The Dream Shifter

Chapter 78

"Pretty cool place huh?" Yuki said like he had been holding it in the entire time and could not be held back any longer.

Saki did not hold the same opinion as Yuki getting an unsettled sense of dread. She did not know what was going on or why they were taken to some place out at the edge of the town. "Cool or not, it still doesn't explain why we're here."

The door opened to the room bringing Saki and Yuki to answer the visitor. However, all they found was another man in a suit that was carrying all of Yuki's manga. Yuki eagerly took it from the man before he could do anything to it and disappeared to the table. Saki tried to start a conversation, but just as her mouth was opening the door slid close again. She looked back to Yuki feeling like he was not taking the matter seriously.

"See! They can't be so bad. They brought my manga and didn't even damage it!" Yuki was already poring through a book starting to lose track of what was around him.

The fact that Yuki was more interested in his manga or that he was acting so casual as not to care, Saki could not decide which made her more upset. She marched over to the table bending over to stare down at Yuki casting her shadow over his pages. "How can you read at a time like this?"

"I need something to do."

"But you don't know why we're here!"

"We'll find out soon enough."

Saki shoulders fell turning into a semi-circle becoming exhausted by Yuki nonchalant attitude. "But…"

"Here just sit down and read something. I've got shojo!"

A vein popped up on Saki's forehead as she became insulted by Yuki's attempt to give her something. "I don't want any of your crap!" She lunged after him knocking him to the ground getting her hands around his neck. "What sort of girl you think I am?!"

Unknown to the two of them the door slid open to the room and someone entered the room. The boy in the corner of the room could only sweat at the sight knowing that there someone in the room watching the spectacle. After being ignored for long enough a voice piped up from behind them. "Why are you wasting time on that weakling boy?"

Saki paused in her pounding of Yuki realizing that there was someone in the room. Yuki's frazzled appearance was quick to change as he looked up around Saki straddling him to see Chiharu standing in the room. "Hey! Chiharu! You're safe!"

"Of course I am."

Yuki jumped up from Saki's hold standing in front of Chiharu showing his relief and excitement to see her. Chiharu's distain for the attention and feeling of being trying like a child made a vein pop up on her forehead. She disappeared from Yuki's sight appearing behind him twisting his arm making him fall to the tatami mat in pain. "H-Hey?! What I'd do?!"

"Don't treat me as though you're familiar with me."

"What?!" She twisted his arm further to exercise her point to him making yelp in pain. "Alright!"

"And don't treat me like a child."

"B-But—Alright! You're not a child!"

Saki stood up from the mat having recovered from the surprise of seeing Chiharu. She still had a number of questions and she hoped that Chiharu had few answers. "What are you doing here? What's going on with us?"

Chiharu let Yuki go kicking him to the mat and turned to Saki. She looked up at the older girl feeling a little anger in her stomach, but also grudging respect. "I've been ordered to bring you before the head of the house."

"What?!" Saki and Yuki said in surprise. Saki looked over at the door seeing it open with the men in suits for escort. Chiharu had her continued serious expression making everything that was happening even stranger.

Yuki pulled himself up from the mat holding his wrist trying to get the lingering pain to go away. 'Head of the house? The head of a Yakuza group. Sounds like fun!' He walked toward the door along with the male student waiting for Saki to catch up with Chiharu.

Chiharu waited on Saki as she took a moment longer to let everything settle into her. 'Why are we seeing the head of the house? And why is Chiharu doing this? What's going on?' Saki could feel the insisting of Chiharu's look piercing her and telling her to move as Chiharu waited with great impatience. She reluctantly agreed in silence and joined the others at the door with Chiharu taking up the rear.

The walk through the inner halls of the house made Yuki glow with excitement. Saki managed to keep him quiet, but they were soon brought into a large central room with much of the room partitioned off by bamboo blinds that were rolled down. It presented the room as a more narrow passage. The light held dim in the room from the candles and lanterns about the space. At the end of the room seated on a raised section of the floor in a dark brown casual kimono was an elderly man. His eyes looked closed, but seemed to be aware of everything in the room. "Welcome guests to the Chinen Estate. I want to thank you for taking care of my granddaughter as well as to apologize for her behavior." The old man moved his hand to show that he was referring to Chiharu, who was standing next to him looking embarrassed and annoyed.

Saki and Yuki's face both widened in shock at hearing that Chiharu was a part of the family that owned this place. Neither of them knew what to say not what to do. They simple stood in shock letting the moment pass through.

Yuki and Saki did not know how they should react beyond their state of shock at hearing that Chiharu was the granddaughter of this elderly man and part of the entire estate. "Granddaughter?!" said the two of them as being all they could respond with at the moment.

Chiharu was visibly becoming bothered by the attention as well as the reactions that she was receiving. "Grandfather! This is none of their business!" She turned to him trying to get him to stop embarrassing her in front of a bunch of strangers.

"Don't be rude, Chiharu! They're our guests."

The stunned reaction for Yuki was quickly passed by his own realization of a fact that he found too amazing to ignore. "So this house is yours, Chiharu? That's so cool!" Saki was quick to snap out of her paralysis when she heard Yuki acting like his usual self. She stepped in and elbowed him again to get him to be quiet. "Saki!?"

The elderly man smiled and laughed finding the scene to be enjoyable. "My you have some lively friends, Chiharu."

"They aren't my friends! I would never associate with that weakling!" While she did not point out to who she was directing her insult towards, it was pretty clear to them. Yuki turned pale again getting hit with a heavy weight that broke his back.

Chiharu's grandfather continued to smile and turned to look down at the young students. "Well let's begin this proper. I'm Masahiko Chinen."

Yuki snapped back to reality seeing that there was a need for introductions. He stood up next to Saki looking straight forward to the old man. "I'm Yuki Hayashi, sir!"

"Saki Furukawa…"

They looked over at the still silent boy putting all of the attention on him hoping that the pressure would make him speak. However, the efforts did not seem to be necessary as he willing gave his name, finally. "Haruo Yoneda…"

'Haruo, huh?' Yuki thought as he was glad to finally have name to his face.

Saki turned her head back towards the front taking it in. 'Haruo Yoneda… He's got our school uniform, but I don't recognize the name. I guess we do have a large school though…' She had hoped hearing a name would have sparked something in her mind to know who the boy was, but he remained a mystery to her even now.

Masahiko nodded as he heard the names and smiled back. He gave them a warm voice keeping with the kind grandfather appearance that he projected. "All fine names. Well then. As I've said you're our guests for the evening. I would like apologize for manner that had to be brought here, but our family is well known and wealthy making us the target of many enemies. Considering how you met my granddaughter, we had to be cautious, but any suspicions have been dropped. So as recompense for your troubles I welcome you to my home and have a fine dinner prepared for you."

"Dinner?!" Yuki said with his eyes growing wide and immediately being drawn in by the idea of having a banquet feast in a fancy manor as he believed.

Saki let go a sigh knowing that it would be his reaction to the idea of food. He had already forgotten or forgiven everything that happened. "That's such a gracious offer, but—"

"You don't have to worry, Miss. We already contacted all of your families letting them know of what has happened. I spoke to them personally to assure them of your safety and that you'll be our guests for the night."

It had seemed that the old man had planned out everything in advance. Saki stepped back feeling her footing being taken out from underneath her. The way that it was being presented to them it did not seem like he was going to take no for an answer.

"What's wrong, Saki? He said he already talk to our families. So there's nothing wrong with relaxing. It's Saturday so we don't have to worry about school either!" He was almost too excited to contain himself, but he could see that Saki was still having a difficult time with everything. Yuki did not understand why she could not just accept what was happening and go along with it. This was a much more exciting time than they could be having somewhere else. "Come on, Saki!"

She did not want to have to listen to the whining of Yuki for much longer. The whole heavy handed manner did not sit with her very well even with the nice grandfather look that he had. Saki could not get rid of the unsettling feeling that she had about the house and the Chinen Clan. "Fine…" Yuki jumped over and hugged Saki forcing her to respond by grabbing him by the neck to get him off her.

They were escorted out of the chambers by Chiharu who lead them back to their room where they would wait. Only Masahiko was left in the room, but out of the shadows of the wall behind Masahiko entered the aged man that had spoken to Yuki in the park. Masahiko did not turn, but seemed to already know that he was present behind him. "So Tamotsu, what are your impressions of our guests?" The kind gentle expression that had been in his face faded away as more wrinkles seemed to develop in a stern look.

"They're quite…energetic…"

"And the Hayashi boy?"

"He seems normal, but…"

"Yes, I couldn't tell anything from looking at him. Either he's a good actor or he's a simple high school student." While Yuki and the others had been in the car ride and waiting in the room for an audience with Masahiko, Masahiko had a background check run on all of them.