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It had been a week and only in this moment did Maya feel the need for something to be said. On the first day, the issue didn’t phase her in the least. By the third, she had begun to take notice. And after yesterday’s occurrence, she was determined to confirm her suspicions and put a stop to this madness.
And so, with this goal in mind, Maya cleared her throat to call for the undivided attention of the six individuals that were present in the lounge of the Starlight Dorm.
“Everyone, I would like to bring to your attention the severity of this grave matter and ask for your assistance!”
Those who were awake simply replied to her with a short murmur to acknowledge that they had at least heard her, their eyes still focused on whatever they were doing at the time. Though their responses were not exactly what Maya was expecting, they would have to do.
“Tendou Maya! Asking for help? This should be interesting…” At least Maya could rely on her fated partner to answer her properly.
With Claudine’s outburst brought Kaoruko’s attention as well. Sensing an opportunity to tease any one of these girls or at least something that would entertain her more than torturing those present by hogging the TV remote and insisting that they should watch reality TV. The TV was currently showing 'The Bachelorette', even Kaoruko wasn’t evil enough to make everyone endure the sight of bland white men that all looked the same, prancing across the screen.
“Yes, well, it would seem that I cannot come up with a solution on my own. I thought to bring this to your attention and hear your earnest thoughts on the matter.” Maya looked behind herself, her eyes glancing at the closed curtains where beyond it was one of the individuals that her discussion pertained to. Assured that the individual in question was preoccupied with dinner preparations, she turned back towards the curious girls in front of her.
“Well out with it Tendou! We’re all ears here, at least for now.” Futaba was getting fed up with the contents of the show that she was certain that Kaoruko was putting on solely to punish her for leaving her to walk to school in the morning. She made an attempt at snagging the remote from Kaoruko while she was distracted by Seisho’s top student. Unfortunately, Kaoruko was not that distracted.
“Hmm then, I have gathered you all here to discuss if you have noticed or may know the cause of this sudden change of events. You see, for the past 6 days, for every opportunity that may arise, we have been partaking in the consumption of t-t-”
Now Claudine was beginning to become worried. Tendou Maya did not hesitate and she certainly never stuttered. Before she could voice her concern, Maya finished what she had to say.
“Tomatoes! At first it was just in salads, then on toast, stir fries. I fear that it will only be a matter of time before they will make an appearance in the miso soup.” If Maya’s words weren’t reason enough, the look of utter disgust on a face that has only been perceived as composed, was enough to have the surrounding girls cackling. They couldn’t help the tears that began to well up in their eyes. The mischievous Kyoto girl who was already enjoying her little bit of entertainment before, was now wheezing and clinging to Futaba who was also equally doubled over in boisterous laughter.
Everyone knew the exact reason behind Maya’s despair. Every single person knew why. It was a matter of who would speak up first and whether they even wanted to in the first place. The sight of Tendou Maya in any state but the pride of Seisho was a rare sight indeed.
Feeling a sense of responsibility as Seisho’s designated mediator and a little, just a little bit of pity for the crestfallen face of her rival, Claudine was the first to say something.
“Tendou Maya are you absolutely sure that this is a cause for concern? Tomatoes are rather good for your heath after all. And are you certain that you have no idea why this is happening?”
Claudine’s words had Maya deep in thought. Ever the actress, she had embodied the very nature of confusion itself, her arms were crossed and a wrinkle was beginning to form in between her eyebrows. She looked behind herself towards the kitchen before answering.
“I have some notion that the reason may be due to either Daiba-san or Tsuyuzaki-san as they are the ones who are responsible for purchasing groceries and preparing meals. And I have already crossed out the idea that Tsuyuzaki-san’s family may have sent them as tomatoes are not in season this time of the year. Other than that, I am at an impasse.”
“Bon, that’s a start, maybe now we can open the floor to see who else can help Maya figure out what caused this change?” Honestly, Claudine was getting quite good at this after her Revue with the Yumeoji siblings. She thought to herself that if she didn’t make it big as an actress, she might do well as a counselor.
Claudine turned towards the group, save for the two girls that were fast asleep on the chair meant for one. After an early start to her day and extra rehearsals on top of that, Hikari had decided that she wanted to take a nap before dinner and she had somehow come to the conclusion that she would do that while sitting in Karen’s lap. Karen, who despite only a little bit ago was bemoaning about the emptiness of her stomach, was also asleep, snoring quietly with her head resting in the crook of the quiet girl’s neck. Had Nana not been preoccupied with making dinner, she would have surely liked a photo of the pair.
“Would anyone like to give us their insight?” Maya had that thought it was times like these that Karen’s earnest and honest opinion would have been greatly appreciated. And the fact that she made one hell of a detective certainly helped support that thought. Even Maya had to admit that Karen played an excellent rendition of Detective Holmes, so much so that those who haven’t met the girl, wouldn’t know that there wasn’t a single thought under those orange twintails. “Anyone? Hoshimi-san? You’re the class representative and you are roommates with one of the suspected individuals.”
Everyone’s eyes zeroed in on the girl who was quietly reading in the chair across the napping pair.
Junna knew why, of course she did. But was she going to say anything? Absolutely not. She and Nana were in a place where they could open up to each other, as friends and as something… something she didn’t quite have the words for yet. So, yes, she knew what was wrong and she wholeheartedly felt that Maya deserved what she was experiencing.
“As your class representative it is my duty to ensure that there is harmony among us. But it is also my duty as the class representative to allow for opportunities where we can grow and strive for greater heights. That is why, Tendou-san, I will not be providing you an answer, as independence is a sign of true growth.”
As per usual, when Junna got like this, someone had to ask. Today, that someone was Futaba. “Whose words are those?”
“They were my words, of course.” And with that, Junna adjusted her glasses and returned to her book. She was going to be a bystander henceforward. Trying to ask her any furthermore questions would be meaningless.
“Our goody little class president is playing coy, ain’t she…” Kaoruko had abandoned her attempts at torturing these girls with bad reality TV and turned her full attention to the discussion at hand. With no more resistance, Futaba plucked the remote out of Kaoruko’s hand and put an end to one problem so that they could watch another unfold. “Not gonna lie, it’s a good look, I’m kinda into it~”
Junna grimaced, choosing to ignore the grinning girl because engaging would only make things worse. Those present could see the light shade of pink on the cheeks of the bespectacled girl but chose not to comment on it. They knew what Junna was capable of. And they certainly knew what Nana was capable of when it came to Junna.
The answer that Junna had given them was almost as good as no answer. Almost. Maya had almost dismissed Junna’s words entirely, that was until she stopped at one phrase.
“Harmony among us… that would mean that there is a rift in our relationship? One of us must have done something to upset either Daiba-san or Tsuyuzaki-san!” Maya exclaimed; her index finger pointed upwards in the moment of realisation. The group moved towards the edges of their seats. Was Maya going to figure it out? Did she finally get it now?
Maya pointed towards the sleeping pair of girls, “It must be because of those two! They likely left a mess in their room that Tsuyuzaki-san had to clean up and now she is punishing the two by making them eat healthy foods such as tomatoes. Though neither have shown to dislike t-”
The girls let out an exasperated sigh and leaned back into their seats. It would appear that Tendou Maya did not figure it out. A barely audible ‘oh mon dieu’ passed Claudine’s lips.
As if sensing that the conversation was about her, Karen began to stir, waking both herself and Hikari by close proximity. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Karen mumbled, “Huh, hmm, what’s going on? Is it time for dinner yet?”
Maya was going to get to the bottom of this, one way or another. And she was going to put an end to it. She hadn’t eaten a single potato in the past 6 days and she didn’t know how much longer she could go on.
“Aijou-san answer this! Have you done something to upset Tsuyuzaki-san?”
“Huh?” Karen frowned at Maya, thinking back to see if she did do what Maya was asking her about while still being half asleep. “I-I don’t think so…”
Hikari who was even closer to unconsciousness than Karen was, nodded along with the conversation.
“Then what about Daiba-san? Did you refer to Hoshimi-san by ‘Jun-Jun’ in front of her again?” Maya was getting desperate, they were running out of ideas at this point. She simply could not eat another tomato.
Karen was little more awake at this point, “Banana?! Mad at me? Why me?!”
“Well, if not at you than who could she be mad at?”
“If Banana was going to be upset at anyone, it would be…” With eyes that were still only half open, Hikari finished Karen’s train of thought by pointing directly at Maya.
“Me?! Why would Daiba-san have any reason to be mad at me?” Maya was appalled, while everyone else watched in amusement. The endings of most stories were sad but this one certainly was not.
“Because you betrayed her.” Hikari stared directly at Maya, not a single ounce of sympathy could be seen in her eyes.
The person in question emerged from behind the curtains with a warm smile, hands full with plates that were overflowing with food.
“Everyone dinner’s ready!! We made lots, so eat up!!”
Oh