The girls are at an arcade. Sora is playing a mini-bowling game.
*STRIKE!!!*
AKI: (claps) Incredible, Abe-san!
MIE: Woohoo! Way to go, Sora!
SORA: Heh, I didn't win third place for nothing.
MIE: You got to bring us to a bowling alley sometime.
AKI: I would love to see you play, Abe-san.
SORA: (grins) I can bring you guys on my practice session this weekend.
AKI: Really?!
MIE: YAHOO! You're the best, Sora-chan!
KAORU: (annoyed) Can we get outta here? I'm tired of all this noise.
SORA: Relax, Kaoru. Aki hasn't played a game yet.
KAORU: (sighs vexingly) ... fine. Just one more game.
AKI: Oh, that's okay, Abe-san. I don't mind-
SORA: Don't worry. Just find any game you wanna play.
MIE: Yeah, Aki-chan. Take your time.
KAORU: (grunts)
AKI: Well, I don't really know what to play.
SORA: Just look around. There's a lot of different games that we can do.
MIE: Racing? Fighting? Shooting? Fishing? Dancing? Eating?
AKI: Oh? What's that?
Aki sees a hammer arcade game with flashing lights. A small TV screen displays a cartoon elephant with a hammer.
MIE: HITTING!
SORA: You never played this one? You just have to lift the hammer and hit that base there.
AKI: Looks fun.
KAORU: (grunts impatiently)
SORA: Let me show you.
Sora grabs the hammer, lifts it high, and hits the base. The ball moves up on the pole. The TV screen starts flashing.
*400 POINTS!*
SORA: What? That's it!
AKI: You did your best, Abe-san.
SORA: Here. (hands hammer to Aki)
AKI: Uh... me?
SORA: Yeah. Give it a try.
MIE: Come on, Aki-chan. You can't hide those muscles forever.
AKI: Uh... um...
SORA: Just do it.
AKI: O- okay...
Aki carries the hammer with both hands, drags it to the machine, slowly lifts it up, aims carefully for the base, and hits it.
*100 POINTS!*
AKI: ... oh.
MIE: (side hugs Aki) Don't worry, Aki-chan. I know you'll do better next time.
AKI: Uh... yeah...
KAORU: She's done, right? Let's go now.
MIE: Hey, I wanna play too!
SORA: Come on, Kaoru. Try having some fun with us.
KAORU: There's nothing fun in this loud, stupid place. (walks away)
AKI: Ashikaga-san...
SORA: Don't worry, Aki. She doesn't mean it.
MIE: (grabs hammer) Ashikaga-san may look like a tiger, but I bet her heart is sweet as jelly.
KAORU: (stops walking, turns around) ... what did she call me?!
Mie readies herself in front of the machine. Kaoru angrily walks back to them. As Mie lifts the hammer up, she grabs it out of her hands.
MIE: ... eh?
Kaoru lifts the hammer up and hits the base as hard as she can.
*700 POINTS!*
Everyone looks at her in awe. Even Kaoru was surprised at her own feat.
AKI: A- Ashikaga-san!
SORA: How did you that?!
MIE: Woah! That was amazing!
She heard the others commenting behind her. She dramatically turns around, flips her hair back, and rests the hammer on her shoulder.
KAORU: (chuckles proudly) Too easy.
AKI: That was astounding, Ashikaga-san!
SORA: Didn't know you had it in you.
MIE: WOO! Way to knock it out of the park!
KAORU: Here. (hands hammer to Mie)
MIE: Alright! My tur-
KAORU: (drops it on her hands)
MIE: Oof!
Kaoru walks from the machine with her head held high. Sora notices, looks disapproving.
MIE: Alright!!! My time to shine!
Mie lifts the hammer high and knocks the base.
*600 POINTS!*
MIE: YEAH! I still got it!
AKI: Way to go, Sawai-san!
SORA: So close.
KAORU: (smiles) Not close enough.
SORA: (glances at Kaoru)
MIE: (sneakily sticks something onto the hammer's face) Aki-chan, wanna try again?
AKI: What? Oh, no. That's okay-
MIE: It's fine. I'll think you'll do better this time.
AKI: Uh... thank you, but... I already-
MIE: (hands Aki the hammer) I already believe in you. Aki-chan! Now, it's your turn.
AKI: ... uh...
MIE: (smiles cheerfully)
AKI: ... I'll give it one more go.
MIE: YEAH! That's the spirit!
Aki walks back to the machine with the hammer.
MIE: You can do it, Aki-chan!
SORA: Give it all you got!
KAORU: Why are we doing this again?
Aki lifts up the hammer as high as she can. On the face of the hammer, a small paper with a peculiar symbol is attached to it. She hits the base with all her might.
*1000 POINTS!!!*
The machine lights up, colours flashing everywhere. On the TV screen, a bunch of cartoon animals are dancing in celebration.
Aki looks up on the machine, drops the hammer, utterly surprised. Sora and Kaoru have their jaws wide open, shocked.
SORA: ... what... just-
KAORU: -happened?
MIE: (hugs Aki from behind) AKI-CHAN!!! YOU DID IT!!!
AKI: I- I did?
MIE: You did it, Aki-chan! I know you can!
AKI: (smiles) Ah... Sawai-san...
Sora and Kaoru watches Mie and Aki joyously hugging each other. The small paper on the hammer's face starts burning, slowly disappearing.
...
Kouga is lying down under a tree, panting his breath out. He's wearing metallic fingerless gloves.
A part of the tree's bark is gone, revealing the tree's inner skin. It looks wounded. Pieces of the bark are on the ground.
After moments of resting, his phone rings from his bag. Kouga turns to it, curious.
...
Mie, Aki, Sora and Kaoru are walking back together.
SORA: I did not expect the arcade to have gifts on the ready.
MIE: Why not? Aki-chan deserves it.
AKI: (holding a plush elephant, feeling happy)
KAORU: I'm never going back there again.
AKI: Sawai-san.
MIE: Yo, Aki-chan.
AKI: If it weren't for you, I... wouldn't be able to do the things I normally wouldn't.
MIE: Ah?
AKI: So, I just wanna say...
MIE: ... Aki-
AKI: Thank you, Mie-chan! (smiles brightly)
MIE: (sobbing softly) Aki...
AKI: Uh? Mie-chan?
MIE: (sniffs) AKI-CHAN!!! (hugs Aki tightly)
AKI: M- Mie-chan?
MIE: You- you called me... Mie-chan...
AKI: It- it's that okay?
MIE: (faces her) OKAY? It's not OKAY! IT'S PERFECT!!! (hugs tighter) I'm never gonna let you go, Aki-chan!
AKI: (chuckles)
SORA: (smiles)
KAORU: (annoyed)
RING RING! RING RING!
MIE: Ops! Gonna let you go now.
Mie takes out her phone, flips it open and answers it. Her face suddenly changes.
AKI: Is everything alright?
MIE: I- I have to go! (runs off) I'll see you again tomorrow! Bye Sora! Bye Ashikaga-san! BYEEE, AKI-CHANNN!!!
AKI: Bye, Mie-chan!
SORA: Bye-bye!
KAORU: Huh... I was just about to tell her to buzz off.
SORA: (glares at Kaoru, shoves her arm)
KAORU: What?!
...
After a long day, Tsuyuki grabs her bag and proceeds to leave.
TAEKO: Umm... Fujimaru-sempai.
Taeko goes to her; the rest of the librarians are chatting with each other behind her.
TAEKO: We're going to a café together. You know, just getting a cup of coff-
TSUYUKI: I don't drink coffee.
TAEKO: Oh, well... you can still join us. There is this café that makes delicious cakes-
TSUYUKI: I'm not interested.
TAEKO: Oh, then... we can go somewhere else. Is there anywhere you want-
TSUYUKI: I have to go home.
Tsuyuki walks away, leaving Taeko upset.
Tsuyuki gets out of the library and turns to her right. A few distances away, she sees the Gyaru girls hanging out outside. Mai, with arms crossed, stares down at her. Tsuyuki keeps on walking.
MAI: You think I'm done with you?
TSUYUKI: (keeps on walking)
MAI: You don't know who you're messing with, girl.
TSUYUKI: (keeps on walking)
MAI: When I tell my boyfriend, Tak-kun, about you, he'll make you pay.
ERI: Don't you mean your ex-boyfriend?
MAI: Shut up! And there's nothing you ca-
TSUYUKI: (walks past her)
MAI: H- hey! Stop!
Mai runs in front of her while the others surround her. Tsuyuki stares coldly into Mai, who is smiling wickedly.
MAI: Fujimaru Tsuyuki-chan, right? You think we don't know anything about you?
KAYA: You're the quiet girl of the school.
ERI: Looking down on us like an arrogant queen.
MAI: Who do you think you are? All high and mighty.
KAYA: To be expected from a model student, huh?
ERI: Everyone looks up to you like you're hot stuff.
MAI: Even the teachers must have like you, huh?
KAYA: Doing any favours for them?
ERI: I wonder how some of them taste like.
MAI: You must know, of all people.
TSUYUKI: ...
MAI: (clicks tongue, disgusted) You think you can just stare at me like a freaking weirdo?!
TSUYUKI: ...
MAI: (scoffs) No wonder you don't have a dad...
TSUYUKI: (eyes widen)
MAI: (chuckles) You really think we don't know bull, huh?
KAYA: We know you live alone with your mom.
ERI: No daddy, huh?
KAYA: Did he die? Jumped off a cliff?
ERI: Left you guys for a younger woman?
KAYA: I bet she's your age.
ERI: Do you miss his touch, daddy's girl?
Tsuyuki clenches her fist tightly, stares directly into Mai, with furious intent.
MAI: (chuckles) Come on, girls. We know what happened to his dad...
TSUYUKI: (seething with rage)
MAI: He disappeared... Vanished. Not even her mom re-
Without a second's thought, Tsuyuki grabs Mai's jaw, squeezing it hard, muffling Mai's cries of pain. She tries to pull Tsuyuki's hand away, but her grip is too strong.
ERI: Ah! What are you doing?
KAYA: Let her go!
Kaya tries to pull Tsuyuki from Mai, but Tsuyuki pushes her out of the way, without looking at her. Kaya hits the wall and fell to the ground.
ERI: Kaya! Why you-
Tsuyuki glares into Eri, eyes filled with fury. Speechless, Eri stands there, frozen in fear. Tsuyuki turns back to Mai who is struggling to escape.
MAI: ... ah... ah... p-
TSUYUKI: ...
MAI: ... p- ple- please...
After a few moments of suffocating her intimidator, she lets her go. Mai fell to the ground, holding her jaw, gasping for air. She looks up to Tsuyuki, her mind is filled with fear and hate.
MAI: ... you... you...
TSUYUKI: ...
MAI: (scoffs) ... YOU FREAK!
Mai quickly runs away. Kaya follows her. Eri snaps out and runs away as well.
Tsuyuki watches them fleeing the scene. She takes a deep breath, lets out a long sigh, calming herself down and proceeds to walk back home.
RING a RING RING!
Her phone starts ringing in her bag. She takes it out and flips it open.
End of Chapter 7
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