Note: I have nothing to do with Here is Greenwood and its characters except to be a fan who enjoys the OVAs a lot. This story is my extrapolation of the storylines as seen in the OVAs. I apologize if this story doesn't quite fit in with the manga.

"Aniki, aren't you going to tell us what's going on?" Kazuya asked, sitting on the edge of Shinobu-senpai's bunk.

"Forget it, Kazuya," Mitsuru-senpai called down from the bunk above him. "Shinobu's in one of his secretive moods."

"Hardly," Shinobu-senpai said calmly. "We're waiting for Tochizawa to arrive. What I need to talk to you about concerns him as well, and I'd rather not repeat myself if I can at all help it."

Kazuya sighed. As much as he loved Shinobu-senpai, there were times when his patience ran thin with his habit of keeping secrets. Still, it couldn't be too bad if it concerned Tochizawa as well. That meant he wasn't in any danger of being embarrassed by what his friend had to say.

On the other hand, though, the only reason for Tochizawa's involvement would be the movie they'd worked on together. That meant Shinobu-senpai's news had something to do with the results of the contest. When he'd arrived, Mitsuru-senpai had shown him the newspaper article that announced the winners of the contest and the controversy surrounding NHK's decision to broadcast the winning movie nationwide. Especially since the winner, a student's entry titled "Here is Love," involved a rather controversial subject as its central story.

Someone knocked at the door. Kazuya looked up.

"Come in, Tochizawa," Shinobu-senpai called.

The door opened and their bespectacled friend entered, a huge grin plastered across his face. He held up a letter. "Senpai, you'll never guess--"

"Congratulations on winning the contest, Tochizawa," Mitsuru-senpai interrupted.

Kazuya shook his head and hit the bottom of Mitsuru-senpai's bunk. "Senpai!"

Tochizawa looked disappointed. "How did you know? I just got the results today!"

Shinobu-senpai held up the newspaper. "There's an article about it in the newspaper," he said calmly. "but that's only part of what I called you here to talk to you about."

Kazuya straightened. "What else is there?" he asked. He frowned when two feet dropped down in front of his face. He reached up and tickled the soles of the right foot. Both feet immediately disappeared.

"Tochizawa," Shinobu-senpai said, "do you remember that movie critic I asked to review 'Here is Devilwood'? I asked him to do the same for 'Here is Love'." He held up an envelope. "I received a letter from him today." He glanced over at the beds. "I asked you all in here to listen to what his comments were. They were specifically directed at the four of us."

Kazuya blinked, feeling suddenly nervous. True, he wouldn't have changed anything if he could go back and do it all over again--well, except getting kidnapped and tortured maybe--but he was still concerned about what outsiders who didn't know him would think.

"I'll read it out loud," Shinobu-senpai said.

"Mr. Tezuka," he began, "thank you for inviting me to review your friend's latest project. I arranged to sit in the audience on the day the judges screened it. Let me first say that Mr. Tochizawa is to be congratulated. I understand that in addition to directing the movie, he also wrote the story and script himself. If this is true, then he demonstrated the tact, discretion, and consideration that some of the younger directors in the entertainment industry lack. His careful control over the whole project prevented it from mutating into a sample of pornography and kept it what it was meant to be: a dramatic love story, however non-standard and unconventional it might be. Let me also say that you and your friends, Hasukawa Kazuya and Ikeda Mitsuru, are to be similarly congratulated. The three of you demonstrated true professionalism in undertaking roles that were certainly beyond anything you'd previously done. To you and Mr. Hasukawa I can only say that your performances far surpassed anything that long-established actors could hope to accomplish in similar roles and situations. I would also like to sympathize with Mr. Ikeda's necessarily villainous role. Having seen the rapport and friendship between Mr. Ikeda and Mr. Hasukawa in 'Here is Devilwood', I can only imagine how difficult it was for his Mikuro to manhandle and--albeit off-screen--rape Mr. Hasukawa's Kenichi. I extend to all of you my congratulations on triumphing in a national contest over the many hundreds of entries. I look forward to the day when I see your names in the credits on the screen in movie theaters."

Shinobu-senpai looked up. "From there he gives a more detailed critique of the movie."

Kazuya glanced over at Tochizawa. The other boy's eyes were bright behind their glasses, but his expression seemed to be vacant and empty. As he watched, Tochizawa slowly sank to the floor in a dead faint.

Startled, Kazuya jumped to his feet. "Tochizawa!"

"Let him go, Kazuya," Shinobu-senpai said. "He'll be all right as soon as the shock wears off."

Kazuya glanced skeptically at his unconscious friend. "Will he be all right there?"

"Prop him up against the door," Mitsuru-senpai suggested, jumping down from his bunk. "We can use him as a doorstop until he revives. Ready for dinner?"

Kazuya shot him a black look. "Aniki," he said reprovingly.

His friend grinned. "Ai shiteru, Kazuya," Mitsuru-senpai said, leaning forward and kissing his forehead.

Kazuya couldn't help laughing.

* * *

In Sapporo a woman glowered at the headlines of the newspaper she held: TOKYO STUDENT TOPS DIRECTOR'S GUILD MOVIEMAKER'S CONTEST. Her hands shook. With a cry of rage she crumpled the newspaper into a ball and flung it as hard as she could against the wall. She whirled around and stormed into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

She could have been a beautiful woman, but there was always a tightness about her eyes that suggested that "angry" was a constant state with her. And her habit of wearing either very dark or very bright clothes, when coupled with her very light skin and her very black hair, made her seem severe and cold.

Just now she was boiling mad. She'd fled from Tokyo nearly two months before, unwilling to face the consequences that would follow if she remained. There were other places in Japan that were farther from Tokyo than Sapporo, but she had a certain style of living to maintain, and Sapporo was the biggest city on the island of Hokkaido. But being so isolated from Tokyo did nothing to improve her mood.

"Just you wait, Shinobu!" Nagisa howled. "I'll get you someday!"

Author's Notes:
For those of you unfamiliar with certain of the Japanese terms I used in this fanfiction, I am including a brief glossary of them here. The definitions are a composite of Japanese-English dictionaries old and new, what I have picked up from other anime, and what I remember from studying Japanese for my college graduation requirements.

senpai: senior or superior, commonly used by underclassmen to address upperclassmen or by junior employees addressing senior employees who are at the same rank or level. This form of address implies a degree of informality or closeness, so unless instructed otherwise, it probably shouldn't be used when addressing a distant, casual, or new acquaintance.

kuso: damn, curse it, etc., used as an expletive

yukata: lightweight kimono worn indoors or in warm weather. It is often worn by people when going to or returning from the public baths.

geta: wooden clogs, often worn in conjunction with yukata. Geta might be worn by field workers or young ladies.

niisan: one form of older brother, combined with a name to distinguish between different older brothers. Add 'o-' for the more formal honorific form when directly addressing one specific individual. Young children sometimes use this form of address when talking informally to young people older than themselves.

furo: hot bath, Japanese style. The furo is like a bathtub, but actual bathing is done outside. After washing, bathers relax in the furo for a short time; staying in too long may cause overheating.

ai shiteru: presumably a contracted combination of 'ai shite imasu.' The verb term 'ai suru' means 'to love,' but adding the 'iru' (base form of 'imasu') moves the action into the present tense. A more literal translation would be 'I am loving you,' but the common translation is 'I love you.'

aniki: more informal form of 'oniisan,' used when adressing one's own brother

koibito: lover or sweetheart

I hope this helps! If you have any questions, just e-mail me through the link below and I'll try to answer them.--XS

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