Chapter 3 – Joining Mecchen House (cont.)
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Katsumi cracked her knuckles with a sound like wooden train trestles snapping.
“Roll call! First to last!”
We’d all been hunted and hustled into the living room and piled by Katsumi onto the two couches. All except for Nana (and Reiko, who had an excuse). It took Katsumi ten minutes of impassioned searching before she left a note on Nana’s table with a promise to “Cast a No if she doesn’t show.” Tara rocked back and forth on the footstool, content. I noticed her eyes following Jamie.
I wound up with Sumi on one side of me and Ami on the other. Jamie took the far end of the couch and occasionally glanced back at Tara. Nathan found the relative serenity of sitting beside Ms. Ishida as an effective blockade to the economic hazard of Mami peering with a predatory look.
Miki and Katsumi separated themselves from one another, as much as the end of their couch would allow.
Ms. Ishida spoke first, bowing gently. “Ishida Aneko, present.” She brushed her hair back with a subtle motion.
Katsumi looked at the ceiling and grabbed a mobile phone out of who-knows-where inside her shirt (I’d certainly never seen her with it before). It was small and did have a clip though. Her hands dashed over the buttons with a fury of beeps. She hissed at the device and pressed the buttons again.
“Nothing. Miyakami Nana NOT present. Next.”
If Katsumi’s statement was meant for some sort of notetaker, none of the girls made a motion to claim that role. Ami wrapped an arm around my arm though. She smiled faintly.
Her long, bubblegum-colored hair was easily the most captivating thing I’d ever seen. Her frame was small like Katsumi’s, but she clearly had better taste in fashion. And much more of a chest. I worried for a second about the look Katsumi sent my way. At least she wasn’t a mind-reader. Probably.
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Ami dusted off her glossy black skirt and stood. Her hair flared out like Katsumi’s but in an elegant arc, unlike the hair-whip attached to Katsumi’s head. She bowed and subtly curved her long, slender legs.
Like a mini-King Kong, Katsumi had trampled up to Ami’s room and persuaded her, in a way only she knew, to join us for the vote. Ami wore an off-white, collared blouse which was a shade lighter than her gentle hair. It ended in an exquisitely-drawn, black silk band with lace matching the color of her blouse.
“Murakami Ami, present.” Her voice had a gently-vulnerable-yet-confident edge to it and a poetic flow. She settled, with nary an inch of cushion disturbed beside me, and let out a cavernous belch.
She blushed bright with one hand on her stomach and another to her mouth. The red luster complimented her cheeks. She looked away. I already knew Ami’s room was a disaster that not even Ms. Ishida could tame, but no one’s perfect.
Like an efficient soldier, Katsumi shot out, “Next!” Then, she pulled back her word. She glanced over at Miki, who wore a look like a suspicious cat. Katsumi returned it.
Miki kept her face frozen as she spoke, her voice muddled. “You always cave first.”
“Do not! I entered Mecchen House first!”
Miki leaned closer. “And yet you said 'next'. For yourself?”
Their eyes were close to touching. Then, their noses did. Katsumi leapt back with an “Eww!” and plopped onto the carpet.
Miki raised an arm high. “Thirty-two and zero. Perfect record.”
Katsumi talked through the carpet. “I’d be better if you quit touching my nose. That’s not fair!”
“No rule against it.” She folded her arms. Katsumi shot to her feet. “We’re adding one!”
“We did. You removed it the next time because you accidentally touched my nose and got disqualified.” Katsumi raised her hands several times but couldn’t seem to find the right thing to say. Again, I could not find anything about this girl, if you could call her that (more like an ogre, an oni for sure, and maybe even a kitsune in disguise), which was even remotely connected to me.
She looked at Miki, who rolled her eyes and gave Katsumi a pat on the back. “Silly… Yamamoto Miki, present. AndNakagawaKatsumipresenttoo.” She spoke that last bit with a quick flourish as Katsumi was just beginning to open her mouth.
Katsumi slumped. “Alright… Truce?”
“Truce. And square. But give these guys a fair shake.”
Nathan scooted so as to offer Ms. Ishida more room. He was half off the couch though and didn’t look terribly comfortable. He offered to stand, but she wouldn’t have any part of that. She stood instead and began sorting books. Katsumi offered no protest and no reply for Miki’s plea.
“Next!” Her words regained some of their former strength.
Tara rolled off the footstool and pirouetted to her feet with a leg outstretched. Thankfully, she was wearing shorts (khaki ones with a gray tank). Otherwise, Katsumi probably would’ve disemboweled me on the spot for looking.
With a theatrical bow, Tara proclaimed, “I am NOT Sir Walter Raleigh!” Then, she pulled out a piece of paper, held it to her face, and jumped around. There was a sketched, mustached face with a huge head of hair on the paper. Tara twirled in place, saying, “Blah blah blah!” in a deepened voice. The name sounded somehow familiar. Did it exist in our world too? But that name could mean something entirely different here.
Then, with another bow, she let the paper fall and said, “I am YoKOTA Tara! At your service!” She brought her arms together and made a final, traditional bow. Katsumi looked mildly-amused, but Miki was beaming and so was Nathan. I couldn’t remember him with that big a smile since we’d left for our walk.
Katsumi said a softer, “Next.” This time Sumi got to her feet. She tucked her arms behind her and thrust her chest out. Jamie turned to look at Ms. Ishida’s shelving work, and I did as well. Sumi teased her way around Katsumi with a languid walk.
“You know me well, don’t you, angel?” I peeked long enough to see her goose Katsumi and chuckle. “Takahashi Sumi, present and all accounted for.” She tickled the back of Katsumi’s neck and found her place next to me again.
Before Katsumi could offer her next “Next,” Mami rose and introduced herself, “Miura Mami. I have a business card for a hundred yen and headshots for a thousand. Wouldn’t the three of you just love to have my gorgeous visage smiling back at you while you sleep? Buy now and I’ll throw in an old bikini shot of Katsumi sunbathing. I know she doesn’t have much ‘there’, but this is a close-out deal.”
“MAMI!!!” I never knew Katsumi’s eyes could get that wide and, with the anime texture, it was easy to see them twitching.
Mami didn’t bat an eye but only added, “Did I mention I’m treasurer as well? There’s a mandatory, non-refundable fee each for even attending this meeting of five-hundred yen, but I’ll let you off for half-price.”
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Katsumi’s look swelled in intensity. “Green shorts,” was all she said.
Mami sat and didn’t say anything more. Katsumi apparently had better blackmail on Mami than she did on Sumi.
Katsumi continued, “And Reiko told us that she wouldn’t be attending. We are gathered here this evening to vote on three uninviteds we see in our midst. A 'yes' vote will grant them limited approval to room in the House for the night and then be on their way. A 'no' vote will remove them from our sight. To begin, Reiko already gave her vote. The vote was no. It was witnessed by… Ms. Ishida, I remember. Will you confirm it?”
Ms. Ishida nodded and pulled down a trio of mangas with a matching set of covers.
“Vote keeper?” Katsumi asked. Again, no one moved to fill the role. Katsumi grumbled and lunged for a pad of paper and pen by the bookshelf. She drew on the paper and presented it. There was a crude cross with ‘No’ and ‘Yes’ on separate sides. The writing was in Japanese again, but I could still see it like English.
“We have one ‘no’ vote. My vote is also no. Firmly, unequivocally NO. We’ll go counter-clockwise. Miki?”
Miki rubbed her soft, dab-like nub of a nose. “My vote is yes.”
Katsumi staggered backward, as though struck. Her mouth drifted slightly open. Words tumbled out, “But we’re friends. We stick together. I’m sorry if I made you mad. I care for you, Miki. We may not hang out as much as we used to, but you know I truly care about you.”
Miki let out a slow breath through her nose. “This isn’t personal, Kat-chan. I told you already. Why so surprised?”
“I didn’t think you’d actually do it!”
Miki looked up at her. “I did. It’s not about friends. It’s not what you’d be comfortable with. These three are lost. They’re in trouble. They need a place to stay. It’s hospitality, just like I said. You know my vote. And I accept the challenge of whatever consequences my vote might bring me. But I know for certain you can set aside one issue and not take it personally.”
I could hear Katsumi grinding her white slabs of teeth from across the room. She slumped on the couch next to Miki and let her head fall with a subtle motion.
“Mami?”
“How much you offering?” Her legs spread out across the floor, and she flipped her hair like kindling a flame.
“I think you know what’s at stake. Greenie.”
Mami made a high, little sound and smiled. “Be that as it may, I need something in the way of substantial currency. And I also know that if you play the card with me you may think you have, then remember that’s the only trump card you have with me. I know you really enjoy the evenings you can come back from classes and go to your room and not be bothered by my solicitations. And once you shake off Sumi’s embrace each night, you can relax and not worry about a thing. I know you’re very fond of that convenience.”
Katsumi rubbed a finger over her eyes and muttered, “Name your price.”
“Negotiable. I want to hear offers from both sides. The boys first. How much are you willing to pay for a thumbs-up from me?”
I naturally looked to Jamie. He brushed his hair a little but didn’t return my glance.
Mami giggled. “Oh, come now, I know you have collectively close to a hundred-and-fifty-thousand. I have a good eye. I’m not the sort to take even a stranger’s entire savings. At first. So, I offer up the minimum bid of… Say sixteen-hundred? Not a crippling price, but one you boys may have to arrive at collectively. The 'how' I leave to you.”
She actually seemed rather reasonable, but I didn’t like the prospect of giving away what could be my only money in this world.
Jamie came over, and so did Nathan, which saved me stressing if I’d lose my seat beside Ami. Nathan spoke first, “So, what do we do?”
Jamie shrugged. “One-third each way.”
I coughed. “Is that really fair? How much do you have, Nathan?”
Nathan wasn’t there for the financial comparison earlier, so his eyes went wide when he dug through the strange money in his wallet and holey coins in his change purse. He added it all up. Twice my tally. He must have been planning to buy something at the anime shop. Was Nathan turning into a closet anime-fan? I smirked.
Jamie caught that and asked, “What?” I had to be more careful with my poker-face when thinking to myself. I cleared my throat and said, “We need to figure out a fair price for each to contribute.” I did a little quick math in my head. Conveniently, it worked out that our combined finances went into Mami’s price as one percent. I had a feeling that was intentional. But how had she known about Nathan’s tally?
Jamie was more than a little miffed at having to contribute thirteen hundred yen while we only kicked in one hundred and two hundred each. I tried to explain the proportionality, but he still grumbled. Then I reminded him how often Nathan had repeatedly covered his share of the rent and he hushed up.
Without the blockade of Ms. Ishida, where Nathan had been seated was fair game for Mami to move in. She spread across the couch. If Jamie had been sitting there right then, she probably would’ve given him a good view of her underwear, had he lived long enough under Katsumi’s gaze.
Tara treated the footstool like a pommel horse and lifted herself up and around. Again, I was thankful she wasn’t wearing a skirt. Although it would’ve been lovely on such a spry, female form. Ami’s skirt was the best. So silky. It was short though. Good thing I wasn’t seated across from her. Each time I looked, I could see a quick smirk cross her face. Sumi was smirking too, whenever Katsumi glared at her.
We presented our offering to the spread out Mami. Her hand immediately went for it. “Accepted. Counter-offer?” Katsumi darted behind the couch and came out with a purse. It was painted sky and dark blue with snowflakes and a penguin. I also noticed what resembled a Hello Kitty among the flakes. It looked pleasant. Far pleasanter than anything I expected Katsumi to own. I figured Ami’s purse was even nicer than that.
Katsumi rummaged around in her purse and counted a series of bills. “Four-thousand.” Mami looked quite pleased with this. She kicked up her legs.
“Gotta top that, boys.”
Jamie shook his head when I looked at him, and Nathan fingered the bows in his hair a little, but not enough to prompt any response from Katsumi.
I was gonna have to step up. “We’re gonna add four-thousand to the original amount we offered for the bid.”
Mami curled to face us and, with the least convincing ‘innocent’ voice I’d ever heard, said, “Original? What original? Oh, that was just your buy-in. Each time you need to pony up your offering.”
I had a sneaking suspicion the house would always win this bidding war. We had to cut our losses.
Mami dusted her hands. “Aww, what a shame. I was so hoping for a long set of back and forth bids. Oh well. The bid goes to Katsumi, and my vote goes for 'no'. Nothing personal, boys. Just business.”