Chapter Forty-Eight: Shadows of the Past: Part One

                                    

                                          
Ruby sat in her class silent as she waited for the bell to ring. Following the previous day's events where New-Komachi had officially formed, she found going back to school to be... unexpectedly dull...
The young girl wanted to be dancing, rehearsing... coming up with songs with Kana and Mem-Cho... but alas... two of the three had to go to school whilst the other pursued her GED...

"Ugh..."

Ruby groaned, her head in her desk, wishing to skip through the school day. Today felt like it was going to be unbearable.
"Ya know, I'm kinda sad that Love Now's already over..."
Minami said as she sat down at her desk, Ruby lifted her head off her own desk and looked over at her friend just as the girl turned to look at her.
"Hey, hey, how'd ya feel havin' your big bro kissin' on the show?"
"How did I feel..?"
Ruby pondered the question, recalling Akane and Aqua's kiss on T.V. Propping her elbows on her desk and bringing her hands together, she opened her eyes, a clear look of dread on her face.
"Can you imagine what it's like to have super mixed feelings?"
"Ya' I bet..."
"I was five times as awkward as when that kiss scene on that siblings TV series aired..."
"That bad, ain't it?"
Ruby laid her head back on her desk, closing her eyes but every time she did, she saw Aqua and Akane kissing...  Yuck...
"Well, I reckon y'all will run into Akane in due time, won't ya? I mean, she's your brother's girlfriend."
"His girlfriend..?"
But... aren't Aqua's feelings toward Akane surely have to do with... no... she saw the look in his eyes... it was the real deal...
"Are you talking about Love Now?"
Both girl's jumped at the voice behind them turning to see Frill standing behind their desks, her lime green eyes and ever stoic expression sent a shiver down Ruby's spine. She still couldn't get over the fact she was her classmate.
"Um, yeah..."
"Oh, hi Frill, you know the show?"
"I know someone in the cast, after all. It was entertaining."

"You don't have to be so considerate."
Ruby said, waving off the compliment, thinking Frill was saying those things because her brother was in the cast, but the following sentence put that thought in its grave.
"I'm not... It was full of hot guys and beautiful girls... A real feast for the eyes."
"'A real feast for the eyes?!'"
Ruby and Minami looked at each other for a moment, shocked by how "vulgar" Frill had just been. She never gave off a hint of having those kinds of thoughts.
"So... even top stars say that kinda stuff..?"

Minami said, still somewhat speechless as he mind tried to catch up with her ears.
"No one hates good looking people, right? It truly was easy on the eyes. I feel like my vision improved by point five or so."
"She's funny?!"
Both Minami and Ruby thought at the same time, though, perhaps it's her stoic expression or voice that made it so funny..? Whatever the case may be the two teenage girls were seeming to enjoy having revelation after revelation be revealed about Frill, the star entertainer.
"Personally, I enjoyed seeing Mem-Cho act like a proper maiden. Had I been one of the male cast members, I totally would have pinned her down..."

Frill said, crossing her arms and turning around, her eyes closing as she went deep into thought.

"I was thinking ' Fire yourself up and win that girl over.'"