“You better know what you’re doing, Kashiwagi!” Wataru growled at him.

They stopped in front of a rather authentic looking café.  Apparently this belonged to Wataru’s mother who was running it all by herself, and unfortunately this was going to be the place Nezumi had to stay until Kashiwagi found the key or received the copy. She wondered how he was going to explain this to Wataru’s mother, and moreover how she would react. From what she had heard, Wataru’s mother was a very... interesting person.

“Okaeri!” a female voice greeted and as she looked further into the café, she notice a woman with her back turned to them preparing something on the counter. Ah, that must be his mother then.

“Tadaima~” he announced grumpily as he dragged Nezumi inside behind him, followed by their teacher. Ryosuke and Nippori followed as well, since they seemed to be follow Wataru almost everywhere and anywhere.

“Ah~ It smells so nice in here,” she said as she took in the scent of the room. She couldn’t quite place the scent with the dish but it was smelling delicious nontheless.

“Arigatou...” She turned around and Nezumi could get a good look at her face and appearence. She was  wearing an old fashioned yukata with her sleeves tied up for work. Her brown hair was tied up as well. She didn’t seem that old, nor very strict for that matter. But then again, looks could be deceiving. she could know. And yet she could recognize a little of the woman in Wataru so she was sure she had some yankee blood in her as well. “Eh? And who is this?” she looked past him at Nezumi.

“Eh? Ah, kore wa Nezumi desu.” He merely replied.

“Oi! Wataru!”

I shook her head with a grin, “Iie, daijobu da... Nezumi is my nickname.”

“This is Akimoto Ayumi-san,” Kashiwagi introduced her right before she got the chance to introduce herself. Which was pretty annoying since she was fully capable to introduce herself in a polite manner when I needed to.

“Ah, Kashiwagi-san. What are you doing here today?” she seemed surprised to see him, which was understandable since most times when a teacher came to a student’s home it was because of something bad. But the way she said it made me wonder how many times this guy had been here before.

“Well... There has been a slight... problem that occurred today...” he said slightly nervous. See, even he was intimidated by her even though Nezumi wasn’t that impressed.

“That’s an understatement,” she sighed as she rolled her eyes. It was impossible to call this a slight problem. You could call this a huge problem, or a problematic screw up but definitely not a slight problem.

Immediately she turned to Wataru as a harsher look appeared on her face and she placed her hands on her hips, “What did you do this time?”

“Oi! I’m innocent! He’s the one who messed up!” he pointed to Kashiwagi with a growl.

“Ah! It’s nothing bad, really,” he immediately interupted the mother-son discussion that was about to unfold, unfortunately.

“Again, understatement!” Nezumi said, raising her hand up to let her sleeve fall back, revealing the hand cuff that tied her arm to Wataru. His mother stared at it for a moment, probably trying to figure out why they were stuck together in the first place, then turns to Kashiwagi with a questionable frown.

“I’ve started up this project, connecting students together for the day so they can learn more about each other...” He explained, trying to stay as calm as possible. It still seemed to me like he honestly thought this was a good idea, to force students together by tying their arms together.

“So desu ne...?” She looked over to Ryosuke and Nippori. “But why aren’t they bound together?”

“I’m not in that class” he grinned his goofy grin. Which was true, of course, since he wasn’t even in their year.

“And Kashiwagi-sensei released me after class for tumbling practice,” Ryosuke nodded.

She nodned, then turned back to us three.

“Ah, see... The problem is... Every pair of handcuffs has their own set of keys and...-”

“The idiot lost our key!” Wataru fell in, sounding even more annoyed than before.

“And the spare key,” Nezumi nodded.

“Nani?” the stern look on her face only increased as she fully focused on Kashiwagi. Apparently she wasn’t that pleased with his irresponsible behaviour as well, clearly.  “How could you let this happen?”

“That’s what I said!”

“Daijobu! I already ordered another key...” he tried a nervous grin but her glare really was intimidating. She hadn’t really raised her voice yet, but the look in her eyes and on her face said it all. This woman was not pleased. “So... until then... I am afraid that these two are stuck together.”

“Yoshi,” she nodded, her temper suddenly cooling down again and she turned to Nezumi, “Well... Welcome.”

She slowly nodded. Well, that was not exactly what she had expected. Apparently she just accepted the situation like it was normal. How odd.

“EH?!” Wataru called out, apparently even  more surprised than Nezumi was. “Is that all?”

“Clearly there is nothing I can do about this,” she said as she crossed her arms and turned to face her son, “Besides, it might be good for you. You might learn some manners.”

“I doubt it!” He scoffed and glared back at Kashiwagi.

“Oi,” Nezumi said as she looked at him. “Dou iu koto?”

He ignores her. Instead he kept on glaring at Kashiwagi who tried his best to avoid his gaze. With a faint smile he nodded a few times before saying his thanks and goodbye and left. Well, he proved to be utterly useless once again.

It was funny though that Wataru’s mother reacted the way she did. Although slightly annoyed by the irresponsible behaviour of their teacher, she couldn’t care less about the situation. She considered this to be either a punishment for Wataru or a learning moment, yet it was just unfair punishment for Nezumi.

After Kashiwagi left she returned to the kitchen area of the café and started cooking again. Not long after the four of them were presented with her special homemade omelets, that was what she smelled when Nezumi stepped inside and by the looks of it it was just as tasty as it smelled. And indeed, it was even better than it smelled and looked. This woman really knew how to cook.

Yuuta, Satoshi, Mizusawa and Kaneko stopped by later that evening. Yuuta insisted they would at least discuss their choreography for their upcoming competition since they couldn’t practice in their current situation.

With a bored look on her face Nezumi leaned her head onto one arm as she watched while Yuuta moved around some dolls on the table, each of them indicating one member of the team.

“Then Ryosuke and Wataru do a backflip across here and here, and then...-”

 “Do you guys plan on winning?” Nezumi interrupted him as she vaguely stared over the dolls to him.

He looked at her, “Eh?”

“You heard me,” she replied.

“Of course we want to win,” Satoshi nodded, judging by the looks on their faces the only guy who understood her question. Or who wasn’t playing dumb with her.

“Then maybe you should forget all the dancing and actually add some tumbling moves? Since this is tumbling?” So far all she had seen from the choreography it merely existed out of animal like poses and ballet movements, with a rare flip or cartwheel. If they really wanted to win they needed to actually showcase what they could do.

“What do you know about tumbling?”

She rolled her eyes, “Not much, thankfully, but this choreography is so boring it makes me sleepy,” she told him.

“So?”

“Dakara...” She sighed. “If  a choreography can’t even amuse an outsider, do you actually think it would do well with the judges? Even I can dance around like a crippled swan...”

“Well, I did have a different choreography in mind, but since we are now limited in practice time we have to play it safe,” Yuuta explained with a sigh. Ah, so he did realise that this was too boring for words.

“Why play it safe? You got nothing to lose, ne?” she frowned.

“Urusai yo!” Wataru scoffed. “It’s none of your business.”

She rolled her eyes once again. Fine, she wouldn’t say another word about it then. It’s not like she cared if they would win or not. She was just trying to be helpful but apparently that was a one time deal in her case and Nippori used up all of my charity.

“It’s getting late, maybe we should continue tomorrow?” Mizusawa suggested and although Yuuta looked up to protest, the others were quick to agree on this plan.

“Yoshi, let’s go,” Wataru nodded and got up. He tugged on the cuff, pulling her arm up.

With a frown she looked up at him, “Nani?” What did he mean by that? Wasn’t this his home? They didn’t need to go anywhere.

“I want to make sure those idiots don’t try and ambush them again,” he explained.

She wanted to protest but somewhere I felt that this was the safest option. Especially now that Saburou knew that she knew them. And she still had no idea what he was here for, nor did she trust him enough to say that he wouldn’t bother them any more.

After dropping off the other guys, only Wataru, Nippori, Ryosuke and Nezumi were left. Though there were enough streetlights everywhere, it sure felt like a dark night. Maybe because she wasn’t really comfortable with the current situation or maybe because for the first time since this morning she thought about Saburou and his presence here.

Nippori and Ryosuke decided to go their own way to get home and finally Wataru lead the way back to his own home, Nezumi dragging along behind him.

“Ne,” She began to break the silence that had been there since they left the café, “Didn’t you think Kinoko-atama was acting strangely today?”

“Dare ka?” he frowned.

She sighed, was he really that obvious as to whom she was referring to? Surely she had called her by her nickname many times in his presence, “Saruwatari?”

He shrugged. “Betsu ni... I don’t really care.”

“Apparently so...” she nodded. “Though Ryosuke-kun didn’t seem to mind being tied together today...”

“Haa? Probably because he needs a replacement for girlfriend number 7... or 8...”

She shook her head with a grin. She knew Ryosuke was that kind of guy, though she didn’t think he’d ever have much luck with Saruwatari. If she was even interested in him she wouldn’t like the idea of having to share him with seven or eight other girls.

“Oi!” they stopped and look ahead. A bunch of guys awaited them, some of them carrying planks and pipes. Nezumi recognized them from the day before, some of them still carry the bruises she caused them on their cheeks and brows. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Friends of yours?” Wataru frowned.

“Please,” she scoffed. “I wouldn’t wanna be seen dead with them... Although they do look familiar.”

“Oh, but that could be arranged,” one of them said with a somewhat of a smirk painting his lips.

“I think you have to break your no fighting rule, Wataru” she told him as she kept staring at them. They looked ready for a fight and normally she would already have charged towards them but since she was limited in her movement she had to make sure he knew what was going to happen. This was going to be a very interesting fight, with them tied together and also loathing each other.

“Maa... I was getting bored anyway,” he replied with a slight grin, “This is going to be easy.”

As soon as he spoke those words, a few of the guys proceeded in charging towards them with their pipes and planks ready. Sure, the first few punches were easy to dodge but once the group started to increase and they found themselves pulling on each other’s arms with the chains, they were limited in what they could do. Although they tried to put up a bit of a fight, once the first one got hit the other stumbled behind until they were surrounded, finding themelves fighting each other more than the other guys.

Quickly she turned around and pressed her back against Wataru as she wiped away the blood pouring down from the corner of , that familiar taste of iron running through .

“This isn’t working,”she growled. Unbelievable that they chose to fight right now, while she was basically helpless, stuck to Wataru while just a few days ago she kicked all of their asses all on her own.

“I hate to say this but we have to work together on this,” he replied as he looks around at their opponents. He had a point there. In order to get out of this semi-alive they had to work together and use that which limited them to their advantage.

“So we cover each other?” she suggested.

“I guess so,” he nodded slowly. “Yoshi, this is going to get interesting...”

So the plan was simple. They had to stand there, back to back to keep an eye on everyone. They couldn’t attack on their own since they would be pulling each other different ways so they had to use defence as their offence. This was why Nezumi never worked together but she had no other choice.

The guys gave them the time to discuss their strategy as they surrounded them, but didn’t have that much patience and immediately ganged up on them the moment they stopped talking. She felt Wataru tugging on her arm as he moved against one of the other guys but she could tell he was considerate enough not to pull her away this time.

As soon as one of the guys got close enough she managed to stomp him away with her fist, though she had to use her other arm and couldn’t place as much strength into her punch as she usually could. This certainly was a handicapped fight for the both of them.

She glanced back at Wataru’s side and grinned. she recognized one of the guys from the day before, the one who she royally pissed off last time. And he looked even more angry than before.

“Oi, Wataru,” she said looking back at the guys in front of her, trying to kick them away as hard as she could, “Duck!”

“Eh?”

“Do it!”

As soon as he ducked, she placed her hands on his back for support as she swung around and flung her leg into the air, hitting that very same guy against the shoulder causing him to tumble away. she made the full round and stood up again, pulling her chained arm for Wataru to move up again.

“Was that neccesary?” he frowned.

She nodd proudly before they turned back to their opponents. It took them a while but they finally managed to scare them off. She didn’t know how they even made it out alive in this situation but they did it. And they only had a few bruises here and there.

“Yatta,” Wataru nodded pleased as he watched them run away. “Idiots!”

“Oi! They might turn around!” she said through gritted teeth. she wasn’t exactly afraid of the fight but she didn’t like having to worry about pulling herself or Wataru down with their cuffs.

“So?”

“Are are,” Nezumi heared and froze. She could recognize that voice anywhere. What was he doing here again, was he following her or was this just pure coincidence? “Don’t tell me you are actually getting along now?”

She turned around and indeed there he was. Saburou again, but this time he seemed to be alone. Which was odd since he never traveled alone, not even back when everyone feared their group.

“You again?”

“So rude...”he smirked as he took a few steps closer, his hands buried deep inside his pockets.

“What do you want?!” Wataru called over to him. Nezumi wanted to know that as well.

“Just checking up on an old friend...” he grinned.

“What?” she frowned. What was he talking about? And who is this old friend he spoke off? As far as she knew there was no one here who could be linked with him in any way, so why would he say that? Unless he meant her, which she doubted since that wouldn’t really make sense either.

“We do need to catch up soon, Nezumi-chan” he said as he looks at her. She didn’t like the way he called her Nezumi-chan at all. “Well, you better hurry home. It’s long past your bedtime,” He gave another quick salute accompanied by a smirk before turning around.

“Oi! Chotto Matta!” Wataru called as he wanted to go after him but Nezumi pulled him back. He frownsed at her but she shook her head. He was not someone Wataru wanted to mess with and he had no business with him in the first place. Only with Nezumi, but at least it kept her focussed on her own purpose here. As soon as Wataru and she were seperated again she would do anything in her power to finally fight Wataru and find out what Saburou was doing here in the first place.

“Ikiyou,” she sighed as she turned around.

“Nezumi!” he said as he pulled her back, “I want an explanation!”

“Watashi ga anata ni nani o karite inai!” She told him. She didn’t care how much he wanted an explanation, it was none of his business and she didn’t owe him anything.

“Oi!”

“Wataru, kiite kure!” she turned around to look at him. “I don’t care what you want, it’s none of your business. And as soon as we get released from these cuffs we will have a fight, no matter how much you reject it! And I will triumph over you!” Sure that sounded slightly overdramatic but she had come to realise that she had no time to waste. For whatever reason Saburou was here, she knew that she had to finish what she came here for before dealing with that matter. She wanted to fight Wataru and make him suffer, make him pay for all the deeds that had done and after that she would focus on Saburou. “Ima... Ikou!”

He sighed with a frown painting his face, she couldn’t quite make up what that particular sigh or frown meant. This guy was so hard to read, but instead of protesting or pressuring her to answer his questions, he merely walked on and dragged her behind again. Somehow she was slightly disappointed his gave up so quickly but then again he probably realised that it was no use anyways.

That night they both slept on the floor of Wataru’s room. There wasn’t much choice since Wataru’s mother didn’t want him to be selfish and take the bed and she was too proud to take the bed. Besides they would have been in awkward sleeping positions with their arms tied together. Although Wataru kept throwing glares her way she merely ignored him and decided to give him the silence treatment.

The next day she dragged behind Wataru as he marched off to school, later joined by Ryosuke and Nippori and eventually meeting up with the others. It was safe to say that both of them were in the worst moods ever, which made Nippori’s energetic bouncing and loveable ‘aniki’ cries even more annoying and ended up in Wataru practically biting his head off.

“Ah! Wataru-kun, Nezumi-chan!” They looked up and saw Saruwatari approaching them.

Nezumi sighed irritably, “When did I give you permission to call me that?” she whined.

She shrugged with a grin, “When you decided to give me a nickname.”

“But I don’t try to act familiar with you!” True, only the people who were actually considered as her  friends were allowed to use the –chan nickname. And since Saruwatari was no where close to being her friend she was not allowed to call her that.

“Meiwaku deshou?” she smirked before turning to us them. “Anyway, I have some good news for both of you.”

“Nani desu ka?” Wataru growled at her but she ignored his tone of voice.

“This morning I found your key in our class room,” she smiled proudly.

“Eh? You did?”

She nodded once again.

“Where is it?” he demanded.

“With Kashiwagi-sensei...”

“Aren’t you worried he might lose it again?” Ryosuke frowned.

Nezumi nodded before turning to face her, “By the way, what were you doing in class so early?”

“I’m always early for class,” she shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world. This girl sure was dedicated to school, it was starting to get a little creepy. Nezumi wondered what she did during spring and winter break.

“What are we waiting for?! Let’s go find him!” Wataru immediately said as he started running towards the schoolgates, dragging Nezumi behind him as she tried to keep up. She didn’t realise he was this fast or maybe she was just slow.

“Chotto!” Nezumi called towards him. “Ch-chotto matta, Wataru!!”

“... You’re welcome?!” she heared Saruwatari call after them but neither of them responded. Did she actually think they were going to thank her for this? Well, a thank you might be in place but she didn’t really care about that.

“There you go...” Kashiwagi smiled as he turned the keys and took off the handcuffs.

“Ah~ Yokatta!” She sighed. she quickly rubbed her already sore wrists to get the feeling back after carrying that cuff around it for pretty much twenty-four hours.

“It’s about time!” he nodded, relieved to be released from this sort of prison.

“Well, if it wasn’t for Saruwatari-chan you would still be tied together,” Kashiwagi told us. “You have her to thank really.”

“If it weren’t for your stupid project this whole thing would never have happened!” he bit back.

“Still... Did you learn anything out of this?” He asked, hoping his idea for a project did do them some good.

“Nani mo nai!”

Nezumi turned to Wataru as she narrowed her eyes, dropping both her arms to her side. He might not have learned anything from this but she sure did. Something very important.

“You should prepare yourself, Azuma Wataru,” she told him and he turned to her with a frown. Kashiwagi seemed a little clueless of the situation but he was not their concern. “I am not going to lose from you!” with that she turned around and marched out of the classroom.