When Reality is Hotter than Gossip

“Where the hell were you hiding that you could record that?!”

Kitsune let out a howling laugh as he held his phone up to Akio. His dance escape had been recorded for posterity. Right now, Akio was contemplating some methods to destabilize Misaki so that she would murder him.

“Come on. This is why I became a journalist to begin with. Being right there to savor the ‘good anime’ moments, so I can be inspired by ‘Wada scoop’ to write my next masterpiece.”

“Uh huh, Misaki Haibara – Bold and Beautiful. The bombshell ice queen who melts under the heat of Wada passion. I’m sorry, but I can’t indulge in fanfiction when it pertains to myself.”

“Pish, people seek entertainment and gossip. I’m just spicing things up a notch. Words are an exaggeration of truth. As soon as you tell the story, it no longer stays undistorted. And look around, isn’t that the reason you’ve humored me all this time?”

Akio peeked out the corner of his eye at his classmates, who were skimming over the headlines with grins on their faces. School newspapers rarely had all that much going on, so it was quite clear what the buzz was about.

“Damn, if she weren’t so scary, I’d be tempted.”

“Appreciate from afar. That’s the safest for us plebs.”

“Have to admit. Wada has some guts. Wada guts, haha!”

Akio felt a bit weird that they were talking about him while he was still in the room, but at least, it was on a positive note. Kitsune slapped him on the back to congratulate him. But the real test was in store a few doors down.

He got out of his chair and made for the exit. Sliding open the door, Misaki was standing there, waiting for him. She gripped him by the neck and walked him right over to the alcove under the stairs. But before they could duck into the quiet space, Akio yelled out.

“If you’re going to do me in, let everyone watch and see!”

All eyes in the hallway turned to them. By now, their relationship was known by the whole school. The hot topic couple formed by the weirdest two of Shiomizu High had caught the attention of every student.

“Oh, I’m not angry about this attention. I think it’s quite crazy to have everyone turned around and interested in me now… I like crazy. It gets me… hot and ready for action.”

The news article that Kitsune had strung together had shown quite a different side of Misaki Haibara, who people believed to be a disaster best avoided. With such a firm characterization in place, there were few that bothered to dissect its inconsistencies. Many were content with spreading rumor after rumor if it somewhat aligned with their views of her.

Over time, she had developed an impregnable persona from a few abrasive encounters that had left big impressions. They didn’t know that she had a soft side.

The way to defeat a rumor was to create an even bigger one to talk about. In this case, the news article was full of pictures of Akio and Misaki’s date.

Her beautiful attire and model-like body.

Excitement and thrills on a roller coaster.

The sugar-struck expression on her face while biting into an American dog.

And lastly, Misaki protecting Akio from a bunch of adults.

Kitsune had purposefully left out the unsavory bits, creating an entirely different impression of the legendary yankee of Yokohama. She was proud, a bit childish, but protective of those close to her.

The dial had shifted from downright scary to endearingly domineering, a small but notable change that showed that she valued something aside from herself.

The crowd waited with bated breath as Misaki propped Akio against the wall, so that they were eye level. With that, she started to lean in for a kiss, making it clear that Akio was hers to deal with.

Suddenly, something sailed right at her. Seeing it from the corner of her eye, Misaki turned and caught what appeared to be a folded metal fan that had been hurled like a spear.

From the other end of the hallway, a girl with an identical one had it spread in her left hand, her right one having obviously thrown the other. She folded it with one swift motion and pulled back as if about to throw it also.

If it were not for the strange weapons, she would be just like any other schoolgirl – reddish brown hair in a ponytail, athletic slimness, and normal height. However, the piercing gaze that she gave off felt akin to the one Misaki often held.

“It’s Yuunagi.”

“From the disciplinary committee?”

“Heard she’s pretty boss as well.”

“Are they gonna fight? I’d like to see that.”

Akio picked up the situation from the murmurs thrown across the crowd. He could see why someone from the disciplinary committee would raise a fuss. After all, he was propped up like a sack of meat, ready to be devoured.

“I insist that you refrain from such activities, Haibara-san. You may rule over the streets with force, but this is a school, and we have rules.”

“Rules are there to keep people from being hurt. Do you see me causing pain to anyone?”

Uhhhhh…

There was an awkward silence as everyone but Misaki looked at the suspended Akio, whose feet couldn’t touch the ground and couldn’t go anywhere.

The hallway parted as Yuunagi walked forward, eyes determined to settle it her way. She slipped the fan into her pocket and went right up to grab the wrist that was holding Akio up.

“Release him. I’ve been silent about you since your acts of excessive force have been mostly a deterrent for bad behavior. However, I now see that you are using that same force to coerce another into a relationship. I cannot stand idly by in that case.”

“Heh, or what?”

Misaki’s presence grew by severalfold, causing the students to retreat farther back, behind cover, and one even ‘noping’ himself out a window that was fortunately at ground floor.

She dropped Akio and went to grab the hand that had dared to touch her in such a way. But as she reached forward, Yuunagi dropped to a low stance and bumped Misaki from below.

Suddenly, it was Misaki that had caught air, flipping all the way around and landing on her back. A collective gasp of surprise blanketed the area as the unbeatable yankee had just been thrown to the ground.

None were more surprised than Akio, who didn’t think a tank could even stop her.

“Are you alright, Wada-san? There are bruises on your neck. Let me take you to the school nurse.”

“Ah, no. That’s fine. I’m quite tough, you see.”

“I insist! There is no way being handled like that is fine in my book!”

Akio blinked a few times. Yuunagi reminded him of an overbearing caretaker that kept things in line with tough love, reinforced by a will to counter Misaki’s.

“Oi, hands off my boyfriend! I’ll fucking kill you!”

Misaki was on her feet in an instant. Pulling up her sleeve, she reared back and threw a right cross that howled as it approached. Akio tried to step in and shield Yuunagi, knowing that Misaki had forgotten to hold back in her rage. But then, he was gently pushed out of the way, Yuunagi running right into the direct path once again.

She ducked low, crossed her arms and pushed the underside of Misaki’s arm upward. Instantly, the fierce momentum was redirected, throwing Misaki off balance as she uppercutted the air instead.

With her opponent tiptoeing around awkwardly as a result, Yuunagi dove in, tucked an arm against her waist, and reached up to tap her back. Misaki spun in mid-air, landing on her back once again. She looked up in surprise at being tossed down so easily twice in a row.

“I’ll let you off with just that, Haibara-san. Unlike you, I do not wish to bring harm to anyone. But I will not hesitate to repel what is forced upon me.”

Something bothered him about Yuunagi. Those moves seemed kind of familiar… He slapped himself in the face.

“Ah! Wan Wan Kamui-kun!”

“What about it? I am permitted to have a part-time job on the weekends.”

“No, I mean, that whoosh and the throw and the bam-”

“That’s right. I was there for the ruckus at the amusement park. Such violence is not appreciated in a place providing entertainment for all. I think you were quite daring to face me like that. Nice moves, by the way.”

Yuunagi walked right by him while all the pieces were still falling into place in his head. She flashed a smile that he couldn’t miss. Perhaps, he had been staring a bit too long at her back as the front of his shirt was suddenly grabbed. He turned to stare right at a very pissed-off Misaki.

A few moments of silence happened between them until she spoke.

“She’s that fighting mascot, huh. Didn’t know cartoon characters could dish it out like that.”

“I… don’t think Kamui-kun is meant to be like that. Wait, you’re not mad at her?”

“Heh, no. They were clean throws. I’m angrier at myself for falling for it. Would be recruiting her in a heartbeat if I were still riding with the gang.”

“Doesn’t seem like she’d be the type to just say ‘sure’.”

Misaki cracked her fists with a grin. “I’d just get serious then and beat her silly until she did.”

Akio smacked himself in the forehead. Of course, Misaki would fancy such things. She threw herself into every ounce that excited her. A rival that could be a fighting match made her blood boil with curiosity.

“But… all offers are null if she even thinks of doing something with you. I’ll take care of everything else. You only have to worry about me.”

A shiver ran down Akio’s spine. Basically, Misaki wanted to be the only one to hold his reins between life and death. Most people would be freaked out by that. But then again, most people hadn’t brushed so closely to death and lived to talk about it.

At the very least, it was her way of cautioning how he approached Yuunagi. He glanced at Misaki, who looked a little bit unsure of herself. Maybe, that was her way of displaying jealousy, seeing Yuunagi treat him nicely in contrast to her own roughness.

He spread his arms apart and beckoned Misaki over. “Come here. Looks like you need a hug.”

Misaki didn’t hesitate to accept such an offer, and immediately, Akio could feel the bones in his back start to buckle from the tightness. He managed to squeeze out a warning to the others.

“Clear the hallway if you don’t want to be hit!”

As soon as he said that, he felt the momentum pick up as he was spun round and round. One of Misaki’s full-body hugs included her happily spinning fast enough to ram people clean off their feet.

Those that hadn’t recognized the warning soon enough were now leaping through windows to get away.

All the while Akio tried to look at the sky. Not to pray to some god that he would survive. He had already given up on that. He was merely trying to look at a constant point to avoid the vertigo.

The things he had to put up with to be Misaki’s boyfriend piled on more and more. But learning ways to deal with it wasn’t so bad.

“Misaki… I’m running out of air…”

“Ah, sorry!” She slowed to a halt, making sure to hold on. The last time she let go, he had gone flying into some bushes.

Onlookers had to agree. Their days were the slightest more interesting with the two of them around. With so many juicy details to fill pages, there was no room for outlandish gossip.