"Kinnosuke, I told you before and I'm telling you again." Mr. Aihara's voice had an edge that caused the other employees to back away. "My daughter has a full-time job. She is not going to be working at the restaurant."
"But, Boss," he whined, "I miss seeing her." It burned him a little that she wasn't answering his phone calls. Playing hard to get, he supposed.
"And is that supposed to influence me?"
"Well, the customers were real fond of her, too."
"They'll have to adjust. Her future is definitely not in the culinary field."
"What d'ya mean? Maybe she can't cook but she sure does have good taste. For food and for men too," he preened. He turned and glared at the other employees, who had let out snorts of derision. "Hey! I didn't see her dating any of you!"
"I haven't seen her dating you recently, come to think of it." Ohara decided to make a bold statement.
"Why, you—!" Kinnosuke's hands made fists, and Odawara stepped between the two younger men.
Before anything else could start, Mr. Aihara's voice brought about sudden silence. "Enough! We have the dinner crowd coming in any minute. Concentrate on your job and the food you are preparing and serving." As the workers resumed their usual tasks, he sighed to himself. "I suppose I have no choice but to accept Iri-chan's proposal now."
"Iri-chan, I really wish I could handle this without you risking your money." Mr. Aihara poured his old friend a cup of his special sake.
"I don't believe there is any risk, Ai-chan," he countered. "Plus, this will let you kill two birds with one stone. You will be able not only to test the financial waters for expansion but determine your problematic chef's ability to work without supervision."
"Not to mention keeping him so busy that he doesn't have a chance to bother my daughter."
"Right." Their glasses clinked in agreement. "Now, let's look over this calendar and see what schedule we can come up with."
The first few minutes of the drive to Naoki's apartment were spent in silence as Kotoko, having forgotten that the after-work cram sessions were beginning that day, messaged her father that she would be home late. Once she stowed the phone in her purse, she crossed her arms and giggled. "I can hardly wait to see the changes that you've made in the place."
Naoki glanced over. "You do recall, don't you, that I leased the place furnished? There won't be many differences unless you're planning to check out my drawers and closet."
She gasped. "Irie-san! I would never—! That would definitely cross a line! You don't think that of me, do you?"
He grinned. "Not at all, Aihara, I was only teasing you."
"Teasing—! And you think you're cold." She gave him a pouty look. "You have everyone fooled except me. Huh?" She leaned forward as a rough noise could be heard. "What was that?"
"Not sure." Naoki ran his eyes over the gauges. "Everything looks all right, and I had it checked at the garage less than two months ago." Seeing her concerned face, he said kindly, "Don't worry about it unless we hear it again."
"Okay." She relaxed in the seat. "It's too bad that I'm re-learning everything so quickly."
An eyebrow quirked. 'Quickly' was not how he would have described her progress, but all he asked was, "And how is that bad?"
"They've already given the test this year," she pointed out. "Now I'll have to try to remember all that information for months and months."
"Never fear, Aihara," he assured her. "Tonan is willing to provide you with an out-of-season test date."
"Huh?"
"I just have to give them the word, and one of its teachers will administer it at whatever location we desire."
"Gee," she blinked, "that's amazing." She gave an impish grin. "Do you think you could arrange for Disneyland?"
He grinned back then sobered as he leaned forward. "There it is again. I'll have to have my mechanic check the engine as soon as possible."
The sound was heard once more but louder, and this time its source could be determined as the back seat. As Kotoko turned, a blanket on the floor was tossed back and a youthful head popped up. "Really, Onii-chan?" he asked as Kotoko screamed. "The engine?"
Naoki, who had flinched only slightly at his seatmate's exclamation, said, "Yuuki, why the dramatic appearance? Could you not have simply called?"
He folded the blanket carelessly and stuck his head between the two front seats. "And run the risk of you putting me off?"
"I wouldn't do that, Otouto, but this isn't exactly a good time…"
"It's not a good time at home, either. Not since you—how did Mom put it?—'proved that you were devoid of all human decency'."
His older brother winced. "She is fond of hyperbole, isn't she?"
"Oh!" Kotoko pointed. "You're Irie-san's little brother! I remember you from the restaurant…" she trailed off, remembering that was the last time she had worked there.
"Yeah," Yuuki turned to her, "and you're the one with all the dishes." He held up his hands to pantomime juggling. "So what's with you and my big brother?"
"Well, it's a little—"
"Later, Yuuki," Naoki said, giving him a 'drop it' stare through the rear view mirror.
"Okay, okay." He subsided into the back seat and fastened the seat belt. "We're almost to your place, aren't we?"
"Yes, just a few more—wait a minute. How did you know?"
The boy spread his arms in a wide shrug. "I'm me," was his explanation.
Naoki snorted. "I'm surprised you didn't just show up in my living room."
"I was working on it, but it was taking a little while to hack the elevator and I needed to get away from Mom for a night."
"Hack the—?" Kotoko looked from one to the other. "Irie-san, is he a genius too? Your family is amazing."
"Genius?" Naoki pressed the remote for the parking garage. "If you're talking math and science, yes. He's an engineering wizard. Now, if only we can keep him on the right side of the law."
"Hey, I haven't been caught yet."
Ignoring the interruption, he slid the car into its assigned spot. "His grades in the liberal arts aren't quite as high, but he still manages to remain in Class A of Tonan Middle School."
"See. Genius," Kotoko nodded emphatically.
"Onii-chan, I like this girl," Yuuki stated cheekily as they exited the car.
"Mind your manners, Squirt," he said, pushing the boy's head down in a bow. "Aihara Kotoko, Irie Yuuki."
"Pleased to meet you!" she said.
"Do the folks know where you are?" Naoki asked after they entered the building and the elevator began to ascend.
"Are you crazy?" He scowled. "She'd be trailing me like a bloodhound."
"She still might if you don't let her know you'll be late."
"How late?" he asked hopefully.
"A few hours." When his brother pulled out his cell phone, he held up his hand. "Mother hasn't placed a tracer on that, has she?"
Yuuki scoffed. "She's not that tech-savvy! And even if she was, I've got this baby set to bounce off satellites so that she'd think I was in Hokkaido!"
"Good enough." Naoki unlocked the door. "Welcome to my humble abode. You call her while I get out of this suit. Aihara, make yourself comfortable."
After Yuuki finished his brief call, he flopped down on the couch next to a stiffly seated Kotoko. "So, what's the deal, Kotoko?"
She gave a nervous smile. "Irie-san is tutoring me so I can get into college." She ducked her head. "I'm not as smart as you two by a long shot."
"Intelligence isn't everything," Naoki said as he emerged from the bedroom in jeans and knit shirt. "Another person in this room doesn't have stellar grades in some courses."
"I'm not a well-rounded super-scholar like you," he groused. "Besides, my scores are high enough."
Kotoko goggled at them, uncomprehending when Naoki asked him a question in rapid English which was just as rapidly answered. He scowled at the response. "Your pronunciation is execrable."
"So?" he shot back. "You want to tutor me, too?"
"Don't think I won't!"
"Great! It'll get me away from Mom some more nights. You gonna start now?"
"No," he shook his head, "I've got to work with Aihara on math. Try to amuse yourself until we're finished."
"Sure thing, Big Bro!"
Yuuki adjusted his earbuds and selected a playlist before wandering the room while Naoki patiently went over trigonometric functions with the struggling young woman. When he paused in front of the fireplace, examining a gold-plated clock, Naoki said, "That belongs to the apartment complex. Don't take it apart."
"Spoilsport," Yuuki countered, but he replaced it carefully and continued his circuit of the room. He picked up a colorful cube from the bookcase and called, "Heads-up, Onii-chan!"
Hardly looking, Naoki caught it one-handedly and within a few seconds had scrambled the block and tossed it back. Less than a minute and a half later the process was repeated.
After a few such exchanges, Kotoko snatched it in midair and turned it around, squinting at all sides. "There must be a trick to it," she muttered.
Naoki grinned. "You think so? You mix it up for him."
She turned the layers much more slowly, pursing her lips as she tried to make it as complicated as possible. "Here, Yuuki-kun!" She tossed it to him and watched as his hands sped through the solution.
He grinned widely and held it up. "Shortest time tonight!"
"Damn!" she said before covering her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Irie-san! That just slipped out."
"Don't worry about it, Aihara," he laughed. "Sometimes words like that are the best description you can come up with."
"Especially with Mother, right?" cracked Yuuki, to which his brother rolled his eyes.
"Well, I know what she has tried with Irie-san," Kotoko turned to the younger brother, "but don't tell me that she's trying to match-make with you already?"
He blushed deeply. "No, and I sure hope she doesn't start soon."
"I told her not to," Naoki informed him.
"And she obeys you so well," he snarked back. When his brother only shrugged, he jumped up and began rummaging in the kitchen. "What sort of host are you, with no food to offer?" he hollered from the bowels of the refrigerator.
"And who invited himself with no prior warning?" he retorted.
"Yeah, but look at poor Kotoko," he pointed out, returning to the living room. "She's wasting away from lack of food."
"I am not!" she protested. Unfortunately, just the mention of food had activated her stomach enzymes and before she knew it, a great growl was heard.
"See!" Yuuki waved an arm. "If I were you, Kotoko, I'd sue for unhealthy work environme—Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head.
"I can see that nothing more will be accomplished this evening," Naoki said drily. "Would the two of you like to go out and eat before I drop you off?"
While Yuuki cheered and bounced on the furniture, Kotoko insisted, "That's really not necessary, Irie-san. Besides, we didn't cover much tonight."
"Don't worry," he said, "You have plenty of worksheets, and, if necessary, I'll print out more for you tomorrow. If you don't learn the concepts I showed you just now, we won't be able to make further progress."
"Math, yuck!" she said glumly as she gathered her notes.
"Hey, math's easy!" Yuuki informed her. "At least there's always a definite correct answer, unlike those essay questions in history."
"Easy for you," she pouted. "My brain's not wired like that. And essay questions aren't that bad. I can write pretty well, and if I make it long enough the teacher sometimes gets tired of reading it and gives me credit anyway."
"Huh? Why didn't I know that?" Yuuki was astounded.
"Because Class A teachers most likely grade differently than Class F teachers." Naoki shoved his brother out the door. "I wouldn't try that trick, if I were you."
"Bummer!" he said as they entered the elevator.
"So, Irie-san," Kotoko brought up the subject, "what is going to be my Pandai assignment? Since we've started the evening cram school," she stressed.
Naoki deliberated as he slurped up ramen, Yuuki's eyes darting from his brother to Kotoko. "Seeing you with the Rubik's cube," he began, "I think I'm going to give you an assortment of preschool toys."
"What?!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that some sort of insult about my intelligence?"
"He did say that you were in Class F," Yuuki offered, only to received a kick on each shin from the others. "Man, some people can't take a joke," he muttered.
"Not at all, Aihara. Our products undergo tests for safety, appropriateness, and interest before their release, but a few still unexpectedly earn flat sales. I'd like you to take our lowest selling products, read their documentation, and put yourself in both the position of parent and child and try to figure out why they're not hopping off the shelves."
She stared at him. "Don't you have college-educated experts to tell you that?"
"Yes," he replied, "but you can give a unique viewpoint; if you won't be insulted, the 'common person's' opinion."
She nodded her agreement as Yuuki protested, "And you kicked me for something just like that!"
Kotoko stuck out the tip of her tongue to him. "Younger folk should remember to respect their elders."
He muttered something under his breath but quickly returned to inhaling his food.
Naoki dropped off Kotoko first then parked half a block away from the family home. "Say, Bro, can I come see you again sometime?" Yuuki asked before opening the door.
"Sure," he said, ruffling his younger brother's hair. "As long as you announce yourself in a more conventional way." He added in English, "And I'll take the opportunity to work with you on your more challenging classes."
"Always a catch!"
Kotoko had papers spread across the kitchen table, her brows knitted in concentration, when her father returned home. He sat down next to her, and she pulled the worksheets into a neat stack. "Good evening, Otosan! Did work go well?"
"Yes," he replied, "and your study session?"
She quickly caught him up-to-date, describing her interactions with Yuuki and the difficulty of the material. "But I have no doubt that I will learn. Irie-san claims that he will not allow for failure!"
Mr. Aihara grunted. "You'll be spending a lot of time with him, I suppose."
"Well, of course!" She stared at him. "I do work for him."
"And he's doing all this extra stuff for you. I don't know, Daughter, that I should be allowing it."
"Allowing it?" She blinked at him. "Why ever not? I mean, I know that this is a lot of work for him, but he did offer. Plus he pretty much made it impossible for me to turn down so I'm just going to accept his help." She frowned. "The only thing that bothers me is that he bought dinner for me this evening when Yuuki-kun badgered him into it."
Her father chuckled. "The young one is a little feisty, eh? But that's not what really has me concerned." He cleared his throat. "Irie, that is Irie Naoki, is an attractive young man. And you are a beautiful young woman."
"Daddy, that's love talking! I'm not beautiful," she countered.
"Yes, you are! Now don't interrupt me. You've got to be careful that you don't let this extra time and closeness with him go to your head. Old friends we may be, but the Iries are in another strata of society entirely."
Kotoko looked at him soberly. "You think I don't know that?" She sighed, "Yes, he is handsome. I noticed that the first time I saw him. But even when I didn't know who he was, I knew that he was way out of my league. I may have a bit of a crush on him, but that's my problem. Don't worry," she patted his arm, "I won't embarrass you by going all gaga over him."
"You can never embarrass me, baby," he assured her with a hug. "Worry and concern me, yes. Say," he sat upright, "we can't have Irie teach and feed you. Tell you what, Kotoko, you just let me know when you have a tutoring session after work and I'll fix you a nice healthy bento!"
"Really?" She grinned at him.
"Yes, but call ahead and I'll have one of the workers deliver it to his car. We don't want to rile up Kinnosuke any more than that idiot gets normally."
A/N: I suppose I should also say that I don't own Rubik's Cube either.
