Chapter 143: Chapter Nine: Nobody Is Happy
If there was ever a time for a blank look, the night Haruna got back from her date would be it. During the ride home, she and Kanako didn't say a word to each other, and even once Haruna was inside, she just went straight to her room, sat on her bed and stared at the wall. It had been about an hour or so since Katsumi's blackmailing, and Haruna still hadn't managed to process everything that had happened.
One moment, she was on the verge of taking the next step in her relationship with Kanako.
The next, her girlfriend was agreeing to go on a date with another girl.
It was such a 180 that it practically gave Haruna whiplash, but after a little more time passed, Haruna managed to settle on at least one thing: she was mad.
Angry.
Pissed off.
Enraged, even.
"What the hell is wrong with that damn girl?!" she screamed internally. "Blackmail?! Seriously?! Who even does that?!" Of course, thinking back, Haruna could recall the time Michi had tried to do the exact same thing to her, but compared to what Katsumi was doing, Michi's actions seemed minor. At least back then, Haruna had been able to just shrug it off. This time however, it wasn't that simple.
By legal definition, what Katsumi was doing was definitely a crime. In theory, Haruna should've been able to just go to the police, report her, and be done with it. Unfortunately though, blackmail wasn't the same as just any old crime. If a person didn't care about the blackmail material, it was completely useless. But, if the person did care, blackmail could be incredibly effective.
Even if Haruna did report Katsumi, there was nothing stopping her from posting that picture everywhere right before the police got to her. Not unless the police did a raid and completely surprised her and also took her phone. That thought amused Haruna a little, but she also knew it was unrealistic.
There was also the option of talking to her parents, but that would also mean explaining what she had been doing at the hot springs in the first place. It had been hard enough to get any level of approval for her relationship with Kanako in the first place. If Haruna's parents found out about what their daughter had done, there'd be all sorts of consequences to face.
To look at the situation in a simpler light, there was also the fact that Haruna didn't want to risk that picture being seen by anyone. "If anybody saw me and Kanako like that… that'd be so mortifying…" Haruna thought with dread. While she wasn't embarrassed to say she was in a relationship with Kanako, having such an intimate moment exposed like that felt like it might kill Haruna's standing in society.
"No matter how you look at it, it looks pretty bad," she thought. The two girls had already stirred up enough trouble just by telling people they were dating. Haruna could hardly imagine the fallout if those same two girls were suddenly shown (appearing to be) having sex (not to mention they're both still minors).
Haruna went quiet for a moment. Then:
"UGH, THIS TOTALLY SUCKS!"
Her shout earned her a yell from her mother to quiet down, but at the moment, Haruna didn't care. "Is the only thing I can do just hope that Ikehara-san keeps her word and deletes the picture?" Honestly, Haruna had her doubts. A lot of doubts. There wasn't a single reason for her to believe that Katsumi would actually do as she said. "With that picture, she could make Kanako do whatever she wants…" Haruna thought. "Hell, she could make me do whatever she wanted too…"
It was a sickening thought, but certainly a possibility. Given, there was probably a limit to how far Katsumi would be able to push Kanako, and Haruna knew she'd keep resisting until Katsumi gave up, but… "But just how long would that take…?" she wondered.
It seemed no matter how Haruna looked at her situation, there was nothing she could think of to do that didn't end up causing her and Kanako trouble too. "I've seen blackmailing scenes in TV shows before, but I never realized how much it actually sucks…" she sighed.
As Haruna continued to think, she came back to Kanako. "I understand why she said she would go on a date with Katsumi… I do, but… it really hurts…" Regardless of the circumstance, it still came down to Haruna having to see her girlfriend agree to go on a date with a girl Haruna was hating more by the day. "I know Kanako doesn't actually like her romantically. Really, after today, there's a good chance she doesn't like Ikehara-san at all anymore. But…"
But what if? What if Kanako really did have more feelings for Katsumi than either she or Haruna realized? What if Kanako, being the nice girl she is, still managed to forgive Katsumi? What if, somehow, Katsumi was able to go farther than Haruna had…
Every "what if" posed felt like it sent a spike through Haruna's chest. She wished Kanako had just said no, consequences be damned. She wished that they both could've just ignored Katsumi's threat and told her to go away. Most of all, she really wished Kanako hadn't needed to say yes.
"Ugh… seriously, what the hell are we doing…?"
*****
When the next morning came around, things were incredibly awkward between Haruna and Kanako. When Haruna showed up at the girl's house, she was met by just a simple "hey," like Kanako didn't know what else to say. Truthfully, Haruna was in the same boat, so she had just responded in kind, but… "Neither of us really know how to act after yesterday…" she thought.
What was the right thing to say in this moment? An angry remark? An attempt to brush it all under the rug? An apology? Haruna had no idea, and she was sure Kanako didn't either. But, with that being the case, what were they supposed to do? "I feel like I should do something, but… I just don't know," Haruna thought.
Before she could come up with an idea, Kanako was ready to go. She had gotten herself together quicker than usual, surprising Haruna a bit. "Are you sure you have everything?" she asked, just to double-check. "You're usually slower than this." "It sounds mean when you say I'm slow," Kanako pouted. "But actually… I was hoping we might be able to avoid Kat-chan today…"
"So you don't want to see her?"
The question unintentionally slipped out of Haruna's mouth. After all of the thinking and imagining of bad scenarios she had done last night, she just couldn't help but ask such a thing. While Haruna didn't doubt Kanako's feelings for her, the insecurities inside of her were beginning to run rampant once more.
"Of course I don't want to see her!" Kanako cried indignantly, quickly snuffing out Haruna's stoked worries. "Not only did she interrupt our date, but Kat-chan's also blackmailing us too! And we have no choice but to go along with it! Argh, it's so frustrating I wanna pull my hair out!"
Seeing Kanako so worked up actually helped to calm Haruna somewhat. "Seems like we were thinking about the same things then," she said with a little smile. "Yeah…" Kanako said, calming down a bit herself. "I barely slept last night because of all this…" Kanako sighed, making clear just how much she hated the whole situation.
"So… do you hate Ikehara-san now?" Haruna asked. Kanako fell silent, giving the question some serious thought. "I… don't know," she said, causing a small spike of pain to form in Haruna's chest. "I-I want to be friends with her again… or at least, I thought we could be friends again. But, it's pretty clear now that Kat-chan will only accept being in a romantic relationship with me, and that's something I can't give her."
"I don't… want to hate her," Kanako continued. "And honestly, I don't know if I could. You did a lot of pretty bad things to me yourself Haruna, and I still was never able to bring myself to hate you." "I never blackmailed you," Haruna pointed out. Kanako smiled a little. "T-That's true. Ikehara-san is probably more aggressive than you were." "Only probably?" Haruna said.
"It's different with Kat-chan than it was with you," Kanako said. "With you, it was like you were just always angry. With Kat-chan, it's affection. I can understand on a basic level why she would be the worse of the two, but… i-it's a lot harder to deny someone being affectionate than being mean."
"I think we're beyond just affection though," Harunam muttered. "That girl is dangerous, Kanako." "...You might be right," Kanako admitted. "But no matter what we say right now, it doesn't change what's happening. I'll just go on a date with her, have an awful time, and then come back to you." "I both like and hate how that sounds…" Haruna sighed, getting a small laugh from Kanako.
It seemed their conversation also helped to dispel some of the awkwardness between them, as they were able to naturally hold hands and talk like they usually did. Still, it didn't erase the fact that Katsumi was lingering in the back of both of their minds. For Haruna, it was the concern of what she might do with Kanako, and how that would affect the girl herself. For Kanako, it was the concern of what Katsumi might do on the date, along with not keeping her word to delete the picture she had taken. In the end, while they walked happily, both girls were dealing with great turmoil on the inside.
*****
In class, Kanako was surprised to see that Katsumi wasn't there. "That's weird," she thought. "I was expecting her to be here and then hang all over me…" Considering the current leverage Katsumi had, she could basically do whatever she wanted to Kanako (although, if she tried to take it too far, Kanako would put a stop to it, blackmail or not). "Maybe she got sick or something?"
It was probably wrong to worry about someone who was blackmailing her, but Kanako just couldn't help it. Regardless of Katsumi's actions, she was still someone Kanako knew and (for the time being) cared about. "If she actually posted that picture online, then I might feel differently, but for now I guess I'll just keep treating her like a…"
Like a what? "Friend" was hardly the right word anymore. Not only was that something Katsumi didn't want, Kanako wasn't even sure if you could still call someone a friend once they had committed a crime against you. So other than "friend," what else fit? Enemies? Maybe. Acquaintances? That seemed a little too vague. Definitely not lovers of any kind, like Katsumi wanted. So then what?
"Maybe I'll just say she's my classmate and leave it at that," Kanako thought. It was really the best classification she could come up with. And now, it seemed like all she could do was wait for Katsumi to come back to school to find just how far she'd try to go with the leverage she had.
*****
"What did ya just say Haru-chi?!" Chiyo exclaimed after Haruna told the gal all about her date and Katsumi's ambush. "Like I said, things were going pretty well, and then we ended up getting blackmailed," Haruna repeated herself with a sigh.
With the weather starting to get warmer, Chiyo, Haruna and Jasmine had gone up to the roof, while Itsuki, Mayu, and Michi had decided to stay in the classroom. As for Kanako and Hinami, they had gone to their-now usual spot on a certain staircase. Though, while it was getting warmer out, it still wasn't nearly warm enough to stop Jasmine from complaining about being outside before Haruna explained her situation.
"That chick is psycho!" Chiyo shouted. "Blackmail?! Seriously? Who the hell does that to a person? And she's only in high school! That girl's gonna be a monster once she's an adult!" "I hate to admit it, but I agree with Chiyo," Jasmine added. "Anybody who's our age and is already willing to go that far can't be any good."
"Haru-chi, ya need to report her," Chiyo said sternly. "Would you report someone who could destroy your future with a click of a button?" Haruna shot back, drawing a "mmrgh…" out of Chiyo. "It's not like I don't want to," Haruna continued. "It's just that I can't. No matter how I look at it, there's nothing I can do that won't end up hurting me or Kanako." "Want me to send my big sis after Ikehara-san?" Chiyo offered, but Haruna just shook her head. "I'm sure Chitose could help a little, but it'd probably just be the same result.
"Have you tried just talking to her?" Jasmine asked, causing Haruna and Chiyo to stare at her. "Why're you guys giving me a look like ya never considered that?" Jasmine asked with a bit of exasperation. "Look, Ikehara-san may be goin' off the rails with her actions, but it's not like it's impossible to talk things out with her." "Yeah, but the only thing she wants is my girlfriend," Haruna pointed out. "Maybe, but maybe not," Jasmine said. "There's a good chance that what you said is true Haru-chi. Most likely, Ikehara-san just wants Kana-chan to herself. But, what if there's another reason? Or, what if it actually is possible to work something out? Don't'cha think that's worth trying?"
Haruna understood Jasmine's point, but she couldn't say she agreed with it. "Reason with Ikehara-san?" Haruna thought. "I don't even think it'd be possible for the two of us to even have a conversation." In the times the two girls had "spoken," it had been nothing but insults. "Since day one, Ikehara-san has been determined to take Kanako from me," Haruna thought. "There's no way there's another reason."
And it seemed as though Chiyo was in agreement. "Jas-chin, I appreciate your way of thinking, but… Ikehara-san is just bad, plain and simple. I knew girls like her before I came here. They'll do whatever they want to get what they want, and they don't care who gets hurt." There was a weight to Chiyo's words as Haruna and Jasmine both took them in.
"...Well, you should just do what you think is best, Haru-chi," Jasmine eventually said. "Whether you talk to her or try to fight her, we'll be on your side." "Yep, 100 percent!" Chiyo added. Haruna smiled. "Thanks guys," she said, but to herself, she had a different feeling. "Do what I think is best?" she thought. "I have no idea. Obviously what's best is keeping Kanako as far away from Ikehara-san as possible. Should I just whisk her away to some tropical island?"
While an island vacation certainly sounded nice, it was far from practical. Even more frustrating was the fact that keeping Kanako away from Katsumi wasn't really doable either. Unless one acted with force, it was impossible to keep two people separate who were bound to interact otherwise. "And if I just tell her to stay away, she might think that's going too far…" Haruna thought. "But, then again, the blackmail should've changed Kanako's opinion of Ikehara-san, right? Maybe even enough to dislike her…"
Regardless, Haruna was still at a loss for what to do, and through the rest of lunch, she came no closer to finding a solution.
*****
Haruna continued to think, but while she did, someone else decided to take action. "I'm not just gonna sit and watch as my friends get jerked around like this," Chiyo thought. She recalled her own terrible memories of the past, and her time helping Akio until the boy had gone too far. "I'm so sick of this shit."
So, after lunch, Chiyo told Jasmine she was going to go home early. While her fellow gal could guess what she was really doing, Jasmine said nothing, just giving a small nod and sending Chiyo on her way. However, it was as she was beginning to approach the front doors that a voice stopped her.
"Chiyo?" Michi called out. "What are you doing?" "Mi-chan…" Chiyo said, frozen in her tracks. One more turn and she'd be headed for the exit. Now, her feet seemed like they didn't want to move. "Were you going somewhere?" Michi asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone. "Just for a little walk," Chiyo said, immediately wishing she'd just tell the actual truth. "But if I say what I'm doing, she'll just yell at me not to get involved…" Chiyo thought.
Of course, the gal's answer had hardly sounded convincing. "A walk?" Michi repeated. "A walk that was going to involve skipping class?" "O-Only for a little bit," Chiyo sputtered. "I promise I'll come right back." "What are you planning on doing?" Michi asked, her eyes narrowing. "I-I'm just gonna look for someone," Chiyo said. "Ikehara-san, actually."
Now it was Michi's turn to freeze. "...Ikehara-san?" she repeated, her voice low. "What could you possibly want with her? Did someone tell you to go find her and bring her to school or something?" "Not exactly…" Chiyo said cryptically. "I just need to talk to her about something."
About what?" Michi asked, but just as Chiyo opened her mouth, "About Kana-chan and Endo-san?" "Y…Yeah…" Chiyo said. "I just need to get her to leave them alone." "Why?" Michi asked. "It's not like it has to do with you." "They're my friends!" Chiyo cried. "And they're obviously in trouble! Of course I want to help them!"
A pained expression crossed Michi's face. "Chiyo," she said. "Don't you see what's happening? Ikehara-san… she's the same as those girls from your past, isn't she? Getting involved with her in any way is only going to hurt you." Then, Michi walked closer, stopping just in front of Chiyo and looking up at her. She wasn't mad, nor upset. Instead, it was simply worry on her face. "The more I see you interact with her, the more I… don't like it…"
The last few words that fell from Michi's lips were barely audible, but in the quiet of the hall, far from other people, Chiyo was able to hear it. Those words, spoken by the girl she loved, tore at her heart. On the one hand, she wanted to help Haruna and Kanako. But, on the other hand, it seemed like helping might indirectly hurt Michi. "What am I supposed to do here?" she desperately wondered.
But, as was in Chiyo's nature, she tended to put others before herself, even at the cost of herself. "I have to help them," she whispered to Michi. "So can you bear it a little longer for me?" Michi was silent, but eventually she gave her answer. "...do whatever you want." However, unlike the other times she told Chiyo that, this time, Chiyo could tell Michi was definitely not entirely okay with what Chiyo was doing. "I promise it won't take long," she said, then quickly went for the doors.
As she walked away, Michi watched her go, and when she was sure the gal was out of earshot, she let another few words escape. "Why can't you just be a little more selfish?"
*****
"I knew it," Chiyo said with a sigh. Having left the high school, she had made her way to a convenience store. Along the side wall of the building, in a part that was overcast with shadow, was a lone girl. "Does she think she's doing a good job hiding when her hair is as bright as a glow stick?" Chiyo wondered as she approached Katsumi.
Hearing someone come closer, Katsumi looked over to see Chiyo and a visible look of disgust crossed her face. "Ugh," she said. "What do you want? How'd you even find me?" "Girl, I used to live in Tokyo and cut class all the time," Chiyo said. "Ya really think I can't find a wannabe delinquent in a small place like Iwanai?" "Tch," Katsumi spat. "I'm not trying to be a delinquent. I just didn't feel like going to school, that's all." "Because you blackmailed Kana-chan and don't know how to face her?" Chiyo asked, though it wasn't really so much a question as it was an accusation.
But, somewhat contrary to Chiyo's expectations, Katsumi didn't seem surprised at all that the gal knew about what she had done. "So Endo-san told you, huh?" she said nonchalantly. "How'd ya know it was Haru-chi?" Chiyo asked. "She's your best friend, isn't she?" Katsumi said. "Of course she'd tell you. And of course, being the nosy girl you are, you came straight to me."
Katsumi got off the wall and walked over to Chiyo so that they were both standing at the corner of the building. "So what? Did you come to get in my way again?" Chiyo didn't say anything, so Katsumi just let out a snort. "God, you really are insufferable, y'know that? It's like every time I turn, boom, there you are." Leaning in a little closer in an effort to intimidate, Katsumi went on. "Listen you makeup-painted whore. This has nothing to do with you, so leave me and Kana-chin the hell alone."
Taking a step back, Katsumi collected herself a little, then spoke again. "Just go back to screwing all the guys in town. That's what girls like you do best, isn't it?"
It took Chiyo an immense amount of willpower to not slap Katsumi. "I can't hit her," she told herself. "That might be exactly what she wants." So, gritting her teeth as hard as she could, Chiyo soon managed to take a deep breath in before letting it out. "Haaaaah…" she sighed. "Who knew it was possible for so much nasty to be packed into one girl."
Katsumi frowned, but she didn't bother responding, so Chiyo decided to go with a different approach. "Hey, do ya really think Kana-chan's gonna like you after this?" she asked bluntly. Hearing that question, Katsumi flinched a little. "So even she knows that much," Chiyo thought, noticing.
Gathering herself, Katsumi answered. "It's fine," she said. "This will simply be a momentary rough patch that will lead us to greener fields. Once Kana-chin sees how great I am on our date, she'll forget all about a silly little bit of blackmail." "You're unbelievable, you know that?" Chiyo said without hesitation. Katsumi smirked. "Sorry I have the guts to go for the girl I want when you don't."
Now Chiyo flinched, a look of surprise coming onto her face. "Why do you look surprised?" Katsumi said with a laugh. "Oh sorry, was it supposed to be a secret or something? If so, you're doing a pretty bad job at hiding it. I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school knew you have a thing for Fukuhara-san. Although, I have no idea why you like that little pipsqueak. Are short girls just what you're into or what?"
"Don't you dare talk about Michi."
The sheer amount of force behind both Chiyo's words and glare caused Katsumi to back off a little. "W-Well whatever," she said. "It's not like I want her, so don't get so worked up. Anyways, I think we're done here. Stay out of my way from now on, 'kay?" "Not a chance," Chiyo shot back, drawing another frown from Katsumi.
However, that proved to be the end of the conversation, as Katsumi walked off. Chiyo had a feeling she could guess where Katsumi would head next, but she decided it wasn't worth following her. "Any more of dealing with her, and I might do something I regret," she thought. Immediately, Michi's words came back to her. "Dealing with Ikehara-san will only get me hurt, huh… ya might be right, Mi-chan… but even so…"
Even so, Chiyo couldn't just bring herself to stop. She cared too much about Haruna and Kanako. "After everything they've been through, they should just get to be happy," she thought. "If I can help make that happen, then that's what I'm gonna do…"
*****
"God, I hate that fake bitch," Katsumi thought bitterly as she walked along the streets of Iwanai. At this point, it had been several hours since she had spoken with Chiyo. And yet, even with the passage of time, Katsumi's fury hadn't cooled. "Who does she think she is anyways? Like she's any better than I am. At least I haven't gone around and slept with half the town." Now admittedly, Katsumi didn't know the fine details, but she had already been at Iwanai Municipal High School long enough to hear some of the infamous rumors about Chiyo. While the amount of them had died down thanks to Chiyo starting to gain a better reputation, there were still several that kept making the rounds.
"I swear, if she keeps getting in my way, I'll-" But as Katsumi was beginning to make threats, she stopped. She had gone farther than she realized, and now she found herself not too far from an apartment complex. It was a little run down, but overall it seemed to be holding up well enough. The building itself though wasn't what had made Katsumi stop. What had was the sight of a small girl with blonde hair tied up into buns making her way down the street nearby. "Isn't that… Fukuhara-san?" she thought.
An evil grin came onto Katsumi's face as she had an idea. "Wakabayashi-san was sooo adamant that I don't talk about Fukuhara-san. I wonder how she'd feel if I somehow got Fukuhara-san on my side?" Basically, Katsumi wanted to mess with someone Chiyo cared about. Better yet, if those actions resulted in Katsumi being able to get Michi on her side, it'd be all the better. "If Fukuhara-san helped me break up Endo-san and Kana-chin, wouldn't that be just perfectly poetic?"
Going a little out of her way, Katsumi called out to the girl. "Fukuhara-san!" she said, getting Michi's attention. "Ikehara-san?" Michi said, a little surprised to see Katsumi so far out. "What are you doing here?" "Oh, I was just in the neighborhood," Katsumi said, blatantly lying. However, because Michi knew that Katsumi hadn't been at school, she figured Katsumi was at least probably up to no good.
"What do you want?" Michi asked flatly. "Ohhh, I like a girl who gets straight to the point," Katsumi said, pleased. "Alright, I'll be straightforward as well. I want you to help me get Kana-chin for myself."
"No."
Michi's response was so quick that Katsumi had to take a second to process it. "...huh?" she let out. "What do you mean, no?" "No means no, obviously," Michi said. "So if that's it, I'm going home." "Hang on!" Katsumi exclaimed, sliding in to block Michi's way. "Don't you see the benefits here?" "What benefits?" Michi asked. "C'mon, you know what I mean," Katsumi said. "Because I keep trying to get Kana-chin, Wakabayashi-san keeps getting in my way. That means she's spending more time with me than you, doesn't it? If you help me, that'd mean Wakabayashi-san would have no reason to keep spending time around me, which means she'd have more time for you. And that's what you want, isn't it? To spend time with the girl you love?"
"Who ever said I was in love with Chiyo?!" Michi shouted angrily. "I absolutely have no feelings like that for that idiot!" "...huh. So she doesn't realize it yet?" Katsumi thought idly. A part of her wanted to insist upon it. After all, after having watched Michi and Chiyo interact a little (and how they talked about each other), it seemed clear as day that the two both had feelings for each other. "Wakabayashi-san didn't deny her feelings, but Fukuhara-san does… I see…"
For as evil as Katsumi appeared to be at the moment, even she didn't want to go so far as to spoil the moment of Michi realizing her own feelings. "I guess I'll just let them figure it out," she decided. Although, making that decision put a halt to her plan she had just concocted.
"Fine, whatever," Katsumi said with a shrug. "Still, if you change your mind, I'd be willing to help. You know my price. But if you pay it, I'll get Wakabayashi-san looking at you 24/7."
"No thanks," Michi said, beginning to walk away. But, just as she passed Katsumi, she turned around a little. "Oh, but just so you know, I don't need your help to get Chiyo to look at me." Silently, Michi added, "She does that all the time anyways…" Whether or not Michi was happy about that… It was hard to say.
On that note, Michi headed toward her apartment building, leaving a slightly stunned Katsumi behind. "...Seriously, with how Fukuhara-san and Wakabayashi-san feel about each other, why are they not a couple yet?" She couldn't help but wonder. However, that thought was fleeting, as Katsumi's mind quickly went back to her more primary issues.
"I haven't given it much thought yet because I was too worried about seeing Kana-chin at school, but I should really start planning our date," Katsumi thought. "I'm sure she'll love it. I mean, I know Kana-chin. I guarantee I'll be able to pull off the perfect date for her, show off my charms, and get her to fall in love with me."
With confidence abounding, Katsumi decided she'd go back to school tomorrow and also plan the best date ever.
End of Chapter Nine.
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