Slam Dunk Fan Fiction ❯ The Girl That Time Loved ❯ Tryout ( Chapter 8 )

Mitsui wished Akagi a good day in practice and left him to wait for his stretch partner at the steps by the annex gym. Over and over Akagi's words played in his head like a broken record player. Oh, man, you've got it bad, Mitsui… He silently laughed at himself. // He makes it sound like I'm afflicted with some kind of disease… //

The black Suburban pulled into the cul-de-sac in front of the annex gym. Straightening his face, the shooting guard descended the steps to greet Reiko and her companions. His eyes followed the contour of a long toned leg that stepped onto the concrete, his gaze raising to a torso sculpted torso and a slender arm, and finally to the fair and beautiful face of his stretch partner smiling at him as she emerged from the vehicle. His face reddened.

Shutting the door behind her, Fuji and Jackson led her up the steps while Miller and Sakai tailed her, all dressed in athletic attire.

"Hi."

"Hello, Mitsui-san. Did you wait long?"

He shook his head. "No, not at all. I killed some time by going to class, but it was kind of pointless. I already learned this week's lessons from you."

Reiko beamed at him. "You are quite a fast learner."

She eyed the double doors of the annex gym with trepidation, and Mitsui picked up her anxious gaze.

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, you're going to be all right." Reassuring her with a grin, he added, "They're gonna love you, I just know it. Sato-sensei already does."

// Along with one other standing right before you… //

She looked down on the concrete. "I… I'm a little nervous."

"That's okay. But don't worry. Just pretend that the only thing that exists is the ball. Everything else just fades away."

She smiled. "Is that what you tell yourself when you play basketball?"

Laughing, he replied, "Only to prevent myself from losing my lunch on the court. But hey, if you're still nervous, just think of something funny, like the time you found me sleeping out here by the gym."

Her face brightened. "You looked so peaceful then."

"Yeah, my mother says I'm a good boy only when I'm asleep."

She laughed, the apprehension melting away from her eyes. He was glad, and he motioned his head towards the annex gym.

"So, how about showing them a thing or two?" he invited.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, her eyes crinkled with a smile. "I am ready."

They ascended the steps side by side, the men ahead quietly opening the doors for them and they strolled inside.

Clustered by the pole of the volleyball net closest to the bench, the girls on the team listened intently as Coach Sato spoke about the afternoon's practice regime, his back facing away from the entrance. The attention of the girls veered away from the coach and their gaze shifted to Mitsui at first, the men with dark sunglasses next, and finally to the girl with braided her and black volleyball shorts. Coach Sato noticed their averted stares, stopped his chatter and turned to look at the distraction.

The coach's eyes were amused to find Mitsui grinning at him and widened at seeing Reiko standing quietly beside him. Quickly he rubbed his eyes and blinked in disbelief. Hurriedly he ran towards them, not daring to blink anymore for fear that her mirage would disappear, his long-sought blue chip whom he fervently prayed for to come to practice every night before going to bed.

"God truly answers prayers! Mitsui-kun, quick, pinch me and tell me I'm not dreaming."

The shooting guard laughed and gave the coach a good slap on the shoulder.

"Reiko-san, I can't believe you're really here!"

She smiled coyly and said, "Hello again, Sato-sensei. I would like to try out for the team."

The volleyball coach looked at her and laughed hysterically. Wiping the corner of an eye, he said, "You know, I really must be going out of my mind. I thought I heard you say you wanted to try out for the team."

She was a little astonished at the coach's reaction, then Mitsui leaned to her side and whispered.

"It's because he's been turned down so many times, he's so shocked that you actually showed up."

The shooting guard turned to the coach whose eyes were in a daze. "Sato-sensei, you heard right. You don't need a hearing aid just yet."

It took a few seconds for the words to register in the coach's befuddled mind before his face lit up at the realization.

"Tryout? Tryout…"

He looked back at the girls by the bench and smiled from ear to ear. "Reiko-san, I would love to give you a tryout."

Almost like an usher he led the way for Reiko and asked her to stand before the team. She was met by curious glances, and the girl directly in front of her introduced herself.

"Hi, my name is Ueno Nanami, and I'm the team captain."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Ueno-san. My name is Nakamichi Reiko." She then bowed politely to the group, their faces dumbfounded at the formality of her introduction.

"Girls, Reiko-san here would like to try out for the team. Nanami-chan, please go set. Now girls, I want you to pay close attention. Reiko-san, anytime you're ready."

She found a spot a few feet behind the ten-foot line of the court and cast a glance at her stretch partner who now stood between Coach Sato and the rest of the team. Mitsui smiled and gave her an encouraging nod.

"Reiko-chan, how would you like your set?"

After a second of thought, she replied, "A ten will do, thank you."

Coach Sato took a ball from the rack and waited for Reiko to ready herself. Seeing her stance, he tossed the ball at the girl Nanami who set the ball flawlessly ten feet above the net. A second after the ball left Nanami's hands, Reiko ran and explosively jumped to meet the ball in mid-air, hitting the ball which landed just an inch off the other court's ten-foot line with such force that it bounced fiercely off the wooden floor.

The girls on the team gaped at the spectacle that just happened before their very eyes. The skills of every player on the team were commendable, but they had never seen anyone jump so early and so high that the point of contact with the ball came to the level of Reiko's shoulder, allowing her to hit the ball without reaching above her head. With her vertical jump they could have mistaken her to be a high jumper for track and field. The coach observed the amazement on the girls' faces.

"One more time, please, Reiko-san," he asked.

"Yes, sir."

Returning to her starting spot, she waited for the ball toss and the set. Once more she soared above and pounded the ball, this time aiming for the sideline. Landing softly on her feet, she turned to Coach Sato who looked as if he was watching a romance movie.

"Well done, Reiko-san," Coach Sato approved. Facing the girls by the sideline, he said, "She's the one I've mentioned before, girls, the one I've asked so many time to join the team." And in a giddy, childlike whisper he added, "I can't believe she's really here!"

Mitsui looked at the coach and a smile spread across his lips. Without really realizing it, Reiko just let the coach experience mirth like a child on Christmas Day. He studied his stretch partner as she stood in the middle of the court, her breathing silent and face expectant of Coach Sato's requests. Just as he thought, her eyes shone a vibrant blue against the light reflecting off the shiny wooden floor. He was taken aback when his watchful gaze was met by her azure eyes that smiled at him, his breath catching in his throat as he stood transfixed on her gaze.

The coach asked her to do a couple of passing and blocking drills with the team. Her blocks were impenetrable, and her passing skills practically landed right into the setter's hands. All the girls were so impressed; they huddled around her in excitement.

"You are awesome, Reiko-chan!" exclaimed the team captain.

"You're definitely on the team!"

"Reiko-chan is bank!"

"Yeah, you are sooo money! We'll win every game!"

Not quite knowing how to react to the words `bank' and `money', she looked down on the floor demurely as she thanked them for their unfamiliar compliments. Coach Sato and Mitsui watched them cheer her on.

"Mitsui-kun," the coach addressed quietly, "how did you get her to come to practice?"

He shrugged. "I made her a deal."

"Oh? What deal?

"I told her that I'd join the basketball team if she played for you. That way everybody's happy, and we can still stretch together and play with a team in the afternoons."

"So she's going to attend school here now?"

Mitsui nodded. "We had a little pep talk with the president in his office earlier this morning. He said he'd take care of everything."

"Nice…" Coach Sato turned to him and gave him a pat on the back. "Mitsui-kun, I don't know what to say."

The shooting guard laughed quietly. "Just say she'll be okay when she's on the team."

"They're nice girls, they'll take to her like fish in water. I am very, very grateful, Mitsui-kun." He turned his gaze back at the girls, now chattering endlessly before a smiling blue-eyed Reiko.

"Have you told the basketball coach yet?"

Mitsui shook his head. "I'll go tomorrow. I wanted to see her try out."

"You're such a supportive boyfriend. Good for you," the coach smirked.

"Keep saying that, Sato-sensei, and maybe someday it will come true."

// Man, I really wish it were true… //

Since the team only had ten players, Reiko had to ask if the bodyguards could stand in and scrimmage with them. They gladly agreed, and soon two hours passed as they played an entire five-match game. Coach Sato made Reiko play all positions and he saw that her versatility was just as invaluable as her ability to hit and defend the court. Mitsui knew he was no judge of volleyball champions, but he was certain that she truly was a phenomenon. He watched as she jumped to hit the ball, her eyes calculating the movement of the ball and the players on the other side of the net. Like the first time he saw her, a smile lingered across her face after each spike. It made Mitsui chuckle. She was really enjoying herself, and he felt better and better about her joining the team with every smile she put on as the scrimmaging teams rallied for points. He hoped that this would be the end of her isolation.

They all took a break, the men and Reiko claiming the adjacent bench next to where the team sat. Fuji handed Reiko and the others some towels and all took advantage of the break to catch their breaths. Unscrewing the cap of a water bottle, she took a sip and settled into a seat on the bench, her eyes still bright against the light and skin glistening with perspiration. Mitsui left the coach's side and sauntered over to the group, smiling.

"Well, I think you blew them away," he cheered.

"I agree, Nakamichi-dono. Your performance was remarkable," said Sakai.

"I guess," Reiko squeaked.

"You guess? They love you!" the shooting guard exclaimed. He held his palms out facing up and prompted Reiko to slap him fives. She smiled timidly.

"Thank you all for your encouragement." Looking up at his stretch partner's beaming face, she asked, "What did one of the girls mean when she said that I'm `bank'?"

The two younger guards chuckled softly in their seats.

"It's slang for being very talented," explained Mitsui.

"Oh." She dropped her gaze to her shoelace that she noticed was untied. "I was beginning to wonder how she knew about my finances."

Fuji and Miller's laughter rang out, making Reiko tilt her head in curiosity.

"We apologize, Nakamichi-dono. It's just that your reply was too precious."

Reiko meekly shrugged her shoulders. "No, don't apologize. I know nothing of these expressions. I suppose I should go to a bookstore and purchase a slang dictionary. I need to know what being `money' means as well." She proceeded to reach down to tie her shoe.

The guards found her comment so childlike and Mitsui found her adorable, sitting on the bench with a look of confusion on her face. He knew she'd have to learn a whole new language just to understand some of the girls on the team, two of them precocious and playful girls named Sayuri and Miki. Both from the same high school Mitsui attended, they used the same words to praise him after Shohoku High won the Interhigh championship. After seeing the warm reception they gave Reiko after the hitting drills, the shooting guard inwardly smiled. Coach Sato is right. Reiko will be just fine.

The team captain walked over to Reiko and invited her to sit with them on their bench. Scooting over, the girls made space for her to sit, their eyes smiling and minds full of questions.

"So Reiko-chan, which position would you like to play?"

"Whatever position you need, I suppose," she softly answered.

"Your eyes are so dreamy-looking, Reiko-chan!" sang the girl at the far end of the bench.

"Thank you…"

"Who are those men with you and Mi-chan?"

She hesitated to answer; the nervousness was there again to grip her insides should they choose to cast her in a different light. Her stretch partner could hear their conversation.

"They are my bodyguards." She exhaled and looked over to the adjoining bench, waiting for any sign of rejection.

"Wow, that's pretty cool, being followed around by such handsome men!" whispered Nanami.

"Yeah, especially the one wearing the green shorts," Sayuri said with a sigh. "Could you introduce me to him, Reiko-chan?"

"Oh, me too, me too! But to the guy in the black shorts instead!" Miki urgently whispered.

Reiko's brows raised at the requests and made her throw a quick glance at Fuji and Milller who sat chatting with the two older guards and Mitsui. She grinned, and before she could agree to acquaint them, Nanami interrupted.

"Oh hey, ladies, Akagi-kun said to tell you all that there's a party tomorrow night at Miyagi-kun's house. Ayako-chan wants us there to help cheer the guys up. Seems that they hit a little slump."

"They will be out of it soon enough," Reiko assured.

The girls looked at Reiko, wondering how and why she was so sure about the team's future. Then, Miki's face split into a teasing grin.

"Wait. Don't tell me you're trying out for the basketball team, too."

The team clutched their middles in laughter as Reiko reddened with embarrassment. She was rather surprised at their reaction; the bodyguard issue no longer became a nuisance but a welcomed opportunity to meet new people. At that time Mitsui walked over to the giggling team. He looked at a blushing Reiko.

"You guys seem to be having fun."

Nanami straightened up, letting some residual laughter bubble over. "Hi, Mi-chan. Reiko-chan is pretty phenomenal, she can predict the future, too!"

"She says the basketball team will start winning games again, which is great… but don't take it the wrong way, Reiko-chan. I think it's great you're optimistic and supportive." Sayuri gave Reiko a wink. "I guess both the basketball and volleyball teams need a pick-me-up."

"Sayuri-chan, we already have one!" chimed Miki who gave Reiko's shoulder a friendly pat.

"I wonder who the basketball team's pick-me-up will be," thought on of the girls out loud.

Mitsui cast a glance at Reiko who wore a knowing smile on her face. Even though she knew, her lips did not reveal his planned comeback to the court. She would keep his secret and let him herald the news himself.

"Speaking of pick-me-ups, I'm sure Akagi-kun told you about Miyagi-kun's party tomorrow night, right, Mi-chan?"

"Yup, got the invite from him this morning. I guess you're all going then?"

"You got it! Right, ladies?"

Nanami was answered with a resounding yes.

"All right. And since we all know you've made it on the team, Reiko-chan, I hope you go, too."

Reiko was inwardly surprised at the invitation. The last time she attended a social function was a fundraiser auction in Newport, California for cancer research. She sat with her old colleagues then, the youngest person at their table and at the event. She quietly hoped that the attire would not be so formal. She had no clue when it came to evening dress. Looking at her stretch partner for an answer, her bright eyes met brown ones as he nodded an encouragement.

"Oh, bring them, too, Reiko-chan!" hushed Miki with a giggle.

"And don't forget the hookup!" snickered Sayuri while motioning her head towards the adjoining bench.

"I will try my best to attend."

"If you need directions, just ask Mi-chan. Better yet, why don't you go with him?" the team captain suggested.

A smile crept across Reiko's face, contented at the setter's suggestion. From a sideways glance she could see the reddening cheeks of her stretch partner.

"All right, girls, back on the court!" yelled Coach Sato.

An hour passed and practice ended. Reiko was shown her locker that was next to Nanami's and she received two sets of uniforms, one for home games and another for away games. Reiko changed out of her workout clothes and the girls on the team had long gone home, but the volleyball coach had asked Reiko aside if she needed anything else. Shaking her head, she took her leave and gave the coach a bow. Thanking her for the twenty-third time that early evening, Coach Sato saw her out of the gym with Mitsui and her men leaving with her.

Two of the guards went ahead to fetch the vehicle as usual and the remaining two stood below the steps of the annex gym. Standing at the top of the steps, Reiko enjoyed the cool breeze that blew against her face, tucking a lock of her behind her ear. Mitsui stood beside her, both taking satisfaction in the day's events. She broke the silence.

"Mitsui-san, thank you for staying the whole practice. Your presence was appreciably comforting."

She made him smile. "I'm glad to hear that. So, what do you think of the team so far?"

"They've given me a warm welcome and have overlooked the fact that the men are always near. For that, I am relieved." She nearly laughed. "I think Miki-san and Sayuri-san have their eyes on Fuji-san and Mr. Miller."

Amused, the shooting guard looked down at Miller gazing at the setting sun over the horizon. "Miki and Sayuri went to my high school, and those two are quite lively. They'll give your guards a run for their money."

"Mi-chan… this is the name they call you?"

"Yeah," he said, grinning. "Remember Sakuragi? The redhead at the restaurant?"

She smiled and nodded in recollection.

"He gave me the nickname `Mitchy', and soon those who came to see us play turned it into `Mi-chan'."

"You must be quite popular then to be given that term of endearment," she assumed.

"Yes, but for all the wrong reasons."

Reiko suddenly remembered him disclosing that regretful event in his past a few nights ago. How could someone so kind and sincere be a bully? He strayed away from what he wanted to be, but her never lost sight of it. She imagined that the road to self-restoration was a difficult one to tread, and she was sure he became all the better for it. She was glad that even during his setback on the stormy side of the fence, he didn't have to go through it alone.

"Perhaps I should take Nanami-san's advice."

Mitsui felt warm at her words as he saw the black Suburban pull up to the curb. "Actually, I wanted to ask you to come to the party with me, but I guess Nanami-chan beat me to it."

She grinned.

"What does one wear to these parties, Mitsui-san?"

"Huh? Oh, I guess something casual."

"Like what I wore to the puppet show?"

"Yeah, something like that." Mitsui recalled the fit contours of her form them and determined she would look breathtaking in any attire.

"And for the men?"

"I guess those clothes they tried on at the shopping mall will do fine."

She saw the men at the bottom of the steps look at her, silently waiting for her response. Turning to Mitsui, she offered to give him a ride home, slinging her gym bag over her shoulder.

"You're my stretch partner, not my taxi driver," he joked.

Laughing, she said, "Your house is on the way to mine. It won't be a bother."

After he agreed, the two walked down the steps, Miller and Sakai following them into the vehicle. As they drove off, Jackson turned his head from the front seat to address the shooting guard, much to Mitsui's surprise.

"Mitsui-san, what do the game schedules look like for the volleyball team?"

He gave it a long thought. "Well, usually Sato-sensei schedules his home games when the basketball team is on away games. On few occasions do both teams have their home games at the same time."

"What days does Sato-sensei have home games?"

"If I remember correctly, Fridays are home days and Tuesdays are away days."

Miller took out a Palm Pilot and began to scribble the details of Mitsui's interview.

"What time do the games usually start?" asked Fuji behind the wheel.

"It varies. The coaches often decide amongst themselves."

Mitsui knew they were already making plans to safeguard Reiko both on and off the court. He watched Miller tap quickly on the PDA screen. Glancing over at Reiko, she looked out the window with a faint smile, her fingers softly running over the fabric of her uniform that she took out of her gym bag. Leaning over to her ear, he whispered.

"Excited?"

Looking back at him, she beamed. "I just remembered a happy thought, that's all."

"Was it of Sato-sensei's dumbfounded face earlier?"

"No, far from it," she laughed.

The vehicle turned a corner and stopped in front of Mitsui's home. A grade-schooler walked towards the front gate. She stopped to look at the large foreign vehicle parked by the curb and her eyes widened at the sight of her brother stepping out of the Suburban.

"Oniichan?"

Turning his head to the voice, Mitsui smiled. "Ami! Did you just get here?"

"Yeah."

"Come here, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Ami walked over to her brother's side and gaped at the girl who emerged from the vehicle. She appeared strong and beautiful in her eyes, her gaze following the length of her long braid. Reiko looked at the little girl with soft blue eyes and smiled.

"Reiko-san, this is my little sister, Ami. Ami, this is Reiko-san."

The child said nothing, mesmerized by her new acquaintance's eyes. She felt a nudge on her shoulder.

"Ami!" Mitsui hissed, "It's not polite to stare!"

The child managed to stutter a `how-do-you-do', her eyes never blinking at the sight. Reiko averted her gaze to her stretch partner who merely shrugged.

"Reiko-neechan… you're so beautiful…" muttered Ami.

Reiko's eyes widened at the compliment. "Thank you, Ami-chan. You are very pretty yourself," she said as she reached out to move a braided pigtail over her shoulder.

"Would… would you like to come inside and have some tea?" Ami timidly offered.

Looking at her watch, Reiko answered with a regretful shake of her head. "I'm afraid I have to decline your kind offer, Ami-chan. I have to make a few calls at the house."

"Promise you'll come some other time then?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes, I promise."

The little girl Ami gave her an embrace at the waist that surprised Reiko. Mitsui looked on in amusement.

"Please take good care of Oniichan!" she blurted and she ran through the gates of their home. The act startled the shooting guard more so than Reiko. He brought a hand behind his head and chuckled in embarrassment.

"Kids," he mumbled.

"She's a sweet girl, Mitsui-san," she responded.

A moment of silence fell up on them, Mitsui himself standing entranced by Reiko's fascinating azure gaze. In his mind he had memorized the outlines of her face and yet they were inadequate compared to seeing her in person with unclouded eyes.

"Would you like to stretch together before practice tomorrow, Reiko-san?"

She grinned and nodded. "Yes, I'd like that very much." With one foot in the vehicle, she turned around to face Mitsui. "Thank you again, Mitsui-san." She climbed in and he shut the door softly behind her. The window rolled down and he was graced again with the sight of her face.

"Mitsui-san, may my men come to the party, too?" she asked.

"Yeah, the more the merrier. Bring dates along if they'd like," he encouraged.

"What party?" Jackson interrupted, overhearing the conversation.

"Gentlemen, earlier I was invited to go to a party tomorrow night by Nanami-san. Would it be all right if you accompanied me?" she asked, blue glints casting a hopeful look at Jackson.

Momentarily looking at Sakai who simply arched a brow and grinned, Jackson gave into Reiko's silent cerulean plea.

"We just need details, Nakamichi-dono. There shouldn't be any problems."

She brightened and replied, "I'm sure Mitsui-san can give you all the details."

Jackson nodded. "Mitsui-san, we'll be giving you a call tonight." The guard's gaze strayed to Reiko's grateful and smiling face. He grinned.

Mitsui suddenly became curious as to how they would do that since he hadn't given them his phone number yet. Judging it best to keep quiet, he turned his attention to Reiko once more. "Thanks again for the ride, Reiko-san."

"Don't mention it," she said, shaking her head softly. "Good evening, Mitsui-san." She waved goodbye and the window rolled up, concealing her lovely face from his eyes, the light in them extinguished at the sight of her leaving.

Letting out a sigh, he trudged through the gate and front door to find an excited Ami on the phone chattering like a lark in spring.

"…And she had the prettiest eyes I've ever seen, it was like looking at a blue ocean in a travel magazine! I don't need to go on a vacation, one look at her eyes and I'm there! And she's so polite and soooo nice… yeah, Oniichan really hit the jackpot!"

"Ami! Are you gossiping about me?!" he stammered.

"Oh, Oniichan finally walked inside. Come home soon, okay? Okay. Love you!"

Ami placed the receiver back on the phone base and smiled warily at her older brother who was ready to pounce on her. She inched away from the phone and sought to distance herself away from her predator with the dining table. Looking at her brother's intense eyes, she crept slowly past a chair and without blinking she dashed into the kitchen. Her long-legged brother pursued, reaching for her shirt that slipped from his grasp. She began to laugh and kept laughing as she jumped over a laundry basket, nearly knocking over a box of clothespins by the kitchen counter. She could hear her brother yell at her and it only fueled her sympathetic response to flee from her pursuer. Ami zoomed to the living room only to trip and fall onto the carpet face first. Groaning as she looked up, she saw her brother's foot sticking out from the hallway that led to their father's den, the winner leaving the offensive foot for her to see. Before she could get up he was upon her, taking her legs and dragging her across the floor, protests ignored. She was no match for his strength and he swung her up like a sack of potatoes onto the sofa. Then the tickling began.

"Who were you talking to?" demanded Mitsui in a playful tone.

"Stop, Hisashi-niichan!" she gurgled.

"Tell me!" he crooned. His fingers were quick to tickle his little sister's ribs and she could scarcely take in air to breathe.

"Okay, okay, it was Mom, it was Mom!" she cried.

He stopped his tickling and arched a brow at her. Allowing her to recover, she sucked in air to her burning lungs.

"Mom called while you were still outside and I got excited talking about Reiko-neechan," she explained, trying to catch her breath.

He slapped his forehead in exasperation. "Ami, you know she's going to tell Pops and they won't leave me alone!"

"She's willing to take us out to dinner if you tell her more of what happened today."

Her brother's face straightened at the proposal. Getting to eat out for information? "And how did she get this idea?"

Ami snickered. "I said that you might tell her more if she took us out for dinner. But you don't have to tell her anything."

He flashed a grin at her sister's sly trickery. "Nice…" He held up a fist for her to hit with her own.

"Pick a good restaurant, Oniichan!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over a deluxe order of sashimi, Mitsui told his parents of his decision to walk onto the basketball team. He looked anxiously at the surprised looks on their faces and breathed a sigh of relief when they both held their thumbs up.

"All right! Time to get a new video camera!" declared the older Mitsui.

"Oh yeah… Maybe we can get footage of Hisashi together with his pretty girlfriend!" hinted Mrs. Mitsui.

"Mom! Dad! I'm not in fifth grade anymore!"

"Ah, but you still blush like you're in fifth grade, son! Just like that time you kissed the neighbor's little girl -"

"Dad!" protested the younger Mitsui.

"My baby boy's all grown up," sniffed Mrs. Mitsui, placing her forehead in her hand to cry her crocodile tears. She stopped for a second, looked sideways at her amused husband and winked, then continued to cry mockingly. Ami nearly choked on her sushi and Mr. Mitsui just threw his head back in laughter.

// Lord, help me… // he prayed, letting his head fall onto the table with a thud.