Disclaimer: Koko wa Greenwood is the creation of Yukie Nasu, and all characters and situations therein are the property of her and Hakusensha Inc., Victor Entertainment, and the Pierrot Project. No infringement is intended.

**track twenty-three**

"Suka-chaaan! Let me in!" This is so embarrassing. I'm on my knees, scratching at the door to my own room like some stray cat. I've got every right to my own room, dammit!

It's not like I owe him some kind of apology, do I? "Come onnnn, Suka-chan! What's the matter with you anyway?" It's not about the beer, is it? "Look, next time Furusawa-sempai goes for a beer run, I'll let you have it, okay?" Whoops, that didn't quite come out the way I meant it. "Let me in, already!"

Suddenly, I get this cold panic down my spine. What if he's found out about me? If he realizes he's been played for a sap for the past what? Three, four months? Jeez, getting locked out like this would be a mild punishment.

I'm sure hoping that's not it, but ohh boy… do I wanna stick around to find out that it is?

*knock*knock* "Sempai?"

"Shun? What're you doing here?" Mitsuru-sempai looks a little bleary-eyed. Considering he had to keep everyone else calm during the blackout, it's no surprise, really. Behind him, though, Shinobu-sempai looks calm, cool and collected.

I hate to rat on the guy, but honestly… "Suka-chan's locked me out, and I don't know where I'm gonna sleep tonight!"

Mitsuru-sempai is evidently too tired to do anything but to palm his face. "That moron. All upset over nothing. Again. Shinobu? A little help here?"

"Mm? Oh, sure." And he gets up and they head next door. I follow.

*knock*knock* "Hasukawa?" Mitsuru-sempai peers in the window just to make sure that the room's not empty. I can see him, hunkered sternly at his desk, staring at his schoolwork, not looking up. He's deliberately ignoring us.

"Someone's got issues, I suspect," Shinobu-sempai murmurs, then holds up a ring of keys. "Shall we…?" When Mitsuru-sempai notices the keys, he gets this look on his face… I dunno what anyone else would do in this situation, but I'm backing away.

He snatches the keys from his roommate. "What're you doing with these, anyway?" I take it that, as the hall president, those are supposed to be in Mitsuru-sempai's possession.

Shinobu-sempai, though, is unperturbed. "Can't be too prepared, ne?" he grins as Mitsuru-sempai fumbles with the keys for a moment before actually managing to unlock the door.

Mitsuru-sempai flings the door open with a little more force than he probably ought to, but it gets the job done. Suka-chan practically jumps as the door bangs against the wall; his startled reaction almost makes it look like he was listening to a Walkman, or (just maybe) studying very intently. I could forgive those possibilities, really. "What the hell's the idea of you two… oh." He slams the book he'd been reading shut, and glares at me.

"Mm. Looks like you two have this or that to work out. We'll just leave you to it." And having said that, the sempai are gone like the wind. I should know; Suka-chan started glowering because I stepped out from between them. Now, even though I can't see them, I can almost feel the breeze behind me as they depart.

I think I prefer riding the motorcycle.

Even with Furusawa-sempai driving. And slightly buzzed.

This doesn't look like it's gonna be fun.

And it looks like I have to start things, as Suka-chan's about to yank that damn book out again and ignore me. "Okay, Suka-chan, spit it out. What's eating you, anyway?"

He slams his hands against the desk as he gets up. "You really wanna know, Shun?"

"Look, if it's about the beer, Furusawa-sempai only—"

"It's not about the beer, dammit. The stuff makes me sick these days. You know that… or at least you would if you weren't so busy flirting with one or another of the sempai…"

Oh, so that's it. I plop myself down on my bed with a sigh. "Aw, Suka-chan… this whole jealousy thing might be cute under other circumstances—"

"I am NOT jealous! I'm worried about you! Suppose one of the sempai found out about you, and decided to…" He trails off, windmilling his hands in frustration. Evidently he can't even find the words to describe what Furusawa-sempai or whoever would choose to do to me.

"Whatever. Suka-chan… Honestly, I can take care of myself. It's not like I haven't been doing this for years. And sure, Furusawa-sempai's a big guy and all that, but it's not like he can't be trusted. Heck, I'd say he's more trustworthy than Mitsuru-sempai and Shinobu-sempai, and they know my secret." The fact that everyone else in Greenwood besides Suka-chan knows my secret is beside the point, for now. "Believe me, that sort of thing doesn't happen here at Ryokurin Academy. Not without severe repercussions for the guy who tries.

"Of course, if I ever actually wanted any of these guys…" and gaze off sideways out the dorm room window, hoping I'm affecting a suitably dreamy expression. "I could simply tell them my secret, spread my legs for them—" and I'm noticing Suka-chan's just about boiling over at this point, "—and once they're all ready and rarin' to go, I'd warn them if they ever said anything about us, I'd make sure he was accused of rape and booted out of the Academy faster than you could say 'hentai baka'. Leaves 'em limper than a dead fish."

Speaking of which, Suka-chan seems to have deflated, too, although he's still staring at me. "What is it?"

"Shun… Shun-chan…" I smile. Looks like we're okay again for now. "You are one seriously evil woman."

"What?" I'm trying to look offended, but I'm not sure I'm succeeding. "Suka-chan, you don't really think I would spread my legs for any of the guys in this dorm, do you? Come on. I've got too much at stake, here. Plus, I'm not interested in any of them. Or it, for that matter." I flop onto the bed, subject closed.

But after a long pause, during which Suka-chan actually does go back to his book after all — homework, I suppose — he speaks up, tentatively. "Shun-chan… can I ask you a personal question?"

Oh, please don't let it be about whether he falls in with what I said about 'any of the guys in this dorm.' I don't want to break his heart or anything, but truth to tell, I'm not interested in him that way, either. "Uh, sure, I guess… whaddya wanna know?"

"…are you gay?"

Okay, that wasn't the question I was expecting. I sit up. "No, I'm not gay. What makes you think that?"

He's got this relieved yet embarrassed look on his face. "Oh, good." I think he wants to believe he's still got a chance at me, to be honest. "Well, I mean… you're saying you aren't interested in boys or anything like that."

Right. Now, how do I put this? "I'm not. I dunno, maybe the whole hormonal surge hasn't hit me yet. The whole idea just doesn't turn me on." I shrug, then flip myself back onto the bed. "Anyway, good night, Suka-chan." I pull the curtain.

"Er… you want me to go into the hall so you can change?"

"Nah…" I'm wearing a tank top, a (padded) bra, and a pair of shorts: they'd be cooler than pajamas anyway. Well, except for the bra, which I wriggle out of where I lay. "I'm good."

Suka-chan mumbles something in response to that. I think I can pick up the word 'lesbian' in there somewhere, but I'm gonna let it pass.

To be continued.

Webmaster: Larry F
Last revision: May 21, 2007