199 Chapter six, 2016, three schools: 5 (2/2)

Yukio put his tablets aside and gave the photo a cursory look before he stared at her. Seeing Kuri-chan in scant clothing wasn't anything new for any of them. They had even been invited to a studio shoot earlier this autumn.

”Why do you have it?” Yukio asked.

”Someone sent it to me. I've never seen the email address.”

Yukio palmed his face and sighed. ”Wrong question, sorry. Why do you have it? Why wasn't it sent to Kuri?”

Maybe it was, but Kyoko didn't know. The moment she decided not to intrude on Kuri-chan's and Urufu's fight was also the moment when she lost her chance to ask exactly that question.

”I don't know,” Kyoko admitted. She swallowed a mouthful of lukewarm tea while the thought about Yukio's question. Why had anyone bothered with sending her that photo? A warning? A threat? It didn't make any sense.

”OK, the important thing right now is that someone has a photo of Kuri that could be bad for her.”

”Bad? She could be expelled,” Kyoko said.

”Unless they can prove it was her job I don't think so. Besides, Principal Nakagawa is on our side.”

”What do you think will happen if this blows up?”

Yukio screwed his face tight until it was wrinkled like an overripe fruit. Then he sucked in some air and sighed again. ”Don't know. Suspension for breaking curfew maybe. I honestly don't know.”

”Think we should tell them to stop spreading the rumours?”

Even though Kyoko was the one asking that question she suspected she knew part of the answer. Kuri-chan was her most important friend, but that also made her more aware of Kuri-chan's shortcomings. Fifty years old or sixteen didn't matter when it came to those. Kuri-chan suffered from an overblown self-confidence, and since she started modelling again Kyoko had seen shadows of a personality she didn't care all that much for. There was something vengeful about Kuri-chan, an ugly resentfulness that made her keep jabbing at an opponent until she got a killing blow in.

Yukio rose from his chair and went for the counter. ”Why don't you ask her?” he said and waved at the door through which Kuri-chan and Urufu entered.