"So, you know?" Chikane sobbed.
"Know what? That she was someone important in your life?"
"Yes, she was," she said with more clarity in her voice as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Was Otoha her name?"
"Yes, Kisaragi Otoha was her name. She was in my orphanage."
"Is she still there?"
When Himeko asked that question Chikane started to cry even more, not wanting to fully answer the question.
"No, not at all," she tearfully answered.
"There where is she?" Himeko innocently asked.
It took all the strength and energy she had in her body just to answer Himeko's simple question. While the answer was simple enough, it was not easy for Chikane to respond.
"She's gone."
Himeko was stunned when she said that. She knew exactly what Chikane meant.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry Chikane-san. You must be going through a lot terrible pain losing someone you love very much."
"Well her death is part of it but there's more to it."
Himeko was completely tuned in and focused when she said, "Really? Could you please tell me about it?"
The last thing Chikane wanted to do was to relive the pain she went through, but she knew it was only fair to tell Himeko about it since Himeko told about hers.
"When I told you that I was an orphan at St. Fuukino's, I lied."
Himeko looked at Chikane with a bit of surprise but she simply said, "Oh."
"The truth was I was an orphan at Our Lady of Sorrows orphanage in southern Mahoroba."
Himeko was totally shocked. She knew about Our Lady of Sorrows orphanage and its notorious reputation throughout Japan. Considered to be the most brutal all-female orphanage in Japan, it was aptly called ‘the hellhole.' It was a reformatory school/orphanage where all the trouble-making kids, orphan or not, were sent. From that point on, Himeko knew the story wasn't going to be a happy one.
"Oh my goodness, I've heard about the place. Is it as bad as they say it is?"
"Even worse," she said with a hard scowling look on her face. "My whole family died in a horrible bus accident when they were coming from a picnic during a family reunion. The bus fell of a cliff while coming down a mountain. I was only an infant so I only know what the nuns and the newspaper clippings told me. They said I was extremely lucky since I was the only survivor in the accident. Since all my family members perished in the accident and I had no other living relatives, I was sent to an orphanage.
I was shipped around many orphanages throughout Japan, mostly for lack of space. I felt like I was just another kid that they could care less about, so I became rebellious. I got myself in trouble many times in many orphanages. I beginning to be viewed as a problem child and so they decided to send me to Our Lady of Sorrows."
Then the tears started to roll again right after she mentioned the orphanage's name, "I was sent there when I was 11 years old. The people over there were terrible. I remember the first day when I was there, this big nun came up to me and asked what my name was and I refused to answer. Looking back, that was foolish of me. She asked me two more times and I refused both times, so she got fed up and punched me in the stomach then she picked me up and held me in the air by the collar of my shirt. She then told me that I was her bitch now and that I better do as she said or else she would do worse. At that moment, I knew I was in a prison."
Himeko didn't say anything vocally but her eyes said it all. She was rather taken aback to Chikane's story so far, yet this was only the tip of the iceberg.
"We were treated like animals in that place: terrible foods, strict orders, lack of free time, and lots of beatings even for simple things. For example, if I said my penance wrong, they would hit me with a ruler. They will beat you with anything they got their hands on: electrical cords, belts, shoelaces, whips, even metallic objects." To Himeko, it sounded just like when she was living with her relatives. "They also played a lot of mind games with us, such as stealing a precious item from one kid and making it look like another kid did it so that the two kids would fight each other. They created an atmosphere where nobody could trust each other, everybody was for themselves. And that wasn't the worse of it. What's the worst part about that hellhole? It's - it's -"
At that point Chikane burst out crying, the memories were so painful she couldn't complete her sentence. Himeko realized how much pain she was in and did her best to reassure her.
"It's OK Chikane-san. It's all in the past, you can tell me," she said while hugging her and comforting her as best as she could. She cried for a good while before she regained her composure and continued on.
"There were times during the day, and sometimes in the night, where the nuns paid a personal visit with you. They would take you to an isolated area in the building and then they would..." Chikane choked up for a bit and struggled to complete her sentence. "They would strip you naked and have their way with you. In order words, they would molest you." After that confession Chikane totally broke down and cried profusely again.
That was the ultimate shocker to Himeko. She couldn't believe what she heard. Now it all made sense to her why Chikane was mean to people. Himeko didn't say anything, letting Chikane continue her story, but she was thinking "Oh my, poor Chikane."
"They did all sorts of sickening things to me, and they also made me do all sorts of disgusting things to them. But it wasn't just me; it was pretty much most of the girls in the orphanage. I was basically their fuck doll, fulfilling their sick pedophilic fantasies. They used every sex toy you could think of on me. Everybody talks about the priests and their perverted ways, but no one ever talks about some of the evil shit the nuns have done. I can personally tell you that the nuns are just as sick, deviated, and perverted as the priests."
It was hard for Himeko to hear all this, but she knew it was even harder for Chikane to tell her all this, so she listened with a sympathetic ear. Himeko was also starting to cry.
Chikane continued on with her story, "It was four years of hell being in that place, but after I turned 13, a great thing happened in my life, Otoha. The minute I met her I knew she was going to change my life forever. We immediately became close, spending lots of time together. We were virtually inseparable. We shared about everything you can image to each other. We talked a lot about stuff that any orphaned kid would talk about, such as traveling around the world, what it would be like to have cool parents, and other things.
There was nothing between us in the beginning, we were just good friends. However, I was building up an attraction for her. It was hard for me to understand it at first since I never felt that way for anybody. The irony was that the nuns would punish us if they saw any of us kissing, hugging, or showing any type of affection to each other, hypocrites. Eventually, I did understand what I was feeling and had learned to accept it.
Her birthday was coming up and I wanted to give her something special, but since I had no money I couldn't buy her a gift. I knew I had to so her how much I care for her so I decided that I will give her a kiss. When her birthday came, we had a private celebration and that's when I gave her a kiss. That surprised her a bit, but it was me who got the biggest surprise when she kissed back! A little bit later she confessed to me that she felt the same way for me. From that moment on, we became lovers and it was the only good thing that came out of that place, but our love for each other was not enough.
The nuns knew about our relationship and they used it to their advantage. They tried to play mind game with us but it wouldn't work, so they gave us lots of beatings. They used the Bible on us, telling us how our relationship was going against the will of God. Those damn hypocrites were no better than us. In fact, I think they were spying on us when we made love the first time," she said as she was nearly breaking down.
With all those painful beatings, terrible sexual assaults, and their hypocritical double-standards, we couldn't endure it anymore, we wanted it to end. So about nine months ago, we felt that the only way to get out of our suffering predicament was to commit suicide. I was able to sneak in a razor from a First Aid kit and we went to a back room. We declared our love to each other for the last time and then we slit our wrists. She did it first then I followed. We were holding each other hands while the blood was pouring out of our wrists. Eventually, I passed out. I don't remember much after that besides waking up in the hospital. I was told that one of the nuns found me and they rushed both of us to the hospital. Somehow I lived, but Otoha didn't.
I recovered soon enough to attend her funeral. While I was looking at her casket, I couldn't stop thinking why I lived and she didn't. I didn't go in the bus with the rest of the kids, instead a priest drove me back to the orphanage. During the trip back, he stopped on a red light. Something inside of me told me that now was the time to escape, so I quickly opened the door and bolted as fast as I can through the incoming traffic. There were a lot of horns blasting at me but I didn't care, I was not going back to that place alive. I rather get splattered by an SUV than to go back there. He chased me for a while but eventually I was able to lose him.
For two days, I was hiding at various places throughout Mahoroba, trying to get some food and money to leave the area. I knew they were looking for me, thus I knew I had to get out of town instantly and that's exactly what I did. When I had enough money to take a train, the first available train was the Fuji line from Mahoroba Station to Shinjuku Station. I figured that Tokyo was a good distance away from Mahoroba so I took it, and that's how I ended up here."
After she said that she started to cry even more. It was heavier than ever and it took her a while to stop crying. Himeko didn't say anything, she knew it was best to let her cry her heart out. That story told it all, about her cold and reserved persona and why she can't trust anyone.
In time, Himeko spoke, "I wish I could go back in time and stop all those things from happening to you Chikane-chan. But I can't. What I can do is help make things better for you right now and in the future. Just like how I wish I never had my relatives adopt me. We can't let our past control us, as you told me the other day." Himeko stated.
"You're right, I got to move on. I can't erase my past nor can I bring Otoha back to life, as much as I want to. Nevertheless, I'm surprise that you didn't see anything wrong about our relationship."
Himeko paused a bit and told her, "No I don't. In fact I'm a bian myself."
"Really?" Chikane said. Now it made sense as to why she made a lot of female anime and cartoon characters drawings.
"Yes, that was part of the reason why I ran away from home."
"I thought that was because they were abusive jerks."
"Well, that was the other part of it. One day, she went into my closet and saw my drawings. Some of them were of naked women. Others were of them kissing each other. The moment she saw that, she went berserk and beat the living daylights out of me with a wire hanger." Chikane closed her eyes tightly and could visually imagine what Himeko went through since she went through it herself. "About a few weeks later, while they went to a conference in the Philippines, I saw a letter from my mother. It was the usual letter, asking me how life was going, how school was doing, how she's glad to hear that everything was fine, etc. The only thing was that I've never seen any of those letters before, so I think that my relatives replied back as me."
Chikane had that scowling look returned to her face when she heard how Himeko's relatives used her.
As Himeko continued, "It was also the first sign of hope. The only people I knew in my life were my relatives and their friends. I couldn't run away to them, they would send me back to my relatives. Finally, I knew someone who could save me from my relatives. Unfortunately I didn't have any personal money to get to Tokyo. Also, there wasn't anything on the letter saying exactly where she lived in Tokyo, but it didn't matter, I just wanted to leave that place no matter what. So I went into their bedroom and took some money from their dresser. Of course I prayed to God to forgive me for stealing their money. Then I took as much stuff as I could and left the mansion. I took the same train you took directly to here. When I got here, I went to the city hall and asked if they can help me find her, but they couldn't. For the first week, I stayed at a hostel, until my money ran out. Then I was forced to live on the streets, and here I am right now."
Chikane was amazed to hear a story that was as interesting as hers.
"So I see that you took a big risk just like me?"
Himeko nodded, "Yes, but I don't think it was that big of a risk. It was an even bigger risk staying there." Chikane nodded back in agreement. Himeko then asked her a question, "Chikane, I need to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"If you're such a good fighter, then why didn't you beat up the nuns?"
Chikane wasn't surprised that she would ask such a question, "Well, those nuns were also the same ones who trained me in Karate. It would be useless to use it on them."
All that Himeko could say was, "Oh."
Not too long after, Chikane realized that it was very late, "Oh shit, I got to get back to the station. I promise to meet someone there in the morning." Someone that she can sell some of the jewelry to, as she purposely omitted that part to Himeko.
"Well it was nice having you here. Do you know what we are going to do for our birthday tomorrow?" For some reason, a part of Himeko didn't want to see Chikane leaving, but she didn't want to hold her like a prisoner either.
"For tomorrow night, yes, but not for the daytime," Chikane stated.
"Well that's good! I already know what we can do tomorrow."
"What are we going to do?" Chikane asked with some curiosity.
"I'll tell you tomorrow, until then, good night and happy birthday!"
As Chikane left the tent she replied back, "You too have a good night and happy birthday!" And she headed straight to the station. Himeko was outside of the tent, looking at her figure until she no longer saw her.
Little did they know that Nekoko was up and she was watching and listening to them all that time...
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It was around 9 am when Himeko woke up. The Little Mermaid alarm clock went off and she woke up instead of doing her usual habit of hitting the snooze button. Today was an exciting day for Himeko since it was her birthday and she was turning sixteen. The day seemed exciting to Himeko as she looked forward towards the activities for the day. One of them was a Battle Mikos convention, thought Chikane didn't know about it yet. It was an exciting day and she wanted her best friend to come along. So Himeko came to Nekoko's tent and said, "Me and Chikane are celebrating our birthdays together! We are going to a Battle Mikos convention, then we are going to do something tonight, do you want to join us?"
Nekoko, not wanting to have anything to do with Chikane but didn't want to hurt Himeko's feelings, said, "Thanks but no thanks. You two can go ahead without me."
"But it will be fun! And we haven't done anything with each other for a while."
"That's good and all but don't forget about my seizures. What if my seizures occur in a public area?"
She did forget about her seizures, although Nekoko was using it as an excuse.
"I see, but could you at least come to the convention with us?" she elated.
"Hime-chan, you know I'm not into that type of stuff," she said in a matter-of-fact fashion.
"That's true. But do you want me to bring you something?"
Nekoko was always amazed at Himeko's selflessness, but at that time she found it annoying.
"No thanks, go ahead and go to the convention."
"OK," Himeko said with some disappointment in her voice. She knew that Nekoko didn't really want to deal with her because of Chikane, but she also knew that she can't give up on their friendship just because of that. She got herself ready and headed to the station.
When she got near to the station she saw Chikane there waiting for her.
"Ohayo, Chikane, how are you doing?" Himeko elated while hugging her friend.
"I'm fine thank you, how about you?"
"Great! Today is going to be a fun day!"
"I hope so, where are we going first? You still haven't told me," Chikane asked.
"Oh yeah, today there's a Battle Mikos convention going on. I'm really looking forward to it!"
When she heard that, a disturbed look showed on her face. All she could think of is the stereotypical notions that usually associated with anime/manga conventions, nerdy otaku men who still lived with their parents taking about some meaningless discussion about a hentai doujin of the mikos, debating how it's not hentai enough. Then the thoughts of them dressing up as mikos came into her mind. It was both disturbing and hilarious. She's pretty much against religion, so wearing something like would be an insult to her, yet seeing a ‘delinquent' like her in a miko robe could be quite funny. In short she, was not looking forward to it, but it was clear that Himeko was.
"Battle Mikos convention? What do they do there anyways?" Just to get an idea of what she will be dealing with.
"I don't know. I've never been to one, but I heard people meet there and talk about the manga and/or anime, sell some doujins, have some public speakers, and also hold a few contests. This one is really special since Kaishaku and the director Yanagisawa Tetsuya is going to be there to talk about the upcoming second season of the anime! "
"But what about money, I'm sure it's not free and we probably can't afford the tickets."
"That's not a problem, I already got them," she grinned as she pulled them out of her pocket. Chikane whimpered when she saw them.
"But what about our clothing, do you think they will allow in some homeless bums?"
"That's why we are going to a cosplay store, and pick up some clothing."
"Huh? A cosplay store?"
"Yeah, the one three blocks from here. We can dress like the mikos themselves."
"But wouldn't that cost some money?"
"Yeah, but it shouldn't be too expensive for some miko clothes."
"You don't know stores around here too well, do you? This is Shinjuku and nothing is cheap here girl."
"I'm sure it's not that expensive," she naively stated much to Chikane's chagrin. "So what are you waiting for, let's go!" Before Chikane spoke another word she pulled her arm and headed straight to the store.
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What was one day of happiness for two people was just another day of frustration for two others. Mika Andojuni and her husband, Pastor Kazu Andojuni were getting frustrated over Himeko's disappearance.
"We haven't found her yet. We've search throughout the city and we can't find her. She must have left Mahoroba." A private investigator said to her over the phone.
"I can't thank of anywhere else that she would be, she hardly ever been outside the city."
"Well I'll talk to the people of the National Center for Missing Children and see what they can come up with. It would probably be the usual protocol; they probably won't put much effort into it since they are knee-deep in other cases."
"Well, are there any other options?"
"I could talk to other organizations but that's the best I could do for the moment."
"OK, then detective Gaichou-san, remember we are paying you very good money to find our niece."
"Yes, I know and it's my top priority. When I get new information I will tell you, until then have a good day." Then he hung up.
"Any news honey?"
"No, nothing. He still hasn't found any info on Himeko. He thinks she left the city."
"I see." Kazu said.
"I can't believe that little bitch would take our money and run away like that! She's more like her mother than I thought, besides finding those filthy pictures," she gritted.
"Well when we get her back, I have her sent to Pastor Riyuchi. He was once gay but God cured him and maybe with God's help he can get Himeko cured."
"I hope so, I'm not going to have a rezu in my house, it's bad enough that her mother is one too. Did you ever see that picture of her girlfriend?"
"That one you burnt? Yes, I have and it's rather scary. She's a big time onabe! Those types of girls really defeat the purpose of being a lesbian. I mean, if you are going to go out with someone who tries to act and look like a man, then why not just go out with the real thing?"
"That makes no sense to me as well, honey," she agreed.
Kazu continued, "If Sirochi knew what she was like, he probably would have gotten rid of her long before his death."
"Yeah. Just the thought of her makes me mad. It's because of her that my onii-chan is in the grave and that we ended up being the guardian of a fuck-up!" Even to this day, she blames Himeko's mother for her brother's death. He died in a car accident while he was drunk. She considers her bad influences caused his death. Kazu did his best to comfort his wife and she calmed down a bit but not much.
"Look, she's no longer here to make our lives miserable."
"She's not, but she doesn't have to do that, her idiot daughter is doing her job. What makes it hard is that today's her birthday. We could have been preparing for her birthday party, and all our friends would be here celebrating with us, then I could show them my new dress I bought," she boasted. Besides Christmas, her birthday is the only other day that they are really nice to her. In reality, the reason for the birthday parties is not for her sake but for the couple to hobnob with their friends and to show off their elite status. What even happened to the Bible's and Jesus' teachings about humility?
Kazu didn't say anything to her but just comforted her. After a while she brought up an important question.
"Has the media been ignorant about this?"
"Yes dear," He said. The reason they didn't want the media to find out was that if the media did, then Himeko might speak about her abuse. Even though they know that Himeko is rather meek they still couldn't take that chance.
"Good, that's just the way I want it," she smiled as she placed her head on his chest.
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When they got to the cosplay store, they headed straight to the mikos section. They checked out all the miko clothing there and saw the prices on them. Himeko's jaw dropped.
"8,200 yen (100 USD) for a miko robe?" Himeko questioned in surprise.
"I told you," Chikane noted.
They have been looking through the robes for a while when the store owner interrupted them. He was disturbed that two ‘smelly bums' were in his store. He thought they were driving his customers away.
"Hey, are you two are going to buy or stare? If you're not going to buy then get out of here, you're driving the customers away,"
"How so?" Himeko innocently asked.
"Your two smell terrible. You bums are probably used to it but neither the customers nor am I. You're driving them away and this is a bad time especially with all the conventions going on today."
Chikane saw an opportunity out of this. She could use his willingness to get them out in their favor. The wheels in her head starts to turned as she spoke.
"Look, if you can reduce the price on those robes to 50% then we will gladly pay you and leave the store."
"Half-price! Are you crazy?" the owner shouted, he couldn't believe that Chikane had the guts to ask such a thing.
"Well then, let's continue our shopping then Hime-san?" Chikane said with a smile on her face.
"Okay!" Himeko smiled, playing along with Chikane's scheme.
The owner really didn't have much of a choice. He couldn't kick them out since he was nearly sued for a similar incident, so he budged in and said, "OK I'll take your deal, but you can only buy two and don't come back here ever again!"
Chikane smiled when she heard that and said, "That sounds good to me."
With his reluctant approval, Himeko went and picked out two robes for them. They looked the same ones the heroines wore in Battle Mikos.
"Are these are it?"
"Yep, just like in the manga itself. But Chikane-san, where are we going to clean ourselves and change?"
"That's not a problem Himeko-san, I got that covered," she said as she pulled out a card. It was a gym card to a local gym two blocks away from the store.
"Where did you get that?" Himeko asked, hoping the answer wasn't what she expected it to be.
"Remember the guy who wanted us to draw him and his dog a few day ago?"
"Yeah."
"Well I met him at the station two days ago and he liked the drawing you did with him and his dog, so he gave me one free month in his gym. He happens to be the manager of the gym over there."
Much to Himeko's relief, Chikane got the card in an honest way and she can tell that she wasn't lying.
"Wow, that's great!" Himeko said.
"It sure is, now just pay the guy and let's go, we don't have a lot of time I assumed."
Himeko nodded her head in approval and paid the guy as Chikane requested. Then they headed straight to the gym. Himeko had to sign in as a guest since Chikane had one card. When they got into the locker room, everybody started to complain about the smell. It had been days since either one of them took a shower.
While taking off their clothes, Himeko looked at Chikane and said softly, "Do we really smell that bad?"
Chikane just nodded her head ‘yes' then said, "Don't listen to them, just take your shower." They went to the shower room and took their showers. The warm water spraying on them felt refreshing.
After they got out of the showers they quickly changed to their miko robes. While they were leaving the gym, people bowed at them in respect, thinking that they were real mikos! Himeko and Chikane couldn't help but to laugh at the situation. "Heh heh, if they only knew." Himeko said and Chikane giggled in return.
While leaving the gym Chikane asked, "So where exactly is the convention held?"
"It's held at the Tokyo Big Sight Convention Center"
"Oh, at the island (Odaiba), okay then we need to take the Rinkai Line to get there."
"Is that far?"
"No, it should only take about 30 minutes since it's a direct trip."
"Oh, that's good, the convention doesn't start until 12:00 and it's 11:15 now."
"Yeah but you don't know when the next train leaves, so let's get there now."
"Okay," and the two girls didn't waste any time getting to the station. When they got to the Rinkai Line terminal, there were quite a few women dressed up as the heroic mikos. It was quite evident where they were going. There were also a few men who dressed up as mikos as well...
"Wow, look at all those people dressed up as mikos!" Himeko said.
"Yeah, even some of the men dressed up as mikos. And I just saw a woman dressed up as a male! It looks like this convention is going to be very interesting."
"Why? Cross dressing is not common for an anime or manga convention?"
"Only in yuri and yaoi-based ones, not the regular ones. Anyhow, the train has arrived so let's get ready."
"Oh, ok," and they went straight to the train. While at the train, everybody was staring at them and whispering to each other how they looked remarkably similar to the mikos in the manga, but the two girls didn't know that and it made Himeko feel very uncomfortable. She brought it up to Chikane, "Why is everybody looking at us? What could they be whispering about? Do we still smell bad?"
Chikane didn't know either but she said, "I don't think we still smell, we were in the showers for a good time. I do think it's because we do look like them."
"I hope so," she said quietly.
Now it was really clear to Chikane how shy she was, so she gave her some reassurance.
"Hime-san, don't let these people get to you. What they say really doesn't matter. They could be saying good things; they could also be saying bad things. In truth, it really doesn't matter because they don't see the full picture of us. They're not living our lives."
Chikane was right but Himeko still felt a little bit uneasy with all the staring and talking and it all goes back to how the other students used to look at her back at her old school and how they used to talk about her. Those terrible days still live inside of her.
They finally reached the convention center. The convention was held at the west end of the building and the place was rather packed, it was full of people dressed as either mikos or the villains in the manga. The convention was much more popular than what the two girls could have imagine. There were a good deal of geeky otaku fanboys but what surprised Himeko and especially Chikane was the number of women in the convention. Many of them dressed like the miko heroines and quite a few of them dressed like the villains, female or male! Chikane's gaydar was going off like crazy, she knew that at least half the women in there had to be gay! Himeko wasn't aware of it since she basically assumed that most of the women would be gay in a convention like this.
She was a bit intimated with all the people around. It didn't help that a lot of people were looking at them, more so than in the train. In her head she tried not to dwell about them, but the more she fought it, the more it intensified.
Chikane saw the fright on her face and wisely reassured her. She didn't know why they were looking at them but she wasn't going to let them get to her. "Don't worry about those people looking at us."
"I'm trying not to but it feels like its only getting worse..."
"Hime-san, don't try to fight it, just let it be. Ignore it and go on with your business, just because its there doesn't mean you have to follow it." That actually made Himeko felt a better.
During their time at the convention, they met quite a few people. At first, they didn't talk to anyone since Himeko was afraid to talk and Chikane wasn't the social type. But as a few fanboys came up to them and started to talk, Himeko became more comfortable and chat back. For Chikane, it took a bit longer but she eventually started to talk. They were fanboys and they acted geeky but they weren't as bad as she imagined they would be. But as she talked to a few of them she saw a bit of her in them. She watched Himeko's warm and friendly interaction with the people and saw how much they enjoyed talking to her, despite her initial shyness. It made her thought about her relations with people in general, "Maybe my attitude towards people prevented quite a few opportunities to occur in my life." Also in the convention, Himeko started to take pictures of the event with her new digital camera she bought with the money she earned from her drawings.
After an hour of socializing, the convention started with an introduction by the president of the Battle Mikos Fan Club, the main hostess of the convention. Following the introduction was a live performance of the anime's theme song, by CooRie. Himeko was enjoying the performance and was dancing with the music. The music was not Chikane's cup of tea, nevertheless she danced with Himeko.
Next was a discussion by some of the seiyuus from the anime, talking about their roles in the anime. It was informative but it just your run-of-the-mill type of discussion. Following that was a raffle contest for gifts. Himeko and Chikane entered in the raffle but they didn't win anything. The next event was another contest, a contest to see who resembled the characters from the anime/manga the most. First was the villains of the show, the judge had already pre-screened the contestants who signed up for the raffle. They called up the three people who they thought most resembled the characters. The contestants went up on the stage and they introduce themselves to the crowd. Then the crowd picked the one they thought looked like the character the most. First to come up were the ones who resembled the Orochi villains, then came some of the minor characters from the manga/anime. Finally they got to the mikos. Two people were called up first, then Himeko and Chikane were called up. It took Himeko by surprise.
"Hey Hime-san, let's get up to the stage right now."
"Huh, what? We're going up there." Himeko said with her typical timid fear.
"Yes, we are, so let's get up there," Chikane commanded. She didn't want to be up there just as much as Himeko but she felt that it will help out with Himeko's shyness.
"O-o-ok," she uneasily replied.
"Just remember what I said," Chikane reminded to her and she nodded in agreement. As they headed up to the stage, Himeko felt like she was in another world, felling very uncomfortable. However, she remembered Chikane's words about not fighting her inner thoughts and instead used it to her benefit.
"I feel very uncomfortable, but it's okay," she reassured herself as she was heading to the stage. When they finally got to the stage, Himeko couldn't help but focused on all those people staring at them, she started to sweat from the pressure she put on herself. Chikane saw her nervousness and squeezed her right hand to reassure her. It made her feel better and brought a small smile on her face. They were in the middle of the stage with two other couples between them. The ones on their left were actually a mixed-pair with a man dressed up as Kaon. He looked so much like her that nobody knew he was a man until he talked. The pair on the right looked like the mikos very much, but not as much as Himeko and Chikane did.
The hostess came up to the couple on their left and asked them their name and did a small interview with them, it was then they found out that he was a man. Then she came up to them.
"Here are mikos number 2," the crowd cheered. "What are your names?" She gave the microphone to Himeko but she quickly passed it to Chikane, which got a lot of chuckles from the crowd.
"My name is Himemiya Chikane and I'm from Mahoroba," she said without any signs of nervousness.
"And the one who is dressed up as Himiko, what is her name?"
Chikane handed the microphone to Himeko, she wasn't going to let her get out of this. She nervously took the microphone and answered "K-K-Kurusugawa Himeko, and I'm also from Mahoroba."
"All the way from Mahoroba? Wow, that is some dedication!" Both Himeko and Chikane's face flushed red as the audience cheered. "Aren't you two girls missing school back in Mahoroba?" she kidded.
Chikane knew by now that Himeko wasn't a good liar, so she quickly took the mike and said, "Yes, we are, but we are huge fangirls and we wouldn't miss it for the world, no matter how far away it is, school or no school." That got a lot of cheers from the crowd, since a lot of them were also their age. By then Himeko started to feel comfortable and took the microphone from her.
"I'm really glad to be here. To finally meet other people who really like the manga and anime as much as I do. Himiko and Kaon are the best mikos!" She too got cheers from her comment.
"Well, I think I can speak for everybody here that we totally agree with you, and we're certainly glad that you two are here, but maybe not your home room teacher," which got a few laughs from the crowd. She then moved on to the last couple and did the same type of interview with them. After she was done with them she addressed the crowd.
"Ok, now it's time to pick the couple who looked like the mikos the most. Now remember to cheer for your favorite. First up is Kazawara-san and Minagi-san from Chiba." That one got a few cheers. "Next up is Himemiya-san and Kurusugawa-san from Mahoroba." Much to their surprised, they got a huge ovation. It was already clear to the judges and to the host who won the contest but just for formality she went to the last couple. They got more cheers than the first couple but nowhere near what Himeko and Chikane got.
"And the winners by a landslide are Himemiya-san and Kurusugawa-san from Mahoroba!"
The crowd cheered excitedly at the winners. It was a new and wonderful feeling to them. For once Himeko felt like an actual winner and so did Chikane and their faces showed it fully with their radiant and genuine smiles.
"We won! We won!" Himeko ecstatically elated to Chikane.
"I know," she responded in a more subdue manner, though she was clearly ecstatic.
The hostess then handed them their gift winnings. "In part of winning the most important contest in the convention, you two win the grand prize of 20,000 yen (about 243 USD)." As she handed the check to Chikane, their grins got even bigger. They thank the hostess and went back to their seats. About a few minutes later when they got back to their seats, the pinnacle of the convention began.
"Now for the moment you've been waiting for. I present to you, Kaishaku!"
The whole entire hall erupted in cheers as the creators of Battle Mikos stepped on the stage. Himeko was no exception as she was screaming and cheering like a nutty fangirl. Chikane simply clapped but she was surely enjoying watching Himeko going bonkers. Her high-pitched screams got Chikane's ears ringing but she pretty much grin-and-bear it.
As the Kaishaku duo started to speak they talked about the manga and of the upcoming fifth volume. They show excerpts of the manga and the crowd was pleased at what they saw. Then the director of the Battle Mikos, Tetsuya Yanagisawa, joined them at the stage and the crowd went nuts again. He talked about the anime with some assistance from Kaishaku. After that they answered some questions from the audience. Finally, the time came for what most of the audiences anticipated.
"Now for the moment you all have been waiting for. It a preview of the upcoming second season of Battle Mikos!" Tetsuya elated. The huge flatscreen came from behind the curtains and the preview appeared. It was a mixture of exciting highlight clips from the anime complimented with some upbeat dance music. After 10 minutes, the preview ended and the audience roared in excitement, especially Himeko. She was screaming her head off and this time Chikane covered her ears. Based on the audience's reaction to the preview, the second season wasn't going to be disappointed.
The hostess returned and brought a conclusion to the convention. After it ended, Himeko and Chikane headed out of the hall. As they were walking, people took pictures of the two. This time they just smiled, enjoying the attention they were receiving. Just as they were about to leave the hall, the hostess stopped them by surprise.
"Kurusugawa-san and Himemiya-san, wait a minute!"
"Huh?" Himeko responded as she turned her head to face the host.
As she finally approached them she told them, "Wait, don't leave yet. There are some important people who want to meet you."
"Really?" Chikane questioned.
"Yeah, just follow me."
And they did as they were commanded, following her back to stage at the end of the hall. When they got there, they were in for a bigger surprise. Three men approached the two ladies.
"Wow! Kaishaku-sensei and Yanagisawa-sensei!" Himeko elated like a little kid.
"Hi there ladies, we were remarkably amazed of how much you two resembled Himiko and Kaon, so we knew we had to take a picture with you, that's if you don't mind."
Himeko couldn't believe what she heard, this was an absolute once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she wouldn't turn it down even if the world was about to explode. Chikane saw the sheer happiness in Himeko's face and knew if she didn't accept the offer, she was seriously disappoint Himeko, and that's the last thing she wanted to do.
"That's absolutely fine with me; it's like a dream come true! How about you Chikane-chan?"
"That's fine with me," she said as she was a bit surprised that she called her ‘Chikane-chan'.
As the man gathered behind Himeko and Chikane to pose, Himeko was on cloud nine with all smiles. Then the host took the picture and printed it out from the printer. She gave copies to everyone, but there was something that Himeko wanted to do with hers.
"Excuse me, Kaishaku-sensei and Yanagisawa-sensei, can I get a signature from you guys?" she asked rather boldly, nothing like her timid nature.
"Of course," Tetsuya said as he signed her picture, then Kaishaku did the same thing. When they offered Chikane to sign her picture she was about to decline, but then she thought what if that disappointed Himeko and what if Himeko lost hers, at least hers can be a backup. So she agreed to have it signed and they did accordingly. Himeko then asked to take the picture again but this time using her camera. She agreed and took another picture of them together. Now she got the memory of a lifetime in her SD card.
All in all, the convention was a satisfying moment to Chikane and a one-of-a-lifetime experience to Himeko. They finally left the hall and the convention center.
"Thanks for coming with me to the convention, even though it's not really you type of thing," Himeko said with her usual politeness.
"No problem, I enjoyed being there as a matter of fact," Chikane stated, but before she could say anything else a loud grumbling sound came from her stomach.
"Oh my, I'm really hungry."
"Me too."
"Are you in the mood for burgers, because I know a great burger place to eat?"
"Very much! You must have E.S.P. or something because that's exactly what was on my mind."
"Great! Then let's take a train to Shibuya, that's where it's located."
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They took the train to the Hiro-o Station in Shibuya district and went to the burger place Homework's. It's a traditional American hamburger restaurant, more or less, with that American homely and comfortable atmosphere and environment. It's also a fairly popular restaurant and although it's very much American influence it still has some Japanese touch to it, like Avocado Burgers.
When they got there, the hostess seated them and gave them the menus. About two or three minutes later a waitress came up to them and took their order, "Ohayo, my name is Kaeda-san and I will be your waitress for today, are you two ready to take your orders?"
"Yes, Kaeda-san, I would like to have one of your delicious avocado burgers with some fries and a Coke." Chikane ordered.
"OK, and what would you like to order miss?" she said looking at Himeko.
"Ano, I would like to have a Fried Egg Burger with some fries and a Root Beer."
The waitress and Chikane looked at Himeko with some disbelief. Himeko ordered something from the Kids menu. Putting an egg on a burger is what kids do in Japan. The waitress replied, "Are you sure you want the Fried Egg Burger?"
"Hai, absolutely!" she said with her sweet and innocent smile.
"Okay... Let me repeat the orders, one Avacado Burger with fries and a Coke," Chikane nod her head slightly to confirm her order. She then looked at Himeko and repeated her order while giving her that look, "And one Fried Egg Burger with fries and a Root Beer." Himeko nodded like a little kid to confirm her order, not ashamed of it whatsoever. "Okay, your order should be up in ten minutes," she said and she left their table.
When she was far away enough, Chikane looked at Himeko and said, "An egg on your burger? How old are you? Remember we're now sixteen."
"I like eggs on my burgers."
Chikane was surprised at how comfortable she was with it, because she's usually second and third-guessing herself. It was a rare moment of Himeko's self-expressing herself regardless of what other people thought.
They were quiet for a while, Chikane was thinking about something. Himeko saw the look on her face and said "Chikane-san, what are you thinking about."
Chikane looked up to meet her amethyst eyes and said "I was just thinking about when you called me ‘Chikane-chan' back at the convention."
Himeko just remembered doing it and she was in shock. Her eyes widened as the result of it. It was not intentional but you don't do something like that in Japanese culture unless you were really close with the person. She immediately apologized to Chikane about it.
"Gomen nasai, gomen nasai!" Himeko exclaimed in fright. Chikane had a small smile on face and then simply calmed her down by putting her hand on her shoulders.
"It's okay Himeko-san, there's no need to panic. I think we have reached a point in our friendship that we can start calling each other -chan. That's if you agree with me Himeko-chan."
Himeko smiled back and said "I have no problem with it, Chikane-chan."
"That's good, but there was more going in my mind," she said as Himeko focus her attention to what she was about to say. "The last person who ever called me -chan was Otoha. I wouldn't let anyone else call me that. Eventually, she just called me Chikane. But what I was really thinking about was that she's not here to see my sixteenth birthday. She would have been already 16 but it still kind of hurts not having her here for this day." She was beginning to shed a tear as she spoke. Himeko held her right hand to comfort her. Deep down inside, she wanted to make Chikane happy in any way she can. She didn't know why but she knew she wanted to.
"She may not be here now, but she was there for your past birthdays and you can always cherish those."
"Yeah, but they weren't much. The nuns over there didn't give us birthday celebrations besides giving us a slice of cake during lunch."
"But didn't you and Otoha-san celebrate it together in a special way?"
"Yeah."
"Then you can still cherish those moments, regardless of what others did. It doesn't make that time any less special," she said. Chikane let her words since in her head.
"Yes, you're right. I'll always keep those wonderful memories that we had together," she said with a small smile. After a while, their food finally came. When Himeko took a bite of her burger, she really loved the taste.
"Mmmm, this is really good, better than McDonalds!"
Chikane smiled and said, "It sure is! Anything's better than crappy McDonald's," She then took a bite of her French fries.
While they were still eating, Himeko brought up Nekoko.
"Ever since we started to hang out a lot, I haven't seen much of Nekoko," she said with a sad pout on her face. "She's still my friend and I don't want to lose our friendship."
Chikane would be more than happy to no longer deal with her but she knew Himeko felt otherwise so she told her, "Sometimes people have other issues and you have to live with that."
"So are you saying I should just give up trying to repair our friendship?" Himeko said with a stunned look on her face.
"No, nothing like that," Chikane quickly corrected herself. She didn't want Himeko to misinterpret what she said. "You should try with all your effort to repair your friendship. What I am trying to say is that if you did try everything and it still didn't work, then you should not beat yourself up because the outcome didn't come out the way you want it to be."
Himeko nodded and said, "Oh okay. Thanks for the suggestion."
"No problem." And they continued to talk about various things while eating their food. One of the topics was about arts and Chikane was amazed at Himeko's knowledge and passion for the subject as she talked passionately and extensively about it. She in returned talked about her passion for music and showed her extensive knowledge of the subject as well. As they were sharing their passions with each other, they were being engaged in each other's world, deeply connecting to each other in a way that went beyond the words they were sharing. They were oblivious to the outside world, enjoying their intimacy that they were not consciously aware of.
As they finished their food, both came to the conclusion in their minds that this was more than just and simple friendship. Himeko was hoping that it would be the start of something wonderful while Chikane was starting to worry if she was beginning to betray her love for Otoha. This was only the beginning however, for the night has yet to come.
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They went back to Shinjuku station and pretty much just window-shopped for most of the time, they still had some time to spare before they go to their next destination. When it was around 7:30 PM, they went to Mitsukoshi, a discount department store at the northern end of the building. Neither one of them had any eveningwear so they had to buy some clothes.
When they got there it was very busy since it was Friday evening. They went to the Young Women's department and looked around, looking for anything that would suit their fancy. Chikane saw a stylish blue blouse with some stylish black slacks to match. She also found a pair of black high-heels to match. Himeko took a bit longer, going through two dresses that didn't fit before she found something to her liking, a light blue top with a dark blue skirt and a light blazer to match the skirt. She found some light blue high-heels to go along with the outfit.
There was a small concern in Himeko. She knew what they bought was still expensive, even though they're in a discount store.
"I really like the clothes but can we really afford them?"
"Sure, Himeko-chan. I got it covered." Chikane replied as they were waiting in the checkout line. When they finally got to the cashier, Chikane discreetly pulled out enough cash to pay for the clothes. She didn't want her to know where she got the cash from, making her think that she got it from their work, when in reality she got it from the stolen jewelry she sold.
After they got back to Chikane's place in the station, they changed to their evening clothes in the restroom and hid their own clothes from being stolen. Finally, they went to their destination, Shinjuku Ni-chome.
San Francisco has the Castro District and New York has Greenwich Village, well Tokyo has Shinjuku-Ni-chome, the place to truly ‘be yourself' in Tokyo. This is basically a safe-haven for the non-straights in conservative Tokyo. The area truly caters to the gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transvestites with their bars, cafes, restaurants, gay-pride boutiques, etc.
In all this time she's been living in Shinjuku, Himeko has never set foot at Ni-chome, she didn't see any need to even though she's gay. She has heard about the place from her relatives and from the teachers in her school but only scary and negative things about it, that's what probably put her off going there. For Chikane, that is almost like her second home. Since it's only a few blocks from the station she goes there every now and then, but she doesn't really hit up the areas that require formal ware.
The area is as stereotypically vibrant as one would expect for a gay area, with glittering neon signs displaying its vibrant colors and gay rainbow flags popping up quite often. But it's during the night that the area really shines. The area is probably the liveliest place in all of Tokyo at that time, with its 200-plus nightclubs filling the area, jamming nonstop through the night. They have all types of bars and clubs caters to anybody's type of fancy. Not all the bars and clubs there are gay-themed.
The nightclub Chikane wanted to go to was Yuri Kin, meaning ‘Lily Gold', a classy girls-only bar and nightclub. She heard about this place quite often so she wanted to check it out. This place is so restrictive to women that even the bouncers are females, some of them were bodybuilders.
"Hey, aren't you two a bit too young to be here?" said the female bouncer.
Chikane discreetly pulled out 5,000 yen ($60 USD) and handed it to the bouncer. Himeko knew what she was doing but she let this one slid, knowing better than to interfere what could be a fun time.
"Accept this as a gift." Chikane said with a sly smile.
The bounder smiled in return and took the cash but she warned her, "Don't cause any trouble or you will have to face me."
Chikane nodded and they entered right in. As they entered in, they check out the place. It was a clean yet dimly lit bar with a huge golden chandeliers hanging about the dance floor. The nightclub's décor was black and gold, with chairs and tables elegantly designed in that theme. Even the bar table had a pristine look. The dim lights give it a secretive yet elegantly charming atmosphere. It was certainly an area for the well-to-do female who was a lesbian, bisexual, or just plain curious.
Himeko was in awe of the area, "Wow, this place looks nice," Himeko said.
"It sure does. I can't believe we actually got in with our cheap clothing."
"Yeah, I'm surprised as well."
"Let's head to the bar."
Himeko got nervous when she heard that. "B-but I don't drink."
"You don't have to get alcohol to drink, I'm not. I just need some water."
"Oh ok," she said and she followed Chikane to the bar.
As they got to the bar Himeko got the bartender's attention.
"Excuse me but where's the restroom?"
"Down there," as she pointed to the door at the other end of the club. Himeko thank her and went straight to there. While Himeko stepped out, a beautiful chestnut brown-haired woman came up to Chikane.
"Ara, are you available for a dance?"
Chikane didn't think it would hurt for a simple dance said, "I guess so," as she shrugged.
"Perfect," as she lead Chikane to the dance floor. When they got to the dance floor, some smooth jazz music was playing so it was perfect for a slow dance and for the woman to get to know Chikane better.
"So where are you from?"
"Mahoroba."
"Ah yes, Mahoroba. I've been there before for my skiing trips."
"Really, that must have been interesting."
"Yeah, Mt. Okisawa." Chikane eyes nearly jumped when she heard Mt. Okisawa. It's a skiing resort that caters only to the extremely wealthy. She realized that the type of girl she was dealing with, a very wealthy one. "Have you ever been there?" she asked.
"No, I can't say I have, in fact I don't know how to ski."
"Ah too bad, you don't know what you're missing."
Chikane then asked, "And judging from your accent, you must be from Osaka?"
The lady giggled in amusement and said "No, but you're close. I'm from Kyoto."
"Oh really, I've never been there."
"Poor girl, you don't go out too much?"
"No, not really," she said. She then asked, "Why did you want to dance with me when there are other women out there available."
"Ara, what can I say, I like beautiful bluenettes," she said. She had a good poker face but her crimson red eyes still gave away her true intentions. When Himeko came back she was looking for her but she couldn't find her at the bar, so she went to the dance floor. It was only half way to the dance floor that she spotted her with the other girl. She just stood there stunned at what she was seeing. Something deep inside of her was making her depressed when she saw the other girl making her move on Chikane. She didn't do anything until the girl slid her hands down to Chikane's posterior, much to Chikane's surprise. She was about to slap the girl for her actions when Himeko immediately left the club. Chikane saw that and she abruptly broke off from her and followed Himeko. The girl was surprised that Chikane would do such a thing until she saw her following Himeko, then she realized what was going on. Himeko found a place to sit and then started to cry. She knew very well that Chikane wasn't her girlfriend yet it was painful to see Chikane being interested to someone else. Chikane found her and then sat right next to her.
"Why did you just walk out of there? And why are you crying?"
"What does it matter to you?"
"It matter a lot to me Himeko-chan, you are my close friend."
"But not close enough to be holding you like the way she was."
"Look, I was surprised that she would do that to me, I was about to slap her but you took off. There's nothing going on between me and her, I don't even know that girl. Please believe me, Hime-chan," she said with all the honestly that she can muster up. Himeko looked at those royal blue eyes and saw how sincerely honest she was. Chikane continued on, "In fact, I like for you to come back and dance with me instead." She looked deeply into Himeko's eyes and said softly, "Please?"
Chikane got up from where she was sitting and then offered her hand to Himeko. She hesitated at first but eventually she her hands and they walked back to the club. When they got to the dancefloor, it was some upbeat jazzy music and they started to dance immediately. Himeko, being as uncoordinated as she was, fell a few times but all she did was got back up and continued dancing. Some people laughed at her but she didn't care, she wasn't going to let them ruin her fun time with Chikane. Chikane told her a dance move she could use that would suit her, even for someone who was as clumsy as she was. She tried it and she didn't fall for the rest of the night. It was mostly upbeat stuff for the next hour, and then they started playing the slow jazz music again. Chikane and Himeko were dancing to it and Himeko had her arms wrapping around Chikane's body. Chikane had her arms around Himeko's as they were slow dancing throughout the song. Both were enjoying their slow dance together. Eventually, Himeko laid her head on Chikane's shoulders unconsciously. She couldn't see it but it make Chikane's face blush red. This went on for about thirty minutes before the upbeat music played again.
They were dancing nonstop for two hours before they got tired and decided to go back home. Chikane walked back with Himeko to her tent at the park. When they got there they had some small chit chat.
"Thanks a lot Chikane-chan, this is the best birthday I've ever had!"
"I'm glad you're enjoyed it. It's the best birthday I've even had myself."
"I'm also glad to have the birthday with you, Chikane-chan."
"So am I Hime-chan," After that there was an intimate moment of pause those two had. They just stared at each other affectionately. No words were needed as the attraction was clear between the two. Chikane moved in for the kiss, putting her love for Otoha as far back in her mind as she could. Himeko responded back by slowly moving her head towards Chikane. However, as they were about to kiss a loud noise blasted in the air.
"Nyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
That scream could not have come at a worst time. Nekoko's seizure shattered that intimate moment those two had. Himeko quickly ran to Nekoko's tent and saw her convoluting like crazy. This one didn't look like one of her typical seizures, it looked even worse. She was banging her head on the ground trying to stop the excruciating pain. All the cats where screaming and running away. Chikane followed behind and was surprised at what she was seeing.
"What's going on?"
"She's having one of her seizures and it looks like a terrible one."
"Well, is there anything I can do to help."
"Yes! Get me that syringe over there," as she pointed to the medicine-filled syringe at the table.
"No, don't get me that, nyyyaaahhhh!" Nekoko screamed in maddening pain. Even in life-threatening pain she didn't want a syringe stuck to her. Chikane rushed to get the syringe and handed it to Himeko. At that point, Nekoko's body was violently convoluting and she had no control over it.
"Chikane-chan, grab her while I try to inject the medicine."
"What! Are you crazy? I could be seriously hurt."
"Please, Chikane-chan!" Himeko pleaded. Chikane reluctantly agreed and held on to Nekoko as tightly as she could, holding both her body and her arms. Himeko proceed to stick the needle into one of the veins in her arm and injected the medication. Her seizures gradually subsided and about a few minutes later they went away.
When Nekoko was normal again, she thanked Himeko, "Thanks for helping me. That was a terrible one."
"You're welcome. You should also thank Chikane-chan as well," she said as Chikane was standing next to her, wearing a grin.
When she heard Chikane-chan, she was about to lose her top and said, "Chikane-chan? What!?! You're now close friends with her!?! What are you thinking!?!"
Chikane used this opportunity to one-up her, "Now, now Neko-san, I would calm down if I were you, you might get those seizures again," Chikane advised, yet it was clear in her voice that she was belittling her.
"She's right, Neko-chan," Himeko stated, trying to play down Chikane's mocking.
Nekoko knew they were right and so she quickly calmed herself down. She saw the way they dressed and was starting to wonder if there was more than just friendship between the two.
"You two look nice, where did you go after the convention?"
"We went to Homework's then we went to Yuri Kin at Ni-chome," Himeko said.
That gave off warning bells in Nekoko, thinking they were becoming a couple. She didn't know anything about Yuri Kin but she knows what Ni-chome is all about. Then she remembered that both of them were gay so they probably just hanged out in a gay-friendly area.
"Well, at least you had a fun time. Anyhow, I got to go back to sleep, good night."
She went straight to her sleeping bag and went back to sleep, still in a somewhat bitter mood. Himeko and Chikane left her tent. While they were outside Chikane said, "Look I got to head back to the Station. I'll see you later, okay."
"Okay." Then Himeko gave her a hug, she didn't want to let go but finally, Chikane gently pushed her off and walked to the station. Himeko was wearing a smile while watching her leave, knowing full well that things will never be the same between her and Chikane, and that was a good thing.
*****