JPHiP Forum
The Hello! Project Fanfics => H!P Fanfics => Topic started by: kuro808 on April 15, 2012, 12:45:49 PM
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I might as well give it a shot with this pairing, if it doesn't pan out, I may put this one on hold too XD
Chapter 1
An artist without its medium is no artist at all.
That was never the case for Fukumura Mizuki. Her brilliance in drawing made her unique despite her lack of resources. She could draw out a picture in her mind and mentally recreate it on a sketchpad.
Many peers commended her ability but it was the critics that weighed on her the most. Since she was determined to continue on this path, she dropped out of school, and moved into an apartment filled with other hopefuls. Fuku-chan, as she was affectionately known as, drew for crowds in the park for a steep price but soon just made a minimum set price for her customers.
They paid her a fair price on their liking, mostly young couples on first dates, and brought in enough to pay for her part of the rent. However, she had issues with permanent housing and the numerous moves over a year led her to finding a job to support her financial needs.
She sent a few resumes out into the local area to no success. The owners were deterred by her age or the lack of schooling she had under her but one shop took a chance.
It was a new bakery in need of a cashier. Fuku-chan was attracted by the fresh tarts coming out of the oven and the owner, Michishige Sayumi, who was busy looking at the mirror, decided to let her work despite not looking over the resume. She observed the customers coming in and out without a purchase and went outside to ask the reason.
She was surprised that the owner was cold towards them and she decided to make it lively by renting out a waitress costume for work the following day. She had money to buy an apple pie from the oven for the masses to try it out and with a warm reception, she catered to them as well as she could, and made enough tips for a day’s work at the park.
Sayu was not aware of the situation and came out to a packed house. She was surprised so many had come in for once and thanked everyone by shaking their hands while she Fuku-chan was cleaning up both areas and relieving the lone baker from his work. It was a wonderful day until the dark clouds came overhead and it poured over the people’s heads.
“It was such a wonderful day and this happens.” She pouted as she managed to throw all the dirty dishes into the automated dishwasher and hang up for the day.
Sayu was ready to lock the front door but someone had rushed inside to see if there were any more pastries left. Fuku-chan handed her the last apple turnover and she gladly accepted it but she seemed to freeze when she locked eyes with the waitress.
“It’s closing time.” Sayu called out as she still was frozen.
“Do you need help?” Fuku-chan asked as she placed the pastry on the table.
“You look cool in that uniform.” She murmured under her breath before running out with her food.
Sayu scanned the new worker’s attire and gave a quick smile before heading to her office in the back to count the revenue for the day. Fuku-chan sat in the stall pondering why she would just freeze after receiving the food. Then, she remembered that she didn’t pay and suddenly ran out into the street to see if she could find her but no luck within her view. She suddenly took a right and saw her sitting near a store nibbling on her pastry.
“Did I forget to pay?” She asked and offered the money plus a tip into the worker’s hand.
“Thank you.” Fuku-chan vocalized as she turned back but she felt someone tugging at her uniform.
“Is there something else you need?” The annoying tone of her voice was present as the rain was starting to soak her.
“Is it possible to have the same thing tomorrow? I will come earlier next time, I promise.” Fuku-chan nodded as she walked back to the store where Sayu was waiting for her return.
She handed her the last part of the money and went to the back to get changed from her soaked uniform. She looked at it with a disgusted look as she had to return it without any incident and shoved it into her bag as she put her regular clothes on and hunted for something to protect her head from the rain and got a heavily-used umbrella from the container and rushed home without saying goodbye to Sayu.
The umbrella was good enough to get her apartment semi-dry and walked to her floor where the man was waiting outside her door. Fuku-chan handed him the money in a messy bunch and quickly approved of the payment without any words. She pushed through the jammed door and dropped off everything to her old dusty couch to rest from a hard day at work.
Her inner thoughts started to concentrate on that girl she had met before closing shop. Her long black hair was distinct among the other she had met and her eyes was a point she had concentrated on in her dream. She was back at work and had offered her the apple turnover with green tea to her. She smiled at her before leaving the table but she couldn’t leave the table.
You look cute.
Fuku-chan grinned and told her thank you but her words were like a hook that prevented her from going anyplace else and decided to sit across of her until she paid and left. The conversation was jumbled as she didn’t know anything about her and forced her to wake up to rid of the dream.
She took a shower to rid of the dust and other dirty particles from her body before walking down to the laundry room to wash her uniform. As she loaded up the machine, she began her thought about her again, it was clearing up in front of her as the face seemed to stick a little better but she began to wonder why she was the only one she started to obsess over.
Fuku-chan theorized that since she was the last customer she had met, it would conclude she would remember plus the promise to give her the same pastry tomorrow. However, on the other side of the coin, she was in fact risked the chance to introduce herself. With the thoughts flying around like wild arrows, she was distracted enough to drop in the uniform without noticing the setting.
Kuso. I hope it doesn’t get ripped.
Despite her mind being occupied, she was able to salvage the uniform for return tomorrow and had a comfortable night with the light winds blowing through her cracked windows. She was confident that she would return and would at least introduce herself.
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hmm interesting start. think I know who this girl is going to be, so should be interesting......
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@oddy you got me XD but might as well make it interesting with others. Now its trying to associate other people XD
Chapter 2
The young girl walked into her mansion from the rain filled with the pastry and the warm smile from the waitress. She wrapped her dampened shoes with a white towel and left it to the side as one of her maid’s popped out her head.
“Missus, where did you go? Papa said that you were restricted from going outside.” She shook her head.
“I wanted to enjoy a snack. No one gave me anything when I asked for it.” The girl shook the water from her hair onto the floor inducing the other maid to get a mop quickly cleaning the floor.
“Gomen, missus. We were busy cleaning up and we never checked on you.” She smiled cutely as the mop head slid across the across the floor causing a scratch on the white tile.
She walked onto the carpet toward the bathroom as she stripped out of her wet clothes and stepped into the shower to rinse off the cold rain. The hot water deflected off her as she leaned onto the wall as the face appeared again and felt her body slipping down but caught herself before reaching the floor.
I wonder what her name is… Maybe I should tell the maids to get me the apple turnovers… wait, I said I was going to be there but I need to escape again…
She quickly observed her fingers getting pruny and turned off the shower. She stepped out noticing the fresh towel and clothes hanged neatly on the counter next to the sink. Swiftly, she wiped up the moisture and changed into her new clothes as dinner was prepped for her and her father.
“Erina… You know you are not in the best shape to go outside when it rains. I cannot keep you out from school.” Her father gives her a stern look as she slumped down into her chair.
“I was hungry and the maids didn’t get me food so I went to find something before dinner. However, they weren’t at fault for not watching me.” She picked up her chopsticks and tore off a small piece of the steaming fish to place onto her tongue.
Her father softened his face and let out a sigh as he dove into the food with the maids surrounding them. Riho came up to the table to pour water as the father’s eyes burned into her while her partner, Kanon, stood behind making faces to make Riho laugh. The maids were more of protection for Eripon’s safety but they were willing to do anything for her except for the storm and their daily chores.
The lightning came down streaking across the window followed by a loud boom startling the girls near the table. Her father let out a snicker as the three huddled around each other. After a few more bites, Eripon excused herself from the table and headed up to her room assisted by the maids bringing up her water from the ground floor.
She has still consumed with thoughts of the waitress from the bakery and dove into bed with her face smashed into the pillow as the maids closed her door.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” Kanon asked as Eripon flipped onto her back looking at the ceiling.
“No, Zukki. I am tired from sitting out in the rain being controlled by others.” She tilted her head to the side as Riho sat by the depressed missus.
“Well you could have waited for dinner.”
“I was really hungry and yes I did ruin my appetite if you do bother asking. You are the worst maid ever not getting stuff for me.” Zukki sat there wondering what she should do as her partner stood up and walked to the foot of the bed.
“Stop being spoiled. We work hard to satisfy you and we get very little respect with your father’s help so you better be fortunate for our help.” She shot back and Eripon stared at her with Zukki breaking them apart.
Eripon was ready with another bullet but slammed her head back onto the pillow and let out a sigh as she looked at them again. The image of the face popped up and slowly wept as she closed her eyes.
“Mou, Eripon looks depressed. She must be worried about something…” Riho turned around to see the missus sprawled out on her bed.
“Whatever it is, we should care about taking care of her troubles.” Riho walked out of the room as Zukki moved in closer observing the tears rolling down from the eyes.
Her throat felt dry as she wanted to ask what was on her mind but something was willing her to forget about the situation and finish up the chores. Zukki bowed to the missus before leaving the room leaving her door ajar as Eripon turned to her right side.
After a few minutes of forced leisure, she sat up on her bed thinking about the waitress’ kindness and the return trip back. She hoped for good weather and made an idol to chase away the clouds but the answer to her initial prayers was a thunder roll across the sky. She lowered her head and let out a whisper praying for good weather tomorrow as she was ready to return back to school.
Eripon woke up to the sunlight peering through her window and glanced at her clock noticing the alarm was ready to go off. She extended her hand onto the snooze button and pressed down hard as it turned quarter to seven. Zukki peeked in with her usual smile and woke her up anyway to prevent any more time to go by from her return.
She rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to do the usual routine of showering, brushing her teeth, and fixing her hair for the day. Riho hanged her uniform outside the door and she quickly brought it to change before heading down to have a quick breakfast. Her father was usually gone to work on his new project but decided to stay home to relax.
“Ohayou.” He nodded as he flipped to the next page of the newspaper.
Eripon ate what she could and ran out to the car to get dropped off at the school. It was cloudy from the day before but she felt healthier than the day she missed school. She started to close her eyes and dreamed of the waitress but the car suddenly stopped as the truck swiftly shifted lanes in front of the driver causing him to honk and she looked at the streets to find a long-haired girl standing with a purse.
The car drove by and she looked back to see her face. Eripon instantly turned red and slouched down in the back.
She lives around her… I have a chance.
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Oh, well...It's PonPon :oops:
Go Eripon! You have chances to catch up :twothumbs
btw, RihoRiho and Zukki as maids :inlove:
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Eripon! good, good, hmm, though she has the lifestyle (Riho and Kannon as maids lol) it seems as though Eripon craves some more freedom in her life, well that and apple turnovers apparently :lol:
But it seems as though Fuku-chan may well have given Eripon something more than that cake when they met, it seems as though Eripon cant get her out of her mind, perhpas even more so now that she knows that Mizuki lives in the area!
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@shiwase happy belated birthday. Yeah I really needed a 9th generation fic to work around my weird collection and kinda obvious for the pairing XD
@oddy I added an intriguing character too :P
Chapter 3
Mizuki woke up to the sound of her alarm and rolled out of bed with sleep still in her eyes. She looked at her cell phone and noticed a few calls coming from Sayu, most were panic calls to come into work but she knew she had about a few hours to burn in the morning.
She quickly threw on a t-shirt and shorts over her undergarments and headed to the shop to return the borrowed uniform. Fuku-chan grabbed the bag and headed out without looking up at the overcast weather. She felt the soft drops hitting her head and quickly headed to an overhead area to watch the mist past by her.
I should have brought my umbrella…
The mist was followed by the sun shining through as the crowd slowly came out of their slumber and filled up the streets. She took a side street and walked along while figuring out her location. It was a familiar sight to her but to get back to the costume shop, it would be an adventure.
Fuku-chan only noticed the one car passing her acknowledging the road as less traveled and looked over to the main street to notice the sign hanging outside. She rapidly burst through finding that the shop was foreign to her and entered without attracting attention but the front person was finishing up her preparations.
“Ohayou. Are you returning the uniform?” Fuku-chan nodded as she dropped the bag on the counter.
“Thank you for washing it.” She gleamed with a hanger to place the uniform on.
She walked around while the lady was setting it on the rack. Fuku-chan was surprised with the cheap alternatives from the store and the lady observed her shape as she quickly sketched out a design. Fuku-chan floated over to the counter and noticed how cute it was on paper.
“Do you like? I can make it for you.” She rubbed her chin a few times before accepting the offer.
“Can I pay you with pastries?” The lady’s eyes widened as Fuku-chan mentioned that she was working for a bake shop but the owner’s name made her rethink the offer but gave into the fact that she was being paid with food.
She left with that promise and a phone number to call her about delivery. Fuku-chan tooka few steps before the lady stuck her head out.
“My name is Niigaki Risa. If you wanted to know… I hope you can get them fresh for me.”
She snickered at the comment and went to the shop to check in on Sayu, who was in the middle of the morning rush, she stepped in with orders flying towards her quickly and in flawless fashion, got everyone out of there quickly with the owner catching her breath in the back.
Fuku-chan looked in the back and asked for a box of assorted pastries, which the baker filled quickly, and took a seat on a wooden stool wiping the sweat from his head.
She was curious about how he knew so much about baking and confessed his love for Sayu to make him come into here blindly with the job. He asked his grandmother for recipes and quickly adapted them to his own style. He was also responsible for supplies which made the job extremely stressful because Sayu rarely had any experience to help him.
After chatting with him, he started on the apple turnovers which reminded Fuku-chan about her meeting and rushed to Risa’s shop to drop off her payment for the day and glanced for a preview of her uniform which was perfectly fit around her body and the off-white color was perfect especially with the messes she would experience in the future.
She hastily left without saying a word and headed back to the bakery to the smell of the fresh turnovers in the oven as he skillfully watched the pastries with his eyes, as he carefully gave each of them love as if they were his own children. Fuku-chan filled up a bucket and mopped down the floors before the café side would open for the afternoon.
She worked every corner with the mop as the floor became slick and heard a thump coming from the workers’ entrance. Sayu rubbed her backside as she struggled to get up from the floor.
“Fuku-chan, did you post up the sign for wet floor?” She nodded as she pointed toward the sign below her.
The bunny blushed in embarrassment while she set it back up again observing her worker grinding through the grimy floor. The baker came out wiping sweat from his brow while he watched Fuku-chan finishing up cleaning the floor.
“Newbie, I need you to taste test a new creation.” She turned and dragged the bucket back to the closet as she went into the kitchen to wash her hands.
She witnessed a small tart in front of her cut open with a fork as steam rose to the air. She quickly mixed the contents and blew at it to cool down the filling. The feel was smooth as it was juice and the taste exploded with different flavors hitting every taste bud evenly.
“Oishiiiiiii~ What is in here?” He smirked as he held up his finger to his lips.
Fuku-chan stuck up her thumb and dug out a piece with the flaky crust, which was a compliment to the filling. She was aware that half of the sample was gone and looked out at Sayu, who was occupied with the mirror. The baker encouraged her to finish it as he wanted to hear a critical analysis of his new creation.
She loved the mixture of berries and that hint of tartness covered every crevasse of her mouth. The baker nodded his head to every word as he was getting anxious for a problem and she questioned the content’s prices which he tried figuring in his head. Then, he found what he wanted to hear and took the plate back to wash it before the start of afternoon service.
“Fuku-chan, let’s get started!” Sayu shouted out with her greeting the customers and Fuku-chan taking the orders to the back.
The special tart she had tasted moments before the opening was quickly flying out followed by the apple turnovers. She glanced at each of their smiling faces and knew they were good but the girl she had met yesterday hadn’t come yet with the supply running down quickly. She knew she had to keep one to the side for her as she continually took on the cycles of orders until she returned back with the last turnover to deliver to the customer and turned toward the front door.
“Gomen, I just came from school. Can I have the same thing as yesterday?” She asked and was escorted to her window seat in the back corner.
Fuku-chan quickly got her plate and a cup of tea ready for her and headed toward the corner where she was staring at the clouds outside with a smirk on her face. The sound of the plate distracted her attention from the window to the meal and she dove in with her utensils. Fuku-chan went back to helping out the remaining customers as she watched her at work with the fork coming towards her mouth.
I wonder why she doesn’t go to school…
Her thoughts were growing about the waitress and her heart was progressing faster to the point she was losing her breath and dropped her fork to the side.
“Are you okay?” She quickly shot up and laughed nervously as she wiped off her plate.
“Yeah… just was anticipating a moment.” Fuku-chan tilted her head as Eripon covered her mouth and excused herself from the table. She reached into her wallet and took out a 1,000 yen bill for her meal and tip and fled the café.
She was anticipating a moment???? Hmm, thank you.
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Wooaahhhh Kuro-sama !!! I like this !! Hahaha well truly it's taking shape and with Risa there we jsut have to see how she contributes right? lol of course I want to know WTH with "anticipating a moment" :P Keep it up !!! My excitedness is growing !!! :cow: And fingers crossed that you will get a spark of inspiration for the other fics !!! :twothumbs
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@koei creating the awkward moment makes things so much better XD well I tend to keep my focus on my current fics unless something provokes me to update them but who knows, someone will end up doing something that will make me update them :nervous
Chapter 4
Eripon scuffled away from the bakery with enough dignity to realize that she over tip the waiter by 200% and yet was extremely happy that she at least got an attempt to speak to her. She took out her wallet to count the amount she had left and didn’t notice a woman carrying a load of costumes coming towards her.
“Watch out!” Risa spun to avoid the girl and threw the load into the garbage pile as she managed to stay on her feet. Eripon gathered up the costumes from the garbage pile and presented them to the bean.
“Sigh… this sucks that all this needs to be cleaned again.” She tried to sneak by the woman but Risa grabbed her from the back and dragged her back to her shop.
“Since you ruined these for a customer, you need to personally clean it.” Her eyes opened up as she stuttered an objection. Risa shook her head and instructed her on the cleaning with the stress building to get the stack to her customer.
Erina looked at the clock and bit down hard as she knew she was going to face her father at home and tried to distract the owner to get a chance to talk to one of the maids. She got herself a while to talk to Riho, who was cleaning the kitchen at the moment, and found that her father was going to be late from work so she knew if the bean could avoid eye contact, she could just drop off everything, and leave without notice.
Slowly, she dumped it into the sink with soapy water dragging the materials down and looked outside in the front where she was talking to a customer. Eripon looked over her shoulder and observed the customer with a frown as she heard the disappointing news. She stepped closer and realized it was the waitress from the bakery.
I can’t believe I dirtied up her uniforms…
Eripon started to work on the uniforms in the soapy water; she kept her head down, and pushed through the scrubbing despite wanting to flee from the back. She got them onto the empty counter and peeked outside as Risa was tidying up inside the store.
“You saw the customer right?” Eripon nodded as her cheeks became bright red.
“She gave me a box of pastries to make those uniforms for her, since you got them dirty, I cannot offer it to her but she is willing to wait.” Her eyes widened as she peeked outside again finding her thumbing through a magazine.
“What else I gotta do?” She asked the bean as she picked up the damp uniforms and placed them in the dryer.
Risa turned it to the lowest setting and pressed the button for an hour. She left the back to see the customer again. Eripon trailed her from behind revealing her face from the bean’s back and took a seat next to the waitress.
“You gave me too much so I lied to my boss about my tips…” She held up her hand.
“You deserve it, I wanted to ask your name but I was nervous and left without thanking you and I ran into her so I am stuck her because I ran into her and made the uniforms dirty.” Fuku-chan stroked through her hair as Eripon looked up and tried to present a smile through her explanation.
“I’m Mizuki Fukumura, I like being called Fuku-chan… What is your name?”
“Ikuta Erina. Nice to meet you. I attend Niji Shoujo Academy.” Fuku-chan bit down on her lower lip as she needed to tell her that she had dropped out to take on an art career.
“I see… I don’t attend school because I wanted to be an artist.”
“Oh I see. Well I hope you good luck in that career. Are you considering if you want to?” She shook her head as Risa came with a tea pot and cups for three of them.
Risa poured each of them a cup before letting Fuku-chan pour one for the bean to the quiet store. Each of them took a small sip before thanking Risa for the drink. They stared at each other for a moment before the ringtone broke their concentration.
Eripon opened her phone realizing it was Zukki calling to ask where she was and quickly went away from the other two to talk to her maid privately with Risa pondering if she was going to flee from the shop. Risa moved her seat over to Fuku-chan’s right side with her tea cup next to hers.
“Do you know her?” Mizuki nodded as the bean smiled.
“I guess I can’t get too angry, she seems really nice but just wasn’t paying attention to me. Maybe, she can work for me.” Risa brought up the idea and Fuku-chan agreed to the idea.
Eripon came back to the group with phone in hand handing it off to Risa with a confused look on her face as she took the call and heard her father’s voice yelling through the speaker. The younger girl sat down sipping her tea without saying a word to either of them as Risa hung up with a concerned look.
“I’m sorry for keeping you out. You can go home. I will talk to him tomorrow about the punishment you should deserve for ruining the uniforms.” Risa bowed as Eripon waved to both of them before walking out to the sunset.
“You must be in big trouble…” Fuku-chan mumbled to the bean as she peeked at the dryer.
“I didn’t know her father was founder of the school. I attended there without even knowing who he was and now I have his daughter trying to teach her a lesson.” The girl tilted her head to the side as she found that she was a rich girl but the images of her didn’t represent her as a wealthy person.
Fuku-chan was deep in thought about the girl and shook her head about finding out the truth. Risa wrapped up her cleaning of the store and packaged the uniform as an apology for the mistake. The waitress grabbed the bag and offered another case of pastries as an apology but she quickly declined and left with her clothes.
Eripon anticipated the discipline she would face for the multiple offenses of her visit and arrived home with the greeting of her two maids who were in the middle of an embrace waiting for her. They broke it off as soon as she passed them and headed to the kitchen to find her father in the middle of preparing food for both of them.
“You are required to return straight from school every day to study. I cannot let you roam around as you please because I worry if someone will hurt you and lucky it was someone who was a graduate to keep you safe. As punishment, your weekend will be stuck in your room.” She slowly nodded with her bag at the edge of the table and a hot bowl of soup in front of her.
She ate all the solid contents of her bowl and left the table as usual to take a bath before studying her work for tomorrow but she was filled with thoughts of Fuku-chan as that touch was special to her being happy. Even if she was grounded, she wanted to keep her in the thoughts for now. The maids were in the middle of preparations of her bath as she stepped in and slowly stripping off her clothes.
“Missus, can you wait until we leave to strip for you bath?” Riho warned as Zukki closed her eyes before leaving the bathroom.
I guess I can talk to Risa tomorrow for my punishment.
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Hmm, so Gaki is now in the story as well, interesting, wonder how she is going to fit into it.....
lol 'anticipating a moment' hmm Eripon, never mind....
edit, missed that you posted another chapter after I posted!
So it seems as though Risa is able to get Eripon to pay her back for her accident, of course it had to be Fuku's outfit, stil she and Eripon got at least a little time, hmm I wonder what happens with Gaki now she knows who Eripons father is, and with Fuku too for that matter.....
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@oddy a lot more problems but I think it will present an interesting problem later on with the cast as we speak
Sorry for not saying this sooner but I was sick this whole week and I haven't written out anything in a long while and havoc to go through from one symptom to another was frustrating enough to make me stop writing and seek rest. So I hope you guys can enjoy this one for now
Chapter 5
Fuku-chan looked up at the white clock with the sweat rolling down her cheek by the slow, oscillating fan. The dim light outside was slowly becoming pitch black hinted by the street lights flickering outside the window.
“I have it ready for you. Sorry for the wait.” Risa bowed deeply as she handed off the plastic packaging to the waitress.
She grabbed the bag and headed for the door but the bean held her shirt from behind. Risa shut off the interior lights within the store leaving the display lights on for the passersby. They walked out to the main street with the people dragging through with combini food in hand.
“How is Sayu treating you?” Risa grinned as the waitress took a few steps forward.
Fuku-chan sped up her walk to avoid any more conversation and the bean followed suit until she was halted by the stoplight.
“Michishige-san has no idea what she is doing… The baker and I have been taking care of the customers, but we cannot do it without more help.”
“So you need another person without her knowing???” Risa’s eyes slanted as she decided to figure out the punishment for the girl.
“I gotta go, I will take the corner after crossing.” Risa nodded as she watched the waitress walk toward the apartment complex before heading back home.
Fuku-chan arrived to the same dusty apartment and dove into bed without considering a shower. She quickly closed her eyes and let the night watch over her.
Risa arrived home with her partner’s eyes fixed on her entry. She watched her walk through the dim hallway without noticing her standing at the end with her pajamas on.
“Gaki-san, why are you late without telling me?” The bean flipped open the lights to see her with a smirk on her face and her foot on top of folded pajamas on the floor. Risa walked up to her partner and brushed her hair back from her eyes to peck her on the cheek as she walked past by her.
“You will not get away with just a kiss, my little beany~~~” She tackled her onto the bed and Risa gave into the partner’s weight.
“I had an emergency cleaning and I needed to get it delivered tonight but a kid ran into me and it got tossed into the trash pile.” She got off the bean and let her continue her story while getting her a glass of water.
“I scolded her and she hand-washed everything before leaving by her father’s discretion. Then, I was left with the customer despite wanting to close up.” She nodded and tossed a piece of paper to the bean.
Risa opened up the paper and it was a phone number scribbled onto it. She looked up at her partner wondering the person and she shrugged her shoulders as she delivered the water to Risa. She opened her cell phone to dial the number and prompted her to another number, which irritated her, and she quickly wrote down that number and placed onto the side of the bed.
Her partner followed the bean’s every move from her seat outside the bathroom until Risa closed the door to shower in peace and slid into bed to sleep. After her long shower, she changed into her pajamas without noticing her partner soundly asleep on her half.
I wonder what she dreams about… Kawaii!!!!!
The next morning Eripon rolled out of bed to Zukki’s smile as she held clean sheets in her hands. She was convinced that the maids were up 24 hours a day but it was a play on how they work their schedules for twelve hour days. Eripon swiftly got ready for school and walked out to the dining room table with a note below her plate.
Meet Risa after school
-Love, Dad
Erina let out a sigh as she passed on breakfast to head to the car where her chauffer was revving the engine on the mild morning in the neighborhood. It jolted forward and went off to school without noticing the scenery outside as her mind was still wounded around the waitress for the bakery. It was a delight to meet her but a doubt casted over her about the effort being unilaterally towards her. With more doubts soon to follow she was relieved that she arrived at school and headed off to her first class.
The day went by smoothly until there was an announcement to be brought into the headmaster’s office. She didn’t think about why but was concerned that maybe her father wanted to talk to her about the note in the morning. Eripon got to the front door and pushed to find her father with a half-smile on his face.
“I rarely get you to be called in but I have something you can do as your punishment. Risa has elected you to work for the bakery you love going to lately. It will be for a few hours for a couple of weeks, it should be enough to pay for the cleaning of the uniforms. Other than that you can kiss your allowance for the week.” She took a second to consider and agreed to the deal because it would only be working solely with her crush.
She exited the room to get to her final class of the day with high hopes that she can at least survive the class without incident and it was substitute teacher. She couldn’t be happier for the luck but the news of extra homework tore that down quickly and used the period as a study period disregarding the teacher’s instructions. Eripon was consumed into her work that she barely heard the bell ring for school and ran out with her open bag of books.
She ran while zipping up and arrived in ten minutes with Sayu pouting over the new expense put onto her as Fuku-chan and baker were in the back preparing for afternoon service.
“Niigaki-san asked if I could do her a favor and accepting you will only make me less money, so you gotta prove me wrong okay?” The bunny tossed her uniform towards her and promptly went back to the back room as usual and out came Fuku-chan and two trays of pastries fresh from the oven.
“Eripon correct?” She nodded.
“I will make it easy for you; you take the outside orders and write down whatever is needed for the customers. Hopefully it is slow so you can watch them tinkle in and out of the shop. If not, I will cover as much as I can, don’t get overwhelmed early.” Fuku-chan’s instruction were clear but the nerves seemed to be unsettled and looked up with three minutes until the service starts and let out a quick prayer.
She opened her eyes and was sent out to action with little knowledge of the menu except for the apple turnover. She touted the pastry as her first favorite and had a few but the elder, sophisticated customers were accustomed to the special tarts which threw her off her game plan and walked to the back to find small fruit tarts and the baker indicated it was the special and handed them out to the right tables with little problems.
She felt confident after the first wave of people and glanced at the menu with the ample of amount of time before the next crowd came in with children. The baker set out another three pans and she rushed out to the tables to get whatever she could get her hands on as the parents were lambasting for her lack of experience and quickly she had to eat the words as she handed out to the table of ten a pastry each with the right orders for each of them. Then, with a smile she walked away a winner of the match.
Two hours the crowd lasted and they saw the carnage after with the dishes building up in the back, the baker made it into small piles that were at least approachable but that method failed as the plates became a mountain to climb. Fuku-chan felt overwhelmed by the crowd and looked at the clueless worker eyeing the dishes and relieved her to do dishwashing, which she attacked one dish at a time gently removing pieces like Jenga and luckily not getting the pile to fall onto her.
She was fearless for the one hour without any assistance; she finished up the washing and drying. The baker was amazed that she finished the pile quickly and gave her applause with Fuku-chan joining in seeing the girl accomplishing the act on her first day. Risa walked in seeking her box as payment and saw Eripon cleaning up the tables in the forefront as she yelled out to Fuku-chan.
The bean left after she got her box and the two walked back into the kitchen with a plate of cake and two cups of teas brewed by the baker as an appreciation for all their hard work. Eripon quickly took a bite and sipped the tea before leaving the bakery.
School is such a pain.
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Hmm seems as though Gaki has got things organized, looks like she had a cat with Eripon's dad at least.... seems as though Eripon did ok too.....
Aww and Gaki's love interest, wonder who it is?
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@oddy: the obvious but always gotta read it for the reveal
Chapter 6
Eripon left realizing that she had the borrowed uniform still on and the feel of a hard day’s work was a mixed feeling of exhaustion and happiness. She was not aware of many of the hazards that was coming towards her and was awoken by the car at the corner.
She looked up with tired eyes and saw the stop sign on the crosswalk signal. Eripon became to think about her new friend and seemingly a weird dream popped into her head. Risa’s mean spirit was an attractive point that she could relate with but on the other side of the coin, she was shaking her head that Risa could ever be likable after forcing her to work at the bakery.
As she approached the gate to her house, her phone rang audibly, and picked it up to discover Fuku-chan on the line.
“Gomen, I will return the uniform cleaned.” Fuku-chan giggled at the apology and took a second to compose herself.
“Don’t worry about that. There was someone looking for you right after you left.” She tilted her head and listened to the description of the person.
Brown hair. Slender. In a suit. Not sure if it is a guy or a girl.
Eripon learned that she was a representative of a clothing company willing to help dressing up the waitresses but Fuku-chan declined as Risa was the one helping her with the uniforms. The person bolted out after Sayu shooed her away from the bakery.
“I see. I will return tomorrow with the clean uniform.” Eripon hung up and saw her two maids swaying their heads side to side as they waited for her to enter the house.
The person in the suit turned its head towards the girl as she walked through the living room and offered a seat to her.
“The name is Kamei. I am a representative of the uniform company that makes for your father’s school.” Eripon pushed the card back to the turtle as she laid out a picture of the design.
“Why is it so weird?” She tilted her head to the side and Kamei smiled as she felt praised for her work.
“I’ll take another design if you have one.” Her father came out with a cup of tea for Kamei and the turtle took out the folder with the designs intended for her.
She scanned each of the designs and began to find flaws in each of the uniforms. Eripon closed the folder and declined all of the designs. The turtle looked at her father with concern and dismissed the turtle from the room leaving them alone.
“You have to pick one because they support us for a long time. It is only for a couple of weeks so it will just be enough to go through the period.” Eripon lowered her head.
“Can I work there for longer?” She murmured as his head moved in closer.
“Why? Does it bother you that I am spoiling you?” She felt stiff in her movements and ran to the bathroom without answering his questions.
Fuku-chan dragged herself home feeling the weight of her body slowing down as she opened the door to her apartment and smirked at the filthy room. She plopped her body on the couch and slowly closed her eyes as another day was ready to go by. A loud sigh made everything come to a close and she fell asleep.
Risa saw her partner’s eyes through the blinds as she arrived at home with a half a box of pastries. She pushed through and plopped the pastries on the table. Feeling her partner’s arms wrapped around her, the bean grabbed the first tart she could see and presented it in front of her.
“Strawberry tarts? It can’t be… There is only one bakery that makes these. You are helping them.” The bean slowly nodded as her partner bit into it.
“Ai-chan, you know about that place?” She nodded as half was going down into her empty stomach.
“Michishige-san was telling me that she had opened a shop but since no one was applying, she was catering to the nearby businesses, so I thought she would never get a person to work the front side.” Ai took the last bite of the tart and reached for her glass of water.
“The waitress is really young, I wonder if it is legal to employ her. I know the other one isn’t old enough but Sayu hasn’t said anything.” Ai nodded as she handed a piece of paper over to the bean.
She opened the paper to a message from a Kamei asking for assistance. She dialed the number and a woman picked up on the other side. Risa listened to the offer on the table and began to ponder over it as Ai was right by her partner looking over the notes. The bean hung up with dissatisfaction on her face and pounded her fist on the table.
“They are trying to buy me out.” She grunted.
“Don’t worry, they cannot buy what you produce.” Ai comforting her partner as Risa wrote down the number and her eyes widened.
“That girl is going to make me rage over.”
“Risa, just let it go. It doesn’t make sense to be angry about the new worker.” As she cuddled up to Ai, her phone went off, and opened the phone.
“Niigaki-san, I’m sorry for all this.” Eripon’s voice was murmured by her crying.
Risa took a deep breath and soaked the words from her partner. She looked down at the number and shook her head before turning back to the call.
“It isn’t your fault. I know you are only going to be doing this for a while…”
“I want to do this for as long as I can.” Eripon interjected.
The bean smirked at the remark and looked up at the ceiling as she felt that change in her voice that she seemed committed to finish the job and continue until she wanted to quit. Ai saw the smile and knew it would blow over soon enough. Risa confirmed that she will continue to make uniforms for her as long as she works there and hung up the phone.
“I guess you seem to be in a good mood.” Ai pushed the bean’s head aside as she couldn’t hide the grin on her face.
“Not tonight~” Risa slipped into bed closing her eyes as Ai followed and wrapped her arms around the bean.
Risa placed the concerns in the back of her mind and slept until the alarm woke her up for the next day. It was the first night that she had a comfortable rest and the hope was she could experience it more often than not.
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Hmm so it seems as though Gaki noe has a more poweful rival to compete with, and it's Eri too, who knows Eripon's father.... hmm definatly conlicting things there...
And of course it was Ai, but having Kamei in the story too, interesting....
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@oddy: Kamei will be an interesting fixture as a bug on everyone :lol: Although more issues should come up soon enough
Chapter 7
Eripon woke up to the sound of a light drizzle from outside. The girl was still bothered that anyone would push Risa around especially her father after the opportunity given to her. She closed her eyes at the thought of Kamei with the distinct grunt of dissatisfaction to finish her thoughts.
She walked down for breakfast as usual by herself and her maids were positioning the bowls to Eripon’s liking but the cook added a little extra food for her meal. Eripon ate what she could before heading off to the car for her drive to school. The gray clouds slowly cleared up to the bright morning sun as she arrived at the gates and a crowd had gathered.
“Ikuta-san, are you desperate for money?” The first girl asked her as she walked by her.
The chatter was getting louder and she ran into her first class with the eyes staring at her as she took her seat in the middle of the room. The teacher started class writing up her outline. The class’ chatter distracted her writing and she looked over to see what it was about. It took the teacher a while to get the message and instructed Eripon out to the hallway.
“I think your classmates are afraid that the school might close… Do you want to kill the rumor, if it isn’t true?” She paused for a bit before facing the class.
Her hands felt clammy, their eyes were burning into her soul, and she stood in front of them with her head down. The class became silent as she lifted her head and bowed to them.
“This is a favor for a friend.” Her short statement caused the class to explode again and she excused herself from the room.
She paced to the nurse’s office and took a seat on one of the beds. The nurse glanced over and saw her frown but didn’t bother her as she quietly went to sleep. Her teacher dropped off her bag near the bed and left without following up, leaving the morning as an awkward moment to explain the situation. She reached over to find her phones filled with texts from Fuku-chan.
She scanned through each of them slowly, talking about her dreams and her weird fantasy about being in a maid’s uniform while working. She giggled to herself as the texts were mildly interesting to her and she felt comfortable enough to come back to the class before lunch.
The class became silent as she walked through the crowd and sit at her usual seat in the classroom with the teacher flipping through the newspaper before the bell rang for class. Her classmates began to fix their attention at her as the teacher wrote his plans for the day. Eripon took a deep breath and opened her notebook to take down the notes with the rest following suit as the teacher started his lecture.
The student slowly went into a daydream as she was reminded about the fantasy Fuku-chan had and snickered to her as the cuteness of the idea wouldn’t be so bad. She turned her attention back before anyone could catch her daydreaming and wrote down the last page of notes before heading off to lunch.
Fuku-chan woke up later than usual as she gained back the energy from the draining day. She took a quick shower and headed off to work where the baker was in work mode pushing out the pastries for the day. Sayu was corralling the pieces into the box as she arrived with a yawn as her greeting.
“You’re late.” The bunny grunted as she handed off the responsibility to the waitress as the bake hinted a smile towards her.
The baker lifted up the hot pan and tossed into the basin of hot water and soap as he patiently waited for his next set to pop out of the oven at any moment. Fuku-chan counted up the pastries within the box and followed up the count for the rest noticing the variability of the boxes. She shook her head and organized the boxes as best as she could with the new set shoveling out of the oven. Realizing the peak in orders since she started, she organized the boxes by names, and set them side by side as the delivery person loaded his car.
The clock had struck noon and the orders were out of the way but the ones for service would be late by an hour. Fuku-chan decided to draw up a sign delaying the opening for today by an hour and the sign caught Sayu’s eyes away from the mirror for a second and received the instant praise from the bunny.
Sayu posted outside backwards and flee without noticing the mistake and the waitress managed to get it correct before coming back to the waiting area with the first tray of hot pastries. Fuku-chan glanced up again and rushed out to the front to open the entrance. Luckily, the pastries were out to cool before the first customer was allowed into the café.
The small crowd took little time getting their orders in and Fuku-chan was passing them out like hotcakes. Every customer had a smile to Sayu’s delight and eventually slowed to a standstill. The waitress swiftly cleaned each of the table before relief came in half an hour later for the next crowd of people to arrive.
Eripon changed in the back fleetly getting to the front to serve the first couple of her shift a fresh strawberry tart. The waitress took the opportunity to train her in brewing the tea which was half the workload. The younger girl placed the kettle on the stove and headed out to the front to get the customers’ orders before returning to the steaming kettle and pulled it to the side to settle.
The baker entered through the backdoor observing the new worker handling the kettle and prevented the tea bags from falling into the pot and let it steep before making cups for the customers. The afternoon went by smoothly until a group of high schoolers took a corner and started to vandalize the booth.
“Fuku-chan, can you tell them to stop?” Sayu said in a low voice as the corner was becoming a mess.
She slowly walked up to the group and faced them with a sense of honor and saw the paper balls thrown at her. She shielded her face as they laughed at her and from the other side of the room; an older woman approached them with a cunning smile but quickly turned into an evil grin as she grabbed the first one by the ear. The other two were pummeling her back as she knocked both with a sweep. The group was in disarray and evacuated from the place without saying anything more.
“Are you okay?” She asked as she picked up the broken pieces from the floor.
Fuku-chan nodded slowly as she helped the woman finish up the cleaning with customers slowly filing in. Eripon took their orders and pushed them out quickly without any problems. The two finished up picking up whatever they could and thanked the woman to help them rid of the scoundrels from doing any more damage. She left before the doors closed for the day and Risa came from the back to pick up her box.
“Fuku-chan, I think I’ll make this the final payment for yours. As for Ikuta-san, do you want to be fitted today for uniforms?” The girl looked up at the clock and shook her head realizing that she had to leave to get home before the darkness arrived.
Risa poked her head out to introduce Ai to the group and the bunny finally saw her longtime friend with mirror still in hand as they chatted about the last time they had met each other while in college. The bean took a seat and opened the box filled with sweets and bit into one of them realizing it might be a while before she could leave the premises.
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Well I had some time to write this one and I really need to find some guidance to motivation :nervous
Chapter 8
With the conversation passing the first hour, Eripon followed Risa to the shop to get the dimensions for her uniform. The younger of the two walked like a snail with the sun setting only giving a little light to walk through the alley. The bean looked back and hurried to turn on her shop lights to calm her fears down.
She entered the shop and saw the stool in the middle of the room with all the furniture cleared out to the side as Risa grabbed her tape measure.
“Stand on it.” She barked as she untangled the fairly used plastic.
Risa kneel down on the floor and measured her right ankle’s circumference, and then quickly wrote it down on her clipboard. Without notice, she wrapped it around her mid-thigh and Eripon let out a short giggle catching the bean’s attention.
“Are you okay?” She asked with her pencil in her mouth and squinting to find the closest measurement point.
Eripon flashed an OK sign and Risa stood up to get her midsection. Eripon showed her reservations about lifting her shirt but quickly threw them away as she lifted enough for the bean to get her measurement. She could feel her breath on her bare skin and the case of nerves got her to shiver for a quick second. However, she was far from normal and closed her eyes to gain back her composure not noticing she was on the chair, she wobbled for a bit, and her body pushed the chair from under her.
A person walking by heard the crash and opened the door to see the girl on top of the uniform maker with their lips inches apart. The look of shock on Risa’s face said everything and the walker bowed her head before closing the door behind her.
“Mou, you’re heavy.” Risa turned the girl off her and dusted off.
Eripon was dazed from the accident as she looked up at the ceiling and she smelled something coming from her lips. She ran her finger over her top lip and sniffed it for a moment. Her mind started going at a quick pace as the panic was becoming obvious on her face and turned her over and bowed while she was on the ground.
“Get up.” Risa lifted her from the ground and dusted off the girl as she kept her head down.
Eripon lifted her head as she started to tear up and Risa quickly embraced her as a mother would and released her grip. Eripon stood up straight to finish up the measurements and Risa escorted her to the street so she could return with Risa getting to the tail end of the conversation.
Ai glanced over at her partner and noticed the bruise on her cheek. She poked the bean’s cheek with her partner giving a wince. Sayu quickly went to the back to get a cold pack from the freezer and instantly put it on the bruised area. Risa held it to her cheek as she pondered over the girl’s reaction.
Eripon jogged back home feeling her lips every step of the way. The weird feeling was cramping her midsection and stopped a block before her house to catch her breath. Her mind replayed the whole scene and she couldn’t believe that she had kissed her. However, her heart was pumping quicker with every thought of the bean and even trying to shake it off made her anxious to apologize for kissing her. Eripon got her energy back to push to her house and arrived with her maids setting up the table for dinner.
She headed up to the bathroom and locked herself inside to shield everyone away from her as her thoughts were being scattered on the floor. On one hand, her feelings toward Fuku-chan were strong and by working side by side, she has a strong bond between them. Then, the new found crush in Risa was giving her a weird feeling in her stomach but her bipolar personality was problematic towards her.
Her thoughts consumed most of the time in the bathroom as she laid down looking up at the ceiling. Every issue was aiming toward how she can break through the wall with Fuku-chan while ridding of the feelings toward Risa. Once she heard the knocking, she opened the door to Riho with her eyes aiming towards her and her hands shaking at her side. Then, Zukki wrapped her arms around the other maid to prevent any damage she would do to the older girl.
“Eripon, are you okay?” Riho irritated by the two girls around her.
“Don’t get mad at her because I placed the utensils in the wrong place.” Zukki said cutely causing an annoyance to her partner.
“Don’t worry; I was just thinking about stuff. I’ll eat while you guys prepare my bath.” The two maids nodded as she headed back downstairs for her meal.
She took a seat in front of the hot food and picked apart the fish skillfully avoiding the bones. Her chopsticks moved at a constant pace until the meal was all in her stomach. She felt her phone vibrating and it was another text from Fuku-chan talking about her boredom, which entertained the girl, and returned a text about doing something on her own and suggested cleaning her room.
Her reply made her giggle and she headed up to the bathroom for her bath, it was a pleasure to have people help you with your every need but the emptiness was still unfilled within her mind. As she sat in the tub, her mind started to swirl about what she could do to help around the house. Her maids seemed well prepared for anything that she has requested in the past but what if she could learn or talk to them at an even level.
The maids looked at the time and wondered if Erina was okay in the bath and Riho popped her head into the bathroom seeing her head tilted up at the ceiling. She crept in closer to find her eyes blinking fast before the clear water scared her away.
“Riho… may I speak to you and Zukki after my bath?” The maid nodded as she excused herself before she had any more exposure to her own demise.
Ten minutes later, Eripon was dressed for bed and invited the maids to have a seat. It seemed unusual for anyone to be casual in this setting especially when they would get berated for a poor performance but Eripon’s calm demeanor indicated a different type of conversation.
“I was wondering if you could help me with something.” The two maids nodded simultaneously.
“I know that I may be out of my mind when I decided to work but I like somebody.” Zukki scooted her chair in closer as Riho kept her distance.
“Who is it? Is it a boy? Maybe it could be someone mysterious?” Zukki was going tangent as Riho closed her mouth from behind.
“Let her speak, Zukki before I get my cider drink and not talk to you.” The other maid pouted as Eripon continued on with her thoughts.
“It was the waitress who gave me a pastry when I decided to stay in the rain. I didn’t want to bother anyone but she was nice enough to get me some food. I feel weird when I am around her but today I kissed someone else.” Zukki gasped at the remark while Riho smirked.
“You kissed a boy.” Zukki gasped again as Riho shook her head.
“No… a woman. She was the one to give me the job with father’s permission but I feel that she is mean to me but that what makes her attractive.” Riho nodded as she excused her from the room and came back later with a small bottle of cider in her hand.
“Riho-chan! You are so mean to get cider while the master is talking.” Zukki exclaimed as Riho poured her drink into the cup.
Riho took a sip and placed the cup onto the table. She walked up to the master with her hands on her face and moved in closer with her lips before stopping a millimeter in front of them.
“You need to realize that Fuku-chan has more in common than you know. The woman may not know your intentions but forget about her. Zukki knows that I rarely show my true emotions except for my bottle of cider in which she teases me continuously but you know where your heart lies and stick to that.” Her explanation made sense and she acknowledged that is how she should approach it and wrote down an order for a case of cider which made the maid happy.
“One more thing before you leave, can you teach me how to do some chores?” Both nodded and Zukki left the room while Riho stayed behind.
“How did you know her name?”
“Your phone is always ringing in the morning. I think she stays up late to just text you her thoughts or she is sleep texting.” Riho grinned as she skipped out of the room and Eripon lay her head on the pillow to sleep.
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So Eripon now has a crush on Gaki, oh dear.....
seems as though Riho's advice is sound though.....
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@oddy I really needed the even headed character although a freaked out Zukki always helps :lol:
Chapter 9
Fuku-chan was awakened by her phone vibrating off the table onto the slightly polished wooden floor. She picked it up and scanned over the message to find the message quite amusing. She set her fingers into place ready to reply but decided to doze off instead feeling the slight breeze hitting her face.
A few hours later, she awoke again to the phone but it was Sayu in her usual state of panic and replied back she would be in an hour. She dropped her phone onto the table and head into the bathroom to take wash off her sleep. Fuku-chan felt the warm water pelting her skin thinking about the previous days and popped the text from Erina.
It was a long text in general and every word seemed to confuse her as to approach the situation. She could have replied stating her feelings but that would have complicated the relationship. However, by not replying, it was a sense of rejection from her part as she was trying to duck out of saying her true feelings.
After a few minutes, she turned off the shower to get out and her phone fell onto the ground vibrating on the wooden floor. She rushed out to pick it up to find another text from Eripon's phone and the short message gave her a smile before dressing up for work.
She headed out with her uniform on covered by a thin, red raincoat to brave the passing showers overhead. The sound of the raindrops gave a unique melody to the day and she slowly filled her brain with music while being observant of the vehicles on the road. Fuku-chan arrived at ten o'clock with the baker sitting in the back taking a smoke break.
"Where's Michishige-san?" The baker pointed towards her office.
"I see. Thank you." Fuku-chan headed toward the door and positioned her hand to knock but Sayu's head popped out.
"You're late."
"Not really. You just forgot that I am part-time." The waitress' smile pissed off the owner and closed the door in front of her as the pastries were laid out on the counter.
She folded up the boxes and scanned over the orders as she prepped the boxes as it was ordered and placed the receipts onto the boxes while the baker looked at his watch waiting for his next batch. Fuku-chan swiftly called the customers to pick up their orders and headed to the café to clean the tables for service in the afternoon. The gloomy morning soon turned clear and the energy was soon picking up among everyone.
Then, another vibration interrupted her thoughts as she looked at her phone and it was another message from Eripon asking about the café. She took a picture but a sudden jolt of pain came onto her side and she headed to the bathroom to seek the problem. The waitress poked at the tender area and realized she had over stretched and leaned onto the wall with her arms above her head. Without realizing anything, she had sent a picture of her in the bathroom instead.
Fuku-chan heard the phone vibrate again and took the call without noticing who was on the other line.
"Are you okay?"
"Eripon what's wrong?" She asked as the pain slowly subsided.
"You sent me a picture of you stretching in the bathroom." She looked at her history and noticed she had just done that.
"Gomen. I was going to send you a picture of the clean café but I felt something sore so I went to the bathroom to stretch out and sent you the picture by accident."
"Okay. I hope you feel better." Eripon hung up and the waitress sighed at her action.
After a few more stretches, she headed back into the kitchen to turn on the kettles for tea and set up the boxes of pastries for the day's service. The baker was never aware of the demands of the customers until Fuku-chan came along and mentioned about setting up the amounts differently which lowered the cost of production. She organized it in her way and opened the door to the first group of customers.
Eripon still felt the eyes drilling into her about her job but it was less brutal as the people just avoided her like she was vermin and walked off the grounds without any incident. She headed toward the shop first to check on her uniform but Risa had closed early for the day and went off to the rear entrance to change. She noticed the café was packed with people and quickly relieved the impatience of the customers by getting their orders in before they started leaving.
The two were working in harmony getting the orders and tea ready for the customers. It was going smoothly until Eripon's father came in with Kamei. She froze midway between the kitchen and the table as she hinted Fuku-chan to get their orders for her in which they periodically switched areas. The younger girl glanced often at the table as they had their conversation. She was aware that she had rejected the ideas from her and her father unsuccessfully swayed towards her.
"Eripon, that woman has been around here before. Do you know her?" She nodded.
"Okay, I'll take care of them. You just get everyone on your side of the café." Eripon nodded as she turned to find Risa in the front.
"Ah, Ikuta-san. I'm sorry I haven't worked on your uniform yet. Business came up and I needed to do that immediately." She started to look around and walked toward her father's table. Her heart started to beat faster and suddenly she saw the napkin float in front of her and she managed to catch it on the fly.
"Wake up. We need you to be focused." Fuku-chan snapped her out of the trance.
She pounced on the next few orders as the crowd slowly died but the three were still in their conversation. Eripon headed towards the group ready to inform them that the shop was closing but her feet felt like cement bricks causing her to slowly go to them and Risa waved her down.
"I have news; Kamei has offered to make the uniforms. She knows that you rejected the designs on your father's behalf but she is willing to take my designs and move forward with production." She slowly nodded.
"In addition, Risa has let you off the hook so you are not in debt with her." Her father added as she looked over at Risa.
She felt tense just looking at her as the flashback of the previous day came into mind but was quickly wiped as Fuku-chan offered the bill to the group and pulled the younger girl out of the way. Eripon headed to the kitchen to pick out the extras and took a small bagful for herself. However, she had that image in her mind and wrapped her arms around Fuku-chan.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked as Eripon dug her face into her back.
"Do you sleep text?" She mumbled out as the baker tilted his head back with a loud roar.
"No, but I know you receive them and you don't like to reply." She stuck her tongue out and brushed Eripon's hair away from her face.
"I think my maid does that." She said with a smile as Fuku-chan shook her head.
"When you do reply. please say it is you." She nodded as she took her bags home from work.
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Hmm seems as though maybe Eripon and Fuku-chan are relying on each other more and more, seems as though Eri's plans are seeing to this in a way....
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@oddy it gets eerily closer XD
Chapter 10
Eripon let out a yawn as she dragged her body back home. She was feeling the toll of working and attending school as she closed her eyes for a few seconds and immediately opened them back up noticing she didn’t move an inch. She felt a strange presence like someone was following her and turned back to find the waitress a few steps behind her.
“I wanted to walk with you home since I was curious about your house.” Eripon paused and slowly led the way as her body was becoming heavy with exhaustion setting in.
“You have a maid?” Fuku-chan asked as Eripon stuck out two fingers.
“Wow, they must tend to your every need.” She shrugged her shoulders and kept up her turtle pace.
The waitress admired the fact Eripon had maids but it seemed weird that she would consider working instead of being helped around and then she realized the reason why she had avoided that table. Eripon looked back with a smile as Fuku-chan was drifting away with her thoughts and caught up right before the street light.
“Is there something wrong?” Eripon didn’t answer and Fuku-chan grabbed her shoulders.
Fuku-chan elevated her voice and the younger girl turned and fell into the waitress’ arms. Her weight pushed Fuku-chan back a couple steps as she tried desperately to hold her up. She laid her down onto the pavement as she opened her eyes and quickly apologized.
Eripon stood up as Fuku-chan grabbed her bag and headed home without exchanging words. Fuku-chan observed the two maids by the gate with their eyes straight at the waitress as Eripon approaching them. She dropped the bag off to Zukki and let the exhausted teenager go into the house.
“You must be the one texting her.” Riho scanned her and looked over to Zukki as she placed the bag down on the ground.
“You must be the ones texting me back that she likes me but she has never said anything about it to me.” She replied back as Riho took her to the back of the house to the porch.
The other maid gave the two tea cups as Zukki sat between them and they looked at each other before the waitress broke the soundless evening.
“Eripon must be spoiled.” She blurted out as the two maids looked at each other.
“She tries to stay away from that. I would take that treatment if I was in her position but I could understand why she would try to earn her achievements.” Riho took a sip from her cup while the waitress placed hers on the table.
Fuku-chan knew they would be in her defense but they seemed to acknowledge Eripon avoiding the title of spoiled brat but it seemed a long ways to gaining that from her. Zukki went back inside and opened the box of album filled with pictures of Eripon in her elementary school years. She opened to one particular page and pointed at the picture with her finger pressing down hard.
“That looks like… me.” Fuku-chan said in shock.
“Eripon always wanted to make friends and I guess you were one of them before her father inherited the school.” Riho glanced at the picture as she took another sip of her tea.
She was surprised that there was a picture of her in the album and began to look through it finding a few people she knew from when she dropped out and mumbled their status at school. The amazement didn’t end there as someone took a picture of a painting that she had drawn during art class and placed it next to hers. That was her favorite piece and she had it wrapped for safekeeping at her apartment. Eripon was normal like any other student but luck just drew her to a better school and education.
“Eripon was shy when she first meets people and warms up to them when she gets to know them but ever since she had attended the school, she never has brought home a friend.” Zukki explained while filling up the guest’s cup.
“In addition, everyone thinks she hasn’t been disciplined for any wrong doing because of her father. However, she rarely puts herself into those situations and would face her father at home. I think they want her to be suspended once to show fairness to the school.” Riho added as Fuku-chan became furious over the classmates.
“I think they should understand that you shouldn’t mess around with people. Many people I know can help her with protection.” The two maids waved their hands rejecting the idea.
“It will be handled.” Riho said with a smile as Eripon stepped onto the porch.
Eripon flipped through the pages with a smirk on her face and pointed out the picture of Fuku-chan and her standing outside a class. She never knew who everyone else was but seeing that old picture made her beam as she felt glad that there was a picture of her at her happiest. She took a seat next to the waitress as Zukki returned with another tea cup and poured one for the girl.
“I never knew had a picture of us.” Eripon took a sip of her tea as they acknowledge the proof.
Fuku-chan looked over at Eripon as she let down her wet, slick hair that stopped right above her shoulders. She had an awkward feeling within her as she smiled and tilted her head. It made her glad that she had visited her but she felt out of place as the group was civilized compared to her. She experienced the feeling only once as she was invited to her cousin’s party. It was a bad experience hanging out with others her age as she was less popular and swung alone on the swings most of the time.
“Ah, Fuku-chan, thank you for taking me home.” She waved her hand as she felt she overstayed her welcome and headed home for the night.
She began to think about school and how she was an outcast because of her abilities to do art and could outperform in her skill without any effort. Her ability to draw out items was amazing for many that artists would witness a masterpiece in front of their eyes. However, it made her feel empty that the people were concerned of her ability to produce an income off her ability. Therefore, she escaped the conversation by leaving without any indication and took it to the real world.
Fuku-chan closed her eyes as she imaged the night sky and held her finger up pinpointing the stars in the sky. While the idea was fresh in her mind, she ran home and drew out a creation that amazed the art form. The moonlight glimmered in the sky as the stars formed a picture of her a female face. The image was countered by another feminine face kissing each other on the lips and shaded it to bring out the hidden picture.
It was a great drawing of the love between two females with passion running through the theme of the painting and released her pencil as the shading was perfect and now was left with colors. Fuku-chan looked outside at the colors and mixed it quickly to get the correct hue and painted it with a fine brush before it could disappear forever. Within an hour, every part was pieced together to make the best scenery picture.
Fuku-chan placed it on her closet door and stepped back to admire her work. It was uniquely different from her previous works and the theme brought back the picture that she had seen earlier. It was a happy picture of Eripon and her posing together. She regretted that she called her spoiled but luckily the maids broke down her doubts. She could finally rest without heavy thinking but she began to wonder if any person out there could shoot down the nervousness in her heart.
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Aww seems as though Riho and Zukki are taking control and teelling Fuku-chan what Eripon is like and laying her fears over Eripon being spoiled to rest! :wub:
Interesting that they knew each other in the past though, I wonder if it was really only passing though.....
hmm seems as though Fuku-chan is getting slowly towrds the point of thinking about her and Eripon together.......
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@oddy I wanted to add intrigue to the story as they were once friends but seemed to move away when they got older and the maids are like her watchdogs
Chapter 11
Erina woke up the next morning to Riho’s voice and saw a message on her cell. She had the day off today because Sayu had an emergency and returned to her hometown for the day. She rolled out and did her daily routine like all students do and came to the table to find breakfast only for her. Except, she noticed in her father’s seat was a note.
Dear Erina,
I had to go on a trip for the week, I forgot to tell you that at the café as I was enjoying company with the two women. Rest assured it isn’t with them but for a school function your classmates wanted to have for year’s end. I hope to return next week.
Love, Dad
Eripon sat down and ate her meal in silence before heading into the car for school. She closed her eyes as the driver headed to the school. Her head was filled with thoughts of school and pondering over her day after school. She woke up as they arrived in front of the school and headed towards her first class.
“Ikuta-san, there is a social tonight, would you like to come?” Her classmate called out to her.
“I’ll pass for today.” She said under her breath and pushed her way through to get to her seat.
The day seemed to drag with the classes progressing at a turtle’s pace, she felt that someone was there jamming the clock from moving anymore faster, and then she had realized that Fuku-chan would probably wouldn’t mind hanging out after school. Eripon heard the bell ring and took out her cell to text Fuku-chan asking if she was free for the day. After jamming her thumbs into the keys, she headed to her next class but was stopped by the crowd that was forming in front of the room.
The teachers were trying to pry off the girls from each other as they threw them away and started attacking each other again until they successfully pinned them against the locker and the crowd dissipate with it. However, the girls were only a distraction as a loud pop came from the bathroom and flooded the floor. The classes evacuated out of the building and declared school to be closed for the day after the incident got the school flowing out with water.
Eripon headed out to the nearest place she could relax and waste a little time away from people, the park. It was slightly overcast but the sun was gleaming overhead and she could take in a little sun for the time being.
“Why aren’t you in school?” The voice boomed in her head as she shot up to find Risa in front of her with a woman by her side.
“School got flooded, so we got out early.” She replied which irked the bean and decided to escort her along with Ai to the shop to protect her from any trouble.
Eripon stayed in the back as the two were talking in the front cleaning up the store. Eripon saw the load on the side and asked Risa if she could do it. Since she was occupied in the front, Eripon threw the load into the washer, and waited for her next instruction.
Ai observed the girl from the front and skipped to the back to find a spare futon so she could nap. She put down the futon and dusted it off as the girl positioned her body on top of it. Few minutes later, Eripon was out cold sprawled out on the futon with the two admiring the cuteness of the girl sleeping.
Fuku-chan decidedly slept in until the afternoon and enjoyed every minute of her rest despite the sun beaming through her torn curtain. The room was at a comfortable temperature with the slight breeze blowing through the window and the heat was warm enough to keep the room comfy. She woke up when she had realized that sleep was escaping her and her grouchiness was giving her the heave out of bed.
She stepped into the shower and let the water hit her to freshen up her senses. That time was like an eternity but she left the shower refreshed and dressed to seek the park artists just scraping by with their work. The park was her second home as nature was the canvas she loved to draw on but always carried a sketchbook for the patrons in the park.
The afternoon was shaded by the large clouds covering the sun but it didn’t stop the other artists to take their place and draw couples walking by. The intention was to have people buy it off the streets and promote their work by word of mouth. Fuku-chan knew many had the talent to do this for no income on most days but they took on a stable job and failed miserably to earn a spot out here.
She sat away from the pond where she usually sit and sketched out the scenery of the artists and the pond beyond them. Sketching was her stress reliever and she could calmly do it for hours, adjusting the picture to her liking or adjust the hues of the colors she likes using but with only a pencil on hand she had to make use of shading. After an hour of intense use, the pencil gave way and she was searching for another one but quickly realized that was the last of the sharpened ones and left the park to visit the art store across the street.
“Welcome.” The cashier greeted her as she headed over to the pencils.
She wanted to be a quick trip but she was amazed by the selection of sizes that she picked up the sharpener, a thicker lead pencil, and a thin graphite pencil. She left after paying for her equipment and walked out to find the clouds were turning dark so she headed home with her new pencils in hand.
Risa woke her up when it was three o’clock and sent her home. Eripon grabbed all her stuff and headed out to the street where she bumped into the baker who was in regular street clothes. She stared at him for a while as the tight white shirt showed off his muscular build. She smiled and walked away from him as fast as possible but he caught her from behind.
“I get no hello.” He grinned as she bowed to him.
“Gomen, I just came from school.” He laughed as she was guilty as charged in front of him.
“Well, I can’t say you were truant because your father would be disappointed in you but please don’t do this again.” He smiled again before heading off the other way.
She hurried home to her maids were their arms crossed and realizing that she was not only late from school but stayed out on purpose because it gave the house a call and she wasn’t home from the emergency. Eripon had the explanation ready for them but surrendered to the maids and walked up to her room to drop off her bag. As she was ready to leave, a text came from Fuku-chan asking about her day off and gave a short reply indicating the trouble and headed downstairs to set up for dinner.
The maids were good at getting Eripon to do certain chores and it was open for her to try and succeeded. However, it was also a mechanism for guilt and they use that to the best of their ability to prevent any problems that is related to her. Eripon laid out the dishes and food for her dinner alone as the maids observed her but were surprised that she invited them to eat with her as appreciation for their hard work.
The three ate heartily with a meal of pork and vegetables. Eripon learned many things about them and always apologized when she became angry for their lack of effort at times but they understood that it was mutual between them and her. However, it bothered her that they were together often and rarely see them apart which gave her an eerie feeling of the obvious: kinship
Eripon finished her meal and headed for her bath without the maids prepping it for her. She sat down after her shower in the bath thinking about Fuku-chan. She regretted not asking about her day when she replied but was at ease that Fuku-chan cared about her and at least in her thoughts she had a mutual thought about her co-worker.
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Poor Eripon, she really just seems a bit down at the moment..... :cry:
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@oddy: Eripon and Fuku-chan have those moments where they doubt themselves more than the relationship. :nervous
Chapter 12
The next morning Mizuki woke to the ringtone and seeing the millions of missed calls from Sayu, she rolled out of bed and answered the phone with her right eye closed. The noncoherent ranting only made her sleepy so she hung up and got dressed to go down to the bakery where Sayu was in a pickle.
She had realized that the ovens were not turned on early enough to start baking. Sayu wasn’t aware of the temperature so she blasted to the highest she could before the baker would check into work. However, it warmed up the back and the lack of air circulation caused a heat wave. When the baker finally arrived, he opened the back door to an exhaust pipe and blinded him.
The baker was washing his face when Fuku-chan arrived at the bakery and they were two hours behind their usual schedule for baking pastries. She threw on an apron and prepped the dough for the pastries while the baker got his eyes back from the heat stream. She started on the first batch while the baker did the second batch hoping one batch could relieve the crowd.
“I think it will be ready for service, go start on the tea.” Fuku-chan threw the apron onto the door and got the two pots filled with water onto the stove.
She noticed that she would have everything ready for service at the moment but knowing that service will be a little late, she moved to the outside sign to draw up the menu for the day. The people slowly moved from the entrance to the garden as they watched her draw up a bunny character representing Sayu and the two following her down a path with chalk. The customers were in awe of her ability that all the items were ready for service.
“IRASSHAIMASE~” Fuku-chan yelled out inviting the customers in as she dusted off the chalk from her hands.
Service was the best yet with everyone wanting a signature of the waitress’ work. Sayu was bothered by the noise out in the restaurant and observed the crowd swarming around Fuku-chan. The bunny pushed through the crowd and noticed the nice artwork outside as they were giving napkins to her.
“Sorry, we need to move this someplace else.” Sayu announced to the crowd and diverted the traffic to the entrance as people had their autographs from the artist.
The crowd shrunk after the first surge of customers was served and Eripon checked in with dished piled high and Fuku-chan was juggling her pens in her hands as she threw them into the cup. The younger girl peeked at the board outside and smirked at the drawing. She knew that Eripon was not part of the picture but she had bigger plans for her when they had everything ready to leave.
The next group filled up the front quickly with orders flying through for afternoon snacks. Two of them were working back and forth to serve everyone before they would get restless. Then, as everyone was served Fuku-chan had prepared her gift for her fellow waitress. Eripon was invited to the back and was given a sketch of the pond; it adapted the light and dark of the shadows on a beautiful afternoon in the park.
“Thank you.” She mumbled as she folded the artwork in half and headed back to the front to seek the next customer.
Risa and Eri walked into the room and took their seats in the corner. Eripon walked up to them and asked for their order as they were holding papers in their hands. Both requested for tea but nothing else as Eripon got their tea cups ready to serve. Fuku-chan froze at the person by the entrance, she escorted the celebrity to the farthest table with a fellow member following her.
“Reina-chan, nice to meet you in person.” Fuku-chan trembled at the sight of the pop singer.
“Oh thank you. Fans are far and few between.” She spat out as her partner ordered a slice of cake to split between them and a pot of the mixed tea.
Fuku-chan composed herself after meeting them but she needed to stay composed in front of them. First, she placed the cake onto the table between them followed by the teapot. Fuku-chan moved away from the table after serving them and observed the duo talking to each other casually. Eripon carried the two uniforms in hand back to baking area before returning to observe Eri and Risa in the back of the dining area.
“You know Reina is here with her bandmate, right?” Eripon shrugged her shoulders.
“Who is she?” She asked as Fuku-chan turned her head over to the table and Eripon wasn’t sure how she should react.
“She is one of the most popular pop singers in Japan. She has come out with a few #1 hits these past two years and has become an idol for cute, tough women.” Her praises were exaggerated to get Eripon interested however; she was concentrated on RIsa and Eri.
Fuku-chan left her fandom as she grabbed the receipt for the two. Eripon walked over to the table to drop off another teapot for them and return the empty pot back to the washer as the other waitress held her camera up showing the picture of Reina and her. She gleefully treasured the picture as it was on the display as Eripon started up the cleaning of the dining area.
The groups left quickly only leaving the two left on the table that Eripon had been waiting on. Eripon swiftly removed the empty pot without them noticing and gave them another five minute before informing them of the closure of the café.
“Thanks for the information, maybe we can return tomorrow?” Risa asked as Eri glanced back at the waitress.
“I guess so… but you will pay for your meal, right?” Eri smiled and handed over 2,000 yen.
“The change is your tip, sorry for taking long.” The two women apologized to the waitress as they scooted out of the area to let Eripon finish her cleaning.
Erina was happy for the big tip, this was the first time she had gotten a tip that was twice the cost of the meal. Sayu never tracked the tips so they could keep it without acknowledging the amount they each had. Mizuki was ready to leave until the bunny invited her into her office and said goodbye to her co-workers.
“I need your help. The customers were raving about your chalk work before opening so I was wondering if you could come in an hour early tomorrow to prep the sign?” She tilted her head and tried to calculate quickly the amount of hours she would need to be at work and silently agreed.
The baker was long gone leaving Eripon left to wait for Fuku-chan and she emerged with a dimple. She paced past her without mentioning anything and Eripon had to halt her from going further to get an explanation. Fuku-chan was tight-lipped about the new responsibility and Eripon knew that she had gotten something for her artwork. Despite her begging, Mizuki won over the younger girl and quickly diverted the subject.
“You have been learning quickly.” She praised as Eripon began to blush.
“Only a great teacher can give me instructions like that.” The elder girl smiled as she held her hands together.
“I wanted to know how is school…?” Eripon smiled nervously but couldn’t give an answer.
“I mean, has it changed from the teacher giving you a hard time if you don’t like doing the work?” Fuku-chan prodded again but it came with an answer.
“It hasn’t changed dynamically.” Fuku-chan nodded.
“I see. I never liked school but I will need to come back if I do require a promotion.”
“Why not do art school? You are skilled at that.” Eripon’s suggestion gave her a great idea and ran home to start on her portfolio that was need for entry.
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Nice to see Fuku-chans art apprciated like that and it seems as though Eripon has come up with a plan for her too with art School, I wonder how Mizuki will act....
Reina huh, wonder if she is gonna feature more in this story now too......
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@oddy: IDK if Reina will make another appearance but maybe occasional appearances at the cafe :nervous
Chapter 13
She looked into her closet as the book she had kept since she was little was filled with drawings to her liking. However, she wasn't confident that they would take them seriously and looked deeper for a painting of the pond.
After removing her old shoe boxes, the painting appeared in front of her. It was dusty but still in decent shape to show her diversity in the field. Now, she needed to find a school willing to interview her but without internet in the apartment, she was forced to go to the nearby café for research purposes.
Fuku-chan grabbed her old school ID card and headed down to see if they would let her pass. The manager was kind enough to let her pass by this one time hoping for an updated photo ID. She jumped onto the computer and surfed schools that had interested her. After an hour or research, she had six schools that had grabbed her interest, and paid the fee for the usage and extra for the favor.
She ran back to her apartment to take a shower before sleeping and looked at the list in front of her. Confidence flowed through her that at least one would take a chance but sleep was near and decided to wait for tomorrow to take on the challenge.
Erina returned home to the two maids talking to each other in their non-working uniforms. Eripon liked the fact that they could also be girls within the house as company for her and she let them eat dinner with her when her father went on trips.
The smell of curry filled the room and the three sat around the table as the cook gave them curry rice. They each had a smile as they dug into their meal without reservations of her father.
"Ikuta-san. I mean Erina, how was work?" Zukki took another spoonful to fill her mouth.
"It's been good, I feel better outside of the house." She replied as Zukki elbowed her partner as she was pouring cider into her cup.
"Cider. I spilt some." Riho whispered as she looked up at Eripon.
"That's great. I wish we could have a fun job." She joked as her fist met Zukki's thigh for spilling the cider on the table.
Eripon respected that they worked hard and earned the appreciation of her father. However, they were being deprived of their livelihood and had secretly promised that they would have an outing if she could get the plans together.
"I am jealous that you two have been great friends to each other." Eripon took another spoonful to her mouth as the two maids looked at each other.
"Don't you have that girl? She is nice and kind-hearted. Not many would be calm with you around." Riho smiled at Eripon.
"What do you mean? I do my best." Zukki turned to whisper to Riho as she nodded.
"Yes, but you panic when something doesn't go right. She has been helping you throughout the process so she has been covering for you. You may not realize it now, but she does have deep feelings for you if she was willing to help as always." Riho explained as Zukki nodded to her.
Eripon began to figure out the intentions behind everyone. Fuku-chan was relived that someone was helping her with the duties but it seemed unusual that her amount of patience was high for a person like her. Risa was one to step up and make the uniforms for her despite her faher's intervention, she won out with determination. Finally, Sayu, despite her demeanor as owner, was becoming an important part of the success.
"I never realize I do panic at times but you guys laugh when I lose stuff and you guys know where it is." The maids nodded in tandem.
"We are all knowing." Zukki signaled with her hands as Riho shook her head.
"I'll prep my own bath. Thank you for helping me." The two maids washed their plates and headed back to their room as Eripon dropped off her plate in the sink and walked into the bathroom.
Erina turned on the water and ran her hand under the stream and gently turn the knobs until it was the perfect temperature. She stripped down to nothing and stepped into the shower to wash off the day. She thought about Fuku-chan for an instant and suddenly noted that she should send a text after the bath.
Eripon rinsed off the last of the soap and jumped into the hot bath to relax. It was pleasurable to not have the maids to worry over her for a night but it felt lonely that they were not in the bathroom to talk to her which gave her a chance to dream about her future.
The time went by quickly as she finally felt the water loses its heat and exited the bath realizing it was close to bed time. She rushed out and put on her pajamas to start on her homework. It was the race against time before she could manage some shut eye for the next day.
Fuku-chan spent the next few days before work to get interviews but only could muster one of the schools she had selected. It seemed many were unimpressed with her tone or declined because of the waiting list. Luckily, she could afford to miss a day because of Sayu’s uncharacteristic kindness toward the waitress.
She stepped into the school with her portfolio under her arm as she began to admire the art work in the lobby. The names were not familiar to her but the works were reminiscence of a museum of modern art. She ventured up to the front desk and was escorted to the meeting room.
“Fukumura Mizuki?” She stood up to shake the woman’s hand.
“I’m Iida Kaori and I run the Dream Academy. Thank you for your inquiry.” She bowed to Fuku-chan and took a seat across of her as she handed over her portfolio.
“Thank you for taking the interview, Iida-san.” She bowed as Iida looked through the work and spread it over the table.
Iida analyzed each of the work with her keen eyes and held it up to the light for a while before moving onto the next piece. She kept the same expression through all the works until the picture of the painting and she slid it over to Fuku-chan’s side of the table.
“You have this at home?” She nodded to the headmaster.
“This will be used against you because I see a lot with people who paint for money.” Fuku-chan understood the situation and accepted her decision.
Iida gathered up the works and took it out of the room leaving the girl to ponder over her decision to leave the picture in the portfolio. She never realized many had been using their paintings for money. She was guilty of it but everything else was treasured to her as it reminded her of the rough past. Fuku-chan held her hands together and said as many prayers before she returned.
Iida returned after thirty minutes and placed the works back into the portfolio. She returned the portfolio and placed a paper over it. She glanced over the paper and saw her faith.
She was going to be passed over.
Fuku-chan wanted to beg but she felt she wanted an explanation and stood up to bow towards her as she held back her feelings.
“We decided that your art is excellent but we had concerns that you will sell your art while you are enrolled which is against school policies. You have the right to file a petition to fight the decision.” Fuku-chan shook her head.
“I won’t, I respect your decision.” She bowed again and walked toward the door but a voice had stopped her.
“Apply again.” She turned to find a student on the floor bowing towards her.
Before she could ask for the reason, the student turned toward Iida.
“She liked doing this. You cannot go against her because it was a need for money. She has talent to flourish in this school so please reverse your decision.” Fuku-chan walked up to her and lifted her head.
“Don’t do that. She is right and I am sorry for doing that in the past.” Iida held up her hand and flashed a smile.
“You are a good person and I understand the situation but please do apply again because I can look over the selling as a one time occasion.” Mizuki smiled and nodded to her as she left the facility with a new confidence in her work.
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Aww Eripon wants to do something for her loyal maids! :wub: Seems as though however much they tell her though, Eripon still can get Fuku-chan's feelings for her.....
So Mizuki gets into the art school if she applies again, I wonder who the student was who helped her out?
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@oddy We will find out soon enough
Chapter 14
Eripon woke up the next morning feeling drowsy and was burning up with a fever. Riho noticed her walking like a zombie in the hallway as she felt her head.
"Call the driver, she is ill." Riho said in a soft voice to the other maid downstairs as the car drove away from the house.
Eripon slid under the sheets as the maids grabbed the necessary items to lower her fever with the cook assisting with making a quick soup for the sick girl. As she tried to keep her eyes open, she felt that she was admitted to a hospital. Despite being conscious, she was in her own world and everything around her had grown slow.
"Eri...pon... are... you... hungry?" She moved her head slowly as Zukki came in with soup and a glass of water on a tray.
"Thank you." Eripon sat up and looked at the soup gently feeling the steam on her face before picking up the spoon for the first taste.
The mix of saltiness and sweetness filled the mouth and gently flowed down to her stomach. She let out a sigh as she scooped another spoonful of liquid for her appetite. Eripon enjoyed the soup with the small bits of liquid going into her body. She turned to find Riho with the phone in her hand.
"Hello."
"Are you okay?" Her father's voice was slightly panicked which meant he knew that she was sick.
"Just fatigue and a fever."
"Good, Riho called to say you weren't going to school so I wanted to ask how you are feeling." Eripon let out a sigh as her father's concerns were parental.
"By the way, I'm coming home tomorrow. The trip got cut short because of weather. I hope you get better soon." He hung up the phone and Eripon grabbed the glass of water for a sip before Zukki took the tray away from her.
"Is your father returning home soon?" She motioned to the maid as she nodded and left the room for her to rest.
She began to start her rest but was interrupted by the cell phone ringing. She pressed the button to take the call and could hear the other person as she held onto her phone.
"Eripon, you sound sick." Fuku-chan replied as she let out a exhausted sigh.
"Yeah, sorry I can't go to work today."
"Don't worry about that, your health comes first but does Sayu know?"
"No, can you tell her for me?"
"Sure, get well soon." She hung up her phone as Eripon grew curious about Fuku-chan's day and texted a message of encouragement.
She waited a few minutes before dozing off to sleep but at least she could give something for Fuku-chan's hard work and an appreciation message for her. Eripon wanted to wait for the reply but was exhausted in fighting her sickness and slowly went to sleep.
Fuku-chan flipped her phone and a message came up on her screen. She scanned it once and then looked over each character with careful consideration. She closed her phone to let the message settle into her mind and let out a few tears as she desperately fought back her emotions before calling Sayu as a late substitution but she decided to close for the day.
Now with the rest of the day to herself, she decided to visit her co-worker at her home. She dialed the number to Eripon's cell and it was quickly answered by the maids.
"Fuku-chan, don't you have work?" Riho asked.
"Sayu closed shop for today." The maids looked at each other before replying back.
"You cannot come over today, sorry for the inconvenience." They quickly hung up without Fuku-chan accepting the situation but she texted back a thank you before heading the other direction towards her apartment.
Fuku-chan began to think about the student who stood up to the headmaster and secretly she wanted to ask about the curriculum but she thought it was a one-time meeting and just accepted that she would never see her again. As she approached the building, there was a girl standing at the gate with her bag under her arm.
“She knows where I live.” Fuku-chan said to herself as she turned back to hide from her sight.
Fuku-chan never liked stalkers but this one was weird in particular because she knew who she was plus her location but also gave Iida a reason to give her another chance. Weighing between the two choices, Fuku-chan felt her weight go forward and fell onto the pavement as the girl approached her.
“Hey, I was wondering why you were hiding out.” She smiled at her as she extended her hand.
“You followed me one day and I never could leave that thought out of my mind but I heard it was a girl who admired my work, so I tried to figure out her. I guess you went to the Dream Academy to pursue your dream.” She shook her head.
“My name is Iikubo. First name Haruna. It is a pleasure to meet you.” She bowed toward the younger girl and took out a comic that inspired her to do manga as her specialty.
“Manga is a great art form, although you bought the only work I ever sold. Does Iida know that you have the art work?” She shook her head.
“Iida has no idea that the artwork is in my possession and was given off to an appraiser.”
“How much would it cost?”
“It was an appraiser to help you get into the school because he is a top-level critic. I hope Iida will hear from him soon.” Fuku-chan nodded as she realized that the second-chance was much closer than she thought.
“Thanks… why are you helping me?” She looked up with a sly smile and grabbed the cell phone out of the younger girl’s hand.
She punched in a few things and gave it back to her thinking that it would be here number but it was something different. Haruna wanted pastries and typed in her number for pick up.
“You know I work for a café?”
“Sayu is my cousin so she is angry that you took off.” She smiled with Fuku-chan putting her head down hiding her smile.
“Okay, deal. I will give you a dozen whenever you are in the neighborhood.” She agreed to the terms and went on her merry way.
Fuku-chan returned to her apartment happier than before but a little irked that the stalker was the one who ended up helping her.
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so it was Haruna at the art collage, hmm seems she is really keen to hep out Fuku-chan.
Aww poor Eripon is sick? no wonder Fuku is worried! :cry:
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@oddy Haruna will be interesting to follow up XD
Chapter 15
Eripon woke up to find her father by her side running his hand over her forehead. His smooth, warm hands were a welcoming feeling as he was halfway between changing to check on his daughter. His mouth started to quiver as he wanted to say something to hear but his lips wouldn’t let him speak.
“Welcome home.” She said in a weak voice.
“Thank you. Are you okay?” She nodded slowly as he looked at the clock in her room.
“You’re still a little warm, I will call to say you won’t make it in today.” Eripon agreed as she turned over to get more rest.
Riho and Zukki walked in with another bowl of soup but were stopped by her father blocking the doorway as he stung them with his eyes and reversed course as he shut the door to talk to them in the hallway.
“Thanks for taking care of her when I was gone. This was the first time I was gone and she has gotten sick.” His tired voice said everything about his concerns.
“You’re welcome; Eripon has been great until yesterday. I don’t know what happened.” Riho looked up as he started to rub his chin.
“Has she mentioned that the work has been overwhelming her?” She shook her head.
“There has been no complaint as of yet… Maybe she was just exhausted or caught a cold in the air.” He looked down at the floor as the dust was at a minimal.
“I am happy you have been taking care of her with Zukki. She likes you two a lot. Have you considered a decision?” Eripon sat up and leaned toward the conversation.
“If you let me take the test, I will consider looking for another place to work.” Eripon took a few steps to the door and heard more of the conversation.
“Well… I never considered taking you out of the running to be qualified but we can always keep it a secret.”
“What about Zukki?” She took a step closer as the younger girl stood behind Riho.
“We can always try another school within the area but would you be okay if you go to cram school?” She looked dejected at the option but maybe it was an opportunity to be away from Riho during the day.
“I’ll do the test too. I think it might be a goal to get in but if I don’t I’ll be fine with whatever is given to me.” Zukki politely smiled and headed into the room where she saw Eripon standing listening to the conversation outside.
“I guess you heard that we may be transferring out if we get accepted to your father’s school.” Eripon slowly nodded her head.
“I’m happy that you and she have been considering it, however, I am still saddened that it may result in forcing you guys out of a job.” Zukki smiled.
“It was considered by everyone and it was best if we left to prevent any confusion, however we would need to move soon.” She paused and shook her head.
“Good luck.” Zukki bowed as she left as her father came into the room and closed the door behind him.
He glanced at his daughter as she knew what the situation was and she understood that it would be great if they stayed but the issue still lies with preparation. He had his resignation papers ready in case of any problems which made him fearless. He understood that the best opportunity is to get them accepted and into the dorms before any connection would be made.
“You seem at ease.” He smirked as he took a seat at the edge of the bed.
“They deserve a chance.” She replied.
He nodded as maturity was showing up quickly in his daughter. Despite his concerns, it might be good to get a new pair if they do move on but it was no guarantee they would be accepted so he felt confident in them working hard to get into the prestigious school. Eripon acknowledged the problem and if they were going to become better people, they had to risk achieving a bigger goal. She wanted to let out her frustrations on them but she couldn’t let herself show weakness or at least not yet.
Fuku-chan was awaken by a knock on her door and as she yawned, a red-eyed bunny bolted into the apartment ready to choke out her waitress but was stopped by a woman with sunglasses on.
“Oi, is this the waitress who greeted me warmly couple days ago?” She asked Sayu with Fuku-chan glancing back at her.
“Yes, I employed her.” Sayu replied as she crossed her arms and the woman slid past her and lowered her sunglasses.
She went into paralysis as Reina was inches from her as she grabbed the celebrity’s hand and shook it for a minute before getting it pried off by her assistant. Sayu walked out of the room as she grabbed a box and dropped it on the table between them as she flipped them open to fresh pastries.
“I wanted to thank you for being a good worker at the café. I was impressed by your service that I wanted to personally invite you and a friend to a concert.” Reina flashed the two tickets but held them out of reach as her assistant pulled out a piece of paper.
“This is for backstage passes. We need signatures to remove any liability from my part, so where are your parents?” Reina looked around as Fuku-chan’s smile turned southwards.
She wanted to explain that she was left alone to fight the world by herself or tell the truth that she did drop out of school. However, it wouldn’t explain not living with anyone else and seeing the two passes, she looked to Sayu, who tried avoiding contact, to sign for her. In the end, Fuku-chan had to push the paper back, declining the offer.
“I guess it leaves me in a pickle.” She said to her as she flashed the passes again.
“Sorry, I cannot get my parents to sign off as they live someplace else. I would love to take the offer but I cannot allow myself to lie to you.” The idol smiled and slipped the passes into her pocket and handed over two tickets.
“I never had stable parents either. They were busy with their own business that they forgotten about me and I continued on with singing until someone found me during school time.” She explained.
Reina turned emotional after learning her father died without realizing that it was how much she had forgotten about them. She asked a songwriter to portray her message and it became her hit song. She credited her mother for allowing her to visit him and apologizing for being a bad daughter and her mother finally released her as a true adult touring Japan.
“You should find them when you have time. I regret not seeing him passed on but I want to make sure no one else feel the same type of remorse I did.” Fuku-chan nodded her head as Reina put her sunglasses back on and left her apartment.
She was excited enough that she dialed the number twice wrong before getting it right to her partner.
“Are you free Saturday? We can go to the concert together.” She left the message as she began to start her celebration of meeting her favorite idol face to face for the first time in a private setting.
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haha please update fast.!they're going to watch concert together?! haha
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Aww! Eripon's dad cam back to check up on her.
Hmm, so Riho and Zukki are thinking of getting some more education, though Eripon seems happy I wonder if she will really miss them if they do go.....
Reina back in the story, with free tickets for Fuku-chan, of course she is taking Eripon, want to see what happen!
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@maike I shall do that soon enough although I wonder how quickly in the cycle :)
@oddy well with two exiting, I needed another entrance :lol:
Chapter 16
Eripon snickered as she heard the news over the phone as her maids popped in seeing her happy in a long while. In containing her excitement, her father looked at the maids indicating they had no idea what it was about and he walked in with a concerned look on his face.
"Who called?"
"My friend, she got tickets to a concert." Her father looked back at her as he thought about letting her go by herself.
"You need a chaperone before you can go." Her smile disappeared as she realized that they needed another ticket for them to go.
"Awww, do I need one?" He nodded as she dialed her partner's number explaining the situation and she quickly understood.
"I need some time, if I do get one, can I go?" He paused for a minute as he considered the option and came up with an idea.
"I'll let you go if you take my choice as chaperone."
She began to think who he would be talking about and she looked outside the door to find a woman with a purse on her shoulder. She stepped into the room bowing to both her and her father and took a seat on the chair by the mirror.
"This will be your new personal maid, Kusumi Koharu. You must have thought she was my new girlfriend, right?" She shook her head cautiously.
"Nice to meet you Erina-chan. I will take over the responsibilities as your maids study for school." She bowed again.
Eripon analyzed Koha briefly as the slight accent bothered her as she sounded country but she covered that well with her words. She knew that she had to hide the secret relationship as she was closer to her father than her but she wasn't the type to hide her items well behind the veil.
"Anyways, I will take Riho and Kanon to the library to study for the exams, so you can stay here to talk to Ai for as long as you want." He exited the room leaving the two females glaring at each other.
"So, do you have a handsome boyfriend?" She smiled as Eripon slanted her eyes.
"I guess not. It's okay to not have one, you are still young yet." Ai looked away from her noticing an apron on the corner.
"Do you have a part-time job?" She nodded.
"I work at a café."
"Cool, I like the one near here. The owner is nice and likes to greet her customers." Eripon know she wasn't talking about Sayu so it wasn't coincidence that they met before.
"I see. Do you like going to concerts?" She nodded as she flashed a ticket stub from her purse.
"Tanaka Reina's concerts have been great to everyone I could attend except for this one next Saturday." Eripon heard the message from Fuku-chan about that concert and looked up at her.
"I saw her once and she was really nice to my co-worker." Koha's face lit up.
"Uso!!!!!! She came into the café you work at. I'm so jealous but I don't have money to go to another concert but lucky you have a responsible adult like me." Eripon laughed as Koha swung her head around.
"You're not twenty yet." Koha's excitement turned into one of misery as she was shot down by the truth and was surprised that she knew her age.
"At least you have someone watching over you." Her verbal barb made Eripon smile as Koha placed her purse down.
They started to learn more about each other as Eripon began to explain about her father and her feelings towards him and mother's role in her life as she was currently away from Japan. Koha slowly took it in as she asked questions about her likes and dislikes from every possible angle. The older female decided to take the information and leave before her father had returned from the library.
Fuku-chan was bummed that Eripon was going to bring a person with her but if it meant not going, she would have to accept her faith. She stared at the tickets for a few minutes as she replayed the conversation in her mind. It was the part about her parents that she couldn't shake off and she lay back thinking how much her parents would hate her if she lived in a dump like this.
Then, she heard the phone go off and it was an unknown number displayed on her screen. She decided to take it anyway as a mysterious voice came through the speaker.
"Please meet me in the park."
Before she could ask who it was, the person hung up and she looked outside to see the sun peering through the thick, white clouds. She wrapped a jacket around her body and headed to the location filled with questions about who it was and maybe it was her parents trying to talk her back to come home.
Fuku-chan walked into the park seeing the people walking around enjoying the sun and then a person approached her from the east. The person was in plain clothing and holding an envelope in her hand as she was getting closer.
"Excuse me, are you Fukumura Mizuki?" She nodded.
"I am a private spy on behalf of your parents to look for you and asked you to come out here to discuss something important." Fuku-chan gave her an awkward look and headed for a shady area to gain some privacy.
"Your parents have asked to look for you. However, they requested that I speak to you about their pending divorce and they will give you whatever residual or items they cannot agree upon to you as a gift and an apology for being bad parents." Fuku-chan nodded.
"There are about 10-20 items that are in this group and you may consider declining them as you wish."
"How are they?" She looked away for a second and turned her attention to her.
"They are saddened that you left school and made a life out here. However, they feel that you shouldn't have dropped out and gave a school a chance even if it meant taking an extra year to graduate." She nodded slowly as she thought about what they might give her.
She opened a catalogue of the items and Fuku-chan immediately took ten off the board as they had relatively no meaning to her. The next picture was a stack of old coins yet to be appraised and she began to consider taking it but insisted on the appraisal but it would not guarantee it would come back to consideration. After a few more declinations, she had settled on a vase and a book of painters.
"If that is all, then I will leave and will return a call to you when you can receive your items." She closed the catalogue and left Fuku-chan.
Learning of her parents' divorce wasn't as shocking as she thought it was and to consider they still cared for her despite leaving only a few months earlier. She looked at the time and walked back to the apartment to start work assuming that Sayu would be there. Unfortunately, the baker had to crack his way into the door to start baking before the rush would come.
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haha i cAnt imagine koha as a personal maid!
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haha i cAnt imagine koha as a personal maid!
that was kinda the idea :lol:
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LOL Koha the maid, this could make things more interesting for Eripon than the Zukki/Riho combo! :lol:
Hmm, Fuku-chans parents are trying to track her down...... interesting!
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Well, I hope that Koharu won't make Eripon feel dizzy :lol:
Oh...Mizuki...kind of interesting :shocked:
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@oddy will it be positive?
@shiawase thanks for the thanks and the addition of Koha will be an interesting addition although I will use an "asset" in her favor
Chapter 17
Fuku-chan kept her eyes on the kettle as she thought about her parents. On one end, she wanted to blame herself for causing the divorce. On the other side, she cared less that they were going to be separated but the fear was if they were going to find her in the city. She thought about cleaning up her apartment one day, when she wasn't working or ask for outside help like Eripon's maids to assist in the cleanup but the cost started to linger.
"Wake up, the kettle is boiling." The baker alertly took it off the stove as she awoke from her daze.
"Is something a matter?" He asked as he leaned on the counter with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"My parents are getting a divorce." He tilted his head as he began to think about trying to comfort her.
"Hard luck. People these days think they are in love and they drop everything at the first sight of danger." He took a sip of his coffee as Fuku-chan put her hands on her face.
"Don't blame yourself for it. We don't know what they are thinking sometimes." He patted her on the head as Fuku-chan tried to wipe the tears with her hand.
"It's... it's that I left home because I dropped out of school. I was thinking that I could achieve my art somewhere but ended up roughing it out here." She explained as the tears were falling gently from her eyes.
"I faced it for myself as a high school dropout but someone gave me a shot to learn and if there was something I did learn. It was apologizing for being a bad child. My parents were still open for my return so I was lucky that they forgave me." He threw her a clean dish towel to wipe her face and took another sip of his coffee.
"Thanks." She walked to the dining area still heavy with thoughts as Sayu walked into the door with someone trailing her.
"Where's that waitress?" Sayu called as she headed into the dining area to find her staring at the towel.
Fuku-chan turned to the bunny with her hands on her hips with a disgusted look on her face and Reina's assistant who held out three tickets in front of them.
"Reina had asked if you needed more, you know just in case this one wanted to go." She shrugged toward the bunny indicating one more needed to be added.
"I guess four in total." She said in a low voice as Aika slid on the other side of the booth.
"Reina actually would give you up to eight for great service here; she likes you a lot as a fan. However, she does have a favor." Fuku-chan perked up her head as Aika smiled with her eyes concentrating on Sayu.
"Would you also consider dinner with her?" Fuku-chan turned her head seeing a dream coming true but then popped in her head her friend.
"With her alone or other people can come in?" Sayu kneel between the two.
"Double date."
"Double date? I... I mean I don't have someone to bring with me." Sayu bonked her on the head with her fist.
"Take Erina with you. She seems nice and you two have been working together for a while now so take her out as a token of your appreciation." Sayu said in a monotonous manner.
Fuku-chan had a feeling that going to have a meal after the concert wasn't in her plans but with Reina being generous, she had to consider that maybe she could enjoy a meal while still being with her. Then, a realization came to her and slowly slid from her seat onto the floor below.
"Fuku-chan, are you okay?" Aika asked as Sayu waived her off as she grabbed the waitress from the floor and shake her violently until she was able to stand on her own.
"I'm fine. I just need some air." She smiled as she rushed out and felt her heart beat once again as she wanted to calm down but it seemed surreal that it might happen.
"She looks pale; maybe you should send her home." Aika suggested.
"I think she saw how her night might end up." Sayu grinned as Aika looked at her clueless to the bunny's thoughts.
Eripon walked back onto the school grounds with little change to the environment as she was neglected as the headmaster's daughter. As she walked into class, the teacher flashed a smile at her which made her happy and found her seat with ease. She felt lucky that her classmate were mild with the torture as being special and rarely asked for special treat even if the majority disagreed with that statement.
"Class, sit down." The teacher yelled out as class began smoothly and Eripon looked at the board as she noticed that she had missed quite a few classes and needed to catch up.
She was fully concentrated on the board until there was an interruption outside and the teacher looked outside to find out the cause of the interruption. The teacher gasped as she ran outside and found a body hunched over in the middle of the hallway. Another teacher came and called from his cell phone. The nurse came and assisted with its breathing as the students came running out to witness the person leaving Eripon left writing down notes.
The bell rung and she stepped outside to see a person on the ground. She moved in closer and began to recognize the face. Eripon ran the other way to her father's office as he came out to hear that a student was on the ground.
"Erina, who is on the ground?" He asked as he fixed his glasses.
"Riho. Riho... “She couldn't say anything more as she took a seat and dropped all her books.
She put her hands together and started to pray for her safety as the ambulance came into the school and helped her to her feet. She was transported to the nurse's office to get observation before they decided to take her to the hospital for further treatment. Zukki ran into the administration room to find Eripon with her hands together saying a prayer.
"Eripon, I don't know what happened. She was feeling okay as we walked to the practice testing room and a second later a saw her on the ground not breathing. I ran to find the nearest faculty member but when I came back people were around her." She explained.
"Was she studying with you?"
"We were but... she seemed okay after we left the library." Zukki began to track their steps back and realized the mistake.
"She had a small breakfast and maybe the stress got her." Zukki theorized.
"I don't know but once we figure what is wrong, we can discuss it to Riho. I gotta get to my next class." She zoomed out of the room and headed for history class.
Eripon hoped that she would be alright. The image replayed in her mind a few times and she tried to eliminate the concern out of her head for a few hours and managed to survive until study period where she walked over to the nurse's office where Zukki sat patiently as Riho was laying down in the bed.
"Hello."
"Are you okay?" Riho looked away for a bit before looking back at her to answer.
"Yeah, just tired." She nodded as Zukki smiled at her friend.
"Your father came by and asked about the conditions. I was comfortable until the heat came from the opposite direction and gave me a headache. That was the last thing I remembered before being in this bed."
"I see. I think he will adjust the doors to not allow the warm wind to come in too quickly." Eripon looked outside the door before coming back inside.
"Fuku-chan is taking me to a concert." She said gleefully.
"Reina? I wanted to see her live." Zukki imitated the idol to Riho's discontent.
"That's great to hear but the new maid... How is she?" Eripon shrugged as she had to go through training while they were out of the house.
"I guess you might have some fun with her." Riho giggled as they all joined in.
"Maybe, but you guys did a great job." Eripon tilted her head forward in appreciation as she left the nurse's office to head home before work.
Upon her arrival, her phone rang and it was Koha asking about pink clothing. She let out a loud sigh as her walk now became a sprint to save her from herself.
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Well I think we can say that Fuku-chan is excited about the concert and the dinner date, even if she is having trouble with her parents.
Hmm, I hope Riho is Ok........ and that Eripon dosn't end up with too much pink.......
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@oddy: well you get to know how the clothes turn pink XD
Chapter 18
Upon stepping on the porch, a light drizzle started to fall outside as Eripon entered into the house with dinner prepared. Koha swung from the corner and greeted her with a basket of pink clothes in her hands.
"Gomen, I forgot to separate red and whites." She let out a sigh as most of her white clothing was of a light pink.
"It's fine." Eripon looked at her phone seeing a text from Fuku-chan and immediately dialed her number.
She held the speaker up to her ear as she started to slowly walk away from her maid as she waited for her to pick up.
"Hello, are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'll be back at work tomorrow."
"I was wondering if you can stay a little longer after the concert." Eripon bit her lower lip as she pondered over the idea.
"Before you answer, I asked because Reina wanted to have dinner with us. It may be a little later than usual but if you can, it would help me out." Eripon removed the phone from her ear and tried to think about if she would to do it with Koha around.
"The only problem is the maid, she is my chaperone." She answered.
There was a slight pause before Fuku-chan went back to the phone. Eripon anticipated a definite no and even if Koha was willing to, how could she not see Reina.
"... I guess we can do it with her around but I don't know how Reina would take it."
"I'll try to distract her somehow." Eripon hung up the phone as Koha came around the corner trying to find her.
"Important phone call?" Eripon nodded.
"I guess it is about the concert. Am I not invited?" Eripon resisted to give away the secret and just walked away to her room.
Koha looked at the pink clothes and threw them back into the basket as she tried to make them white again for the third time today. She didn't like people holding secrets and would bug them until the person would give in or angrily shove her away. However, her father had explained that it took her a while to open up to the previous maids. Koha wanted to be close but it was how to approach her that seemed tricky.
Eripon closed the door behind her and designed a plan to rid of Koha for a while and have dinner before she would notice that she was gone. First option was to tell her the truth but not knowing her personality would create difficulties.
Second, she would have to divert her attention after the show. That would have to take luck and skill to do that and to find something that can drive her attention away would be miraculous. It seemed the best of the options as she would let her take the responsibility when she would make the mistake.
The final option was to decline the opportunity and that would be the final of the choices if two didn't work out or option one came to life by accident. She didn't want Fuku-chan to see her as sheltered although she had seen her house. But, she wanted to be free from any control by her father.
Just as she felt confident in what the plan should be a call came from her father. She looked at the number and noticed he was still working at school.
"I have to go on a trip. There is an emergency meeting with the headmasters, so I don't know when I'll be back. Koha will take you to the concert." Eripon nodded as the father hung up.
She had three days to think of a plan without her father's direct interference while still training Koha who was soaking wet from the laundry.
Fuku-chan pulled through her shift and decided to walk home with the raindrops slowly falling on her head. She tried to cover them with her hands but it didn't protect her enough and decided to take shade when it got heavier. She stood under covering until she saw a person handing over an umbrella.
"Take it." The umbrella tip poked her causing her to turn.
"Thank you, Niigaki-san." The bean smiled at her as Ai lifted her big umbrella for both of them and left the covering.
She opened it up and continued her path to the apartment. As she reached the front gate, she had noticed a light was on in her apartment. She rushed to the landlord below and knocked on his door furiously as he opened it to see the girl partially soaked from the rain.
He had explained that she was her mother and was forced to give up the apartment because Fuku-chan was a minor. She ran up to the apartment to find her lay out with a cigarette in her mouth as she was dozing off after a few drinks.
"Welcome home." She greeted with a drunken slur.
"Why are you here?"
"Your father kicked me out. So, the private detective told me you live here and I decided to explain myself as a mother should and got the keys to the room."
"Get out." The woman stumbled out of the couch and waddled over to the girl.
"You need me because I'm an adult."
"I don't need you, just get out." She yelled as the woman lifted her hand and slammed it against her cheek.
"You better listen to me before I sell you out." Fuku-chan pushed the woman to the door before she managed to get her feet anchor her position.
The woman turned and slashed Fuku-chan across the face. She fell onto the ground outside and she quickly closed the door and locked it. She felt her face stinging from the scratch from her nails. The red marks on her face were slowly coming down so she washed off before she had a chance to come into the room where se started to kick the door with her feet.
Minutes later, there was a knock at the door and she looked outside to find the landlord with her mother. She slowly opened it to let the landlord come in leaving her mother who was scratching at the door outside against the landlord's strength.
"Looks like you got into a fight." He commented as the scratch was still raw.
"You have to kick her out. I know her well enough that she will get violent if she doesn't sober up." The landlord took out his phone and called the police.
It took an hour to get her mother out of the building and the landlord had asked Fuku-chan to move out because she needed an adult to be with her. She flipped through her book and asked Sayu to stay over for the night. She explained the situation and the bunny hesitantly let her stay.
Fuku-chan felt the scratch again on her face and closed her eyes as the pain was unbearable. Sayu came to pick her up and took her to the hospital to clean out the wounds before arriving at the bunny's one room apartment.
"Sleep on the floor for now, you had a long day." She greeted as Fuku-chan dropped her stuff and immediately slept.
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lol poor Koha, not having the best of times with the laundry! :cry: And Eripon is plotting of a way to get rid of her for a few hours!!!
Hmm, poor Fuku-chan, it's sad her mother would do that to her, I hope she will not suffer to much through this.......
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AHAHAHA, laundary is not always a piece of cookie :lol:
For poor Mizuki, I hope she will be alright whatever happen after this :cry:
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@oddy elaborate planning
@shiwase yes it isn't sometimes
The mother thing was kinda last minute thing to add more intrigue to the chapter although this one adds more to a potential new coupling
Chapter 19
A few days later, on the day of the concert, Sayu decided to not open shop today despite the weekends being the busiest time of the week. She was well-aware of it and had to go down to the shop to put up the sign to the disappointed customers as Fuku-chan sat on her couch.
She returned back home hours later seeing the girl sleeping and took a seat on the empty space on the couch. Sayu turned on the tube to watch mid-morning shows and quickly dozed off without her noticing it. As her head tilted back, she began to think about the revenue from the past month which made her glad to employ the waitresses.
Fuku-chan opened her eyes as she felt something warm on her body. She glanced over at her legs to see Sayu sleeping on them but her hands were on her shorts. It didn’t seem weird until she had noticed the button out of the notch and the zipper pulled halfway down.
She began to think about if she slept with it like that but thought it was highly unlikely. Then, Sayu awoke noticing the girl with fear in her eyes. The bunny gave a confused look as Fuku-chan scooted to the other side of the couch.
“Why are you moving away from me?” Sayu asked calmly.
“How is my shorts like this?” She pointed down and Sayu held her hand to her mouth.
“Did you do that?”
“No, someone did this and you were the one next to me.”
Sayu had wondered if her dreams could ever be played out into real life and unfortunately it was happening in front of her and bowed her head.
“I didn’t do it while I was awake, unconsciously I might have done it.” Sayu bent lower as Fuku-chan tried to understand the situation.
The bunny paused for a few seconds before explaining a previous incident with a friend. During a sleepover, her friend had asked her to sleep with her because of the stormy weather outside. She agreed and slipped under the sheets with her. During the night, she had awoken to Sayu’s hand under her shirt right below her chest. She was surprised that it happened and ended up sleeping on the floor for the rest of the night.
The next morning, she had left without saying goodbye and went home by bus with whatever money she had brought on the trip.
“It seems weird that you did it.” Fuku-chan commented.
“The thing was… I liked that person.” Sayu bit down on her lower lip as she waited for a reply from Mizuki.
“I see.” Fuku-chan buttoned up and left the room to use the restroom leaving the bunny alone.
She turned the corner and placed her head on the wall as her fears were now at a high. She never knew Sayu was unconsciously doing it or purposely knew, but it scared her a lot that she may take advantage of her one night and never know what had happened. On the other side, she liked Sayu despite her lack of work ethic and business intelligence and she had hired her when no one would.
After a few minutes of pondering, she walked into the bathroom to do her business and walked out to see Sayu on her side watching the television. She approached her quietly as she squeezed between her and end of the couch.
“Reina wanted to tell you that I’ll be her date, if you wanted to know.”
“Okay. Don’t you like her?” Sayu turned her head towards the waitress.
“I haven’t really met her yet. She just asked me out of the blue because you were going to the concert. I wasn’t sure if I should go but Aika was explaining to me that Reina had a business proposition, so I decided to go along with it.” Sayu explained as she turned backed toward the tube.
“Eripon has a chaperone so it might be hard to fit everyone around unless you can help me.” Sayu had a smile on her face.
“I can help you there.” Sayu said as they were four hours from the concert time.
Eripon received a text and she smiled at it while Koha was doing minor cleaning around the room and started to vacuum around the room. The noise was unbearable as the suction was getting the dirt deep in the carpeting and she stepped out of the room to reply back.
“Erina-chan, didn’t the maids vacuum?” She shook her head.
“It is really dirty in here, boys don’t like that.” Her smile caused evil intentions in her mind as she said out loudly and hoped for her father to not hear that.
Luckily, the vacuum cancelled out the comment and Koha continued on her ways as she waited for Fuku-chan’s reply for the plan. She ventured over to the maid’s room in curiosity trying to find something about Koha to assist with Fuku-chan’s plans. She turned the knob to a plain room with her laptop still on and shook the mouse to open her screen. There was nothing too much she found except for her messaging software was on and looked at the messages she had received.
“Normal stuff I guess.” She said to herself as she walked out of the room.
She looked down to notice a bag of stuff right by the door as she was ready to close it. She reached into the bag and noticed they were books about fashion. Eripon flipped through the pages and it was mostly about history, it was dry to her mind but it seemed enjoyable.
“You like reading?” Koha asked as Eripon dropped the book onto the floor.
“I guess so.” Eripon stared at her for a few seconds before picking up the book.
“Well, I will continue on my studies when I get into college but I think I’ll like it here.” She grinned as Eripon walked back to her room but felt a hand grab her.
“If you do get a boyfriend, I want to meet him.” She whispered into her ear as she gave an intrigued look.
“I can highly doubt a boyfriend with my father so I probably won’t get one soon…” She replied as Koha winked at her.
Eripon looked at her phone and saw a bunch of text written out for the plan and she jogged to her room to write down every step that was required for her. She was surprised that she was going to take on majority of the plan as she heard the ringtone and answered.
“Reina just called, she has a limousine to pick us up. It will be here in an hour.” Fuku-chan instructed.
Eripon hung up the phone and headed over to Koha’s room to find her door locked. She knocked a few time before Koha answered only showing her head.
“It will come in an hour.” Koha nodded and closed the door again.
“I guess we can start the wheel rolling.” She said under her breath as she put on her clothes for the concert.
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haha d hyperactive koha was doing minOr cleaning?! XD ! woah.!
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Man what is Sayu doing, that's kinda freaky! :panic:
But she might only do it with people she likes....... interesting
Hmm I wonder if Eripon can figure something out on how to get rid of koha with the fashion mags.......
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@maike well they were squeezed with time
@oddy: or another person as for Sayu, it gets worst
Chapter 20
Sayu kept her eyes on Fuku-chan while they were waiting for the limousine outside the complex. She started running through all kinds of scenarios in her head pondering if one could work but still looking at her, it made her heart beat a little faster.
"Sayu, are you okay?" The bunny nodded as she couldn't keep her eyes off her for a second and was in desperation for the limousine.
The limousine pulled up in front of them and they were escorted inside as they drove off. Sayu looked over at Fuku-chan as she was punching her text message. Then, she moved over to sit next to her as she had a plan.
Fuku-chan leaned in to hear her explain the plan and tried to fix certain holes that may be exposed with her. It seemed at the time foolproof but execution was the main component from a good night and a great night. Fuku-chan sent the text and tilted her head back to feel the brisk air conditioning blowing into her face.
"Eripon seems really nice." Sayu said under her voice.
"What did you say?" Fuku-chan looked at Sayu as she felt her hand coming closer.
"Eripon seems nice, I said." Sayu pulled back her hand.
"Oh... yeah it is just..."
"You like her?" Fuku-chan had a small smile on her face.
Sayu felt her heart sank a bit. She should be happy that Fuku-chan had a person she liked but deep inside, it was beginning to torture her. Sayu was frozen in time just playing with two sides of her brain, one wanting to be happy, the other jealous that she had to fight Eripon for her attention. The question was why she had such affectionate feelings for someone younger.
She flipped back to reality realizing her spacing out and the limousine stopped violently causing the two to fall forward. Sayu noticed someone on the bottom of her and looked down to see Fuku-chan trying to block Sayu from putting anymore weight on her.
Sayu began her fight in her head again and just closed her eyes to rattle it out before she could make a stupid decision. But it was too late; she leaned in and felt something touching her lips. She tossed herself onto the backseat and looked down at Fuku-chan who was stunned with her eyes in shock.
"Gomen." Sayu cried as Fuku-chan sat up.
"You weren't lying." Fuku-chan mumbled as she wiped off the lipstick off her lips.
Sayu curled up into a ball while the limousine was pulling up into the driveway. Fuku-chan caressed the bunny's head as she had time to wait for Eripon and her chaperone to enter the limousine.
Eripon was prepared to go to the concert compared to her chaperone, which was still busily picking out her clothing while chatting to her webcam. She had rarely seen any of her maids had a scatterbrained moment but within a fifteen minute span, she regretfully changing in and out of clothing. Eripon could only watch her flash around her selection while she only had her undergarments on.
"Hurry up." Eripon yelled as Koha signaled the okay and put whatever she thought was proper for the concert.
The two headed out to the limousine with high energy. Koha got to the car first and opened the door to a surprise and closed the door. Eripon opened the door and waved to Sayu as Fuku-chan hid from her sight and Koha jumped inside with her arms crossed.
“What’s wrong with her?” Sayu pointed toward the chaperone.
“You.” Koha snapped back as Sayu held her hand up to her mouth.
“What did I do to you?” Koha stuck out her tongue as Eripon looked blankly at both of them.
She stared at Fuku-chan for the whole ride as she smiled at her a few times before looking at Sayu who was still staring at Koha. Eripon scooted next to her as she saw her tears roll down her cheeks and turned her away from Sayu. She lifted her chin up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Fuku-chan leaned into the girl and wrapped her arms around her. Squeezing her tightly, the words seemed to feel pulled by floss.
“I like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“No matter what you say, I want you to be with me.” Eripon created space to digest the words.
It was weird for a confession from anyone especially her. Eripon never knew she had that deep feeling for her and the questions seemed to pop about her. She could ask her right then but the automobile stopped and the driver opened the door for the group as they entered backstage.
Fuku-chan showed her smile as they headed into the room where Aika was sitting everyone down and offered them cold water bottles as they had a big screen to watch the show. Fuku-chan was anxious if she could see it from an angle that was from the crowd. Aika was first hesitant about it and then she granted her request by sending her into a luxury box in the theater for a short period.
“Eripon, come with me.” She took her by the hand and headed up to the box for at least a set with Aika watching over them leaving Koha and Sayu in the room.
“You still never answered my question.” Sayu broke the silence.
“I don’t have to answer it.” Koha crossed her arms.
“Well, if you don’t answer it, you’ll be ruining it for Eripon. Do you think she’ll be happy if you ruin this for her?” Koha relaxed her arms and turned her head.
“You are so… mean. You only care for your appearance and think everyone like you but not everyone does.” Sayu nodded her head.
“If you say so, but I can never have my way.” Koha stared straight at her.
“Of course, you can’t but if you want someone to like you, you should be kinder and considerate to people.” Koha explained as Aika walked back into room.
“Sayu, we have a room for you and Reina to talk about business.” Sayu stood up leaving Koha in the room realizing where Aika took the two and headed toward the door.
“Sorry, we cannot let you out of the room.”
“But, I need to find my person.”
“They will be fine, you can relax here.” Koha stopped resisting and took a seat on the couch watching the concert on the big screen.
Aika removed her headset and sat down next to Koha. She moved closer to her and placed her head on top of Koha’s lap. Koha placed her hand on top of her head and ran her fingers through her short hair as Reina was wrapping up her first set.
The girls were enjoying the seats from the top and waved their complimentary wands as she began her well-known song. Reina stopped midway through her song blaming the fans for making her cry and started up again ending with a strong note. She stepped away for a bit as the fans were chanting and Fuku-chan stepped in with the chanting as a few minutes passed by and then the stage lights were turned off.
“She might be getting into high intensity part of her concert.” Fuku-chan squealed in delight as Eripon looked on as the fans were picking up the chanting.
Reina came out with an explosion and hit a medley of three songs before bowing to the crowd. She began a monologue about her life in general and the guests for this concert. She waved up to the luxury box to the girls and they waved back enthusiastically as she held up her finger.
“One more song, ne.” She spoke to the crowd as they cheered back and she swept into the final song without pause as the crowd went into frenzy.
“Let’s go back to the room.” Eripon followed Fuku-chan back as Reina was ending her performance.
Reina did the usual encore before heading to the Sayu’s room and she walked in with Sayu still stuck on the screen.
“Incredible performance.” Sayu clapped as Reina took a seat next to her.
“Thanks, but we have something to talk about. Let me change and we’ll go to the bar to celebrate the concert.” The bunny nodded as she turned back to the screen to see the fans.
-
Blimey, Sayu and Fuku-chan :shocked I wonder what would happen if Eripon found out, especialy now the feeling between her and Fukuchan are alot more out there....
even Koha and Aika, man eveyone was getting involved this episode!
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@oddy secrets build at the right time
Chapter 21
Reina dressed in a simple, white t-shirt and shorts cut at the 3/4 thigh. She slipped on sunglasses and released her hair down to her shoulders as they walked out to the bar.
"Do you like hiding from the media?"
"No, I wish I could be myself rather than be hidden away." Sayu nodded as she thought of another question.
"Sugimoto Ken..." Reina halted and grabbed the bunny's by the hand.
"I never did went out with him, we are supposedly friends, but the one night we decided to collaborate, they Friday'd us." Reina held her fist into a ball and steadily picked up her pace.
"Ken-sama said the same thing and also added a remark." Sayu thought to herself while Reina stopped her progress again.
"Ken is a perverted composure. He whored out many big names to get himself famous. Yet, he has a sweet side to him." Sayu was now 1/2 block ahead as Reina pointed to the bar to her right and waited there until she could catch up.
Reina briefly remembered the conversation about his preferences and the mindset to rid of work to hit up the bar but his manager began push him to stay for the sake of Reina, who had her first single released days earlier. He patiently composed the song to suit the young star until she could hit the pitchy issues. Reina's manager, Aika, was sleeping when the event happened as Ken left the building.
Ken pushed Reina back in but it was too late their cover story was now news but the lack of knowledge and being mum dissolved the story in a week. However, it impacted a change in her public persona and the once open idol was semi-private with only her close friends knowing her whereabouts.
Sayu entered the bar filled with people with her eyes on which table they should sit at. Reina followed the bunny in and looked for the manager off the back and was given directions to the private table in the back. The two women took their seats and saw an iPad in front of them with their drinks menu.
"Sugoi!" Sayu exclaimed as she picked the pink one compared to Reina's whiskey on the rocks.
"Well as you can see it is an upper class bar for many entertainers and executives. It is all automated to what you want and it stops when the pad is turned off." Reina explained with her eyes on the bunny.
"Okay. Now, what is your proposition?" Sayu asked.
Reina grinned towards her. The look was of intrigue and she could see a bit of nervousness in her grin. The idol slipped a piece of paper and Sayu read through it carefully. Sayu was looking for any weird stipulations throughout the document before she would give it back to the singer. The bunny was sharp with business as compared to her love life and she knew how people can con you out of millions because she had done that for the cafe.
The drinks arrived when she read the last bit and returned the paper back how it was folded to her and took a sip of her drink, tasting the bitters hitting her tongue. She knew it left her room to budge around and saw tighter agreements but she wanted Reina sell it to her. The idol let the smooth liquor flow down her throat before starting her introduction.
"As you know, I have been a singer but I want to open a business on my own. Many of these high executives have no money to throw my way so I asked you to open another store in my name. Since I am the new person, I want to not take all the risk at once, so you will co-own it for me for six months before handing it over to me." Sayu slowly nodded with another sip from the glass.
"You want the same thing as what I provide, as you have written here, but the location is my issue." Reina smiled.
"Don't you think my hometown is not great enough?" Sayu shook her head in defense of her statement.
"It seems out of my way to do business, especially where your fans are concentrated within the country." Reina lifted her glasses up and rubbed her nose with Sayu's words lingering in her head.
"I know most are in Tokyo but if I don't get it open in Fukuoka, my hometown will be disappointed." Reina showed her pout as Sayu had to think on her feet.
"How about build one here and move it over there in six months?" She shook her head furiously.
"I promised to have one there soon." The idol was showing her frustrations with Sayu and she decided to get crafty over the situation.
"Okay, I need some items from you to decide if it will work out."
"It will work out." Reina interjected.
"Do you have a location of the land?" Reina froze as she had forgotten if the location was available. She began to curse herself for the mistake and promised that they can speak in a less secretive environment.
This is going to be a long trip.
Eripon entered into the room first glancing at the two on the couch. Aika popped up and put her headset back as they followed her leaving Koha looking at the screen.
“Wait for me.” She shouted out as she saw the two girls holding hands as they followed Aika to the back exit.
Her genuine smile said everything to her chaperone as she caught up to them. Koha blocked Aika from the car to confront Eripon whose smile disappeared seeing Koha in front of her.
“I see why you don’t have a boyfriend.” Koha rubbed the girl’s head.
“She doesn’t need to have one. Don’t you think a girl cannot protect her?” Fuku-chan stared at Koha as she took a few steps back.
Koha excused herself from the situation and let them go off into the limousine leaving Aika behind with a grin on her face. Koha felt a chill down her back as she felt that something might happen. She moved towards the limousine’s direction before letting it go out of the parking lot.
“Reina has requested them to go to a fast-food restaurant. We will follow later.” Koha looked back at Aika as she jumped into another car and Koha jumped in as they went the other way.
Fuku-chan and Eripon arrived at a hamburger place where they were starting to clean up. They both looked at each other confused as the driver opened the door and walked up to the entrance.
“Sorry for the inconvenience, we are here for dinner.” Fuku-chan bowed to the front person as she looked back and out came an orange-haired woman.
“Gomen, we have your meal ready for you.” She bowed to them and escorted them to the corner.
“Natsuyaki! What are you doing?”
“Tanaka-san asked if I could help her with a favor.” She slanted her eyes at the younger worker and shook her head as the duo sat down to burgers and fries complimented with a chocolate milkshake.
Each slowly bit into their warm burger as they began to wonder about the weird atmosphere and the worker staring at them from ten feet away. It seemed awkward for a meal but both didn’t mind having each other as company. They didn’t realize their food was gone until they looked at each other giggling.
“That was short.”
“It was.”
“I guess we need to return home.” Fuku-chan extended out her hand to grab the younger girl’s arm.
“One more thing.” Fuku-chan leaned in with her lips out and pressed upon Eripon’s cheek.
“Thank you for tonight. See ya tomorrow at work.” She waved goodbye as Miya gave the work phone to Fuku-chan.
“Reina… wants you to come here.” Sayu was drunk, Fuku-chan wasn’t surprised but her actions while sober confused her.
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Hmm, I wonder if Sayu and Reina's plan will work out, seems as though there is still a long way to go atm with it.....
Miya? interesting, is she now in the story too, and why was she staring at ponpon?
Aww kiss on the cheek, well done Fuku-chan, I wonder about Eripons reaction to it.......
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@oddy a running theme is the reina/sayu interaction, as for Miya, she is helping out. As for ponpon, it might be an interesting twist
Chapter 22
Fuku-chan woke up the morning feeling the bliss of the previous night and the dreadful realization that Sayu is with her. She sat up looking around the room and noticed the bunny was not in the room. She walked over to the kitchen to find the owner with a glass of water in her hand while her head was flat on the table.
“Are you okay?” Fuku-chan asked as she looked in the fridge for breakfast.
“No.”
“Where’s your keys?”
“Why? I cannot open up,” the bunny mumbled through the table.
“I can, just give me the keys.” She commanded as Sayu pointed toward the door and Fuku-chan left the apartment to find breakfast.
She walked through the city for a quick meal and found it at the convenience store where the baker was getting his coffee for work. Fuku-chan flashed the keys and followed her out of the store to give her a ride to the bakery where Fuku-chan opened the back door and he started to turn on everything.
She opened the front side with a person sitting on the sidewalk. The person turned and greeted Fuku-chan at the door with a big smile.
“I have good news.” She informed her.
Harunan presented an envelope to her with an emblem of the art school. She opened the envelope and read through the letter with a grin on her face. Fuku-chan wrapped her arms around the older girl thanking her for the good news. She ran back inside yelling her lungs out of the great news as the baker put his hands together.
“Congrads, are you going to tell Sayu?”
Fuku-chan froze as she thought on what she should say to her. On one hand, she wanted to take an opportunity to work on her art but having this job was a flexible option for income. Then, the living situation would come into play plus not seeing Eripon often was weighed in. She sat outside trying to consider her decision and looked over the letter to see the deadline for submitting a decision.
Two months. I can at least move out then.
Fuku-chan returned without an instant decision but knew the best thing is to keep mulling over the chance until she felt confident. She grabbed the kettles and boiled the water for the tea as the smell of the room was filled with pastries. Fuku-chan grabbed the tea leaves and placed them in the pot as the water was steaming. She poured out the hot water into the pot as the next thing was to get the sign out but she was in a hurry because of Sayu’s absence.
She drew up the menu and stuck it outside as she dusted the tables off and the first customer she let in was Reina with her manager. Fuku-chan took them to the corner table and ran to the back to get the pastries and tea for them. She came with a small selection and a teapot for them.
“Thank you, where is Sayu?” She asked as she lowered her sunglasses revealing her red eyes.
“She is at home hung over,” she replied as the idol tilted her head back and laughed.
“That woman is such a lightweight, so I guess you are the only one serving.” She nodded her head. “The other server doesn’t come in until this afternoon.”
“I see. Well thanks for this.” Reina expressed gratitude and left the waitress to serve the rest.
=============
“Anyways, how are you going to get the location?” The manager questioned the idol as she poured the first cup for her.
“I have to find a piece of land, first.” She informed the manager. “Sayu seems to want me to do most of the work for now, maybe we need to bug another business person.”
“If it is possible, there are others willing to invest if you give me the word.” Aika responded as she took out a portfolio.
“I want to get Sayu on board, it may take a while to get her, but I will get everything set up for a shop in Fukuoka,” the idol confirmed as she took a big bite from the pastry.
==============
Eripon was on cloud nine for school and didn’t even bother looking at the negative reaction. She walked into class with a smile on her face but the classmates weren’t as happy as they stared at her with silence and Riho-chan grabbed the former master out of the classroom.
“What did you do last night?” She demanded.
“I went to the Reina concert.”
“Where did Koha go during the concert?”
“We were in the backroom watching the concert because Reina didn’t want us in the crowd,” Eripon explained as Riho crossed her arms with her partner walking up to them.
Riho gave her a last look before her father bolted towards her direction. He directed her daughter to his office and closed the door behind her. She didn’t know what was happening but seeing the cues, he was angry at her.
“There were reports you went to a concert without Koha, is that true?” She shook her head with the direct question. “I was with Koha for the night.”
“Okay… I read something that your boss is with an underage girl and she was with you at the concert.” He informed her with concern.
“I don’t know about that, but why is everyone looking at me awkwardly?” She inquired as he slid a picture towards her.
Her eyes were as big as volleyballs. She was shocked that anyone got a picture of them. She wanted to rip the picture up but she couldn’t hide the truth anymore.
“I… like her.” Eripon breathed.
“What?” He shouted.
“I really like her. I cannot explain it,” Eripon shouted as he closed his eyes.
“If you are telling me that it is you in the picture, I understand but this is… not good.”
Eripon wanted to say that he was right but in her heart, she wasn’t going to give into the norm. She wanted to take the blame before he came with the blame and was willing to do anything to not give up Fuku-chan. He took the photo and ripped it up in front of her.
“I want you to stop working there.” He commanded. “Come home after school and I will talk to you personally why this is wrong?”
“No! I won’t do that.” She yelled. “I want to work and I like her.
His eyes hardened up as he gripped onto his seat and turned around his chair. He took a few deep breaths and tilted the chair back.
“If you will not quit, I will transfer you out of this school,” he cautioned her.
“Just transfer me to another school! You don’t understand how I feel.” She cried out as she ran out of the office leaving him to ponder over the decision.
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Man Sayu hung over, lol seems as though the plan may have to wait Reina! :lol:
Ahh, where did that photo come from! :thumbdown: man it was just starting to go well too, man seems as though Eripon is ready to rebel though, I wonder what Fukuchan will do........
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@oddy so much stuff gotta be solved XD well the more twists, the more the story continues
Chapter 23
Eripon felt beyond miserable, she wanted to just go home, and let the time go by but work beckoned and she ran over to the cafe where Reina had just exited. She slipped through the door and headed back where Fuku-chan was resting her head on her elbows.
"Where's Sayu?" The younger girl asked as Fuku-chan turned to see her co-worker ready for service.
"She's out today." She replied not paying attention to her co-worker as she went out for her first order.
I wonder when I should tell her...
Fuku-chan returned back to earth and helped out with service with it being slower than usual. The baker clocked out after his last set while they took the rest but they were away from each other for most of the time until closing when they were wiping tables. Despite the room being empty, the buzz in the room was still loud for both of them.
"Eripon..."
"Yes."
"Did you like the concert?" She asked despite not being the question she wanted to get out.
"I did. Did Reina have a snack to eat?" The elder worker nodded.
"She also..." Fuku-chan clamped her mouth but it was already too late as she headed over to her side.
"What else did she do?"
"She gave me a letter to the art school I was interested in..."
"Did they accept you?" Eripon curiously asked.
"Yeah..." She wrapped her arms around her and pecked her on the cheek.
"Congratulations!"
"Thanks..." Eripon released her hug but noticed a bit of concern.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't be working here, if I go there." The younger worker nodded.
"I see." She said in a soft voice. "I want you to go there."
Fuku-chan's head jolted upwards in surprise as she never wanted words of encouragement. The elder girl wiped the tears from her eyes as she returned the hug. Fuku-chan began to feel her tears penetrating through her uniform.
"What's wrong?"
"I... want you to go..." She sputtered through her tears.
"You can tell me to not go." Eripon shook her head.
"But... it is your dream to go to a school that won't make you feel pain." She responded as Fuku-chan bit down on her lip.
She began to think about everything over the past few weeks and couldn't understand why she would give into anything. Fuku-chan grabbed her shoulders and demanded for an explanation but she bowed out ran out of the restaurant. She couldn't understand why she did not want to explain what was happening and that weight only became heavier as she closed it down for the day.
Eripon ran into the alley and dove into Risa's shop where she had been lounging on the chair before she popped in unexpectedly. Risa picked her up from the floor and took her to the back where Ai was napping and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Mou, why are you crying?"
"..."
"Sigh, calm down." Risa let her wash her face in the sink before she returned reddened from rubbing her face.
"Fuku-chan is going to art school."
"Really? That sounds good. You should be happy” Risa replied as she jerked away her head from sight.
"The reason why is because I like her and I don't want her to leave but someone took a picture of us at the restaurant and gave it off to my father." Eripon explained to in a loud, clear voice.
Risa placed her finger on top of her chin as she tried to add up the pieces but Ai woke from her slumber and grabbed the bean's hand. Drowsy, she grabbed the younger female and shook her violently.
"If you love her, why don't you say that?" Ai advised.
"Because..."
"Because of what? She feels the same way you feel at the moment. You are stronger than this. Stand up to him and do what is needed." Ai instructed her as she closed her hands.
Eripon took a moment to reflect before walking up to Risa and bowed towards her. "Can I stay with you for a while?"
Risa shook her head as Ai looked at her weirdly. Ai didn't know what was uttered and asked politely to stay with them and Ai agreed without question causing Risa to explode with anger. The two started to talk while Eripon was stuck in the position and ended the conference with the agreement to stay with them for the time being.
Fuku-chan returned home to the smell of burnt food and Sayu leaning onto the wall with her head craned over. She awoke when Fuku-chan slammed the door and pointed toward the plat on the table. Expecting it to be burnt, she declined to eat the meal and traveled to her room where she found an envelope by her side. She opened it up to discover a picture of her and Eripon kissing in the restaurant. Fuku-chan didn't expect anything about it until she turned to find a message on the back:
Eripon knows.
She placed the picture down and reflects over the weird behavior that she performed today and soon began to piece it together. The art school letter came into mind and found a number at the bottom and called Iida-san. She was glad that there was a call but sounded surprise when the letter came into mind. Iida-san heard the description of the letter and was shocked that someone had used their letterhead. Iida asked if it could be faxed over but there was no luck in Sayu's apartment so she asked for an emergency meeting with her and informed Sayu that she would be tagging along.
The 15-minute walk to her apartment was convenient as she waited outside with the letter in hand and walked into the complex where they would meet and she scanned over the letter and confirmed it was their letterhead.
"Who gave this to you?"
"Harunan." Iida's eyes opened wide.
"Hmm, I don't know what happened here, but I never let any of the students hand delivers it to you." She informed her.
Her heart feel to her stomach as her dream wasn't coming through as Iida looked over at Sayu and quickly nodded. "I know what happened."
"Why are you looking at me?" Sayu responded toward the stare.
"She wants something from you, I suppose." She spoke to the ceiling.
"I don't understand."
"Tanaka Reina."
"I told her to buy land before I could put my name on it." Sayu replied.
"She can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Criminal record, she can't do any of that with her name on the books." Iida informed her as Sayu quickly understood.
Iida explained about her problems before her arrest and it was to a similar circumstance but she didn't give in and a developer struck a deal on a half-written agreement with amendments. It ended up a bust because the amendments confused the building company with instructions that contradict her purpose and it fell through immediately after. The two were shocked that Reina had gone through many different ventures only to fail in the early stages.
"Thanks for informing us about the letterhead." Sayu bowed as Fuku-chan quickly followed.
They left with news that it could have been a scam for them but now with the option out of the way she was happy that it was a fake but to Eripon's concerns, she was desperate to know what she was threatened with.
-
Ahh Poor Eripon, thinking Fuku is going away and not wanting to stand up to her father, but now she does truly know her feelings for Fuku-chan....
But the letter seems it's fake, poor Fuku having her dreams perhaps crushed and where is Reina fitting in to all of this?!?