Minako
Minako took a bite and glanced around the intersection.
“Um…this way!”
Gripping Hana’s hand she dragged her along the intersection and down a side street so as to avoid so much commotion on the main way. It was a modern ramen hut styled in the traditional fashion with the only real difference being the tables as opposed to a few stools right in front of the chef. There was a small line, but she wasn’t taking any chances and immediately got them a spot. When it was their turn in the window smiled.
“One Tonkotsu ramen please.”
Holding out her money with both hands she graciously held it over and collected her change before sliding down to give Hana room. It only took a little while to make before there was fresh ramen in her hands.
“I’ll grab us a table.”
She called before disappearing to find an open spot. The trouble with getting food after school was that everyone seemed to have the same idea. What ever happened to going to the convenience store?!
Hana
Hana order her shoyu ramen. Soy sauce was definitely the way to go… after she collected it she turned to look for Minako. Where did she run off too? She started anxiously wading through the tables.
“Minako….”
she whispered. Then by the window she caught a glimpse of her friend by the window. She gratefully rushed over to the high stool seats. Hana sat down and joined her friend in eating ramen. The warm soy sauce broth filling her stomach with goodness and warmth. She couldn’t help making yumm sounds as she ate. It was soooo good. Minako really knew where the good food was. Hana reached for the pepper flakes on the table. All she needed to do was make it spicier. She turned to Minako to offer her some flakes.
“Do you want to add some spice?”
Hana’s attention caught by a frantic Yamato running across the window.
“Huh. Yamato-San!?!?”
She turned to Minako.
“Maybe we should take this to go?”
Minako
Minako’s eyes shot up from her bowl to see Baka-chan running like a mad man.
“Um-”,
The honest answer was a hard no. The idea of getting up to see what he was doing really wasn’t interesting, but given Hana-chan reaction…it seemed she had no choice.
“Sure?”
Plucking the pepper flakes out of Hana-chan’s hand she quickly added some to her ramen before pulling a thermos out of her bag and pouring her ramen in. It never hurt to be prepared! Without missing a step she returned her dish, grabbed a to go container for Hana, put Hana’s ramen away, and returned Hana’s dish before pulling her new friend off the stool.
“Let’s go before baka-chan gets himself killed!”
At first it took her a moment to even find their idiot friend moving in the crowd.
“For someone so obnoxious you’d think he’d stand out a bit more.”
She mumbled, pulling them through the crowd. Of course, it had to be when everyone was moving about in one of the busiest sects of the city.
“Do you see him?”
Hana
Hana expected Minako’s reaction to be fast once she decided, but she DID NOT EXPECT THAT. That girl was an efficient whirlwind. My Kami. Hana clutched her to go ramen as she was pulled onto the street. Eyeing the stable thermos that held Minako’s. why. Why was she so prepared. Hana scanned the crowded street for Yamato! She saw his red undershirt heading into an alley.
“There!”
She ran forward dragging Minako behind her. She headed straight into an alley. Yamato was standing in front of three thugs. A young middle school girl was on the floor in front of them….
“Let go of Yuri!”
He said to the three thugs. Hana wondered if that was a childhood friend or a girlfriend. The three thugs turned their attention to Hana and Minako behind them. One started to laugh.
“Akiyama. Bringing girls into this now.”
Yamato turned around to look at Minako and Hana.
“Baka.”
He sighed at Hana. Her face turned an angry shade of red as she marched up to his side, glaring at the thugs. She would deal with Yamato later.
“Let Yuri-San go!”
The thug that hd been standing near the front of the group grabbed Hana’s arm.
“Are you willing to play with me instead?”
Just then a boy ran past Minako and headed for the two. However, Hana had already rolled left to throw the thug onto his stomach on the floor. She sat on his back twisting his arm. The strange boy ended up kicking one of the other thugs in the face. Both falling over. The one holding Yuri looking at the scene in shock. Yamato turned to Minako.
“What happened to Chibi-chan?”
Minako
Minako stood sipping from a small carton of strawberry milk; only looking away from the scene at the sound of Akiyama’s voice.
“Hm? Oh, I don’t know.”
She took another sip from her drink before picking between Yuri-san and the Yankee holding her. Her strawberry milk hand pushed Yuri-san into Baka-chan while she jammed her free elbow into the thug’s stomach before twisting, raising her leg high and kicking him square across the face. Intent on not spilling her milk she allowed herself to fall on top of her victim so that she was sitting unruffled on his chest. Shaking her milk carton a bit to see how much was left she took another general sip.
“Good job Hana-chan.”
She gave her friend a happy smile.
“Small, kawaii, and a fighter.”
Honestly, Hana-chan was just full of surprises. If the guys in their class found out about this she could only imagine how they would react. Some would definitely pretend to get into or start trouble just for the opportunity to get her to touch them…. God, fan boys really could be a handful. The guy beneath her began to rustle, but she merely readjusted herself so that one of her legs was pressed against his neck in warning.
“Baka-chan! You have a lot of explaining to do about this.”
Her eyes narrowed disapprovingly as she looked up at him from her spot on the floor.
Hana
Hana turned to look at Minako. She looked at her friend in shock.
“Minako….when did you get strawberry milk?”
Yuri started to laugh.
“Onii-chan, your friends are funny.”
Hana turned her shock expression to Yuri.
“Onii-San!?!?”
Yamato sighed. The man underneath Hana started to buck again. She pulled his arm hard to the left. It made a grinding nose. A dislocated shoulder would be a nice timeout for a few days. She let him stand up. The guy running away from the alley. Promising to come again. The Yankee underneath the stranger had been freed too. Following his friend out. He looked at Hana annoyed.
“Don’t get in my way.”
When Hana went to respond he turned to Yamato.
“Yamato keep your friends in line. It’s such a hassle saving you all the time.”
Yamato stepped forward annoyed.
“No one asked you too-“
Yuri hit her brother in the arm and then bowed his head.
“Thank Haru-Niil properly!”
Yamato grit his teeth.
“Next time, Haru.”
The boy sighed and started walking out of the alley.
“Yea, yea.”
Hana sighed.
“Yamato… worrying us like this on day one… ”
Yuri nodding along with her. Afterwards, she stuck out her hand.
“Thank you for saving my Baka of an Onii-chan. We owe you.”
Hana turned to Minako, looked down at her smooshed Ramen and then back at Yuri…
“There’s a convenience store right around the corner…”
Haru turned around and sighed.
“Shameless.”
Hana glared at him. His paid for Ramen had not been left destroyed and uneaten on the street!
Minako
Minako stared at Hana-chan blankly, taking another sip of her milk.
“It was in my bag.”
She replied as if it were obviously before her head jerked in the direction of Yuri-san. This sweet thing was Baka-chan’s sister!? Talk about one kid getting all the good genes… Her thoughts were once again run off track by this random guys comment about Baka-chan ‘keeping his friends in line’. A wave of irritation hit her as she jumped to her feet.
“Hey!”
Glancing down it occurred to her that the Yankee was staring right up her skirt.
“Baka! Get out of here!”
Her foot gave him a jab in the shoulder before she stalked over to Akiyama-san, shoving her empty carton in his face just as he finished ‘thanking’ this Haru guy.
“First off, we aren’t his friends. If anything, he’s still working his way up to that and you only took one guy out so don’t go acting all high and mighty.”
She snapped, pulling out a new strawberry milk. After speaking her piece she turned her attention to Yuri-san with a warm smile on her face.
“Oh it’s no trouble. Here you go.”
Handing the strawberry milk over she couldn’t help but titter at Hana-chan’s mention of a convenience store. Maybe she was rubbing off on her kawaii friend. Of course this changed once that strange guy spoke up again.
“I thought you were leaving or do you need to scold Baka-chan some more?”
Hana
Haru turned to Minako. Part of him in shock she confronted him and part of him annoyed about being asked to explain himself. Hana was frowning by Yamato.
“Minako. Be more polite. We are in front of Baka-chan’s sister.”
She then turned to Haru.
“Haru-San. Minako is right. You shouldn’t scold him this much. It is natural for a brother to rush in and save his sister. When you step in to help someone you have to accept the responsibility of your choice. Besides, YOU REALLY DIDNT DO MUCH. Tripping into someone doesn’t count.”
Yuri was giggling by her brother.
“Haru-nii, I think the two of them are right.”
Haru scoffed.
“One hyper tsundre and her kawaii overdose friend are never right, Yuri.”
Hana was starting to grow annoyed. She was not kawaii! Hana rushed over and grabbed his arm. She pulled him down the street and towards the convenience store. He was pushed down into a chair. Hana pointing at him.
“Listen here, Haru-San, I am not kawaii! Not at all! So sit down and enjoy some cup of ramen and cheer up your Yuri-San!”
Afterwards she took a deep breath and turned to Yuri-San.
“Educate your Haru-nii.”
Then she pulled Yamato’s ear and dragged him to the chair across from Haru.
“Yamato. Sit down, be grateful and behave.”
Afterwards, Haru stood up and said.
“Listen here-”
Hana went to teach him a lesson when she fell flat on her face. Her uniform all messed up. Yuri laughing.
“Kawaii.”
Hana looking up at Minako embarrassed.
“Minako….”
little tears forming in her eyes. A scratch across her cheek and knees.
Minako
Minako had to restrain from rolling her eyes at Hana’s scolding her, if that was what it could be called. Yuri-san was in middle school AND related to Akiyama-san AND had just been cornered by thugs meanwhile Minako hadn’t even cursed. She quietly followed the group to the convenience store, reaching into her bag to pull out a small folded piece of paper. If they were going to a convenience store she might as well pick up a few things for home. As soon as they entered the air-conditioned food haven, she trailed off down the far aisle to start on her shopping. Even from her place among the rows she could hear Hana-chan continuing to lay into them.
“Hm…”
Just as she finished picking out the necessary ramen for the week, Minako turned a corner to witness Hana-chan fall flat like a crepe. In all honesty, her first feeling was to simply stare at her since she’d had the nerve to scold her earlier and she probably would have if it weren’t for that irritating soft spot she had.
“You might have been right about her club picks, Akiyama-san.”
She murmured. Crouching down she held out her hand to pull the girl back up.
“This is what happens when you scold people too much.”
A small smile formed on her features, her hand pulling a tissue out of her bag and dabbing her cheek.
“One second you’re taking down thugs and the next you’re falling in a convenience store….”
She shook her head with a soft sigh.
“Too kawaii for your own good, Hana-chan.”
A small titter escaped her at how wild this walk home had been.
“Keep this on your cheek for now, it has aloe on it.”
Turning to the others she remembered Hana-chan had tragically lost her ramen.
“Haru-san, can you come with me to pick out a treat for Hana-chan?”
She asked brightly.
“Great thanks.”
Not a moment was wasted waiting for an answer, fingers curling around his wrist and pulling him along.
“Meanwhile, you guys make sure Hana-chan doesn’t get any more bruises!”
She teased. As soon as they were back down the ramen aisle she let a silent sigh escape her. Honestly, she didn’t need this guy agitating the situation with his remarks and considering Hana-chan was a spitfire…she didn’t want her tripping over herself again. Wasn’t this the third time just today?
