Reina was weaving through, she knew she had a good amount to drink as it is as she wasn’t really walking in a straight line, so she decided to stop for a bit. The last thing she needs is Maimi and Saki being more parental like, restricting their party days and such.
‘Gawd damn it!!! Why is there such a long line up????’ Reina looked ahead of her and sure enough there were at least 4-5 people ahead of her waiting outside of the washroom.
‘I bet you there is an even longer line up inside’ sure enough due to the amount of experiences that Reina and Eri have, there was at least another 10-11 people waiting inside.
By the time Reina had finished using the restroom she couldn’t wait to find Eri, the one thing that Reina hated was being away from Eri for too long. She was smiling just thinking about Eri but her smile faded as her footsteps stopped. There in front of her was Eri dancing very intimately with another woman, a woman wearing a tank top, light brownish wavy hair, touching Eri on the butt and basically groping everywhere Reina could see.
‘WTF?!!! Why is Eri letting this…this chick touch her like that??? Is…is…Eri smiling??? She’s enjoying this isn’t she??? How could she??? How could she forget about who she came here with so easily???? I’ll teach you to touch my woman’ Reina grabbed a glass of wine from the counter at the bar and stormed straight to where Eri was. As she was advancing closer and closer, Reina could clearly see that this woman slip Eri a piece of paper and whisper something in Eri’s ear before disappearing through the crowd with a smirk.
“Rei!” Eri turned and spotted Reina advancing forward. She could sense something was wrong so she placed her hand on Reina’s forearm “Rei, what’s wrong?”
Reina flung Eri’s hand away from her “Don’t you Rei me!!!!” She didn’t care what drink she was carrying but she downed it in one go and turned fuming
“Rei…Rei” Eri was calling for Reina but Reina never stopped, she walked out of the club and ran down an alleyway. Eri didn’t want to leave Maimi’s prized motorcycle out so she got on and started to search for Reina however the alleyway that Reina ran through was not something a motorcycle could get by. Eri circled the area for a while longer before she gave up
“Ai-chan!” Eri blubbered over the phone
“Eri?? Where are you??? Are you okay??? Where’s Reina?”
“I…I don’t know. She got upset and then she ran out of the club without waiting for me. I have the keys to the Ducati but she ran…I…I…I’ve been circling the area for a long time now and I still can’t find her…what do I do???” Eri was going hysterical, lost
“Eri, calm down, that’s the first thing I need you to do” Saki’s voice could be heard “I need to know if you had a lot to drink”
“I had a couple of drinks” admitted Eri, she knew she was going to get in trouble but when she was in a panic mode, the most soothing voices besides Reina’s was those housemates that she lives with
“Okay, where are you??? I am going to come get you” Eri informed Saki of the area that she is in “Okay, stay put don’t go anywhere, I should be there in no time” Eri nodded as tears started to spill
‘Rei, where are you??? Why did you leave me like that??? Why are you upset??? Was it something I did??? I’m sorry, I’m sorry *sniff sniff* just come back to me’ By now Eri was fully crying, she crouched down beside the Ducati and covered her head
‘I’ll do anything, just come back, I’m sorry for whatever it is I did, just…don’t leave me alone’ Eri felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see Saki’s warm smile. Before Saki could say anything, Eri lunged at Saki holding onto her like no tomorrow, crying on her shoulders
Saki brushed Eri’s back and hugged her back “Shhhhhh!!!! Don’t worry, I’m here now. Don’t worry, we’ll find Reina…shhhhhh~~!!!” Saki let Eri cry a bit longer until the crying was subsiding before pulling apart “Let’s go home okay??? I’ve got Ai-chan at home calling Reina now and in case Reina does get home….”
~Hitoribocchi nanka ja nai taisetsu na hito ga takusan iru yo hora ne sono subete no ai ni Sankyuu~ “Moshi moshi…..she is??? Yeah I’ve got her……okay keep her there as long as you can, we’ll be back in 5” Saki snapped her phone shut “That was Ai-chan, Reina is home now, very upset, having a throwing fit, but at home. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but let’s get you home and figure this out okay?” Saki brushed Eri’s hair away from her eyes, cupping her face “Don’t worry, we’ll deal with the raging Reina, it’s not the first right?” Eri smiled slightly before she handed Saki the keys
Date: April 4
Time: 11:12 pm“Ahhhhh~~ this is refreshing” Airi stated with her eyes closed, feeling the breeze against her face. She suddenly felt something freezing put against her face, producing a small yelp she moved away from the freezing object and opened her eyes to see Maimi trying to hide her giggle “Samui yo!!!!!”
“Gomene gomene” Maimi passed Airi the water bottle
“Your words say sorry but your eyes are still laughing” complained Airi, she took the bottle of water and opened it
“Your expression was cute, you can’t be mad at me for that” Airi chuckled not knowing if she should be upset or happy at the compliment. “So why did you have that lost look earlier?”
Airi thought about earlier and her smile faltered “Nothing just thinking”
“Thinking about the argument between Natsuyaki-san and yourself?” Airi turned and looked at Maimi in shock “I received a call from Niigaki-san today”
Maimi’s Flashback~yakusoku wa toku ni shinai wa watashi wa zutto matterareru shi~ “Moshi moshi”
“Yajima-san, it’s me Niigaki Risa” athe the voice, Maimi dropped everything and paid attention
“N-Niigaki-san…er how can I help you?”
“Hehe, we haven’t seen in a while kiddo, but do you have to sound so…so distant?”
‘Kiddo??’“Er…sorry…just thought that you’d rather be conversing with Ai-chan now, so to who or to what do I owe this pleasant surprise of you calling me as opposed to Ai-chan?”
“As much as I would love to talk to my girlfriend,…I….I have a favour to ask of you and I really can’t think of anyone else that can help me” Judging from the sound of Risa’s voice, Maimi knew that it was no time to be teasing
“A favour?”
“I know you’ve been close to Airin lately and I believe I can trust you and that she can trust you…”
“Go on”
“Well to my understanding Airin and Miya had a huge argument not too long ago and as always Airin would rather me see to Miya first. Airin would probably wander the streets then fall asleep on the roof at the police station so I was wondering if you can watch her for me?”
“EH~? With all due respect, why are you tending to Natsuyaki-san? She’s probably got Saki to tend to her. I’m not saying I won’t talk to Airin but are you sure this arrangement is alright?”
“Miya might be with Shimizu-san but if I know Miya then Shimizu-san might have a loss of hearing the next day, so instead of that happening and because I am use to Miya’s temper, I’ll take the first blow before I turn her to Shimizu-san”
“She rants that much?”
Risa chuckled “Well no, she rants but she also likes to vent what other frustration she has on her mind at arcade centers and those can be loud and painful for the ears too”
“I see…alright don’t worry I’ll help you deal with Airin”
“Thanks Yajima-san, I owe you one”
“Your repayment will be in the form of treating our Ai-chan well”
“I will and…thank you…really”
“Don’t worry about it, Airin is a good friend, I wouldn’t want to see her upset. I’ll make sure she calls you later okay?”
“That’d be great!!! That way I don’t have to worry about her all night. Thanks again!!!!!” ~CLICK~
End of Maimi’s Flashback“EH~~~ So ane told you?!”
“Well she didn’t tell me details about it just that you’d be upset and bothered tonight” Airi didn’t say anything but sipped on her water “So….what did happen? You and Natsuyaki-san are like Saki and I, was this argument about work? But that doesn’t make sense, I thought you had already solved that issue” Another silence. Seeing that Airi wasn’t ready to talk, Maimi just sat there looking out at the waves
“It just happened to be exact…” Airi slowly explained while Maimi listened intentively “Miya again brought up my obsession, she caught on to what I was doing. At first, I was trying to keep calm when she started questioning me but then when she started bringing up my breakup…I…I lost it. I…I used my authority and lashed out at her…I lost my cool…I…I” Airi’s tears started falling. At the quivering of her voice, Maimi had adverted her attention from the waves to Airi’s profile. Maimi took out a handkerchief and handed it to Airi. “Thank you” Airi responded as she took the handkerchief and wiped her eyes
Maimi put her arm around Airi and pulled her close, patting her shoulders “Breathe, don’t worry I’m not going anywhere”
Airi calmed herself down before continuing “What was worse was that my subordinates could all see and hear the commotion. I even threatened to give her a poor review if she didn’t mind her own business. I know I shouldn’t have done it but at that moment my rage got the best of me and…and it just escalated with these things that I couldn’t take back”
“So I guess that’s what you’re upset about? The events that are now history?” Airi nodded “So how is it that Niigaki-san knows about this? Was she present at the time?”
“No, everytime Miya and I clash heads and get to this point where we both or one has said unforgiveable things, I usually call ane to comfort her”
“Why?”
“Miya was always the difficult one, more verbal, she can holde a grudge for a longer time if she doesn’t vent. Ane is more considering and tolerant so ane can deal with Miya’s rage best”
“What about you? Don’t you have to vent?”
Airi shook her head and smiled, “I’m not as expressive, I just need a night to calm me down”
“EH~ ? Does that mean I would be bothering you from calming down?”
Airi shook her head, “Naw, it is always great talking to you, you’ll give me an honest opinion and I feel like I can tell you anything without worries. Probably because we have the same persona hehe”
Maimi chuckled “So what do you usually do when you’re alone?”
“Er…well I usually just stay at the station and eventually on the roof. I…er…kinda fell asleep there last time and the other previous times I ended at some roof” Airi smiled awkwardly in embarrassment
Maimi snickered, hand over her mouth “On the roof??? What were you doing?”
“I don’t really remember but anyways, I usually just think”
“Think about what?” Maimi’s curiousness about Airi’s behaviour was at it’s peak
“Well usually about the argument I just had with Miya and how to deal with the aftermath”
“Haha, you spend you’re night worrying? Airin, I’m pretty sure Natsuyaki-san and yourself would let it pass behind you. You guys grew up with each other, I’m sure words don’t need to be said and you’ll be able to express your apologies” Airi nodded and thought about the multiple times Miyabi and herself banged heads indeed the results were always the same, Airi would treat Miyabi to ice-cream and things would get back to normal. Seeing Airi smile, Maimi knew that Airi was dwelling on the worrying part
~GRUMBLE GRUMBLE~ Their attention was diverted to the sound of Airi’s stomache. The duo looked at Airi’s stomache then at each other before bursting out with laughter “Come let’s get some food for your stomache” Maimi, stood up putting forth her hand for Airi to grab hold of in which Airi gave her signature toothy grin before taking Maimi’s hand
“What’s on the menu?”
“Well it depends on what Miss Suzuki feels like having tonight” Maimi bowed like a servant causing Airi to giggle
“You’re being such a dork Maimi-chan, what do you feel like eating? You don’t always have to be the host and I wouldn’t want to get use to it, in case you ever get a girlfriend, I wouldn’t be able to meet you anymore” Airi stated nonchantedly
Maimi’s face feel “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’ll be too occupied to care about little ol’me” Airi put her forefingers together and twirled them innocently, pouting her lips for a while before a smile grew on her face
“Naw, my friends have been a top priority for me since my breakup with Erina so I cherish them a lot. My girlfriend would have to be my good friend in order for her to have my full attention on all sorts of levels”
“Now that you mentioned you’re ex, how did things go?” Maimi’s smile was visibly gone, in fact her lips were pushed together in a tight line “Sorry I didn’t mean to be nosy, if you don’t want to talk about it…”
“It’s okay Airin, in fact my reasoning for jogging earlier was because of my thoughts on Erina. It’s just that on my way back to change and find you, there you stood”
“Care to share your thoughts?”
“I…I finally asked her for the reason”
Airi’s ear perked up and she leaned closer to Maimi “And?”
“I…I didn’t get a proper one”
Airi looked at Maimi unsure as to what she heard was correct or whether she had misinterpreted it “Sorry, what do you mean you didn’t get a proper reason”
“I…” Maimi choked on her words. Airi put her arm around Maimi and returned the favour from before “I asked her for the reason…but all she could say was sorry. I blew up on her because I didn’t want to hear sorry I wanted a reason. She was crying at that point but I didn’t care, I wanted an answer for pain that I held in all those years. But nothing was said except sorry. I guess my pent up anger got the best of me because…I questioned her love for me…”Silent tears had begun to descend down Maimi’s face, in which Airi used her thumbs to wipe away until Maimi took out another handkerchief and wiped her eyes “I know I shouldn’t have done that but I guess at that moment I felt like she didn’t”
“Well what did she say?”
“She didn’t say anything but bowed and left me in the restaurant”
Airi pulled Maimi in a tight hug “Oh Maimi-chan!!!” They stayed in that hug for a little longer “Maimi it was her loss, you’re a great person and loyal to your friends, you have so much on your shoulders yet you always manage to drop everything when it comes to your loved ones in need. Don’t worry, you’ll find someone new”
Maimi chuckled “Don’t worry Airin, I don’t think I want to find anyone new anymore, I’ll let things come as it occurs, I just wanted an answer”
‘At one point maybe I thought Niigaki-san could take this pain away but then again Saki is right, it probably is better that Niigaki-san and Ai-chan are together as opposed to me using Niigaki-san’s feelings just for me to find out that I never did let Erina go, I was attached to her killer smile and pinchable cheeks’“Maimi, er…what are you thinking? You had a smile on your face and it kinda freaks me out considering we were talking about your ex. It was like complete mood swing”
Maimi giggled “Nothing, I was thinking about how I have such great friends and all they’ve done for me, including you” Maimi pinched Airi’s cheeks and ran
‘She also has pinchable cheeks’“Itai!!! Maimi!!! Get back here”
“Yeah right!!! Last one to my office building pays for dinner” Maimi hollered a good distance away
“You’re on!!!” Airi ran after the sprint-jogger. As she was running after Maimi she noticed that Maimi wasn’t running as fast as she usually would
‘That Maimi, she’s purposely losing so she’d pay for dinner, well 2 can play that game’ Airi decreased her speed as well, however Maimi stoped and crouched down, clutching onto her side. Alarm bells started ringing in Airi’s head indicating something was not right, she picked up her speed to run up to Maimi “Maimi!!!! What’s wrong?”
“I…I…I think it’s because I haven’t eaten yet and was going full force with the running that I’ve gotten mad cramps and stomache pains”
Airi noticed the beads of sweat forming on Maimi’s forehead “Are you sure that’s it? You’re sweating quite a bit”
Maimi slowly nodded her head “The results of my meeting with Erina have been on my mind a lot lately that I neglected eating. Saki and the others have already warned me about this but I haven’t been paying attention to it, all that was in my mind was the events of my meeting with Erina”
Airi guided Maimi off the floor and holstered her around her shoulder. Luckily, they were really close to Maimi’s office, so Airi decided to get Maimi resting first before they decide the next best course of action.
“Maimi, maybe I should drive you home first, I don’t think take-out would do your stomache any better either”
Maimi shook her head, “Just call for take-out, it’s probably faster and besides you’re hungry aren’t you?”
“You may be athletic but when you aren’t 100%, I have faith that if we were to go head-on in a physical match I’d win so let’s save ourselves the trouble and let me drive you home to rest”
Maimi thought about the current situation “How about this, you can drive me home only if you promise to spend the night over at my place. I may not be at 100% but I’ll give everything I’ve got to make you spend the night, so why don’t we save ourselves the sweat and pain and you just agree to those arrangements. That way you don’t have to spend the night on a roof and I would have fulfilled my promise to Niigaki-san”
‘I don’t want to bother Maimi as it is, I’ve already wasted enough of her time do I really want to cause her anymore trouble by staying over? But if I don’t, she’ll fight me and I don’t know whether to take it as a bluff but I don’t want to take those chances. I guess I really have no choice’ “Fine” huffed a surrendering Airi. Airi helped Maimi walk towards her car parked at the police station before Maimi guided Airi to her estate.