Factor In and Out
Minako stared out the window. She could see the tennis courts from her seat today. Most days the view was blocked or otherwise diverted by the girl that sat next to the windows.
Rei was absent and it was making Minako fidgety. She had already dropped her pencil four times now, spinning it around in her fingers. She wondered if Rei was alright or if she was skipping. She wondered if Rei had ever considered skipping once in her entire life.
Probably not. She’d have nothing to do, Minako figured, and then reasoned with herself when this sounded bitchy. It’s not like I think Rei’s a loser with no life outside of school it’s just . . . she’s not living for anything.
Motivation came to Minako from many sources – friends, family, shopping, volleyball, boys . . . girls . . . It was these things which interested her, managed to make each day worth plodding through. Rei didn’t seem to have any of them. If anything drove her, it was duty, and Minako found that disturbingly bleak.
Everyone needs something to live for, or life loses meaning. There’s no point in waking up if the sun never rises. She propped her chin on her palm and stared outside. I’m getting far too deep for my own good. Too much thinking is bad for the brain. That’s my theory, anyway.
Minako looked down at her math and contemplated the next question for nearly a split second. She must be sick. She looked over at Rei’s empty desk and at the handouts the dark haired girl wasn’t there to receive. I should check on her.
The tennis players were gathering the loose tennis balls and returning inside. Finally, class is almost over. I wonder if she’ll be annoyed when I show up. Minako grinned a little. She was beginning to suspect that the miko’s irritability was a ruse, a rather aggressive pretence that emerged whenever she was feeling at all uncomfortable.
The bell rang and Minako shoved her books into her bag and swept up the homework on Rei’s desk.
Minako trotted around the main shrine edifice and knocked at the door to the section of the shrine that was inhabited. She waited for a while until a gradual shuffling noise was heard and Rei slid the door open. She answered the door in a warm, thick housecoat, sweatpants and slippers. When she saw Minako standing outside she grunted, “It’s you,” and ran a hand self-consciously through her unwashed hair.
“Hey, sicky!” Minako chirped cheerfully and slapped a few sheets of paper into Rei’s hands. “I brought you your math notes.”
“Oh. Thanks.” She shut the door behind Minako and they proceeded through the shrine to Rei’s room.
Rei slid the math notes in amongst her other papers while Minako looked around, once again interested by the room and the pictures she had seen a few weeks ago. There was actual clutter around this time – clothes on chairs, schoolbag left on the floor, a box of tissues sitting on the unmade bed – giving rise to a suspicion that maybe the aloof girl was human after all. But in case the miko should grow annoyed again, Minako stopped looking about when Rei turned around.
“I don’t know who your other teachers are, so I couldn’t get the work from your other classes. And I would have too, you know.” Minako grinned in her special, charming way. “Just for you, Rei.”
Sitting on her bed, Rei shrugged. “It’s fine. I’ve got it.”
Minako’s grin morphed into a perplexed expression. “You – how?”
“Yuuichiro,” Rei mumbled.
Minako sat down on the bed as well, knees drawn up, facing Rei. “Who’s he?” And why does he get to visit? And how did he get here before I did? I ran!
“He’s in all my other classes and he volunteers around here.” She yawned, her nose scrunching. With a sleepy hum and a sigh, Rei put her head down on her pillow. She was still very tired, regardless of how many hours she had spent sleeping. If Minako minded her rudeness she could just leave, she told herself.
Minako only smiled to herself and stood up to pull the slippers from Rei’s feet, placing the fuzzy footwear on the floor and pushing her bare feet under the covers. If she had been more awake, or been healthy, there would have been some form of protest, Minako was sure. As it was, Rei barely grumbled when Minako pulled her blankets up to her neck and tucked her in. She only received a half-hearted glare when she kissed the soft skin of Rei’s forehead and patted her head.
“Is he your boyfriend?” She stretched out on top of the covers next to the sick girl.
“No!” came Rei’s vehement reply, slightly nasal sounding. “He annoys me, always following me around making obnoxious conversations. And he needs a haircut,” she added critically.
Minako smiled at the typical bluntness. At least Rei didn’t sound like she was fond of him, Minako reasoned. And then she realised that Rei did not seem fond of anyone, herself included. She could be polite to strangers, but was sarcastic, occasionally rude, and very blunt with the people she actually talked to. Maybe her degree of disrespect was actually proportionate to how much she liked a person. That thought puzzled, pleased and irked Minako.
Why would anyone ever like someone so confusing? She pouted and put her head down on her that she probably resembled a petulant child, Minako asked, “Did he already bring your math stuff as well?”
Rei smirked sleepily. “No, Minako. Only you.”
He turned out to be some stud who slouched around the school wearing his crinkled uniform like a bum. Minako had to agree with Rei that he badly needed a haircut and was surprised that the guy could see a soccer ball well enough to have made the school team. Other than that, Minako couldn’t seem to find a fault in him. The little of his face that was visible was chiselled and sported a shadow of hair that few other males of the school could boast. The rest of his body was apparently just as nice, his long, tan legs toned by a season of soccer practice. He even scored decent grades on a regular basis.
He’s got to be a total ass, she told herself.
“I saw your game last week in the exhibition tournament,” Yuuichiro commented when Minako introduced herself to him. Unable to find fault in him from a distance, Minako had decided to approach her secret nemesis. “You were amazing. That float serve you made during the second match was awesome.” He smiled at her. His teeth were really white.
“You watch volleyball?” Minako asked, and upon later reflection would realise it was a rather unintelligent question.
“Yeah, not all the time, but my friend’s girlfriend is on the team. You know Kiyomi? So we come watch sometimes before we head off to practice with the two other guys in our band.”
“You’re in a band,” Minako deadpanned. Of course he’s in a band. He’s probably lead guitarist. Asshole.
Yuuichiro must have missed the lack of expression on Minako’s part. “Lead guitar,” he grinned proudly. “You should check us out this weekend. We’ve got a gig at some bar downtown.”
With a fabricated, light little laugh, Minako demurred, “Perhaps another time, I’m busy with Rei this weekend.”
As expected, Yuuichiro’s tone shifted in surprise and softened slightly. “Hino Rei? I didn’t know you were friends with her. She’s something, hey? I wrote a couple of my songs for her.” He smiled boyishly, a cute blush and twinkling eyes.
With a little smile and some disingenuous noise of agreement, Minako fled his company, unable to stand the love struck look on the buffoon’s face. She didn’t want to think of herself as in the same boat as him. She didn’t want to think that Rei might dismiss her feelings just as easily. And on that note, she grew even more puzzled at the dark haired girl. What was her reason for turning down someone so clearly in love with her?
“Morning, sleepyhead!”
“. . . What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like? I’m sweeping of course!”
“Yes, but . . . why? And . . . are you wearing my hakama and gi?”
“Yep! Your Grandpa said it was okay to borrow them, and they fit too!”
“I see that . . . What made you decide to spend your Saturday morning doing my chores?”
“Hey, I said I’d pay you back, didn’t I? I got eighty-five percent on that quiz.”
“But you already brought me the math notes I missed yesterday.”
“That? That was nothing. This is a lot of work!”
“How long have you been here?”
“A couple of hours.”
“You’ve . . . You’re weird.”
“Hey! I’m doing you a favour here!”
“No, you said you were paying back a favour.”
“Same thing! Go back to bed if you’re going to be grumpy.”
“I would, but there are a bunch of other chores to do. I should get dressed.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your boyfriend showed up and started cleaning the shrine room.”
“My . . . Yuuichiro is not my boyfriend! Don’t go putting ideas in his head.”
“Oh, he’s already got the idea. I wasn’t the one who put it there.”
“Hey, don’t start grinning at me like it’s my fault!”
“Well, he’s very good looking, Rei . . .”
“You can have him then.”
“Ah, no thanks.”
“Right, you’ve got a boyfriend.”
“Not anymore I don’t. We broke up last week.”
“. . . Was he the one you were asking me about at the mall?”
“Yeah, and I suppose you were right. I think I’ve found someone better.”
“That’s . . . good. Not good that you broke up, but good that you’ve found someone . . .”
“I guess it is. I’m glad I’ve moved on, but I don’t know if it’ll work out . . .”
“Well, don’t ask me for advice, I’m not into relationships.”
“A beautiful girl like you? That’s a shame.”
“Whatever. I’m going to bed.”
“Have a good sleep.”
“Thanks.”
“So we can work together!” Minako had said with her trademark, painfully bright and charismatic, gee aren’t you happy? grin. She didn’t even wince when her sliding desk made a loud, ear wrenching noise against the floor.
Rei promptly scoffed. Minako had grown tired of bombarding her with crumpled little notes, only to have them unceremoniously ignored. Her desk looked like a wastepaper bin.
“Go away,” was the first thing out of Rei’s mouth. “You distract me.”
“Yes, I am quite distracting, aren’t I?” Minako propped her head in one hand and twirled her hair with the other.
“You just talk too much,” Rei muttered.
Minako either didn’t hear or decided not to hear. “You’re making that funny I can’t solve this question face again.” She poked at the other girl’s face like she could touch the source of the puzzled little half-frown half-pout. “Don’t tell me Rei needs Minako’s help?”
The usual frown appeared along with another scoff.
Minako never thought that seeing someone scowl so darkly could make her want to laugh. She didn’t laugh though. That would ruin the game. “Got any plans for this weekend?” she enquired.
“Working at the shrine.” Rei said. She didn’t know why Minako bothered to ask anymore. The answer was always the same.
“Fun. Don’t you ever do anything else?”
“There’s some famous American flying in who wants a tour,” Rei said defensively. “We need good publicity and that means the shrine has to be clean.”
“Why don’t you hire someone?”
“We’ve considered it.”
“And?”
“And none of your business. Besides, with Yuuichiro’s help we get along fine.”
Minako idly stroked her chin and mimed twirling a beard. “What if I were to help out at the shrine?”
Rei looked over at her. “I don’t see why you would. We’re not going to pay you.”
The blonde had already surmised that the issue might be monetary. “Ah, but what if we . . . bartered? Traded services, so to speak.”
The dark haired girl had learned to be leery of the expression on the volleyball player’s face. “What do you mean?”
Minako made a steeple of her fingers and adopted as businesslike a tone as she could manage, which was unexpectedly convincing, mostly due to her dabbling in drama. “I propose that for every time you tutor me in this . . .” she poked at her notebook with an expression of deepest repugnance, “distasteful subject, I repay you in a day’s worth of menial labour around the shrine. You work less, my marks go up – everybody wins!”
Rei actually contemplated it for moment. It seemed like a decent deal, except, “I suppose the catch is that I have to put up with you all the time,” she muttered.
“Catch? I was going to include that in the special job bonuses category.”
“You would,” she said, but appeared hesitant. “Are you sure about this? Shrine work is hard work and you’d likely find it boring.”
Minako waved it away. “I know that. I spent a day sweeping, didn’t I?” Rei remained unconvinced and in place of irritation at her stubbornness, Minako felt a strange, warm sort of fondness that jumbled her insides a bit. “You’re so honourable,” she teased lightly.
Rei made dismissive little whatever motions. “If you want the raw end of the deal then fine by me.”
“Well, since I know you’re secretly feeling bad about it –”
“I could care less,” came the immediate retort.
“– we’ll just keep in mind that you owe me a favour,” Minako finished. She held out her hand. “Deal?”
Ah, what the hell. “Deal.”
“So this girl Takai is having a party next week . . .” she began cautiously.
“No thanks,” Rei replied automatically.
“Please, Rei!” Minako wheedled, “It’ll be fun, I swear. Takai’s parties are the best.”
As usual, her begging seemed to have little effect. “So go and hang out with Takai.”
“But I want to spend time with you,” Minako pleaded, her bottom lip coming out to pout.
Rei shrugged but looked at Minako seriously. “So come by my place some other time.” It occurred to Rei that she normally didn’t encourage Minako to pop by. The odd study/shrine cleaning session was proving quite enough for her nerves to handle. But like most things with Minako, it felt natural to just say what was on her mind. It also seemed to Rei that it was far too easy to be nice whenever they spoke, thought the miko would never admit that these might be indicators that she was starting to like the cheerful blonde.
Looking slightly less put out, Minako only gave one final try. “Are you sure you don’t want to go? There’s a swimming pool.”
Smirking at the weak bribe, the dark haired girl shook her head. “You can tell me about it afterwards. I’ll see you later.”
Minako stood at her stop and watched Rei keep walking. I guess I never really expected her to say yes . . . Considering how the miko was at first, and the stories she had heard of Rei’s renowned aloofness, Minako supposed maybe she wasn’t making such bad progress – slow progress, but unquestionably worthwhile.
Rei was nearly half a block away now, but Minako was happy to admire her from any distance. She looks really good from the back . . .
Minako bent over to adjust her kneepads, ignoring the whistles from the boys behind her sitting in the stands watching their practice. “With the long dark hair?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Kagura rolled her eyes at the ridiculous cat calls.
Minako finally straightened, giving a small wave to her audience. They returned to ogling less noisily, and Minako turned to her team mate. “That’s Rei. Isn’t she pretty?”
“She is.” Kagura grinned and arched an eyebrow. “Are you two together?”
The volleyball captain laughed and shook her head. Her elaboration had to wait, as her turn in line had come. She paced toward the net with swift, measured steps, swung her arms back and sprang into the air to crush the volleyball the assistant coach set up for her.
“Good, Minako!”
She retrieved the ball, lobbed it back into its bin, and stepped back in line. Kagura rejoined her a moment later.
“You need to pull your arm back further when you’re setting up,” Minako pointed out.
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Kagura accepted the advice easily. “So is your math girl . . . you know?”
Minako sighed and flipped her hair back in a show of mild irritation. “I’ve no idea, I can’t tell at all. She’s way too reserved for me to just ask.”
“Have you tried snooping? You know, asking who she likes, who she’s dated, who she –”
She waved away Kagura’s question. “I’ve tried, I’ve tried. She’s in total lockdown. Like this one time, Touji was standing at the front of the class, you know Touji – tall, short hair, basketball team, anyway, I asked her if he didn’t have the nicest ass ever and she looked at me like it was the lamest question ever and then ignored me.”
Kagura gave a little laugh. “And you like her, why?”
“Bad taste?” Minako laughed as well. “It’s hopeless, though. I can’t stop thinking about her.”
“Aw, that’s cute. I think you should just go for it. She’s not likely to turn you down, you’re gorgeous.”
Minako beamed and mauled her friend with a hug. “Oh, Kagura, you say the sweetest things. Why have we never dated?” She paused to strike a thoughtful pose.
“Because I’m straight?” Kagura speculated.
Minako stroked her chin. “Right, you’re still stuck in that awkward ‘straight’ phase. You’ll grow out of it.”
“And become a switch-hitter like you?”
“Now, now,” Minako chided. “I’m just open-minded.”
“Let’s hope math girl is as flexible.” Kagura tightened her ponytail, anticipating her upcoming turn to practice spiking.
Minako spaced out with a dazed little grin. “Yeah . . . flexible would be good. That would be very good . . .”
Kagura sighed and snagged the waistband on the other girl’s short spandex shorts. Minako yelped when the elastic was released with a snap. She rubbed her bottom and pouted at her friend. The boys cheered.
“It’s your turn,” Kagura helpfully supplied.
“Hmmph. How do I get myself into these abusive relationships?” Minako grumbled.
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