Chapter five, 2017, leverage: 8

Noriko wanted the luxury of a long evening with Urufu to never end. Working with him was fine, as long as it meant being together.

She watched her own face mirrored in the windows of a late train, sleepily noticed how it faded in and out of view as they passed between brightly lit parts of the city scape.

Waseda was an intense memory of elderly men and a few women giving them amused stares when they set up the workshop. Those stares had become progressively less amused as it proceeded.

'In two years they could be my teachers.' She blinked. 'Or are they called professors at university?' She blinked again. 'Doesn't matter, does it?' With that she leaned into Urufu's shoulder and resumed watching their reflections in the windows.

The next station offered a surprise when Hitomi unexpectedly entered and took a seat beside Noriko.

"Evening."

"Evening," Noriko answered. 'You know I'd like some more time alone with Urufu.' Noriko wished she could have said that aloud rather than just thinking it, but she felt a little guilty about what happened to Hitomi after the chaos in 109.

"You know I'm not angry with you," Hitomi said. "I know you're a tight group of friends."

Noriko twisted uncomfortably in her seat. OK, she has something to say. Guess I'll listen. "But?" she said and sat upright. She felt the absence of Urufu's warmth as soon as the space between them widened.

"No but."

The train rattled on with Noriko waiting for Hitomi to continue.

"Father's been digging up some dirt on Kareyoshi," Hitomi said when the silence told its clear message that she was the one supposed to do the talking. "Is he daft or something? I mean shouldn't he at least pretend to hide his actions?"

That did bring a smile to Noriko's lips. She nodded. "Yep, he's daft. Urufu's positive he needs to close his mouth before standing up not to overload his brain."

"How come he's not in prison yet?"

"Security by obscurity."

"What?"

Noriko grinned. "Another of Urufu's expressions. Kareyoshi gives moronic an entirely new dimension, he says."

"I don't get you."

Noriko tapped Hitomi's shoulder when the train stopped and passengers got off and on. There was no need of people overhearing them.

Privacy returned and Noriko raised her voice again. "He's so incredibly stupid it's hard to even believe he's doing what he's doing. The main problem is making people believe he's involved."

"Better believe it," Hitomi murmured. She stretched her legs, very beautiful legs a small demon of envy in Noriko's head observed, and gave her shoes a thorough look. "Father says someone in the diet is pulling the strings," she continued after she was done admiring her feet.

'That information leaked as well?' "For real?" Noriko hoped her acting was good enough for Hitomi not to notice that was old news. Still, where had Hitomi's father dug it up? The link between Kareyoshi and the politician was supposed to be a closely kept secret for the simple reason Kareyoshi didn't know about it himself. "What did you say your father worked with?"

Hitomi smiled. "I probably never did. Business," she added.

It was as clear a warning as any that Hitomi had seen through her and knew that Noriko had just attempted to interrogate her. There was no longer a reason to be subtle about it.

"What kind of business?"

"The kind where you get to blackmail a lot of people."

"What?"

"Nothing illegal, just very dirty. There's a reason I spent my freshman year as an airheaded beautiful doll."

And Noriko thought she had been cynical when she started high school.

"But you aren't, not any longer." That came out wrong. "You're not pretending to be one I mean," Noriko added and snuggled up against Urufu again. She liked gloating a little and showing off what she had gained after so long. Childish? Probably, but she didn't care.

Hitomi stretched her legs out once more and smirked. "You know, the first week was perfect for someone like me. Always visible but never really noticed."

"Huh?" Noriko gave Hitomi a careful look. No, she had never been an airhead to begin with. Which mean she represented competition, and Noriko wasn't about to let anyone wiggle between herself and Urufu.

"Don't worry, I'm not really interested in him that way. You at the other hand..."

"Huh?"

The smirk turned into a grin. "I'm actually not that interested at all, but if I am I believe I swing both ways."

That was unexpected. "Why did you tell me?" Noriko said and edged closer to Urufu.

"I'll tell you later, but I need to explain what happened first. You see, that first week really was perfect. Me and that other girl in our wing and Ryu and the Watabes in the other. Well, I guess Nori as well before people knew he was a motor mouth."

Noriko listened in awe. That was so calculated. But it did make sense. The two beauties in one wing and the popular boys in the other. "And then Kuri happened?"

Hitomi nodded. "Yes, but it wasn't all bad. Not everyone from our wing bothered with 3:1, so the two of us had our admirers who never cared to look more than skin deep."

Noriko could see where this was going. "So you pretended to be the beautiful airhead for the first trimester?"

"Uhum. Urufu was a problem after he got together with Kuri, because then she started coming to our wing, but still not that bad."

"Oh! And then the club with us getting the new club room in your wing?"

The way Hitomi shook her head told volumes, but at least she smiled. "The entire circus moved right into my turf. Suddenly I was invisible."

It all made sense. Early the second trimester Hitomi mostly dropped her pretence. "I think I like this you better."

"I was getting there. I want in, as really in. I want friends."

"Aren't we friends already?"

"I mean close ones, which is why I told you all this."

I don't understand. "What you just told me could hurt you a lot if it got out."

"I know. Good friends need that kind of leverage on each other."

'Are you for real?'