Alex Brim, Hero for Hire

Chapter 5 – Coffee-house

When classes ended, Hangaku Mae quickly grabbed her bag and went to Sakamo, who was completely focused on a strange set of equations and a list. She took a glance at it and pointed to the list of to-do things. “What is this about, ‘send email to Doctor Teruko-san regarding results from new simulation’? Or this ‘collect data from new site’? I am not even asking about all these equations! You were not following class, were you?”

Sakamo looked up, surprised by the sudden appearance next to him. “What… I mean, no, I was following the class in the beginning, but I got bored because I already knew what the Teacher was talking about, and I got distracted with this. The class finished?”

Hangaku nodded, still puzzled by his notes. “Yeah, grab your stuff and let’s go. We can go somewhere just the two of us to have a drink before you go home, right?”

“We can go somewhere, but we won’t be alone because I am going with Takechi-sama.”

Hangaku frowned. “I know I have to compete with a bunch of girls, but must I also compete with a boy?”

Sakamo shrugged. “You will lose if he falls for me. I won’t be able to resist such a hunk!”

Hangaku jolted, without knowing if he was talking serious or not, considering that he said such a crazy thing without looking at her because he was putting his books inside his bag. Tomiko Hari joined her and noticed her dumbfounded expression. “What’s the matter, Hangaku-chan? You have a strange look, and I think I heard Sakamo-kun saying something weird!”

Hangaku grabbed Tomiko’s shoulders and shook her. “You heard him, right? I didn’t dream, right? He said Takechi-sama is a hunk, right?”

“Yeah, I heard it as well! Stop that, I am getting dizzy! Geez, girl, calm down, will you? He was joking!”

Sakamo put one strap of the bag on his left shoulder and faced them. “What are you two talking about? Takechi-sama is a delightful piece of a man. He looks like a pop-idol, and he has an amazing smile. Any girl or boy would be more than happy to date him. I know I would! If I was a girl, or he was my type, that is.”

Tomiko joined Hangaku in staring at Sakamo with the dumbest look, and when Hojo arrived, she asked, “What’s up with them? They look weirder than usual.”

Sakamo poked both girls’ noses and frowned. “I am not sure. They were talking about Takechi-sama and I said he was a hunk, and that he looked like a pop-idol, and they seem to have blown a fuse, or something.”

Hangaku slapped her own face with both hands and rubbed it, asking in between the fingers, “What is your type, anyway? Are you into girls or boys?”

“Girls, definitely, but I never dated a boy. I am not sure if I would like it or not. As for a type… I am not sure. Maybe a girl with your figure, Tomiko-san’s hair and smile, and the seriousness of Hojo-san, I think.”

Hangaku held Sakamo’s right arm and leaned on his shoulder with a smile. “I can dye my hair like Tomiko-chan, and I also have a pretty smile. I can be serious if you want me to be!”

Sakamo put a curl of Hangaku’s hair behind her left ear while speaking with a gentle tone, “Don’t change the way you are just because of me or any other boy. Be like you want to be, you will be happier that way.”

Hangaku felt her heart skipping a beat. The way Sakamo was looking at her and speaking with so much kindness while touching her sensitive ear, almost melted her. Tomiko frowned and Hojo averted her eyes, feeling a pressure in her chest that was making her feel that the air suddenly went thin.

A voice called Sakamo’s attention, followed by a few muffled laughter, “Sakamo-kun, you dirty old man, stop messing with the girls, will you?”

Hangaku frowned at the smiling Yoshinobu Tokuga, that as always, was accompanied by his partners in crime, Shintaro Nakaoka, a small and slender girl with a round face that looked younger than she really was, and Tadasaburo Sasaki, a tall and muscular boy, that was always taken as aggressive and violent, when in fact he was the more peaceful of the three. He was a baseball pitcher, while Shintaro Nakaoka trained kendo since she was little and Yoshinobu Tokuga was into karate, already a brown belt at his age.

Hangaku grunted at the smiling trio. “Why are you so happy? Are you seeing something amusing?”

Yoshinobu Tokuga waved both hands while the other two were doing their best not to laugh. “Oh, not really, I was just thinking that Sakamo-kun joined our class today, and he already has three cute girls always near him while the other girls also in this class don’t get a tiny opportunity to talk with him! I don’t know about the other guys, but I and Tadasaburo-kun wanted to know him better, perhaps over a drink and a cake in a nice coffee-house that I know. My poor little Shintaro-chan was also hoping to have an opportunity to cling onto Sakamo’s arm!”

Shintaro Nakaoka vigorously nodded while trying to hold her laughter because of the anger on Hangaku’s face. “Yeah, that’s right! I could kill a certain big-breasted girl for an opportunity to hold you near me, Sakamo-kun!”

Hangaku clenched her fingernails on Sakamo’s arm, making him flinch in pain, and she spoke to the defying girl, “Any time, little kitten, any time...”

Shintaro Nakaoka pretended to be scared and hid behind Tadasaburo Sasaki. She took a peek and screamed, making the entire class burst into laughter, “Kyahh! Save me, Tadasaburo-kun! The big-breasted devil has her eyes on me! I just wanted to have a slice of cake with everyone to celebrate our first day of High School and to strengthen our bonds! Is that so wrong?”

Yoshinobu Tokuga made a sad face and gently tapped Shintaro’s head while looking at Sakamo. “Poor girl, she is so scared! She had such a nice idea, I really don’t know why Hangaku-chan got so angry! What do you say Sakamo-kun? Let’s go to a coffee-house to celebrate so that the cute Shintaro-chan has her wish granted?”

Sakamo nodded with a smile. “That’s actually a good idea. Does anyone mind if my friend Takechi-sama joins us? Considering that starting tomorrow he will be our classmate as well?”

Hangaku tried to argue, but Tomiko quickly put one hand over her mouth and shouted, “Yes, that’s a good idea, Sakamo-kun! I am going to call him, and I will be right back!”

From the door, the voice of Takechi made Tomiko turn around with her face all red, and she smiled awkwardly at him, “I heard the voice of a Goddess, and it led me here! What’s happening in here? A fight?”

Sakamo pointed at the laughing trio. “Nothing like that. Those crazy ones over there were just messing with me and Hangaku-san.”

Takechi frowned at the angry-looking Hangaku Mae that still had her mouth forcibly covered. “No wonder, considering that she is all over you like that! Did you try to slap her head to see if she let you go? You could also try to feed her, because she could be hungry!”

Sakamo hold his laughter and shook his head. “I would never do that! We were talking about going to a coffee-house, to celebrate our first day of School and to bond our class. What do you say?”

Takechi Hito looked around, and he then made his usual proud pose, gathering a few laughs. “I guess I could grant you mere mortals with my presence! Who will guide my glorious presence to that sacred coffee-house?”

Everyone pointed at the laughing Yoshinobu Tokuga, and Takechi nodded. “Yes, you will do. Guide me, and I shall bless your future!”

Yoshinobu Tokuga quickly grabbed his bag and made a deep bow as he went near Takechi Hito. “Thank you for this honour, great Takechi-sama! Everyone, follow me!”

The crazy trio took the lead, with Takechi right behind them, and the rest of the class at the back, smiling and laughing along the corridor. Yoshinobu Tokuga and his friends kept on warning the other students to make room for the great Takechi-sama, as he walked with his chin high and waving at the surprised students as if he was really important.

When they arrived at the lockers to change shoes, Sakamo frowned at an envelope that was sticking out from the small vent near the top of the door of his locker. He took the envelope out and saw another one sticking out. As he opened the locker, it was full of envelopes and bent papers, with some of them with red hearts drawn or covered in perfume.

Sakamo was staring at the pile when Hangaku grunted, “It figures, a cute boy appears in School and all the girls go after him… I bet tomorrow a lot of girls will have the nerve to confess to you. Maybe it’s better if tomorrow I bring a baseball bat, just in case.”

Sakamo stared at the pile and mumbled, “What am I supposed to do with all this?”

Hojo Masako pointed at the bag on his shoulder. “You should keep them and read them all at home. It’s the least you can do, considering the girls needed a lot of courage to do this.”

Sakamo asked as he was opening the bag, “There is one from you in all this?”

Hojo vigorously shook her head with a redness piling up on her cheeks. “No, I would never have the courage to do this right on the first day. You will probably find a few from Tomiko-chan or Hangaku-chan, I bet.”

Hangaku Mae pointed to a pink envelope. “That’s mine, over there. Probably better if you open it at home when you are alone and about to sleep. There is some juicy stuff in there!”

Sakamo asked as he was taking the envelopes and papers, “When did you manage to do this? You were always in class or near me!”

“I am a ninja! I can hide in the shadows to prey on my victims!”

Sakamo smiled at the way Hangaku was sticking her fingernails as if she was a lioness ready to attack.

When everyone changed to their usual shoes, they went to the exit, and after crossing the School gate, Takechi saw the same man that was expecting them in the morning, with his dark blue suit and serious expression. He nodded at Sakamo and went to a car parked nearby, signalling the driver to go. Takechi thought it was suspicious, having the same man waiting for Sakamo as if he was some kind of bodyguard, but he couldn’t find an opportunity to ask Sakamo about that, because his new classmates were near him, talking and fooling around.

After a ten minutes walk in the opposing direction where Sakamo and Takechi lived, Yoshinobu Tokuga pointed to a coffee-house and entered after signalling to the group behind. He immediately went to the reception and talked briefly with the waiter, an older girl that resembled a lot with him. Sakamo thought she was probably Yoshinobu’s relative, and that coffee-house could very well be his family business. The girl called another waiter, and they quickly joined a bunch of tables in a U shape near the back wall, with Yoshinobu’s help.

They all sat, and Hangaku Mae quickly found a chair near Sakamo. Takechi sat on his left side, and Tomiko sat between Takechi and Hojo. The rest of the class chose a chair, and they looked at the menu, while the girl that resembled Yoshinobu Tokuga was saying what were the cakes available.

Sakamo was looking at the picture of a chocolate cake when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He quickly grabbed it, wondering who could it be at that hour, considering that he wasn’t expecting any call.

Sakamo raised one eyebrow at the name on the screen and mumbled, “A video call from Tomoe-chan again? Weird…”

Hangaku leaned on his shoulder to peek, and smiled when she saw the name, but lost her smile when Sakamo touched the screen and a worried Shubuyaky Tomoe appeared. Sakamo jolted and asked, “You miss me already? You… what’s the matter? Don’t tell me you are going to change the plans for tomorrow night?”

“No, I would never do that! It’s just… I received some news, job-related, that made me sad, and I need a favour from you. Can we talk in private?”