Gaps and Butterflies

Yukari gave the girl a bright thankful smile before she scurried out. Yukari reached for a mochi and took a light bite. Her face lit up and she placed a hand on her cheek as she chewed slowly giving happy muffled moans.

"Mmm.~ It’s very yummy!~ Thank you for the food.~ Oh right, my story. Yes, a fair trade indeed.~ Now, where to begin…You see, her name I shall keep private for the sake of her privacy, but she is indeed from ancient Egypt. It seems she embodies the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld Anubis. Recently, she returned to her old home to find it in ruins from the many thousands of years that have passed. However I myself visited the more modern cities such as Cairo. I must say, it really is hot there, so my parasol came in much more handy."

Yukari took a sip of her tea before continuing. She obviously enjoyed the taste, giving an approving smile.

Yukari's voice had a happy chirp to it. Happier than most people would be to learn of such interesting history. Taking another sip of tea, and another bite of some mochi, she went on.

"I see. Perhaps Kyon might be just as important as the leader herself, then.~ Odd jobs tend to be the hardest and most interesting of requests after all.~ Now as for my own experience…hm…Let me think back…"

And think back she did, well more like think of a decent fib. She recalled her knowledge on Japanese schools and what they require, so she then remembered the student council concept. This pleased her enough, so she said this.

"Ah yes, I used to be student council president at my old school. I was elected as such due to the charming aura I tend to put out and the leader-like composure and charisma I possess, apparently."

At first Haruhi was worried about what her past clubs might be, but once revealed and wave of relief came over her.

"Thank goodness all of positions of our Student Council are taken. Though I can see why you would be perfect for the roll. Oddly enough Koizumi is quite charismatic from what I’ve observed. Maybe you two can work in teams and round up new members with that charm?"

Haruhi smiled over such a plan, but it did worry her slightly. Just what if Maribel was as good as she said? Maybe there wouldn’t be enough room to house all the new people drooling over Mikuru and her. She mentally sighed and decided it was useless thinking about that issue. If more people brought about a better room due to the size, she couldn’t complain either.

Ah, such a wonderful sounded suggestion Haruhi had made. It definitely brought a few fun ideas into Maribel's head. 

"Ah! No of course not! I wouldn't be able to split my attentions in such a way, you see. Besides, this club has an air to it that's far too...intriguing to split away from, to put it delicately. So don't worry, miss Suzumiya.~ I have no intention of joining any other clubs.~"

Yukari stifled some laughter. To think Eirin was one to boast in such a way, it was quite interesting to see. Yukari took a sip of her own tea and relaxed in her own “seat”. 

"Well, I am glad that you think so. I try to be as pleasant as possible, especially with having a family of my own. To be so careless as to become unpleasant company would not only give me a bad name, but also have my family think less of me. I’d rather not have that, you see?"

Yukari thought back to the days of Rai, her precious daughter, playing in the yards of the shrine, or the yards of Mayohiga, playing tag with Chen or other games with Ran. It brought a smile to her face, and even a slight tear. She snapped to quickly when Eirin had asked her to tell stories.

The two were interrupted at that point by one of the inaba entering the room with a small basket of woven bamboo, cloth covering the contents. The girl rather hurriedly set the object out before retreating out into the hallway again. Another one was quick to follow, bringing a tray of tea and cylindrical cups.

Yukari gave the girl a bright thankful smile before she scurried out. Yukari reached for a mochi and took a light bite. Her face lit up and she placed a hand on her cheek as she chewed slowly giving happy muffled moans.

"Mmm.~ It's very yummy!~ Thank you for the food.~ Oh right, my story. Yes, a fair trade indeed.~ Now, where to begin...You see, her name I shall keep private for the sake of her privacy, but she is indeed from ancient Egypt. It seems she embodies the ancient Egyptian god of the underworld Anubis. Recently, she returned to her old home to find it in ruins from the many thousands of years that have passed. However I myself visited the more modern cities such as Cairo. I must say, it really is hot there, so my parasol came in much more handy."

Yukari took a sip of her tea before continuing. She obviously enjoyed the taste, giving an approving smile.

"Yes, this tea is quite splendid. I’ll have to convince miss Mikuru for the secret.~"

If there’s one thing that Maribel knew about tea, it’s how it tasted better with good company. And this company was far beyond good, to say the least. she was well aware of the interesting allure each one of these members had, Haruhi in particular.

"Of course we do," she proclaimed with glee. "I’m the Brigade chief obviously, and I run most of the club operations here. Koizumi over there is my Deputy Chief. He gained that title on our trip to an Island Murder Mystery that he set up himself just to entertain us! I also discuss ideas for the club with him, and he’s great with feedback. Mikuru is out hot mascot to bring in the crowds, and Yuki came with the room. She’s quiet, but helps us out whenever we need it. So she kind of became a member by default. Then there’s Kyon." 

She paused and glared at him for a moment before continuing. “The only things he’s good for is doing odd jobs and such. He did help me come up with the idea of starting the club, but other than that he’s useless.”

Some how explain the duties of her friends brought a spark to day. It was fun to bring new people into her club, and know that she would stay made it all the more satisfying.

"I see. Perhaps Kyon might be just as important as the leader herself, then.~ Odd jobs tend to be the hardest and most interesting of requests after all.~ Now as for my own experience...hm...Let me think back..."

And think back she did, well more like think of a decent fib. She recalled her knowledge on Japanese schools and what they require, so she then remembered the student council concept. This pleased her enough, so she said this.

"Ah yes, I used to be student council president at my old school. I was elected as such due to the charming aura I tend to put out and the leader-like composure and charisma I possess, apparently."

Yukari gave a chuckle, thinking back on just how many times that happened. It didn’t actually anger her, she could never stay mad at her ghostly lover after all.

"Balanced, you say? Well, I would be inclined to agree, not to seem a little too narcissistic. I have met other versions of myself, and I must say, I have seen such a wide variety. Super cute and shy ones, overly seductive and sometimes even sadistic cruel ones. It’s an experience that I don’t think I could ever really get used to, really."

Ah, Eirin’s words made the gap youkai blush a little. She found her interesting, did she? Well that was certainly unexpected but definitely welcome. Yukari waved her hand, as if waving off Eirin’s comment, taking a sip of her tea before she spoke.

Yukari stifled some laughter. To think Eirin was one to boast in such a way, it was quite interesting to see. Yukari took a sip of her own tea and relaxed in her own "seat". 

"Well, I am glad that you think so. I try to be as pleasant as possible, especially with having a family of my own. To be so careless as to become unpleasant company would not only give me a bad name, but also have my family think less of me. I'd rather not have that, you see?"

Yukari thought back to the days of Rai, her precious daughter, playing in the yards of the shrine, or the yards of Mayohiga, playing tag with Chen or other games with Ran. It brought a smile to her face, and even a slight tear. She snapped to quickly when Eirin had asked her to tell stories.

That sounded a little more troubling than it should have. And if Yuuka says she was off, then this was certainly worth looking into. On the other hand, Yukari tried not to think about how much she was bothering Yuuka with this. It concerned her, but at the same time, she wanted to clear the waters between the two, so to speak.

"M-Miss Yuuka, I can assure you, Chen can certainly handle herself...She has become much stronger in recent years, more so than even I expected. However, you have a point...I will keep my eye on her more closely so I don't have to worry."

Yukari's voice was obviously filled with concern, not only for Chen but for others as well. She pondered for a moment though, what exactly would prompt someone to pull something like this, implying it were some sort of prank. Even Yukari had her limits when it came to those, being as mischievous as she was. This was legitimately concerning to her.