Chapter 10 - Day Four

Day 4
I idled for the remainder of the night. Because of my idling, my arm had fully healed, and the scars on my hands had disappeared. Nazo-san had practice all day, so I decided that I would go get some answers. I knew that asking Misaki was hopeless, so I decided to try and get some answers from Kureno. I found him sitting by himself.
“Kureno-kun, I need to speak with you,” I said casually.
He looked up at me. “What do you want?” he asked in an annoyed voice.
I quickly grabbed hold of the collar of his shirt.
“I want some answers! Do you have a problem with me?!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His expression didn’t change.
“You know exactly what I’m talking about! I haven’t heard a kind word out of you since you joined our team!”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“Yeah, there’s a problem with that! I’d like to know what your problem is, but I think I’ve already figured out that part.”
His annoyed expression changed to one of peaceful submission. “Quiet down.”
“You have trouble confiding in people, don’t you?”
He sighed. “I try to distance myself from pure spirits, because I’m ashamed of what I’ve become.”
“If you promise to change your attitude, I won’t judge you.”
He looked up at me with tired eyes. “Just answer this one question, and you will understand… Why is it that I am new to you? Why have you never seen me in heaven?”
“Because you…Then why don’t you repent?”
“I can’t…”
“Why not?” A truly disturbed expression crossed my face.
“Because of ‘her’.”
“Her? So, you and I are in the same boat…What is her name?”
“I can’t…” he started to turn away, but I stopped him.
“It’s unhealthy to hold in all of your emotions. If you keep acting like this, you’ll forget why you ever loved her in the first place.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s a fact of life, Kureno.”
“…Her name was Mary. She was a criminal whom I was on a mission to destroy.”
“Love comes from such unexpected places, doesn’t it?” I smiled.
“Koizumi, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“The rules are written the way they are to make you think it’s unlawful to fall in love, but that’s not entirely true.”
“It isn’t?!” my mouth dropped open in disbelief.
“Does it really sound fair to say something like that?”
“Then what does the law really say?”
“I can’t tell you, but I can guarantee that you will break it someday.”
“I’m not going to hell, Kureno.”
“You won’t go to hell, but you will receive some form of punishment.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because it happened to me…and I am just now recovering from it.”
“What year was it when you met her?!”
“I don’t really remember the exact year. All I remember is that the parliament had not yet been established in Brittan.”
“It’s taken you that long to recover?!”
“Yes, but I was alone for most of that time. The answer was rewarded to me because of good behavior. You have me to thank if you come up with it early.”
“But you won’t tell me the answer.”
“No, I won’t tell you the answer, but I will help you find it.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “At least I solved one of the mysteries.”
He looked up at me curiously. “Hmmm?”
“Oh, it’s just Misaki. She’s been acting so strange lately. I don’t think she’s held onto a former member quite this long before.”
“I guess I won’t be welcomed as a member of your little family for quite some time.”
“Don’t be so sure of that. Junichiro and I will talk to her.”
“Then I will try to find out why she’s been acting so strange. Is there anything else I need to know?”
“Yes, there is one thing. She seemed to give Nazo-san a rather scornful look the last time I saw her.”
“Ah, I’ve already got a good idea. I’m going to talk to Junichiro.”
I sighed. “I want to train.”
“Then go train. I’ll take care of Nazo-san.”
“Seriously?!”
“Sure, Taiki-san and I will drop him off when they are finished.”
“Thank you, Kureno-kun.”
I ran back to the hotel as quickly as my legs could carry me. As soon as I walked into Nazo-san’s new room, I received a text message from Soeki. I learned that, if I trained for the rest of the day, all night, and the next night, I would be promoted. My training was quite successful. The electric shock that blistered my hand no longer caused me pain. I was again able to use my thumb that I had injured the first time I trained.
* * * *
Approximately six hours after I had left the Budokan Nazo-san arrived with food.
“Koizumi-chan, I brought you ramen!” he exclaimed as he burst into the room.
“Aww, you didn’t have to do that. I’m going to become spoiled,” I giggled.
“Only I am allowed to spoil you.”
“Oh really? So now you are trying to spoil me?”
“I’ve got big plans for you.” He laughed and sat on the couch.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You are the granddaughter of Mitsugashi Hitomi, aren’t you?”
“I am, but I don’t see how that is relevent?”
“Can you sing?”
“I can sing in English.”
“Is the reason you can’t sing in Japanese because you sound like Mitsugashi-sama?”
I blushed. “Maybe.”
“You do! I want to hear!”
“Nazo-kun, I am very modest when it comes to singing.”
“C’mon, it’s just me.”
“Which gives me more reason to be modest.”
“will you sing in English?”
“If you desperately want to hear me, I will sing for you.”
“Yay!” He cutely gave me a big hug and went to eat his ramen.
“Can I eat ramen first?”
“I suppose I’ll let you eat first.”
“Itadakimasu!” we shouted in unison.
Nazo-san did nothing but talk the entire time. He was still eating ramen when I finished.
“You’re quite the talkative one,” I laughed.
“I’ve been called that before,” he said with a smile.
“I’ll sing for you now if you’d like.”
“I’d like that very much, but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“But I do want to sing for you. I just don’t want anyone else to hear me.”
“Don’t worry, no one else will hear.”
“Alright, then you eat, and I’ll sing.”
Nazo-san quickly grabbed his chopsticks and ate his ramen. I picked up Carlos and began strumming a simple tune. Then I began to sing the song “I’m yours” by Jason Mraz. I don’t know when exactly it was that this happened, but while I was singing, Nazo-san stopped eating, dropped his chopsticks, and stared at me in disbelief. When I finished singing he clapped, and I blushed.
“Was I good?” I asked doubtfully.
“Koizumi-chan, that was so cute!” he exclaimed excitedly.
“Really?”
“You’re a great singer! Are you sure that Mitsugashi-sama is your only famous relative?”
“I never said Chibi-kun was my only famous relative.”
‘There are others?!”
“There just might be,” I teased.
“C’mon, tell me! I wanna make you famous too!”
“My grandmother and my grandfather are the ones. They will be the parents of my mother.”
“Who are they?”
“Hmmm, that’s a hard one. I didn’t see this grandfather quite as often as I saw Chibi-kun.”
“Take your time. I’m in no hurry.”
“I remember that every time I saw him he said the word kawaii. He said it so much that I thought it was his name.”
“So you called him Kawaii-kun?”
“I did call him Kawaii-kun.”
Wow, I would love to have a name like that.”
“It would definitely suit you well.”
“You think so?”
I laughed. “I know so. Nazo-kun, you are the personification of the word, kawaii.”
“So, what else do you know about this “Kawaii-kun?” What did he look like?”
“He looked like me. That was the topic of almost every conversation my family had about him. They said we looked so similar that we could be the same person.”
“But, Koizumi-chan, you are a girl.”
“I think they meant it as a hypothetical.”
“They probably did. I think I might know who he is. He sounds a lot like the lead singer of the band Confectuous Rapture.”
“I’ve loved that band since I was a little girl. I love their style of Visual Kei, and their songs have such a fun beat! I’ve never seen the lead singer though. What’s his name?”
“His stage name is Shinji, and that’s also what most people call him. I don’t’ actually know his real name.”
“Do you have a picture or something?”
“I might have one.”
He walked over to one of his bags and pulled out the newest issue of the Visual Kei magazine, “Fool’s Mate.” After flipping a few pages he held it up for me to see.
“Is that him?” he asked hopefully.
“Hold it still, your hands are shaking,” I said.
Nazo-san handed the magazine to me, and I held it close to my face. The man I was staring at had the same strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes that I did. We had the same child-like face and slender cheek bones. The only feature of his that was not identical to mine was his smile. When he smiled all of his shiny, white teeth were visible, and every facial feature seemed to intensify. I was told that my smile was much like that of Chibi-kun. My eyes always squinted and my cheeks were chubby.
“Nazo-kun, this is most definitely him,” I said happily.
“Yay!” he exclaimed, running in a circle.
“So cute!” I laughed.
He settled down and came back over to sit next to me on the couch. “What about your grandmother?”
“My grandmother’s identity is no mystery. She was the only grandparent who didn’t have a nickname. She loved to curl my hair and dress me in Lolita dresses, and she was a genius cellist. That was, undoubtedly, where I got my guitar playing skills.”
“Did she also sing?”
“Yes, her singing voice was very sweet and mysterious.”
“She must be Rairakku-hime.”
“She is Rairakku-hime.”
“Oh, Koizumi-chan! You are so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents!”
“They were just the average grandparent stereotype. They spoiled me rotten whenever they got the chance,” I laughed, “I sure do miss them.”
“We’ll have time on Saturday.”
I sighed. “Nazo-kun, I am still on my mission. I am not permitted to make you do anything on my behalf.”
“But I want to do this. It’s not like you’re “making” me do anything. The only thing you “make” me is happy.”
“It doesn’t matter. It just can’t happen.”
“What if I talk to Yoshida?”
“You want to talk to Master Yoshida? I don’t know if they will allow that, but you can try.”
“Can we do it right now?”
“I don’t’ see why not. He might be busy though.”
“Please try. I want to do this very much.”
“Alright, I will…” My cell phone interrupted me. “How does he do that?”
Nazo-san giggled.
“Give him the phone,” Master Yoshida commanded the second I picked up the phone.
“Yes, Master,” I answered quickly and complied without question.
I watched as Nazo-san presented his proposition to Master Yoshida. I could tell he wanted this very much because of the determination on his face and his serious tone. His expression remained constant through the conversation. Each reply was voiced quickly and articulated perfectly. Weather Nazo-san was successful or not, I did not know. As soon as the conversation ended he turned to me.
“Koizumi-chan, he said that we can go if your training tonight is successful,” he said cheerfully.
“What are his other conditions?” I asked suspiciously.
“He said you have to get a paying job…”
“Okay.”
“And you have to stay close to your family and Kureno-san.”
“What about you?”
“That’s my condition. You have to stay even closer to me.” He grinned.
“I will happily comply with any and every condition you give me.”
“Then you have to promise to never ever, ever leave me!” He got excited and held me tight.
“I promise to never ever, EVER leave you!” I got excited as well and hugged him with enough force to make him fall onto his back.
He started laughing. “I love you, Koizumi-chan.”
His arms tightened around me and my eyes began to close. “I love you too, Nazo-kun.”
For a moment I laid still, listening to the soft beating of Nazo-san’s sweet little heart. Then I moved my head so that I could see his face.
“When the sun rises tomorrow morning, we won’t have to keep this a secret anymore,” I said softly.
“Taiki-kun already knows about us. Kureno-san had to tell him,” Nazo-san whispered.
“It’s fine as long as he didn’t’ find out on his own.”
“Koizumi-chan, you know you don’t have to stay with us if you don’t want to.”
I turned onto my stomach so that I could see Nazo-san’s face clearly. “What makes you say that?”
“I’ve noticed that you are very close to Misaki-san and Junichiro-san. Won’t you miss them?”
“I will miss them, but I plan to keep myself very busy.”
“Will you ever see them again?”
“I will see them again if they work hard enough.”
“Good, because I think Yuusuke-kun and Misaki-san have become very good friends. He’d be sad if he never saw her again.”
“Did you know that Misaki knows how to make beer?”
“Oh! Then he would be clinging to her leg like a child, bawling the whole way!” his chest vibrated as he giggled happily.
“He loves beer that much?”
“He does, but he swears he’s not an alcoholic.”
“Too funny. What about you? Do you love beer?”
No, I don’t go crazy like Yuusuke does. You know I used to smoke, but that doesn’t really count anymore. Hmmm…. I’m not addicted to video games like Yamada, and I’m not addicted to shopping like Taiki. I guess what replaced smoking was you.”
“Wow, that makes me feel so special.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that in a bad way.”
“I know what you meant. I’m glad you feel that way about me. I definitely feel that way about you.”
“Are you going to watch our live?”
“I will if you want me to.”
“I am going to sing for you.” He smiled proudly.
“Then I will definitely watch.”
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot! We are having a very unique after party.”
“Is it? What’s so unique about it?”
“It’s a Victorian style ball. You’ll have to wear a dress.”
“that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Really? We were a bit worried about what you four would wear.”
“You may call us ninja, but we’re mire like a giant collection of super secret agents. I consider myself the James Bond of the entity world; I’ve got enough connections to take over the world and then some.”
“That makes things so much easier, but this is still going to be hard on you.”
“How so?”
“This party is to celebrate the ending of our one man tour. The guest list includes several major Visual Kei bands….including Bloody Petals.”
I sat up and began to speak violently. “Ahaha! Now things finally start to get interesting!”
He jumped and scurried over to the corner of the couch. “Oh, look at the time! I thought we still had five hours left!”
I laughed. “You were looking at the clock upside down.”
He laughed too. “I knew that.”
“Alright, Nazo-kun, to bed with you!” I quickly kissed the top of his head and continued. “Tonight I shall complete my training, and I will officially belong to you. In the morning, Soeki will come into the dressing room with new uniforms for Kureno and I. oh, what a beautiful promotion this will be!”
“Who is Soeki?” Nazo-san asked in a small voice.
“Soeki is Master Yoshida’s secretary. As her name implies, she is quite the pest, but she is much kinder than Master Yoshida.”
“Thanks for explaining.” He smiled, stood, and walked to the bedroom door.
“Goodnight, Nazo-kun.”
“Goodnight, Koizumi-chan!”
I watched Nazo-san skip into the bedroom, then got right to work.
* * * *

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