Chapter 4

At the center of the most attractive cluster of girls among the

students of class C were…

"Ami-chan! I saw the magazine you were in yesterday," said Kihara

Maya. The other girls had praised Maya after break for lightening the color

of her long, straight hair, but she'd received discreet disapproval from the

boys.

"It said you were taking a break from modeling for a while, but was

that true?" Kashii Nanako, the second member of the two-girl pair, had

strangely attractive moles around her small mouth.

They came as a set. The two girls made a duo more gorgeous than the

sum of its parts. When they talked to Ami, several other girls gathered

around, as though drawn in by the activity.

"Maya-chan, I can't believe you and everyone else looked at this

month's edition! I'm so flattered! But it's true, I'm taking a break from

work for a while."

Ami had climbed to the apex of this, the most eye-catching group of

girls in the class. Now, she lavished the girls clustered around her with her

dazzling smile, at which they went into a loud chorus: "What a shame!"

There was another group, too. They sat spaced out, staring at the

commotion.

"Somehow, I feel like the cuteness of the girls in our class suddenly

went up by a standard deviation… Yeah, forget the underclassmen, the girls

in our class are the best."

"I know, right?! It's kind of like, you know what kind of people they

are, and that familiarity grows into love. This is the royal road, boys. Ahhh,

when I got put into this class in April, I was feeling blue just thinking about

what it'd be like with both Takasu and the Palmtop Tiger around, but I was

super lucky, now that I think about it… Maya and Kashii are in the class,

and then best of all, Ami-tan is here… And if you're only considering her

looks, the Palmtop Tiger is super cute, too… everyone's cute! Everyone!"

With Ryuuji in their midst, the bespectacled Noto Hisamitsu and the

frivolously long-haired Haruta Kouji narrowed their eyes in happiness.

Ryuuji's own eyes squinted while he pretended not to hear. Sewing kit in

hand, he used tightly-packed stitches to mend a detached cuff button. If you

can think that, then you really are in heaven, he thought, but of course, he

was a peaceful observer. He wouldn't dare say something like that aloud.

Incidentally, Noto and Haruta told him they had gone out with the

first-year girls that day, but the girls ended up coercing the two of them to

treat them to McDonalds, karaoke, and a whole bunch of other things. In

the end, the boys didn't get so much as a phone number, and the girls ended

the arrangement with the decisive words: "What a treat!"

As Kitamura was passing by, Maya flagged him down. "Oh, it's

Maruo. Hey, don't you think your childhood friend's wasting her talents?

This whole take-a-break-from-modeling thing?"

Kitamura, who was affectionately called "Maruo" by the girls, turned

around and pushed up his glasses. "I think it's fine, I guess? Yeah, it's fine

by me, precisely because it was Ami's own decision. Once she finishes

school, she can easily start again."

"Whaaat! But she's so cute! It's definitely a waste. Maruo, you're too

cold to Ami-chan! And don't say 'precisely!'"

That's right, that's right! Shrill voices surrounded Kitamura, but he

cheerfully laughed them away without a trace of contempt or anger.

Kitamura was the girls' darling to the bitter end.

At Haruta's whisper, the unpopular, bespectacled Noto had a doubtful

expression. "…Man, he sure is popular, but he's so modest about it… I have

glasses, too; maybe I ought to put them on…"

"Yes, yes," Kitamura said with a wry smile. He shrugged his

shoulders and scurried out of the ring of the cutest girls in the class.

"Oh, it seems like everyone is here." He stopped by Ryuuji and the

others, looking like they'd just saved his life.

"Damn it, go home, you aristocrat! This is a crab cannery ship—

proletariat only!"

"Yeah, what a good punch. Aim for the world."

Shrugging off Haruta's attack with a smile, Kitamura just set up camp

next to Ryuuji. If the group surrounding Ami was the sun, the assembly of

four boys could probably be called a shadow.

"But it really isn't a waste at all." Ami's cheerful voice was

outstandingly bright and resonated through the classroom. "I wanted to

enjoy a regular high school life like this. So this is okay. And I've made

soooo many friends! I'm actually the happiest I've ever been right now, and

it's because I'm with all of you!"

How can you be such a saint? You're an angel, Ami-chan! The surge

of voices from among the girls was almost a sigh of wonder. Inadvertently,

Ryuuji stole a glance at Kitamura's well-kept profile. Although Kitamura

kept joking around with Haruta, for a brief moment, Ryuuji thought he saw

him release a faint sigh.

"Yeah, I see. Being a model must keep you awfully busy, and all the

dieting and stuff seems hard, so you couldn't really be a normal high school

girl and keep on doing it."

Nanako nodded, and Maya agreed. "Right, right!" She opened her

already large eyes wider.

"I always wanted to ask you, Ami-chan—you're super thin. You've

been dieting, haven't you? Is there a special diet all you models follow?

C'mon, give us the deets!"

"Yeah, I want to hear, too!"

"Huh? Ami-chan's diet? I want to know!"

When the topic reached the subject of diets, the ring around Ami

grew even larger. Once again, the girls became wildly enthusiastic. "Oh

no," Ami muttered, laughing a little. "I really have no idea! I've never had

to go on a diet! It seems like I'm just blessed with a great metabolism, so I

just eat whatever I want to eat, and as long as I'm eating healthy, it works

out okay. I love eating snacks, and it's better for your skin not to stress

yourself out!"

Then she smiled.

The edge of her mouth might have twisted with very slight sarcasm.

"…Metabolism," someone muttered quietly.

"…Hmmmph."

"…So that's it."

"…No special diet, huh?"

"…Wow."

Ami must have noticed. The temperature around her suddenly

dropped three degrees.

Maya's mouth froze. She had been patiently enduring an oolong tea

and salad lunch every day for nearly half a year.

Nanako's eye twitched. Just the day before, she had been desperately

working out by walking, and she'd even foregone the sushi her dad had

gotten her last evening.

No matter how much she tried to keep up her good girl act, Ami's

true identity had made a brief, impulsive appearance.

The other girls' gazes became so cold that even Ryuuji could see it.

That was the moment it happened.

"…I can't just ignore this!"

Clack! One girl noisily scooted back her seat. Her angry voice shook

the cold air with a growl.

Her temple was crisscrossed by visible veins. She cracked all her

knuckles as she slowly made her way forward through the silent classroom.

Her name was Kushieda Minori. That hardcore girl, never satisfied

by club activities alone, jogged the not-at-all-short distances between home,

school, and work every single day.

"Because even though I don't look like it, I'm a diet warrior!"

You gotta be kidding me. Ryuuji tilted his head quizzically. Hadn't

she eaten a bucket of pudding on her own just last month…? But she

seemed to be telling the truth. A rare flame of real anger was burning in

those eyes that were always smiling. And then, beside Minori was…

"…Taiga. You're with me, right?"

"Yeah!"

Aisaka Taiga, tied to Minori by their strong friendship, swayed like a

wild animal. Ryuuji suspected a diet should have been completely irrelevant

to someone like her, but Taiga was the type of girl who would lend a

helping hand or two for a close friend. Even though she'd eaten two whole

servings of tonkatsu.

"Let's go, Taiga!"

"Hey, Minorin! You're on deck!"

"Okay, Taiga! Batter up!"

They both suddenly spread out both their arms and quickly

sidestepped into the ring of girls.

"Huh?! Wait, wh-what are you doing?!"

They forced their way right into the center, where Ami sat alone.

Although the other girls squealed in surprise, there was a strange coldheartedness to the way they all suddenly backed away. Soon enough, there

was no one left to protect Ami. Taiga and Minori's coordination was

perfect. With their naturally good reflexes, they closed in on their target. At

the moment she attempted to get up and run, they circled behind her, cutting

off her escape.

"What do you want from me?!"

"Bwahahaha! Do you think we would allow you to escape from our

defenses, my dear girl?!"

"Feeling sorry you called me a shrimp? If you're not yet, you will be,

calling people weird names like that!"

"N-names?! What are you talking about?!"

The glimpse Ryuuji caught of Ami's face showed confusion,

puzzlement, but she seemed helpless before the impenetrable wall that was

Minori and Taiga. She could only weakly sway from side to side on her

feet.

Is it really okay not to help her out here? Ryuuji checked on

Kitamura, trying to read his expression—but Kitamura was gawking,

mumbling to himself in surprise like an old lady. There was no sign he'd be

getting up to intervene any time soon.

"This is bullying!"

"The Palmtop Tiger and Kushieda are bullying Ami-tan!"

Ryuuji realized that although the three were the center of attention,

not one person was lifting a finger to help Ami.

"Shall we start? Kawashima-kun?"

Kushieda's lips twisted into a devious smirk. Taiga went around to

Ami's back and put her slim body into a full nelson.

"Stop, wait, what are you—stop! Eyaaaah!"

Ami's shriek echoed through the classroom. Minori had struck fast as

a snake. She turned out her hands, stuck them under Ami's blazer, and

forcefully grabbed Ami's hidden stomach.

"…Ho ho…! What have we here?"

"Ugh…!" When Minori smirked, Ami's expression stiffened with

fear.

Minori slowly licked her lower lip. "Teaaaacherrr! Kawashima-san is

hiding fat in her beeelllllyyy!"

Minori had gone over to the dark side. She kneaded the soft fat she'd

grabbed. "Oh no no, noooo no no, noooooo! We can't have this! You know

the rules: If you're bringing in fatty food from outside of school, you can't

bring more than 300 yen's worth! Do you really expect me to believe this is

just 300 yen of flab?! What are these handles?! Do I feel a banana under

there?! Maybe you lucked out—bananas don't count under the rules!"

"S-s-s-stop, stop, stop, stooooop!"

Minori violently wriggled both her hands underneath the uniform.

The boy's cheeks all flushed red, their collective imagination soaring right

into forbidden territory.

"Ohhhhhh, you've got quite a bit stocked up in here, don't ya?!"

"Stop, stoooooooop!"

"What's that you said about being 'predisposed'? Then what's this?!

Hah! What's this thing right here?! Huh?!"

"Noooo, stop! Gyaaahh!"

"Ahhhh hahahaha! This part's from the meat buns! Ahahahaha! This

part is from Haagen-Dazs! Take this! Convenience Store Shin Ken: Family

Mart Style Gleaming Attack! You are already fat!"

"I'm telling you to stop… Eyaaaaagh!"

Minori's fists moved in a golden arc. Though it was a little hard to

see at first, the belly fat was soon revealed in all its jiggling glory. Minori

rubbed her hands in a figure eight over the skin.

Ami's protracted shriek trailed off before eventually melting away

completely, vanishing into empty space.

…Gulp. Everyone swallowed their breath in the silence.

Taiga slowly released Ami's body from the full nelson. The poor fool

dropped to the floor on her knees. Bereft of strength, she stayed there, still

speechless.

Minori put her fist to her heart and looked up to the heavens. "We

dedicate this victory to diet soldiers everywhere, whose tears come down to

us as falling stars!"

"Uwah… wah… wah!"

Finally released, Ami clutched at her disheveled clothes and

miserably collapsed, sprawled on her side. She hung her small, flushed face

in mortification and continued to sob in a low voice.

Minori looked down at Ami and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

"…Taiga. Your hunches always pay off."

As she looked down at Ami in the same way, Taiga was also smiling

broadly. "No, no, you're the amazing one, Minorin. You do good work."

Her eyes glittered with heartfelt happiness as she slowly sauntered up

to stand in front of Ami. Her cheeks were rosy with delight, her lips the

crimson red of an animal that had tasted blood.

"Kawashima-san. Allow me to introduce you! This is my best friend,

Minorin. In fact, I do have friends other than Ryuuji."

"BT-dubs, this is my BFF, Taiga!" Minori raised her hand and

laughed.

Then, from Minori's side, Taiga pointed straight at Ami. "And so

now the truth is out—you're a camouflaged chubster! You eat too much!"

BA-BAAAAAAM!

Taiga's firm declaration hit home. Ami's shoulders drooped as though

all the strength had left them. Minori and Taiga stood shoulder to shoulder

and laughed loudly—Bwahahahaha!—as they shared high fives.

"You're awesome." "No, you're awesome!"

The two devils whispered to each other, poking at each other's cheeks

as they walked away. Then, finally, they turned around.

"Hey, Ami. Why don't you try a marathon? A black tracksuit would

definitely suit you."

At that parting shot from Taiga, Ami suddenly raised her face. She

might have realized that Taiga had seen her convenience store shopping

from the day before. She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with

her thumbs.

"I've been doing marathons and more! I've been running and running

and running around, you spoiled shr…"

"Ami-chan, are you okay?"

Ami closed her lips firmly and resisted tacking on the "…imp."

Smile, it seemed like she was thinking. Somehow, bit by bit, she rebuilt her

mask.

"I-I'm fine…"

She smiled at the girls who offered their hands to her. Her resolve

could not be dissolved. She had the powerful willpower of a willful

powerhouse!

"You poor thing! You're not fat at all, Ami-chan!"

"It was so scary! Aisaka-san and Kushieda-san are really violent…!"

Though the girls' words were kind, their beaming faces seemed

awfully pleased. Although Ami also smiled as she got back up, she ground

her teeth together, toughing out her humiliation. Even that smiling, angelic

mask seemed close to crumbling and collapsing.

***

"Man. Those two are demons…"

Ryuuji filed away his excitement at seeing a new side of Minori

somewhere in the back of his mind, but he still couldn't resist muttering

something out loud. In actuality, Ami had probably been let off easy, but the

fact was… no matter how you looked at it, they had gone too far. People

would pity Ami. But…

"…I see."

Somehow, Kitamura seemed to have had an epiphany. He nodded

slightly. "So, if you go about things that way, Ami winds up like that."

What does she wind up like? Ryuuji thought, but the chime

announcing the end of the break came too quick for him to ask.

***

Evening approached, and the early summer's drawn-out daylight

finally waned.

Bustling silhouettes came and went along the sidewalks lined with

bushy zelkova trees—housewives coming home from shopping, middle

schoolers biking home from extended club activities, kids with their dogs,

students sporting white earphone cords—all of them in a hurry, walking

against the chilly wind.

After finishing their shopping at a congested supermarket, Ryuuji and

Taiga also joined that wave of people. Beneath the light indigo sky, they

headed to the Takasu residence.

It seemed the events at school had served to dissolve a considerable

amount of stress.

"Hmm! ♪ Hmm! ♪"

Taiga, who walked slightly ahead of Ryuuji, had experienced a

complete turnaround from her malaise of the day before. She swayed her

head from side to side as she hummed a mysterious song. It was rare for

her, but Ryuuji didn't say anything. He just followed her with shopping

bags in both his hands. If he were to make a remark like, "How unusual,"

the little rebel would probably immediately stop. Her slightly out-of-tune

humming had an odd charm to it.

He heard a small girl passing by ask her mother, "Is that a princess?"

To a kid, Taiga's sense of fashion may have really looked like something fit

for fairytale royalty. Under her light-lime-green cardigan, she wore an

unbuttoned floral-patterned dress. It offered a glimpse of the full, frilly

layers of her pure-white lace underskirt. The ample volume of her clothes

accentuated the cuteness of her small frame. She even had a ribbon in her

long, loosely curled hair, which was rare. Both her small, beaded bag and

her delicate white sandals were items Ryuuji hadn't seen before.

She usually had the same look, but he thought she was being

especially deluxe that day. She was probably in a really, really good mood.

When it was time for them to go home, she had smiled (!) and told

him, "I'm going home now, so when you go shopping, drop by first, will

you?" And then, on top of that, she even waved goodbye to Kitamura, who

was beside Ryuuji—though, as expected, her cheeks turned bright red and,

though her eyes were raised resolutely, she was tongue-tied. Her face was

still sort of scared stiff. Kitamura returned a "Yeah!" and Ryuuji saw Taiga

jump very slightly.

That had also probably played a role in Taiga's good mood.

"Hey, Ryuuji."

"Hm?"

Taiga suddenly turned around, slowed down, and went to Ryuuji's

side, where she matched his pace. This was also something that didn't

normally happen. Taiga would walk in front of him, as though she were the

head of the family, or she would sullenly walk straight behind him—those

were her two normal positions.

In a calm voice, this abnormal Taiga asked him, "Are you going to

bake salmon today?"

Ryuuji was almost getting emotional. This isn't too bad, either.

"Yeaaah…maybe I'll do it meunière style. I'll salt and pepper it, then

dust it with flour, and fry it in butter. It's good with ketchup."

"Let's go with that! Sounds delicious!"

The calm conversation they were having like a newlywed couple was

shaken by what happened in the next moment.

"Oh, maybe I'll make a salad?"

"…" Whoosh. The shopping bags slipped from both of Ryuuji's

hands. "What?"

Taiga looked up at the wide-eyed expression Ryuuji had on his face,

then pouted with discontent. But even so, her anger was a third of what it

normally was.

"…N-no…" Ryuuji said. "Ahhh, I had a shock just now…I was

probably just hearing things. Yeah. That's it."

What a shock, what a shock. He picked up the bags and tried to start

walking again as though nothing had happened, but things seldom went the

way one wanted.

"I mean it! Even I can make a salad!"

Taiga, who rarely even took her dishes into the kitchen after eating,

was saying she would make a salad. Taiga, the one who had been on the

verge of starving to death because a bento shop had gone out of business.

Was this real life…? He was at a loss for words over the absurdity of it all.

Ryuuji slowly shook his head from left to right.

"I-I can't believe that."

"Why? You underestimate me." She chuckled, proudly stuck out her

small chest, and stood at her full height. "We did it in a class when I was in

elementary school. A salad. The kind where you make your own dressing."

"…Then try telling me the process."

"That's easy. First, you buy the lettuce, right? Then you tear off the

leaves, right? You shred it up, right? Then you put it on a dish, right? You

put on the mayonnaise, right? …And voilà, finished."

"That's no good." Ryuuji flatly shook his head. "I know you're

impatient with simple tasks, and the first thing you need to do is wash the

lettuce, am I right? You need to rinse it in cold water. And what happened to

the dressing?"

"Details, details…"

"They're not just details! Especially soaking the lettuce in cold water.

If you don't, it wilts, and you wouldn't eat it."

"…You sister-in-law."

"What?!"

Ryuuji's eyes glinted sharply at being called such an inconceivable

name. Taiga left him behind, starting to walk in her normal position ahead

of him.

"Ryuuji, you're a total sister-in-law. You're a sister-in-law who

doesn't want to let the bride in the family have a say in family matters and

doesn't ever let her use the kitchen. That poor bride is me, and you'll have

me clean simple things like the bath and the toilet, and you make me chop

wood all the time…"

"Just when did I make you clean the bath or toilet or anything?! You

can go ahead and try chopping wood any time you like, if you even can!

And just whose bride are you supposed to be?!"

"…"

"Don't ignore me!"

"Dog-in-law."

"What did you call me?!"

In the end, they were back to having their usual fierce and useless

exchanges. Finally, they turned the last corner. They reached Taiga's condo

and the Takasus' rented apartment.

But then, at that time…

"Oh, thank goodness I caught up with you!"

The person who overtook them from behind suddenly leapt into

Ryuuji's forward vision. Taiga, who was walking in front of him,

disappeared from his field of view.

"Wh-what is it?!"

Pretty much leaping onto him, she dangled from Ryuuji's chest. She

clutched at him forcefully, but tentatively, with an uncertain touch. She had

his right arm trapped.

"I just saw you and ran as fast as I could! Please…pretend we're

friends!"

"Uh…what?!"

The one who was out of breath, the one who had a gloomy look on

her white face, the one pushing her slender frame against him—it was the

fallen angel. Or not. Out of everyone it could have been, it was the

remarkable Kawashima Ami. She didn't have a cap or sunglasses on, but

she was wearing a black full-body tracksuit that day, too. As always, the

contrast between her plain clothes and her incredible beauty made her stand

out. He couldn't imagine she was actually running a marathon like Taiga

had told her to. But…

"Takasu-kun, please…!"

There was real fear mixed into her pleading voice, and her broken

breathing was shallow as well. Ryuuji didn't understand what she was

asking of him at all.

"Um, uh… wh-what is it?!"

"That guy…"

Strength came into the thin fingers with which she held Ryuuji's arm.

Her hand was sweaty and slightly trembling—this didn't seem like a normal

situation. Flustered, he followed Ami's line of sight.

"…Who's that guy?"

At a street corner just ahead, he saw a figure in the shadow of an

electric pole. It was the shape of a man, suspiciously loitering. Ryuuji's face

unintentionally twitched.

Ryuuji hadn't seen the guy around before. He had a very slight build

and was dressed in neat clothes. At first glance, the outfit made him look

like a college student, but he sure was carrying a lot of stuff around. He

wasn't what you'd call a "weirdo" at first glance, but he was hiding and

standing stock-still, which definitely wasn't normal. It created a strange

mood around him.

Seeing him seemed to have scared Ami, who was earnestly trying to

use Ryuuji's body as a shield to hide behind. Apparently, the man didn't

mind being found out, since he wasn't trying in the least to turn his stare

away from Ami.

This is no act… she's probably really scared. Then, while Ryuuji was

still busy holding Ami, at the moment he stepped back… something even

scarier stood right behind them.

"You're right, we should just settle this now…once and for all…"

When they turned toward the low voice—muttering so ominously it

seemed to curse them—they found Taiga. Taiga, who had probably been

knocked over by Ami, had fallen over at the side of the road. Now she

slowly got back up.

"I told you to run a marathon, you spoiled brat, but I don't remember

anybody giving you permission to run around in front of my house. I'll turn

you into a tattered rag."

Taiga waggled one finger and made a fist with her other hand. Both

her feet stepped nimbly to the front and back, then from side to side, all in

preparation. Her footwork was professional, and her eyes glittered with

hunger. She invited the attack: "Come at me."

"…Try and read the room here. C'mon, you get it, don't you?"

Unexpectedly, they beheld the precise embodiment of that old

Japanese proverb: a tiger at the front gate (the angry Taiga), and a wolf at

the back gate (the weirdo). Ryuuji swiveled his neck one hundred and

eighty degrees in one continuous back-and-forth motion. For the time

being, he tried to soothe the unreasoning beast beside him.

Not even noticing Taiga's behavior, Ami restlessly tried to flee her

pursuer, circling around Ryuuji to avoid the suspicious man's eyes.

Ultimately, she said, "I'm scared…"

She clung to Ryuuji's shoulder and pressed her face into him.

In that moment, the pretty features of Taiga's French doll-like face

trembled. Slowly, bit by bit, they distorted, like she was being pulled

diagonally in opposite directions. And at a certain point—SNAP! Ryuuji

was sure he heard something break.

"LISTEN TO MEEEEE!"

Maybe it was all the excitement, but Taiga had gone off the deep end.

She couldn't even express herself properly. Taiga shouted with all her

might. With an astounding display of leg power, she kicked a recycling bin

with enough force to make an electric pole collapse. That can should have

been far too heavy, but it rumbled as it rotated through the air. It soared over

Ami and Ryuuji's heads, on a beeline toward the suspicious man. It flew

several meters and, with a load roar, crashed down at the man's feet.

"…!"

The man was as scared as you'd expect. He took several steps back,

and turned around right on the spot. Then he made a mad dash for it.

"Huh? …Who was that guy?!"

Only when Taiga saw his retreating back did she finally seem to

notice his existence. At the same time, her built-up rage instantly dispersed.

"He looks like some kinda perv!" Utterly disgusted, Taiga threw those

words from her lips without a hint of restraint.

Ami finally caught her breath and let go of Ryuuji's arm, but her

footing was still unsteady.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah… this was the first time I've really run for real in a while

so… ack, I guess my knees gave out." She smiled as though it were a joke,

but that smile was far from her normal perfect one—it seemed incredibly

rigid.

"What was that all about? Who was that guy just now? Do you know

him?" Ryuuji lent her a hand as he asked, but Ami ambiguously shrugged

her shoulders.

"It… uhh… I went to go shopping…and then, I kind of got mixed up

with him… I think he's a fan… one of the weird ones. Sometimes I have to

deal with guys like that…"

Her eyes wandered, as though she still couldn't quite put herself at

ease. Seeing that, Ryuuji and Taiga inadvertently looked at each other. Ami

seemed pretty shaken up, and on top of that, when she said "fan," they felt

something wasn't quite right. Ami turned to Ryuuji and clasped her hands

together.

"Hey, I need a favor. I'm scared of going home by myself from here.

That guy might still be nearby… even if it's just for a little bit, would you

let me hide at your house? Please!" She didn't ask with her usual good-girl

mask, but with her real face.

"…Okay, so you've got two options. A crummy second-floor rental

apartment, or the entire second floor of a brand-new top-of-the-line luxury

condominium."

"That one!" Ami pointed straight at the condo. Ryuuji checked on

Taiga's reaction from the corner of his eye to see what she would do next.

"That's my condo. …But fine, fine, come on. I agree, you should

probably hide for a little while."

"Huh… it's yours?! This is no laughing matter! I don't know what

he'll do to me!" Ami turned a stern gaze on Taiga. The two of them got

along about as well as cats and dogs.

"You're being ridiculous. Don't you understand this is an emergency

situation?" Taiga had an incredibly serious expression on her face. She

shook her head at Ami, then tightly gripped her hand. "If you wait until

something happens, it'll already be too late. Just come to my place."

"Wait, you… A-are you serious? Are you seriously serious about

that?"

"I'll have you know that rental is Ryuuji's house. But it has security

issues… actually, I managed to sneak in through the window myself to try

and kill Ryuuji in the middle of the night. It was easy. Easier than breathing,

honestly."

That couldn't be, Ami looked up towards Ryuuji.

"Yup. True story." Ryuuji nodded right at her.

Ami thought it over for a while. "…Are you sure?" She looked up at

Taiga calmly—that was right, calmly—with her big, gentle eyes.

Then Taiga nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Of course."

Ryuuji was actually slightly moved, and without thinking, softly

muttered, "You're…a really good person."

"It's a unique situation. Even I'm not evil." Taiga smiled generously,

then firmly grabbed Ami's shoulder, although Ami was still acting hesitant.

The force Taiga used was just a little concerning.

"Kawashima-san, we've been through a lot, but I hereby declare a

temporary truce. Ryuuji has a busy mother and an ugly, weirdo parakeet.

You were right to choose my place."

Ryuuji decided to pretend he didn't hear the rude words about his pet

—she was being gentle enough right now that he could forgive that much.

Ami still showed some signs of hesitation, but Taiga pretty much dragged

her by the shoulders towards the condo's entrance.

"Oh, hey, Taiga. What should we do about food?"

"Leave some for me, I'll come over and eat later. I think I'll move

better with my stomach empty."

Without leaving any opening for Ryuuji to question those mysterious

words, Taiga and Ami disappeared into the condo.

***

Taiga was pretty late to dinner at the Takasus' place. "…I'm all fired

up! This is the best!"

Strangely all smiles and good spirits, she ate one serving of fish and

three whole helpings of rice.