Transition And Restart

Ulf understood the situation with Christina couldn"t stay the way it was for much longer . Even though she was with Ryu now she still needed his support, and he hers .

Together with Thomas, the freshman arrival, there were only three of them who could share the experience of being both teenagers and fully grown adults with a life left behind .

Add that Christina"s grandfather requested Ulf"s support . And she really needed it, or at least needed to do something . Almost daily she received a confession, most of them not even from students at Himekaizen, and Ulf suspected there were a number of stalkers lurking in the shadows as well .

So she needed a solution, and she created one, and Ulf could never have guessed even if he had tried .

The day after his suspension ended Ulf arrived at school and felt his chin drop . He stared through the gates flanked by sakura trees all green . The bloom was long gone .

Christina sat in a chair just inside . Behind her an infinitely embarra.s.sed Ryu held a placate that proudly announced: "Confession queue . Rejections and no bad feelings guaranteed . "

There was a queue .

Ulf shook his head . "Ina, my Ina . No wonder I loved you the way I did . " Which was a lie . He still loved her, but admitting it hurt too much .

First in line was the idiot Nori . Maybe not an idiot this time . He must have known he"d be rejected with his own girlfriend watching the spectacle, but in doing so he"d help his idol to an easier second year . Ulf suddenly liked the guy a lot better .

Advertis.e.m.e.nt"What the . . . "

"Morn, Yukio, welcome to Himekaizen . A school day like any other . "

The queue filled up, mostly with guys from the old fan-club . Some of them had girlfriends with them who surprised Ulf by nodding with approval .

"I just love them all . " A demonstration of friendship .

Beside him Kyoko slapped Yukio on his back . "Can"t miss this opportunity," she said and laughed mouth wide open .

"Kyoko, that"s most unladylike of you . Outright improper I"d say . " Ulf grinned . Then he joined in her laughter .

She winked at Yukio, and promptly joined the queue .

"Now that"s gutsy! Yukio hold on tight to her . You"ll never find anyone better . No, dammit, most of the guys here won"t find anything close . "

As if he had heard Ulf"s thoughts Yukio grinned widely . "Right out of an anime, wouldn"t you say?"

"If I recall correctly I have yet to see this in any anime," Ulf laughed in return .

The queue slowly dwindled . A warm wind blew over the gravel and made the paper placate shudder . Guys grinningly received their rejections . Freshmen stared in utter disbelief . And Ulf, Ulf found it impossible to stop laughing . Especially when Kyoko found leniency in the eyes of her princess to the roaring approval of the students present .

Ryu, he blushed even deeper, but he never ceased looking at Christina, and Ulf noticed a softness to his eyes that spoke volumes about how the Prince of Himekaizen had fallen into the trap he dug together with Christina .

"If you"re really in love with her, then I give up . You too, my love, I wish you the best . " With a tinge of regret, and surprise at how easily he admitted his love, Ulf turned on his heels and made for the school building . He left the last chance to rebuild their relationship behind him .

It hurts .

He almost succ.u.mbed to the need to look over his shoulder . The show hadn"t been all play . Ulf knew that . If he had lined up with the others he wasn"t certain what the outcome would have been .

Just as he entered the school he met teachers on their way out . They belonged to the small faction who agreed with Kareyoshi"s ideals . Himekaizen wasn"t free from its share of a.r.s.eholes .

"Guess it"ll be Ryu"s time to skip cla.s.ses . " Christina"s upcoming suspension was just a formality, and Ryu was likely to get his share of Kareyoshi"s wrath as well .

Ulf wiped tears from his face after he quickly changed into his indoors shoes . Then he was on his way to the stairwell .

Almost there he felt a tug on his blazer .

"Are you fine with this?"

Ulf slowed down a little, but he didn"t stop and turn to face Noriko .

"Urufu, she wanted you to be there . "

"Maybe," Ulf said . He began climbing the stairs .

"You know she could have chosen a day while you were still suspended . "

He did . That was why he understood Christina had given him a last chance . But he also understood arriving in this world had broken him, and that he needed a thoroughly broken heart to dare love someone openly again .

He sent Christina a silent thought of grat.i.tude . "I"ll probably always love her . "

"Noriko, as I said, I"m bad rebound material . "

That made her let go of his blazer . Ulf had received more than a few meaningful glances from people they met in the stairs, and it took him a while to grasp those were due to Noriko"s holding on to him .
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When they reached the second floor she grabbed on to his clothes again . "I don"t care . If you feel uncomfortable I"ll leave you be at school, but you don"t get to decide how I should feel . "

Ulf grinned . She was the best of friends, even if she had strange tastes in men . "I"m not uncomfortable . Who would be with the attention from a girl as cute as you?"

She released him so fast he laughed . When he turned and looked at her she was red from her neck to her hair . Ulf winked . "Bad rebound material, didn"t I say?" He could act like a player . He had those memories from his university days, after his shyness left him . Just as long as he didn"t fall in love he could do pretty much what he wanted .

But when he did . Maria had him tongue tied for the weeks she courted him, because it had most definitely not been the other way around . Come to think of it, he hadn"t really taken the lead in any of the three longer relations he had, if half a year with Christina could even be called long .

Ulf looked at Noriko with more respect . She was braver than he had ever been . "Look," he said . "Your feelings for me make me proud, and a little flattered, but I can"t respond to them . "

She looked down at her feet .

"But I promise not to treat you like a child, and I very much want your friendship . "

"I want more than your friendship," Noriko murmured . She looked up at him and grinned . "But I"ll make do with it for the time being . Now when you know how I feel I don"t have to be shy about it . "

"Much braver than me," Ulf thought . "Fine, I"ll accept that," he said .