@kawaii beam: ugh hate it that happened.... such a shame
@KirikomoriHime: LOL yup. I mean, where else do my inspiration for H!P fics come from other than more H!P stuff (kinda)
@astro18: i know right?? major deja vu there
@oddball: noooo i didn't get to read any of the comments!
but thanks for commenting now!
@risa_ai: lol arigatou!
@Kikk4r: it's not that i don't remember.... i never read it.
@Nichiyoubi: lol i'm glad you liked it~ yay~~
@Tian_Yuan: lol i was worried too! what if everything's lost..... NUOOO
@arisa03: LOL everything is so right
@Haruka: LOL next chapter coming!
Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who posted again..... I really appreciate the re-commenting, even though it must've been annoying!
and ALAS the moment is here~~~
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Chapter 93: TanaKame “Kamei Eri, mou, BAKA!”
Reina screamed into the phone with all her might, finally letting the anger explode out of her. She could imagine her girlfriend on the other line, cringing away from the phone, but she didn’t care. If anything, she deserved such treatment, and even worse at this point.
“Whaddaya mean you can’t come tomorrow?!” Reina continued yelling. “You promised! That ain’t fair!”
“Ano… Reina…” the meek voice on the other line squeaked, “your dialect is coming out…”
Reina blinked a couple times, not having realized that she had unconsciously slipped in to her Hakata-ben. She cleared her throat to calm herself down a little and tried to speak as a civilized lady would, reverting back to standard Japanese.
“Eri… love… listen to me,” Reina said through her teeth, forcing a tight smile. “You said that you would come down to Fukuoka tomorrow. You said you would stay at my place for two weeks. You promised me!”
“I know I did, and I’m sorry, Reina,” Eri apologized, her guilt evident in her voice. “Something came up suddenly and my plans changed. So I can’t go tomorrow…”
“Mou, Eri!” Reina moaned. “We haven’t seen each other face to face in four years. What could be more important than seeing me?”
“I thought my boss was going to give me two weeks off!” the turtle said. “It turns out a lot of other employees asked for vacation time too, and we’re awarded according to seniority… and I’m still only a junior employee.”
“Demo…”
Reina sighed as her voice trailed off. There was nothing more she wanted to do then to tell her girlfriend to just screw her job. But she couldn’t possibly say that to her. It wasn’t easy for Eri to get a simple job as an office worker in the first place, being the airhead that she was. Since she chose not to go to college, she had to make a living somehow. She had moved back into her parent’s home in Yokohama after high school graduation, but her parents were about to kick her right back out, saying that she was an adult now and that she should be taking care of herself.
“Reina, I really am sorry about this,” the voice mumbled over the phone. “But I’ll definitely go see you next time! Or you can come up to Yokohama. Okay?”
“… Okay,” Reina answered unwillingly. “Take care of yourself, alright?”
“I love you,” Eri said sweetly. Reina could practically see her girlfriend do a little pout with that irresistible smile. She sighed.
“Love you, too,” she answered, unable to help but smile as well.
She hung up and tossed her cell phone back in her purse. Then, she fell back onto her bed and dragged her pillow over her face to scream into it in frustration. She felt as though she still had some anger left to express, yet she did not wish to let them out on her girlfriend. True, it was completely aho Eri’s fault that she could not keep her promise to come visit Reina in Fukuoka. But the turtle always did have a way with people that got her out of the tightest situations, including this one.
Deciding that staying in her bedroom was only going to make her even more restless, Reina got out of bed and went into the bathroom. She grabbed her brush from the counter and quickly yanked it through her long hair. She hadn’t cut it in a long time, so her brown locks had reached her abdomen. As she ruffled her hair gently to give it a bit more volume, Reina grabbed her purse and ran out of her room. She would go out and get some fresh air, maybe go to a café or a bakery to lament her sad fate of being in a long-distance relationship alone with a cup of coffee. Or red bull. It would depend whether she wanted to simmer down her fury or convert it to energy to work it out later through physical activity.
Reina skittered down the stairs to enter the large living room. The low hum of the television reverberated just like any other morning as her father watched the news intently while eating a muffin. As it was a Sunday, the usually professional Tanaka Koichi was out of his suit and in a comfortable pair of pajama pants and a shirt. Ever since the father and daughter started to live together again in the same house, Reina had made it a strict rule that the President was not allowed to address any matters of his company during weekends, so that he may rest a while and take care of his health. It was difficult to get her father to obey this rule at first since he was quite the workaholic; but somehow, Reina’s very presence itself allowed for Tanaka Koichi to loosen up a little and accept the fact that he doesn’t have to be the one to do all the work. He willingly let himself be taken care of, which the kitten did to all her might.
“Papa, I’m going out for a while,” Reina announced, going up to her father sitting on the couch.
“Where are you going?” the man asked. “You don’t have classes today. Don’t you have a paper to write?”
“It’s already finished, Papa,” Reina chuckled. “I’m just going to get some air, okay? I’ll be back by noon.”
The girl kissed her father’s cheek and smiled before walking out the front door. Her father grunted as though he disapproved but did not say anything. It was evident by the gleam in his eyes and the twitch in the corner of his lips that he was glad to have his daughter back with him.
** ** **
“Baka-Eri… Baka-Kame… Mou, Kono Aho-Kame…”
Reina continued to mumble immature insults about her girlfriend as she slipped into an empty booth. With the speed that she was pacing furiously at, the kitten had arrived at the nearest café in no time, and was easily able to find an empty table. She placed her elbows on the table and balanced her chin in her hands, sighing. She felt ridiculously childish, still being so frustrated over the current situation, but she couldn’t help it. Rather, she felt that this was evidence of just how much she missed Eri.
Still, Reina knew that she herself had yet to personally find out how demanding an actual job could be. After all, she was still only in college. Following her high school graduation, Reina had, after much deliberation, decided to continue her education as a university student with a major in business nonetheless. Her father had told her that she didn’t have to major in business just because of him, but the kitten made such a choice anyway. The truth was that she actually didn’t feel any obligation to inherit her father’s company, as Tanaka-Shachou had completely removed that burden from her shoulders. However, Reina still wished to be knowledgeable in the area of business so that if need be, in the case of an emergency, she could help the company stay intact. After all, the future was unpredictable.
Surprisingly, Reina had found her area of major quite interesting. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do, but the classes were still intriguing enough for her to stay in the business program track. However, her father had insisted that if she were to go to graduate school, she should study something that she personally likes. And Reina was considering taking her father up on that offer. She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to study yet, but the idea of staying in school a little while longer didn’t sound too bad. Perhaps she’ll study the fashion industry. Nothing was planned as of yet, but it was definitely a possibility
“Okyaku-sama, what would you like to order?”
Reina looked up to find a young waitress, holding a notepad, waiting for her to speak. The kitten quickly gathered her thoughts and cleared her throat.
“I’ll just have a coffee, thanks,” she said, deciding against her previous thoughts of having red bull early in the morning. “Just milk, no sugar.”
“Hai, please wait a moment.”
As the waitress disappeared through the kitchen door, Reina leaned back into her seat and exhaled deeply. She still felt a little annoyed by Eri’s change of plans, but it couldn’t helped. She could only hope that her coffee will help calm her down.
“Nee, Onee-chan, what happened? Are you upset about something?”
Raising an eyebrow, Reina slightly turned her head to see the tip of a red cap, sticking out from above her. She rolled her eyes and turned away. Apparently, some kid was trying to make conversation with her from the booth behind her. From his whispering voice, he sounded like a grade school kid with a slight cold: husky enough to be a boy’s, but the pitch high enough to be almost a girl’s.
“You should sit properly in your seat, little boy,” Reina sighed. “Mind your manners in a public place.”
“Nee, Onee-chan, why are you sad?” the boy asked again, ignoring the kitten’s advice.
“What makes you think I’m sad?” Reina mumbled, putting up a front.
“Because you were sighing like this,” the boy said, proceeding to exaggerate the way Reina had exhaled before. “Is something on your mind?”
“It’s nothing a little boy like you would understand,” the kitten sighed again, leaning her elbow against the table. “Shouldn’t you be in school or something?”
“Today’s Sunday, Onee-chan.” The boy snickered as Reina frowned, feeling like she had lost to a brat that was probably a good ten years younger than her. “Nee, my friends tell me I’m a real good listener. I’m a bit of an aho but I listen well. Tell me what happened!”
Aho. Hm. That rang a familiar bell. Oh right. It was her aho girlfriend who completely ditched her plans for tomorrow. Right. That aho. Reina rolled her eyes, wondering why she was still talking to a random little boy, and spoke.
“My… friend… cancelled on me,” she grumbled. “She was supposed to come tomorrow to meet me, but she cancelled at the last minute.”
“Maybe she had a good reason?” the boy suggested.
“But we haven’t seen each other in four years!” Reina groaned, really starting to pour her heart out. “You know, every single time we try to meet up, something always happens. I hate long distance relationships.”
“Wow, you and your friend must be really close.”
“… Yeah, we’re close…”
Closer than you’ll ever know. “But even if you don’t see her tomorrow,” the boy said, “you’ll see her soon enough, right? I mean, it’s not like you’ll never see her, right?”
“… Yeah, I guess so…”
Huh. This brat actually sounds like he knows what he’s talking about… “And then, when you meet her later,” the boy continued excitedly, “then, the wait will feel even more worth it, right? And then, you’re even happier, right?”
Reina cocked her head to the side and wrinkled her eyebrows. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. This boy actually gave pretty good advice. She smiled a little, feeling slightly pathetic again about losing to a kid 10 years younger than her, but also glad that she had had this talk with him.
“Right…” she said. “Thanks kid, I actually kind of feel better now.”
“See, told you I’m a good listener,” the boy laughed.
“You did more than listen,” Reina mumbled to herself, grinning. “Arigatou na.”
“Nee, Onee-chan,” the boy exclaimed again, “I know how to make you feel better!”
“It’s alright, kid, you did more than enough,” Reina chuckled to herself. The waitress that had taken her order came back and placed a mug of coffee in front of her, but the kitten only took a small sip. She didn’t need it as badly as she did before.
“Oh, but it’s such a good idea!” the boy moaned. “Onee-chan, I promise it’ll definitely make your day. Nee? Nee? Nee?”
“Alright already,” Reina said, rolling her eyes. “What is it?”
“Move in,” the boy said. “Let me slide in with you.”
The kitten did as she was told as she suddenly became curious of who this boy was. She looked behind her, but the tip of the red cap disappeared before she could see the boy’s face. Then, someone slipped into the booth beside her, someone much taller than a little boy, and much too pretty. Reina’s eyes slowly grew wide at the revelation of the “boy” she had been talking to. The person smiled while taking off the red cap to cover the side of their faces. Locks of long brown hair tumbled down from being hidden in the cap. The person then proceeded to lean in and kissed Reina’s lips sweetly, expressing the love that had been held back for many years through one swift contact. The person slowly backed away as Reina’s wide eyes refocused on the familiar face in front of her. Despite the long hair that was not a part of her memories, Reina knew exactly who the person was. Those warm eyes, that bright smile, the warm touch… it was unmistakable.
“E-Eri…?” Reina mumbled, blinking furiously. “It… It’s really you!”
“It’s really me!” Eri laughed, stroking the kitten’s cheek. “Miss me?”
“… Mou… BAKA!”
Suddenly, Eri found herself being pushed back roughly as the kitten forced herself out of the booth. The turtle stumbled out of her seat and rubbed her knees after banging it on the table. It was evident by the kitten’s reaction that the turtle’s idea of feeling more worth in a longer wait had not sunk into Reina’s brain completely.
“Itai! Reina, that hurt!” she whined.
“Mou, baka baka baka! You’re the biggest aho in the world!” Reina yelled angrily. Then, she marched out of the café as everybody stared at her back. After she left the building, all the eyes turned to the turtle that was left behind. Eri looked around and laughed nervously.
“Sumimasen~ for causing a disturbance!” she apologized, smiling. “She’s not really mad, don’t worry!”
Then, Eri quickly followed her girlfriend out of the store. She looked both ways before setting sights on her tiny girlfriend, marching furiously away. She called out to her, but the kitten refused to stop in her tracks or turn around to acknowledge the turtle. As Eri walked behind her as fast as possible without running, Reina found herself walking on her own, silent street in no time, away from the town area. Alas, the click-clacking of her follower did not cease, but only grew faster as it caught up to her.
“Reina, chotto matte!”
Eri grabbed her lover’s wrist and spun her around to make eye contact. Reina glared at her in fury as she bit down on her lip.
“Mou, why are you so angry?” Eri said, smiling goofily. “Come on, don’t be angry. Please?”
“Eri, you’re the worst!” Reina cried out. “You know how upset I was when you told me you couldn’t visit me tomorrow?”
“I said I had a change of plans,” the turtle grinned. “I didn’t say my visit wouldn’t occur sooner.”
“And you just… with that cap and… pretending to be a kid and… mou, BAKA!”
Reina stomped her feet on the ground and pouted, clenching her fists tightly. But her girlfriend merely chuckled and wrapped her arms around her. Reina considered pushing her away, but she had missed the warmth too much to be able to do that.
“Gomene, Reina,” Eri whispered softly in her ear, the hint of a smile still evident in her voice. “I just wanted to surprise you a little; I didn’t think you’d be shocked this much. I’m sorry. Please forgive me?”
“… It’s not something I can forgive so easily,” Reina muttered. “You better make it up to me.”
Eri backed away a little to look at her lover’s face. “How can I make it up to you?”
“… You’re really gonna make me say it?” Reina’s face turned red as she looked into Eri’s eyes. The turtle grinned as she leaned in close again.
“I’ll spare you the trouble…”
Then, the two lovers kissed once more, comfortable in each other’s arms, with much more passion than before. It was impossible to release all their feelings that had been pent up for the past four years in a single kiss, but they would go as far as possible. As they held each other’s faces in hand like a piece of jewel, they parted for air for a brief moment.
“I missed you…” Reina confessed softly. “I wanted to see you…”
“I missed you, too,” Eri laughed. “And I kept my promise.”
Chuckling, Reina ran her fingers through Eri’s soft brown curls. Her hair was below her chest, and it was about the same length as Reina’s. Reina looked into her girlfriend’s eyes again and smiled.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “You’re beautiful.”
“Well,” the turtle grinned, “is it okay that I’m a girl now?”
“Does it matter?” Reina replied back, quoting her girlfriend.
“Nope,” Eri laughed. “Because you love me either way.”
As the two lovers laughed together, they continued their kiss from before, reluctant to let go. Being together, with each other… it felt as though nothing had changed. It seemed as though they were still both teenagers, unaware of what was to come and unwilling to accept it. It felt as though nothing in the past had happened. All that was left was now, the present, and the unforeseeable future. But as long as they were together, Reina and Eri both knew that nothing in the future would mark the end.
And because we are young… this is only the beginning.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
lol the same quote again...
and that's it! that was the actual real final ending END of
Chigatte mo Iin da yo!Thank you all SO MUCH for continuing to read this obnoxiously long fic with an obnoxious amount of thread pages
As for what's next.... well.... still haven't decided.
I've narrowed it down to TWO of them though! so I'll choose soon enough!
I don't know how long it'll take before I start my next one... I'm hoping this next one will turn out shorter so I can write more fics in less time
I think I'll take a small break before starting to plan the next fic, so wait for me!
Again, thank you so much~