[SS] Bi-Polar Opposites Attract Trouble

"I got your names already in the restaurant. I'm Eto Fuuka. And you're wrong." Fuuka turned to face Kohaku with a straight gaze with her face containing none of her earlier sarcasm. "This world...especially this city, can be very cruel; cruel from multiple sides." Fuuka raised her gaze to look at Misaka back with Hiromi. "I have a feeling that Misaka over there has an idea of what I mean."

Fuuka didn't know much about these girls other than their annoying nice natures, but the aptitude Misaka had shown in that confrontation went beyond some normal student. She was trained for combat. Fuuka would bet money on it. But time was growing short and she didn't really feel like prying more into their lives. She turned her glance back to Kohaku.

"Just remember to consider yourself first. There's no one more important than you. If you die, you can't do anything else for yourself or anyone else. I'll make you see that truth if I ever happen to see you again. That goes for your too." Fuuka aimed the last sentence at Hiromi. Her declaration delivered, Fuuka turned and walked out of the alley, leaving the three girls alone.

All Imouto returned to Fuuka were not words, but a hardened gaze that spoke volumes of her “understanding” of Fuuka's unpleasant standing within Academy City despite the seemingly emotionless eyes that gaze came from. It wasn't as though she agreed with the odd girl since she would never actually stand on the side that encouraged violence like the girl's attitude provoked, but there was certainly no denying that Fuuka's words bore a weight of truth the other two could not understand.

Imouto looked up at the sky, and as Fuuka departed from the group, she decisively looked at both Hiromi and Kohaku and the weapons that had previously been floating around her were delicately being laid out on the ground. She set the military goggles originally resting on the top of her head in front of her eyes while adjusting them accordingly and spoke.

“'Today was fun, but it is now time for Misaka to return to her duties,' regretfully announces Misaka as she begins to walk away from the two peculiar girls. 'She trusts that these delinquents will be taken care of without delay,' she leaves behind a few parting words.” Small, barely audible steps accompanied her matter-of-factly words devoid of any warmth as she left the alleyway.

But she couldn't help a small smile that crept on her as she had her back turned to the two girls; normal people were quite peculiar indeed.

It was truly a shame that it was impossible for her to get to know them, or anyone, any better.

"Been really fun messing with you perfect good Samaritans, but I think I'll go now."

Perhaps fortunately, Fuuka's words rang out before the final ring of the phone, and not after the call had connected and the other side picked up. Although Hiromi's first instinct was to object, to say that Fuuka needed to get her arm treated, the words died unspoken in her throat when she saw Kohaku's reaction.

...They couldn't force the girl to get treated. They couldn't stop her if she decided to leave. Dislike those facts as she may, Hiromi still recognized those truths. So before the call went through, she took the phone from her year and canceled it. With Fuuka leaving and the delinquents having already removed all trace of their presence, there was no longer anyone here to treat. All that was left was to listen to what Fuuka had to say before she went.

"...Eto Fuuka."

To the end, Hiromi hadn't intruded on her and Kohaku's conversation. After all, she was the one who had asked Kohaku to take care of her. Not to mention that it was specifically Kohaku that Fuuka was speaking to. There was no place for her butt in. And so, all Hiromi could do now was watch as she left. Fuuka's last words of farewell weren't something she could give even a casual 'sayonara' to.

Once Hiromi had watched Fuuka leave, she turned back towards Misaka, who was giving a farewell of her own. It seemed that today's excitement, today's meeting, had come to an end. After this, she and Kohaku would part ways as well. But, at the very least...

"See you again!"

Words of farewell, which she had been unable to say to Fuuka. Though she faced Misaka as she spoke them, in truth, they were directed towards the both of them. The four of them had already crossed paths once; she was sure that they would meet again, someday.

In the silence left behind by the two girls and the delinquents' departure, Hiromi stood alone with Kohaku. For a short while she stood silent, fidgeting, before finally facing the other girl, the only other one who remained, and speaking.

"Well, I suppose I should get going too. I guess it's kind of odd saying this with what happened, but it was fun meeting up with you today! We should do this again sometime, Kohaku. Ah, well, not this, I mean, but, you know."

Though hardly as elegant as the other girls' farewells had been, Hiromi had spoken hers as well. With a laugh and a smile that seemed the slightest bit forced, she turned to leave the alleyway for the streets. She wasn't sure what to think of what happened, it had all happened so fast. Fun and scary, happy and sad. But probably, this was a meeting she wouldn't forget for a while.

When she thought that, the small stiffness left her smiling laugh.

Kohaku’s mind lingered on Fuuka’s final words as she made her exit from the group. No matter how much she tried to shake it off that underlying emotion that seemed to tiptoe the borderline between cynicism and pessimism nagged at her from Fuuka’s words. All she could do was simply take in her words as Fuuka turned to walk out of the alleyway.

Even as Misaka concisely gave off her farewell, all Kohaku could do was wave and smile as her mind continued to linger on the same point.

With Hiromi’s own awkward greeting of parting, all Kohaku could do was force out a single short acknowledgement as she forced off her smile.

“Ah…yeah.”

Even Hiromi’s own smile and laugh was forced. At the very least, Kohaku could feel somewhat assured in the fact that she was not the only one who could feel the strain in Fuuka’s words as she left. Being the last one left, she stared down the now empty alleyway, then back at the floor beneath her feet.

“I'll make you see that truth if I ever happen to see you again.”

As those words echoed in her mind once again, she walked out of the alleyway.

---

“Ah, hi! You’re the girl who wanted to check up on Haruka-chan, weren’t you?” The young nurse at the reception area said as soon as she saw Kohaku. “I believe it was Ko..Ka…Kanako-chan?”

“It’s Kohaku…” Kohaku corrected the upbeat nurse with a chuckle.

With a sheepish grin, the nurse gave off a stifled laugh. “Ah, right. Kohaku-chan.”

“But is she doing alright?” Closing her own chuckle, she returned back to her previous concern. She had come to check up on Haruka the night before. After all, the concern about the girl who had been hit by a car still lingered. Apparently, the rogue driver was never caught since nobody seemed to have noticed the license plate on the car before it took off. In the end, some ends were inevitably left loose.

But, at the very least, she could not let things end without confirming that Haruka would be fine. It may have been a self-indulgent wish, but Kohaku was fine letting herself sate that. There was nothing wrong with doing that at all.

But, unfortunately, the same nurse had said told her to come today since she was still in a post-op recovery stage and the hospital would be unable to provide her with any information at the time.

“Well, she’s open for visitors, though she can’t move around too much. So, just go visit her. She’s your friend, after all.” The nurse said with a smile.

“No, it’s alright. I’m not really—“ Kohaku tried to turn down the offer, but the nurse immediately interrupted.

“I insist.” She moved until her face was in front of Kohaku’s and whispered. “As a nurse I’m not normally allowed to push visitors, but come on. Don’t you think it would be wrong if her friend just walked away like this?”

“But I’m not—“

“No buts. Go ahead. Her room is 332.”

Kohaku stared at the nurse for a minute before sighing. “Fine.” She finally acquiesced.

“That’s the spirit.”

Leaving the nurse who was too energetic for her own good behind, Kohaku searched the halls for the room she was told Haruka would be found in. As she came across the door with the proper room number, she read the sole name label attached to it, saying ‘Arisawa Haruka’. After registering the deduction that it was likely a single room, she slowly opened the door to the hospital.

“Come in~” From the tone of the voice, one would not normally expect the person who was still in recovery. Following the voice, she came upon a girl laying in the lone bed with a plethora of bandages all over her body. “Ah. You’re one of the girls who was trying to help me.”

“You remember that?” Kohaku raised an eyebrow, surprised that Haruka remembered her.

“I was still partially conscious at the time and the hair kinda stands out.” Haruka giggled. “Come on, sit down. Being alone gets pretty boring here.”

Letting the words Fuuka spoke last ring through her head, Kohaku looked into Haruka’s eyes, smiled and took a seat next the bed.

But the world is kinder than you think, Fuuka-san. Next time, I’ll definitely make you see that truth.