▃▃▃▃▃ "where were you yesterday?!"

everyone in the cafeteria suddenly looked over at daishō and etsuko, who were facing off as the girl was quite a bit shorter than the male.

kuroo was about to stand up before kozume had stopped him, as he knew if daishō didn't get his answer, he'd tell the principal.

and kozume knew full well that etsuko did not return before five, as kita had honestly told the boy that he wasn't sure where etsuko had went.

"who are you, my mom? why do I have to report to you where I go and what I do?", etsuko scoffed as she tried to move past daishō, only to get stopped.

"don't think that I didn't notice you returning after curfew. I wonder what principal nekomata would think if he—"

"proof!"

"what?"

"I said, where's your proof?", etsuko questioned, crossing her arms as she sipped some water to fill her empty stomach.

"I—you...YOU CAME BACK LATE AND YOU KNOW IT! I DON'T NEED PROOF!", daishō shouted, to which etsuko just sighed, shrugging her shoulder.

"daishō-san, honestly, other than pinpointing me, do you have anything better to do? is this a hobby of yours? pinning guys?", etsuko teased, to which quite a few boys had snorted.

daishō clenched his fists as he glared at etsuko, who had swiftly walked past him, though not far enough before she was halted by the snake's voice once more.

"listen peasant! I have a deal for you, but whether you've got enough guts to play is up to you!", daishō challenged, making etsuko spin around.

"I'm listening".

"there's a literature exam coming up, and if I place better than you, you will willingly apologize for calling me a snake and quit school", daishō grinned.

etsuko hummed in amusement, to which kozume—who had quickly arrived beside the girl along with kuroo, bokuto, and akaashi—strongly suggested etsuko just decline.

"he can't just back out like a turtle! do you see how smug that bastard looks? plus, our haru-chan's very smart, isn't that right?", kuroo whispered.

"haru-san, I really don't think it'd be a good idea to take on daishō's challenge. he must have something planned if he's so confide—"

ignoring akaashi's warning, etsuko smiled.

"sure! but if I win, you apologize for calling me a peasant and give me a total of 1,000 mon!", the girl bargained.

daishō scoffed.

"poor as ever I see, but fine! if that's what you desire, then so be it. remember, everyone in this cafeteria has heard our conversation, so even if you try to cheat your way out of this, you can't!"

etsuko huffed as she glared at daishō.

"please, if anybody's a lying cheat, it'd be the snake wouldn't it? how would an innocent boy like me dare cheat the great daishō-san?", etsuko pouted, clearly mocking the boy, who's face was now as red as a pepper.

     "anyways, I've got food to eat and class to attend. hope to not see you, even though I know I will", etsuko fake gagged in disgust as her and her four friends left, with the people in the cafeteria resuming back to their conversations.

     as etsuko sat down with the four boys, kozume sighed.

     "haru, I know you're smart, but—"

     "don't worry kozume!! I've got it handled. I'll just study a lot", etsuko smiled, though that didn't cease the boy's worries in the slightest.

"now now, let's talk about something not so depressing!! say, haru, will you finally come out and eat with us today? you've already rejected our invitation twice", bokuto pouted, to which etsuko couldn't help but lightly chuckle at how adorable the boy was acting.

"yeah yeah!! you have to come eat out with us tonight. my treat!", kuroo grinned, to which the girl had just sighed.

"okay fine", etsuko gave in.

since it was the weekend, that had meant that curfew was quite a bit later; the limit being 8:30pm.

"that's great. I'm glad that you can finally join us, haru-san", akaashi smiled, to which kozume had curtly nodded in agreement.

     "I'm honestly honored", the girl replied as she gave the four a brighter smile than the sun, to which they had to shield their eyes as etsuko was radiating off flowers and sparkles.

     "please...too bright...", kuroo mumbled.

     "huh? what?"

     "n-nothing", kozume answered.

▃▃▃▃▃

     etsuko and the four boys were seated at a fancy restaurant with many bustling workers along with private rooms and plenty of mouthwatering food.

"kuroo-san, bokuto-san, akaashi-san, and kozume-san, I see that you're all back and have brought a friend", a lady wearing a somewhat simple kimono smiled.

"indeed, madam red. this is our great friend haru etsuko. he's one of our classmates", kuroo explained.

"well welcome, haru-san! I'm madam red, the owner of this restaurant. I promise to let you leave with the best experience you could ever imagine", the woman smiled as she lightly clapped her hands.

instantly, a few geishas had appeared, some holding instruments meanwhile others—who wore a more flashy silk kimono—had bowed and taken a seat beside each of the boys and girl.

"now, what would you all like to order today?", madam red asked, to which kuroo had ordered the usual.

etsuko squirmed a bit as she saw the lady sitting beside her was as pale as a pearl. with the amount of makeup applied to her face, etsuko wondered if it was suffocating her pores.

though nevertheless, etsuko thought the girl was very entrancing; her ruby red lips and thinly lined eyes along with dangling ornaments matched her kimono that revealed the nape of the neck.

"it's nice to meet you. I'm haru etsuko, and you are?"

"haru-san may just refer to me as rumi", the girl smiled, to which etsuko just nodded.

"say, rumi-san, what instruments do you play?", etsuko asked, wondering if by any chance they played the flute, or better yet known as the shakuhachi.

"mm...the shamisen, koto, and tsuzumi", rumi answered.

"is there anyone that can play the flute here?"

rumi pondered a bit. "well, a few of us can, but I'd say the best would be misa-chan", the girl informed.

"misa-chan? which one is she? do you think you could introduce us?", etsuko smiled, to which the geisha had returned one awkwardly.

"well...she...she's a bit hard to invite because recently she's been feeling a bit under the weather", rumi lowly whispered.

"I do hope that she feels better", etsuko said, to which rumi had nodded in agreement.

"COME ON MISA-CHAN! just sit on my lap for a bit!", a drunk man hiccuped from a few tables away.

     turning around, rumi gasped. "what's misa-chan doing here? I thought she was resting..."

     etsuko squinted her eyes as she saw that misa was clearly uncomfortable and being forced onto the man's lap against her will.

     standing up, etsuko started marching towards the table, alerting the four men and making them instantly follow.

"hey you! quit making her uncomfortable. if you're still a man, let her go", etsuko stated, rudely pointing at the drunk man who's face was flushed.

the man furrowed his brows as he huffed, harshly shoving misa to the side as etsuko swiftly went to go help her up.

     "and who the fuck are you to jump into my business? from the way you dress, you look like a peasant, and peasants should just stay in the corner and wipe the bottom of my shoes clean!", the man laughed.

     "listen pig, say all you want about me, but keep in mind some human morals would you? oh wait! I guess a pig's intelligence can't compare to that of a human's", etsuko mocked as she hastily pulled misa away.

before the man had stumbled upwards to catch etsuko, kuroo and bokuto stepped forward.

they were blocking the drunk man's way. although they weren't famous, their fathers were, hence no one dared go against them unless they were of higher positions.

"misa-chan, are you okay?", etsuko asked, meanwhile kuroo and bokuto took care of the problem.

the girl meekly nodded, looking away.

"that's good. well, next time be more careful. I heard you've been feeling a bit under the weather from rumi-san, so I hope you feel better", etsuko smiled as she was about to leave before a hand stopped her.

"u-umm...thank you...mister. may I...may I earn your name?"

"haru etsuko. until next time, misa-chan!"

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セレンディピティ
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