"YOOOOO!" A very cheerful Kayama walked into the business office, waving his hands, "How is everyone today???"
The musume-tachi gave him a couple of dirty looks, then went on with their business. "GO AWAY." Tsubomi snapped as she held up the sign she had just finished. It read: "I HATE PEOPLE".
"What kind of a sign is that??" Kayama asked, "It needs more energetic colors like pink or yellow... what's with this brown???"
"I LIKE BROWN!! BUT I HATE YOU!!"
"Maa maa maa!!"
"Don't bother, Kayama..." Oogami arrived with a stack full of paperwork, "These girls are on strike and they won't talk to any of us men. Personally I don't understand why they insist on making so much trouble. The play is coming up, you know."
"Sou da na," Kayama said with a shrug as he turned away from the insulting faces the girls were giving him. "Aa, have you seen my darling Kaede by any chance?? I think it's about time we forget all this trouble and make up as usual."
Oogami put on a goofy smile and blushed. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Kayama. You see, just now Kaede-san kissed me."
"Honto da yo?? You and Kaede-chan??" Kayama asked. Oogami nodded. "CHAAAAAAA!!!" Kayama threw his arm around Oogami and exclaimed, "You're soooo lucky! I envy you!!"
"Baka." Kasumi mumbled, "Kaede-san is -your Kaede-san-. You shouldn't envy that player. You should beat the crap of out of him."
"Are? I thought I heard something..." Kayama said, turning around. Fortunately Oogami steered his attention back. "Oh right! Where did she go now??"
"I'm right here," a red-faced Kaede stood in the doorway with more paperwork. "Sonna... Oogami-kun... you told him?!"
"Kayama is my best friend. I can't keep anything from him." Oogami replied, trying to pry away from the tight around him. "Besides, you weren't going to keep it from him. Were you, Kaede-san???"
'Hidoi!!' Kaede cried inwardly staring at that imitation look of innocent on his face. "O-Of course I wasn't going to... I can't keep anything from Yuuichi."
"Jaa... I have lots of janitorial work to do," Oogami noted, finally free from Kayama's clutches. "I'm off! See you all later~!" He then cheerfully skipped out of the office.
Kaede stood in front of the happy looking Kayama, who was waving after Oogami. "Yuuichi... gomen... I didn't mean..."
"About before? Aa! Don't even think about it! Happens all the time!" he laughed.
"H-Happens all the time...?"
"Sou da yo! Everyone in this building has kissed Oogami at least once!"
"M-Masaka..." Kaede stared wide-eyed at him, "Yuuichi... anata mo...??"
"Of course!" he replied. Kaede facefaulted onto the floor, looking paralyzed. "Maa maa," he said kneeling down to her, "It wasn't too bad. I mean we were both drunk... One thing led to another..."
"KYAAAA!!!" Kaede covered her ears, "Don't say another word!!" She then pushed him away from her and ran out of the business office.
Kayama scratched his head. "Why is she so upset? At least I told her."
"B-Baka!!" Tsubaki cried, her and the rest of the girls' faces all red, "You can't come in here and tell us that Oogami-san is... is... is... G-G-G-!!"
The loud sound of Oogami running back to the scene and throwing his mop and pail aside startled them. "ORE JA NAI DESU!!!!!" he exclaimed, "I LIKE WOMEN!! LOTS OF WOMAN!!" He angrily pointed at Kayama. "I DON'T LIKE GUYS, ESPECIALLY THAT ONE!!"
"Aa... sou..." uttered the wide-eyed group. Oogami, greatly embarrassed took his things and left in the same kind of hurry he came. "Yeah right..." Yuri uttered, "Wait until I tell everyone! BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
"OI!" Yoneda had arrived, panting and tired. "Omai-tachi... I hope you know that while you're all having fun, the Gekijou is in danger! Those crazies from Sendai are asking for Sakura and I can't find her anywhere! If I don't find her, they're going to tear this place apart!"
"Daijoubu da!" Kayama replied, pouring him a glass of water, "Sakura-kun is on a date. I helped her sneak out... It was in the name of love!"
"BAKA YAROU!!" Yoneda snapped, "Those people are trying to kill me because Sakura snuck out on a date??! You go and get her and lock her up in the attic!!!"
"HAI~!!" Kayama quickly scrambled out of the office, but not before happily waving to everyone. "I'll be back soon~!"
While Yoneda recovered and the girls gossiped, Kasumi stared off into space. 'Should I tell them... about that phone call...?'
* * * * * * * * * * *
"Kohran-san!" Sumire called as she knocked on the girl's door. She paused to listen in against the wood. "Sounds like she's doing some heavy machinery. I better go in and get her..." But turning the doorknob, smoke and live wires started to come at her. "KIIIIIIIII!!!!"
Then there was an explosion. "Yaa! Sumire-han!" Kohran chimed, walking out of the room and pulling off her head mask, "Daijoubu ka?"
"Ee...eh..." Sumire uttered, sitting on the floor looking disorientated. After a couple minutes of sitting and Kohran waving a hand in her face, she recovered and leapt up a bit angry. "What are you doing???!"
"Oh! Since the Tegeki Musume isn't going to do any sells, I'm making robots that can do the work. Ehehe, only I keep exploding things."
"Sou desu wa..." Sumire said, trying to fix her mangled hair, "Kohran-san, I think you need to take a break. You see, it's your turn to talk to Chuui about not pursuing Kaede-san. I mean, you're the only one standing in the way..."
Kohran wiped her glasses and checked for spots, not really looking interested. "Demo na... If Oogami-han is going to be persistent, don't you think the pervert will get what he wants?? Besides I have a lot of work to do..."
"CHOTTO MATTE YO!" Sumire quickly snagged her over, "Don't tell me you're not going to help us at all! If Kaede-san falls, the rest of us are doomed! She was the only one keeping Chuui from abusing his status - first with the warnings and the monitored bath-time regulations. Sure Chuui is our Taichou on the battlefield, but here we can't let him have his way!"
"S-Sumire... han..." Kohran uttered, looking very surprised as well as moved.
Sumire then flipped out her fan. "I am a great actress. Oh ho ho."
* * * * * * * * * *
Meanwhile, Oogami was mopping up the stage. "Yaparri, today was a great day... But for some reason, I feel like evil forces are plotting against me." He then shrugged. "Oh well!"
While mopped away, Gontaro watched from behind the curtain the backstage area. "Yarou... once I find out where you put Ojousama, I will seriously kick your--!" A fist collided with his head and he fell over unconscious.
"Maa, what's with the dawf??" Kanna asked, she and Maria also watching Oogami from behind the curtain, "I think we need to call the extermination."
"Shhh," Maria replied, lifting her fingers to her friend's mouth to keep her from talking. Both of them went red. "Aa... gomen... Tonikaku... let's go where that guy won't see us."
They tiptoed over the fainted Gontaro and snuck out into the hall and towards the baiten. "That girl, Tsubaki, isn't here, so it's all right," Kanna noted, "Yoshi, let's get to work."
The two of them started to rummage through the piles of bromides. "How about this one?" they asked each other, "Or her?" "This one??" Finally they came across a picture they both said, "This is one!!"
Grinning evilly at the bromide, Maria then took the 'scoreboard'. "Here goes," she said, holding onto it while Kanna forced the bromide into the number one slot, right over Kaede's bromide. "All we have to do now is sit back and wait for something to happen..."
"With rice balls!" Kanna noted, holding up the bento. Maria happily thanked her for the snack and they started to munch away. Meanwhile, in the number one slot was a picture of Kikunojou in a pink dress, blushing uncontrollably.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Special alert -> more stormy weather in Italy
"Aa! Takeshi-san~!" Orihime walked into the room with a tray. "I made you expresso~!" She then stopped and stared at him. "Nan desu ka? You are looking at me strangely."
"D-Datte!!" he exclaimed, still covered with bandages from his last accident, "Y-You're wearing... THAT!!!"
Orihime reached up into her hair and felt the red ribbon. "Of this? I'm using it to tie back my hair."
"WHY??!?! THAT!!!??" He then crumpled over in pain.
"Ara, stopping making a fuss. You're just hurting yourself." She noted as she put down the tray and went to check on him. "Takeshi-san, even if there is a storm outside I think you need to calm down. We're still on vacation after all and Mama and Papa are so worried about you..."
"The storm outside..." Takeshi uttered, as the lights flickered for a moment. Suddenly they went out entirely and there was lightning and thunder. 'Not again!'
"KYAAAAA!!!!" Orhime ducked down, covering her eyes.
Takeshi dropped his head and sighed. "Yaparii... I am cursed... I suppose now I cannot go on another date again... or even go outside... I'm so sad..."
"W-What are you talking about?? Stay indoors on a vacation in Italy?!? You are out of your mind de-su!!" Orihime exclaimed, back to normal and shaking her finger at him, "I know all about curses! The Soletta family was under a long time, but we've gotten through it!"
"But... Orihime-san..."
"The reason I got scared was because I was thinking about you," she replied, lowering her head, "Of the last time you got hurt by the lightning... I keep thinking it will happen again, but I will try to forget about it and go on, so you should too... I'll try really hard."
Takeshi smiled slowly. "Orihime-san..."
"DEMO!!" she exclaimed, waving her hand in the air, "There is one way I'm sure that could break the curse!! Leave it to me!!"
"C-Chotto, Orihime-san!!" he cried, as she ran out of the room.
Moments later, Orihime stood outside in the storm while Takeshi banged on the window, yelling at her to come inside. "Because... if I get struck too, then it will undo the curse... Eheheheh, anything for Takeshi-san..."
"CHOTTO!! YOU CRAZY GIRL!!"
