Chapter 5: Training Plans (Parts 1-2)

Prologue

I don't remember very well what I did yesterday.

Makoto, Kenji, and I were at the bar the day before yesterday, I got home and fell asleep, the next day we planned our respective training sessions to improve our skills with our diamonds.

After that, I don't think I remember anything else...

The only thing I was clear about is that I should dress up and get ready to go train.

I was at the pupusería, Makoto takes Chisato home and... wait, what was Chisato doing at the pupusería?

Why do I feel so tired?

Anyway, for now, I don't plan on paying much attention to it, I feel tired and dizzy, but I don't remember doing anything.

I climb the mountain by Seji-sensei's orders to start the training we all talked about yesterday.

I enter my room and the first thing I see surprises me.

— Ah...!

What I found in large was a photo of me with Hiroki holding hands and staring at each other in the pupusería in the late hours of the night, almost dawn.

Wait, what really happened yesterday?!

I can't help but feel confused, my anger escalates to the point where I can't control the force with which I shout.

— What the hell happened yesterday?!

When I see that picture, everything comes back to my mind.

Now I know why Chisato was there, I know what happened yesterday...

I even just remembered the context of that picture!

We were playing king while we were intoxicated by the atmosphere!

It makes so much sense why I feel so tired!

Chapter 5 Part 1

I'm very confused; I just found out that Makoto has a younger sister.

Makoto seems obligated to be there for the two girls flanking him.

He can't help but have a worried look on his face, which is understandable since it's his younger sister, but Chisato doesn't seem to care much.

I'm left with my surprised expression.

— Sister, I-I can explain! Don't tell mom, I-I'm a good person! Uraseku and Kenji forced me!

Makoto responds, very scared.

With an unconcerned face, I reply:

— You didn't even hesitate to betray us...

Chisato, without much concern, seems to have bought what he said.

— Neither... understood.

— What are you doing here anyway?

— Neko-chan invited me to see her play today.

Nekoyashiki approaches and hugs Chisato, replying to Makoto:

— That's right, I invited her!

— I see...

Makoto seems more relieved; apparently, Chisato won't tell that he's been here.

Kenji, with a cola soda in hand, approaches us upon seeing that we were with them.

— Hey, we came to hit on girls our age, you know...

Nekoyashiki blushes.

— I-I wouldn't mind going out with Uraseku...

We all become really confused by what she said.

— Who are these lost girls anyway?

Nekoyashiki gets upset and responds very angrily.

— Who are you calling a lost girl, insect?! I'm the daughter of the owner of this place, so show some respect, lost cause!

She makes a cut in her face.

I notice it and warn her.

— Hey, calm down or you'll end up with an even more scratched face.

Nekoyashiki cheerfully agrees again.

— Whatever you say, senpai!

The cut on her face heals quickly without leaving any scars.

— Anyway, Kenji, she's my sister, Fujisaki Chisato.

— Huh? But it doesn't even seem like you're siblings...

Kenji says, surprised, and I respond with another question.

— You say that because of your skin tones?

After saying that, everyone looks at me weirdly...

If they don't look alike because of that, then I don't know what else it could be, as Makoto is a bit tanned and Chisato is quite pale...

From afar, I see Kibo; he's drinking alcohol at the bar.

The bartender is cleaning a glass with a red cloth.

Kibo, upon seeing the cloth, doesn't hesitate to start a conversation.

Apparently, he's already drunk...

— Heey, hey there, sweetheart...

The bartender looks very uncomfortable; silently, he drops the cloth he was using and leaves the place.

— I see you work very hard... that red color suits you very well, you know?

It seems like for the moment, he's okay, or so I think...

Nekoyashiki gets excited.

— Ah! It's almost time for my concert!

Smiling, I say:

— Great, give it your all!

— Yes, I will!

Returning my smile very energetically, she goes to prepare.

Kenji, who was watching us, approaches me.

— I see you get along very well with that girl.

Kenji puts on a mischievous face...

— Is there something between you and her, huh?

— I don't understand what you mean.

I innocently reply, not knowing what he really meant by that.

— Tch, forget it, you don't seem to get it...

Kenji seems disappointed.

The lights in the place start pointing towards the stage; Kenji, Chisato, and Makoto look for a place to sit.

I stand there, watching the concert.

Nekoyashiki gets on stage with her red electric guitar; the other members of the small band are in their positions.

Before starting to play, Sumire addresses a few words to the audience, who seem very expectant of what's to come.

— Thank you all for coming! This is a song I wrote for someone very special, alright, here we go!

The countdown starts from three, and they begin to play.

The song starts quite fast, reminding me a lot of Japanese rock.

When she starts singing, despite the speed of the song, her sweet voice fits perfectly.

The song talks about her; it tells that she was trapped in a dark and depressing world, but deep inside her heart, a flame of hope ignited, which ended up bringing back the light to her interior and the desire to live.

It's a song with lyrics in a fairly complex Japanese that I couldn't quite understand.

Halfway through the song, one of the lamps points towards me; she smiles at me while continuing to sing.

I simply don't understand what's happening, and without thinking, I smile back at her.

Chisato, observing me, says quietly:

— It seems like he didn't get it...

The song reaches its end, and the audience applauds her for her incredible performance.

She leaves with her guitar and her cat backstage after thanking the audience.

I decide to follow her to where she's gone.

— Hey, where are you going? — Makoto asks me.

— I'm going to congratulate Nekoyashiki, are you coming with me, Chisato?

She looks at me very seriously.

— Go ahead.

She's not a girl of many words...

— Uh... okay.

Kenji, who was behind with a girl, shouts from afar:

— Come on, Uraseku, give it your all!

— What is he talking about...?

I decide it's best to ignore him and go in search of her to congratulate her.

She's sitting quietly on a two-person couch with her cat; I don't see Yasuragi anywhere, so I suppose he stayed home.

— Neko-chan! That was amazing! — I say to her cheerfully.

— R-really?!

Nekoyashiki blushes shyly.

Unconsciously, I take her hands because I'm so happy for her, seeing how she's now a cheerful and energetic girl.

— Yes, someday we should play together! Uh, are you okay? You've turned very re...

Before I finish saying it, she removes her hands, turns around, and hugs a pillow; still blushing, she responds:

— No, no, it's just... I'm very happy, that's all!

She turns to look at me again, no longer seeming to be blushing.

There's a brief moment of silence when suddenly her cat starts growling at something or someone approaching.

It's Kibo; he's coming in with what seems to be a red cloth.

— So, here are your friends, huh?

He says to the red cloth, seeing many dirty rags lying on the floor. Neko-chan and I watch uncomfortably what he's doing.

Because of how dizzy Kibo is, he falls drunk onto the pile of dirty rags.

— ... Uh, well... I think I should go home now, Neko-chan.

I pick up Kibo and look at Neko-chan.

— Hey, do you know the pupusería in town? I need you to come tomorrow, please, all the diamond will be there.

— "Pupusería?"

She didn't seem to know where it was, and I get a little nervous trying to explain what it is and where it's located.

— W-well, you see, it's a restaurant serving typical food from my home country... and... it's located downtown in this city... I mean not the country! I'm talking about the restaurant...

She starts laughing.

— Hahaha, of course, I know where it is, I was just teasing you a bit!

... Darn it, I should've figured she was a bit of a jokester...

— Come on, senpai, don't get mad, it was just a little joke!

— W-well, anyway, then I'll see you there.

— You're very shy, senpai. — she says, looking at me mischievously.

— Ah!

Somewhat annoyed, I turn around; the worst part is what she said is true.

— Let's go, Kibo...

— Haha, redhead girl, I'll never forget you!

She smiles, and in the meantime, I leave with Kibo in search of Makoto and Kenji to go home.

— Makoto, Kenji, let's go home already.

Kenji is talking to a girl who seems uncomfortable.

— Come on, the party's just getting started!

Makoto, who was with two girls who seemed to like him, apologizes to them and stands up.

— Alright, let's go home.

— What about Kenji?

— Leave him, let's just get out of here before someone from school sees us...

Makoto and I head towards the exit.

As we open the door, lightning strikes relatively close, and Chisato appears before our eyes.

Both of us let out a big scream of fright, and Makoto tells her:

— Hey, don't just appear like that!

Chisato points at me very seriously and asks:

— Did you understand what she meant with the song?

I assume she's referring to Neko-chan, very confused, I respond:

— Huh? Well, not entirely; she used words I couldn't understand, I suppose it was directed at her cat, it's always with her.

Makoto seems to agree with me.

— It's true! That cat seemed very attached to her.

— I see...

Chisato exclaims, seeming a bit disappointed, then turns to Makoto.

— Alright, let's go.

— Okay, goodbye, Uraseku, I'll see you at the council.

— Understood.

Kibo momentarily regains consciousness.

— Ugh, no more alcohol! At least not for a while...

— Come on, let's go home.

I carry Kibo on my shoulder, and he falls asleep again.

I pass in silence throughout the whole way home.

Chapter 5 Part 2

Upon arriving home, I try to hide so Seji-sensei doesn't see me with Kibo, who's clearly drunk, but as expected, he notices.

— Well, well, it's the boy who sneaks out at night to party with his friends.

— Seji-sensei, I just went to see Nekoyashiki perform.

— Really? And why are you bringing this drunk thing with you? I hope you haven't had a single drop of alcohol.

Pretending to ignore him, I continue on my way to my room.

— Hey Rasec, I hope you've eaten there because I won't give you anything here.

— Yes, Seji-sensei, don't worry about it.

— I'm more concerned about what your parents will say if they find out you're not eating properly.

Kibo wakes up again, this time crying.

— Buah! How I wish to see the redhead girl again!

— Tch, Kibo, just stay down here, I want to rest.

Seji-sensei rummages through some drawers.

— I think I have a red cloth in here somewhere.

Suddenly, Chie comes out of the cleaning closet and approaches Kibo, also clearly drunk.

— Calm down, brother, you don't have to get depressed! Why don't you join me for a drink?

— No! You two might just finish all my sake.

I start to climb the stairs to my room until I remember I had something important to tell Seji-sensei.

— Oh, Seji-sensei, I've notified all the diamond bearers to come tomorrow night to the pupusería to discuss the matter further.

— So that's why you and Kibo were preparing some sort of presentation; whatever, that's fine.

— Understood, good night, Seji-sensei.

I finally finish climbing the stairs and enter my room.

Kibo, Chie, and Seji-sensei continue their conversation downstairs.

— You two, stay away from that sake.

Chie pouts and finally lets go.

— By the way, Kibo, don't you think Rasec has been trying to find out more about the diamonds than we who really should be doing it?

Seji-sensei asks Kibo.

— That's because the diamond he possesses shouldn't really be carried by him, so he's rejecting it. I think those of us here know what that means…

— ...I see.

Back in my room, I start talking about really irrelevant things.

— Um, should I try out that cat girl visual novel now?

I had recently bought that game, so if I were to get caught, I'd just say I'm practicing the language.

Consequently, and as you might have guessed, I spent the night awake trying it out; I knew it was an eroge, so you can imagine what happens next…

The next day, I made sure to let Hiroki know about the meeting since I don't have his phone number.

— Huh? Oh yeah, Miru told me about it last night.

— Oh?

Apparently, he found out through other means; it scares me to know he's in direct contact with her…

— Do you want something else? Get lost for now.

For the moment, I decide to leave him alone.

After finishing classes, I quickly leave the school and head to the pupusería to finish preparing everything.