"I'm baaaaack Hokkaido! Did'ja miss me?"
"Come on lady, move it."
This was the scene that unfolded when Chiyo Wakabayashi stepped off the plane upon her arrival home. Well, almost home. Currently she was at the Sapporo Okadama Airport, coming back from Tokyo. Being the city Chiyo was originally from, she went there nearly every chance she had. Iwanai wasn't exactly a hub city, and considering the Internet could only do so much, Chiyo made it a point to frequently the country's capital so she could find out about the latest trends. Although, even with doing that research, Chiyo's tastes still tended to remain a little on the odd side.
The other reason she'd travel to Tokyo was to see family, but this time around it really only consisted of visiting her grandmother. Chiyo's mother made a few appearances at the family home, but she still had plenty of work to do, and Chiyo's father was currently on a business trip overseas. Her sister had stay home back in Iwanai to work on a summer project.
But now, Chiyo was back for what remained of the summer. She was excited and curious too, as she hadn't heard much from any of her friends about what they had gotten up to. She had tried texting Michi a couple of times, but Chiyo received a scorching reply back, followed by the cold shoulder. It didn't bother her though. The way she saw it, Michi was being chipped away at little by little. Maybe.
It wasn't long of a wait until Chiyo's sister arrived to take her home. Naturally, the gal had come back with more stuff than she had left with, so it was a bit of a challenge to fit it all into an already packed car. Most of Chiyo's sister's stuff from college was still in the back seat and trunk, but eventually the two girls managed to squeeze everything inside before getting back in the car themselves.
While they drove back to Iwanai, the sisters made conversation. The sister asked Chiyo about how things were in Tokyo, and in turn Chiyo asked about how her project was going. Apparently it was going poorly. Some of the data that had been collected had corrupted, so her sister nearly had to start over. Luckily there was enough saved by the other group members she was working with that they could salvage it, but it was clear to Chiyo that the whole ordeal had been frustrating. "I'm glad I don't have to worry... about... that..."
Chiyo was just about to pride herself on not being burdened with summer homework when she realized she had completely forgotten to do that exact thing. "Oh maaan," Chiyo moaned to herself. It seemed to go unnoticed by her sister, and so the drive continued with Chiyo now feeling dread instead of joy.
Once they were back, Chiyo quickly unloaded her things and set to work on the homework she had. There was now just around a week left of summer break, and Chiyo wanted to be able to spend her remaining time with her friends worry-free. Getting all of her homework done in one day also wasn't impossible. It wasn't as if Chiyo was dumb. In fact, a lot of her grades were decent. It was just that, being who she was, she had the problem of forgetting to do things, so that was what often got Chiyo in trouble. But, if she put her mind to it, she knew she could get it all done.
Finally, hours later, Chiyo had done it. All the pages were filled with answers. Tossing her pencil onto her desk, Chiyo laid down on the floor in a very relaxed position. "Now I can actually enjoy myself," she said out loud, grabbing her phone to contact people. She wanted to see if anyone would be available to hang out, but as she was about to start asking around, a thought occurred to her. "I wonder if Haru-chi and Kana-chan have made any progress?" Chiyo asked no one in particular. While in Tokyo, she hadn't really given it much thought, but that was also partly because Chiyo had figured that with it being summer and the fact they were next door neighbors, there was no way that those two girls wouldn't at least get somewhere.
"Then again, knowing Haru-chi, I bet she found some way to avoid doing anything with Kana-chan," Chiyo said to herself. Deciding she wanted the full scoop, Chiyo sent Haruna a message asking her about Kanako. The reply she got back was less than informative.
From: Haru-chi
"What?! What do you mean progress?! Of course not! God, I bet you're asking for something dirty aren't you?"
Chiyo sighed. "Come on Haru-chi. If you freak out like this every time I ask you're never going to get anywhere." Assuming it was a lost cause, Chiyo decided to try Kanako next. Her reply wasn't much better. Really, all it offered was a beat around the bush answer that seemed to hint at something that had happened before summer, and then something about tea. Sighing again, Chiyo set down her phone before coming up with an idea and picking her phone back up again. "If those two won't tell me anything, then maybe Akio-kun will!"
Texting him about what she wanted to know resulted in agreeing to meet at a café downtown tomorrow afternoon. Satisfied enough, Chiyo was about to finish unpacking when her phone buzzed again. Looking at it, she saw she was getting a call from Kanako. "Heya Kana-chan! Did my text make you want to hear my voice?" Chiyo teased. "W-What? N-No. I mean, I'm happy to talk to you, but..." Kanako paused, making Chiyo curious. "What's up Kana-chan?" Chiyo asked. "W-Well... I wanted to talk to you about Akio-kun. Is that okay?" Based on her tone, Chiyo could tell something was wrong. "Lay it on me girl. Big sis Chiyo is here to help!"
"..."
When the call ended, Chiyo sat down on the edge of her bed. "Well that was interesting..." she mumbled. "But like, seriously Akio-kun... what the hell are you doing to that girl?"
*****
The next day, Chiyo woke up late. Her sleepy eyes opened to see that the clock read 11:28 a.m. Considering her jet lag, it made sense that Chiyo wanted to sleep in, but seeing the time wasn't far off from when her and Akio had agreed to meet was enough to make Chiyo jump out of bed. Being a gal was hard work, and each day it always began with an extensive routine of hair prep and make up.
Once those items were checked off the list, it was onto the outfit. With it being summer, Chiyo went for a flashy orange mini skirt that hugged her thighs and a strapped, bright yellow tank-top that cut off at her stomach and showed ample cleavage. Content with the look she had chosen, Chiyo threw on a couple of thin golden bracelets and added on her earrings before finally heading out to meet Akio. It would take a little time to get to the place Chiyo was going to, but since she had already used up 45 minutes just getting ready, she guessed that she'd arrived right on time.
It was no sooner that Chiyo walked through the door that she saw Akio taking a seat in the booth in the back corner. "Oh, good timing. I just got here myself," Akio said as he noticed Chiyo coming to join him. "Yeah, I was a teensy bit worried I might be late, but it all worked out!" Chiyo said happily as she took the seat across from the boy.
"So," Akio began, getting straight to business. "You want to know if Haruna-chan and Kana-chan have made any progress over the summer?" Chiyo nodded. "Yep. I mean, like, they had to've done something right? Like a date or sleepover? Maybe more?" Akio shook his head. "Sorry, but I actually don't really know more than you do." "What?! Then why'd I have to drag myself over here then?!" Chiyo complained, extremely disappointed. "Well, it's not like I don't know anything. It kind of seemed like something happened between Haruna-chan and Kana-chan before the end of the term, but not in a good way. Because of that, it seems like they haven't really done much together during break."
Chiyo agreed. "Yeah, I thought so too. I tried asking Haru-chi about it, but she just dodged the question. I think they're fine now though. At least that's what it sounded like when me and Kana-chan talked last night." "You guys talked?" Akio asked, a little surprised. "Well yeah, we are friends," Chiyo said, like it was obvious. "Anyways, we should really figure out how we can get them together before break ends. Like, I'm not saying they have to be a couple, but c'mon, a snail would move faster than Haru-chi when it comes to love."
These sorts of conversations had become somewhat regular between Chiyo and Akio. After all, it was Akio's deal that had brought them together in the first place. Without it, there was a high likelihood that these two individuals would've probably never interacted with one another. But now, they were both set on the same goal: to get Haruna and Kanako to date each other for real.
Akio and Chiyo would share information with each other constantly if they saw or heard something that could be used. It sounded a bit scheme-y, but really they just wanted to give pushes at points that it would be most effective. In the beginning, Akio had been gathering all of his information himself, but once he had gotten Chiyo on board, he stepped back a little, content with receiving information through another. That, and he was pretty sure a couple of students and a neighbor or two were beginning to think Akio really was a stalker.
The most recent news he had heard was that Haruna had admitted she was in love with Kanako. To Akio, that was huge. Half of the equation was already complete. However, he knew the rest wouldn't be easy. Kanako was head over heels for him and had been for a long time. Getting her to turn her affection to another person, and a girl at that, was certainly a monumental undertaking.
"We need some sort of plan to really help them along. Something that'll like, totally get them to at least think about their feelings," Chiyo said. "It's summer y'know? It's the time for love!" Akio laughed. "True. I wish it were that easy though. If only they hadn't spent so much time apart this summer, then we'd have something to build on. At this rate, it'll take some sort of big event, like a trip or something to get them to really head in the direction we want..."
Chiyo thought on what Akio said. "A trip huh..." she repeated. "...That's it!" she then proclaimed loudly. "I know exactly what we can do!" "What, send them off for some romantic getaway?" Akio asked, only half-joking. "No, no! It's still summer right? And what do a lot of people do during summer?" Chiyo asked excitedly. "Go to the beach?" Akio said with a shrug. "No! Well, yeah, but that's not what I meant! Camping! People go camping Akio-kun!" "Huh?"
"We can get them to go on a camping trip before summer ends!"
Chiyo was very proud of her idea, but Akio just stared at her, slightly dumbfounded. "Chiyo... you know most people plan trips like that out way in advance right? I don't even know if any space at any camp ground is still available to rent. And anyways, who'd even be going on this trip?" "Well not you, obviously!" Chiyo said rudely. "It's gotta be a girls-only camp-out! I think five days would be good! Anyways, if you're there Akio-kun, it'd totes ruin everything!" "That's kinda hurts Chiyo, but yeah, I get what you're saying. Besides, I doubt one boy being out in the woods with a bunch of girls would go over well with any of our parents," Akio said.
"But," Akio continued. "That still doesn't change the fact that you don't have anywhere to stay. Do you plan on bringing tents?" "Actually, I think my big sis might know someone with a cabin. She mentioned it last year," Chiyo said, trying to remember. "If that's the case, then that's one problem solved. However, it's almost the end of summer break. Do you really think others will want to go on a trip that late, especially camping out in the woods?" Akio asked. "Hmm. Yeah, that might be tricky. But I don't think it's a lost cause. All they need to be told is how much fun it'll be!" Chiyo said happily. "If you're so sure about this, then I guess I'll leave it up to you," Akio said. "Trust me Akio-kun! By the time this trip is done, Haru-chi and Kana-chan may very well be lovers!"
With their new plan settled on, the two went back to talking a little more normally. Chiyo talked about what she did in Tokyo, and Akio told basically the same stories he told Kanako the other day. Their conversation didn't last much longer though, and soon enough it was time for Chiyo to go. "If I'm gonna make this happen, I better get busy!" she said as she stood up. "No time to waste," Akio agreed. He watched as Chiyo got out of the booth and went to leave, but before she got more than a step away, she stopped and turned her head back toward Akio.
"Y'know," she began in a serious tone. "I heard about what you did to Kana-chan. That's a pretty jerk move Akio-kun." Akio looked away and downward a little. "I know..." he muttered. "You told me the whole story, so that's why I'm willing to help you get Kana-chan and Haru-chi together, but let me tell you one thing. The moment you start hurting either one of them, I'm out. We're trying to get everyone to be happy in this remember?" Akio said nothing in response. Chiyo gave him a smile. "Don't worry. I promise that this trip will be one summer sha-bang to remember!" With that last remark, Chiyo left the café.
When she got home, she began to plan how to get everyone on board to go on a last-minute camping trip. Everyone meant convincing the following people: Kanako, Haruna, Michi, Itsuki, Mayu and Jasmine. "I think Itsuki will be easy enough, but the others I'm not so sure about..." Chiyo mumbled to herself.
Of course, before anything else, Chiyo still had to secure the necessary lodging. Deciding to act on her earlier guess, Chiyo sent a text to her sister. Right now, she was out working on her project, so Chiyo went to do something else while she waited. The next thing to be concerned about was equipment. Even if they got to stay in a cabin, the group would still probably need pots and pans and their own food supply, not to mention any other sort of camping tools. "This... might be harder than I thought," Chiyo said, but then perked right back up. "No way! I'm not gonna give up on this!" With renewed ambition, Chiyo decided that she should start getting people on board while she waited on a response from her sister. If it turned out there was no cabin, then Chiyo thought that maybe it'd be possible to rent tents or something. So, first on the list was the person Chiyo believed would be easiest to convince: Itsuki.
Sending the track girl a message resulted in a fast replied. "Great!" Chiyo said happily. Itsuki said yes in a heartbeat, apparently feeling like she hadn't gotten nearly enough opportunities to do fun things during her summer. Itsuki and Chiyo weren't particularly close, but in the little time they had interacted with each other, they had figured out that they were basically on the same wavelength: full of energy and ready for fun. That was the main reason why Chiyo had asked Itsuki first. Also, with another person on board, that made it easier to sway others into agreeing.
Next was Mayu. This was another one of Kanako's friends that Chiyo had been introduced to, but through her own attempts she had managed to form her own sort of friendship with Mayu. Really, it was better to describe their relationship as tutor and student considering Mayu had helped Chiyo study for both her mid-terms and finals, along with a random math test and a writing assignment.
For Chiyo to get Mayu on board, she thought it might be better if she called. "Mayu-chan seems like someone who'd prefer that anyways," Chiyo said, not like she really knew if her assumption was true or not. Somewhat to her surprise, the phone only rang a couple of times before someone picked up. "Hello?" the voice said. "Hey Mayu-chan!" Chiyo said. "Oh, hi Chiyo. It's been a while," Mayu said kindly. "Yeah, it has! So hey, I was wondering, do you have any plans for the rest of summer break?" Chiyo asked.
Mayu was quiet for a moment before answering. "No, I don't believe so. Why?" "Well, I had an awesome idea! I think all of us should go on a camping trip!" Chiyo said excitedly. "A camping trip? And who's all of us?" Mayu asked. "Well, so far it's me and Itsuki-chan, but I was hoping to get Kana-chan, Mi-chan, Jas-chin and Haru-chi all to go too," Chiyo explained. "I see..." Mayu thought for a moment. "I think that would be nice. I'll have to ask my mother though if I can go." "Can you ask right now?" Chiyo suggested. "I think so. She should be home. Let me go check," Mayu said before putting Chiyo on hold.
A few minutes later, Mayu came back. "She said yes, and she'd even be willing to drive us if we need another vehicle!" the girl said happily. "Yay! That's perfect, because I don't think my big sis's car will fit everyone," Chiyo said. So, with another person checked off the list, Chiyo hung up with Mayu.
"Hmmm. These girls might be a teensy bit difficult," Chiyo said as she thought about who was left. There was Jasmine, but with Haruna telling Chiyo that Jasmine had decided to go relationship-free for the summer, Chiyo figured it might not be too hard to convince her fellow gal. "Although, I don't know how much Jas-chin likes the woods. Like, has she ever been outside of the city?" Chiyo wondered aloud.
Then there were Haruna and Kanako. Chiyo got the feeling that if she could get one of them to go, the other would follow suit. The question was, which one? "Maybe Kana-chan. I bet Haru-chi would bend to her pressure," Chiyo said, giggling at her own comment.
That left only one girl remaining. "Mi-chan..." Chiyo muttered. "If I ask her, she'd probably just ignore me or tell me to leave her alone..." It was hard for Chiyo to know what she should do. On the one hand, it'd be a lot easier to just ask Kanako to ask Michi. But, on the other hand, the camping trip had been Chiyo's idea, so getting someone else to ask for her might actually be worse. "Mmm. Well, whatever. I'll figure something out!" After giving herself a brief pep talk (if you could call it that), Chiyo proceeded to call Jasmine.
"...Hello?" a sleep voice answered after a lot of rings. "Hey Jas-chin! Why do you sound so sleepy?" Chiyo asked. "Duh, because I was asleep... What do you want Chiyo?" Jasmine asked. "Wow, what a rude way to ask. I guess not having a boy to spend all your time with must leave you really wound up," Chiyo joked. "I'm hanging up," Jasmine said flatly. "No, no, wait Jas-chin! I was only kidding!" Chiyo said in a panic. Jasmine sighed. "Then tell me why you called already." Chiyo cleared her throat before declaring, "We're going on a camping trip!"
"... Alright, I'm hanging up for real now," Jasmine said. "Aw, c'mon Jas-chin! It'll be fun! Besides, you clearly have nothing better to do," Chiyo pointed out. "Whaaat? Of course I do. I need to catch up on my beauty sleep," Jasmine said as a flimsy excuse. "Hate to break it to ya girl, but no amount of sleep with fix that beauty," Chiyo said. "... Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" Jasmine asked, confused. "Anyways!" Chiyo said, avoiding the question, "You should totes come! Please! Pretty please!"
A long sigh came from the other end of Chiyo's phone. "Fine. I'm sure you'll just keep pestering me until I say yes anyways. But we better not be sleeping on the ground," Jasmine said, relenting. "Alright! I knew I could get you to come around Jas-chin!" Chiyo said happily. "Yeah, whatever," Jasmine said before ending the call.
With Jasmine taken care of, Chiyo decided to get a little more personal. "I think I'll go over to Kana-chan's house first, and then we can both team up on Haru-chi!" Chiyo said somewhat deviously before getting ready to go out. Once she had her things, she began the walk to the Nakatomi residence. Considering Kanako and Haruna were neighbors, and Chiyo had gone to Haruna's house from her own home before, Chiyo knew it'd probably take around 10 minutes or so to reach her destination. Sure enough, that much time later and Chiyo had arrived.
Knocking on the door, a woman answered that Chiyo had seen once before. "Oh, hello! You're one of Kanako's friends right?" the woman asked. "Yeah! I'm Chiyo! Chiyo Wakabayashi!" Chiyo introduced herself again to the woman that was Kanako's mother. "That's right! We met when we rode together to the cooking competition. Well, please come in."
Quickly looking over her surroundings, Chiyo gave a short apology for coming over without asking first. "Oh, it's fine. You seem like a good girl, Chiyo-chan, so I'm sure it's-" Kanako's mom was cut off by Chiyo putting her index finger up in the air and up close to the mother's lips. "Just Chiyo Kana-mom. Chi-yo," the gal said playfully. "Oh my..." Kanako's mother said, feeling a bit entranced by Chiyo's charm. "Just Chiyo it is then," she said. At the same time, a voice called out from above.
"Huh?! C-Chiyo?! What are you doing here?" Kanako asked, clearly surprised. She had just come out of her room and was standing at the top of the stairs when she saw the gal. "Hiya Kana-chan! Long time no see!" Chiyo said as she turned to face the stairs and waved. "Y-Yeah, it has..." Kanako said as she came down to the first floor. "Where have you been all summer? I thought I'd see you at least once." "Hm? Didn't I tell you I'd be in Tokyo?" Chiyo asked. "What? N-No, you never mentioned that," Kanako said. "Oh. Oops. Well, I'm back now!" Chiyo said. "And I've come to ask if you want to do something with me!"
Kanako began to feel a little uneasy. "I hope it's not something weird," she thought. "W-What do you want to do?" Kanako asked cautiously. "I want you to come with me on a camping trip!" Chiyo announced. "Huh? A camping trip? But break's almost over," Kanako said. "I know, but! I was really hoping we could all get together and do something special, y'know? I mean, next summer, who knows where we'll all be," Chiyo pointed out.
Kanako thought about it for a moment. She knew Chiyo had a point. Both of them were second-years, so chances were that during their summer once they were third-years, they'd be busy getting ready for entrance exams and focusing on graduating. It really was the perfect time to try something like a trip, even if it was coming at the end of break. "W-Well, I guess you're right. Who's agreed to go so far?" Kanako asked. "Me, Jas-chin, Mayu-chan and Itsuki-chan," Chiyo listed off the names. "I'm a little surprised that you haven't asked Haruna yet," Kanako said. "Well, she can be stubborn, so I thought I'd save her for toward the end," Chiyo explained. Kanako agreed with a sigh. "That's true..." Thinking back, Kanako could remember multiple arguments she'd had with Haruna that could've been easily resolved had she been willing to be a little more flexible.
"B-But, I still don't know," Kanako said. "Oh, you should go Kanako. I'm sure you'll have tons of fun!" her mother said. "M-Mom?!" Kanako exclaimed, surprised by both her support of the last minute idea and the fact that she was still there. "See? Even Kana-mom thinks you should go Kana-chan!" Chiyo said. "W-Well... okay..." Kanako said. She still felt hesitant to agree, but somewhere in her head she got the feeling that if she didn't go, she'd somehow regret it.
"Great! Now let's go convince Haru-chi!" Chiyo said excitedly before grabbing Kanako by the arm and dragging her along. "W-Wait! Chiyo! I'm going to fall if you pull me like this!" Kanako complained, but her complaints fell on deaf ears. It didn't matter much anyways, as it was only seconds later that the two girls had arrived at Haruna's front door.
When Chiyo knocked, it was the girl in question that answered. "What the? Why are both of you here?" Haruna asked, more confused than anything. "Coming camping with us!" Chiyo said with no explanation. "Huh?!" Haruna exclaimed, now even more confused. "C-Chiyo, I think you should probably tell Haruna more than that," Kanako said quietly. "Right, right. So, Haru-chi," Chiyo began, then went on to give the full explanation for her demand.
When she finished, Haruna just stared back at them. "Are you guys serious?" she finally asked. "We have, like, a week left before the second term starts. What makes you think we can fit a whole trip into that time span?" "Well, we'd only be going for five days, so we'd be back a couple days before schools starts again. And besides, you know it'll be fun! Come on Haru-chi!" Chiyo said.
Together, both Chiyo and Kanako leaned in, both wearing expressions that practically required Haruna to say yes. "... Alright, fine, I'll go! Geez..." Haruna relented. Chiyo's face switched to a smirk. "Say, Haru-chi. Between me and Kana-chan, which one made you feel most like saying yes?" "What? I'm not answering that," Haruna said. "N-Now I'm kind of curious," Kanako said, beginning to wonder herself. "I already said I'm not answering!" Haruna shouted, getting a little flustered. To Chiyo, it was obvious who Haruna would choose, but she decided to play along anyways. "Boo. You're no fun Haru-chi," Chiyo fake-pouted.
"Alright, one person to go," Chiyo said, switching gears. "One more person? Who?" Haruna asked. "Huh? I told you who was going during my explaining didn't I? Didn't you notice someone missing?" Chiyo asked. Haruna thought about what Chiyo had told her. "Nope, no one comes to mind," Haruna said with a shrug. However, Kanako figured it out. "Oh, it's Mi-chan!"
Haruna visible grimaced. "You're not seriously inviting her are you?" "Why not? We're friends!" Chiyo said. "Chiyo, you two aren't friends. Fukuhara-san hates your guts. I'm pretty sure she doesn't like Jasmine-chan either, and I know she hates me. This whole trip will be a mess if you get her to come with us," Haruna said. Chiyo was quiet for a moment. "I hear what you're saying Haru-chi," she said. "But, it just feels wrong to exclude her. I think if she was just given the chance to get to know us all better, maybe it would help." "Or it'll cause a disaster," Haruna shot back.
"What do you think Kana-chan?" Chiyo asked, turning to the small and currently quiet girl. "W-Well," Kanako said. "I don't think Mi-chan would be against going camping, but... I think Haruna might be right. T-There would be a lot of clashing personalities for her..." "So we should just leave her out?" Chiyo said, her words almost sounding a bit bitter. "N-No, but..." Kanako trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"I want to try," Chiyo said resolutely, then laughed a little. "I say that, but I can't even get her to answer me. I was thinking of going to her house, but I have no idea where she lives." Then a lightbulb hit Chiyo. "Hey! Kana-chan, you know where Mi-chan lives right?" "I-I do, but... I'm sure she'd be pretty mad if I told you..." Kanako was also hesitant because she was still in the middle of a fight with Michi as it was. Giving her address to someone she hated seemed like it would only make things worse. "It's okay! I'll just say I got it from the school directory or something!" Chiyo said. "Is that even allowed?" Haruna wondered aloud.
Regardless, after a little more back and forth, Kanako gave in and told Chiyo Michi's address. "Thanks Kana-chan! You're the best!" Chiyo said, giving Kanako a big hug before dashing out the door. "Do you think that was okay?" Kanako asked. "Who knows? I'm just hoping Fukuhara-san doesn't even open the door," Haruna said.
*****
"So this is the place..." Chiyo said as she stared up an apartment complex. It wasn't overly nice, but it certainly wasn't shabby either. Chiyo made her way to the staircase and then up to the third floor where Michi's apartment was. Walking down the pathway, she reached the one labeled 306. "Here goes," Chiyo said as she knocked on the door.
"Just a minute!" a voice called from the other side. A latch clicked and the door opened, revealing a short, blond-haired girl with her hair done up in messy buns and two unruly strands that hung from the bottom of each. Currently she was wearing a set of navy blue sweats from school.
"Huh?! What the hell are you doing here?!" Michi practically screamed when she saw Chiyo. "Hi Mi-chan! Can I come in?" Chiyo asked. "No you can't come in you bimbo! Why would I ever let you into my home? You'd probably track some disease in with you!" Michi berated her. "Disease? But I just went to the doctor recently and he said I had a clean bill of health?" Of course, Chiyo knew she was being insulted, but she decided to play the air-headed role this time. "Ugh. Whatever. I don't care. Just leave already. I can feel the air already beginning to thicken from your sickly perfume," Michi spat out. "But I'm not wearing any perfume?" Chiyo said, this time genuinely confused. Michi slapped her hand to her forehead. "...You're not going to go away until you tell me what you want are you?" Chiyo smiled. "See? It's not so hard to be reasonable." "Just spit it out already so I can slam this door in your stupid face," Michi said coldly.
So Chiyo went on to give her whole spiel about her camping trip idea and everyone involved. When she finished, Michi glared at her. "What a stupid idea. It's the end of summer. And I'd never want to go on a trip with you in the first place." "Aw, come on Mi-chan, don't be like that. All of your friends will be there. I promise it'll be fun," Chiyo said, trying to persuade her. "All of my friends? Since when are we friends? Furthermore, didn't you mention Endo-san? I can't stand her. She causes nothing but trouble for Kana-chan. Why would I ever want to be around her by choice? Not to mention I'm pretty sure you said the name of another gyaru at our school."
Hearing that gave Chiyo an idea. "But Mi-chan, Kana-chan will be there too. Who will protect her from Haru-chi and all of the big bad gyarus?" She said it in a somewhat mocking tone, but it seemed to be enough to get Michi to think for a second. However, the way her face twisted made Chiyo wonder if something else was going on. "It's like there's more to it than just wanting to avoid people she doesn't like," Chiyo thought. "Maybe something happened with Kana-chan?"
Before Chiyo could give it much more thought, Michi responded. "...I'll go on your stupid trip..." she said, just barely audible. "Hm? What was that?" Chiyo said, teasing her. "I said I'll go alright! You can text me the specific details! Now go away!" Michi yelled as she slammed the door shut. Satisfied with accomplishing her goal of getting everyone to go, Chiyo left the apartment complex.
As she walked, she couldn't help but think back on Michi's attitude. "Was it just me, or did she seem more bitter than usual?" Chiyo wondered, but she didn't stay on it for long. After all, it was time to get the final details put in place so the girls could have a camping trip to remember!
End of Chapter Thirteen.