Kinkyori Renai/Close Range Love Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Uni's Good Friend

This chapter opens with the mention that 3 years ago, a 14 year old girl ruled the gangster world. Her name has since been forgotten in the gangster world. Her name is Nami.

Then, Nami was a transferred student. She looked very rebellious. Students gossiped about her past. There were rumours saying that she tranferred to this school because she had a violent outburst in her previous school. That left her with a scar on her cheek.

At that time, no student would talk to Nami except for Uni. Once, Nami was sitting alone when Uni walked towards her. Nami stared at her and tried to intimidate her:" What are you looking at ?!"

Unfazed, Uni gave her a curtsy (which shocked Nami) and in a very formal tone, apologised for disturbing her but she would like to make an observation. Uni told Nami that she noticed that their panties had the same teddy bear figures. Shocked beyond words, Nami quickly put her legs down. From then on, Uni would come up to her and talk to her. Nami could not help but be attracted to Uni's unique qualities. Soon they became best of friends.

Scene switches but to current.

Uni noticed that Nami was ignoring her. She thought that Nami must be angry with her for keeping her relationship with Haruka a secret. Uni tried to start a conversation. She cooked Nami's faviourite dish and asked her to join her for lunch. Nami refused. When Uni tried to persuade her, Nami shouted at her and walked away.

Uni gave chase and tried to talk to Nami again. Nami shouted at her:"Stay away from me!" Uni noted that they had not spoken to each other for 3 days. Her classmates noticed that too. One of them commented that Nami seemed angry and upset. Haruka overheard the comment. He tried to look for Uni to comfort her.

Haruka found Uni sitting alone at stairwell with her lunch box. Gently he lifted up her chin and told her she should not blame herself. Uni eyes were filled with tears. He told her he was to be blamed instead. Haruka leaned forward to lick away her tears... Uni pushed him away and told him that this is between Nami and her. Haruka made an observation that Uni took too many things upon herself. He told her he would find an opportunity to speak to Nami. Uni felt that Nami has every right to be upset with her for not being open. Haruka felt that Nami could be upset with something else.

That after school, Uni was taking the train back home. She caught sight of Nami. As she walked towards her, Uni overheard Nami's phone conversation. Nami told the person on the line that she would meet them at the alley. Uni followed her quietly. Uni saw Nami talking to 2 guys. She wondered whether they were her friends from the past. Uni thought that Nami must be tired of her friendship and was seeking her old friends instead.

Back in school the next day, Uni saw Saki (Nami's boyfriend) looking totally listless and depressed. He had been missing school since the beginning of new term. He told her he has been dumped by his sweetheart Nami. Uni was shocked to hear that. Saki told her that his pride could not it. He needed to find answers to him being dumped. Saki produced a handphone. He told Uni, he has stolen Nami's handphone. Uni was shocked and told him that he should return the handphone immediately. Ignoring her, Saki showed Uni one of the messages from the handphone.

"Your reputation as the feared person in the gangster world must be a joke. Bring the money to us as soon as possible or we will seek out your friends and hurt them. There will be a bloodbath if you fail to give us the money."

Scene switches to Haruka and Nami. Haruka approached Nami and told her to have a chat with him. Nami immediately told him that she had no intention to forgive Uni for lying to her and keeping their relationship a secret from her. Haruka looked at her and told her to stop lying. He was very certain that Nami would not break a friendship over such frivolous reason. He insisted that Nami to tell him the truth.

Nami told Haruka her past. She told him she used to be a gangster. Now and then, someone would seek her out for a fight to gain instant fame. If they could defeat her, they would be famous as she was infamous. She would often fight in school. At first, Nami thought that Uni, like everyone else in school, feared her but she realised that Uni was fearful for Nami's safety. Uni came up to Nami after she was involved in a fight to clean her up. Uni told her that Nami should stop fighting as she was a girl and fighting could leave scars. Nami could not explain it but she decided to stop fighting then.

She told Haruka that now, when gangsters sought her out to fight, she would pay them. Her intent was to protect Uni and now she has hurt Uni instead.

Suddenly, Saki shouted at them. He told them that Uni has ...

Scene switches to the 2 guys squatting in the alley. They wondered where was Nami and why was she late. They were laughing thinking that Nami was such a coward and they could not believe she was rumoured to be a "Violent Nami". They said they would make her kneel down at them. One of them said that would take photos of her doing so.

At that moment, Uni appeared. She claimed she was violent Nami. The 2 guys said they had seen Nami and but they had not seen her. Uni told them that was someone who tried to imitate her. Uni claimed that was the real Nami. In truth Uni looked hilarious. She looked like she had walked out from a movie. As she had no idea how a gangster should look like, she could only based it on her own imagination (or the lack of it).

The 2 guys laughed at her and told her she didn't look the part at all. In fact she looked so tiny and weak, they were quite sure they could easily break her into half. Uni took out a piece of meat patty and a dining knife. She told them they would eat their words if they were to see her being violent. With that, Uni proceeded to cut up the patty viciously. The 2 guys were not impressed. They told her not to look down on gangsters and started to throw punches at her. Uni jumped out of range. She turned around and stared at them:"How dare you hurt my best friend!" Using her palms, she pushed them away and told them not to come near her friends again. The 2 guys were confused. They have never encounter a fight like that. All Uni had done was to push them around?! One of them took out a pole and wanted to hit Uni when she was not paying attention!

At that moment, Nami came. With a scream and a violent look, she kicked the guy away and slammed both of their heads into the wall, creating huge craters in the wall. With a scary face, she told them she was the real "Violent Nami". With that she kicked them into the air... Uni dashed towards Nami and gave her a hug. She apologised for not realising that Nami had been protecting her from harm. Nami apologised for hurting Uni's feelings and ignoring her. Nami assured Uni that she would support her relationship with Haruka. They made up.

Haruka and Saki quietly observed the two. Later on, 4 of them went back together. As they were walking, Nami asked Haruka when Saki and Uni were out of earshot:"Are you serious about Uni?"

Haruka told her he was very certain and he hoped to marry her one day. Haruka looked at Nami and told her:"If something happened to us, please give your support to Uni." Nami assured Haruka she would take care of Uni.

Suddenly, Uni noticed a luxury car parked at the side of the road. She could not help but felt that someone inside the car was staring at them. She thought it must be her imagination.

Unknown to all of them someone who looked very much like Haruka was observing them from the car window.

That ends Chapter 24. The story is getting very interesting. I wonder what role will Haruka's dad play? What trials and challenges await Haruka and Uni? That ends volume 6. I don't have Vol7 with me now. Will wait for it to be available.