[Fanfic] Gravity [Chapter 4]
Title: Gravity [Chapter 4]
Rating: T
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: All they've been doing since they first started working together was keep moving forward and never looking back. But when one person has fallen, and the other is forced to stop, what would they think of themselves now?
Notes: Well, this took a while, didn't it? I'm sorry for the delay. Work has piled up a bit, and I don't know why I kept pushing this story aside. But I finally pushed myself to finish this (with the help of moodylollipop) and it's now done. A big thank you to bar_ohki for informing me of Mamori's mother's name according to the English mangas. Seriously, I don't know why it's so hard to find information like these... -__-
There's one more chapter to go with this story (if all goes well). But I have a hunch that there might be another final chapter to go with that, depending on my mood of writing at the time. The problem is that November is about to arrive, and when it's November... it's NaNoWriMo time! I have no idea when will I work on this next chapter, but hopefully I take a short break from NaNoWriMo to pursue this an another ongoing fic for a bit. Till then, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
~*~
Honjou Taka sat idly in the study room, reading an English novel he had borrowed from the library. He would have loved to read it outside of the campus, where he could find a quiet spot underneath one of the trees and have some peace there. But it was cold today, so he was forced to stay inside with people whispering or pointing at him as they walked past or sat nearby. A lot of people around him knew who he was, and tended to find the wide receiver’s reading hobby a little odd. But there were also some who thought reading suited his rather quiet personality, giving him the image of a deep thinker.
On the contrary, Taka only read these novels because the idea of other people experiencing such strange predicaments that could only be found in such novels, fascinated him. Angst, heartbreak, hope, rebellion… All of these were things he found vaguely familiar when he stood on the football field, watching those around him. But once outside the field, these things eluded him to the point of fascination. Silent fascination. Despite his curiosity, he still preferred to stay an observer.
The sound of a beep distracted him from his reading. Tearing his eyes away from his book, he looked up to see Yamato Takeru, who seemed to have just ended a conversation as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Who did you talk to?” asked Taka.
Yamato approached the table Taka was at in the study room and took a seat himself. He let out a little sigh before explaining to Taka. “Got a call from our Captain,” he said, grinning a little as he recalled how Hiruma Youichi deemed himself the leader of the Saikyoudai Wizards before anyone could protest. Not like they could anyways, seeing that he had a ‘weapon’ that could silence them all.
Taka blinked, finding the idea of the head demon calling Yamato strange. Normally, he would just silently nod and not question further. But if it involved Hiruma… “He called you? Why?”
“Believe it or not, he’s fallen sick,” answered Yamato, still grinning. “He didn’t give any details on what kind of sickness he’s got, but he said that as he won’t be around for practice, he’s letting the two of us take care of things for now.”
Taka raised an eyebrow. “Two of us? What about Anezaki-san?”
“Seems that he’s roped her in to assist him, more so now that he’s unwell,” said Yamato. “So he’s probably gonna keep her caged up until he deems it fit.”
“That’s a strange thing to do…” Taka frowned. “If his sickness is contagious, then it isn’t good to keep her close to his side.”
Yamato chuckled a little as he rested his elbows against the table. “Maybe he’s already spread it to her. It won’t be surprising since they’re always together.”
Taka contemplated this for a moment. What Yamato said was true, they were always together. Only on rare occasions would he catch them separately, heading towards their own classes. He would sometimes catch Anezaki studying with a group of her own friends here in the library. Or he would find Hiruma in the club house alone, going through some of the plays. But other than that, they were always together. Always discussing, always bickering, always looking out for each other, almost like…
Yamato grinned, noting the change in Taka’s facial expression. “I’m sure your guess is as good as mine with what’s going on with those two,” said Yamato. “They’re definitely an interesting pair.”
Taka nodded, as he glanced at the novel still in his hands. Ah yes, there was always something about these stories that fascinated him too. Was it happening between their captain and his manager? Yet for some reason, he had a feeling that none of the novels he read would have the ability to capture what was really going on between those two. They’re quite… different.
“Well, no use thinking about those two,” said Yamato, breaking Taka’s line of thought once more. “We have quite a lot of work to do. Starting with… feeding that demon dog.”
The image of Cerberus starving and chasing after them made Taka frown. Sure, they had the ability to dodge and escape it, but that dog was still a pain. Sighing, Taka nodded and got up with Yamato.
Anezaki Mami found it hard to believe that the boy, whom she had heard so much about from her daughter, and had seen only a number of times, had called her. For a moment, she thought that it may have been a prank, but Hiruma Youichi assured her that this was no prank and that her daughter had fallen ill.
It was at times like these that she wished she had trusted her motherly instincts more. She knew Mamori was about to fall ill, but she had thought that her daughter could take care of herself. The fact that Mamori left her home to go to his place baffled her. It was rather unusual, and she wondered if the stress of classes and football had finally gotten to her.
She finally arrived at Hiruma’s place, checking the small piece of paper that she scribbled the address on carefully. Once she was sure, she promptly knocked on the door.
Hiruma answered the door, being strangely polite. “Thank you for coming,” he said.
“No, no,” Mami shook her head. “I’m sorry that my daughter has caused you so much trouble. Where is she? I’ll go check on her.”
Hiruma nodded. “You can leave your things on the table… if you don’t mind.” It was obvious that the boy was feeling rather uncomfortable.
She smiled, amused by the sight. While Mamori was still at Deimon, there were days when she would come back frustrated and obviously agitated. When Mami asked why, her daughter poured out her anger… how the football captain was rude to her, how he tended to mistreat her and the rest of the team, how he would just laugh at other people’s pain. She knew her daughter wasn’t lying, so it was a strange sight to see Hiruma, the known demon, be so polite.
She placed the bag she had brought on the table and followed Hiruma to, where she guessed, was his room. She saw Mamori, asleep and lying pretty still. Mami kneeled by the bed and pressed her hand against Mamori’s forehead.
Instantly Mamori’s eyes opened. “Mom…” she whispered. “Why…?”
“Oh, Mamori, I warned you, didn’t I?” said Mami, looking very concerned.
Mamori groaned. “I’m sorry… I don’t know what came over me. Are you… taking me home?”
Mami shook her head. “Your father won’t be home until late, and I really don’t recommend moving around in this weather, especially at night.”
“But… Hiruma-kun…”
Mami looked at Hiruma at this point as he stood by the doorway. He merely shrugged at her, feigning ignorance over this predicament. She looked back at Mamori and said, “You’ll have to stay here until tomorrow. I’ll tell your father to take some time off to come and pick you up. Until then, all I can do is prepare something for you to eat and give you some medicine before I head back.”
“Urgh…” was all Mamori could say as she tried to get up. Mami was about to stop her when she realized her daughter was getting up to look at Hiruma.
She watched as the two of them shared a look for a moment, no words uttered between them until finally, the boy cracked into a grin and said, “I’ll let you know.” With that, he walked away.
Mamori laid back, letting out a sigh. “What was that?” asked Mami.
“Eh… what?” she replied.
“Just now, between you and Hiruma… That was an odd exchange.”
“Oh, that…” Mamori closed her eyes, as though in deep thought. “I was just letting him know that I’m really sorry and I intend to pay him back.”
Mami blinked in surprise. “But you guys didn’t say anything! You didn’t even use those hand signals you showed me before!”
“Hmm… I suppose you’re right…”
“So how did he know?” Mami pressed on.
Mamori looked at her mother and shrugged a little. “I used to give him that look before… especially during those times when I’d use his laptop and accidentally delete some files or I didn’t save it properly. He knows what it means.”
Mami’s jaw dropped a little, noticing how unnerved her daughter was. She was tempted to point out that such forms of communication is unheard of until it occurred to her that Mami herself had done it before…
With her own husband.
“Mom?” said Mamori, looking at her mother curiously. “Are you all right?”
Mami snapped out of her thoughts and quickly shook her head. “It’s nothing, dear. It’s almost past lunch now. I’ll go make you something to eat. In the meantime, get some rest.”
Mamori nodded, her eyes wandering for a bit before finally closing them.
Mami stepped out of the room to find Hiruma in front of his laptop in the small hall, something which she knew he tended to do thanks to her daughter. “I’ll be cooking lunch. Mind if I use the kitchen?”
Hiruma nodded wordlessly, and proceeded to show her the kitchen, also directing her where the utensils were. Mami was a little surprised by how orderly everything was, until she remembered that Mamori came here often. She knew her daughter would not sit still until everything was in its proper place and it was kept that way.
Mami then took out the ingredients she brought in her bag and proceeded to prepare and cook porridge. It was a simple dish, and one she knew Mamori would crave whenever she was feeling unwell. Once done, she prepared two bowls and poured the porridge in both of them.
She took one of the bowls and was about to enter Hiruma’s room, but she stopped to look at the boy, still in front of his laptop and said, “I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet. I made some porridge for you too, if that’s all right. If you think it’s too bland, I put the seasonings beside the bowl.”
She saw the boy’s eyes twitch a little, and he frowned in annoyance. But it was quickly replaced with his usual poker face, and with his eyes still glued to the screen, he nodded.
Mami then went to bring Mamori her food, and sat beside her as she watched her daughter eat the porridge slowly. Mamori smiled. “I’ve always liked this…”
Mami laughed. “You say that every time I make this for you when you’re unwell. Somehow, it feels as though you haven’t changed a bit.”
Mamori frowned childishly. “I have! There’s just… some things that would probably stay the same. Like my love for creampuffs.”
Mami nodded. “Yes, yes… there are some things that will never change. Yet even so…” she glanced at the doorway for a moment. “I have a feeling there’s still a lot of changes waiting ahead of you.”
Mamori looked at her mother curiously, but she didn’t pursue the matter. She soon finished her lunch, and Mami gave her daughter some medicine, and watched over her a moment as Mamori finally drifted back into a deep sleep.
Once she was sure it was all right, Mami got up and left the room. She wasn’t sure what she had expected to see outside the room, but she definitely wasn’t expecting the dishes to all be clean and a cup of hot coffee waiting for her at the table. She looked at Hiruma, to find him still in front of his laptop, busily typing.
“Did you…?” she started, but Hiruma cut her off.
“Thanks for lunch,” he said really quickly.
Mami smiled knowingly as she sat at the table and took a sip of her coffee. It was sweet… a little too sweet. Did he expect her to have the same taste as Mamori? “Thank you for taking care of my daughter.”
“It’s nothing,” he replied, still keeping his eyes on the screen. Mami felt as though there was more to his reply, but not knowing much about this boy, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“She’s quite a handful, isn’t she?” said Mami, taking another sip of her coffee. She was sure she saw a smile appear at the corner of the boy’s lips. “You know… while I was taking care of her just now… I remembered something.”
The boy did not respond, but she could tell that he was listening.
“When Mamori was small, she used to help me around the house a lot. Even during primary school, she’d always help me after classes. Then one day she fell ill… a fever and a sore throat, just like this one.”
The boy’s typing did not slow, though his eyes glazed a little.
“So she stayed home, and I told her to stay in her room and rest. And yet… she’d follow me. She wanted to help me do the chores as well. I told her that she couldn’t. That she’d fall even sicker. But she insisted to at least be with me. While I was doing the laundry, she’d wrap herself in a blanket and watch me from a distance. While I folded the clothes, she’d lean against me, sleeping. When I’m cleaning one of the rooms, she’d be in there. I never did grasp what was really going on and why she did it. But for some reason, today… I finally understand why.”
Hiruma stopped typing. Mami wasn’t sure whether the boy understood what she’d said, he seemed to have registered her words, but he wasn’t showing any reaction. Mami finished up her coffee and proceeded into the kitchen. She then began to pack up, carefully leaving some canned food on the table, knowing that they might need it.
Hiruma had left his laptop by then, watching her as she picked up her bags and headed towards the door. Hiruma opened it, and muttered, “Thanks…”
It was so silent that Mami nearly missed it. But she caught it just in time to see the boy blushing lightly. Mami suppressed a laugh. With a deep bow, she said to him, “Please look after her.”
And without looking at the boy’s reaction, Anezaki Mami walked off, feeling oddly pleased.
~*~
Extra Notes: What Mamori's mother says at the end is actually quite interesting... if I kept it in Japanese. "Kanojo wo yoroshiku onegai shimasu" would be what I'dve written there. Kanojo can be used to refer to a girl, like the terms she or her. But it is also commonly used to refer to a "girlfriend"... Yeah. It can be an easily misunderstood word, depending on the sentence.
And if you don't know yet, "yoroshiku" pretty much means completely leaving one's self in another person's care. It's a pretty powerful word in the Japanese language, which shows trust and vulnerability. And with that, I shall leave you wondering how Hiruma's reaction to that would be. ^^
Chapter 3 | Chapter 5
Rating: T
Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters used here. They belong to their respective owners, namely the creators of Eyeshield 21.
Summary: All they've been doing since they first started working together was keep moving forward and never looking back. But when one person has fallen, and the other is forced to stop, what would they think of themselves now?
Notes: Well, this took a while, didn't it? I'm sorry for the delay. Work has piled up a bit, and I don't know why I kept pushing this story aside. But I finally pushed myself to finish this (with the help of moodylollipop) and it's now done. A big thank you to bar_ohki for informing me of Mamori's mother's name according to the English mangas. Seriously, I don't know why it's so hard to find information like these... -__-
There's one more chapter to go with this story (if all goes well). But I have a hunch that there might be another final chapter to go with that, depending on my mood of writing at the time. The problem is that November is about to arrive, and when it's November... it's NaNoWriMo time! I have no idea when will I work on this next chapter, but hopefully I take a short break from NaNoWriMo to pursue this an another ongoing fic for a bit. Till then, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
~*~
Honjou Taka sat idly in the study room, reading an English novel he had borrowed from the library. He would have loved to read it outside of the campus, where he could find a quiet spot underneath one of the trees and have some peace there. But it was cold today, so he was forced to stay inside with people whispering or pointing at him as they walked past or sat nearby. A lot of people around him knew who he was, and tended to find the wide receiver’s reading hobby a little odd. But there were also some who thought reading suited his rather quiet personality, giving him the image of a deep thinker.
On the contrary, Taka only read these novels because the idea of other people experiencing such strange predicaments that could only be found in such novels, fascinated him. Angst, heartbreak, hope, rebellion… All of these were things he found vaguely familiar when he stood on the football field, watching those around him. But once outside the field, these things eluded him to the point of fascination. Silent fascination. Despite his curiosity, he still preferred to stay an observer.
The sound of a beep distracted him from his reading. Tearing his eyes away from his book, he looked up to see Yamato Takeru, who seemed to have just ended a conversation as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Who did you talk to?” asked Taka.
Yamato approached the table Taka was at in the study room and took a seat himself. He let out a little sigh before explaining to Taka. “Got a call from our Captain,” he said, grinning a little as he recalled how Hiruma Youichi deemed himself the leader of the Saikyoudai Wizards before anyone could protest. Not like they could anyways, seeing that he had a ‘weapon’ that could silence them all.
Taka blinked, finding the idea of the head demon calling Yamato strange. Normally, he would just silently nod and not question further. But if it involved Hiruma… “He called you? Why?”
“Believe it or not, he’s fallen sick,” answered Yamato, still grinning. “He didn’t give any details on what kind of sickness he’s got, but he said that as he won’t be around for practice, he’s letting the two of us take care of things for now.”
Taka raised an eyebrow. “Two of us? What about Anezaki-san?”
“Seems that he’s roped her in to assist him, more so now that he’s unwell,” said Yamato. “So he’s probably gonna keep her caged up until he deems it fit.”
“That’s a strange thing to do…” Taka frowned. “If his sickness is contagious, then it isn’t good to keep her close to his side.”
Yamato chuckled a little as he rested his elbows against the table. “Maybe he’s already spread it to her. It won’t be surprising since they’re always together.”
Taka contemplated this for a moment. What Yamato said was true, they were always together. Only on rare occasions would he catch them separately, heading towards their own classes. He would sometimes catch Anezaki studying with a group of her own friends here in the library. Or he would find Hiruma in the club house alone, going through some of the plays. But other than that, they were always together. Always discussing, always bickering, always looking out for each other, almost like…
Yamato grinned, noting the change in Taka’s facial expression. “I’m sure your guess is as good as mine with what’s going on with those two,” said Yamato. “They’re definitely an interesting pair.”
Taka nodded, as he glanced at the novel still in his hands. Ah yes, there was always something about these stories that fascinated him too. Was it happening between their captain and his manager? Yet for some reason, he had a feeling that none of the novels he read would have the ability to capture what was really going on between those two. They’re quite… different.
“Well, no use thinking about those two,” said Yamato, breaking Taka’s line of thought once more. “We have quite a lot of work to do. Starting with… feeding that demon dog.”
The image of Cerberus starving and chasing after them made Taka frown. Sure, they had the ability to dodge and escape it, but that dog was still a pain. Sighing, Taka nodded and got up with Yamato.
Anezaki Mami found it hard to believe that the boy, whom she had heard so much about from her daughter, and had seen only a number of times, had called her. For a moment, she thought that it may have been a prank, but Hiruma Youichi assured her that this was no prank and that her daughter had fallen ill.
It was at times like these that she wished she had trusted her motherly instincts more. She knew Mamori was about to fall ill, but she had thought that her daughter could take care of herself. The fact that Mamori left her home to go to his place baffled her. It was rather unusual, and she wondered if the stress of classes and football had finally gotten to her.
She finally arrived at Hiruma’s place, checking the small piece of paper that she scribbled the address on carefully. Once she was sure, she promptly knocked on the door.
Hiruma answered the door, being strangely polite. “Thank you for coming,” he said.
“No, no,” Mami shook her head. “I’m sorry that my daughter has caused you so much trouble. Where is she? I’ll go check on her.”
Hiruma nodded. “You can leave your things on the table… if you don’t mind.” It was obvious that the boy was feeling rather uncomfortable.
She smiled, amused by the sight. While Mamori was still at Deimon, there were days when she would come back frustrated and obviously agitated. When Mami asked why, her daughter poured out her anger… how the football captain was rude to her, how he tended to mistreat her and the rest of the team, how he would just laugh at other people’s pain. She knew her daughter wasn’t lying, so it was a strange sight to see Hiruma, the known demon, be so polite.
She placed the bag she had brought on the table and followed Hiruma to, where she guessed, was his room. She saw Mamori, asleep and lying pretty still. Mami kneeled by the bed and pressed her hand against Mamori’s forehead.
Instantly Mamori’s eyes opened. “Mom…” she whispered. “Why…?”
“Oh, Mamori, I warned you, didn’t I?” said Mami, looking very concerned.
Mamori groaned. “I’m sorry… I don’t know what came over me. Are you… taking me home?”
Mami shook her head. “Your father won’t be home until late, and I really don’t recommend moving around in this weather, especially at night.”
“But… Hiruma-kun…”
Mami looked at Hiruma at this point as he stood by the doorway. He merely shrugged at her, feigning ignorance over this predicament. She looked back at Mamori and said, “You’ll have to stay here until tomorrow. I’ll tell your father to take some time off to come and pick you up. Until then, all I can do is prepare something for you to eat and give you some medicine before I head back.”
“Urgh…” was all Mamori could say as she tried to get up. Mami was about to stop her when she realized her daughter was getting up to look at Hiruma.
She watched as the two of them shared a look for a moment, no words uttered between them until finally, the boy cracked into a grin and said, “I’ll let you know.” With that, he walked away.
Mamori laid back, letting out a sigh. “What was that?” asked Mami.
“Eh… what?” she replied.
“Just now, between you and Hiruma… That was an odd exchange.”
“Oh, that…” Mamori closed her eyes, as though in deep thought. “I was just letting him know that I’m really sorry and I intend to pay him back.”
Mami blinked in surprise. “But you guys didn’t say anything! You didn’t even use those hand signals you showed me before!”
“Hmm… I suppose you’re right…”
“So how did he know?” Mami pressed on.
Mamori looked at her mother and shrugged a little. “I used to give him that look before… especially during those times when I’d use his laptop and accidentally delete some files or I didn’t save it properly. He knows what it means.”
Mami’s jaw dropped a little, noticing how unnerved her daughter was. She was tempted to point out that such forms of communication is unheard of until it occurred to her that Mami herself had done it before…
With her own husband.
“Mom?” said Mamori, looking at her mother curiously. “Are you all right?”
Mami snapped out of her thoughts and quickly shook her head. “It’s nothing, dear. It’s almost past lunch now. I’ll go make you something to eat. In the meantime, get some rest.”
Mamori nodded, her eyes wandering for a bit before finally closing them.
Mami stepped out of the room to find Hiruma in front of his laptop in the small hall, something which she knew he tended to do thanks to her daughter. “I’ll be cooking lunch. Mind if I use the kitchen?”
Hiruma nodded wordlessly, and proceeded to show her the kitchen, also directing her where the utensils were. Mami was a little surprised by how orderly everything was, until she remembered that Mamori came here often. She knew her daughter would not sit still until everything was in its proper place and it was kept that way.
Mami then took out the ingredients she brought in her bag and proceeded to prepare and cook porridge. It was a simple dish, and one she knew Mamori would crave whenever she was feeling unwell. Once done, she prepared two bowls and poured the porridge in both of them.
She took one of the bowls and was about to enter Hiruma’s room, but she stopped to look at the boy, still in front of his laptop and said, “I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet. I made some porridge for you too, if that’s all right. If you think it’s too bland, I put the seasonings beside the bowl.”
She saw the boy’s eyes twitch a little, and he frowned in annoyance. But it was quickly replaced with his usual poker face, and with his eyes still glued to the screen, he nodded.
Mami then went to bring Mamori her food, and sat beside her as she watched her daughter eat the porridge slowly. Mamori smiled. “I’ve always liked this…”
Mami laughed. “You say that every time I make this for you when you’re unwell. Somehow, it feels as though you haven’t changed a bit.”
Mamori frowned childishly. “I have! There’s just… some things that would probably stay the same. Like my love for creampuffs.”
Mami nodded. “Yes, yes… there are some things that will never change. Yet even so…” she glanced at the doorway for a moment. “I have a feeling there’s still a lot of changes waiting ahead of you.”
Mamori looked at her mother curiously, but she didn’t pursue the matter. She soon finished her lunch, and Mami gave her daughter some medicine, and watched over her a moment as Mamori finally drifted back into a deep sleep.
Once she was sure it was all right, Mami got up and left the room. She wasn’t sure what she had expected to see outside the room, but she definitely wasn’t expecting the dishes to all be clean and a cup of hot coffee waiting for her at the table. She looked at Hiruma, to find him still in front of his laptop, busily typing.
“Did you…?” she started, but Hiruma cut her off.
“Thanks for lunch,” he said really quickly.
Mami smiled knowingly as she sat at the table and took a sip of her coffee. It was sweet… a little too sweet. Did he expect her to have the same taste as Mamori? “Thank you for taking care of my daughter.”
“It’s nothing,” he replied, still keeping his eyes on the screen. Mami felt as though there was more to his reply, but not knowing much about this boy, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“She’s quite a handful, isn’t she?” said Mami, taking another sip of her coffee. She was sure she saw a smile appear at the corner of the boy’s lips. “You know… while I was taking care of her just now… I remembered something.”
The boy did not respond, but she could tell that he was listening.
“When Mamori was small, she used to help me around the house a lot. Even during primary school, she’d always help me after classes. Then one day she fell ill… a fever and a sore throat, just like this one.”
The boy’s typing did not slow, though his eyes glazed a little.
“So she stayed home, and I told her to stay in her room and rest. And yet… she’d follow me. She wanted to help me do the chores as well. I told her that she couldn’t. That she’d fall even sicker. But she insisted to at least be with me. While I was doing the laundry, she’d wrap herself in a blanket and watch me from a distance. While I folded the clothes, she’d lean against me, sleeping. When I’m cleaning one of the rooms, she’d be in there. I never did grasp what was really going on and why she did it. But for some reason, today… I finally understand why.”
Hiruma stopped typing. Mami wasn’t sure whether the boy understood what she’d said, he seemed to have registered her words, but he wasn’t showing any reaction. Mami finished up her coffee and proceeded into the kitchen. She then began to pack up, carefully leaving some canned food on the table, knowing that they might need it.
Hiruma had left his laptop by then, watching her as she picked up her bags and headed towards the door. Hiruma opened it, and muttered, “Thanks…”
It was so silent that Mami nearly missed it. But she caught it just in time to see the boy blushing lightly. Mami suppressed a laugh. With a deep bow, she said to him, “Please look after her.”
And without looking at the boy’s reaction, Anezaki Mami walked off, feeling oddly pleased.
~*~
Extra Notes: What Mamori's mother says at the end is actually quite interesting... if I kept it in Japanese. "Kanojo wo yoroshiku onegai shimasu" would be what I'dve written there. Kanojo can be used to refer to a girl, like the terms she or her. But it is also commonly used to refer to a "girlfriend"... Yeah. It can be an easily misunderstood word, depending on the sentence.
And if you don't know yet, "yoroshiku" pretty much means completely leaving one's self in another person's care. It's a pretty powerful word in the Japanese language, which shows trust and vulnerability. And with that, I shall leave you wondering how Hiruma's reaction to that would be. ^^
Chapter 3 | Chapter 5