Citrus: Mei's Story+Matsuri volume 2 - Targeted Heart

III. Mei - Eerie Calm

"Something will happen, so don't hold back and don't wait too long before you act."
          I watched as Matsuri walked out of the student council offices. I didn't dare say a word to stop her. I wasn't sure if she was aware of how she seemed. It was perfectly possible that she was stuck in some horrible memories from her past and it was making her confused. The other option was far more terrifying. I didn't want it to be true. The thought that people were being conditioned to bury a part of themselves and also to lash out at others for that same thing. That it was something done enough that Matsuri had multiple encounters with people like that in her past. That it was possible it was still being done and at least one little girl from this school had been subjected to that. The only problem I had with denying it as possible was that Miyabi had mentioned something similar when she was explaining her attraction to Hikami. There was too much overlap. I had to be certain.
          As soon as I was alone, I went to the student council personnel files we kept stored there and pulled out everything on Hikami Sayaka. I then took the files down to the privacy of the chairman's office. I didn't want to be spied on or interrupted, but there was another reason I went there. It had a phone I could use. As soon as I was settled at the desk with the door locked, I dialled the memorised number. It had been a while since I had last talked to her. After four rings, someone picked up.
         "Good day to you. This is the personal number for Lady Taniguchi Kayo."
         "Suzuran?!"
         "Ah, Lady Aihara Mei. It is good to hear your voice again."
         "Why..."
         I nearly asked her why she was answering Maruta's cell phone, but then I caught myself.
        "Actually, nevermind that... is Maruta there?"
        The last thing I need is another vivid idea of that woman's sex life. Especially if it now involves someone who once had a crush on me.
        There was a silence on the other end that made me uneasy. I couldn't help but imagine that something was happening. There had been too many times in the past where I was made aware of Maruta and Mitsuko's sexual appetites just because I had called. Somehow, now that Yuzu and I were slowly exploring our own appetites in that regard, I was able to imagine things in even more detail. It was too much to handle comfortably. Thankfully I was interrupted before I could imagine too much.
       "Mei?"
       It was Maruta.
       "Hi."
       "Hello... I wasn't expecting to get a call from you."
      She sounded a little breathless and perturbed, like I had interrupted something she considered more important than helping out a friend. Of course with it being Maruta, I figured that there was probably a long list of things more important to her than helping me out. Still... she had answered the phone. So I didn't worry too much about if I was interrupting.
       "I need some help."
       "Then why not ask your new secretary? She's there to replace your need to call me."
       The thought that Miyabi would even try to help me dig up all the dirt on the girl she was in love with felt laughable. That was something she didn't have in common with Maruta. She would protect her lover, while Maruta was confident that Mitsuko and Suzuran could handle themselves as well as trusted that I wouldn't dare misuse the information she provided. I couldn't go to Miyabi if the problem was Hikami.
       "This situation is special."
        "So is my time with Suzu. Yet here we are. And I fail to see a situation that Miyabi couldn't handle."
        I had to force myself to ignore the implications of what she could mean by her time with Suzuran. The second part was my doorway to my actual reason for calling.
        "It's about Hikami Sayaka."
        "Ah... Miyabi's little knight errant. She's... interesting, I guess. A little too wound tight for me."
       "Could you have someone send over your information on her? I just want to know exactly what I'm dealing with here, and Miyabi's..."
        "She's too close to the situation to think straight about what her girlfriend is like."
        That feels like it's putting it mildly.
        "Yeah..."
        There was another long awkward silence that seemed to imply more than I wanted to consider. It didn't help that she was once again breathless when I heard her speak again.
        "I'll see what I can do."
        "Thank you, and sorry for interrupting your date."
        "You know me better than that by now... do you really think I'd stop just because I'm on the phone?"
         I don't need to hear this! I do not need to hear anything about this.
        "Maruta..."
        "You can't even hear her, can you? One of the benefits of dating someone who was trained not to let anything out."
        I tried to not gag at everything she was practically telling me outright. It was already too much to have explicit knowledge of how she and Mitsuko include others in their relationship. I did not need anything to let me know how her relationship with a girl who was once in love with me.
        "Goodbye. Let Mitsuko know I said hello and tell Suzuran I said goodbye!"
        To my surprise and slight horror, I heard two voices answer me instead of just one. Apparently Suzuran had still been on the line.
        "Goodbye, Lady Aihara."
        I hung up the phone and let myself shudder. It really had been too long since I had interacted with those three older girls. I had forgotten how upfront and open Maruta was about her relationships with those she considered friends. Now I was going to be plagued by my own imagination. I sighed and wished I had let Yuzu stay in here with me after this morning.