CAULIFLOWER

Chapter 6
Cousin Yukiko lived quite a distance away. Megumi was already quite cold, despite the white blouse and despite the steady, great sprint. When she stopped in front of Uncle Nagashi's door, her breathing was only a little faster, even though she had also run up the three floors. She rang the doorbell and only now did they begin to have faint doubts. Was she really supposed to come here? Maybe she wasn't elegant enough for parties like this. Maybe Yukiko only invited her out of kindness and didn't expect her to come? Oh, this Yukiko. She had a habit of inviting many real or alleged talent and future celebrities. In doing so, she made a face as if her successes were also her achievements. But maybe this party will be different from the others. Perhaps there will be no unhealthy-looking aspiring poets and pale film school students today. Yukiko had beaten the ballet school exam this year and started her training at the polygraphy school.The door was opened. A beam of light fell on the stairwell from a lamp that hung in the anteroom.
"Hello Darling!" Yukiko exclaimed euphorically, a rather tall, slim, black-haired girl with small warts on her cheek. She wore a long dress that had Indian patterns embroidered on the neckline. Her enthusiasm seemed genuine and her joy of seeing each other as great as if she hadn't seen her cousin two days ago. They greeted each other - Yukiko kissed the air twice with her made-up lips and Megumi gave her two factual smackes as it should be in the family. Yukiko smiled thoughtfully and explained to Megumi that the party was already in full swing. The parents are not there, they are in the cinema on a night maraton and have only left a bottle of sparkling wine as a symbol for the youth.
Megumi went into the room full of bad fears about the amount of bottles the young polygraphs had brought with them. A nice surprise awaited them there.Nobody seemed drunk, there were no bottles to be seen. Also, something seemed to be missing from the mood.
* Acha * thought Megumi. * no deafening music. *
Instead, one heard romantic violin music from a record and the polygraphs sat on the floor and ate pieces of bread, which they dipped into a large pot on a small tourist stove. There were cups of homemade sake on the floor in front of them.
“My cousin Megumi,” Yukiko explained, pushing Megumi in front of her like a beautiful cattle specimen. "She won a gold medal at the Spartakiad. And she's a great basketball player."
Oh gods, what a recommendation. Megumi had the feeling that she either laughed straight away or she knocked Yukiko down so that the idiot would remember it for the rest of her life. Really, after such an introduction the attempt to become a Romantic Butterfly was immediately futile. You should treat her more like a ring king now.But nothing like that. She was greeted with smiles and curious looks. The first, of course, came from the few people in Megumi's class: here, of course, was Yutaka Soyii, Amaya, Hana and Shin, all known from a school performance - and with them the polygraph Hoshiko Takase, the prima donna of the troupe and the famous Hamlet. So real artists populated Yukiko's house! The other guests were probably Hoshiko and Yukiko's class. They had given Megumi the curious glances.
Something of that interest that she attributed to her imposing height (five feet five) Megumi quickly sat on the floor.
No sooner was she seated than she froze.
Oh, the devil. Motosuwa.
He was sitting on the floor on the other side of the pot, eating and looking challengingly at Megumi.
That cursed vampire. Well Everything is right. He said on that damned date that he went to polygraphy school. First he worked in a printing shop somewhere and only then could he go to school.He was in first grade with Hoshiko and Yukiko.
Well, well, how he looks good today, that disgusting ripper, in his sand-colored suit. His dangerous steel-colored eyes and bony cheeks, his thin lips and young mustache seemed to make a great impression on the polygraph women. Only Yukiko stared dreamily at Yutaka Soyii, who was just looking defiantly at Megumi when he suddenly felt an elbow in his ribs. The elbow belonged to Amaya Watanabe, the famous Ophelia from the school performance. Amaya looked different today than at school. She wore a modern, brown skirt and a white blouse. On her face you could see the decision not to let Yu-chan look challengingly at anyone today.

It turned out that there is cheese in the pot. It was warmed on a low flame, white wine and many other mysterious ingredients were added and all of this became a typical Swiss dish called "fondue", as the proud hostess explained.The thick mass in which you should dip pieces of bread was extremely tasty.
Two mundane hours passed, in which there was mainly dancing.
It was normal, like any party. But three quarters of an hour before midnight, Yukiko had another good idea. She turned off the CD player and lit candles. Then she got coffee in cups from the kitchen and loaded a couple of plates with the wonderful apple pie.
It was really excellent. Megumi sat down at a plate and ate as much as she could, watching Motosuwa who, apart from the challenging looks from the beginning of the party, no longer honored Megumi with his attention.

After a few minutes, Megumi felt tension in the air. Something was going on. Amaya Watanabe, who had sat down next to her Yu-chan, either checked him with her eyes or looked after Hoshiko Takase, a black-haired, black-eyed, energetic girl who wore large glasses.Hoshiko was a sympathetic madwoman, spirited and friendly. Suddenly she brought Megumi a whole plate of cake and began to convince her to eat. Then she suddenly jumped up and stood in the middle of the room, where she started to make nonsense and to declaim Shakespeare. First she spoke Ophelia's text as Hamlet. Then she said Hamlet's text, speaking to a soprano with his nose held shut, which caused soft laughter from the crowd. When it became too obvious that Hoshiko was imitating Ayama's voice, she started from her corner with some terribly lousy poems that she recited in front of a few not particularly interested listeners. And then suddenly Hoshiko sat down on the floor, took off his glasses and began to roll over with laughter. She even turned purple.
Oh, this Hoshiko was really really nice. Maybe the nicest person here.
Well, except maybe a rather short, stocky guy from the polygraphy school who wore a smart suit and a white shirt and tie.The boy who was called by everyone Susa was equally sympathetic to Megumi. Maybe because he laughed honestly and contagiously. Or because he told the best political jokes.
The longer Megumi looked at him, the more she liked him. And when she didn't take her eyes off him, she noticed something that nobody but her had noticed: Susa is playing a huge spectacle in a one-man show that is also a one-spectator show. And that viewer should be Hoshiko Takase. Susa made nonsense for her, danced and sang, for her he told stories, laughed and hopped. The idea was desperate because Hoshiko had a lot of fun and did not pay the slightest attention to the raging Susa. She was busy, and very busy: she was trying to fend off the psychological attacks thrown at her by Ueda Motosuwa.
At first sight nothing was going on. Hoshiko crossed the room and met Motosuwa's gaze. She stood next to the CD player and Motosuwa ran after her, bombarding her with steely eyes.Finally she stood by the window and Motosuwa came with a bored step, as if he hadn't intended to go there.
Nobody paid any attention to these maneuvers. Nobody except Susa, who, like Romeo, was in love with Hoshiko. And no one except Megumi, who knew Motosuwa's methods best.
Megumi just calmly ate the fourth piece of cake and thought that the likeable Hoshiko Motosuwa shouldn't get so close because of Susa - and who knows, maybe she should warn the victim what to expect from this vampire - as the couple she was watching came near the armchair with Megumi sitting on the floor behind the armrest.
It got restless in the room because Susa, who knows why, suddenly started walking on hands - but the laughter and noise didn't drown out Motosuwa's words or Hoshiko's answer.
"Don't you know", Motosuwa flowed on the wave of routine, "that you have eyes like black diamonds?"
* Huh, how original.* giggled Megumi. * He has not yet used diamonds, including black ones. *
"Oh, Ueda - kun, I don't believe you a word." Hoshiko let himself be torn and blushed with delight.
“You are right.” Motosuwa said. "Black diamonds are cold. No, you look more like ..."
*N / A?? How?? Like what ?? * Megumi pricked up her ears.
"Like a cherry blossom," Motosuwa said with an enthusiastic baritone. "Blown around by the spring wind."
Megumi got up and decided to move to another area of ​​the room. Motosuwa ruined her appetite. And she still wanted to eat a lot of tasty treats today.
But at that moment there was a noise. Susa rushed past her on her hands and fell with all his weight on Motosuwa, interrupting his attempt to put an arm around Hoshiko's waist.
"Oh, sorry, dude," he said. He stood on his knee, rubbing his knee, then offered a hand to Motosuwa to help him stand up. "Walking on your hands is difficult too. I really don't know how it drove me here.""And I probably know." Said Hoshiko and vigorously adjusted the glasses with his thumb.
"O!" Susa wondered masterfully. "You here?!"
"Me here."
"Well, that works out well. I need you for a romantic waltz. Well, what can I do for it, I want to dance the waltz." Susa said, took Hoshiko by the elbow and guided her towards the CD player. "So, here is a CD like this, look, there is also the roller" Francoise "and we will dance until midnight, like that."
"Yes, I will dance." Hoshiko said acidly and tore himself away. "But I will dance with Ueda."
"No." Asked Susa, suddenly sad and