Invitation for dinner – by preety-lady-serenity
Disclaimer: Aya Nakahara is the mangaka of Lovely Complex. I thank her for creating these wonderful characters.
"Otani-kun," the bespectacled man said making him jump from his seat. Otani blushed to his roots and instinctively moved slightly away from Risa.
"Yes sir!" he found himself squeaking, much to his frustration.
"You have been dating my daughter for over a year now, am I correct?"
"Yes sir, Risa and I are dating for almost two years. I swear my intentions are good."
"Otani-kun," the man said making Atsushi Otani freeze, "how about having Christmas dinner with us this year?"
Atsushi Otani jumped to his feet and bowed to his host.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. It will be an honour, sir!"
-)-)-)
"Woah!" Atsushi Otani's mother cried out in delight, "Risa-chan's family invited you to dinner. Dad, have you heard that?"
"Of course dear. The question remains though…"
"What shall we give him to take to thank them for their hospitality?" his mother concluded.
"You don't need to worry about me," Otani protested in vain.
"Shall I cook something?"
"Mum, seriously…"
"I think this might be a bit more formal my dear," Otani's father said thoughtfully. "How about a bottle of western alcohol?"
"But what if they don't like Western alcohol?" Otani's mother said sceptically.
"Mum, dad, I can handle this on my own."
"Sweet!" his father said in epiphany, "That would be nice!"
"Ah dear you are so clever!" Otani's mother exclaimed happily and followed her husband to the kitchen.
Atsushi Otani sighed in defeat.
-)-)-)
"Otani-kun, you are on time! Oh thank you very much!" the woman smiled at the slightly bowed short man that offered her a rectangular box wrapped with red paper and decorated with a gold ribbon. "Come in, come in!"
Otani sat on the couch, crossing his fingers together. Koizumi's father looked at him seriously from behind his glasses. They both stared each other quietly. Otani gulped down to sooth his dry throat. Koizumi's dad was always very quiet and serious. What could he be thinking? He probably thought that he, Atsushi Otani, was very unfit for his daughter. Koizumi and he had been dating for two years and her father had never said a single word to him. He only stared at him from behind his glasses.
"Dear," Koizumi's mother called making Otani jump up startled, "Can you help me for a moment?"
"I'll be right over Otani-kun," the older man said slowly and stood up.
"Where are you Risa?" Otani thought looking towards the direction of her room.
"How much time do you plan to look at each other like idiots?" Koizumi's mother asked her husband, "You know mu views about the virtue of quietness, but the poor boy looks as if he will die from anxiety any second now."
"But – but – I am too nervous!" Koizumi's father whined.
-)-)-)
Risa got out of her bedroom, looking around nervously. She had worn a simple green v-neck top with a black skirt, a pair of ballerina shoes and her ring with the bunny. She had caught her hair in a single ponytail and walked to her boyfriend.
"Hey Otani," she exclaimed and before he knew it she had sat next to him.
"Hello Koizumi," he said, "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," she replied and closed her eyes, leaning forward for a kiss. The kiss never came, nevertheless, and she opened her left eye to see Otani looking at the kitchen's direction anxiously.
"Otani," she pouted, "Hey Otani!" she said grasping his shoulder to shake him.
Otani suppressed his urge to scream as he jumped high in the air.
"Idiot," Risa laughed, "I am speaking to you. Where is your mind travelling to?"
"You Idiot! You almost gave me a heart attack!" Otani scoffed.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Risa started giggling.
"You're nervous," she remarked.
"You're annoying," Otani remarked blushing to his roots.
"Well, don't be nervous," she smiled, leaning towards him.
"Koizumi, what the hell do you think you are doing?"
"I am claiming my Christmas kiss," she replied and kissed him on the cheek.
"ARE YOU CRAZY!!!?" Otani shouted jumping up in shock, "What if your parents saw us?" he asked and looked around frantically.
"Otani-kun," Risa's father said entering the room and making him jump "follow me please."
"Dad," Risa said uneasily.
"Risa," he father said smiling, "Your mother needs some help in the kitchen. Otani-kun, this way please."
-)-)-)
They entered a small study, untidy by the scattered worksheets. Over the armchair a set of three old katana swords were hanging. Atsushi Otani froze to his steps when Risa's father moved slowly and took one of the swords. The young short man felt the urge to scream and run for his life. Koizumi's father had seen him and Risa kissing. Surely he would kill him for disgracing the family name.
"It looks really old, doesn't it?" Risa's father asked him.
"Ha?"
"It's a great copy of an old katana sword I bought some time ago. Apparently," he stated, bringing the sword close to Otani's face, causing him to suppress a scream, "it does cut but not as good as an actual katana sword" he said bringing the blade even closer.
"Dad, onii-chan," Takato said barging into the room, "Mum says the food is set on the table."
"Ah great – I need to wash my hands. Excuse me," Otani said, hurrying outside the room.
Takato stared at Otani leaving and then arched an eyebrow.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Well," his father replied twisting his thumbs uneasily, "you mother suggested I should try and make Otani feel more comfortable, so I decided to show my collection of katana replicas."
-)-)-)
Risa Koizumi eyed her boyfriend and then her father. They both stared at their plate quietly as if they had fallen into trance. She then looked at her mother, who shrugged her shoulders to show her puzzlement. Takato let out a snort of annoyance.
"Onii-chan, dad was not trying to kill you. He just wanted to show you his collection of swords."
"What? You mean he did not trying to kill me for ki-"Otani started only to be punched on the shoulder by a red-faced Risa. He was about to protest when he realised what he was about to shout out loud. Suddenly he felt lucky that Koizumi had such a strong left punch.
"Huh?" both her parents stated quizzically.
"For – for keeping your daughter out late last night," Otani concluded hastily to patch things up.
"No, no," they said with a laugh, "We trust you Otani-kun."
Atsushi Otani blushed to his roots and focused on his meal once more. Sometimes, he was such an idiot.
-)-)-)
"Otani-kun is such a nice young man," Koizumi's mother beamed as she was washing the dishes, "I am becoming fonder of him each time he visits."
"I agree with you my dear. But, they don't look like a couple together though, do they? Their height difference makes them look like a brother and sister and not a couple."
"They like each other, so I think this is the most important," Risa's mother said quietly, "Otani-kun is a bit old-fashioned, isn't he dear? He is a bit too conscious of what we think of him."
"I like that," Koizumi's father said in satisfaction. "It is better than having to worry about a sleazy guy shaming out name because he can't keep his hands off Risa."
"It seems you have forgotten what you did when we were dating," his wife teased.
"Pah, I knew I would get married to you the moment I saw you," Risa's father whispered and rubbed his hands in embarrassment.
-)-)-)
"I am such an idiot!" Otani scoffed as he walked outside the house with Risa, "I must have offended your father for sure."
Risa Koizumi grasped her boyfriend's hand and pulled him to a hug, resting her chin at the top of his head.
"Koizumi what-"
"Quiet," she whispered in a demanding tone, "I just need to hug you for a moment."
Atsushi Otani stayed still, wrapped in Koizumi's hands. As seconds passed he felt calmed and rested his head on her breast. Her heart was beating soothingly.
"I'm sorry I was so weird tonight. I really wanted to make a good impression."
"You always make a good impression. I wish you could relax for a moment though."
"Koizumi is important to me. So I want to prove that to her parents."
"Koizumi's parents know that but Koizumi wants her parents to see Otani's care-free self."
"Are you trying to sound cute? Disgusting." Otani teased.
"Who are you calling disgusting you microbe!" Risa shouted, "Don't you have a sense of kindness? I am trying to make you feel better and you-"
Risa's sentence remained unfinished as Otani grasp her cheeks and kissed her softly on the lips.
"You were noisy," Otani said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I had to do something about it," he concluded blushing and he started off to home.
"That was totally uncalled for!" Risa shouted blushing to her roots as her short boyfriend disappeared into the darkness.
So was it good? Please review.
Author Notes
When Risa's mother talks about the importance of quietness, I am referring to an aspect of the Japanese culture where silence is sometimes considered better than saying anything.
Sometimes Japanese women and girls talk about themselves on the second person to instil a cuteness factor. That is what Otani means when he calls Risa disgusting for talking about her self in the second person.
Slight trivia. It is considered impolite to go to a house you are invited empty-handed. So if you are ever invited to a house in a Japan do bring something eatable with you..