"A little lower, ah, there!"
Naoki paused at rubbing moisturizer onto his wife's back. "I think you're enjoying this too much!"
"Not really. I've been having itchy skin for the past week. It has been driving me crazy!"
"Well, that's a fairly common occurrence during pregnancy," he admitted. "The fluctuating hormones can cause all kinds of side effects."
Kotoko looked at him over her shoulder. "And I bet you've memorized all of them, haven't you?"
"Well, I did research it a bit…"
She laughed as she pulled the robe back over her shoulders. "It's like having a walking encyclopedia with you around—oh!"
"What is it?" Naoki leaned forward in concern as her hands flew to her abdomen.
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Our baby just gave me a kick." She grabbed one of his hands and pressed it to her stomach. "There! Did you feel that?"
He gasped. "Yes! Oh, Kotoko," he kissed her gently, "this is nothing at all like reading about it!"
"I know," she agreed happily. "Our baby!"
"Honestly, Kotoko, if you were going to give out this many Valentine chocolates, you should've used a rolling suitcase!" Nobuhiro was accompanying Kotoko on her hospital visit, a habit that the two had fallen into after the Christmas dinner.
She stopped, her mouth open. "That's a terrific idea! Why didn't I think of it?" she asked, pounding the side of her head with a gloved fist.
"Just remember it next year," he pleaded as he deposited the bag on a bench inside the building. Looking at the contents, he said, "I sure hope these are all giri, considering your condition and all."
"Of course they're giri!" she chided him. "Only Naoki gets my honmei, even if it usually isn't sweet at all."
"Do you need help handing them out?" he asked.
Kotoko laughed. "You'd be the one in trouble if you did that. I've heard how the hospital is on high alert whenever you visit. You wouldn't be able to escape until nearly midnight, and all of these giri chocolates would be assumed to be honmei. You'd find yourself with at least a half dozen fiancées!"
He shuddered dramatically. "In that case, I'm going to slink down the hall to my appointment and try not to draw attention to myself!"
"I'll be late today," she reminded him. "I'll call for a ride, so you can leave when you're finished. Oops! Better hurry! I see Motoki-chan headed this way!"
"Yipes!" He made a quick exit.
It was always lively when Irie-chan (as she was referred to by the patients) visited. While nothing could top her Christmas visits, complete with presents, Valentine's Day was a close second. Having ascertained dietary restrictions, each of the gifts to her special clients was selected with that particular person in mind.
When Kotoko finally knocked on Funatsu's office, she was carrying the last two packages.
"Thank you, Kotoko-san!" He bowed his appreciation.
She took a moment to observe him carefully. "You need to have your hair trimmed soon. Make sure you do it by next week if you want to continue to look presentable! And I'm glad to see that you're not wearing those birth control glasses."
"Ko-kotoko-san!" he gasped in outrage.
"Really, Funatsu-sensei-kun, did you seriously think they were attractive? Now, here is the honmei chocolate that you should give Marina-san tomorrow."
"It doesn't seem right for another woman to purchase my chocolate," he demurred. "Plus, isn't the woman supposed to be giving it?"
"Pish-tosh!" She waved his objection away. "That's all right for high schoolers, but we're adults, in the twenty-first century! Marina-san is a career person, just like you! The, uh, unexpectedness of the gesture will really catch her attention."
"I suppose…"
"And if I left it up to you, you'd probably just point to any old Valentine's package in a convenience store, wouldn't you?"
He nodded, abashed.
"So, I happen to know that she has a definite weakness for dark chocolate truffles. These are from the finest handmade candy shop."
"This is probably expensive," he hazarded a guess.
"Don't worry, it will be on your bill," she assured him. "Now make sure you check the nurse's station for her schedule for tomorrow. Don't waste that chocolate!"
"Yes, ma'am, uh, Kotoko-san!"
Being a male and already the recipient of an indecent quantity of Valentine's chocolate delivered through his local agent's office, Nobuhiro had no need to pay attention to the garish displays of Valentine goodies. However, as he walked past a store, a familiar uniform and hairstyle caught his eye.
"Aha!" He smirked to himself as he checked the crowd. No Yuuki acting as bodyguard today. He entered the shop and approached the young woman. "Shopping for giri or honmei?" he asked with a flash of teeth.
"Oh!" Konomi jumped and looked at him like a scared rabbit.
"Don't worry," he laughed. "I'm not after your virtue, no matter what tales Yuuki-kun has told you."
She flushed and lowered her eyes. "Um, you aren't?"
"Come on, I'm his friend and I work with his sister. We've just been teasing him because he's been acting like he has a stick up his butt lately. Now," he steered her to another stack of candy boxes, "my original question: giri or honmei?"
"H-honmei is what I'd like to say," she spoke softly, "but I don't know if he'd accept it unless it is giri."
"Knowing him, he wouldn't recognize what kind it was unless you out-and-out told him," Nobuhiro replied.
She giggled softly. "He is a little dense for someone so smart. That's another reason I hesitate."
"Why?" He was genuinely interested.
"Well, I'm not smart. Remember, he is helping me study."
"Brains is only one aspect of a relationship," he told her. "As much as I like her, Kotoko-san is not Naoki-san's intellectual equal, yet they seem happy enough. Ecstatic right about now, as a matter of fact."
"You mean, the baby?"
"You heard?" He was surprised.
"Yes, Yuuki-kun is very excited to be an uncle."
"Is he?" Nobuhiro grinned in delight. "I'll have to keep that in mind. Another tidbit to tease him with."
"Oh, no!" She showed a distressed face. "Please don't let him know that I told you—"
"Not at all. But we're wasting time. Let's see if I can help you pick out the perfect chocolates for the smart, dense and excited boy that you like. And you can keep secret that I helped you select them!"
"Yes!" Konomi bowed in agreement and gave him a wide happy smile that lit up her entire face.
Man! he thought to himself. It's too bad that I follow the Bro Code.
