Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Koushirou's Search! ❯ The Jealous Hackers... ( Chapter 17 )

Hi again everyone. Once again, I had fun writing all this for you all. Also, as you can see, I'm purposely keeping Koushirou's mother a mystery to him.

 

Now, for this chapter, it takes place in school again, which means the brief reappearance of Mimi's friends. The boys didn't do much for this chapter, but Taichi, Sora, Yamato, and Miyako are in it. Even though this is a school chapter, it's actually pretty short and aside from changes, I don't think it'll have any notes for it.

 

Now, as the title implies, the “hackers” of the group are going to become a little bit jealous and concerned and Mimi and Koushirou also end up having a slight spat. Well, I wouldn't be me if I didn't toss in some conflict, eh?

 

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Digimon series or franchise. Bandai and Toei have that honor, and as a reminder, here are the ages of the characters once again:

 

Jou: 16-17 (Year 10-11; First/second year of High School)

Taichi/Sora/Yamato: 15-16 (Year 09-10; Last year of Junior High School/First year of high school)

Koushirou/Mimi: 14-15 (Year 08-09; Second/Last year of Junior High School)

Miyako: 13-14 (Year 07-08; First/second year of Junior High School)

Takeru/Hikari/Daisuke/Ken: 12 (Year 06; Final year of Elementary/First year of Junior High School)

Iori: 10-11 (Year 04-05)

 

Chapter 17: The Jealous Hackers…

 

March 17, 2004, Mimi was definitely in better spirits as she headed towards her school. This was the last day that she and Koushirou would have to travel anyplace. She didn't dislike working with her friend, she just wanted to do something more fun, like spending time together without anything school related being involved…like their dinners, which had been very enjoyable.

 

On her way to school, she noticed Taichi a few paces ahead of her, who was walking pretty slowly. That was unheard of for a person like Taichi. He was usually pretty cheerful, especially knowing that he was nearly done with Odaiba Junior High.

 

“Taichi-san!”

 

Hearing his name, he turned around. “Oh, Mimi-chan, hey. What's going on?”

 

He waited for her to catch up to him. Once she caught up, they started to walk briskly together. “Nothing much. What's wrong?”

 

He smiled. “What makes you think that something's wrong?”

 

“Because that smile of yours is fake.”

 

`Worked on my parents,' he thought, surprised Mimi saw through it. “Do you know what's going on with Sora?”

 

“Going on with her? What do you mean?”

 

“Well, lately, seems like she's been really busy. It almost feels like she's avoiding me.”

 

“Taichi-san, that's just silly! She's not avoiding you. Why would you think that?”

 

“I felt it was a little silly too, but it just seems that she's away or busy when I want to catch up with her or talk to her outside of school. I even tried to call her at home a couple of nights ago through both her house phone and her mobile. I got the voice mail with her mobile and her mother told me she was out when I called the house phone.”

 

“Hm, two nights ago?” He nodded. “She stayed over my place that night.”

 

“Oh, I guess her mother just forgot to say so…” he muttered. `Hmph, it's like that time when I got her those hairpins for her birthday. She was avoiding me then because she was mad at me…but it's like Mimi said, she's probably not…'

 

“I don't think she's avoiding you. She, as well as everyone else, is just very busy because you third years are graduating and the first years are coming in. I'm sure she wasn't purposely ignoring you, and, there is the dance coming up for you all. She's getting ready for that too, according to Miyako-chan.”

 

“Y-yeah…dance…” he murmured.

 

“Why do I have this feeling that there's more to what you're saying?”

 

“Probably because there is.” He faced Mimi. “Do you know if Sora has a partner for the dance yet?”

 

“She's never talked about it with me. I don't know if she does or not. I'm going to say no, though, since she hasn't mentioned anything about it to me yet.”

 

“Good, I hope I'm not too late! I'm finally going to get the courage to do it!” The boy posed like a super hero, and spoke in a heroic manner. “I am the crest bearer of courage, you know.”

 

Mimi laughed at him. He flashed the “v” for “victory” sign, and rushed off. Mimi continued her walk. She ran into her other friends from class and from her club. She managed to bump into Sora when changing into her school shoes.

 

“Hey, Sora-san!”

 

“Mimi-chan, good morning! How are you?”

 

“I'm doing fine. I'm just glad that this project that Koushirou and I are working on is almost finished. Today should be our last day having to go anyplace.”

 

“That's good. After that, you all can go back to your normal schedule.”

 

“That's going to be a bit difficult with these unusual tests we're being made to take. Usually with exams, like for our mid-terms and finals, we don't have regular school days and extra activities are fully canceled. It's also strange that only the first and second years are testing.”

 

“I can't help but wonder, but oh well.”

 

“I hope I did okay on them. I probably didn't study as much as I should have, but the results will be put up at the end of the week for all to see,” Mimi yawned. “Oh, Sora-san, are you going to the dance this Saturday?”

 

“I was planning on it, especially since my mother and I did shop for a nice dress for the occasion, but I don't have a partner yet.”

 

“No one's asked you along?”

 

“A few have…I just haven't given either of them my answer yet. It wouldn't surprise me if most have already found others to go with.”

 

“Why haven't you answered them?”

 

Sora blushed slightly. “B-because the person I actually wouldn't mind being my partner hasn't asked me yet.”

 

“Who do you want to ask you?”

 

“W-well, a fr-friend. I would feel more comfortable going to something like that with a close male friend than some of these other boys at our school.”

 

“You mean friends like…Yamato-san or Taichi-san?”

 

“Ex-exactly! Someone like those two!”

 

Even though Sora wasn't being specific, Mimi had an idea as to which boy she truly had in mind. The two headed to the girls' restroom to freshen up, some girls heading out of it.

 

“So, how are things going with you and Koushirou-kun?” asked Sora while looking herself over in the mirror.

 

Mimi took out her brush, and started to brush her long hair. “What do you mean? It's like I said earlier, I'm just glad that this project is almost over.”

 

“But you called me last night and mentioned how he was acting a bit like a gentleman by offering to take you out for a meal again and also treated again. He must spend his money wisely if he's able to keep treating you like that.”

 

“Oh, that?” Mimi leaned her back against the wall. “Well, I'm just curious as to why he's doing it, but a part of me doesn't really want to know the answer.”

 

Sora started to mess with her short, shoulder-lengthened hair. “Why not?”

 

“I don't know. I'm afraid that it'd be almost a business-like answer.”

 

“What does that mean?” Mimi shrugged. “Well, maybe it's not that.” Sora clipped two hair pins into her hair. “Maybe he is doing this just to be nice.”

 

“But why?”

 

“The only way to get that information is to actually ask him yourself. It is a bit strange, especially given that it was so sudden. You don't think it's because of…what happened…do you?”

 

“I don't think so, because he had planned on treating me anyway if we missed your party. He just made up for it by taking me out Monday instead. Everything past that was just unusual.”

 

After Sora finished with her hair, the two left the restroom and headed down the hall. “Sorry, Mimi-chan, I don't know what to tell you.” Sora had a theory, but knew that Mimi would feverishly deny it…the possibility of Koushirou growing romantically interested in her, and hinting around to it in his own way.

 

“Maybe…he's growing up,” Sora said, in what she felt was a lame excuse, “or maybe he is acting this way because of what happened Sunday!”

 

Mimi sighed, unable to respond.

 

“Koushirou-kun has always been a little complex, even when we were children he was. It's probably best if we don't bother trying to figure him out, since he is such a walking mystery and hasn't volunteered that information already. When the time comes for him to share more about himself with all of us, he will. As I mentioned a good while ago, he has opened up over the years, but he still seems to keep some things to himself.”

 

“You're probably right.”

 

“Don't worry about.” Sora glanced up at the hall clock. “Oh, didn't realize how late it was. It's almost time for homeroom.”

 

“Ah, you're right! I'll see you later, Sora-san. I hope you manage to get asked soon.”

 

“Bye, Mimi-chan.”

 

She hurried along to homeroom and greeted everyone she came in contact with, which was normal for her, and this included Koushirou. Before taking her seat, she waved to him and said “hi”, but he didn't say anything to her nor did he greet her back, turning his attention to the window. She ignored it, though, as their dull homeroom teacher entered the room.

 

The day continued on like it would usually, only Mimi decided to have lunch with her other group of friends as opposed to spending it in the computer lab with Koushirou. She was picking up on some very bad vibes coming from him, and just felt it was best to just leave him alone. She was planning on talking with him eventually after lunch since she didn't get the chance to during cleaning time, once again, having to be done in the morning because of important officials visiting.

 

While with her friends, Mimi saw Miyako who ran over to sit with them, instead of spending it with her usual group of classmates and friends. She said “hi” to Mimi quickly, and asked to speak with Yuuko about something. Curious, Yuuko got up and the two spoke in hushed voices. Mimi ignored that too, as did Ayame, Chinatsu, Seki, Yuuji, Misao, and Ukyo. The conversation was obviously a private one.

 

Yuuko had called Miyako the previous night, asking if she knew of the secret “Mi-chan” was keeping. Miyako got the wrong idea and admitted that she had, thinking that the older girl was referring to what had happened on Sunday. Glad that Miyako knew, Yuuko started blabbing about the kiss, thinking that was the secret. Miyako then informed Yuuko, her mind trying to fathom what was told to her, that that wasn't the secret she was referring to.

 

The two stopped talking amongst themselves, and rejoined the others. After a while, Mimi got up and left. She decided to go meet up with Koushirou in the computer lab since the break was almost over anyway.

 

A short while after Mimi left, Yuuko and Miyako did the same. They were curious as to what Mimi had planned for Koushirou this particular day. Miyako had informed Yuuko of how Koushirou had treated Mimi to dinner, almost like a date, so the two were slowly putting two and two together, even if they were partially wrong.

 

While walking down the hall, they spotted Mimi. She was definitely headed towards the student computer lab. Miyako knew the place well enough, being a key member of the club. During the walk, the two girls saw Mimi stop right outside of the door, but someone had walked up to her. Yuuko's eyes lit up.

****

“It's Ishida-senpai of the Teen-Age Wolves!!” she nearly squealed. “I wish I knew him personally like you and Mi-chan!”

 

Miyako shushed the older girl.

 

“I'm sorry,” she hissed back, continuing to spy from around the corner.

 

“What's there to really know, though? It's just Yamato-san…”

****

“Hey there, Yamato-san.”

 

“Yo.”

****

In the computer lab, Koushirou was sitting at one of the computers, doing pretty much nothing. He passed on eating again, as he, uncharacteristically, didn't have much of an appetite. He was also curious as to where Mimi was since he had to give her the news of how he was technically being punished. He was really surprised after he'd returned home, having made the decision of apologizing, how his parents insisted that he hear them out before saying anything, and went on about how he was going to be punished for his blowing up at them earlier. He knew not to disobey them any more than he already had, and just accepted it, even if a part of him was completely against it.

 

Part of him felt that it was unfair that they were punishing him for keeping secrets when they did so themselves. His secrets, in his mind, weren't as important or as significant as the one they were keeping from him. The other part of him felt that he did deserve the punishment, but at the same time, he still wished that they could be more open with him about his adoption.

 

He didn't grow angry this time when they talked about punishing him, but he still hated the timing of when they did decide to enforce one.

 

Both of his parents were a bit surprised over how calmly he'd accepted the news. He was much more rational than when they had questioned his where-a-bouts earlier, which had caused the boy to blow up at them earlier. As a matter of fact, when they asked Koushirou about where he'd been once again, he refused to in a cool, calm, and collected manner and kept his temper. That was the main reason as to why they went through with the punishment, because he had, once again, refused to tell them.

 

At this point in time, Koushirou wasn't sure if he wanted to go to Odaiba Elementary or not. He did promise to go straight home since that was part of the punishment, as well as helping his mother out with work around the home, but his curiosity was so strong…he was really interested in learning more about his biological mother.

 

He knew so much about his biological father that he could probably write a short biography on him, whereas for his mother, he would be lucky if he were able to write out a paragraph. All he knew of her was that she grew up without a family, that he, apparently, resembled her a lot because of his hair, that she wore glasses, and that she loved children.

 

The boy, who had been procrastinating, finally started to read through the article over the deaths of his parents, as the lunch break was about to end soon.

 

“Tragic Crash Takes the Lives of Odaiba Teachers…” he started.

 

He sighed and set the article down again. He still couldn't bring himself to read it. No matter how curious he was, he just couldn't read beyond the title of the article. When looking for it, the main thing that he skimmed for were their names. He saw that their names were in the first line and figured that that was the article he was looking for.

 

He was about to try reading it again, when he heard voices coming from outside the computer lab door…

 

`Mimi-san…and…Yamato-san?'

****

“I finally caught up with you. I've been looking around for you, and had some free time. I just came from the lunch room, and your friends said you were probably headed here.”

 

“Is something wrong?”

 

“Oh, no, nothing like that. I'm fine.”

 

“That's good, one crisis is enough,” the girl muttered darkly as she thought back to Sunday.

 

“Crisis? What crisis?”

 

“Well, it's not really a crisis, just a personal problem that's still being resolved, so no need to worry,” she assured him. “So, what do you need?”

 

“Well, I was just wondering…”

****

“Doesn't he have the most beautiful eyes and the handsomest face…”

 

`Ken-kun is cuter,' thought Miyako.

****

“…if you were doing anything on Saturday night.”

 

“This Saturday?”

 

“Yeah. I was wondering if you'd like to go to that dance thing.”

****

Koushirou got a somewhat concerned look on his face. `The dance? Is he asking her to the dance?'

****

“Yamato-san is asking her to the dance?!”

 

“Lucky!” Yuuko cried, tears streaming down her face.

****

Mimi started to jump up and down in place excitedly. “I really would like to go just to see how it turns out. I was even going through a catalog a few nights ago planning to accessorize for mine in advanced!”

****

`She would actually want to go to something like that?' He smacked his head in stupidity. `Of course she would. Mimi-san is outgoing and social; of course she'd want to go to something like that…especially since it was her idea to begin with…'

****

“If she accepts his invite, what will Izumi-senpai think?”

 

“Do you think we were wrong about the two secretly dating?”

 

“I think so,” Miyako nodded slowly. She sighed out in relief. `Thank goodness…'

****

“But wait, I can't go to the dance.”

****

“Sounds good to me,” muttered Koushirou.

****

“Ooo, so they really are a secret pair!”

 

“It can't be. How could they keep something like that secret?” the girl frowned. `How could Izumi-senpai keep that away from me? How could Mimi-sama take him away like that? I thought she was my friend…”

****

“You can't? How come?”

 

“Well, I'm not a third year. The dance is for third-year students only.”

****

Koushirou sighed out in relief after hearing that.

****

“I know, but you'll be able to attend it if you can go along with a third year as his partner.”

 

“Who would ask me?” She looked around, as if expecting someone to show up to ask her to the dance. “Do you know someone?”

 

Yamato nearly face-faulted from the girl's response.

 

“What?” Mimi asked in confusion.

****

Both Yuuko and Miyako sweat dropped, and asked, “She's kidding, right?”

****

`She isn't interested in him?' Koushirou thought in surprise. He then sarcastically muttered aloud, “I thought all girls were. They're just as annoying as those idiots in the `I love Mimi-chan' club…”

****

“Eh…Mimi, I was wondering if you could come with me as my partner for the dance.”

 

“Wow! Really?” He nodded. “I would love to go! I can't wait to see how it turns out! Wait, I thought you were going to play for it.”

 

“Only if I couldn't find someone to go with me…and the other guys have partners for the dance…”

 

“But why ask me?”

****

`Yeah, why her? There are a ton of other girls at this school who would jump at the chance to join him for something like that!'

****

“Oh, Yamato-san, there are lots of girls in this school who would love to go with you to something like that,” Mimi smiled to him.

****

“I would, I would! Pick me, Ishida-senpai!” Yuuko nearly shouted out.

 

“Shuuuuuush!”

 

“What are you two doing?” a voice from behind the duo asked, which caused both to nearly scream from being startled so.

 

They turned to see two girls in similar uniforms looking displeased.

 

“Erm, hi there, Ayame-san, Chinatsu-san,” Miyako greeted nervously.

 

“What are you two doing?” Chinatsu asked again.

 

“Yeah, how come you left so soon? We waited around for you to come back.”

 

“Shh, be quiet,” instructed Yuuko urgently.

 

Chinatsu shook her head in disgust as she looked around the corner. “Ugh! I can't believe it! You two are spying on Mimi-chan?!”

 

“You two are just as bad as Seki-kun, Yuuji-kun, and the rest put together”

 

“You guys, just be quiet. Miya-chan and I were curious about something.”

 

The other two didn't say anything, and just quieted down, figuring that it had to have been something important to resort to spying in the first place.

****

“Yeah, you're right, but most of those girls treat me as `Yamato-kun of the Teen-Age Wolves'. Don't you remember the way Daisuke's sister used to act around me? Jun was almost impossible! I was so glad when she got over me. It made it easy to just talk to her. Either way, girls like that do not treat me as `Ishida Yamato' the person, like you or Miyako-chan, or even her older sister, Chizuru-san. I would have asked Sora, but someone already asked her,” he explained. `She was off-limits from the beginning…'

****

“How did you two become such good friends for him to call you `Miyako-chan'?” Yuuko cried.

 

“That's what I would like to know,” Ayame chimed in.

 

“Both you and Mimi-chan are actually pretty lucky,” Chinatsu nodded. “You're date material for a celebrity. How did you get to know him?”

 

“Mimi-oneesama met him through summer camp about five years ago. I met both Yamato-san and Mimi-sama through his younger brother,” the girl explained quickly.

****

“Oh, so you just wanted a friend to go along with you.”

 

“Yeah, that's pretty much it,” he stated bluntly.

****

`She's probably going to go. I couldn't see her turning down something like that.'

 

For some reason, this bothered the boy some. Even though the two were just friends, the idea of Mimi going out with every local teenage girl's fantasy dream guy just bugged him, but what bugged him most was the fact that he felt bugged in the first place. Yamato was his friend too, and a nice overall guy…

****

“Well, there's nothing wrong with that. I would really like to go…”

 

“From your tone, you don't sound too convinced that you can make it.”

 

“It's just a little short notice. I don't even have anything to wear and I'm not sure if there's anything else that I needed to do.”

 

“Well, if you can't go, I could try asking someone else, like Chizuru-san, but it wouldn't surprise me if she already had someone to go along with her,” he told her almost disappointingly.

****

“She doesn't,” murmured Miyako aloud.

****

“Well, you never know, but I don't mind going with you. I'm glad that you see me as that close of a friend to even consider asking me.”

 

“I've known you for almost five years, and in a way, feels like it's been even longer than that, so why not, right?”

 

Mimi laughed. “Okay, I'll go!”

****

“So much for our theory,” Miyako told the other three, resolutely, even though in her mind, she was cheering.

 

“What theory?” asked Chinatsu.

 

“Mi-chan and Koushirou-kun dating in secret!”

 

The girls walked off to leave Mimi and Yamato alone to discuss.

 

“You two would actually think that Mimi-chan would date someone without telling us at least?”

 

“I'm surprised you would think that,” Chinatsu scolded.

 

“Well, Yuuko-san told me that Mimi-sama kissed Izumi-senpai!”

 

“And Miya-chan told me that Koushirou-kun had been taking Mi-chan out to dinner! His treat!”

 

“Wait, you didn't know about the kiss?” Ayame asked Miyako.

 

She shook her head. “I thought Yuuko-san was talking about something else.”

 

“What?” Chinatsu asked.

 

“Do you three know why she missed the party on Sunday?”

 

“We just figured that whatever it was she had to do with Izumi-kun took longer than expected.”

 

Ayame and Yuuko nodded in agreement.

 

“Well, that's partially it, but there's a bit more to it. If she hasn't mentioned it on her own to you, then I probably shouldn't either. She'll probably tell you three eventually, and it's not anything scandalous.”

 

The three didn't question the younger girl and respected Miyako's decision of not sharing it with them.

 

“Well, at least we know that it isn't true, her and Izumi-kun dating, although,” Chinatsu smiled a little, “it would be pretty interesting if they were.”

 

“Oh!! Who tells Misao-kun and Yuuji-kun that Mi-chan is going out with Ishida-senpai?”

 

Ayame laughed. “Koushirou-kun is no longer a threat to them now, only the best looking guy in school is!”

 

“No!! The hottest guy in all of Odaiba! No!! In all of Kanto!!” Yuuko corrected.

 

They all laughed.

 

“It's almost time for me to head back. Bye guys.”

 

With that, Miyako ran off, feeling a lot better knowing the truth. She decided to head back to class, while Yuuko, Ayame, and Chinatsu headed back to the lunch room, all glad that neither of them was noticed by Yamato or Mimi…

****

“Thanks a lot, Mimi!”

 

“It's no problem,” Mimi smiled playfully at the taller, handsome blonde, “but if I find out that Chizuru-san didn't have a partner for the dance, then I will definitely hurt you.”

 

“She seems to be well-known, so that's why it wouldn't surprise me if someone had already asked her.” Yamato looked down at his watch. “Whoa, I have to get going. I'll give you a call later, okay?”

 

“Sure thing. See you later.”

 

After Yamato walked off, Mimi registered all that had just happened. She was going to attend the dance for the third-year students, even though she was an underclassman. She couldn't wait to share her news with Koushirou and the others, especially Sora. She figured that the two of them could accessorize.

 

She slid open the computer lab door to find Koushirou just lounging around. “Koushirou-kun,” she called excitedly in sing-song, unable to contain her excitement, “I'm so happy!” She started to twirl as if she were in some kind of a beautiful fantasy world and taking in the scenery. “Yamato-san just asked me to be his partner for the dance this Saturday!” She stopped twirling and stood in front of the boy, who was still sitting in front of the computer. “Isn't that great?!”

 

“Yeah, I suppose so,” he stated casually. He really didn't want to discuss it. “Well, I guess we should get back to this project. We have all of the information that we need.”

 

“Wait, what about the dance? Aren't you happy for me?”

 

“Yes, I am,” he said again, the same dull voice as before. “Now, as I was saying, we really ought to get this presentation together. You said so yourself.”

 

“I know, but couldn't we talk about something fun for a while first? This is the first time in days that I've been really happy about something since I keep thinking back to Sunday…”

 

“Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to seem insensitive,” he hastily apologized, guilt setting in.

 

“It's okay.” She took the seat in the computer lab chair beside him. “So, are we still going to Odaiba Elementary School this afternoon?”

 

“No, that's okay. We have what we need.”

 

“But what about your mother? I thought you wanted to find out some more things about her.”

 

“Yes, but I can't go, okay!”

 

“How come?”

 

“Because we have what we need!”

 

“No we don't!” Mimi argued back, getting into his face. She was starting to grow annoyed over his attitude. It was odd how his attitude seemed to fluctuate at times, and seems it was mostly lately that this had been happening. “You need more information other than she died! You don't even know what grade she taught there!”

 

“I said to forget it! I'm not going to that school and there's nothing that can make me!” He then looked at her crossly and stubbornly crossed his arms. “Besides, you should probably hurry up and get ready for your little dance with Yamato-san!”

 

Surprised over how harshly he was speaking with her, and how sarcastic and rude he was being, she asked, with an arched eyebrow, “What is wrong with you?”

 

“Nothing, okay!”

 

With that, Mimi rose from her chair. She'd grown tired of this bickering session and was literally feeling anger towards the boy. “I just don't understand you, Koushirou! First you were acting very nice to me, and I really loved it and spending time with you in that type of a setting, but now you're jumping down my throat and snapping at me for no reason at all!” She stomped away from him, but stopped after she opened the door. “Sora-san was right; I shouldn't even bother trying to figure you out anymore!” her voice quivered. “I finally thought…that…we…” she trailed off, unable to finish.

 

With that, the girl tossed her long hair over her shoulder, and slammed the door shut. She didn't want to cry and had to compose herself.

 

Koushirou felt like vanishing as he heard her running away. `I'm such an idiot! Why did I do that? It's not her fault that I have to serve a punishment. Why couldn't I just tell her that?' He rested his head in the palms of his hands, sighing heavily. `Why have I been acting so dumb when it comes to her lately anyway?'

 

Unable to answer his own question, and refusing to even think the obvious, the boy rose from his seat and left the computer lab. When he left, though, he'd, unknowingly, dropped the copy of the article. Even though he used the excuse of being punished as to why he argued with Mimi in the first place, there was something else really bothering him, and that something was named Ishida Yamato. If it had been a couple of years earlier, he probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.

 

A while after Koushirou left, Mimi came back. She felt a little better, and figured that she should talk to him again to get an apology from him. A genuine apology, which would show that he knew what he was apologizing for.

 

She opened the door and walked in. “Koushirou, I---”

 

She stopped when she saw that the room was empty. She figured that he'd already headed back to class, as the lunch period was nearly over. On her way out, she felt that she'd stepped on something. She knelt down and checked the bottom of her shoe to find a sheet of paper. She glanced over it. “This is the article about his parents' deaths. I wonder why he left it…”

 

Mimi folded up the piece of paper and stuffed it into her pocket. When she got back to class, she noticed that Koushirou didn't even glance her way. He started to, but stopped and suddenly took an interest in his text book. To Mimi, it even looked as though he were slightly blushing. It was quite obvious to the girl that he wanted to apologize, but Mimi took this personally. She felt that she had done something that had obviously provoked him. She took her seat. She was so lost in thought over it, she didn't even mention to Yuuko or Ayame of how she was asked to the dance.

 

`Maybe Koushirou is upset because I didn't pay for anything. No, that can't be it. He offered and it would be unusual for someone to offer something if he had no true intentions of going through with it.'

 

The girl sat through the remainder of her tests, preoccupied over what she could do to get Koushirou to lighten up. The only thing she could come up with, though, was to find some information on Misayoshi Miki herself. She knew how much Koushirou really wanted to learn about her and had made a deal over it just a day or so earlier.

 

`If he doesn't want to go to Odaiba Elementary to find out about Misayoshi-san, then I will! I don't know why he wants to avoid the place or why he doesn't want to go, but I'll go!'

 

After school ended, Mimi took off. She was going to her former elementary school whether Koushirou wanted her to go or not…

 

Fic Chapter Changes

 

I calmed down on Taichi's thinking Sora was going out of her way to avoid him.

 

I changed the dance from Friday to Saturday.