Hell Hath No Fury

Fall Down Seven Times and Get a Wheelchair

my favorite line from the chapter

┐( ˘_˘)┌   (つ･･)つ¤=[]::::::>

Pressing a hand to her forehead, Ai took a very deep breath. “Please say that again,” she said through gritted teeth.

Halfway across Japan, Heiji plugged his other ear. “What was that? Gimme a minute, Kudou's bein’ too loud.”

In the background, Ai could hear the war of words already in progress. “Like I said, the saying is 'fall down seven times and get up the eighth,” Shinichi argued, “not 'fall down seven and get a wheelchair.”

“That's refferin’ ta life, not ta actually fallin’,” Kazuha shot back. “There's a difference between givin’ up an’ admittin’ yer legs aren't workin’ right.”

“That doesn't mean I have to use a wheelchair. Hattori, back me up on this.”

“Oi, don't drag me inta this. I'm the one talkin' ta the little nee-chan so you don't hafta,” Heiji pointed out. “I'm goin’ upstairs. Kazuha, make sure Kudou doesn't try ta follow me? He'll overexert himself too much.”

“Going up the stairs is not exerting myself!”

“It is when ya fall halfway up,” Kazuha cut in. “Ya’re stayin’ here, so ya better quit whinin’.”

“But Kazuha-chan,” Shinichi whined childishly. 

“Don't you 'but Kazuha-chan’ me,” Kazuha said, the beginning of another argument. Ai didn't hear the rest of it, as the bickering gradually grew quieter. She wasn't complaining though, the absence of bickering a relief.

At last, Heiji finally spoke to her, the background noise all but gone. “Sorry 'bout that. Kudou ain't happy at all 'bout what ya told 'im yesterday. He's tryin’ ta convince Kazuha to let 'im outta that chair now.”

Ai sighed, long and tiredly. “He is a handful. Thank you for dealing with him. My patience is minimal. If he were to fight me on this wheelchair situation, I would likely stop working on this neutralizing agent to get him to cooperate.”

“An’ I'm not sure how Oyaji would take that. He's warmin’ up ta Kudou, but I don't think he's ready ta have 'im stickin’ ‘round for another two weeks,” Heiji said, a note of humor in his tone. “What was I tellin’ ya about?”

“The stairs? Kudou-kun and Toyama-chan were arguing about it, and you were going to tell me what that idiot did.”

“Oh, yeah. Yesterday, he tried ta go down the stairs an’ slipped on the second step. Okan thought he was fine, but she said he should stay off his feet just ta be safe. 'Bout an hour later, he tried ta sneak back upstairs, an’ he almost made it, too. He fell the whole way down, so Okan put 'im on couch arrest.”

“Is that a thing at your house?”

“It is now.”

“Hm. Did he try anything after that?”

“Nah. Okan called his mom an’ told her what he did, so if he tries anythin’ else, Yukiko-obasan’s gonna have free reign when she disguises Kudou.”