Didn't seem that bad to me, but then, I'm going sort of slow on my rewatch.
*set*
"It's kind of a shame - you're getting all this attention as a living Mystery, yet you don't seem to be enjoying it any."
I had to crane my neck a little to look at her without getting out of my desk, but that wasn't really a problem. Glasses, tan, alto verging on tenor and just about the blackest hair imaginable... Hmm. I wonder who this might be. "We all have our crosses to bear, ne, ahhh... Harada-san?"
She winked. "Pin-pon! But, since when are you so formal?"
"Ever since I woke up," I retorted. "Between my memories and the brain damage, I'm not even sure if I'd count as the same person any more."
"Oh." That idea seemed to do a good job of subduing her mood, and she leaned back in her seat and eyed me consideringly. "That'd be why you and that underclassman have had a falling out?"
I grimaced. The earlier - and more critical - parts of last night might have gone well, but the screaming row that had erupted when Mai got a look at the section involving Akira, Takumi, and Karasu had been real ugly, and my taking Mai's part rather than backing my adoptive sister's 'right' to my company had been even worse. She had calmed down, a little, once Natsuki had broken it up - and threatened her life - and had surprised me by continuing to cooperate in the planning and being quite civil with Natsuki and Mikoto, even when Mai and I were persona no grata. It'd likely the quite a while before we were back on speaking terms, but this was still better than giving in and having that issue lying in wait like some landmine for Nagi to go setting off at his leisure. "Put gently, yeah."
The founding HiME-sentai and I had been up much too late last night deciding what we were going to do, and once the teacher had ended the lesson Mai had put her head down on her desk and passed out cold. I reached over and poked her in the side. "Oi, Tokiha. Lunchtime."
She tried to burrow her head down deeper into her arms. "nnnrg. go'way, t'k'mi..."
I frowned and was considering which of the more drastic options would be most appropriate when Chie took the matter entirely out of my hands and into her own - literally - by reaching around the redhead's back and giving her most noticable assets an exploratory squeeze.
"GYAAAAAA! CHIKAN!"
The silence that followed Mai's howled accusation of perversion and instinctive retribution was echoing, until about half the class broke out laughing as Chie slumped back in her chair and started rubbing at the brilliant handprint across her cheek. A girl about Yukino's height with light brown hair stepped up and said, "Don't mind Chie-chan - she has a wierd idea of what's funny sometimes. I'm Senou Aoi, she's Harada Chie, and you're Tokiha Mai, right? How about we buy you lunch to make up for her being an idiot, and we can show you around the school, after?"
Mai huffed, then thought about it a moment. "Well... I'd already made plans for my 'first tour', but if he could join us...?" She trailed off and looked at me.
I shook my head, and fished out my second envelope and started tapping its short edge against the desktop. "Go on ahead - I have to take care of something."
"All right, then," she nodded, then turned to Aoi. "I'd love to!"
And off they went, and I put the envelope away and followed.
"Ah! Could you spare a moment, Tate-kun? There's something I need to ask you." Kyouto-ben. Shit. She'd been meeting with Mashiro when I'd come by the council this morning, so I'd been spared the experience until now.
"Huh?" With an effort, I put my thoughts back together. "Oh, of course. What did you need, miss...?"
She giggled as I turned to face her, then smiled and stepped a little closer. "Fujino Shizuru. I was wondering if you could tell me where Natsuki might have gone?" Despite her phrasing, the tone was not a request.
Wait and see, wait and see...
^_^
Ja, -n
===========
===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."
*set*
"It's kind of a shame - you're getting all this attention as a living Mystery, yet you don't seem to be enjoying it any."
I had to crane my neck a little to look at her without getting out of my desk, but that wasn't really a problem. Glasses, tan, alto verging on tenor and just about the blackest hair imaginable... Hmm. I wonder who this might be. "We all have our crosses to bear, ne, ahhh... Harada-san?"
She winked. "Pin-pon! But, since when are you so formal?"
"Ever since I woke up," I retorted. "Between my memories and the brain damage, I'm not even sure if I'd count as the same person any more."
"Oh." That idea seemed to do a good job of subduing her mood, and she leaned back in her seat and eyed me consideringly. "That'd be why you and that underclassman have had a falling out?"
I grimaced. The earlier - and more critical - parts of last night might have gone well, but the screaming row that had erupted when Mai got a look at the section involving Akira, Takumi, and Karasu had been real ugly, and my taking Mai's part rather than backing my adoptive sister's 'right' to my company had been even worse. She had calmed down, a little, once Natsuki had broken it up - and threatened her life - and had surprised me by continuing to cooperate in the planning and being quite civil with Natsuki and Mikoto, even when Mai and I were persona no grata. It'd likely the quite a while before we were back on speaking terms, but this was still better than giving in and having that issue lying in wait like some landmine for Nagi to go setting off at his leisure. "Put gently, yeah."
The founding HiME-sentai and I had been up much too late last night deciding what we were going to do, and once the teacher had ended the lesson Mai had put her head down on her desk and passed out cold. I reached over and poked her in the side. "Oi, Tokiha. Lunchtime."
She tried to burrow her head down deeper into her arms. "nnnrg. go'way, t'k'mi..."
I frowned and was considering which of the more drastic options would be most appropriate when Chie took the matter entirely out of my hands and into her own - literally - by reaching around the redhead's back and giving her most noticable assets an exploratory squeeze.
"GYAAAAAA! CHIKAN!"
The silence that followed Mai's howled accusation of perversion and instinctive retribution was echoing, until about half the class broke out laughing as Chie slumped back in her chair and started rubbing at the brilliant handprint across her cheek. A girl about Yukino's height with light brown hair stepped up and said, "Don't mind Chie-chan - she has a wierd idea of what's funny sometimes. I'm Senou Aoi, she's Harada Chie, and you're Tokiha Mai, right? How about we buy you lunch to make up for her being an idiot, and we can show you around the school, after?"
Mai huffed, then thought about it a moment. "Well... I'd already made plans for my 'first tour', but if he could join us...?" She trailed off and looked at me.
I shook my head, and fished out my second envelope and started tapping its short edge against the desktop. "Go on ahead - I have to take care of something."
"All right, then," she nodded, then turned to Aoi. "I'd love to!"
And off they went, and I put the envelope away and followed.
"Ah! Could you spare a moment, Tate-kun? There's something I need to ask you." Kyouto-ben. Shit. She'd been meeting with Mashiro when I'd come by the council this morning, so I'd been spared the experience until now.
"Huh?" With an effort, I put my thoughts back together. "Oh, of course. What did you need, miss...?"
She giggled as I turned to face her, then smiled and stepped a little closer. "Fujino Shizuru. I was wondering if you could tell me where Natsuki might have gone?" Despite her phrasing, the tone was not a request.
Wait and see, wait and see...
^_^
Ja, -n
===========
===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."