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 Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:22 am
"You're not dead yet. And even if you are, it's only because they were worried about you." Whether they were worried because they cared, or whether it was something else, he didn't know. But it was genuine, at least. "Minori-san... I know it's not good to go against your parents, but they can't blame you completely for this. It was an accident; they tend to happen a lot more than you'd expect."
"Let me answer it. You'll have to hold it up to my ear, though... My hands are a little occupied." He smiled back to her, mustering the most confident face he could. "They'll send in the cavalry if you don't answer, probably." He offered to try to convince her.
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Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:09 pm
"You don't understand...Katsuo-san." The girl said slowly, her head bowed. Once her parents discovered...her medical condition (more of a fear, really), they had been extremely protective. One little scratch meant disaster.
The brunette managed a small grin, flipping her cell phone open and pressing the button, holding up to his ear.
"Minori-san." A calm voice, obviously male, answered the phone, a tinge of worry in it. "Where have you been? Your parents may be back soon."
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Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:43 pm
"If you say so. I'll just have to take your word for it this time." He sighed, letting the subject fall at that. Although his curiosity begged him to ask her to explain it, it would be rude to pry into something she would obviously be more comfortable keeping away from him.
Katsuo barely let the man on the other end finish his sentence before he bursted in. "Moshi moshi, this is Arata Katsuo! Minori-san can't really talk right now. She's kind of preoccupied, and it might take me a while to get her home. If her parents come home before we get there, stall them as best you can. And if that doesn't work, just tell them she's safe and out having fun with a friend. We'll be there soon, thanks!" The sheer enthusiasm in his voice was enough to deter anyone from thinking something was actually wrong. You could almost hear the smile on his face.
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:59 am
The girl managed a small smile at him. For now, she didn't exactly want to admit...why she was acting this way. Maybe she would later. Or not.
The butler's eyebrows raised in surprise at hearing a boy's voice. All these years, he had never heard another person answer the young mistress's phone, and he was sure it was not Kiyoshi Yamada, her fiancee. Instead, it was Arata Katsuo, someone Minori had never mentioned. Then again, she rarely talked about her friends at home. "Alright then. Do make sure she comes back early."
Minori watched Katsuo speak, tilting her head to stare at him. "I didn't know you were a talented actor, Katsuo-san." For now, she couldn't think of what her parents would say if they knew she was out with another boy.
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Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 6:03 pm
For the moment, he was completely all right with not knowing what was bothering her. It was probably none of his business, anyway.
Katsuo again smiled into the girl's phone. "Of course, sir. We'll be there as soon as possible." Meaning as-soon-as-he-felt-like-bringing-her-back, but that was beside the point. They'd get home whenever she was ready, he was sure. "Honestly, that went much better than I expected." He laughed. "But I guess you can say I've been having to explain things for a long time so that nobody has to come drag me back home. It's not really acting, more half-truths. I don't tell everything, just enough to keep them happy."
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Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:12 am
There was a click on the other end as the caller hung up.
"I bet that was Uncle Berin." She murmured softly. Her butler didn't like to beat about the bush much, and he was one of the household staff (She never liked to call them servants) that really cared about her. "I see." She said simply.
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:18 pm
"So, what do you say, Minori-san? Would you like to walk around a bit more, or not?" In truth, his arms were getting tired, but he could survive a while longer without collapsing. She wasn't that heavy, after all, and didn't really need to know yet, anyway.
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Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:34 am
Eyebrows shot up in concern, and the girl looked slightly guilty. "It's okay...really."
She held a slight pause before letting her breath out in a sigh. "I should go home." She didn't want to make him hold her for so long. Minori wasn't exactly very heavy, but she wasn't as light as a feather either.
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Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 6:21 pm
"You should." He agreed softly, making sure anyone who was around (or following them) could hear. "But, do you want to? Don't worry about me. I can survive." Katsuo again smiled to her, turning his head so she could see him better. "So, what's your answer?" He returned to his normal tone without a hitch.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 3:20 am
"Home, then." She replied, bowing her head. It wouldn't do any good for her to let the butler worry too much about her; he might call her parents if she took too long. Which could result into a hell of trouble.
"Minori-san." The same voice on the phone greeted them at the gates, eyebrows shooting up in worry as he fought to make himself stand still. "Bring her in, Katsuo-san." What exactly had happened...would have to wait. Questions would be answered later.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 4:10 am
"Home it is, then." He began to walk again, and under her direction, they slowly made the trek toward Minori's mansion. He took it slowly enough, as the rain had already let up.
They entered the gate quickly enough to please the butler. It didn't take long for the two of them to reach the door, and even less time to get inside. "I think that it might be time for me to go home. I might get in trouble, myself, for being so late." He smiled to Minori. "Will you be all right, or do I need to stay to explain what happened?"
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 6:03 am
"Just put me on the couch. I'll be fine." She returned his smile with one of her own, a light and grateful one.
"Katsuo-san. Do tell. The Master and Mistress would demand to know what happened to Young Mistress. Especially when..." He trailed off, and then shot Minori a worried glance. The servants knew of her condition, and that she was hurt was not very good news at all. Oh no.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:00 pm
Katsuo walked slowly to the couch, letting Minori down after he had turned around so she could sit without having to do anything.
"All right. I'm sure I can stay for a while longer, at least. I think my parents will understand." They probably wouldn't, since he usually didn't tell them where he'd gone in town while out on his own. So long as he didn't get himself into trouble, they were okay with whatever he did. "I'm sorry, I don't really know much about what happened -just what I saw. I was walking when I saw Minori-san, and while she was running, she fell and hurt her ankle. I picked her up, and we called you."
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 6:37 am
It wasn't long until Minori had sat down when a few maids had hurried up and had began fussing over her, asking questions.
The butler's attention was now directed towards the boy. "She hurt herself." He repeated. "And did... the Young Mistress act...strangely?" He said in a slight whisper, not wanting Minori to hear. It was best to know if her fear still showed.
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 5:35 pm
Katsuo could barely contain a laugh as a band of concerned maids came to see how she was. He couldn't help but wonder whether they actually cared about her wellbeing or not, though, but decided against thinking about it too much.
Now that Minori was occupied, Katsuo moved his eyes toward the butler now questioning him. "Uh..." He really wasn't sure if Minori would have wanted him to answer that, but it sounded as though the man was showing genuine concern. He deserved to know whatever information Katsuo could add to help. "She was... Panicking. A lot. I think it was a mix of her fears about getting in trouble and the pain itself. It took a while to calm her down."
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