Akamatsuverse Contract Labor

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
#26
I do know that in the manga Naru was a year behind Kitsune at school. Naru, Kitsune, and Keitaro are at their canon ages in this story, the ones I made older are Motoko, Shinobu and Su. Motoko is now a senior in high school, Shinobu and Su are freshmen.
Then you have one mistake as far as can tell... you refer to them as three teenagers... Kistune at canon age is no longer a teen.
 

FinalMax

Well-Known Member
#27
Well, the canon ages for everyone also has one important detail. Naru is 2 years younger than Keitaro, and that means she has roughly the same age difference with Kitsune. So Naru would be 17-18, and both Keitaro and Kitsune would be about 19-20.

That doesn't mean that there can't be a one year difference in education, given how Naru was described as some kind of overachiever. Alternatively, you could make it more that Kitsune had bureaucracy hold up her education.
 

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
#28
FinalMax said:
Well, the canon ages for everyone also has one important detail.? Naru is 2 years younger than Keitaro, and that means she has roughly the same age difference with Kitsune.? So Naru would be 17-18, and both Keitaro and Kitsune would be about 19-20.

That doesn't mean that there can't be a one year difference in education, given how Naru was described as some kind of overachiever.? Alternatively, you could make it more that Kitsune had bureaucracy hold up her education.
Eh... simpler solution, if Naru was not affected the holdback date, and Kitsune was, then even if there was 2 years difference in age, it would be 1 year difference in schooling.

Of course, that only works if Japan has the same issue as here in the U.S.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#29
I saw this on my FFN page, and since my brother is manifestly uninterested in my fanfic writings (he has a love-it-or-leave-it relationship with canon, silly wabbit), I thought I would talk about it here.

I posted the first three chapters of this story at FFN <a href='http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7180762/1/Contract_Labor' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>here</a>, and in the eight or so hours it has been posted, it has received 251 hits, 4 alerts, and 1 review. Not bad, huh? B)

However, you can break the stats down by country on your logged-in author page. Thus, the following countries have had people reading my story - United States (68), Australia (17), Canada (3), Mexico (3), Philippines (3), Portugal (2), Germany (2), Chile (1), Peru (1), Argentina (1), New Zealand (1), France (1), and Vietnam (1). :huh:

Now, I know that in theory anyone with a computer and internet access, or just a smartphone, can read my stories, especially if they are anime and Love Hina fans. But since the story is in English, you tend to make certain assumptions. However, it is a little weird to think that there is some guy in Vietnam (!) that is going, 'hey, I want to read me some Love Hina fanfic, I'll try this guy's story.' :blink:

So, for all the international readers of fanfics, and my stories especially, thank you. Now, if I could only figure out a way to get paid for this... ^_^
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
#30
GreydonCreed said:
I do know that in the manga Naru was a year behind Kitsune at school. Naru, Kitsune, and Keitaro are at their canon ages in this story, the ones I made older are Motoko, Shinobu and Su. Motoko is now a senior in high school, Shinobu and Su are freshmen.
If Shinobu's a freshman in a Japanese Senior High School, she's in 10th grade, and so should be 15 or 16. Suu could have skipped a grade or two, but Shinobu, while not stupid, didn't strike me as the sort of genius that would get to skip grade levels.

Japanese High Schools, IIRC, are split between Junior HS, grades 7, 8, and 9, and Senior HS, grades 10, 11, and 12.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#31
Prince Charon said:
GreydonCreed said:
I do know that in the manga Naru was a year behind Kitsune at school. Naru, Kitsune, and Keitaro are at their canon ages in this story, the ones I made older are Motoko, Shinobu and Su. Motoko is now a senior in high school, Shinobu and Su are freshmen.
If Shinobu's a freshman in a Japanese Senior High School, she's in 10th grade, and so should be 15 or 16. Suu could have skipped a grade or two, but Shinobu, while not stupid, didn't strike me as the sort of genius that would get to skip grade levels.

Japanese High Schools, IIRC, are split between Junior HS, grades 7, 8, and 9, and Senior HS, grades 10, 11, and 12.
For the purposes of this story, Shinobu, Su, and Motoko attend a combined grades secondary school. While in the US Shinobu and Su would be considered HS freshmen, they are merely 9th graders in secondary school in Japan. I'm just using the US HS examples for the American readers here.
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
#32
GreydonCreed said:
Prince Charon said:
GreydonCreed said:
I do know that in the manga Naru was a year behind Kitsune at school. Naru, Kitsune, and Keitaro are at their canon ages in this story, the ones I made older are Motoko, Shinobu and Su. Motoko is now a senior in high school, Shinobu and Su are freshmen.
If Shinobu's a freshman in a Japanese Senior High School, she's in 10th grade, and so should be 15 or 16. Suu could have skipped a grade or two, but Shinobu, while not stupid, didn't strike me as the sort of genius that would get to skip grade levels.

Japanese High Schools, IIRC, are split between Junior HS, grades 7, 8, and 9, and Senior HS, grades 10, 11, and 12.
For the purposes of this story, Shinobu, Su, and Motoko attend a combined grades secondary school. While in the US Shinobu and Su would be considered HS freshmen, they are merely 9th graders in secondary school in Japan. I'm just using the US HS examples for the American readers here.
OK, that makes sense. Is it the same one Motoko is a senior at?
 

zeebee1

Well-Known Member
#33
I doubt it would matter. The point is to establish their ages.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#34
Three thousand words in three hours! Woot! ^_^

Ch 4

Keitaro opened his eyes at the sound of the alarm clock buzzing beside him. He had never been a fan of getting up early, but his life pretty much demanded it of him. Early to go to school, early to study before school, early to roll out of a bunk covered with mosquito netting to keep from getting eaten aliveà waking up on a futon indoors at this relatively late hour was almost a luxury now.

Smacking the alarm clock off and grabbing his glasses from where they lay next to it, Keitaro rolled from his back to his knees beside the futon in a smooth motion. Placing the glasses on his face, he looked around the room he had spent the night in.

If there were any proof needed that Granny Hina had not intended to wait to see him, this room was it. Except for the slightly cluttered Western roll-up desk against the wall, the room was almost as bare as a hotelÆs would be. Drawers and closet empty, no pictures on the walls or the dresser. When Haruka had let him into the room last night, he had though she had shown him to one of the empty Inn rooms, but the desk put the lie to that. Thankfully, there had been bedding and a futon in the storage cubby so he did not have to sleep on a bare floor. All of Granny HinaÆs other belongings had been put into storage.

Moving over to where his duffle bag lay, Keitaro grabbed it and walked over to where the dresser was. Moving methodically, he emptied the contents into the drawers. Socks, skivvies, t-shirts in the first drawer, pullover shirts and jeans in the second, and sweaters and a black hoodie in the bottom drawer. Even so, there was still room to spare once he got to the bottom of the duffle. His jeans were still clean, so he just pulled on a new t-shirt, this one red with a stylized picture of a man wearing a Spartan helmet with the words æPipe Hitters UnionÆ above and æLocal 300Æ below it.

Sighing, Keitaro pulled out a locked flat metal case from the bag and laid it on the top of the drawer. After folding up and putting away the duffle bag on a shelf in the closet, he returned to the dresser.

Producing a key from his jeans pocket, Keitaro opened the case and did a quick inventory of the contents before closing and locking the case. Pulling open the bottom drawer, he tucked the case under the hoodie and closed it again.

Keitaro did not feel pleased that he did not have a more secure place to lock up the case, but he had received the contents from Seta-sensei when he first started working for him, as well as the necessary legal permits and paperwork so he would not be violating either Japanese or Thai law. He would just have to wait for Sensei to get out of the hospital in Osaka so that he could put the case and its contents in proper storage.

Picking up the last item, Keitaro turned the battered baseball cap around in his hands. Khaki and sweatstained, the cap looked it had gone through a war or two, and knowing the previous owner, it probably had. Tracing his fingers over the Union Jack patch sewn to the front, he could hear a voice floating through his memory û Fortune favors the brave, mate. Let the Devil take the rest.

After setting the cap back on top of the dresser, Keitaro picked up the battered Luminox wristwatch next to it and put it on. Given how fast the survivors of the expedition had been evacuated by the Thai navy, it was ironic that most of the clothes and gear he had with him now had not been originally his. The camp had been ransacked, and what little had been saved had included the duffle bag he had been carrying when he arrived. He had time to pick up some skivvies, socks and a couple pairs of jeans in Osaka in the week before he had to jump on the train to Tokyo when he got word from Granny Hina that he need to get his butt to the Hinata-sou pronto. The shirts, sweaters, and hoodie (all clean) had been in the bag and the ball cap and watch had been among the personal effects given to him by the Thais.

Walking over to the desk, Keitaro picked up a clipboard and several sheets of blank lined paper for notes as well as a pencil. After grabbing something for breakfast, he was going to have go through the Hinata-sou top to bottom, stem to stern. Gods willing, he would not have to do a lot of extensive repairsà like fixing that hole in the ceiling that was covered by what looked to be a piece of plywood. Keitaro had seen it last night and had been tempted to get a chair to stand on and examine the hole more closely, but he had been dead tired, and with his luck, the chair would have collapsed under him or something worse.

Keitaro had left his boots next to the main doorway last night, and he had not been able to dig out some indoors slippers, so he walked in his sock-clad feet out of the room, down the stairs, and through the living room and the dining room toward the kitchen. The last room brought back memories of last night, mostly unpleasant.

-----

Dinner itself was rather good. Pouched fish, steamed rice and vegetables, pickles and ginger, all spiced and seasoned to near perfection. The awkward part had begun when Keitaro and Haruka had walked in after everyone had already been seated, and Keitaro automatically walked to the foot of the long rectangular table the tenants were sitting around, where guests normally sat. But after a not-so-gentle nudge from Haruka, Keitaro slowly walked around to the head of the table and sat at the empty seat there, GrannyÆs old seat.

Motoko had been visibly not happy with the arrangement, Naru, even less so. Kitsune had grinned at the contretemps, Su barely noticed, but Shinobu almost had a breakdown, since she had not set a place at the head of the table. Keitaro had almost said to hell with it and gone back to the guest seat, but Haruka had clamped her hand down on his arm and held him in place.

While Shinobu had frantically run around resetting the table, Haruka walked over to where Naru was quietly stewing and in a no-nonsense voice ordered, ôMove over, Naru.ö

ôWhat?ö Naru jerked slightly, looking up the older woman standing beside her.

ôYouÆre not going to make me sit away from my favorite nephew, are you? Scoot over.ö Haruka had a slight flat smile on her face, barely enough to be polite.

Naru had almost scowled, but she remembered who was in front of her and gave a slight head jerk in acknowledgement. Moving over to the seat that Kitsune had already vacated, she looked down at the empty plate before her and glowered, her eyes deliberately not looking at anyone elseÆs.

After that, dinner was an almost silent affair. Except for quiet requests to pass a platter or some condiment, everyone pretty much concentrated on enjoying the delicious food. And it was delicious; much better than what he had eaten for the last year; fast and/or street food, quickly prepared and barely edible canned camp fare, and the all-time favorite meals of all, military rations and food bars he had eaten when there was nothing else.

Naru had attacked her food as though she was killing it before eating it; Keitaro was glad that they were eating with chopsticks and therefore the food was already in small portions. He was not sure he would have been safe if Naru had been holding a dinner knife at the time.

Motoko was eating like she was at a formal dinner; back straight, looking only ahead, off hand in her lap when not in use. Her eyes would move from one fellow dinner to another, but otherwise she concentrated on her meal.

Kitsune on the other hand was making no attempt to hide her amusement with the situation. Looking from the two other older tenants to Keitaro and Haruka, her dining was interspaced with sips of a clear beverage that Keitaro was sure was not water.

Shinobu had calmed down slightly once everyone had a place at the table and the food was served, but she was still looking anxious as everyone eat. Keitaro was reminded of an idiomatic American saying he had once heard; Shinobu was as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

Su on the other hand looked like she had not a care in the world. Pouring hot sauce on her food the way other would douse their french fries in ketchup, she ate almost twice as much as anyone else at the table. And this before Shinobu brought out dessert; while everyone else got a slice of strawberry cake, Su got a half dozen bananas that she peeled and slammed down like someone was going to take them from her. It was more than a little disturbing.

Haruka merely looked from one tenant to another while she ate, not saying anything. After her food was finished, she automatically put a cigarette in her mouth before Keitaro caught her eye. Sighing, she put the lighter way and waited for everyone else to finish.

Once the strawberry cake was gone, Shinobu stood to start cleaning off the table when Keitaro cleared his throat slightly. The girl froze in place before slowly sitting back down, eyes wide.

ôDinner was delicious, Shinobu-chan. I almost didnÆt believe what Aunt Haru had said, but now I have proof.ö Keitaro smiled at the young cook.

ôTh-thank you, Keitaro-sempai.ö The permanent blush on ShinobuÆs face rose to almost atomic levels.

Keitaro looked at the rest of the tenants around the table, seeing two scowls, one oblivious grin, and one smirk. It was almost like having a single pair hand in pokerà then again, the smirker could be considered a joker, so three of a kind, not bad, huh? Looking to the side, he saw that his aunt was grinning slightly as well, so three scowls (well, two and the joker) over two grins. Keitaro was getting the feeling it was some kind of demented ædead manÆs handÆ.

ôItÆs a little too late to be doing much of anything tonight, so tomorrow IÆm going to go through the entire Hinata-sou and see what needs to be done.ö Keitaro could see the objections rising on the faces of Naru and Motoko. ôExcept for the personal rooms of the tenants. IÆll wait for you to arrive home tomorrow afternoon so that you are with me when I enter your rooms. I can tell you right now, I wonÆt be entering your rooms unless the tenant is there with me, Aunt Haru is with me, or itÆs an emergency. Haru is going to be with me on the room inspection tomorrow regardless.ö Keitaro tilted his head over toward his aunt, who nodded in agreement. Naru and Motoko sat back in their chairs not saying anything but visibly not happy. ôI need to know when you will back here at the Inn tomorrow.ö

Naru scowled. ôCram school is done by 3:00 PM, I usually get here by 4:30.ö

Motoko answered stiffly. ôSchool is over at 3:00 PM as well, but I usually have kendo practice after school. I can leave early and be here by 3:30.ö

Shinobu spoke up softly. ôWe leave at the same time as Motoko-sempai, but Kaolla-chan and I donÆt have club. We normally get home at 3:30 PM.ö Su happily nodded in agreement.

Kitsune half-smirked. ôWell, IÆm a work-at-home kinda gal, so my door is always open for you, Manager-san,ö the fox girl said in a suggestive drawl that caused Naru and Motoko to frown at her for a change and for Shinobu to squeak and flush red.

Of course that is when Su spoke up. ôWhatÆs a Manager, Kitsune? Is it good to eat?ö

ôDepends on the toppings, Su-chan.ö KitsuneÆs smirk got even wider.

Su started to bounce up and down in her chair. ôOh, like bananas and chocolate sauce?ö she asked eagerly.

ôWell, there is a banana involvedàö By this time, Motoko was matching Shinobu with her blush, while NaruÆs glower was almost at the point where it could be classified as a lighting source.

ôEnough, Kitsune.ö Haruka stood up, with Keitaro following a moment later. ôSo 5:00 PM sound OK to you, Kei-kun?ö

ôYeah, just fine. IÆll come get you at the tea house around that time.ö Keitaro responded. He watched as everyone else stood and walked out toward the living room, with Shinobu staying behind and starting to gather the used plates and utensils on the table.

ôHaru, give a hand.ö Keitaro started gathering the dishes on his side of the table, and after a momentÆs hesitation, Haruka joined him.

ôKeitaro-sempai! DonÆt worry, I do this every night.ö Shinobu bit her lip in worry as the new landlord and his aunt quickly cleared the table.

ôYeah, doesnÆt mean itÆs right.ö Keitaro picked up the stack of plates and utensils in front of him, while Haruka collected the various cups and glasses. ôYou can take the left-overs to the kitchen, Shinobu-chan, weÆll get this done in no time.ö

ôOKàö Shinobu picked up a couple of half-empty platters of food and followed Keitaro and Haruka to the kitchen, not noticing that Naru and Motoko were standing on the other side of the doorway leading to the living room, guilt and concern showing on their faces.

-----

Walking into the kitchen the next morning, Keitaro saw that it was empty except for Shinobu, dressed in a school fuku uniform, who was standing on a small stepladder placing dishes in the cabinet. He frowned at the sight; Shinobu was standing on the top step of the ladder, with no visible means of stabilizing herself if she should lose her balance.

Without saying anything, Keitaro walked over to where the oblivious girl was standing and stood behind her. He did not want to see her fall, but he did not want to startle her into falling off either.

Ultimately, it didnÆt matter, as a loud call carried in from the entry hallway. ôShinobu-chan! Time to go to school!ö By the sound of the voice, it was Motoko.

Shinobu gave a slight gasp and unsteadily climbed down the stepladder. Getting to the bottom and turning around to leave the kitchen, Shinobu was abruptly face-to-face with Keitaro, who was standing less than an armÆs distance away from her.

ôSempai!ö Shinobu instinctively took a step back, which made her almost stumble over the stepladder. Instantly, KeitaroÆs hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder, steadying her.

ôShinobu-chan, that wasnÆt safe.ö Keitaro took his hand off her shoulder, although he stood in place close to her.

ôSafe?ö Shinobu placed her hand over her rapidly beating heart, and tilted her hand up so she could look at the manager.

ôWhat you were doing on that stepladder. You were too high on it, you could have lost your balance and fell.ö

ôBut IÆm too short to use the cabinets otherwise, Keitaro-sempai.ö Shinobu had a crestfallen look on her face.

ôThen weÆll have to make other arrangements. Otherwise I donÆt want you to use that stepladder anymore, especially with no one around to support you. IÆll look into getting another one to replace it.ö Keitaro took a step back from Shinobu and started writing a note on his clipboard about a replacement.

ôIf youÆre sure, Keitaro-sempai. I donÆt want to be a botheràö Shinobu would have continued speaking when another voice interrupted them.

ôWhat is going on here? Why are you two standing like that?ö The two turned toward the doorway where Motoko was standing with a suspicious look on her face. She was also dressed in a fuku uniform, and had a long and narrow wrapped bundle slung on her back.

ôShinobu was on that stepladder when I came in, she could have fallen off, so I stood next to it to make sure she didnÆt.ö Keitaro turned and stepped to face Motoko, incidentally stepping away from Shinobu. ôIÆm probably going to have to replace the stepladder for a safer one.ö

Motoko looked from the manager to the tenant, seeing an impassive look on one face and a blush on the other. But given that a blush was almost the default expression on ShinobuÆs face and there was no sign of lechery or guilt on the managerÆs face, she had to let it go for now. Motoko did resolve to question Shinobu more closely on the way to school, however.

ôItÆs time for us to go, Shinobu. We donÆt want to be late to the trolley.ö Motoko finally stated, looking toward the younger school girl.

Shinobu turned toward Keitaro. ôSempai, I left a plate of food covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for you, all you have to do is put it in the microwave for 30 seconds to heat it up. I have to get going, have a good day, Sempai.ö Turning, Shinobu hurried out of the kitchen.

Keitaro and Motoko looked at each other for a few moments before he broke the silence. ôHave a good day at school, Aoyama-san.ö

Motoko gave a brisk nod. ôThank you, have a good day as well, Manager-san,ö she responded, eyeing him for another moment before she turned and left the kitchen.

Keitaro stood there for a long moment before giving a soft sigh. Putting the clipboard on the counter, he turned and moved over to the fridge to get his breakfast. It was going to be a long day, he could just feel it.

-----
 

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
#35
I note this has already been posted...

Naru had attacked her food as though she was killing it before eating it; Keitaro was glad that they were eating with chopsticks and therefore the food was already in small portions. He was not sure he would have been safe if Naru had been holding a dinner knife at the time.
I should note, I personally would not consider myself safe simply due to fact she has chopsticks instead of fork... a chopstick can be used to kill...

ôYou can take the left-overs to the kitchen, Shinobu-chan, weÆll get this done in no time.ö
It has been awhile, so I'd have to check, but I thought they ate in the kitchen...

Motoko looked from the manager to the tenant, seeing an impassive look on one face and a blush on the other. But given that a blush was almost the default expression on ShinobuÆs face and there was no sign of lechery or guilt on the managerÆs face, she had to let it go for now. Motoko did resolve to question Shinobu more closely on the way to school, however.
Hmmm... I note she did not look at the stepladder.

An alternative to a new stepladder is a reevaluation of the kitchen and laudry rooms to see if they can either be reorganized, or lower shelving and/or rack organizers can be installed.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#36
PCHeintz72 said:
I note this has already been posted...

Naru had attacked her food as though she was killing it before eating it; Keitaro was glad that they were eating with chopsticks and therefore the food was already in small portions. He was not sure he would have been safe if Naru had been holding a dinner knife at the time.
I should note, I personally would not consider myself safe simply due to fact she has chopsticks instead of fork... a chopstick can be used to kill...
This line was for humorous effect - you can kill with a knife, fork, chopsticks or bare hands. A knife just makes it a little easier, and is visibly more menacing. :blink:

ôYou can take the left-overs to the kitchen, Shinobu-chan, weÆll get this done in no time.ö
It has been awhile, so I'd have to check, but I thought they ate in the kitchen...
There are seven people eating dinner (the five tenants, Haruka, and Keitaro), which would be a bit large for most kitchens, especially since this was the new manager's first night there. So I am going with the idea that only dinner is eaten in the dinning room, breakfast is eaten buffet style in shifts (people come and go at different times in the morning, so two or three people at the kitchen table is more doable than five or seven) and lunch is only prepared on weekends and also done buffet style.

Motoko looked from the manager to the tenant, seeing an impassive look on one face and a blush on the other. But given that a blush was almost the default expression on ShinobuÆs face and there was no sign of lechery or guilt on the managerÆs face, she had to let it go for now. Motoko did resolve to question Shinobu more closely on the way to school, however.
Hmmm... I note she did not look at the stepladder.
The stepladder was next to Shinobu, so by seeing her, the ladder would be seen as well. I just didn't specifically point that out.

An alternative to a new stepladder is a reevaluation of the kitchen and laudry rooms to see if they can either be reorganized, or lower shelving and/or rack organizers can be installed.
There is another way as well, one that will not please the older tenants. B)

Thanks for reading the story. :lol:
 
#37
I guess this is okay for the time-being. Nothing special, but it doesn't seem to really be aiming for that. If I were to put words on it, it seems like you're aiming for a kind of glazed normality with this ... and it has that.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#38
nuclear death frog said:
I guess this is okay for the time-being. Nothing special, but it doesn't seem to really be aiming for that. If I were to put words on it, it seems like you're aiming for a kind of glazed normality with this ... and it has that.
This is more like the calm before the storm. Keitaro is still gathering information about the Hinata-sou (the inspections). Remember, Keitaro has to decide if he is still going to run the Sou as a dorm, or if he will shut it down to reopen as a resort. There will be more histrionics coming shortly.
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
#39
zeebee1 said:
I doubt it would matter. The point is to establish their ages.
I'm aware of that. It was a matter of curiosity.

GreydonCreed said:
An alternative to a new stepladder is a reevaluation of the kitchen and laudry rooms to see if they can either be reorganized, or lower shelving and/or rack organizers can be installed.
There is another way as well, one that will not please the older tenants. B)
What, make the lazy bitches work? Motoko would be the easiest one to convince, methinks.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#40
The first half of Ch 5. <_<

BTW, the explanation of honorifics at the end is for the people at FFN who may not understand the subtleties involved. Let me know what you think.


-----

Ch 5

Opening the door to the hot springs area, Keitaro looked around carefully as he announced himself. ôIs anyone here? ItÆs Keitaro, I need to look around.ö Hearing no response, he opened the door completely and entered the scrub room.

As he had previously thought, inspecting the Hinata-sou property had taken most of the day. Starting at the attic and working his way down, he had gone through every room, closet, storage cubby and storeroom, and washroom he could find. By mid-day he had reached the basement and wound up inspecting the hot water boiler, which thank the gods appeared to be fairly new and in good condition. Keitaro had been half-afraid of encountering some turn of the century monstrosity when he had first come down the stairs.

After that, he had gone to the kitchen to get something for lunch when he had encountered Kitsune. He had seen her throughout the morning lounging in the living room, cheering for her picks while watching the horse races on TV. They had not said anything to each other since she had been too engrossed by the action on TV to notice him walking through the room behind her, so they had only greeted each other when Keitaro found her digging through the refrigerator.

Walking into the kitchen, KeitaroÆs first view of the resident fox girl was a nicely rounded rear covered in jean shorts and long bare legs below them in front of the open fridge doors. He could hear dishes clinking inside the appliance, so it was not a hard deduction to make to figure out what she was doing.

ôGood morning, Konno-san,ö Keitaro announced himself as he looked down at his wristwatch and noted that it was just before noon.

KitsuneÆs head popped out from behind the open fridge door, her cheeks puffed out, presumably because her mouth was full of food. Chewing rapidly, she swallowed the food and responded, ôMorning, Manager-san! What brings you here?ö

ôThe same thing that brought you here, I guess. Hunger pains.ö Keitaro walked over and stood next to Kitsune, noting she was wearing a loose light blue top, with a very large neck opening that resulted in the shirt being off one shoulder and almost down the swell of one of her breasts.

ôWell, thereÆs leftovers here from Shinobu-chanÆs breakfast, so have at it, Manager-san. And IÆve told you before, call me Kitsune.ö She pushed her chest out slightly and cocked her hips to one side, going for a more sexy look.

Peering past the ash-blonde tenant, Keitaro could see that the plastic wrapped plate from this morning was now in disarray, the hard boiled eggs and pickled vegetables gone, with only the rice left and spilling off the plate. Keitaro had left half of the large plate from breakfast in the fridge to eat for lunch, but it looked like the resident fox had gotten to it first.

Looking from the plate and the few other items in the fridge back to the nervously smiling girl, Keitaro instead turned and walked over to the breadbox on the counter. ôI was in the mood for tea and toast anyway. Could you please get out the butter, Konno-san?ö

Kitsune winced at the polite tone of voice the manager had used. That and the continued formal use of her last name did not bode well for her.

Pulling out the box of butter, she watched as the new manager took four pieces of bread and dropped them into the toaster. Picking up the tea kettle from the dish rack, he filled it and stepped over to the stove. Putting it on a burner and turning it on, he stepped back and opened a cabinet, pulling out a cup and plate. Placing those on the counter, he looked over to Kitsune, who was standing there holding the butter with an uncertain look on her face.

Taking the butter and putting next to the dish, Keitaro asked, ôWhere does Shinobu-chan keep the tea?ö

ôIn the pantry, through that door, on the right.ö Kitsune gestured to the side and Keitaro was able to find a couple different tins of tea. Selecting the green tea, he stepped back into the kitchen, seeing that the fox girl was standing there biting her lower lip before she asked, ôSo, why do you call Shinobu æ-chanÆ and keep calling me æ-sanÆ?ö (1)

Digging through a couple of drawers, Keitaro was able to find a small bell-shaped tea strainer. Carefully measuring a teaspoon of loose tea leaves into it, Keitaro closed it and placed it into the waiting empty tea cup. Sealing the tin of tea, he looked back at the tenant. ôBecause Shinobu reminds me a lot of my sister, back when she was younger. She used to be painfully shy too, but she got mostly over it before I finished school and had to leave home. Her name is Kanako, sheÆs about 16 years old now. YouÆll met her eventually.ö More than eventually, he was planning on calling home either tonight or tomorrow. ôPlus, it doesnÆt seem to bother her, and it will help get her confidence up.ö

ôSo why donÆt you call *me* æ-chanÆ?ö Kitsune step up close to Keitaro, well within armÆs reach, almost to the point where the taller male was able to feel the girlÆs breath on his face. As a matter of fact, he *could* feel her breath û as well as detect the slight smell of alcohol on it.

ôBecause it would not be polite, and IÆm sure it would not be proper, especially in our positions.ö Keitaro could see that Kitsune was slowly getting closer. He could feel the body heat radiating from her chest through his t-shirt. However, just as he was going to pull away from her, the tea kettle started to whistle.

Silently blessing the gods, Keitaro stepped away from the suddenly wide-eyed girl and over to the stove. Picking up the steaming kettle, he poured some of the water into the waiting cup. Hearing the bread pop out of the toaster, he grabbed the toast and quickly buttered it before putting it on the plate. Taking the butter and replacing it in the fridge, Keitaro picked up the cup of tea and the plate of toast and put them down next to his clipboard on the kitchen table.

Sitting down at the table, Keitaro looked over at the still motionless fox girl. ôIs there anything else, Konno-san?ö

Kitsune blinked once or twice before she shook her head. ôNo, Manager-san. I guess IÆll see you later.ö Turning unsteadily, she walked out of the kitchen back toward the living room.

Keitaro sat still for a moment, not moving until he heard the TV come on in the living room. Then moving slowly, he pushed his clipboard and plate of toast on the table before off to the side before he closed his eyes and began to softly bang his head against the table, muttering ôBaka, baka, baka, bakaàö (2)

-----

1 - Honorifics - The Japanese use honorifics when referring to other people, either by name or not. San is the most common suffix, equivalent to Mister or Misses. Used with both given and family names, it is used in formal or semi-formal situations to show respect, or when the person being addressed is not close to the speaker.

Chan is an affectionate suffix, normally used only for very young children, or for young girls or women, if the speaker and recipient are on friendly terms. It is also used by romantically involved couples in an intimate setting. Kun is the equivalent term for males.

Not using any suffix, especially when addressing someone by their given name, is considered very intimate, either romantic or not, and if used by someone who is not in that position, considered very insulting.

Shinobu tends to refer to people at the Sou with the suffix sempai, which refers to people either senior or of a higher rank than yourself. It is used mostly in a work or school setting, but Shinobu uses it as a means to show respect to her fellow housemates. She does use chan when referring to Su, however. The companion term to sempai is kouhai, which means underclassman or junior in rank, and is rarely used.

Teachers are referred to as sensei, which means æone who has come beforeÆ. The term is also used to refer to mentors at work or school or to medical doctors.

Sempai and sensei are considered titles as well as suffixes, so the terms alone can be used to refer to someone.

2 - Baka - the literal definition means idiot, but also used to mean dummy or dumbass. Used in KeitaroÆs situation, it can mean he is scolding himself for what he has done (or not done) or for being in the situation to begin with.

-----
 
#41
and began to softly bang his head against the table, muttering ôBaka, baka, baka, bakaàö
No. I hate crap like this. Put his self-recriminations in English or I stop reading. Gratuitous Japanese does not make your story better, nor anyone's. Instead, it makes you look like an idiot.
 

FinalMax

Well-Known Member
#42
nuclear death frog said:
and began to softly bang his head against the table, muttering ôBaka, baka, baka, bakaàö
No. I hate crap like this. Put his self-recriminations in English or I stop reading. Gratuitous Japanese does not make your story better, nor anyone's. Instead, it makes you look like an idiot.
Agreed. That's just overly gratuitous use of language. I can understand it if someone is using it as part of a nickname, but not some kind of mantra.

I have to point out that Keitaro doesn't feel like Keitaro at all in this story. Period. It's almost like he died during this expedition you're referencing, and someone who looks like him is taking his place.
 

PCHeintz72

The Sentient Fanfic Search Engine mk II
#43
As he had previously thought, inspecting the Hinata-sou property had taken most of the day.
This implies it is late day or at least afternoon... yet later he notes it is just before noon, or lunchtime.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#44
PCHeintz72 said:
As he had previously thought, inspecting the Hinata-sou property had taken most of the day.
This implies it is late day or at least afternoon... yet later he notes it is just before noon, or lunchtime.
The start of the chapter was mid-afternoon, when Keitaro was inspecting the springs, but the scene in the kitchen was at noon, as he was thinking back to it.

Since this is only a partial chapter, I'll try and make it clearer later.
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#45
The re-edited and completed Chapter 5. The new material starts at the section marked Ch. 5.5.

Ch 5

Opening the door to the hot springs area, Keitaro looked around carefully as he announced himself. ôIs anyone here? ItÆs Keitaro, I need to look around.ö Hearing no response, he opened the door completely and entered the scrub room.

As he had previously thought, inspecting the Hinata-sou property had taken most of the day. Starting at the attic and working his way down, he had gone through every room, closet, storage cubby and storeroom, and washroom he could find. By mid-day he had reached the basement and wound up inspecting the hot water boiler, which thank the gods appeared to be fairly new and in good condition. Keitaro had been half-afraid of encountering some turn of the century monstrosity when he had first come down the stairs.

After that, he had gone to the kitchen to get something for lunch when he had encountered Kitsune. He had seen her throughout the morning lounging in the living room, cheering for her picks while watching the horse races on TV. They had not said anything to each other since she had been too engrossed by the action on TV to notice him walking through the room behind her, so they had only greeted each other when Keitaro found her digging through the refrigerator.

Walking into the kitchen, KeitaroÆs first view of the resident fox girl was a nicely rounded rear covered in jean shorts and long bare legs below them in front of the open fridge doors. He could hear dishes clinking inside the appliance, so it was not a hard deduction to make to figure out what she was doing.

ôGood morning, Konno-san,ö Keitaro announced himself as he looked down at his wristwatch and noted that it was just before noon.

KitsuneÆs head popped out from behind the open fridge door, her cheeks puffed out, presumably because her mouth was full of food. Chewing rapidly, she swallowed the food and responded, ôMorning, Manager-san! What brings you here?ö

ôThe same thing that brought you here, I guess. Hunger pains.ö Keitaro walked over and stood next to Kitsune, noting she was wearing a loose light blue top, with a very large neck opening that resulted in the shirt being off one shoulder and almost down the swell of one of her breasts.

ôWell, thereÆs leftovers here from Shinobu-chanÆs breakfast, so have at it, Manager-san. And IÆve told you before, call me Kitsune.ö She pushed her chest out slightly and cocked her hips to one side, going for a more sexy look.

Peering past the ash-blonde tenant, Keitaro could see that the plastic wrapped plate from this morning was now in disarray, the hard boiled eggs and pickled vegetables gone, with only the rice left and spilling off the plate. Keitaro had left half of the large plate from breakfast in the fridge to eat for lunch, but it looked like the resident fox had gotten to it first.

Looking from the plate and the few other items in the fridge back to the nervously smiling girl, Keitaro instead turned and walked over to the breadbox on the counter. ôI was in the mood for tea and toast anyway. Could you please get out the butter, Konno-san?ö

Kitsune winced at the polite tone of voice the manager had used. That and the continued formal use of her last name did not bode well for her.

Pulling out the box of butter, she watched as the new manager took four pieces of bread and dropped them into the toaster. Picking up the tea kettle from the dish rack, he filled it and stepped over to the stove. Putting it on a burner and turning it on, he stepped back and opened a cabinet, pulling out a cup and plate. Placing those on the counter, he looked over to Kitsune, who was standing there holding the butter with an uncertain look on her face.

Taking the butter and putting next to the dish, Keitaro asked, ôWhere does Shinobu-chan keep the tea?ö

ôIn the pantry, through that door, on the right.ö Kitsune gestured to the side and Keitaro was able to find a couple different tins of tea. Selecting the green tea, he stepped back into the kitchen, seeing that the fox girl was standing there biting her lower lip before she asked, ôSo, why do you call Shinobu æ-chanÆ and keep calling me æ-sanÆ?ö (1)

Digging through a couple of drawers, Keitaro was able to find a small bell-shaped tea strainer. Carefully measuring a teaspoon of loose tea leaves into it, Keitaro closed it and placed it into the waiting empty tea cup. Sealing the tin of tea, he looked back at the tenant. ôBecause Shinobu reminds me a lot of my sister, back when she was younger. She used to be painfully shy too, but she got mostly over it before I finished school and had to leave home. Her name is Kanako, sheÆs about 16 years old now. YouÆll met her eventually.ö More than eventually, he was planning on calling home either tonight or tomorrow. ôPlus, it doesnÆt seem to bother her, and it will help get her confidence up.ö

ôSo why donÆt you call *me* æ-chanÆ?ö Kitsune step up close to Keitaro, well within armÆs reach, almost to the point where the taller male was able to feel the girlÆs breath on his face. As a matter of fact, he *could* feel her breath û as well as detect the slight smell of alcohol on it.

ôBecause it would not be polite, and IÆm sure it would not be proper, especially in our positions.ö Keitaro could see that Kitsune was slowly getting closer. He could feel the body heat radiating from her chest through his t-shirt. However, just as he was going to pull away from her, the tea kettle started to whistle.

Silently blessing the gods, Keitaro stepped away from the suddenly wide-eyed girl and over to the stove. Picking up the steaming kettle, he poured some of the water into the waiting cup. Hearing the bread pop out of the toaster, he grabbed the toast and quickly buttered it before putting it on the plate. Taking the butter and replacing it in the fridge, Keitaro picked up the cup of tea and the plate of toast and put them down next to his clipboard on the kitchen table.

Sitting down at the table, Keitaro looked over at the still motionless fox girl. ôIs there anything else, Konno-san?ö

Kitsune blinked once or twice before she shook her head. ôNo, Manager-san. I guess IÆll see you later.ö Turning unsteadily, she walked out of the kitchen back toward the living room.

Keitaro sat still for a moment, not moving until he heard the TV come on in the living room. Then moving slowly, he pushed his clipboard and plate of toast on the table before off to the side before he closed his eyes and began to softly bang his head against the table.

-----

Ch 5.5

After his mid-day meal and ritual head-clearing, Keitaro continued the inspection. Deciding to go outside for a spell, he started going through the various outbuildings around the property. The sheds containing gardening and construction supplies were not too bad. However, the old Annex building, which if he could remember correctly had been part of the resort, was in such bad condition that he was starting to genuinely fear for his safety.

The cold and creepy feeling as soon as stepped into the dark and decaying building was one thing, but having his foot break through rotting floorboards six feet from the doorway was too much. Luckily he was wearing his boots, so his foot was not injured. Keitaro resolved to leave the building locked up until he could return with better safety equipment and a buddy to make sure nothing really bad happened and he would have no way to call for help. Recalling some of the stories Seta had told him about when he and Aunt Haruka had gone exploring back in their school days, he was sure he could convince Haru to come along, at least so he would not plummet to a horrible lonely death.

Finishing the outdoor inspection, all that was left was the occupied tenant rooms and the hot springs. The five tenants were all concentrated in the second floor of the one of the two wings of the building (the rooms of the second wing were all empty and locked). There were six rooms to the floor, but for some reason Kaolla Su was occupying and paying for two adjacent rooms, which had a double adjoining door installed just for her. Keitaro had noted in the tenant book that Su was paying the highest rent of all the tenants, triple the rooms and meals rate. That she had a double room explained part of that, but after seeing MechaTama in action and the way that Su ate at their first dinner together, the notions in SuÆs entry for æfood billsÆ and ædamage repairsÆ made a lot more sense. Plus, SuÆs rent was paid on the first of every month by automatic draft into the Hinata-sou bank account by an entity called æthe Embassy of the Kingdom of MolMolÆ, but as long as the drafts cleared, there was really nothing to argue about there.

Keitaro wished it was that simple with the other tenants. Rents for the tenants were set at two different rates, one called æbasic room occupancyÆ and the other æroom occupancy and mealsÆ. No one was paying only the basic rate set at 35,000 yen (equivalent to US $350) a month except for Shinobu, who because of her cooking duties got credited for the higher room and meals rate, set at 60,000 yen (US $600) a month. However, Keitaro was displeased to see that Shinobu had been marked down in the tenant book as only having cooking and kitchen duty as a condition of the reduced rate, and not laundry duty for the other tenants, which he has seen her in the middle of doing when he literally ran into her that first unfortunate day. He was going to have words with the other tenants, especially a certain fox girl.

Mitsume Konno was looking to be the problem tenant of all the borders. Keitaro was not sure how much being a freelance magazine writer paid, but it did not look like it was enough. He had seen in the book notations that Granny Hina had given her rent extensions and let her make partial payments on occasions that she had not had enough for the full room and meals rate she was supposed to pay. However, it now looked that Kitsune was owing the equivalent of two months rent as well as the regular rent payment that was shortly coming up.

Motoko Aoyama looked like she was going to be less trouble than the fox girl, as her rent was also paid by automatic draft on the account of the Aoyama family with the Bank of Kyoto. Naru Narusegawa paid in cash every month, occasionally a day late in making the payment, but nothing to really be concerned about.

Carefully stepping around on the wet stone floor of the main hot springs area, Keitaro could see small pieces of debris floating in the water, as well was what looked like algae growing on the rocks surrounding the pool. While having moss growing on the stones around most pools and ponds did lend a certain esthetic appeal in Japan, it was really a safety hazard in the already slippery areas around the spring.

Seeing a doorway at the rear of the springs, Keitaro opened it to find cleaning equipment and biodegradable cleanser. Now knowing what his next job was, Keitaro sighed and closed the door.

Turning toward the scrub room, Keitaro had only taken a couple of steps when he heard the door open. The sound was barely audible among the sounds of the hot spring bubbling, so Keitaro made a mental note of putting some kind of bell above the door. Any occupants in the springs would then know that someone was coming in, so hopefully the misunderstanding and the running flight and battle he had been involved in the first day back would not be repeated.

ôHello, itÆs Keitaro! IÆm back here in the spring!ö He called out. Keitaro had learned the hard way that his voice did not really carry any long distance and still be understandable, so he had been taught how to project his voice using his diaphragm instead of just his lungs when he wanted to be heard. It worked splendidly, but it had the unfortunate side effect of making him sound like some of the drill sergeants from American military movies he had seen.

There was a squeak and a clatter in the scrub room as something fell to the floor. Sliding open the door, Keitaro saw that Shinobu was picking up what looked to be used towels from the floor.

ôHey there Shinobu-chan. WhatÆre you doing?ö Keitaro asked cheerfully. She really did remind him of Kanako, and he had decided to start acting more casual around her. The blush on her face looked cute the first couple times, but she did need to learn how to be less embarrassed around people.

ôHello, Keitaro-sempai. I was just collecting the hot springs towels so that I can wash them.ö Shinobu finished filling the basket and started to pick it up, but Keitaro could see that it was a little too heavy for the small statured girl.

ôI got it.ö Gently bumping her aside with his shoulder, Keitaro tossed his clipboard on top of the basket and picked it up with little effort. ôI didnÆt know you did the hot springs laundry, Shinobu-chan.ö

ôWell, I was going to do the laundry right now, so I decided to get as much done as I can.ö Shinobu looked slightly anxious as she trailed the new manager carrying the basket out of the scrub room.

ôYou know that you donÆt have to do any laundry except your own, right Shinobu-chan?ö Keitaro waited for Shinobu to open the door to the hallway, which she rushed to do.

ôItÆs not a problem, Keitaro-sempai. I was going to wash anyway.ö She followed the manager into the laundry room down the hallway from the entrance to the hot spring.

ôI see.ö Keitaro put the basket down on the counter next to the washer, which was already running. Looking at the stacks of unwashed clothes on the counter, he figured from the styles that there were clothes from Narusegawa and Su there. He could also see a smaller stack of clothes off to the side that looked to be ShinobuÆs. ôWhoÆs clothes are those in the washer?ö

ôKitsune-sempaiÆsàö ShinobuÆs voice trailed off as she saw something pass over his face. For a moment, it looked like KeitaroÆs squared off glasses had flashed white, but when he turned to look directly at her, everything looked normal.

ôDo me a favor, Shinobu-chan. As soon as Konno-sanÆs clothes come out of the wash, do your own clothes. IÆll come back and do the hot springs towels after that.ö

ôBut Keitaro-sempai! The other sempais need their clothes washedàö Shinobu would have continued her protests, but KeitaroÆs glasses flashed white again, but this time his head did not seem to move. ôI canÆt just leave their laundry there.ö

ôYou just worry about your own laundry, Shinobu-chan.ö Keitaro cocked his head slightly to the side before continuing to speak, only this time in English. ôLet the Devil take the rest.ö

ôIÆm sorry, Keitaro-sempai, I donÆt understand spoken English very well.ö Shinobu watched as Keitaro straightened his head before speaking again in Japanese.

ôDonÆt worry, Shinobu-chan. WeÆll sort this out later.ö Keitaro smiled gently at her before looking down at his wristwatch. ôItÆs time for me to meet my aunt at the tea house, could you let the other tenants know the room inspections will start shortly? EveryoneÆs here, yes?ö

ôYes, Naru-sempai arrived just before Motoko-sempai, Kaolla-chan and I did.ö

ôPlease let them know that Haru and I will be back in about 10 minutes.ö Keitaro picked up his clipboard from the laundry basket and started walking out of the laundry room, his voice floating back. ôIÆll see you in a little bit, Shinobu-chan.ö The dark-haired schoolgirl stood there for a moment before rushing out of the room and toward the stairs to tell her fellow tenants.

-----

1 - Honorifics - The Japanese use honorifics when referring to other people, either by name or not. San is the most common suffix, equivalent to Mister or Misses. Used with both given and family names, it is used in formal or semi-formal situations to show respect, or when the person being addressed is not close to the speaker.

Chan is an affectionate suffix, normally used only for very young children, or for young girls or women, if the speaker and recipient are on friendly terms. It is also used by romantically involved couples in an intimate setting. Kun is the equivalent term for males.

Not using any suffix, especially when addressing someone by their given name, is considered very intimate, either romantic or not, and if used by someone who is not in that position, considered very insulting.

Shinobu tends to refer to people at the Sou with the suffix sempai, which refers to upperclassman or those of a higher rank than yourself. It is used mostly in a work or school setting, but Shinobu uses it as a means to show respect to her fellow housemates. She does use chan when referring to Su, however. The companion term to sempai is kouhai, which means underclassman or junior in rank, and is rarely used.

Teachers are referred to as sensei, which means æone who has come beforeÆ. The term is also used to refer to mentors at work or school or to medical doctors.

Sempai and sensei are considered titles as well as suffixes, so the terms alone can be used to refer to someone.

-----
 

zeebee1

Well-Known Member
#46
"YouÆll met her eventually."

You shouldn't say things like this is the final draft when you still have errors to iron out.
 

FinalMax

Well-Known Member
#47
zeebee1 said:
"YouÆll met her eventually."

You shouldn't say things like this is the final draft when you still have errors to iron out.
True, that should be "meet her eventually."

And still, I don't feel like this is Keitaro. It just doesn't feel right, like more has been changed other than "he got a backbone."
 

GreydonCreed

Well-Known Member
#48
FinalMax said:
zeebee1 said:
"YouÆll met her eventually."

You shouldn't say things like this is the final draft when you still have errors to iron out.
True, that should be "meet her eventually."

And still, I don't feel like this is Keitaro. It just doesn't feel right, like more has been changed other than "he got a backbone."
I said that this is the re-edited and completed chapter, not that it was the final or the perfectly spelled or grammar'd one. ^_^ That is why I post these stories here first, so that hopefully others will point out errors like this. And if some mistakes sneak through the Word spell check and a minimum of two re-reads I do for each chapter (I don't have a beta, and most of the mistakes are usually of the wrong tense or synonym usage), I am perfectly willing to correct the mistakes on the FFN postings, which I would classify as the semi-final version. B)

As to this Keitaro being more different that just having a backbone, I freely admit it. Canon Keitaro only stood up to other people for one of two reasons - the promises that he makes and fully intends to keep (even in Japan, land of family and personal honor, this level of dedication is pretty much unheard of) or to protect other people that he cares about (Kanako, Mutsume, et al). Keep in mind, I said protect *others*, not himself. Otherwise, Canon Keitaro is so without a backbone that it is a wonder the guy can walk upright. :huh:

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This story is AU (even more so than most fanfic), is classified that way at the beginning of the first chapter on FFN (and I'll edit the first post here to have that advisory), and you should realize that before you start reading. If AU Love Hina stories where the main character doesn't let people walk all over him doesn't suit you, this story is probably not for you. I wish you luck in your continued fanfic reading endeavors.

On another note, some reviews have stated that there have not been much action of late in the story. Worry not, as I think I have said before, this is the quiet before the storm. In the story timeline, this is barely the second day (afternoon, actually) since Keitaro arrived. Once he decided what his course of action will be, the tenants will NOT be happy. <_<

And I will try and add one more Keitaro/Naru fight before he lays down the law. Some humor has been lacking, and I guess that most of the humor in LH was in the pratfalls and situations that Keitaro found himself in. :rolleyes:

In any case, thank you all for reading my stories, it means a lot to me. :)
 

ThreadWeaver

Beware of Dog. Cat not trustworthy either.
#49
I find this story interesting, if only because I am getting tired of the typical Love Hina smash-Keitaro-because-it's-funny-and-he-obviously-deserves-it schtick.

Drama or not, I will continue reading.

If you are interested about their ages, they are listed on the Love Hina Wiki.
<a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Love_Hina_characters' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Love_Hina_characters</a>

Also, genetically, Haruka is Keitaro's cousin, but calls her aunt because Hina 'adopted' (raised) her when her mother died.
 

Prince Charon

Well-Known Member
#50
Interesting. Motoko will feel guilty for the burden she's putting on Shinobu, I would think, and probably Naru, as well, though I think they'll resent being told by a man. Kaolla likely grew up with servants, and would have to be taught how to do her own laundry, having never learned - or, maybe she'll pay Shinobu to do it. Kitsune, of course, has no excuse.
 
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