Chapter 45: Catalyst

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“Let us in to see, Rina.”

Tomomi, who stood at the back of the group, was taken aback by the way Mami had spoken to the elderly male who had opened the door. Just after a small greeting he gave them and the blonde was already rudely making demands. The male in question seemed displeased about the tone the blonde had used. He raised an eyebrow, looking down at the shorter teenager in front of him. His eyes moved along the other teenagers until they fell on Tomomi who continued to cower at the back of the group.

Why was Tomomi even here? She was beginning to question that herself. Mami had offered to let her stay behind at school, knowing how much trouble she would be in if she got caught ditching school, but Tomomi had rejected the offer and insisting on coming with… Now that she stood in front of the problem, she really didn’t know why she had agreed to leave school just like that. The only thing she had been thinking about at the moment was knowing if Rina was okay, and that was still one of the things she tried to keep on her mind.

“You’re quite rude, young lady,” the man replied. Tomomi could hear Mami growl lowly and see her clench her fists at her side. She couldn’t really be thinking of hitting the only person with a lead to Rina’s whereabouts… Even Mami couldn’t be that utterly careless. “That’s not a way to gain entrance into someone’s house, I’ll have you know.”

“Just let us in to see her already, would you?” Mami continued with her tone. Tomomi shifted uncomfortably in the back, resisting the urge to move closer to the front of the group and somehow grab hold of Mami to stop her from doing anything rash. Although Tomomi didn’t know why she even bothered with those thoughts; Mami could toss her off as if she weighed nothing if Tomomi tried to hold her back.

“First, tell me… How do you know Rina?” Mami bit down on her lip, trying to quell the anger that was rising in her. Finally, they had gotten a chance to ensure Rina was okay and this man was blocking their only path to finding out if Rina really was okay or not. Before Mami could regain her senses enough to speak though, she heard a feeble voice come from inside the house.

“Omar, stop being mean to them…” The male that the girls now knew as ‘Omar’ turned around, letting the four at the door have a glance into the house. Mami stepped forward a bit when she saw Rina standing in the hallway but managed to stop herself before she went too far.

“Mean? Did you hear the way she spoke to me? She’s about as rude as your other friend is, Rina.” Mami’s head snapped to look at Omar with a harsh glare on her face. He had to be talking about Haruna; no one else seemed to know who he was and Rina wouldn’t be hanging out with anyone else that Haruna and the others weren’t aware of.

“What was that, old man?” Mami growled out. Her eyes went back to Rina when she saw the brunette step forward. Omar moved his body a bit, ensuring that Mami wouldn’t be able to get past him even if she tried.

“Mami, sometimes your mouth is as bad as Haruna’s,” Rina told her before Omar could answer. Mami looked at her bewildered when Rina gave her a small smile before turning to Omar. “They’re my friends. Let them in… Please?” The attention of all four girls was turned back to Omar when he sighed softly just before stepping aside.

“They can come in for just a few minutes,” Omar finally agreed. Rina nodded, beckoning silently for the group to come in. The four followed her directions, Tomomi being the only one to murmur a small apology to Omar. They could have at least apologized for Mami’s unnecessary behavior she thought.

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