[hr][i][h1][color=salmon]Haruka Takashiro[/color].[/h1][/i]
[hr][hider=Tsubasa Chronicle OST - I talk to the rain][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q5fbbFpH40[/youtube][/hider][hr]

[quote][b][code]ENTRY #15712 | RAINY[/code][/b]

[code]It had been three weeks since Shizu and I came to Verthaven. A lot had happened during that period of time...and I had completely forgotten that I was still keeping a diary.

I did a bit of research about the place before we came here: sunny, close to the ocean so there were many beaches - very similar to the image of California so often depicted in Hollywood films. Father told us that we would be staying there with someone called Akemi, who was Mother's younger sister. Shizu was pretty excited about living in America (he kept raving about guns), but to me, nothing could be better than the peace and order in Japan or Singapore.

Verthaven showed us more than just the coast... We were even greeted by a raging storm on the first day. Arriving in a Chinatown that felt more westernized than those we had been to in other regions. Aunt Akemi was generally nice, though she had a bit of a scary side if we got into unnecessary trouble (most of the time courtesy of Shizu). Meeting our first friend in a foreign place - Trevor Obott - who further widened the circle, adding Cindy and Meifeng into the mix.

And then getting grounded for a week - again, it was Shizu's fault. Obviously he could not stay put in the room the whole time, and even got me to cover for him in case Aunt Akemi came in to check on us. Luckily she did not (the breakfast episode was a close call though), and brother was back by noon. Shizu was oddly silent for the rest of the day - no matter how I tried to question him he refused to tell me what was going on in that crazy mind of his. Later - during dinner - he then told Aunt Akemi and I that besides helping out with the laundry job he would be also working at Cindy's club.

What surprised me was not about Shizu, but Aunt Akemi's reaction: she did not bat an eyelid, making no comment. Shizu simply took that as a silent yes. After we went back to our room, Shizu then told me the reason was to pay off a debt he owed Cindy - something about a scooter. He also seemed to have suddenly matured ever since he slipped out that night. On the surface, it's a good thing - at least he stopped teasing me as much as before (even his jokes were becoming less rude) - but this change...made me all the more curious what exactly happened to him.

Ah, I should stop talking about that idiot brother of mine. There was another thing that happened yesterday.

Half an hour before we were closed, a young lady came to the cleaning shop. She was pretty in her own way: auburn-haired with a stylish bobcut, sea-green eyes, wearing a figure-hugging black suit... But that's not the point. It was how secretive she was with Aunt Akemi. Right after she entered Aunt Akemi brought her to the table and chairs at the corner. At that time I was still at the washing machines, so I could not hear what they were talking about over all the noise. After a couple of minutes the lady left, and Aunt Akemi had a frown on her face, deep in thought.

Ever since we arrived in Verthaven, Shizu had been saying about feeling an unknown bad vibe. Maybe he was right - something terrible was about to happen here. The strangely frequent rain, the weird behaviors in Aunt Akemi, Shizu and the mysterious lady...

I really had to say this: what the hell is exactly going on here?[/code][/quote]