Signs of Love

Tan-Tan's walk home was filled with immense hope for the future. She had never been in a school club before, let alone one that focused on her favorite hobby. Reflecting back on her encounters with the tomboy, Minami, and the gloomy Akinari, she felt conflicted. On one hand, Minami seemed easy to get along with. She's bubbly and outgoing, which would be easy grounds for friendship. Akinari, on the other hand, seemed like he kept to himself. Tan-Tan thought that she could never be close friends with a boy so obsessed with Shonen Leap; after all, she was a shoujo fangirl. Then, there was the handsome faced Kuromoto Nishi. He seemed to be hiding extensive knowledge and respect for manga, and being the president of a club seemed like a natural course of action for such a bona fide nerd. With these thoughts running through her mind, Tan-Tan stepped onto the evening train, headed toward home. She looked forward to relaxing after the stress of socializing. She popped an earbud into her left ear and found a comfy seat at the edge of the train car. The setting sun provided a gentle warmth on the back of her neck and the countryside greens passing by the windows gave her a feeling of alleviation. The soft beats of her favorite band, a popular Japanese indie-pop group, lulled Tan-Tan into a state of blissful exhaustion. The rhythmic chugging of the train over the tracks led Tan-Tan to a half dreamlike state.

Her state of euphoria was short-lived, a ping from her cellphone made her eyes blink to life. She felt like whining, but she respectfully stayed quiet as she checked her notifications. It was a simple message from her mother.

"Shina, please pick up some eggs on your way home- Love, Mom."

Tan-Tan felt her eyebrow twitch with irritation. All she wanted to do was take a long, warm bath and read manga until she fell asleep. Reluctantly, she got off a stop before hers so she could acquire the requested groceries. Living in a small town meant there was a shortage of convenience stores and supermarkets in her area. This was something she had grown to hate, as it greatly inconvenienced her as she got older.

Stepping into the dimly lit shop, she loosely slung her school bag over her shoulder and headed toward the refrigerated aisles. She browsed around for decent quality eggs... And then, it caught her eye. She stopped in her tracks, feeling her mouth begin to salivate. There was a sale on chocolate pudding today, her favorite food. Fumbling with her coin purse, Tan-Tan quickly counted her yen. 

"If I wait to purchase that new volume tomorrow, I should have enough allowance for this pudding. But then I have to wait to read the latest volume. Ragh! What do I do?"
She panicked slightly as she whined. The temptation of pudding was something she had never been able to deny, but her pride as an otaku was on the line. 

Remembering the task at hand, she grabbed the first carton of eggs she saw, not caring about the quality anymore, and returned to her conflict. She paced around the pudding as if studying a wild animal. Her mind raced with thoughts of sweet chocolate and her little heart ached for a taste. Give up pudding for romance, or give up romance for pudding. This was about to be the battle of a lifetime.

Pudding vs Manga, round 1, FIGHT!


"Thank you, come again!" The cashier bowed her head to Tan-Tan as she exited the store with a bag full of eggs and pudding.

She looked to the starry sky with a smile of defeat, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Pudding had won.

Tan-Tan removed her shoes as she entered her home, the smell of rice and sautéed vegetables hung heavily in the air as she peeked into the kitchen. There stood a 4 foot 11 inch woman with bright silver hair, stirring a pan full of aromatic peppers.

"Welcome home, Shina!" Tan-Tan's mother spoke with a soft smile. She set down her chopsticks and gave Shina a big hug. Unable to resist her own mother's warmth, Tan-Tan leaned into her embrace. She let out a soft whine and spoke into her mother's chest.

"Pudding won."

Tan-Tan's mother giggled and pulled back. She patted her hair and took the grocery bag from her hands."At the very least I hope you got a good deal on it, sweetie." 

Tan-Tan plopped down at the dinner table, propping her chin in her palm. She let out an exasperated sigh and drooped her head. She was so small her feet barely reached the floor beneath her. To an outsider, this would look like a sulking child having a tantrum, but she is undoubtedly a 15 year old first year high school girl.

The sizzling of eggs in a frying pan filled the room with a familiar white noise. This was dinner at the Tanaka household: two short females enjoying a night of silence. It's not like Tan-Tan doesn't have a father, but rather he's hardly home. 

To give a brief introduction: Tanaka Shinichi, a 35 year old policeman from Hokkaido- that is Tan-Tan's father. Once a former delinquent, Shinichi impregnated the daughter of a respected businessman when she was only 17. He was 20. Having faced the wrath of the furious father of Yamanaka Aya, Tan-Tan's mother, Shinichi decided to turn his life around for the better. He abandoned the delinquent lifestyle, secured an honorable career, and raised his lovely daughter, Shina, with the beautiful Aya as his wife. Nowadays, Shinichi can be found patrolling the streets of Hokkaido late into the night, often spending time with the troubled youth by boring them with stories of his washed up life as a rebel. But at the end of the day, Shinichi prides himself as an extremely doting parent, often saying he "loves his little family enough to die for them."

Dinner at the Tanaka household often consists of an array of fresh vegetables complemented by various egg dishes. Aya, Tan-Tan's mother, hardly ever cooks any meat dishes- a troubling situation for Tan-Tan's growth. To blame her poor genetics on lack of protein would be like saying the sky is yellow, but the absence of it definitely didn't help either. It isn't that Tan-Tan is malnourished or underfed, in fact she's perfectly healthy for her age, but putting on a little weight could help her figure drastically. Yet, here she is scarfing down a plate of vegetables and spoonfuls of pudding without a care in the world.

Bath time at the Tanaka household was equally as peaceful. Tan-Tan always went first, spending an awfully long time soaking in the tub. Ever since she was a child she valued long baths, often speeding through the washing process so she could sit and think. Despite being 15 years old, Tan-Tan relies on her mother to lay out fresh underwear and pajamas outside the bathroom for her. This was the routine of bath time at the Tanaka household. 

Tan-Tan spent extra time in the tub today in particular. She had a lot on her mind. The handsome faced Kuromoto Nishi to be specific. She could picture his thick framed glasses hugging his chiseled face, his messy brown hair, the way his tie was slightly loose, even the shine of his pearly white teeth. Tan-Tan found herself sinking deeper into the water to let out muffled whines below the surface. There was no denying the physical attraction she had felt for the second year student she had only met a few hours ago. Before she could finish her whining, a knock on the door interrupted her moment of conflict.

"Shina, dear? Are you alive in there?"

Tan-Tan raised her mouth above the surface of the water and gently shouted back.

"I'll be out in a minute!"

Tan-Tan stepped out of the tub, wrapped her petite body in a towel, and made her way to the changing room where her mother was already undressing for her bath. There, Tan-Tan found her freshly laid out underwear and pajamas her mother had provided for her. She dropped her towel, slipped into her comfortable loungewear, and headed for her bedroom. 

Once she was in her sanctuary, she plopped down on the edge of the bed. As she started blow drying her hair, she could feel her cheeks heating up more than usual, and it wasn't due to the warm breeze coming from her hand held hair dryer either. She was preoccupied thinking about Nishi. She could feel her legs squirming anxiously, her toes rubbing against eachother in rhythmic circles, and her free hand tapping the edge of her mattress.

"Stupid knight in shining armor. Why do you have to be so handsome." Tan-Tan grumbled softly to herself as she sprawled onto her sheets, stomach down. Her little legs were swinging in the air as she flipped through a familiar shoujo title she often used as a coping mechanism. The night was filled with the heavenly sounds of pages turning and the gentle ticking of her Sailor Planet themed wall clock.

Before she even had time to process the fact she had been asleep, her morning alarm was blaring in her left eardrum. She let out a high pitched whine of disapproval, slamming her pillow over her head as if it would make the annoying noise disappear. The sound of footsteps accompanied by the opening of her bedroom door had meant trouble. Her father, Shinichi, had come to turn off her alarm. This was usually followed by a gentle scolding such as "You need to learn to be more punctual," or "Back when I was your age, I could never-" Blah blah blah... 

Shinichi slapped the button on her clock and roughly wrapped his hands around her raised hips, dragging her out from under her pillow. She let out a squeal of annoyance and kicked her feet like a child having a hissy fit. He flipped her on her back and crossed his arms, looking down at her with dark circles under his eyes.

"Shina, how many times are we going to have this talk? You know I can hear your alarm all the way in my room. Don't you have any respect for your hard working father?" 

Tan-Tan sat up, her silver hair sticking straight up toward the ceiling, her own eyes droopy and showing signs of a sleepless night. She blinked a few times, yawned, then stood up. She craned her neck upward to meet his gaze, softening her face into a guilty, almost apologetic expression.
"Sorry, Daddy."

Shinichi couldn't help but fall for her cute charm. He gave her a gentle smile and straightened her hair with his large fingers. He playfully shoved her toward her dresser and spoke in a less aggravated tone.
"Get ready for school before your mother manages to blame this situation on me, okay?"

And with that, he returned to his room to sleep.

Tan-Tan sluggishly slipped her skirt and blazer onto her body, making an extra effort to tie her bowtie cutely. She brushed her hair, applied a reasonable amount of lip balm and facial moisturizer, and posed a few times in the mirror. She twirled around, ensuring she looked her very best. After all, today was her first day as a full fledged member of Shishigami High School's manga club. Scarfing down a bowl of rice, a cup of miso soup, and a few pieces of tofu, she dashed out the door and on her way to school.

To add to her excitement, today was the day the new volume of Azurbön came out, her currently favorite serializing shoujo manga. She was obsessed with the lead male role of this series in particular. Kip Lionel, a brave warrior who lives in the kingdom of Azurbön. He prides himself as a loyal servant to the king's very daughter, Princess Nana, a spoiled girl who neglects her duties as a royal child. The series captivated Tan-Tan since the release of volume 1 and had been a comfort series to her in her darkest times. She absolutely had to buy every volume on release day to satisfy her craving for wholesome romance, it had become something of a ritual for her. On her way to school, she eagerly counted her yen in her coin purse...

"Huh?" She recounted her yen.

"Where did all of my-" She froze.

"Pudding!"

Tan-Tan stopped in her tracks and shouted in horror. She frantically looked around in her school bag as if more money would magically appear to save her from this dilemma. But her efforts were for naught. 

How could she be so careless as to buy chocolate pudding the night before Azurbön volume 9 came out? Never before had there been such an infuriating morning in this little girl's life. In all 15 years she'd been alive, not once had she ever been so distraught over material possessions than as of this morning. She stomped her way upstairs toward her classroom, wearing the face of someone who had just found their husband cheating on them with a much prettier woman. She clicked her tongue, plopped into her chair, and crossed her arms. The few students unfortunate enough to lock eyes with the usually shy girl quickly averted their gaze toward anything but those flaming pupils of hers. A few whispers could be heard.

"What's up with Shina this morning?"

"Let me guess, another rejection?"

"No way, Tan-Tan is cute. She should have guys flocking to her."

"You call her Tan-Tan now too? I thought that nickname was reserved for girls only."

Tan-Tan ignored the gossip, or rather she couldn't be bothered to focus on it. She had much bigger problems on her mind. How could she make 600 yen by the end of the day? She had heard some of the popular girls in class had sugar daddies, but that was out of the question for her. Another rumor was that Amamiya-san from class 1-D had been selling her panties through Burusera... This was definitely a no. Tan-Tan was starting to give up hope of legally acquiring 600 yen by the end of the school day. She would have to accept the fact that she couldn't read Azurbön volume 9 on release day, and this pained her greatly. 

Lunchtime was especially hard for Tan-Tan. She could overhear the chatter of her classmates gushing about after-school plans such as going to the arcade or visiting the town's new coffee shop, 'Shigeo Beans'. As she munched on her cubes of fried tofu, an idea popped into her head. What if she could ask Kuromoto Nishi to be the manga club's treasurer? That way she could use the club funds to acquire Azurbön Volume 9 and label it "study material" for the club's research. The plan seemed completely flawless. Yamaguchi Minami didn't appear to be very good with numbers, excluding her from even possibly being given such an important role in the club. As for Sakai Akinari, he seemed like the kind of boy who would rather not deal with those kinds of affairs, as it would interrupt his reading time. With this new idea fresh in her mind, Tan-Tan could only count down the minutes until the school day was over.

The heavenly sound of the final bell sent a wave of euphoria down Tan-Tan's spine. She scrambled to shove her notebooks into her school bag, squeezed her way to the classroom door, and sprinted down the hallway. She found herself at the entrance to the manga club room. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door. The rhythmic clicking of the sliding door against its frame had a more positive feeling to it today than it had the day before. But what she found waiting for her was horrifying. 

She gazed down at the hands of none other than Kuromoto Nishi, slyly gripping the sleek, cold metal of a pistol inside Sakai Akinari's school bag. Everybody froze.

"Tan-Tan! It's not what it looks like!"

Tan-Tan remained frozen. She looked as if she passed out standing up; like a certain pirate captain from a popular shonen series. Nishi quickly shoved the pistol back into Akinari's bag and rushed over to Tan-Tan's side. He waved his hand in front of her face, studying her unmoving pupils.

"Earth to Tan-Tan. Hello?"

Her eyes finally blinked to life. She let out a shriek of horror and fell flat on her bottom.

 Yamaguchi Minami, who had been running down the hall prior to the scream, was now panting heavily over Tan-Tan's head. She looked down at the child sized girl and shouted in her usual boisterous voice. 

"What the hell happened here?!"

"Tan-Tan saw the-"

Before Nishi could even finish his sentence, Tan-Tan pointed at Akinari's bag with a shaky hand.

"Why do you have a gun?!"

Nishi sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He removed his glasses for a brief moment, pinched the bridge of his nose, and put them back on.

"I've been trying to tell you-"

Once again, he was cut off. This time by none other than the pretty redhead herself, Yamaguchi Minami.

"A gun? Oh, like this one?"

She pulled out a pistol from her own school bag.

Tan-Tan curled into a ball, covered her ears and shrieked once more. Nishi tried prying her hands away from her ears in a desperate attempt to explain himself. 

"Tan-Tan just listen to me for a second, will you?!"

"No! You're a murderer! You're a psycho, killer freak!"

She cried and shook her head frantically. Nishi struggled against her flailing. For a girl the size of an elementary schooler, she was quite strong. Finally, he managed to sneak in the words he had been trying to say from the start.

"They're paintball guns!"

Tan-Tan quickly opened her eyes. She rapidly glanced at the orange tipped pistol in Minami's hand. She blinked a few times, trying to register the fact that these were indeed harmless toy guns. She looked at Nishi and blushed so hard that her face resembled the Japanese flag. 

"Why on earth are you bringing paintball guns to school?" Tan-Tan squeaked in her soft voice.

"Because today is the annual town paintball tournament. The club members and I have been competing in it since we were kids. The winning team gets 10,000 yen."

Tan-Tan raised an eyebrow. A small hint of a smirk flashed across her face. Her eyes were hidden by her bright, silver bangs and a faint ominous giggle could be heard among the 3 second year students. She managed to stand on her feet and flashed an evil grin.

"10,000 yen, you say?"