[Replies]
@Yuki88: Rest assure, there will be major plot twists and drama ensuing in this series!
@mitsuhara_itsuko: Wait no longer; here's the next update!
A/N: It took a while for me to write this chapter out. I guess my previous statement in regard to the shorten length is false; this chapter is nearly 5k words (4980 words to be exact)! I must apologize though in regard to any weird, incomplete sentences floating here and there in the text. I've double checked, but perhaps my eyes are now failing me to even point out the obvious. As for the story itself, please enjoy the drama-filled series that, well, tries to exaggerate everything more than necessary, lol.
[Chapter 2]
Ever since the day she met Nezumi, her life has taken a twist. Was it for the better or for the worst? Otabe wasn’t even able to tell which one it has taken. Yet one thing for sure has remained: the search for the killer of her father. No matter what, she won’t give up on the investigation and search, even if it kills her.
In the midst of her upcoming and forging path, the daughter had to cope with her mother. She wasn’t the only one affected, after all. Her mother fell into depression, and it didn’t seem like it would be coming to an end anytime soon.
The working woman that once supported the family aside from her spouse now remained within the enclosed and protective walls of their home. Every once in a while, Otabe would spot her mother leaving her bedroom. When she caught sight of her own child, an agonizing smile ran across her lips. They would exchange a few words to each other before parting. Nothing more, nothing less.
Frankly, the only thing that kept her mother rooted to this world is her kid. If it weren’t for Otabe, the aftermath would result something far disastrous compared to their current predicament.
As she stood in the quiet dining room, the isolated female in her casual attire consisting of a dark navy skirt and blouse sipped a bit of tea from her tea cup. One hand holding onto a cup, the other grasped a touch screen phone. The atmosphere surrounding the lone figure weighed heavily due to the extreme circumstances that dropped on the two family members. If an outsider came into the house, they would be suffocating from the lack of brightness. It didn’t help that it was pouring outdoors, dragging the mood down past its limit.
Otabe began to walk over to the nearby kitchen. In one motion, her hand gently placed the now-finished tea cup on the counter. Her dark brown eyes then returned back to the phone’s screen, fixated on the bright screen that had the wallpaper of her small three-member family. Just the sight of her father with his grin brought forth a tang of pain.
‘I miss you, father…’
It would be wrong to say that she had already gotten over or coped with his death. She was far from being on the road to recovery. Instead, she unintentionally decided to delay it and personally decided to accept his death once she exacted her revenge. The once-yankee student felt that right now, it would be wrong to display any more emotions than necessary. It would only hinder her and cause her to possibly become a lifeless shell. She would like to avoid a similar situation her very own mother is dealing with.
With a swipe of her finger and a few press on the iPhone’s lock screen, Otabe’s eyes darted over to the text message app. A red counter with a number showcased the unread text she has received since two days ago. When she opened it up, there were a couple contacts worth mentioning.
One came from her high school teacher, Yuko. Though she did not bother to open it and read the typed text, it did bring some comfort to the daughter that at least a teacher from her school were concerned about her well-being.
Another was her friend, Gakuran. The tomboyish female always running around with her chin held up high, proclaiming that she was the hero of justice to most everybody. How the two became friends is a mystery that even Otabe herself couldn’t find the solution to. The two only knew for a fact that they bonded together out of a fist fight when they were younger. Of course, things are different now considering the fact that the Kyoto female made the choice of leaving behind her yankee life in order to pursue a much richer and quiet life of a normal high school student. At least they remained as friends compared to the other so-called ‘friends’ she had.
She, just like with Yuko’s, didn’t bother to open the message either. The first couple words previewed before one would click on the said message contains worry, concern, and sympathy towards Otabe’s current predicament. A small sigh unconsciously left the girl’s lips as she glanced past the female’s message.
Finally, there was Nezumi. Yet there wasn’t a notable message to take into consideration; a single text sent to the other female in regard to exchanging contact’s details. The mouse has yet to send a reply herself to Otabe.
A couple days has already passed by since their fated meeting, and she hasn’t gotten a single notification nor further communication from the other female. Despite school not being in session thanks to a long given break, the Kyoto student wondered if Nezumi was even speaking of the truth in offering her assistance to solving the issue. Doubts were raised in the girl’s mind. Could she have been toyed around? She could have been taken as a joke, making a fool out of herself when she shook hands with Nezumi.
She clenched her jaw. Her free hand balled into a fist, lightly smacking against the counter out of frustration. The waiting and dangerous doubts left a foul aftertaste in Otabe’s mouth.
‘She still hasn’t called nor texted back… and four days has already passed by…’
Time was of the essence. The female definitely despised sitting around, waiting for new information to arise in regard to the culprit’s identity and/or their whereabouts. Although patience is vital, this situation called for none of it. If she waited any longer than necessary, the killer could make his/her escape, leaving the case opened to pure speculations and interpretations on the motives of their actions.
Otabe used her thumb to press the button on the side of the device, shutting off the screen’s bright light. As she deposited the mobile phone into her skirt’s pocket, her mind ran through the possible activity she could do for today. Rather than sit around do absolutely nothing, she decided that it would be best to do something.
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The hooded figure stood within the living room of her condo. On the fifth highest floor of the building, she was able to gain an oversight of Akihabara. Rain continue to fall upon the land as if the weather were still mourning over their loss of a potential great politician from a couple days ago. Both black earphones in her ears, music by Beethoven increased her enjoyment level when accompanied by the background sound effects of the rain droplets tapping against the glass window.
Hands in her pockets, she then closed her eyelids slowly, feeling at peace after so long. If Nezumi could sleep while standing, she would not hesitate to do so. So much has happened lately, it overwhelmed the student. The stress that’s accumulating would surely destroy her mind if she chose not to have a downtime or two every once in a while.
As she allowed music to mentally bring her into another world, a student was seen to have come out from one of the few bedrooms on the right side of the condo. In her light brown vest, she wore the same uniform as the mouse, hinting that the two went to the same school. Despite the fact that the two were off from school, they still put them on solely due to habit.
The young girl scratched the back of her head when she caught sight of Nezumi. A smile instantly was formed on her face as she approached the shorter female. Without any hesitation, both of her arms wrapped around the girl’s waist. This alarmed the mouse of the sudden interaction, snapping open her eyelids. Her entire expression went from shock to anger in a matter of seconds once she knew who it was.
“I haven’t seen you this relaxed in a long time, Nezumi,” she softly murmured while resting her chin on top of the girl’s shoulder. “Does looking out on the window make you feel like this?”
The touch coming from others easily irritated Nezumi. She hated being touched, especially when it’s a hug from this puppy. Brows were furrowed in displeasure as she forcefully kept herself from swinging a punch at the girl.
“Get off of me, Center,” the young girl growled, shooting a glare at the other female’s direction. “And yes, looking at the city allows my mind to relax.”
Center obviously didn’t like to listen to her demand, but heeded to it anyway. She wasn’t angry; she was a little disappointed that Nezumi wouldn’t allow anyone to hug her. The corner of her lips did curl downward with a tinge of sadness. However, that faded away when she heard the student speak up.
“My father will no doubt win his place as governor of the city.” A morbid topic. Just the mention of her father in the sentence brought the atmospheric level down a notch that surrounded the two figure. The short black haired girl felt the corner of her lip twitch, concerned of where this conversation might be heading. Nezumi turned her head to the left, but stopped halfway from completely looking over her shoulders. Dark brown eyes unfocused, she expressed remorse. “I can’t help but wish Otabe’s father to win the election. I really do, but it would greatly put the cost of my life on the line.”
Center’s heart nearly stopped beating when it was uttered. The cost of Nezumi’s life statement was not an exaggeration. It was actually not a surprising outcome coming from her father. A corrupted politician would be fitting for the role of an abuser to his very own child. It’s no wonder why the death of her own mother is due to suicide; the only living relative she could rely on gone in an instant thanks to the man. She found it astonishing how far she was able to survive under his surveillance and presence.
Thankfully, she was able to live peacefully at an extended amount of time due to school and her father’s job. He put his life on the line to keep the occupation, spending large amount of dedication in his office rather than at home.
The man played dirty to receive more of what he wanted. Greed is on the tippy top of his priority list; everything else minor in his perspective. Even his own daughter was nothing but of hindrance to his power-hungry obsession. Should he have failed the upcoming election, the man would be sent home in deep shame. With that shame, his way of venting would be unto Nezumi, which would result in an early death soon enough.
“Nezumi…” Center managed to snap Nezumi out of her trance-like state, causing the other to turn her entire focus on the calling female. The puppy shook her head in reassurance. “It’s okay now… You don’t need to think about it anymore. Your father won’t be able to bother you—“
“I know. I have to do something about his daughter though…” The sullen mood that affected the two girls has slightly been lifted. Nezumi bit the bottom of her lip, pondering about Otabe. It would be a great issue should the other student receive clues about who the killer is. Despite the fact that the mouse did not comply that bloodshed be needed, wishing to leave the daughter of her dead father alone, she was left with no choice. “If she finds out who killed him, it will end badly.”
Her friend stepped up before her. The taller student pointed a thumb at herself, giving a nod to clearly showcase that she is willing to lend a hand.
“I could help you, Nezumi.”
A quick reply shot at her direction. However, it was a reply that she was not expecting from the mouse. Nezumi extended her palm at Center, shaking her head. The earphones still in her ears, sharp eyes were directly looking into the younger girl’s.
“No. You would be of great hindrance, Center.” Words were venomous. To say that the message wasn’t well received on the other end is not a lie. A flash of pain lashed out at the girl’s emotional health, cringing publicly at the chosen terminology. Yet the female did not give a response, remaining silent as Nezumi finished her statement. “I know exactly what to do. Please… stay out of this.”
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An officer is seen sitting behind the desk was busy clicking away on the keyboards. A mug filled with coffee sitting nearby the desktop, she would occasionally reach out for a sip of the drink before resuming her activity. A minute would pass by before a loud yawn escaped past her lips, not bothering to even cover her mouth out of politeness. The sound of the keys being pressed were loudly produced with each tap of her finger, keeping the silence from forming in the atmosphere of the office. Thunder rolled from the distant as the rain ensued its dropping of water unto Akihabara.
Otabe let out a soft exhale at the sight from outside of female’s office. Both arms now crossed, eyebrows were arched at an angle in sympathy.
’She’s overworking herself again…’It was a sorry sight to watch the officer working to the bone with her assignment. Taking over any assignments from her co-workers that were either absent or simply lazy, Officer Minami did her best to perform the duties that were thrown at her direction. She may not tolerate the huge amount of workload, but she did sign up to be a part of the police department. The instant she signed up and thoroughly completed her training, there was no backing out.
Thinking that it was time to greet the older woman, Otabe then pushed open the door after twisting the knob.
“Officer Minami, it has been a while,” she began to speak in order to break the isolated vibe coming from the female.
Minami’s fingers froze in place on the keyboards, ceasing further typing. The police officer then retracted her hands from the object. Thanks to the rolling chair, the woman was able to easily turn around and face the student. When Otabe finally saw her friend face-to-face, she noticed how exhausted the officer must be. Light appearances of bags were present under her eyes as she resisted the temptation to yawn once more in front of the student.
“Oh, Otabe. I didn’t expect you to come straight to my office,” she murmured, scratching the back of her head in a casual fashion. “It’s definitely been a while since we last saw each other in person.”
How the two have known each other was through a fairly comedic sense. Otabe was in a fight a few years ago, being the infamous yankee she was back then. The feud between her and the very person that dare flick her off nearly caused havoc near a convenient store. If it weren’t for Minami being in the premise near the two fighters, they would’ve hurt an outsider or two from their aggressive actions. Not to mention she was barely able to avoid landing in a detention center for the reckless decision thanks to the officer. Frankly, this woman was one of the few reasons to why the Kyoto student decided to quit her yankee life.
Otabe allowed a small smile to be shown. As she looked at Minami, the door from behind clicked shut. A couple steps were taken towards her direction. Now standing in front of the desk, both hands were placed on the corner of the wooden surface.
“Well… Let’s just say I want to ask you a favor.”
A chuckle was faintly heard from the older female’s direction. Hand returning back down to her side, she let a smile of her own appear.
“If it’s for Otabe, then I won’t mind lending a hand. So how can I help you?”
The younger female inhaled deeply. She knew what she wanted to ask Minami. It would be a little risky to ask, especially to an officer, but she’s got no other lead. Aside from impatiently waiting for Nezumi’s response, that is. She wanted to take the initiative. Simply waiting for the other girl to respond would drive her mentality state to insanity.
An exhale was then let out. Eyes firmly set on the other pair, she spoke of her request.
“I want you to help me catch the culprit that murdered my father.”
There was a pregnant pause hanging in the air between the two. The reaction that Minami gave merely consisted of blinking and staring at the student before her. It was soon shifted into a state of confusion. She scratched the back of her head once again, raising an eyebrow in the air.
“Aren’t we doing that though?” she replied. “The police force is trying to gather as much clues as possible to catch the killer. I myself am even filing reports and facts relating towards the case in regard to your father.”
She was now bracing herself for a message relating to disapproval from the other. Fingers bending inward to her palms, the girl’s persistence ensued. Otabe had to get Minami to accept the request no matter what.
“I know that, but… I want you to help me catch the killer personally.”
“Now you’re just talking crazy, Otabe. Why in the world should I help you when it could potentially endanger your life?” the officer frowned, voice raised in disbelief. She was clearly unamused with the delusional explanation that could risk the life of this child. “I made a promise to your father that I would protect you at all cost.”
Both her father and Minami were close. She couldn’t remember how they became friend, but it might’ve been the moment when the authoritative figure decided to give a warning ticket rather than a parking ticket to her father when he was alive. Otabe did remember her dad speaking with a rather exaggerated amount of relief applied to his words long ago.
Despite the promise that the individual has made, the daughter felt the corner of her lips twitch.
“I understand, but… don’t you want to know who did it too?”
A brief pause came once again between the two. An excellent question that Otabe brought forth to the officer. Minami’s eyes began to squint as she pondered upon it; the rather rapid counter replies from earlier coming to an end. It was not to say that Otabe is correct, but nor was she wrong. Even though the officer was typing up reports in regard to the case, she was unable to do anything other than sit in her office for the entire month with the menial task at hand.
“Please, Minami… I really want to also know who killed my father.”
Besides, she too wanted to catch the criminal that murdered her good friend. Although it was not to the point of wanting to exact revenge, she at least wanted to know the truth of the ordeal. Then and only then will she ever be at peace with Otabe’s father.
The short female leaned forward on her desk, resting an elbow on the wooden surface of her desk as palm supported her chin. Her other hand waved in the air lazily as eyelids were lowered.
“Fine, fine. I’ll be sure to notify you of any clues that show up… But promise me that you won’t run into danger head-on?” she let out a small puff of air as she too requested something from Otabe. “Should anything happen, please call me. The last thing I want to do is either meet you at a hospital or—Nevermind.”
The officer’s mouth quickly spat out the final word to cut off the sentence. Eyelids snapping open, her brown eyes glanced to the side as her eyebrows slightly arched at an angle upward.
She didn’t bother to finish it, or rather, didn’t want to. Such thought coming into play would only cause distress. Minami can’t afford to be thinking of the possible outcomes in the predicament. Right now, it would be best to focus on the present time, and the potentially bright result that would finally conclude the emotional torture that continuously bothers the student. It pains the adult to watch the adolescent to trudge through a difficult path unexpectedly thrown at her direction.
’Otabe didn’t deserve this. Her family didn’t deserve this at all,’ she mentally murmured as a soft, yet forceful, exhale came from her nose.
As for the Kyoto female herself, she couldn’t help but chuckle at the brown haired officer. She made a motion as if she were flexing her muscle from one arm.
“Thanks Minami, but you know I will be fine, right?” she reassured the older female. “I can handle most dangers that come to my way.”
Just watching Otabe flex her arm almost caused the officer to also chuckle. The same hand in the air, she waved it once more as she uttered a remark in a somewhat joking manner.
“Of course, of course, I haven’t forgotten about your yankee past. The honor student that can have this sort of trait almost seems so surreal…”
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Taking a step out of the police station, Otabe felt a sense of relief run through her body. Even though it was only for a small moment, she felt glad to have Minami by her side. Frankly, she’s the only person she could entrust her life to. For the officer to at least support her decision in making this search personal is a blessing that she should not waste. It was a sliver of hope that has been brought down to her, bringing forth a sense of determination that would drive her very existence into determining the killer’s identity and fate.
She opened her light blue umbrella, allowing it to shield her from the wet droplets falling up above as she stepped out of the protective cover. The light pattering sound was heard as it came into contact with the surface of the umbrella.
If she were to simply take a walk, this would be the perfect situation. A walk through the rain does wonders to calm one’s mind. Of course, this was no time to be relaxing. Otabe had a more important task to focus on.
’Right. Perhaps I should check out the crime scene where my father was found.’Not a single break time was present to the female. Or at least, she didn’t decide to pick that option. Her hand tightened its grip on the handle of the umbrella as she proceeded to walk forward. The walk from the police station to the crime scene near the shrine would take quite a while to reach, so she might as well start heading towards the desired destination.
Roughly fifteen minutes passed by as she wandered through the sidewalks. In motion with the pedestrians, she blends in well within the crowd. Not many were able to pick out the dead politician’s daughter presence. For those that were able to, mutters and whispers were exchanged but only from a distant. Alas though, the number of people surrounding her figure dwindled as she neared the area till finally, she was isolated.
Now that she was alone, her entire mind was enveloped with pessimism. Not surprising due to the coping mechanism she chose being one of the many worse ways to handle her emotional turmoil.
Otabe let out a soft sigh as she turned to the corner. She then halted in her step after rounding the corner, standing and staring directly at the shrine. It wasn’t huge nor fancy along with its surroundings, causing it to lack a number of visitors to this part of the city.
’Hopefully there should be some clue left behind in the scene of the crime—‘Her thoughts were interrupted by a stranger. The cold, wet hand abruptly grabbing her right wrist, she was pulled to the side and into an alley. Such sudden turn of event caused the student to let out a yelp, then stumble and fall forward. Roughly Otabe landed on the wet pavement, feeling her exposed knees and palm of her hands scrape against the surface.
“O-Ow…” she grumbled, hurrying up onto her feet as fast as possible. The daughter ignoring the stinging pain that began to throb on the affected scraped areas, she glared at the person responsible for recklessly pulling her to the side.
From what she saw, it was a rather young girl. She can’t exactly say she’s a student, but from mere guessing alone, one could say the responsible female is a high school student. Well, at least that covers one of the few that now stood in front of the victim.
Five students facing Otabe, they were grinning as weapons were in their grasps. Bats, steel pipes, and a switchblade. They definitely weren’t here to have a small chatter with the daughter. It looked more like they were born to roughhouse the student.
“Are you Otabe?” the female that had pulled her seconds ago questioned immediately.
A little startled by it, Otabe knew it was much wiser than to disclose her name right away. Instead, she herself threw out a question of her own.
“What do you all want?”
“Well… You do look like Otabe, so,” the same girl spoke, ignoring the question the victim has presented, “I believe we’ll knock you around for a bit whether you are her or not.”
There was a chuckle coming from one of the many members in the group. Then without wasting any moment, she raised the lead pipe above her own head. There was simply no hesitation in her action. She was ready to strike while the iron is hot. Viciously, she brought the weapon down in hopes of slamming it at Otabe’s head.
It all happened so fast, but Otabe was quicker. In a heartbeat, the ex-yankee girl instinctively side-stepped just in time. The very instant her body shifted to the side, the pipe barely missed her figure; the sound of wind being sliced in half due to the extreme force. Just the sound of it would intimidate most anybody. When the student glared back at the assaulter, she was instead met with another round of chuckling from the group. Clearly they were a force to be reckoned with.
Otabe was quick on her feet, yet it would be a lie to say that she was the best at fighting. Frankly, it’s been roughly two years since she last fought with someone, let alone protect herself from a group of enemies. For them to be wielding steel pipes, bats, and even one with a switchblade is putting her at a great disadvantage. Retreating would be a wise move for the girl. She’s overpowered from the benefits that reaped the assaulters.
’It doesn’t look like they’ll bother to even answer nor listen to my questions…’Both hands up into fists, she loosely fixed her posture into a fighting stance. Her plan of attack was to trick them into thinking she would defend herself. When an opening reveals herself during one of their moves, Otabe wouldn’t hesitate to slip through it and make her escape. It was risky, but being backed into the corner within the ally isn’t exactly going to make the situation become any better.
Teeth clenched together till her jawlines faintly became visible, the Kyoto student readied herself. It appears that this caused the group in front of her to stir in amusement. The weapons in their hands too readied, they were prepared to strike back at the ex-yankee.
’I can’t afford to fail!’She felt her entire figure lowered, knees bent ever so slightly. Thanks to the potential energy building up from the legs, Otabe was able to pounce forward like a cat. She wasn’t as strong as she used to, but she was at least able to retain most of her speed and agility. That could prove to be an advantageous on her side of the battle.
The wind swiftly breezed right by her figure, the strands from her black hair wildly swinging from out of its place as she came close to the nearest victim of her feint. That victim had a bat in his hand, already making motion in attempt to cave her face in with one swipe. Horizontally coming from her left side, Otabe bore her teeth as she lowered her entire figure once more. This caused the weapon to barely miss hitting her head. Thus, it led to a small and brief opening that she could slip through.
At least, that’s what she thought. Oh, how forgetful the ex-yankee fighter had to be sometimes. She completely forgot that there were four other assaulters that weren’t exactly as slow as the young male present before her. They were sharp, and before she knew it, the student was thrown back with a steel pipe to the back.
She slammed against the ground with a loud yelp, pain bursting from her chest. It wasn’t as bad as it spiking from the stricken area on her back, having knocked the wind out of the girl’s system. Arms trembling and scrambling to push the body up from below, a foot flung out and connected with the Kyoto’s female back. A gasp was forced right out of her mouth from the impact.
“There’s nowhere to run, Otabe,” one of the five chuckled, looking down at the black haired female. “Give it up.”
Topic: Vengeance (Majisuka Gakuen AU) - Chapter 2 [Update: 04/05/2015] (Read 8044 times)