I felt a little overwhelmed at the end of the day. I had found out that I was going to be an older sister, gone through a really long school day, watched matches of the National Tournament, then gone off to confront Naoki. A long day indeed.
Oh, guess what? Wakiya said yes to Kairi's invitation to be her date to the Valentine Party. I was really happy.
A few days later, the first round of the National Tournament wrapped up, with Akira Yamatoga winning her... I mean his match.
Daigo told me about Akira, and I acted surprised. 'I thought that he's a girl,' I told him.
I mean, Akira had pink hair, had a feminine sounding voice, and wore gender neutral clothing. I can't help thinking that he's a girl.
The Valentine Party was fast approaching. My new Mom bought me a pretty dress for it. She even made me try it on beforehand to see if it fit. I felt like a princess wearing it.
I felt a little nervous as I wore the dress to the party. My new Dad offered to drive me there, but I didn't want him to find out about my relationship with Shu. Luckily Valt's Mom offered to give me a lift.
Valt was ecstatic about the party, but he was probably just thinking about the food. I couldn't help laughing at him.
'Oh yeah, Happy Valentine's Day,' said Valt as he gave me a heart-shaped bread. Noting my astonishment, he said, 'It's my Mom's special Valentine's Day bread. Not that I have a crush on you or anything.'
I felt a little silly. Once I had read a Wattpad fanfic where Valt delivered a Valentine's Day card to Shu from Nika but forgot to tell him who it was from, which led Shu to think that Valt had a crush on him.
I wasn't a fan of dancing, so I just talked with my friends the entire time. Valt gave Valentine's Day bread to everyone. Kairi and Wakiya were a little shy with each other. They did make a sweet couple.
Yuri came to talk with me and told me that her mother was very proud that she was playing Giselle in the Enchanted musical. 'I hope that I will be great in the part.'
'You will be fine,' I told her.
Yuri smiled. 'Thanks,' she said. 'Oh no, Hachiro is here again.'
Great. Why can't Hachiro leave me alone? At least Shu was too busy talking to Valt to notice.
Hachiro grinned at me. 'My, my. Aren't you a gorgeous flower,' he said.
'Oh. Ha ha. Because I am wearing a flowery dress and my name is Rose. Very funny.'
'Funny?' asked Hachiro. 'Well, guess what is on the menu tonight.'
'Steak, roasted potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, toast, fruit punch, strawberries dipped in chocolate...'
'What? Not the food items!'
'Then what?' I asked in a passive-aggressive manner.
'Me and you,' said Hachiro.
'Isn't that similar to one of your other pick up lines?' I asked.
'I know that you can't resist me,' said Hachiro.
'Hey! Leave her alone!' said Shu.
Uh oh. Shu had now noticed Hachiro flirting with me and was really mad. I wouldn't be surprised if steam was coming out of his ears.
Hachiro ignored Shu. He kept flirting with me. I didn't like this one bit. Shu was getting jealous again. The last thing I wanted was to have two boys fighting over me.
I decided to sneak away while I could. But there was one problem. Hachiro was fingering with my charm bracelet.
'My, my, you must be very lucky to have parents who would give you such lovely jewelry.'
I flushed. 'Shu gave it to me,' I said. 'Now hands off.'
'No. I think that I'm going to keep it,' said Hachiro. He snatched my bracelet and ran away.
'Hey, come back!' I said. Hachiro ran out of the door, so I followed him.
But I soon lost him. The school seemed really eerie at night. I cautiously tiptoed around the place.
Suddenly, I felt someone grab my hair and pull me into the janitor's closet. 'You're not going anywhere,' said a low voice. Before I knew it, I had been tied up to a chair.
'Hachiro, this is too far,' I said. 'You can't force me to love you.'
There came a laugh. 'Hachiro? Don't tell me you've forgotten about me.'
The light switched on to reveal a familiar girl with pink and purple hair. 'Tamiko?' I asked. 'But you have been expelled!'
Tamiko scowled at me. 'Oh I've been expelled all right. All thanks to you!' she pushed me, making the chair almost fall over.
'Why do you hate me so much?' I asked. 'I did nothing to you.'
'My mother taught me one thing,' said Tamiko. 'If someone takes your guy, eliminate them. I have had three stepfathers so far, all previously married. My mother has ended each of their wives' lives and married those guys for their money. Why do you think that I'm so rich?'
I was terrified. 'Your mother is a serial killer?' I asked. 'So you did try to drown me!'
'Yeah,' said Tamiko. 'The first time you ended in the hospital was an accident, but the moment you took Shu away from me I knew that I had to strike. But I learned my lesson. I need to make it look like an accident. That's what my mother did.'
I started screaming for help. But Tamiko gagged me. 'Can't have you spoiling my plans,' she said. 'I will be away for a while. Enjoy your last moments.'
I felt helpless. How was I supposed to get out of this situation?