Seven Days
Monday: Rose Day
Harima stared at the book on his bed in front of with doubt. Knowing that Tenma had a copy of her own, it was useless to try to use it on her. She'd automatically realize that he was using the book on her. It wouldn't work.
"What are you talking about, Kenji!" He shouted to himself in some pitiful attempt at a self-pep talk. "If you did it as anonymously as possible, she wouldn't have to know it was you until the very end." The idea became appealing. "Yeah...I could be her secret admirer. Then reveal myself and my love at the very end with a tender kiss upon her rose petal soft lips!"
"You need serious help." Itoko stood in his bedroom doorway with her arms crossed, slightly peeved to have been pulled away from her mirror. "School starts in an hour, Harima. What are you doing and what do I have to do with it?" He held up the book for her to see. She immediately rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. "No."
"Please, Itoko, wait!" Harima held a hand out for her, chibi tears streaming down his face. "I need help understanding what it's saying!"
She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. "What's in it for me?"
"Huh?" Harima thought about it. "You can call in the favor whenever you need one?"
Itoko contemplated the possibilities then nodded. "Fair enough. Let me see." She picked up the book and read the prologue then continued on to the first chapter. "Maybe when God was distributing fragrance to each of his creations, rose stole our share. That's why it smells so good, and we so bad. (Now if you don't believe me, just put your nose into your armpits.) And that's why we boys send or give it to the girls as a messenger sent to the king of an enemy territory. If the king is short-tempered, hard luck for the rose but it's good luck for you. In either case, the rose is dead, either trampled under the feet of the lady or dehydrated in her hands or hairs.
"So the rule of this day is you have to give a rose to your subject. The more the better. Bonus points if you could afford a little adventure for that bunch of roses, and extra bonus if you could afford a cut from the thorns." She looked at him, then the book, then back at him. "Where the hell did you get this?"
"At the bookstore down the street." He blinked.
She sighed and threw it back to him, hitting him in the chest and knocking the air out of him. "Give her some roses." She turned to leave.
"That's all you have to say? What about the standard hotness and money ratio?"
"Harima. You think she's hot. You've got the money to spend. Go for it and leave me alone."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harima hid on the other side of the fence around the Tsukamoto residence, peeping around it to see the front door. Any moment now Tenma would leave for school, finding the vase full of roses sitting there. It was a chore to find a floral shop open this early in the morning. The one he did manage to find made him remove the thorns on his own thus resulting in band-aid covered fingers. "Come on, Tenma."
The door opened.
"Come on..."
A figure appeared in the doorway, apparently staring at the beautiful arrangement at her feet.
"That's it..."
Yakumo picked up the vase with care, amazed. She sniffed the roses and closed her eyes. Very few girls can resist the scent of a fresh cut rose. Harima's eyes were huge with shock. As if on instinct, Yakumo's eyes landed on Harima. The minute he discovered he'd been seen, he took off running.
"That's odd." Yakumo said, turning and taking the flowers inside. She thought about it and put the flowers on the living room table. "Why would Harima leave me flowers?"
Meanwhile, Tenma was staking out Karasuma's locker, where she had taped a single white rose to the door, fingers covered in band-aids. 'Man this is great! He can't miss it.'
Karasuma paused at his locker, staring at the white rose. After what seemed like hours (which had in fact been the entire school day), Karasuma finally moved, taking the flower down with care. "I cannot imagine who left this here. Only guys would leave flowers...However, I am not into men. I feel sorry for the poor soul."
With that he carefully dropped the rose into the nearest trash can and went home leaving Tenma a crying mess on the floor.
"What are you talking about, Kenji!" He shouted to himself in some pitiful attempt at a self-pep talk. "If you did it as anonymously as possible, she wouldn't have to know it was you until the very end." The idea became appealing. "Yeah...I could be her secret admirer. Then reveal myself and my love at the very end with a tender kiss upon her rose petal soft lips!"
"You need serious help." Itoko stood in his bedroom doorway with her arms crossed, slightly peeved to have been pulled away from her mirror. "School starts in an hour, Harima. What are you doing and what do I have to do with it?" He held up the book for her to see. She immediately rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. "No."
"Please, Itoko, wait!" Harima held a hand out for her, chibi tears streaming down his face. "I need help understanding what it's saying!"
She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. "What's in it for me?"
"Huh?" Harima thought about it. "You can call in the favor whenever you need one?"
Itoko contemplated the possibilities then nodded. "Fair enough. Let me see." She picked up the book and read the prologue then continued on to the first chapter. "Maybe when God was distributing fragrance to each of his creations, rose stole our share. That's why it smells so good, and we so bad. (Now if you don't believe me, just put your nose into your armpits.) And that's why we boys send or give it to the girls as a messenger sent to the king of an enemy territory. If the king is short-tempered, hard luck for the rose but it's good luck for you. In either case, the rose is dead, either trampled under the feet of the lady or dehydrated in her hands or hairs.
"So the rule of this day is you have to give a rose to your subject. The more the better. Bonus points if you could afford a little adventure for that bunch of roses, and extra bonus if you could afford a cut from the thorns." She looked at him, then the book, then back at him. "Where the hell did you get this?"
"At the bookstore down the street." He blinked.
She sighed and threw it back to him, hitting him in the chest and knocking the air out of him. "Give her some roses." She turned to leave.
"That's all you have to say? What about the standard hotness and money ratio?"
"Harima. You think she's hot. You've got the money to spend. Go for it and leave me alone."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Harima hid on the other side of the fence around the Tsukamoto residence, peeping around it to see the front door. Any moment now Tenma would leave for school, finding the vase full of roses sitting there. It was a chore to find a floral shop open this early in the morning. The one he did manage to find made him remove the thorns on his own thus resulting in band-aid covered fingers. "Come on, Tenma."
The door opened.
"Come on..."
A figure appeared in the doorway, apparently staring at the beautiful arrangement at her feet.
"That's it..."
Yakumo picked up the vase with care, amazed. She sniffed the roses and closed her eyes. Very few girls can resist the scent of a fresh cut rose. Harima's eyes were huge with shock. As if on instinct, Yakumo's eyes landed on Harima. The minute he discovered he'd been seen, he took off running.
"That's odd." Yakumo said, turning and taking the flowers inside. She thought about it and put the flowers on the living room table. "Why would Harima leave me flowers?"
Meanwhile, Tenma was staking out Karasuma's locker, where she had taped a single white rose to the door, fingers covered in band-aids. 'Man this is great! He can't miss it.'
Karasuma paused at his locker, staring at the white rose. After what seemed like hours (which had in fact been the entire school day), Karasuma finally moved, taking the flower down with care. "I cannot imagine who left this here. Only guys would leave flowers...However, I am not into men. I feel sorry for the poor soul."
With that he carefully dropped the rose into the nearest trash can and went home leaving Tenma a crying mess on the floor.