My Days For YouSafely ensconsced in her ivory tower, the evil mastermind of lollipops and candy cackles to herself.
That is to say, a certain mad scientist, otherwise known as Konno Asami, was in her lab and being pretty damn happy about it.
Her half written report was on the screen nearest to her. On another screen, she had a 3D model of some unidentifiable organism rotating in the precise center. Various files were stacked on the far side, the edges of some papers peeking out of a few. More charts and scrawled notes were spread on the empty parts of the desk.
Her desk was the only disorganized part of the lab. The actual work area was perfectly pristine. Everything was clearly labelled and stowed away in their proper places. Asami was big on safety procedures in a lab setting. Particularly due to the nature of her work. In her worst nightmares, Asami had pictured a bio-plague emerging from the bowels of her lab and running rampant across the globe, leaving zombies and other biological disasters in its wake.
That's it, she needed to stop playing Biohazard with her interns.
Worst case scenarios aside, Asami was actually feeling fairly smug this bright morning. Her hangover cure worked! Well, she
had taken a few precautions the night before. Like eating a lot to buffer against the alcohol intake. Like imbibing lots of fluids. Like not actually slinging back drink after drink like a certain narcissistic idol...
Asami was quite surprised by Michishige Sayumi actually, in more than one way. Despite the woman's self-centered facade, the sunny idol was actually quite personable and entertaining to talk to. She was also a heavyweight in the alcohol department. Asami had been surprised when a certain Tanaka Reina was the first to pass out though. Apparently alcoholic tolerance did not run in the family. She made an absent note to herself on another piece of paper.
Ai-chan had been the next to go down, not long after Reina did. Asami smiled at the memory. The pair had been sprawled all over each other in their inebriation, though no one gave it a second thought. They were drunk. Though Asami did catch Michishige eyeing them with a strange look on her face when she thought no one was looking.
It would not surprise Asami if Michishige knew about Reina and Ai-chan. The bond between the cousins was obvious to those who bothered to notice. Even when the narcissistic bunny was taunting the fierce kitty about her inability to handle hard drinks, which led to the kitty drinking 3 shots in a row and passing out almost immediately afterwards. Asami silently gave a point to the sneaky idol.
Though, even in defeat Reina still managed to pass out in Ai-chan's arms, so perhaps that wasn't so much a defeat as it was a victory-in-disguise. Certainly the bunny had had a mix of envy and fond exasperation veiled by her outward sneer when her cousin passed out. Asami felt that the narssistic idol was a lot more complicated than she let on.
On the other hand, Gaki-san was about as transparent as one could imagine. Then again, Asami had known her for years and knew that the woman was completely without pretensions. A little over the top at times, but really meaning well and enthusiastic even when everyone else wasn't. Knowing that Ai-chan was a relative lightweight with alcohol, she had helped to intercept a few drinks, but she still managed to last longer than even Asami herself expected.
Still, Michishige did manage to eventually drink her under the table, though towards the end Asami had been greatly amused by how the normally affable Risa had started blabbering about how she wasn't afraid of Michishige and for her to "bring it", among other interesting (and somewhat lame) schoolyard-type threats. Asami wondered what grudge Risa held against the idol. Surely work stress (that had come out early in the drinking session) couldn't have been the cause. Then again, judging from the smugly amused expression the idol wore, something
must have happened.
Asami resolved to ferret out the reason some time. She wasn't just merely being a nosy parker. She needed to satisfy a professional curiosity. Yes. It was an occupational hazard. Finding out "why" and "how" was the very basis of scientific inquiry!
Despite having also succumbed to an alcoholic haze the night before, Asami prided herself on her near total recall of the night's events. It was a trait she had. She was a quiet drunk. Also, her ability to remember everything also provided excellent blackmail material for her reference. Not that she planned to use that information against her friends. Oh no, definitely not. What kind of person did you she was? Well, at least not until she next needed a favor. But that wasn't
blackmail. Not at all.
Her mind went back to her primary project as she opened the 5th notebook she had started ever since a certain Takahashi Riho was born 12 years ago. It was part scrapbook, part diary, part research journal. Flipping to the latest page, she skimmed through her previous entry where she first confirmed a certain Tanaka Reina to be the biological "father" of that miracle child, Riho.
May 20th: Visited Ai-chan. Tested hypothesis re Riho's other biological parent. Hypothesis confirmed. T.R is the other genetic donor. More testing required, possibly acquirement of genetic material to cross-reference inheritance patterns. Check with senior at hospital? There were a few more scribbles along the margins, as well as some equations that she had been thinking about at the time. Looking at the entry reminded her of something she had been putting off all week.
Even as she hurriedly jotted down her observations from last night's party, her other hand went through her contacts list for the name she required, then dialled the number.
"Moshi moshi~ Konno here. May I speak to Yasuda-sensei please? Yes, yes..."
~*~*~*~*~
The bell rang, and Riho slumped onto the table, finally abandoning all pretense of remaining awake during class. She hated studying sometimes, but she made the attempt to do well anyway.
All around her students chattered as they brought out their bentos, while others streamed out of the classroom to stretch their legs or just go looking for friends. Girls in their own cliques gathered to have their lunches together, inpromptu islands forming in the sea of tables within the classroom. Riho sat alone, face down in her textbook, drooling blissfully for all of 5 minutes before her latest mini-nightmare where her Mama threatened to ban her from ever drinking cider again jolted her out of her daze.
Rubbing sleepily at her eyes, Riho glanced around, but felt no urge to join any of the chattering girls. She was a bit nervous about approaching new people, especially with her being a transfer student coming in late in the term. Everyone else had been together for years and years, and the friendships they had seemed easy and ironclad. Not much space for a quiet newcomer like herself.
Pulling out her lunch (yakisoba
pan, orange-flavored cider), Riho unwrapped the bread carefully and munched with singleminded focus. It didn't take long for her to finish. Taking a long drink from her cider, Riho felt alive for the first time since she shambled into class.
The rest of break passed uneventfully with her doodling mini pictures of omu-rice and chicken wings, her usual way of passing time in school. She was used to being alone, so it wasn't too bad. Besides, this way there was no one to ask her uncomfortable questions about her family. Riho really didn't like it when the conversation inevitably led there. She didn't want to lie about her situation, but most kids didn't really have any tact when it came to the "where is your father?" question. Which inevitably came after the "what does your father do?" question.
"No my dad isn't with us." Riho mumbled to herself, her usual response. Having a social life meant dealing with uncomfortable questions. She'd rather pass in this case.
Not for the first thing, she imagined a reality where she had a father. One who'd treat her like his favorite princess, who would take her to amusement parks along with Mama, who would take her side whenever Mama decided to scold her for something or another...
It wasn't that she wasn't happy with Mama. It was just...
If only. Riho couldn't help but feel a pang of envy when others spoke of their fathers. She was happy, but there were things that she wished she could have too.
Especially now that she knew that her father was in contact with Mama. She had lived 12 years with just her Mama and no expectation of there ever being a Papa, even though Mama had never lacked for suitors back in their hometown. Mama had turned down every single offer over the years. Secretly, Riho felt happy about that. She most definitely did not want to share Mama with some other man.
They weren't her real father. She could not help but feel resentful and suspicious of each and every one of them, and always breathed a sigh of relief when Mama turned them away.
She really shouldn't be thinking about this. Her 12th birthday had come and gone. She had a great time with Mama and Tanaka-san and all the others. Even Michishige-san. She blinked away the sudden wave of tears that threatened to spill over. She was alone.
Sitting in a class full of people, all avidly listening (or pretending to listen) to their homeroom teacher, Riho felt acutely and painfully alone. It didn't matter that Mama loved her and would do anything for her. She felt selfish thinking that way, but it didn't stop a tiny part of her blaming her Mama about her lack of a complete family. It shamed her to feel so.
Time flew by. When the bell next rang again, Riho only vaguely registered their homeroom teacher calling out "don't forget to do your summer homework!" as everyone in the classroom let out a whoop and started packing up.
Right, this was the last day of class before summer holidays. Crap, what was the homework again? Riho sighed. Time to go find out.
It promised to be an interesting summer...
=================================================================
Tralalala. Mostly a placeholder chapter. More stuff to follow.
Note that Biohazard is the Japanese name of the Resident Evil series. Figured I'd keep it more authentic by referring to it that way.
Again, I apologize for my long absence! *grovels*
Also, I do not know why I stole ManoEri's song title for the chapter. >_>
Happy reading!
*poof*