Hanayama's Princess

Chapter 8 - An Love Enemy?!

(Sophia's POV)

I was over at Kozue's, lying on her bed. I had finished kendo practice with Takeda forty minutes ago and with a poor excuse made my way here. I could feel his eyes watching me, the three houses between us felt like three miles and I didn't even knock before I slipped into Kozue's front door. I knew I'd need to tell Takeda about the incident sooner or later but it was just another thing to add onto my list.

Kozue had gotten out of the shower after me. A towel still wrapped around her hair. She had put on her white tank-top, a large purple star covered her left breast and part of her stomach and purple underwear. She had grabbed shorts but I waved them off, stripping out of my shirt and shorts. I ran a cloth down my face, cooling off my neck. An hour-long practice followed by a hot bath wasn't the smartest idea.

She was ruffling through her bookshelf by her bed and finally finds the yearbook. She tosses it and herself beside me with a bounce and opens it "Sugiyama, Sugiyama, Sugiyama..." she flips through her year "Sugiyama, Sugi-Sugiyama! Here she is!" her fingers tap on a photograph and I slide the book to me.

I looked at a girl with long brown hair and a gentle face.

"Oh, I remember her!" Kozue continues "She's the shy girl from the school newspaper."

She flips five pages to the photos and taps on a few. I see a picture of Sugiyama with a camera, taking pictures of events. Another was of her with a small notepad but as much as I looked I could only find two pictures with her in them and both were never head-on.

"Shy?" I state, snapping Kozue a look "She doesn't seem very shy to me. I mean she locked us on the roof for Christ sakes."

"Well love can make a person do strange things" Kozue giggles "I mean look at me, I hate watching any type of violence and yet I've seen Baki fight multiple people for me."

"Well, he wouldn't have to if someone didn't stick her nose in everyone's business."

I squeal as Kozue hits me with a pillow and I laugh, hitting her back and soon both of us were wrestling each other on the bed, our happy squeals of laughter and struggles echo through the house.

"Girls!" Kinuyo shouts from the stairs "It's eight-thirty, quiet down!"

"Sorry!" we both shout and fall back on the bed laughing.

"So, she's meeting him behind the gym tomorrow?"

"Yeah..."

"Are you going to go?" Kozue had rolled over, wiggling her eyebrows at me

"No!" I make a face and turn away "She was staring at me in class, like flat-out staring."

"I know! That's the point!" she sighs like I was missing some obvious thing "If she went through all that trouble to do that in front of you she wants you to come. It's like some test or something. If you don't go you lose."

"And?"

"And! You've never backed down from a challenge before, why is this any different?"

"Because this is personal, gods know why."

Kozue stops, sitting up slowly and I lean back against the pillow when she stares at me. Her stare on intensifying as the seconds continue. After a moment her eyebrows raise "Oh my god... you don't see it do you?" when I don't answer her face falls, she sits up, taking my hand "Sophia... he likes you."

"What?" I laugh "No he doesn't."

"Yes! He does." She snaps back "I mean it's as clear as day on his face! Do you think Sugiyama would do all of this for no reason?" at my silence she rolls her eyes "Sophia, she feels threatened! That's why she's trying to knock you down a peg. She thinks you're after her man."