21 Formation (1/2)
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Mei stretched after closing the final box of what was left of her belongings. She was no longer half naked and was now wearing the black tracksuit Kazuya picked out for her. She took one last look at the apartment she rented since she was in high school before leaving there for the last time. Although feeling reluctant, she felt that it was time to leave this place and move on to another part of her life.
”Are you ready?” Kyouko asked after she watched her load the last box in her car.
”Where's grandma Fuji and the girls?”
”They insisted on going on ahead to take Kazuya home. They wanted to get started on unloading your stuff so that you won't mess the place up on your first day”
”You all really shouldn't have gone through all the trouble” She shrugged off the comment. Mei was feeling weird finally leaving the home she got used to but she felt like she wouldn't regret it.
”It wasn't for you but for my Kazuya. Besides, at your pace it would take until the last minute for you to finally finish fixing everything”
”Are you sure about this? I know you offered before but…”
”All I ask for you is to not be like that ingrate Lee. I've let him off easy because he is still a child. You on the other hand know that Kazuya is my world. I want you to distance yourself from him now if you're only going to end up hurting him in any way” Kyouko looked her assistant in the eye and wanted to make this completely clear.
”You know that I won't. That's why you chose me as his secondary guardian right?”
”Hmph. Yumi already took my car with them so you drive”
”Don't be so cranky mother-in-law. Kazu loves you a lot too. He even mentioned you along with me while he was sleep talking” Mei of course was aware that forcing her to move was mostly due to Kazuya's attachment to her. She knew that Kyouko was feeling down whenever she would get along with him more than her so she wanted to give her a some encouragement.
”What did he say?”
”I think he was having a bad dream but he said; 'Mei don't abandon me again' and 'Mom don't leave me, don't die'. Neither happened in the past so it's just a bad dream”
”… yeah” Kyouko answered half-heartedly and silently got into the car.
Kyouko was silent as they went back to the mansion. Thinking deeply, she tried to think why her son would say such a thing in his dreams. She would never leave him nor did she think that Mei would abandon her son so why did he have such dreams? Did it have something to do with the memories he lost? Was it really a bad dream? This lasted throughout the whole drive towards the Kouzuki household.
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In the Shiroyuki household living room, Jirou, Tomoyo, Kaori and two head instructors were gathered. The two instructors were curious as to why they were summoned from their class after Jirou had received a sudden call. It turns out that it had something to do with the newest addition to the elite class. The instructors were briefed of his current circumstances beforehand, but today's news was quite disturbing.
Jirou had received a call from Kazuya's mother and told him about what she learned from him as well as the report from Yui. The Kouzuki's and the Shiroyuki's close relationship was no secret and Jirou himself had taken a liking to Kazuya. Hashiyama may have been had some relations with the Kouzukis and may have been a disciple formerly recognized by the dojo but he was not a Kouzuki.
”I want you two to investigate who in the dojo has good relations with that little bastard Hashiyama. Also get some of the students studying in Sacred Forest Academy to keep an eye on the situation. Be sure to be discreet about it. This concerns the safety of my granddaughter and my old friend's grandson so take this matter seriously”
””Yes Master!””
”That Hashiyama kid's skills are average but he's a sneaky little snake. It's a good thing that Kazuya had forgotten his hesitations or we wouldn't have been able to see his skills. Remind your students to only make a move if it looks like Kazuya won't be able to handle the situation. If that snake really does strike then it would be a chance for him to get rid of the stain of his past” he instructed.
”Jirou, that little bastard is a coward and I think that he will strike without putting himself at risk. Our granddaughter may be capable, but she is still inexperienced” Kaori who had been quiet spoke her thoughts.
”If he dares then he will know that he is not the only one who has allies”
”This is not your fight. You should wait till the boy asks for your help. I do not think he realizes his own position yet. This would be a great opportunity for him to do so”
”Hmm… you might be right. I'll leave it to their judgement”
”What should we do then master?” The two who were listening in were confused. The husband and wife had different opinions so they needed to be given clear instructions so they wouldn't feel the wrath of these two.
”Here's how it will go…” Jirou explained his plan in detail.
They thought of various ways to handle the situation in a way that would be beneficial for Kazuya's growth. Tomoyo listened quietly but was a little surprised to learn about what had happened to Kazuya in the past. He didn't seem like the type of person that would go through all that. This left her a little confused. She couldn't imagine him getting beat up by someone who she had no problems beating so for what reason did he allow himself to do so?
Their discussion and planning lasted for hours before they finally were able to call in a few students that would be involved in their plans. This was how the rest of the day was spent inside the Shiroyuki household.
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Kouzuki household before dawn.
”Huh?” Kazuya felt extremely rested and slowly opened his eyes. ”This… my room?” he surveyed the surroundings and after seeing the pictures and posters Mei made herself, he confirmed where he was.
”Nnn…” A soft moan entered his ears after he moved to get up. His hand felt something smooth. He moved his hands to confirm what it was he was holding but couldn't believe it.