Chapter 45: Chapter One: Mayu Kawaguchi Has A Secret
"Please Akio-kun, I'm begging you. Don't do this," Chiyo pleaded as she sat in her seat. The boy, Akio Miyashita, had already stood up in preparation to leave. "I can get them together, I know I can," Chiyo continued. "It's not as if I doubt you Chiyo," Akio said with a smile. "But, I really need this to move along. Haruna-chan and Kana-chan should be together sooner rather than later."
Akio began to move toward the door of the café they were in. It was night and few customers remained. As for the ones that did, their eyes were transfixed on the scene unfolding before them. What exactly they were seeing, none of them were quite sure. Firstly, there was the boy. He had dark brown, somewhat messy hair that hung just above his hazel-colored eyes. His looks wouldn't be considered handsome, but they weren't bad either. His outfit consisted of a basic green t-shirt and khaki shorts, and he stood about average height for a guy. Personality-wise, most that knew him would say he was kind and understanding, but as the school year had gone on, Akio had started to cause those around him to wonder if maybe there was a scheming side to him that they hadn't known about.
In chorus with his motion, Chiyo Wakabayashi stood up out of the booth they had been at and went to follow him. Her eyes were pleading, which seemed to be in contrast with her image. Chiyo was the type of girl one would call a gyaru or gal. Her looks were flashy, with her hair a dyed-auburn color, and she kept it tied in a side ponytail, allowing the golden highlights she had to be shown throughout. Her eyes were a deep brown, melding well with her make-up that looked both natural and attractive. Typical with what people would expect of a gyaru, Chiyo also had a large chest, with it currently being held in by a low-collar white blouse. Her waist was slim, and overall her skin now had a bit of a tan to it due to the camping trip she had recently been on. It covered her all the way from her head to her curvaceous thighs clad in a bright blue mini-skirt, down to her feet, wearing a simple set of flip-flops. Her personality was certainly a bubbly one, but there was also an air of mystery that lie underneath.
As the patrons of the café stared on, neither the boy nor the girl paid them no mind. Instead, their eyes were locked on one another, not in a romantic way, but rather exhibiting two very different emotions. For Akio, it was almost as if he stared at Chiyo with pity, but whether or not that pity was meant for her or himself, it was hard to say. Chiyo meanwhile was conveying a sense of desperation, looking to be on the verge of tears. There was anger in her eyes as well, but it was faint.
"You said you wouldn't hurt them Akio-kun," Chiyo said in a shaky voice. Akio looked away, unable to hold the gal's gaze any longer. "It's not like I want to hurt them... but..." Akio paused, turning back to Chiyo with a half-hearted smile. "Sometimes it takes getting hurt before you're able to move forward."
Chiyo had nothing to say back. She wanted to stop him, to find some way to prevent Akio from going through with the plan that he had just detailed to her. Finally, while she had no argument, Chiyo did find words to say. "I won't help you with this," she said weakly. "I know," Akio said softly. "But hey, if you have some other plan to get Haruna-chan and Kana-chan together, I'd love to see it. Although, I'll probably go through with my plan whether you do or not."
Sensing there was nothing left to say, Akio gave a slight bow before paying the check for their tea and then walking out the door. Chiyo didn't follow, instead opting to sit back down. She was shaking, both from knowing how Akio's plan would turn out and anger at herself for not being able to convince him out of it.
"Um, miss? Are you okay?" a waitress asked. "Oh, y-yeah, I'm fine," Chiyo said, faking a smile. "I'm gonna go." Rising from her seat once more, Chiyo started to make her way back home, all the while trying to come up with some surefire idea to get two girls go out with one another.
*****
On the night of Sunday, September 1, students all across Iwanai waited for morning to come. It was officially only hours now until they would all be returning to Iwanai Municipal High School. Some looked forward to the return knowing they'd be reunited with friends, but others sat in dread, wishing that their summer break would never end. Somewhere in between, most other students fell, but for one in particular, she was to be found nowhere on this scale.
Rather than thinking about school or who would be in her class, Mayu Kawaguchi was sitting at her desk lost in thought. She was still wrapped in mixed emotion over a singular piece of information that she had learned during the camping trip she had been on. After finding out, she had been sworn to secrecy.
That secret was that Haruna was in love with Kanako.
Mayu heard Haruna say as much herself one morning in the cabin. She had been coming down to greet everyone and wash the mugs that had been in her room, but when Mayu stumbled onto the scene, the shock was so much that it caused her to drop the mugs, allowing them to shatter across the floor.
Ever since then, Mayu had felt her head to be in a daze. She had no idea what to make of it. While it's true that the idea of one member of a gender falling in love with another of the same gender was not necessarily unheard of to Mayu, that vague definition was about the extent of her knowledge. She had no exposure to relationships such as those, and she had certainly never known anyone to have had feelings like that.
Compounding on top of that was the fact that Mayu had been raised in a traditional home. Her family wasn't strict, but they certainly cared about appearances (perhaps more than one should), so with that came a degree of long-held beliefs and ideas that were passed down one generation after the next. One of those beliefs was that a woman belonged with a man, nothing more, nothing less.
It was a belief that Mayu's mother, Ai, fully accepted. So naturally, she had tried to instill that into her daughter as well. Truthfully, Mayu had never really been sure what to think. It wasn't as if she was against the idea, she just lacked the experience to make a sound opinion and judgement. Now, she was getting just that in spades. On one side of Mayu was her mother, saying that girls dating other girls would be wrong. On the other side, Mayu now had one of her close friends being the target of affection from another girl.
As typical with Mayu's simple appearance of twin black braids and perfectly circular glasses, her personality was also one that kept calm and kind. She was known to be pleasant and hardly ever react extraordinarily to anything. But now, that had all been shattered. Mayu's personality had been no façade, but learning something as striking as Haruna's love for Kanako had substantially dented Mayu's ability to keep her normal demeanor.
Perhaps on the surface, one might call it a good thing. For someone to remain so calm and simplistic as Mayu could potentially just come off as boring and plain. Going through an experience that allowed her to improve upon herself would most likely turn out for the better. However, while objectively this might be true, Mayu's mind was a mess.
"How does a girl even fall in love with another girl anyways?" Mayu mused aloud. Quickly she clapped her hand over her mouth, afraid that her mother might pass by and overhear. "...Is it really as wrong as mother says?" Mayu wondered. It wasn't as if the topic came up often, but in the times that it had, Mayu had found that Ai had a strong distaste for relationships such as those. She had called them unsightly, distasteful, even going so far one night as to call them vulgar. It was hard to say where Ai's feelings came from on the matter, but one thing was clear: she was very much against it.
Now, from mother to daughter, that belief and the feelings that came with it were being challenged. As part of Mayu struggled to understand, she knew that there was another part of her that wanted to be supportive. She couldn't help but think that maybe this was okay. After all, Mayu could tell how much Haruna cared for Kanako. There had been little details of course, and looking back on them, it almost seemed obvious. But, even if those hadn't been enough, the night of Haruna nearly attacking Michi when she mocked any potential relationship there may have been was certainly proof enough that there was at least more to Haruna and Kanako's connection than just being friends.
This line of thought brought Mayu to another question. "Doesn't Kana-chan love Miyashita-san?" she wondered. If Kanako was in love with Akio (which she was), and if Haruna was in love with Kanako (which she was) then how did Akio feel about it? "I wonder if he knows what's going on..." Mayu thought innocently. She and Itsuki both knew nothing about the deal that Kanako had made with Akio, and the only reason Michi knew is because she had basically forced it out of Kanako through accusing Haruna of bullying, manipulation and blackmail.
The deal of course had been quite bizarre. As luck had it, both Haruna and Kanako had fallen in love with the boy they grew up with, Akio. They both chose the same day to confess, and when they went to do just that, Akio gave them a proposal back: "Date each other for one year, and I'll go out with one of you at the end." Once he explained his reasoning, Kanako had agreed, which basically forced Haruna to agree too.
With that deal in place, Haruna had been spending more and more time together with Kanako. She had told her own friends, Chiyo and Jasmine, all about it immediately, but as for Kanako, she was much more nervous. After all, telling your friends that you're pretending to date a girl to actually go out with the guy you like is something that is definitely not normal. So instead, Kanako remained silent for as long as she could, which left Mayu and Itsuki in the dark.
Although, even considering the incomplete romantic triangle, Mayu still felt a little perplexed. Kanako had told all of her friends she was going to confess, but when she had come back, she had given a very non-response to the girls' questions. "She never said she got rejected, but she said he didn't accept either..." Mayu remembered. "What's going on?"
Kanako confessing to Akio and not having an answer. Haruna, who used to seem to loathe Kanako, suddenly spending time with her. On top of that, Haruna saying she's in love with Kanako. In a rare moment, Mayu experienced a feeling that hardly ever come to her: suspicion. "I hate that I'm thinking this, but... it seems like something else is going on here."
It was all too convenient. However, Mayu regretted thinking that immediately. It only served to add to her confusion. Girls falling for other girls, which went against what she had been taught. A set of events that seemed connected, but with no way to really figure out how. Mayu's head was starting to spin.
Getting up, she went from her desk to her bed and laid down. "Who knew secrets were so hard?" she mumbled. It wasn't long before it was time for bed. When Mayu's head hit the pillow, she found sleep to be difficult to come by.
*****
The next morning, Mayu got up, got ready, and proceeded to head to school to begin the second term of her second year. Making sure the green bow adorned on her sailor uniform was straight, she began the journey from her house to school.
When she arrived, she stopped for a moment in front of the gate. In front of her stood Iwanai Municipal High School, with its faded white exterior and a little brighter white interior. Most people around considered it to be a more modern school, though there were a few students that claimed in comparison to Tokyo schools, Iwanai High might as well have been a shack. Having never been to Tokyo, Mayu didn't really have much of an opinion on that, but to her, she liked the school. It was fairly large compared to most buildings, having several stories and a decent length to it. With sports facilities in the back and a side of the building dedicated to clubrooms, there wasn't much to complain about.
But, while Mayu may have considered to stop for a moment simply to admire her own school, that wasn't why she wasn't moving. Rather, it had more to do with knowing she'd have to see the two girls that were the main subject of the secret she had been charged with keeping. In the end, she hadn't come up with any idea of how to interact with them. Really, she hadn't even had the chance. So many other thoughts had ran through her head that interaction had ended up last on the list.
"What am I going to do?" Mayu mumbled. "Ma-yu-chan!" a voice suddenly called, glomping onto her from behind. "Ah!" Mayu exclaimed at the sudden impact. "How's it goin'?" the cheery girl clinging onto her asked. "Oh, it's you Chiyo," Mayu said, nearly breathing a sigh of relief. "Yup, the one and only! Well, actually, I think like, there's another one? But I'm not sure..." Chiyo said, getting lost in thought. "Um, if you don't mind..." Mayu said politely. "Hm? Oh yeah!" Chiyo said, releasing the girl from her clutches.
Chiyo leaned in closer without warning, causing Mayu to take a step back to balance herself. They were nearly touching noses. "Hey Mayu-chan," Chiyo said in a serious tone. "Y-Yes?" Mayu asked, feeling the pressure. "You okay? I can see bags under your eyes. It's important to get your beauty sleep y'know," Chiyo said. "Oh, I'm fine," Mayu said. She wasn't lying, at least not really... kind of... maybe?
Chiyo continued to stare, but then she drew back. "Alright, I'll believe ya," she said with a smile. Mayu froze. "What's with that?" she wondered. That smile. Something was off. Mayu hadn't spent a huge amount of time with Chiyo, but through random interactions like passing in the hallway and lunches, plus the multiple study sessions they'd done together, Mayu had been able to pick up on a few things. For one, it was true that Chiyo lived up to her gyaru title, but there was more to her than that. She thought deeply about things and even sometimes appeared to keep a little distance between herself and others. It wasn't hard to notice that. But Mayu had also noticed something else because of that, and that was when Chiyo was troubled, she had a tendency to really push her bubbly personality.
"Are... you okay?" Mayu asked hesitantly. For the tiniest of moments, Mayu swore she saw that smile falter. "Of course I'm okay! Right as rain girl!" Chiyo proclaimed. "I'll meet ya inside!" "Okay..." Mayu said as Chiyo bounded off. "What is going on...?" she thought. Haruna, Kanako, Chiyo and maybe even Akio... Little by little, the usually calm and reserved Mayu began to put together the pieces.
*****
Arriving in the building, Mayu began to change her shoes when a familiar voice called out to her. "G-Good morning Mayu-chan," she said. Turning, Mayu saw who it was. Standing before her were two girls. One was short, wearing her light brown hair in a ponytail like she always did. Her blue eyes glistened from the overhead lights, which also served to highlight the small amount of make-up she had applied that morning. Her clothes matched Mayu's, bow and all, although her chest was a little larger. However, while her looks were fine, her personality was weak. She wasn't inherently shy. She was just naturally nervous around most people. Other than that, she was known to be nice. The only time she wasn't was if she was mad, which was truly a sight to behold (and experience).
"Good morning Kana-chan!" Mayu said loudly in a panic. The girl she had addressed was Kanako Nakatomi, one half of the secret causing Mayu grief. The other half stood beside her. She was taller than average, which made her seem to tower over Kanako. Her hair was jet black, and her eyes were a piercing green, unlike the gentle green of the bow she wore. Naturally, her uniform was the same as the other two girls, but where theirs protruded, this girl's did not. Instead, she was perfectly linear, with her chest being as flat as a board.
"Morning Kawaguchi-san," the girl said. Mayu was surprised. Haruna Endo, the girl greeting her now, had never once done so before at school. "G-Good morning!" she said, faltering in her delivery both due to surprise and a bit of intimidation. Haruna's natural face seemed to be more of a glare, so she tended to put people off. Although, some of the guys of the school had a saying going that if it wasn't for her rough personality, Haruna could pass as a cool beauty. Kanako on the other hand, while closer to pretty than ugly, had never seemed to be popular with the boys.
Kanako looked at Mayu with a bit of confusion. "Hey Mayu-chan, y-you look a little worried. Is something wrong?" Kanako asked. "Oh, nothing's wrong, nothing at all! I have to get to class now, so I'll see you at lunch!" Mayu said as she scurried off.
Reaching her room, she found two familiar faces. One was a girl by the name of Jasmine Hiraoka. Rumor had it that her mother was American, while her father was Japanese, leading to a great combination of beauty. What wasn't rumor though was that like Chiyo, Jasmine was a gal through and through. She had a reputation for dating a lot of guys and was easy to see why so many fell for her. Her hair was dyed a dull pink color and it was kept wavy, hanging down to almost her shoulders. Her eyes always seemed to be half-closed, creating a droopy effect, but when paired with her natural good looks, they came off as seductive. The way she spoke was the same, with her words coming out slow, but each one that fell from her plush lips dripped with sex appeal. Her body was nearly the same as Chiyo's, with the only really differences being that Jasmine's breasts were a tiny bit smaller than Chiyo's and Jasmine was a couple centimeters taller. As for the uniform, Jasmine also had the green bow to show she was a second-year, but it was tied loosely. Her top was also pulled down to show off her assets, along with making her skirt shorter. In most schools, Jasmine would be the center of attention for this alone, drawing both good and bad. However, thanks to Chiyo, she didn't have to worry. In contrast, her fellow gal had her skirt even shorter, her top even lower, and most of the time found some way to customize it all (which usually involved glitter or bedazzling).
The other girl Mayu knew was Itsuki Yukimura, her best friend. The girl played the part of tomboy well, having tanned skin and fairly short black hair, along with running on the track team too. Her height helped her in that, making her a good sprinter. While she was near the bottom grade-wise, that never seemed to affect her positive personality. However, despite her tomboy outside, inside Itsuki was a pretty sensitive girlie-girl. Back home, her entire room could best be described as fluffly. Mayu and Itsuki had spent a lot of time together. They had grown up knowing each other, and currently, it was common for Itsuki to be Mayu's house nearly every day for multiple hours.
As Mayu walked into the classroom, she first gave Jasmine a greeting. "Uh..." Jasmine moaned back as she stared. "Mayu...chan, right?" "Yes, that's right," Mayu said, relieved that Jasmine remembered her name. "Hey, your bow looks pretty nice," Jasmine said slowly as she reached out to touch it. "How'd you do that?" "How? I only tied it," Mayu answered as Jasmine played with the string. Looking down, Mayu saw the state of Jasmine's bow. "...Would you like me to fix yours?" she offered. "Really? I'd like, totally appreciate that. I can never get the strings to go where I want 'em, y'know?"
Mayu giggled to herself. "She probably has a hard time because she doesn't like mornings," she thought, thinking back to the camping trip for reference. Quick and tidily, Mayu straightened out Jasmine's bow. "Thanks Mayu-chi. That's great," Jasmine said as she admired the girl's work. "Mayu-chi?" Mayu repeated. "Yeah. What, you don't like it?" Jasmine said with a tilt of her head. "Oh, no it's fine. I don't mind," Mayu said. "Cool," Jasmine said with a sleepy smile. As Mayu walked away, she felt a little awestruck. "I'm now friends with both of the gyarus in our school... And one of them even gave me a nickname." For some reason, that made Mayu feel a little lighter.
Unfortunately, the rest of the day was a disaster. While on her own, Mayu was able to function as normal, but when faced with Kanako or Haruna, things went very poorly. During lunch, which included all seven of the girls, Mayu spilled rice, dropped her chopsticks on the ground, and even accidently drank from Itsuki's drink. In culinary class, Mayu burned her food and nearly herself. Even after school, she stumbled over her words so much when she ran into Haruna that Haruna had begun to show genuine worry for the poor girl.
When it came time to head home, Kanako and Haruna left first, leaving Michi, Mayu and Itsuki to walk back together. This was actually a frequent occurrence, as Kanako and Haruna lived in the opposite direction. As the three girls walked, there seemed to be an awkward tension between them, but nobody said anything about it. Once Michi split off, Itsuki let out a breath she had apparently been holding.
"Geez, this sucks," Itsuki whined. "So you thought it felt weird too?" Mayu asked. "Yeah! I mean, I'm trying to act like everything's normal, but the way Mi-chan acted on the camping trip was just so hard to take! She's our friend, so I wanna be nice and forgive and forget, but it kinda feels like she won't, which makes it hard for me to." Itsuki explained. Mayu nodded. "I understand," then quieter, "It seems like I'm not the only one having a difficult time with things..." "Huh? Mayu-chan, you say something?" Itsuki asked. Mayu shook her head. "No, it's nothing." "Hey, is it cool if I come to your house?" Itsuki asked like a puppy dog. Mayu let out a small sigh. "Even if I told you you shouldn't, you'd find some way to anyways." Itsuki laughed. "Yup! Because I love you soooooo much!" she said, wrapping Mayu's shoulders up with her arm. "Love..." Mayu repeated in her head. "I wonder... what Itsuki-chan thinks?"
At Mayu's house, Itsuki played around with Kanade, Mayu's younger sister, for a bit before tiring out. "Man, I'm only in high school and I'm getting burnt out by her!" Itsuki said as she breathed heavily. Currently she was leaning against a wall in Mayu's room and resting. "Perhaps you are getting old," Mayu joked. "Aw, don't be mean to me now Mayu-chan!" Itsuki whined. It wasn't common for Mayu to tell jokes of any sort, but she always seemed to tell them around Itsuki.
After a moment, Mayu decided that she would ask the question on her mind. "Hey, Itsuki-chan?" Mayu began. Itsuki looked at her. "What's up?" "Well, um... w-what do you think about... um... g-girls... d-dating other... girls...?" Mayu managed to squeak out. She was speaking quietly not only so her mother wouldn't overhear, but also because of her nerves. In response to the question, Itsuki stared, somewhat wide-eyed, back at Mayu. "Girls... dating other girls?" she repeated. "What do you mean?"
Mayu hadn't been expecting that. "You know... Dating... Being a couple... that's what I mean..." she explained, feeling more embarrassed with each word she spoke. "Girls... dating? Being a couple? Is that even possible?" Itsuki asked. "L-Let's say it is," Mayu said, trying to keep the conversation moving. "Okay. Let's see... Well, I don't see any problem with it," Itsuki said casually. "Huh?" Mayu let out. "You don't?" "Yeah. I mean, as long as they love each other, is there really any problem?" Itsuki asked. "I suppose not, but..." Mayu said. "Honestly, it's a little hard to imagine. Like, I hear the rumors at school about Kana-chan and Endo-san, but most people just say it as a joke." Itsuki said. "Right..." Mayu said softly.
Due to the deal with Akio, Kanako and Haruna had to act like a couple, especially if he could see them. This meant that oftentimes, the two girls would have to, at the very least, hold hands in public. They never did more than that anyways since it was for a fake relationship, but even that was enough to draw others' attention. It didn't take long for the whole school to start saying that they were a real couple.
"What made you ask something like that anyways?" Itsuki asked, then said smugly. "Do you wanna go out with me?" Mayu stared blankly. "No, not particularly," she answered with a straight face. "I know I was only kidding, but it still kinda hurts when you say it like that," Itsuki moped. Then she snorted. "That just made me think of Chiyo and Hiraoka-san. We kinda sounded like them." Mayu thought back, remembering how the relationship between those two was. Chiyo always seemed to be messing around, and Jasmine tended to be straightforward and sometimes insulting to Chiyo. It all appeared to be in good fun though. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Mayu said with a smile, returning from her memories.
A couple of hours later, Itsuki finally went home, leaving Mayu by herself. "Mayu-nee-chan, Mayu-nee-chan! Can you help me?!" Kanade said as she burst into the room. The very small, 8-year-old girl, looked almost exactly like Mayu, except she didn't wear glasses and had one braid instead of two. "Help you with what?" Mayu asked. "Homework!" Kanade proclaimed as she held up a piece of paper. Mayu took the paper. "Math? Kanade, I thought you were good at this. Weren't you just bragging over the summer about how fast you got done?" "W-Well, I... It's hard okay?!" Kanade shouted. "Shh! Kanade, I'm sure mother and father are trying to sleep. You mustn't wake them," Mayu scolded her little sister.
"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Ai said as she stood in the doorway. "Mama!" Kanade said as she ran over to the woman in traditional clothing. "I'm so sorry mother," Mayu said with a bow. "It's quite alright dear. I was still awake anyways. Now, do you think I can help you with your homework Kanade?" Ai asked. Kanade nodded emphatically. "You're the best mama!" Kanade cheered. "Oh my, such praise. I'll be sure to live up to it," Ai said with a laugh as the two of them walked away.
Mayu, now truly alone, replicated her motions from the previous night and flopped onto her bed once more. "Today was such a mess..." she thought. "I really hope... tomorrow is better..." With that, her final thoughts carried her off to sleep.
End of Chapter One.
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