Chapter 18-Fighting Over A Holiday Trip
THIRD PERSON POV
"Paris!"
"No no no! An adventure in Africa!"
"I say Vienna, and Megumi's with me!"
"Why not the desert wildlife of Australia?"
"I want to go to New York!"
"I'm fine with any place but Nagisa is the one who decides." Kei pointed out to the arguing students.
The rest of the Special A ignored him as they continued to argue over the destinations to go for summer break. Kei was lucky last time to be able to propose a challenge and pick Hawaii, but the dirty tricks that were carried out the last time made him think otherwise. And to think they all had forgotten the challenge trip to Adventure Island where Nagisa won the choice to select a location for this very break.
Kei sighed, knowing how the Special A class brought all these people of many differences together and united as one. Nagisa wasn't here yet and Kei hoped his cousin was late. No way would he be able to split them apart as they claw each other just to get a say in where the entire SA would go together for summer break.
"Get that sloth away! That thing has no say!"
"Even with that sloth, your chances are at zero!"
"Nagisa is the one that decides!" Kei yelled, again, he was ignored.
"I want to decide this!"
"We can all go camping!"
"Shopping!"
"Megumi don't you dare sing!"
Kei sighed, staring at all of them, mostly Hikari. Her determined eyes made it seem as if she would get the place of her dreams but the looks of the rest were just as determined. As rich as all members of the SA were, they didn't exactly have time to travel. Hikari, on the other hand, had time but couldn't afford to go places.
If the SA made Kei choose, he would surely go along with Hikari, even if the SA called him biased. That bright smile of the poorest in the SA could bring rays of sunlight to Kei's stormy days.
'Nagisa, come quick and help.' Kei thought as he saw the SA fight non-stop. It was so serious, Akira forgot that it was already tea time. Thinking of the devil really summoned it. Speaking of the devil can go down the drain. Now it's thought-controlled.
The greenhouse doors flung open, and Nagisa came in panting. Thankfully, the loud noise made the quarrelling people stop. But only for a moment. They greeted Nagisa before continuing with the heated argument.
Nagisa stood by the door, hair tied into a messy bun. She didn't wear a tie, so her button at the collar was left unbuttoned. It was obvious she came out in a rush. She had only one sock pulled up to the knee while the other was loose around her ankle, waiting to be pulled up. Plopping into the seat next to Kei, she turned to face her stony cousin.
"What did I miss?" she asked, managing to crack a smile.
"Holiday trip plans. They're deciding it without you. You know, the first place we go to when Summer Break comes." Kei explained as if Nagisa was a fool.
He expected her face to turn red with absolute fury and start another argument but her face paled a little and all she replied him was "Oh." What happened to her usual more cheery self? Nagisa was acting strange lately. She was completely fine when she had gotten used to the SA but now, she was no different from a stranger. Somehow like a changed person altogether. Just that small reaction from his cousin and Kei could tell.
Nagisa noticed Kei's strange looks at her and she immediately tries to be a bubbly person once again. She knew she can't fool her cousin that easily but at least it'll make him feel less tempted to approach her and get the truth out of it.
"You know, Kei. I think I'll let you decide. Even though you came second to me be a tiny fraction. I don't think I'll be joining you guys, I have places to go to." Nagisa spoke softly, her eyes never making any contact with Kei's.
"Fine," he replies coldly. "but help me with that." he pointed to the still arguing SA members.
"Paris has the best shopping areas!"
"But there's the Statue Of Liberty at New York that's bigger than the one in Paris!"
"Nothing is better than an adventure in Africa to fuel a man's romance."
"Vienna is a musical place. Everyone will enjoy it more!"
"Guys, why don't we settle for Australia the animals there are great!"
"Hello, guys! Isn't it like my decision where all you guys are heading to?" Nagisa hollered at the top of her lungs. Kei was relieved to see them stop arguing but the peace never lasted long enough for him to take his next breath. The members stopped arguing with one another, yes, but they swarmed around Nagisa like bees to honey and began convincing her to pick their desired location. Nagisa looked flustered, panicking as the situation to a different turn from what she expected it to end up like.
"Pick mine!"
"No don't listen to the others! My place is better!"
Kei was a little shocked at how desperate they were. It was just one summer break, yet they made it seem as if it was the last trip they were ever making out of Japan. Or in their entire lives.
"I'm not going with you guys," Nagisa said, earning a sad glance from Megumi. "I have to go other places during the beginning of summer."
'So is Kei going to decide?' Megumi flipped her sketchbook another time. 'Please not him. He'll go wherever Hikari goes and it isn't fair.'
"I'm with Megumi here," Akira folded her arms and she stared at Kei, electricity buzzing between them. As much Akira loves Hikari in a strange friendly and sisterly manner, this was something she couldn't agree on.
"Yeah, Hikari is never going to agree on some adventure." Tadashi said and Ryuu nodded in agreement.
"How about a challenge?" Nagisa clapped her hands together and smiled.
"Not gonna work. Kei is going to win and Hikari will get her choice. And besides, they're the only ones committed to this kind of thing." Jun said, shaking his head.
"Why not contests for each of your strengths and we will add up the points to see the most talented?" Nagisa piped up. Kei was shocked by his cousin's idea. He'd never really thought of using a person's strengths to make tests, but only the weaknesses.
Each of the competitors were to be judged by Kei and Nagisa, who both are sort of biased despite all the promises and vows to judge fairly.
The challenges would go as follows:
One, navigating around a forest with only a compass as contestants are randomly dropped in the middle of practically nowhere.
Two, playing a musical instrument. No singing required.
Three, singing without a microphone and listening from a very, very far distance.
Four, taming wild house cats.
Five, pastry and tea making.
Six, marathon around the school with obstacle course.
It was rather obvious who would excel in which, but to see how the members do in other challenges made Nagisa laugh as her imagination went wild.
"I can't," Nagisa coughed and kept laughing. "I just can't stop laughing. It's so funny imagining how they'd perform."
Kei chuckled along, somehow getting the nice vibe rubbed off from his cousin. He hoped Hikari would win. He'd do anything to get her to smile.
Tadashi literally used his wanderlust to his advantage. He lost his compass right from the beginning but he managed to work his way out. The rest, unfortunately, had to be taken out as they were still stuck after half a day. Hikari nearly made it when two judges sent for help. Living up to the name of Miss Rank Two!
Jun aced the musical contest obviously. His violin and the melodies pouring out could not be compared to Megumi's tambourine, Ryuu's acoustic guitar, Akira's keyboard and Tadashi's electric guitar. Though Kei was the only one who clapped after Hikari's so-called piano recital. Nagisa looked like she was having a great time despite all she has kept hidden from everyone else.
Standing by the huge amphitheatre, Kei and Nagisa stood by at the very back, yawning. There had been a delay and they only looked forward to Megumi's performance as she would probably ace it. Jun's voice was like Megumi's but a guy version of an angelic voice. Though they couldn't exactly say the same for the rest, if they could hear them in the first place...
They stopped by a cat cafe on the third day of the challenge. Offering help to tame some wild kittens on the loose in, Ryuu began his work while Hikari, didn't have any connection with animals, returning later with cat scratches everywhere. Tadashi had wandered off to the next town while Akira was trapped in a tea set display house a few streets away. The twins didn't participate, knowing the outcome. Ryuu was no different from a pipe piper, leading a rather small army of cats into the cat cafe. The owner and Ryuu were the only ones overjoyed. The rest had lost and were quite unwilling to lose out.
There were only two events left and were to be carried out on the last day. To Akira's advantage was making pastries and Megumi's disadvantage in a school marathon with an obstacle course.
"What kind of pastry would Nagisa-chan like?" Jun asked as he sat next to Nagisa. He wasn't doing very well, so he crossed fingers and hoped maybe learning about Nagisa's favourite pastry might get him the upper hand. Or not.
"Anything is fine. As long as there's no mango." Nagisa replied as she smiled at Jun. She saw through what he planned to do instantly and simply refused to tell him she liked all sorts of tarts. Egg tarts, cheese tarts, blueberry tarts. All kinds of tarts that brought out her sweet tooth.
Jun sighed as he walked away from Nagisa. Now his chances were all gone. Kei was hopelessly whipped. Whatever pastry Hikari prepared would be his favourite and there was no denial there. He looked at his older sister, studying recipes from a book she'd gotten from the library. Maybe she was more serious and keen than him in going to Vienna. After all, Megumi had only went there once with her twin, but it was a one day visit where they were forced to watch their parents gig before rushing off to another tour location.
Akira had selfishly locked the SA's kitchen for herself. Even though the contest would be held outside with all the required equipment, she felt confident preparing in the kitchen she had gotten familiar with. She was the best at making pastry in the SA. She was so sure of it she didn't think Ryuu would be locked in his apartment thinking the same thing. Ryuu was also used to cooking for the twins and he assumed his pastry making would not be that bad. It couldn't be that hard for someone who can cook to bake, could it?
Tadashi ran from one pastry shop to another. It was a free day for the SA before the baking pastry contest. Thus, Tadashi thought it would be better to find the delicious pastry first before getting the recipe for it and making it tomorrow.
Bam! The oven of the Hanozono's exploded for the millionth time as Mrs Hanozono stared at her messed up kitchen in horror. All she did was go for a short trip to get groceries and she returned to see Hikari exploding the kitchen.
"Hikari!" her shrill voice rang out. "Get out of the kitchen!"
Hikari bowed her head down, embarrassed as she stepped out of the kitchen. "I'm sorry," she muttered before scrambling up the stairs.
"A sorry won't fix this kitchen, Hikari! I should never have agreed to let you in!"
As the sun rose and shone onto Hikari, she got up groggily. Today was the last day of the challenge but yet she did not get the excitement she should have when she was contesting against Kei. But now, she needed her determination to get her going. No way was she going to miss her chance to got to New York.
And let the pastry challenge begin! Akira was quick to make and prepare her fresh cream. After all the mixes and experiments, she finally managed to make fresh cream delicious enough to satisfy any sweet tooth, yet it did not have the sweetness of traditional Japanese sweets. She was planning to make a simple snack:vanilla sponge cake with fresh cream and drizzled with slightly warm caramel or honey. She was quite proud of the idea and it would be just as delicious as every snack she served. But even better.
All Tadashi could think about was all the cake and tarts and pies he had consumed, somehow drooling off while everyone was busy preparing. As soon as reality struck in, he used the pancake batter recipe Akira had taught him and tried to make some. "This is for a man's romance, for a man's romance..." he muttered as he worked on pancakes.
Ryuu looked at both his bowls in satisfaction. He spent all his time yesterday perfecting the skill of making marbled croissant. With custard and chocolate cream inside and nicely baked on the outside, Ryuu could see the two cousins enjoying it. Which meant one thing: his wildlife awaiting him in Australia.
Jun and Megumi joined forces as they worked on egg tarts. Simple yet delicious snacks that had a strong and nice aroma. Vienna was in their reach as they managed to make egg tarts with a golden brown colour. But not after five attempts.
Once again, Hikari broke her mixing bowl. Apparently the delicate glass bowl could not stand her vicious whisking. All she wanted was to try and make some filling for her fruit tart. She knew not to make mango so she settled for a lemon tart. Smiling to herself, she started making lemon cream to go along. She wasn't giving up.
Nagisa cringed as the lemon cream and lemon tart went into her mouth. Before she could even bite on the tart, the sour taste hit her and she took it out, gulping water to remove the sour taste off. Kei, on the other hand, was trying to use his fork to cut the tart but the metal utensil ended up bent. Hikari took back her tarts, and was instantly disqualified by Nagisa, who was merciless when it came to following the rules everyone had agreed on. Failure to present would result in immediate disqualification and Kei, who couldn't agree, was sent a death glare from everyone else.
Next, was Tadashi, who smiled sheepishly before presenting his "pancake" or what was supposed to be a pancake. Honey pooled around the messy shaped pancake batter, cooked until a little too brown for anyone's liking. Despite Nagisa having a sweet tooth, her tongue was instantly numb with too much honey in the pancake. Kei didn't even have a sweet tooth to begin with, which made him suffer even more. "I'm going to have diabetes." he muttered, causing Nagisa to chuckle. She didn't expect her cousin to have such humour. In fact, she didn't even know her cousin had humour in him.
A nice smell drifted into the cousins' noses as Jun and Megumi presented their egg tarts. It was small and diamond-shaped and the tarts were baked to a slight golden brown. It was simple, and it brought warmth as Nagisa and Kei bit into their tarts. Both twins bowed before they walked off, smiling to themselves. "I see Vienna, Megumi." Jun said to his twin while she grinned at Ryuu, who was next. This was the only time Ryuu and the twins weren't on good terms. When it came to personal interests, they were polar opposites, the twins on music while Ryuu just loved animals.
Ryuu walked in with his marbled croissant. This was to get on Nagisa's good side, since he and Kei weren't exactly best friends. Her eyes sparkled at what was placed in front of her. Hopefully Australia will be his to visit. And he would paste a smirk on his face as he toured around the desert hopping after kangaroos. It was another speechless moment for the cousins, sinking their teeth into swirls of custard and chocolate.
Akira was obviously the victor. With just a simple mouthwatering vanilla sponge cake and cream, she snagged champion for this challenge. After all, she impressed the SA with all her snacks ever since they entered the academy.
"This isn't a really fair challenge since Akira would win without a single doubt." Tadashi complained as they cleaned up the place.
"Well," Akira said angrily, "all of us lost in a forest while you emerged without a compass to guide you was unfair too."
"Guys, let's just get ready for the last event, okay?" Hikari said as she gathered all the baking tins. In fact, the marathon was the only event Hikari worked hard for. She was hoping this one victory would get her New York. She thought wrong.
Once the challenges were over, the scores were tabulated. It was a draw. Nagisa face-palmed herself while the rest just stared with disbelief. "A draw?!" Akira cried out. "That Kei is surely going to pick New York and I went there last year!"
Kei smirked to himself. Despite all the challenges, the right to choose ended up being passed to him, just like all the other times they had fought. After all, he was the true rank one.
{published 23/03/2014}
A/N
Yay! So I made it after all...
A little mouthwatering but don't get so hungry!
I have a couple of questions for you readers:
1. How do you feel about this chapter in third person POV?
2. Where would you like to go? Paris? Africa? Vienna? Australia? New York?
(I've only been to Paris and Australia hahaha)
3. Where do you think they would go?
I hope you guys vote and comment and enjoy reading ;)
Every small contribution means a lot to me, so thank you for all the support!
theonlyphyn <3