Chapter three, 2017, shards, segment ten

Noriko swore silently and left the station. Being in love with Urufu made her brains all mushy, and it definitely didn’t make him grow any brains.

Ever since the disgusting parody of a cultural festival Urufu had been racking up an imposing record of absence from school.

They might not be in the same class, but when one of the stars in school asked for her famous boyfriend she got her answers. Maybe more so now when they were both part of the science track. Most of the students were supposed to continue on to university which meant good grades were a better currency now compared to her freshman year.

He played hooky more than half of his lessons, which means she saw far less of him than she craved. And now he had to vanish with Yukio and Kyoko one of the few days when she actually managed to see him at school.

One angry phone call later Noriko was on her way to Asakusa. Even though Urufu had planned ditching her for the afternoon, after that call there was no way he even dared think about it any longer. Which still didn’t make Noriko any less angry.

Walking towards the pier she became less and less certain whether she was angry with Urufu or if she really was angry with herself. When she saw the ferry she was certain the last was true, and when she finally boarded it she almost felt sorry for him.

Noriko quickly made her way through the ferry. This time of the year the open area at the aft was all but empty, but sure enough she found her friends freezing their butts off there. Opening the door Noriko understood why Urufu had chosen that place despite cold gusts of wind tearing at their clothes. The engine sound guaranteed that whatever they spoke about wouldn’t be overheard by mistake.

Almost guaranteed.

“Forget it!” came Kyoko’s angry voice just as the door closed behind Noriko.

Urufu answered something Noriko couldn’t hear. Then he said something more.

“I refuse!”

Whatever the lopsided conversation was about Noriko understood that Kyoko would have none of it.

Noriko sat down beside her boyfriend and gave Kyoko a glare. Whatever Urufu had said he hadn’t raised his voice at her.

“Sorry, didn’t see you coming,” Kyoko said, which had to be a blatant lie.

At his seat across them Yukio grimaced, but Noriko accepted that he didn’t say anything. Besides Noriko knew that he didn’t always side with Kyoko just because they were a couple. So maybe Urufu had suggested something outrageous after all.

“I apologise,” Noriko said. “I didn’t mean to butt in, but I got angry when you stole Urufu.”

This time it was Kyoko who grimaced. “Actually he stole us. All of us,” she added and nodded towards one of the body guards. The other probably drove that car to either Hinode or Hama Rikyu depending on how far they planned go by water.

“Well, I’ve asked at least. I had to,” Urufu suddenly said.

Noriko looked at him, and from the corner of her eye she saw that both Yukio and Kyoko did the same.

“Why? Why if you knew I’d refuse and get angry?”

“I had to,” Urufu said. “What Christina’s doing now is wrong, and I’d be an awful friend if I didn’t try everything to make her stop.”

Kuri is doing what? Noriko had been busy dodging attending a cram school after her results dropped. After her spending most of her waking hours being with, trying to be with or thinking of Urufu. Or, like now, doing all three of them. The side effect was that she knew less and less about what happened with the rest of them.

“Kareyoshi had them assaulted, and he had Kuri-chan attacked as well last year. You expect me to stop her?”

What’s going on?

“People who weren’t involved are getting hurt. I don’t like it, and I don’t like what it’ll make her become.” Urufu shot Noriko a guilty look. “Kyoko, I used to be in love with that girl. I still care for her and watching her become some kind of vengeance demon hurts.”

Noriko knew Urufu still had feelings for Kuri, but his saying ‘used to be in love’ only made her stomach fill with a warm and fussy feeling. Urufu was picky with words. ‘Used to’ was something in the past.

“They deserve getting hurt,” Yukio said and joined the conversation for the first time. “I’m sorry man, but I’m starting to think more and more like you used to do. Guilty by association is still guilty. They’re going down.”

Through her clothes Noriko felt Urufu shiver. “Fine, they’re going down. I hope you can live with it later.”

“Why did you change?” Yukio said.

Noriko felt Urufu shrug. “This is the real me. If anything I’m surprised how easy it is for me to use violence.”

Something in Urufu’s words rang false to Noriko. She clung to him and mulled them over. “Physical violence, you mean?” she said, still thinking about his exact words.

She had to hold on to him when he flinched. “What did you say?”

“Physical violence. Isn’t that what surprises you.” She let her reasoning run another full circle in her mind. “I wonder if you’re really as non violent as you think.”

He turned and stared at her. “What do you mean?” There was something haunted about his eyes.

“In your previous life you had power. Isn’t the application of power violence in one way or another?”

Across them Yukio’s thoughtful expression turned into a smile. “Man, she’s saying you’re just less civilised these days.”

Urufu looked like he had seen a ghost. “My teenage body. That doctor last summer said we were truly teenagers rather than adults in teenaged bodies.”

“You’re too honest to be really honest, you know.” Kyoko’s voice. “Kuri-chan is devious enough to be more honest with herself. Urufu, she’s going after adults who deliberately would hurt children, or at least look the other way.”

And there it was. Adults hurting children. Kuri was right in going after them. With that thought Noriko decided to side with Kyoko despite loving Urufu so much it sometimes hurt. Her brains going mushy wasn’t an excuse to become truly stupid.