That night it was Maria's turn to do the night watch. Checking the doors if they were locked, she saw that the business office was strangely quiet. When she got there, she saw that Kasumi was the only one left.
"Kasumi-san," she uttered, approaching the drone-looking woman, "Please go home and rest. It's not healthy to stay like this..." But it was no use; Kasumi would be there waiting for her Kotone-san to come no matter what. Sighing, Maria finally left her alone.
Upstairs, Maria checked all the windows if they were shut and then came across a very, very anxious Sumire still hanging around the Salon. "Where is she??!" she exclaimed, gulping down her tenth cup of tea already, "It's already past 11pm!! Has she no consideration for others!!?"
Maria scratched her head. "I think Sakura is old enough to fend for herself. You shouldn't worry about her, Sumire."
"Ara! How dare you consider such a thing, Maria-san!! I'm most definitely NOT worried about that bumbling, country hick!!"
"Good night, Sumire..." Maria uttered, backing out of the Salon nervously. She then turned for her room. "It's late. Better get some rest." When she entered her bedroom, she saw that someone was already there. "K-Kanna??"
"I don't get it!!" Kanna sighed, shaking the score-board while sitting on the bed, "How the heck did it do that?! You saw - it was so weird!!"
Maria nodded and sat down next to her. She had been with Kanna the second time it happened. Mysteriously, the pictures on the board moved on their own: Kanna, who was at the top, moved to the second slot as soon as Oogami went off with Sumire. According to Kanna, Maria had knocked Kouran from the third place and into fourth. For some reason, Kaede was at the end of the list, very 'nana-meh'.
"Could it be magic?? Is this some sort of voodoo thing??" Kanna asked, clutching her head, "Gaaah! I'm getting myself all scared just thinking about it!"
"Where did you find it?" Maria asked, now examining the board herself. Kanna pointed out the window. "I see, then someone who is a real fanatic of the Teigeki must have made this... I think we better be careful from now on."
Kanna quickly grabbed onto Maria, shaking. "Y-You mean... someone is out to get us??!" Maria smiled towards her friend - although she acted tough and looked tough for most of the time, she was really just a softy. "Maria! I don't think I can sleep at all! Wanna stay up with me?"
"Sure, Kanna..."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Oogami suddenly woke up. He had a terrible dream where Gontaro and Kaede were both trying to kill him. Blinking his eyes, he realized that there was an arm wrapped around his waist. 'EEH!?' Turning around, he found himself in Kayama's arms. "EEEEH?!?"
"Hmm...?" Kayama sleepily opened his eyes, "Kaede, is that you...? Not now, Honey, I'm tired..." He then went back to sleep.
Oogami quickly broke free and fell out of the sheets. Sorely standing, he glared towards the Ocean man who had taken over his bed. "I thought I told you to stay on the floor... Now what am I supposed to do??"
Just then, he heard some knocking on his door. Peering out a little, since he didn't want anyone to know Kayama was in there, he saw that Kouran was out in the hall. "Oogami-han," she said, wearing her nightgown, "Were you sleeping?"
"No... I-I wasn't..." he uttered. He came out into the hall wearing a tee shirt and pajama pants. Running a hand through his hair, he looked into her shy face. "What do you want to see me about, Kouran??"
"I was wondering... would you like to come to my room and play Hanafuda with me?" she asked, folding her hands together, "I can't seem to fall sleep so..."
"Sure! I'd love to play!" Oogami said enthusiastically, happy to get away from his room, "Let's go!"
"Oh! I'm so glad, Oogami-han!" Kouran said as she led him down the hallway and into her room. "Pardon the mess, Oogami-han. I was looking around for my bromides of handsome guys to give Tsubaki-han. It's part of the Teigeki Sannin Musume's demands."
"I see... Is there anything I can do to help out?" he asked, looking very cute as she sat down on the bed next to him, "To take care of everyone in the Teigeki is my job. That includes taking care of Kouran, of course."
"Ehehehe! Are you flirting with me, Oogami-han??" Kouran said, taking out of her hanafuda deck and shuffling, "Let's just play cards... I wouldn't want to get you in trouble at such a late hour..."
Meanwhile, Kanna startled Maria with a yelp. "I-It happened again!!" she cried, shaking the scoreboard, "Kouran just moved into second place! I'm now at third and you're fourth! W-what the heck is going on?!"
Maria patted her on the back, "Kanna, calm down. I saw it too, but panicking isn't going to get us anywhere." Her friend pleadingly turned towards her for ideas. "Hmmm... we have no choice..."
"Y-You don't mean... No way, Maria...! It's too... too crazy!!! We can't go to -them- for help!!" Kanna cried frantically, grabbing her hands, "We'll check it out on by ourselves... We don't need their help!"
Maria shook her head. "It might be too dangerous for us to do it on our own. First thing tomorrow, we'll contact them."
Kanna sighed and leaned her forehead against Maria's shoulder, "I sure hope you know what you're doing..."
Maria went red and sweat-beaded. "A-ano... Kanna... could you...get off...?" But her voice wasn't heard as Kanna had suddenly fallen asleep. "Aa?!" Maria, blushing and staring into space, lifted her hands up to Kanna's shoulders. "Sweet dreams... Kanna."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Kaede had left her apartment, unable to sleep. Walking around the empty streets of Ginza, she happened to see three strange-looking men dancing down the street. Hiding around the corner, she recognized them to be the local hoodlums.
"Sore wa Daaaandy~!" sang the leader, twirling down the street. He suddenly skidded to a stop, his two lackeys crashing into him. "Aa! An intruder on our territory!! Let's get him!!"
"OH!" they chimed, racing in Kaede's direction. Kaede just stepped out calmly, staring them down. They all skidded to a stop and collapse in a pile. "WAAAAAAAW!! What a babe! I saw her first! Git off me, Yarou!!"
"Ara," Kaede said, clearing her throat and circling around the pile, "I was wondering if you kind ruffians could help me with something..."
"Anything!!!" the two lackeys cried, "We'll do anything! Anything for the gorgeous lady!" Dandy quickly walloped them both quiet. "Ugggg... Boss... why...?" they uttered, lying around with swirly eyes.
"That's not how you talk to a lady!! You have to be 'daaandy'~!" Dandy then got up and faced Kaede, turning shy like a school boy, "A-a-ano... w-what could we do for you???"
Kaede reached into her coat and took out a picture. "If by chance you see this man enter your territory, could you please... how do you say... 'Rough him up'?? He has greatly wronged the Hanagumi and deserves to be punished."
"Wronged the Hanagumi?! How dare he!!" the lackeys exclaimed, "Those cute and talented girls... what scum could do such a thing! It's unforgivable, Boss!"
Dandy nodded his head. "Don't worry, Ma'am! We shall return to our patrol and make sure this bastard doesn't get away with his evil deeds!! Leave it to Daaaaaaandy~!"
Kaede smiled mischievously and chuckled to herself. 'Everything is working out as I had planned... just you wait, Oogami Ichirou! Bwahahahaha!!'
* * * * * * * * *
Pretty soon it was morning at the Teigeki. Sakura cautiously came in through the Business office doors and tiptoed towards the hall. At first she thought she was caught when she saw Kasumi sitting there, but then she realized - after waving her hands in front of her face - that Kasumi was in too much depression to see anything. Sighing with relief, Sakura hurried into the lobby and up the stairs.
'Almost there...' she thought, going down the hall. Suddenly, the door to the Salon opened and out came a zombie-like Sumire with bags under her eyes. "K-Kyaa--!!"
Sumire quickly grabbed her and pulled her into the Salon. "Did you just come back now?!" Sumire snapped, "Have you any idea how worried everyone has been!? Where did you go?!"
"Hah?" Sakura blinked at her curiously. "Were you up all night waiting for me, Sumire-san?" The other girl just turned away. Sakura smiled and gave her a biiiiig hug. "I'm so glad!!"
Sumire then watched as Sakura happily danced around the room with hearts in the air ('la-de-dada-da~!'). "What the heck happened to you??"
"Well you see..." Sakura said, going on to tell all about the marriage match and then the guy that her family had taken her to meet. "We hit it off so quickly, they just left us by ourselves... It was sooooo wonderful! We spent the whole night just talking about anything! We even watched the sunrise... and then..."
Sakura went into a daze as the memory of her heart pounding date came into mind. Standing on a bridge and watching the sunrise, Sakura and her chosen match turned towards each other, leaning closer...
Sumire suddenly grabbed Sakura by the face and pushed her away. "W-What the heck are you doing??!" Sumire cried, "Get a hold of yourself, Sakura-san!!"
"I-I'm sorry!!" Sakura stammered, bowing her head repeatedly, "It's just... I think... I think I'm love with this man! And I'm going to marry him!!"
Sumire sighed and rubbed her head. "You're so stupid, Sakura-san. Aren't you forgetting something very important??"
"Hah... w-what are you talking about...?" Sakura asked, absolutely clueless.
Sumire pointed at her. "Don't you remember!! The play opens in three- no two days! You can't get married! You've got to memorize lines so that you don't make a fool of yourself and everyone else on stage!"
"H-Hai!!"
"Mattaku..." Sumire said, flipping out her fan, "If only you were a genius like me... You wouldn't have to work so hard. Ohohohoho!!"
"Demo, Sumire-san..." Sakura said, turning to her friend, "Please don't tell anyone about what I have just told you. It'll make a bad affect on opening night for sure."
"Don't worry, Sakura-san. Your secret is safe with me!" Sumire replied.
"Oh, thank you so much!!" Sakura happily said, "I better go and change my clothes. Please excuse me!" She then left the room. "Laalalalalaa~!"
Once she had gone, Sumire took out her clipboard, "Hmmm... 'very good scandal' - CHECK desu wa. Kouran said she had some bromides of handsome guys, so all we need now is... Hmmm, where are those Baragumi...?"
A giant yawn caught her by surprise. "FUUAAAAAAAAAAAA~! Sumire covered her mouth with her fan, looking a bit embarrassed. Luckily, no one was around. "A-Ara, I have too much to do to worry about such simple things as ‘sleep’! Leave it to Kanzaki Sumire, TOP STAR of the Teigeki… OHOHOHOHO~!”
* * * * * * * * * *
Sakura was almost to her room when she stopped right outside Oogami's room. 'Hm...' Opening the door, she quietly walked up to the blanket-covered mound on the bed. "A-ano..."
"Mmmmm mmmm..." murmured the sleepy mound.
Sakura sat down in a chair next to him, watching the chest rise and fall. "How do I say this..." She bowed her head. "I'm really sorry. It's over."
The mound suddenly twitched. It then started making sounds of crying. "No..." whimpered the muffled voice, "No... It can't... please... my sweet Kaede...!"
Sakura jolted up. "K-K-Kaede-san?!? H-How...?!" She stopped and thought about it for a moment. 'Well, he was flirting with her the other day... that womanizing pervert!!' Sakura happily turned for the door. “Yoshi, then we don’t have anything to worry about. Please go back to chasing women.”
”Nooooo…” sobbed the voice under the blanket.
Sakura stepped out the room, feeling slightly relieved. She stopped as she saw the door next to her open and Kanna walk out, yawning. “A-Ano, Kanna-san…?”
”Aa! Sakura!” Kanna gasped, turning red, “D-Did you just come out of the Taichou’s room??”
”D-Didn’t you just come out of Maria-san’s room??”
They stopped and stared at each other, sweat running down their faces. Just then, Yoneda’s voice filled the hallway. “TAIHEN DAAAA!!!” he screaming, running up the stairs, “Oi you two!! Come downstairs!! They’re a big line of people wanting to buy tickets!!”
Sakura blinked. ”Haah? Why don’t we just sell them…?” They just snagged her and pulled her along, going to explain it to her on the way.
Yoneda’s screaming woke Oogami from a very happy dream of being pampered by the Paris Kagekidan. Rubbing his eyes, he realized there was a head on his shoulder. “EH?!” He looked down and saw a sleeping Kouran.
‘We must’ve fallen asleep when we were playing…’ he thought, noticing that the cards were still in his hand. Moving away from her, he pulled the blanket onto her back. ‘Kouran…’
He smiled and stretched, leaving for his room to change. There, he saw Kayama sitting up in bed, looking very miserable. “Yo… Oogami… I’m dying… How about you…?”
”I feel good actually,” Oogami said, going to his closet and picking out a shirt. He paused and turned back to his friend. “Why are you dying?”
”She… she said ‘it was over’ The voice… was it my Kaede’s voice…? I was too sleepy to be sure…” Kayama sighed. He then smacked himself a couple times in the face. “Maa maa maa, I must stay positive! Surely my Kaede would not suggest something like ‘go ahead and chase woman’! My Kaede is the most compassionate of all women…!”
* * * * * * * * * *
Downstairs Kaede pushed through the crowds waiting for service and entered the lobby. “Where is that Oogami-kun…? I have a little surprise for him…” she uttered, eyes slanted and fists curling, “Hmhmhmhm…”
”Ohohohoho…”
Kaede turned to see Sumire, laughing with her fan. They both glared at each other. ‘What is she up to??’
Suddenly a delivery boy popped up behind them with a large bouquet of roses. “Aa, could someone sign for this??” the young man asked.
Sumire snagged the clipboard and made her signature autograph. She then took a peak at the card. “To Sakura-san, Love Kazuhiro… hmmm…” She tore up the card and threw the shreds aside.
“W-What are you doing??” Kaede asked, looking over her suspiciously.
Sumire made another card and put it in the bouquet. “Wait and see. Ohohohoho~!” After another exchange of taunting looks, the two of them proceeded to the business office.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-> Special Alert: Intermission performance by Kayama Yuichi (acoustic)
With the curtains down, the lights turn off for a moment. A single spot light appears on the stage. Wearing his white suit with the checked tie, Kayama is sitting on a stool with his guitar. The crowd goes absolutely wild and a girl even tries to climb onto the stage. She is instantly detained by the Baragumi, which appeared out of the orchestra pit. The cheers die down as Kayama starts to play.
“Tonight I'm tangled in my blanket of clouds… Dreaming aloud… Things just won't do without you… Matter of fact… Oh whoa whoa oh~oh, I'm on your back… I’m on your back… Oh whoa whoa oh~oh, I'm on your back…”
The Baragumi strut onto the other side of the stage with their own spotlight - Kikunojou and Kotone take each other’s hands and start dancing. Kayama muffles a chuckle, but goes back to playing and singing.
“If you walk out on me… I'm walking after you…”
A female fan screams out, “I LOVE YOU, KAYAMA-SAMAAA~!” And faints.
“If you walk out on me… I'm walking after you…”
On the other end, Kaede comes out to scold Kikunojou and Kotone for disrupting the intermission performance. They release from each other and start twirling around her. Looking slightly annoyed, she tries to tries to catch them, but they duck her grasp and start prancing across the stage.
Kayama gets off the stool and starts walking towards the center of the stage. “If you'd accept surrender… Give up some more… Weren't you adored? I cannot be without you… Matter of fact… Oh whoa whoa oh~oh, I'm on your back… I’m on your back… Oh whoa whoa oh~oh, I'm on your back…”
Kaede signals backstage to get Oogami to come help her. But when he tries to come out, Yokohiko appears out of nowhere and grabs him. Oogami, being squeezed in a tight embrace, squirms as his face swooshed against her chest. (I mean, ‘his’ chest)
Kayama puts on a debonair smile and kneels down at the edge of the stage, winking at some fans. “If you walk out on me… I'm walking after you… If you walk out on me… I'm walking after you…”
Oogami manages to break free from Yoko and starts running away from him. Yoko tearfully wipes his eyes, feeling rejected. Kayama stands and walks over to console the tearful damsel in distress.
“Another heart is cracked…in two… I'm on your back… Oh~oh…” he sings patting Yoko on the shoulder. Yoko gets his second wind and goes after Oogami, who starts running to Kaede for help. Kayama plays a very impressive rift as a chase proceeds.
“I cannot be without you… Matter of fact… Oh whoa whoa oh~oh, I'm on your back…” Kayama sings, the chase going on behind him – back and forth, “If you walk out on me… I'm walking after you… If you walk out on me… I'm walking after you…If you walk out on me… I'm walking after you…”
Yoko catches Oogami and gives him a biiiiiiig smooch. Oogami faints on the floor with a nosebleed. A very concerned Kaede drags him off the stage by the arm. The Baragumi follow, twirling and prancing after them.
Kayama is left alone on stage. His playing slows as the light dims. “Another heart is cracked… in two… I'm on your back…” And dims more. “Oh~oh… Oh~oh…” And dies.
