Both students stayed close to home after classes were over for the next few weeks. On one of Nishigaki's lab days, he stopped by a familiar café for two to-go drinks, thinking to provide Kotoko with a sweet reward for her hard work. He felt a little tingling after he left but was unable to pinpoint its source.
"Honey, I'm home!" he called as he toed off his shoes. "And I brought a gift!"
"Ooh! My favorite!" she cried. She took the cups from him as he shed his coat.
He tilted his head then shook it ruefully. At her inquiring glance, he said, "Must have just been the extra chill in the air." He scowled at the cat before taking a seat at his own desk and opening up his study guide.
"Do you ever have a weird feeling like someone's watching you?" he asked a classmate several days later.
"All the time," he replied, before cuffing his shoulder. "We're in medical school, you doofus. They're going to make sure that we know what we're doing before we're allowed to interact with patients."
"You think that's it?"
"Yes, and you'd better get used to it. We have another two years—at least!—before we're allowed to act solo."
Then why did I start feeling that way outside of school? he wondered.
Although Kotoko entered the school cafeteria with dread each day, Kinnosuke did not create a disturbance there. Maybe he just fears his boss here more than at the restaurant, she wondered. If that's the case, then I probably need to talk to Otosan because he's not respecting him enough.
Even Satomi and Jinko agreed that the silent treatment he was applying to Kotoko made their meals a lot calmer. "Although," Satomi pointed out, "you did provide some provocation by taking your new man to the place that he works."
"Yuichi is not my 'new man'," Kotoko corrected her. "And it's been a while since I turned him down."
"So how many times have you seen Irie-kun since then?" Jinko asked.
Kotoko set down her chopsticks, face blank. "None, but I wouldn't cause a scene if I did."
"Yeah, I've heard that before," her friend muttered.
"But then, I've had no reason or opportunity," she pointed out. "I don't live with him, and I no longer run in the same circles as he does."
She had cause to regret making that statement. Two days later she received a call from Pandai's legal department.
"My likeness? And name?" she asked. "For a video game?" Eventually the situation was made clear to her, and she screamed after hanging up the phone, "Those damn anime nerds! What have they done?!"
Staring up at the Pandai logo on the side of the building, Kotoko swallowed loudly. "Well, here goes nothing. I guess I'm going to see if I can behave better than Kin-chan."
The attorney was extremely patient with her, explaining the details of the agreement in simple language. "So it's just using my animated picture and my anime nickname?" she confirmed. "I don't have to show up in person or do any publicity?"
"Not at all, Miss Aihara," he assured her. "We only want to make certain that there will be no claims in the future for earnings."
"Ha!" she said. "This way no other Kotorin can sue you, right?"
"Um, yes," he said. "Now if you will sign here?"
"Excuse me." Kotoko took a breath and turned to the door. Naoki stood there, in a suit that made him look like the model of a young executive. "Hello, Kotoko."
"Hello, Irie-kun." She managed a smile and a nod.
"Irie-san," the attorney half-stood, "I didn't expect to see you today. But then, you two are acquainted."
"Yes," he said shortly, holding out a hand. "May I?" He looked over the contract and raised an eyebrow. "Pandai shouldn't be this stingy."
"But it sounds very generous!" Kotoko protested.
"If I were you," he advised, "I'd ask for a percentage of profits instead of a lump sum. It may be slightly risky but could give you more in the long run."
"Irie-san!" The lawyer gave him a frustrated glare.
Kotoko cocked her head and considered it carefully. "I'm going to need some extra money for school. Could I have some money now and a smaller amount of the profits?"
"Yes...school." Naoki's eyes held a brief flash of pain. "I think we can arrange that." He swiftly wrote on the contract and handed it to the lawyer. "Can you make these changes quickly?"
"Yes, Irie-san." He took the document to the secretary outside the office.
"So, would you like a drink while we wait?" Naoki asked the silent girl.
"No, thank you," she replied, "but is Ojisama back at work now?"
"Dad? Yes, he's here part of the day. Would you like to visit with him?"
He couldn't help but notice that Kotoko's demeanor with his father was more relaxed and ebullient than with him alone; more, that is, as he remembered from their years of cohabitation. He smiled at the sight, and all too soon was notified that the amended contract was ready.
He escorted Kotoko out of the lawyer's office. "Did you provide him with an address to mail your checks?"
"Uh, can I do direct deposit for that?"
"Certainly, I'll take you to our business office and get that set up."
She breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't do for any of the Iries to find out where she lived. Mrs. Irie had proved way too adept at ferreting out information that was best kept secret.
"It was good to see Kotoko-chan again, wasn't it, son?" Mr. Irie asked Naoki once the girl had left the premises. "She's as lively as ever."
"Maybe to you, Dad, but she was quite reserved with me."
His father nodded. "That's probably to be expected. But," he asked, "has this made you think again about the Oizumi arrangement?"
"A little. But I'm not willing to burn that bridge yet."
Mr. Irie sighed. Sometimes he wished that common sense was factored in when measuring intelligence. His son would certainly not be considered a genius then.
Kotoko was finally able to breath freely once she boarded the train for home. The conversations of the past hour ran through her mind on a constant loop. It was wonderful news that she was going to have a little extra money—maybe even more than a little!—but what really thrilled her was that she had managed to have a calm, albeit stilted, conversation with Naoki. Take that, Jinko! she thought, pumping a fist. She was so busy congratulating herself on her mature stance that she disembarked at the college stop instead of the station nearest the apartment.
"Darn!" she said, "and I don't have classes this afternoon." However, she decided to take the opportunity to check out the snack bar in the Medical Building that Nishigaki had mentioned. After all, she rationalized, I'll be there soon enough, if I pass the test!
She found that late in the day the only food items available were a few sandwiches and stale pastries. The coffee was adequate at best, but then she was used to designer drinks and those of her own making. She discovered that dunking one of the cakes in her cup improved both the texture of the pastry and the flavor of the coffee.
When she finished, she wiped her lips and looked around. There were very few customers to occupy the bored attendant, who was playing a game on her cell phone. Besides herself, there were three students in medical jackets trying to describe the appearance of a dislocated elbow, from what she could determine, as well as one lady ducked down in the corner booth. Kotoko peered at her closely, but the woman turned away.
"Hmph! She looks like she raided Obasama's stalking wardrobe," she chuckled. The person sported a wide scarf, large hat, and oversized sunglasses.
Within a few minutes the desultory pace of the snack bar changed as classes released and students poured through the door. She looked at them each in turn, trying to guess if they were nursing or medical students.
Nursing; medical; nursing; nursing; can't tell; oh, definitely medical, she concluded when a tall young man with long straight hair pulled into a ponytail walked in. The glasses only completed the nerdy ensemble.
She jumped when he suddenly backed up after passing her and stopped to stare at her. Did he read my mind? she wondered.
"You!" he almost shouted. "It is you!"
"Um, yes," she said nervously, "but I don't think—"
"You're the girl that hung around Irie the last few years!"
Kotoko closed her eyes. How long would her past behavior continue to define her? "Yes, but I no longer do," she informed him.
"Really?" He squinted at her. "When did you last see him?"
Drat! Of all the times… "About an hour ago," she admitted.
"Thought so." He chuckled as he looked her up and down. "I had assumed that his perfectionism would have extended to his choice in women, but he seems to have settled for quite a bit less."
"Why, you—!" Kotoko was unable to verbalize her indignation.
"At any rate, he's slacked off enough. When is he coming back to school?"
"Never?" she said, her voice unintentionally rising in a question.
"What?!"
"Well, he's had to take over the family business…"
"No!" The man's knees bent and he let out a wail. "He's got to come back. How else am I going to compete with him and ultimately defeat him?"
"What kind of medical student are you?" Kotoko asked, wide-eyed.
"One that is always coming in second place to that bastard!" he said with fiery eyes and clenched teeth. "Up until junior high everything went my way. It was a given that I was always number one! Everyone praised me on awards day when I took all honors. But then in high school he showed up and it all crumbled away."
Kotoko shook her head. "Sorry, but I don't recall seeing you at Tonan High."
"I wasn't there!" he snapped. "But the national practice exams...no matter how many times I took them, my name was never at the top. It was always Irie-Damn-Naoki up there."
"Well," she muttered," lots of people's names weren't at the top when he was around."
He pulled out a chair at the table and sat down to lean towards her. "I was accepted at Todai, believing that finally I would be able to compete, mano-a-mano with him, but NO! He decides to go to this backwater school. Naturally, there was no problem with me attending, but then he transferred out of Science and Engineering to Medicine."
"And so you followed." Kotoko had given up on getting rid of him and just decided to ride the wave.
"Yes! And now he has gone out of my reach again!"
She tried reasoning with him. "Well, if you always came in second, shouldn't you feel relieved that he's no longer around? I mean, now you don't have the pressure to compete."
"There's no satisfaction in that!" he scoffed. His gaze sharpened on her. "But, given the right incentive, he might come back."
"What do you mean?" she asked warily.
His hand reached out and touched her chin. "What do you think would be his reaction if I kissed you?"
"You might better ask what my reaction would be if you kissed her. Funatsu Seiichi, right?"
"Yikes!" The student jumped to his feet and bowed. "Nishigaki-sempai!" He paled when the older man stood behind Kotoko and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You should really put this childish rivalry aside, Funatsu." He shook his head ruefully. "You're starting to abuse innocent bystanders now.'
"But, but she—!"
"However, if competition is the only way you can get fired up, why don't you turn your eyes to me?" Nishigaki grinned. "I'll make more of a challenge than Irie."
"You?"
"I've heard the professors. You have an amazing intellect. If you can focus your talents to benefit society, it means that it won't go to waste." He laughed. "I may not be as smart as Irie, but I am several years ahead of you. It will be interesting to watch you try to surpass me."
"Sempai!" Funatsu's eyes were filled with hero worship, but only for a few seconds.
"Ready to head home, Kotoko?" He turned to the girl, who was awed at the way he had turned the situation around.
"Sure." She rose and waved to the young man who now stared at her in horror. "See you later, Funatsu-san."
As they departed, he collapsed back down in the chair. "I said that to Nishigaki-sempai's girlfriend?!"
Lost in his imagination of what tortures the upperclassman would inflict upon him, he did not notice a strangely clad person closely follow the two from the room.