Chapter Two: February

"Do we really have to do this today?" Nekozawa asked as he got dressed, adjusting his wig. "It's Valentine's Day. All those places are going to be completely crowded."

"The jewelry stores are all having the sales today," Haruhi replied calmly. "It only makes sense that we would go buy the wedding rings when they're on sale. Gold is expensive."

"It honestly doesn't matter how much they cost," Nekozawa mumbled. Haruhi sighed.

"I don't really want to do this today any more than you do, but Renge said she'd meet us at Takayama's Jewelry at 10:30 today. And you know how she gets when she doesn't get her way. I would really prefer not to have her angry with me for the next month." Nekozawa shuddered slightly. He knew exactly what Haruhi was talking about. Renge was extremely picky when it came to matters of love, and likely would be upset with Haruhi if she didn't follow her advice as closely as possible. But then...

"I still don't understand why Renge would be involved in this at all!" he complained. "She's not the one getting married!"

"She thinks since she is married already that she should be my guide," Haruhi replied.

"She always did think she was qualified in every way," Nekozawa said. "But it's still annoying. Meddling in private affairs like that- doesn't she have any shame?"

"It's Renge." That was all Haruhi needed to say.


10:30 AM. Nekozawa and Haruhi arrived at the store, but didn't see Renge anywhere. "Don't tell me she forgot..." Haruhi muttered to herself. The two of them scanned the area looking for their friend, and saw a woman in a business suit yakking away on her Bluetooth headset, a man in a trench-coat with dark sunglasses covering his eyes, a young couple looking wistfully into the window, and a person in a poofy pink lace-trimmed coat. That person resembled a rather strange marshmallow, and much to Nekozawa's alarm, when it noticed them it started yelling and waving.

"HARUHI!" It was at that moment that Nekozawa and Haruhi simultaneously realized that the poofy marhsmallow-like creature was actually Renge. "I was wondering when you were going to come! I've been waiting here forever!"

"It's only... 10:36," Haruhi replied, checking the time on her mobile phone.

"Yeah, but I got here early so I could look at the selection!" Renge cried. "Oh, and then I saw this coat in the shop across the street and just had to buy it. What do you think?" She twirled around to give the two of them a better look at it, and Nekozawa and Haruhi exchanged glances. No matter how you looked at it, that was one obnoxious coat.

"It's... er, it's great," Nekozawa said lamely.

"Pink is a good color on you," Haruhi said. Renge beamed.

"I'm so glad you like it!" she exclaimed happily. "Anyway, come on come on!" Excitedly, she dragged her friends into the store. "You've got to see these new rings! They're so pretty! Oh, Haruhi, your wedding is going to be absolutely lovely!"

"Haruhi!" Nekozawa whispered urgently. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Do you think she found something that would be... acceptable as a wedding ring?" The panic in his voice was clear, and Haruhi had to stifle a laugh.

"Don't worry," she replied. "Renge is just here to help. We don't have to buy what she suggests. After all, it is up to us."

"What do you think of this ring, Haruhi?" Renge asked, pointing to a rather large one on display. The diamond looked like it weighed nearly half a pound, and the band was apparently made from white gold, and it was two centimeters wide.

"That's a bit more ring than I need," Haruhi replied diplomatically. "What about something a bit smaller?"

"Good call," Renge agreed. "You don't need anything that big." As the woman bounded around the shop, Haruhi felt a surge of affection for her friend. She might be a bit obnoxious at times, and might have questionable taste, but at least she tried. Not many people would be willing to help their rather clueless friends find wedding rings ten months before the wedding was actually going to take place. If only she understood the sensibilities of others better...

"What about this one, Haruhi? For Nekozawa?" To be honest, Haruhi was not expecting much. She had enough experience with the kind of things that would be likely to catch her friend's eye than to think that maybe she found something nice for once, but had to eat her words once she saw the item that Renge was indicating. It was a simple gold band, meant to fit a man's hand. It was devoid of any over-the-top decorations, but avoided looking cheap.

"Umehito, come here!" Haruhi said excitedly. Nekozawa complied, not expecting much. But even he was surprised.

"It's nice," he stated, his eyes wider than usual. "How much is it?"

"¥116,759," a sales-clerk interjected helpfully as soon as she realized that they were interested.

"That's not a bad price, all things considered," Haruhi mumbled under her breath. "Although it is a bit higher than I would like."

"What are you saying?" Renge nearly yelled. "You're not going to pass up an opportunity like that, are you? It's not that expensive! Why, this coat cost ¥200,000!" Nekozawa made up his mind.

"We'll take it," he said, although that may have been more to end the excursion quicker. He felt a bit out of place in a store like this.

"Excellent!" the clerk chirped. "What's your ring size, sir?"

"My what?"

"Your ring size, sir," the clerk explained. "We'll need to know it so that we can make sure that it fits you right." Poor Nekozawa had never even thought about his ring size before, and was at a loss for words.

"Um, I really don't know..." he finally mumbled. "I didn't know there was something like a ring size." The clerk sighed, and took out a key-ring. But instead of keys, it contained a large number of differently-sized rings.

"Try these on until you find one that fits the best," the clerk ordered. Nekozawa immediately did as she said, while Renge dragged Haruhi around, pointing to different rings. Haruhi had to grimace at some of her choices. She really didn't want a wedding ring that looked like one of those lollipop jewelry pieces, only with a diamond instead of candy.

"Don't you think that's a bit excessive?" she asked, eyeing the bauble with distrust. How would she even type with something that large on her hand?

"Nonsense," Renge waved away her friend's objections. "It's very pretty!"

Meanwhile, Nekozawa had found the right size, and told the clerk. She nodded. "Fine. I'll go place an order for that in your size. And you might want to go help your fiancee, she seems to be under attack by that other woman. She looks miserable, to be honest." Nekozawa voiced his thanks, and then nearly sprinted across the store to help Haruhi.

"Renge, I am not buying that," he said definitively, upon seeing the most obnoxious choice yet. "Look at that, it's almost half the size of Haruhi's entire hand! How would she go about life with something like that always on her hand?" Renge pouted.

"Neither of you have any aesthetic sense at all!" she complained. Suddenly, Nekozawa had a revelation.

"We don't need to buy a ring for Haruhi," he said. Renge gaped at him.

"Are you out of your mind?" she squeaked. "You can't have a wedding without the rings! Didn't your mom ever teach you that? Or are you just completely uncouth?"

"Oh, there will still be rings," Nekozawa said. "I just forgot that we have my grandmother's wedding ring. It's just as nice as anything in a shop today."

"That would be perfect," Haruhi said, happy that her fiance had found an alternative. And it was very romantic, she thought- her being given a family heirloom. Although she was worried about what her future in-laws would think...

"Are you sure?" Renge asked dubiously.

"Very sure," Nekozawa replied. Renge still didn't look convinced, but that was all it took to garner Haruhi's support for the idea.


The three of them left the shop, the invoice for Nekozawa's wedding ring in hand. "We should absolutely do this again some time!" Renge gushed. "What if I help you pick out your wedding dress?" she asked Haruhi. "We'll find the perfect dress for you!"

To Be Continued