Chapter 10

Thoughts that taint

"I still cannot believe I did it," Kotoko repeated for the umpteenth time on their return from school, to the point of overwhelming him with the same; but he, internally, had the same incredulity that she had after the end of semester results, where Kotoko had obtained fifty, again.

He had thought she would do well on tests, but never he'd have thought that she would repeat the result of the previous occasion, with two points more than the last time; those two points made her obtain the final position of the board, to the disappointment of the boy in Class C that had the position before and wanted it back, as he heard someone say in its class. Unfortunately for the boy, people commented, Aihara had one more point than he, and she won.

The tutor of his class was taken aback, as he remarked in his subject. It looked like a milestone in history that someone Class F repeat its position in the list… if a first time was not amazing.

Naoki thought that if teachers changed classes, it would make difference in some of the exams of the lower groups; according to all he observed when he taught Kotoko, it seemed that their teachers thought her group with high learning capabilities. Their way of educating was OK for someone in a class A or B, not for those who needed a gradual process like those of F.

It was a mere observation that would help not promote stupider students and find the ones who deserved a second chance. Or, what could they expect if teachers did not change their positions and were the same for the block A and B, C and D, E and F, the whole three years?

"Fifty!" Kotoko shouted with a squeal of excitement in the street leading to his house.

Some birds in a gate flew away.

"Didn't you say to your otouto that you'll show that my time was well spent?" he asked mockingly.

Kotoko stopped short and pursed her lips.

"Yes, but I didn't think it'd be this way," she responded by moving her shoulders, dancing. "It's not the same, sir perfect score," she said smiling, as Watanabe emphasized he was, again. Actually, that was because he had never studied and now he review his subjects thrice, one when it was taught in class, two more with Kotoko. "It's my first year without summer classes!"

Kotoko took the palms of her hands to her cheeks, opening her mouth in a perfect oval.

"You will swallow a fly," he said, opening the gate of his house.

She closed her mouth and opened her eyes.

"I'll show it off to Yuuki!" With her exclamation, she started up the stairs, two at a time, without fail.

"Wow," he muttered, blinking in amazement. If she didn't focus much on things, she could do them well. Or such was her excitement that the steps became secondary.

"Oba-sama, I'm in the position fifty!" He heard she shouted from inside, accompanied by a shriek of his mother and an exclamation of disbelief from Yuuki.

He continued up calmly and went home with the same tranquility, taking off his shoes.

Two pairs of feet hit against the wooden floor. Yuuki stopped in front of him and, behind, Kotoko caught up.

He looked at his brother, with restless hair, watching him from below, his eyes were wide open.

"Is it true what silly says?" he questioned his Ototo in an incredulous tone.

Naoki nodded.

"Ha! I told you so!" Yuuki's eyes narrowed as Kotoko stuck out her tongue. His little face looked very upset.

"But I wonder how you did if you seem to have the mentality of a child," Naoki said, and his brother's countenance changed, sticking out his tongue to Kotoko, whose shoulders fell.

"Baka."

"Dwarf."

"Stop fighting," he demanded the two, walking in the middle of both. The rivalry of his brother and her had stretched enough, though he didn't treat Kotoko like Yuuki, with whom he had an easy speech.

Also, his girlfriend, despite fighting too, behaved politely with Yuuki.

"Let go!" Exclaimed her brother behind him. He paused a second to see what was Kotoko doing, for if she had passed the stage of verbal exchanges.

He let out a snort when he saw she was carrying Yuuki, who kicked trying to get loose. He continued his steps.

"Don't be evil, congratulate me," Kotoko said, and he pictured her pouting.

"I won't!"

"YUUKIIII!" Kotoko lengthened his name, which echoed throughout the house.

"You have to congratulate her, Yuuki!" His mother joined the talk, and he knew his brother had no escape.

[...]

Frowning, Naoki answered the knock at the door, giving the caller permission to enter. He looked away from the screen, which had a chess match against the computer, to distract himself from reading a technology program of studies.

"Naoki-kun?" He rolled his eyes when listening to Kotoko.

"What do you want now?" he asked turning the swivel chair.

She smiled, letting out a chuckle. "What are you gonna do this summer?" she asked.

He returned attention to the screen, to put in check the computer with a move of his second queen.

"Nothing important for you," he muttered after a few seconds.

"Oh," Kotoko sighed. "I wanted to know if we could move our study session."

He raised his eyebrows. Could it be possible to get rid of her?

He finished the game, checkmating the king of his opponent. He started a new game and moved a pawn forward. "You won't be studying?" he asked, without turning around.

"Yes," replied Kotoko very quickly. "But I'll go out in the afternoons."

He advanced the horse on the right. What would she do?

"And I wanted to move our hour and a half to the morning. Can we?"

Naoki moved a pawn forward, frowning.

"Three days I have to go to school, for the tennis club," he informed as a response.

"Well… the other two," Kotoko said after a few seconds. He shrugged and squinted when his horse disappeared at that point, eaten by a pawn.

He was intrigued by what she had to do summer evenings.

But what was he doing? If he got rid of her much of the time, he could use those quiet moments.

He moved another pawn, which was eaten quickly.

"Don't neglect your homework if you only study Tuesday and Thursday," he said as if it were nothing, listening to her breathing, she was still in the room.

"Huh? Yeah. Huh!" Kotoko said. "I'll do my homework the last weekend."

"I don't recommend it," he said mockingly. "To me, it took me most of the day doing them."

"You've finished your homework!" He laughed mischievously and turned to her, she had a face like she had swallowed something bad and was drowning. "But… but…" She gasped like a fish.

"Shut up, is annoying," he said and raised an eyebrow. "I recommend you to that start early or you will have to fill all your holiday in them. And you'll go out in the afternoons," he recalled, crossing his arms in a gesture of superiority.

"Oh, no!" Kotoko went out of the room scared, leaving him to wonder what she would do.

He shook his head. What did it matter to him? She would go out with her friends, leaving the mild summer afternoons in silence.

Long ago he didn't have that at home, he thought, returning to the game in where he had a lot of disadvantage. At what point did he do so bad moves?

He denied mechanically, not wanting to explore on the response.

[...]

Naoki saw the tennis ball coming and went to the side of his game space, striking back with an accurate movement of the racket, before he went a little to the center. His opponent ran after the ball and barely hit him, and he hit the ball simply with a backhand, sending it to the corner of the field, making his opponent lose. With that, he won the second set, finishing the short game they were having.

The coach clapped congratulating the two, offering advice to Ishiguro, who nodded repeatedly while Naoki walked to the bench, where he picked up his towel to wipe the sweat, and then took his bottle of water.

It that summer, he was sweating more than usual, playing in the sun. Additionally, Ishiguro was the second best in the team and had given him a good fight, but ultimately, he won, as always, despite not being totally focused on the game.

"As fast as always, this will be another year in which you reach the first of the region," Ishiguro said, wiping his forehead beaded with sweat. "You're very good, if you weren't so smart, I think you could dedicate to tennis professionally."

Naoki nodded in appreciation. He didn't contemplate that.

"Do not you rush to strike a blow to the side of the opposite field until it is the right time, otherwise when returning the service, you'll lose," he advised, and his teammate, whom he made double, thought a moment before nodding.

"I'll keep that in mind. I'll buy my lunch, see you later for the doubles." Ishiguro trotted to the cafeteria and Naoki went towards the lockers to get the lunch his mother prepared for him.

The air was wiping the sweat from his body and he felt more refreshed upon reaching the lockers. He already wanted to take a bath and be in the freshness of his home.

And in the peace. Since Kotoko wasn't coming back and wouldn't return until night, looking exhausted, but smiling. She was like that for two weeks; so the day before she had fallen asleep, missing their study session.

He celebrated not be harassed many hours, but he felt the same doubt that motivated scientists to investigate. What could she do in the afternoons?

His mother, who did not miss anything and communicated everything, knew nothing and that was too much secrecy.

Naoki said to himself that while it wasn't something dangerous or that will affect him in the future, it wasn't too important.

He left the classroom lockers and heard voices nearby, probably students from the worst groups, who must attend summer school to be regulated by its results.

He had seen the two friends of Kotoko, accompanied by the idiot and two other guys, walking in the school, near the tennis court, chatting animatedly. His girlfriend would have been one of them, and she would be spying, if she had gotten bad results in the final semester.

However, she was occupied half her time on a vacation she said would enjoy.

"Kotoko likes to share the afternoon with you?" asked a voice he recognized, and he, attracted by the name of his girlfriend and the content of the question, stopped before turning the corner of the building.

He pepped and frowned.

On a bench under the tree to which he intended to go to lunch were sat the idiot and Kotoko's two friends; one of them, the shortest of the two, had done the question.

"YES!" Naoki scrunched his mouth with the irritating voice of the idiot.

Kotoko and him? Did she spend her afternoons with the loud-mouthed? What was going on there?

"She lets me accompany her home at night when we finish," said Ikezawa, making Naoki frown.

Another time that he was intruding into his affairs? Intruding where he wasn't called? And Kotoko spent the afternoon with him, and she liked it?

The idea of being taken as a fool briefly passed through his mind. Then he thought that Ikezawa had gotten the way to manipulate Kotoko with his idiocies and to take her away from him… the girlfriend that was already adapted in his life for the purpose he wanted.

"You're getting into something dangerous, Kin-chan," said the one called Jinko.

"Yes, Irie-san will get angry if he finds out," agreed Satomi.

"You are those who do not understand! He is not worthy of her," replied Ikezawa, like a child in the midst of a tantrum, and stood up, running away.

Naoki turned and went another way, not wanting to cross path with the idiot who wanted to take the girlfriend to whom he had many plans.

Now he had the doubt of what they would do in the afternoons.

Oh, but somehow the dumb was going to pay.

[...]

Kotoko yawned in the middle of his words and Naoki was overcame with irritation. It was the second time in half an hour he saw her doing that action, like she was bored with what he said.

Only that, surely, it was the repetitive fatigue.

He didn't know why she bothered to show up if she was going to be that way. The two Saturdays going to play tennis, she did not have too much energy and just stand mid-session; not to mention that what remained of the weekend, without food, she kept locked in her room.

"You should leave what you do in the afternoons, which exhausts you," he said, without containing the irritating tone. "You're not good like this."

She shrugged and lowered her head; he saw her tighten the pencil in her hand.

"I'm fine, I can keep going," she said, straightening up with a lot of determination. "I have to continue."

"Suit yourself," he muttered sourly. "Don't waste my vacation time if you show up in this way, silly."

"I won't do it." She gave him a smile, and added with an emotion that annoyed him: "I will continue as usual."

"While it doesn't harm me," he replied, shrugging.

"I ended up most of my duties," she let him know. "Could you review them later?" she asked with her hands in the form of prayer, looking into his eyes with an angelic expression on her face.

"Leave them before you leave," he said and pointed again the notebook where was one of the topics to check ahead before they returned to the second quarter of the semester. At least, study holidays served to lessen the burden subject for the coming months.

"Thank you!" Kotoko made a move to get closer to kiss him on the cheek, but went away and attended to the paper.

He opened his eyes for a second; she had not done that, right?

Since when Kotoko rejected to approach him?

Not that it bothered him, it just seemed strange. Until suspicious. He didn't understand.

He shook his head and began to explain; physics problems were a simpler issue to occupy his mind.

[...]

"Onii-chan, don't you think that is more peaceful without Kotoko?" Yuuki asked and Naoki saw him look away from his school notebook, which he was doodling for his diary observation of holidays.

Naoki had given him a glance seeing that it starred Kotoko, but only found out outstanding her attempts of cooking that his mother and her did in the mornings, which made disasters in the kitchen (very funny), and the failed tennis training of both, those that Yuuki had insisted go for entertainment, and other things he had seen her doing.

Yuuki commented in his drawings a bit about her likes and her daily routine, the time spent doing homework during morning holiday and studying with his oniichan; with one part on her way to sleep—it was surprising that his ototo knew that, reaching the point of spying—. Now he also knew it and was amused to know that she drooled a little the days seemed exhausted, according to Yuuki. Predictions about what she could be doing in the afternoons, but nothing more.

They were comments more objectively than malicious and he could almost say that his brother looked with different eyes at Kotoko, it was not possible to say such thing to whom he seemed to detest in the day.

Was probably he got past the novelty of arrival? Or, finally, he understood that his relationship with each one was different and that he did not change his brother for a girlfriend.

Or, he thought with disgust, there was also the possibility that he realized that Kotoko did not look very attentive to him on that vacation, because in his drawings did not match them rather than in their study session and tennis courts, despite mentioning that they were dating. Maybe he had the impression that they were away and so she was more acceptable.

What nonsense he thought.

"You seem very focused on the window, oniichan," his mother entered the room with a tray full of drinks and snacks. "Are you waiting for the arrival of Kotoko-chan?"

Denying he pulled back a little, just to see that the aforementioned appearing and saying goodbye to the loud-mouthed, waving her hands; after this, he returned her purse.

He sat on the couch and picked up a sandwich. He chewed it when Kotoko made her entrance. She smiled when she saw them in the living room. She sat beside him, and then took a bagel and ate it with relish.

"Kotoko-chan, be careful," his mother said placing a glass of iced tea before her.

"Sorry." Kotoko laughed, little breadcrumbs on her upper lip, that Yuuki pointed out, and she took a slow tongue movement, which captured his attention for a few seconds. "I'm starving."

"We noticed," muttered Yuuki, starting to draw in his notebook.

"What do you do?" Kotoko asked, leaning her hands on his legs to see what Yuuki did, but he closed the book shut.

"Nothing that interests you," said his brother, pulling out his tongue at her, who shrugged and took another sandwich, when he pushed her away.

She wouldn't wait until dinner.

"I'm very hungry, today I had no time to eat anything, I was very busy," Kotoko spoke as though she was alone, saying her thoughts out loud.

He, chewing quietly, waited her to continue and say what she was doing.

"What do you do in the evenings, Kotoko-chan?" Asked his mother. He was surprised that she had not decided to spy on her and that she was unaware; for the first time, she had not done what was expected of her.

"Hey," Kotoko blushed and looked at him a moment, looking away realizing that he was watching her. "I cannot say," she finished, tucking a piece of the sandwich to her mouth to keep her busy.

His mother frowned. He thought he would be in the same situation if he was not controlled in front of others. Kotoko's secrecy, and her little ability to conceal that it was for him, was to make him suspect.

Kotoko cleared her throat. "This Saturday some of my classmates and I are going to Waterland, do you want to go?"

"Yes!" Yuuki said with a jump in his seat, away from his drawing. Naoki didn't know if it was from the excitement of going to the pool or to watch her, but his enthusiasm seemed genuine.

"I know summer classes have not finished," he pried. Kotoko nodded.

"Yes, but they want to go to reduce stress study." She shrugged. "It can be very weary, I understand." She laughed with some thought of her head. "And Kin-chan said that this year some teachers are more demanding after my results."

He pursed his lips slightly.

"Oh, Kotoko-chan, you're a great example," his mother flattered her. "But I am not suitable to go to those places. I think oniichan can accompany Yuuki. Right, oniichan?" He shrugged. If his mother had already accepted the idea. "It won't mind them you take your boyfriend and his little brother?"

Kotoko laughed. "No, we all will have fun. And Yuuki wants to go, I don't think I could take care of as him as I should," she mused at the end.

"Then is a plan," concluded his mother.

He stood to retire to his room. "Good night," he said dryly.

The last thing he wanted was a day where the idiot was present, but he had no more option than go. He thought that at least he would have the opportunity to avoid the idiot committing a stupidity there to take away his girlfriend.

If by accompanying her in the afternoon he wasn't doing it.

Thanks to the idiot, his convenient plan was in danger.

[...]

Saturday, with shorts and sleeveless shirt, like his brother, Naoki entered the water park flooded in laughter, not as busy as he would have expected, but frequented by people of different ages.

He loaded the bag with the clothes on his left hand and with the right pointed deck chairs under large umbrellas for Yuuki and him to be placed. Kotoko, covering her eyes with her hand, with a small bag on her shoulder, looked for her mates.

"Kotoko." One of her friends shouted, waving her arms, accompanied by the pretty girl, the loud-mouthed, and the two guys that followed him. They were sitting on the edge of the pool, their feet in the water.

"Now I will go with them, don't you want to join us?" Kotoko looked at him with a flushed face, and he wondered what caused it.

"Yuuki have to be in the lowest zone," he said and Kotoko nodded, pouting her lips.

"Okay, I'll have fun with my friends for a while." She said that but showed no intention of moving.

"What?" he asked.

"Oba-sama-said-there-was-a-problem-with-my-school-swimsuit-and-I-have-to-use-what-she-bought." It was his good capacity for understanding which provided him with the ability to catch her words.

"So what?" he replied without thinking and then squinted being aware of the way his mother acted. "Don't bother," he grumbled.

"Mom wants to do the impossible," spluttered Yuuki, which until then had been seeing.

"It's embarrassing," Kotoko whispered, and Naoki smiled sideways, but then saw that Ikezawa looked at them and he did not feel so mockingly.

"Go with it," he instructed her with obviousness, pointing to the blouse with spaghetti straps, though it seemed more like an order. He would not be at the expense of his girlfriend receiving some indecent approach from the idiot, which, in any case, drooled for her and dared to meddle in their affairs.

She nodded as if it hadn't occurred her—which was very possible—and went away to where her friends were.

Naoki, meanwhile, went with Yuuki until the sun loungers he said earlier, settling with him, in moments looking to Kotoko and his companions.

When he saw that she had taken off her shorts while remaining with the spaghetti straps top, he was surprised to note that her legs had good muscle tone; five hours of exercise with him, to encourage the play of tennis, had served to give strength to the legs he saw that first day of exercise. Nearly three months of exercise had their advantage.

He grinned when the flirtatious friend pointed the blouse of Kotoko and she refused, causing another shrug of the girl.

With that, he looked away and put the rest of sunblock to Yuuki, who walked carefully to the edge of the pool and jumped with a shout to the part that wasn't deep.

[...]

Naoki moved his eyes from the book, which he had advanced only four pages, and oversaw back to Yuuki, who stood over the water with floats but seemed more attentive to the other side of the pool, right where Kotoko was.

For a moment, he thought Yuuki was developing a crush on his girlfriend, but dismissed it with the analytical gaze—rather than a spellbound one—his brother gave her. It must be to complete his diary.

He, too, had to admit, had been watching Kotoko, who played in the pool to throw water and had a volleyball game in which she received constant hits, showing no apparent interest in the idiot, who looked a lot at her all time.

A part of him had overseen her the same as his brother because it was possible that something happened, as she was accident prone. The other part was alert to some movement from the idiot, which jeopardized his plans, even though his attempts to stop him had no effect.

"Onii-chan!" Yuuki came to his side and sat on the towel on the chair, pulling the floats. "I want a vanilla ice cream." He pointed to a girl who was walking with a cone in his hand and a scoop of yellow ice cream.

He thought of going to the stand, which was only a few meters, but shrugged. So far, Yuuki had not done anything that would prejudice its security and, anyway, he was someone very conscious at his age.

"Be right back, stay here," he said and stood up to go to the ice cream stand, looking over his shoulder to monitor Yuuki sitting there, quiet.

Arriving where they sold ice cream, he waited for the manager to attend a lady, taking his time to give her change, and then asked the cone to his brother.

He paid. The turn around coincided with a commotion in the pool. Promptly, he saw Yuuki was not in his place and felt concern.

He walked quickly to the pool and let the ice cream fell to see Kotoko, with his Ototo in her arms, unmoving, on the side of the pool.

His heart pounded.

No matter that it was against the rules, he ran to them avoiding a puddle of water, stopping relieved by seeing his brother breathing.

"Yuuki," he expressed in dismay, kneeling beside his girlfriend and his brother. "What happened?" he asked Kotoko, placing a hand on the back of Yuuki, who was trembling.

"He was walking fast by the pool and slipped," whispered Kotoko, stroking the head of his brother, stirring his wet hair. It was a different image of her, as a concerned mother; he did not think, with the immaturity she showed many times, that she could display it. "We caught up fast and he was only a few seconds in the water," she explained quietly, looking down, with obvious concern in her.

"It's the shock," he elucidated, regaining the calm. "Thank you."

Kotoko shook her head and smiled afterwards.

"You should take better care of your brother, Irie," intervened the idiot in an obvious tone and Naoki tensed, "and you, child, you shouldn't ignore signals of not running."

At that moment the impertinent loud-mouthed was the last person he wanted to hear saying that logic. Neither would he gave him the satisfaction of answering.

"Shut up you idiot!" Shouted his brother, getting away from Kotoko, to run away to the dry zone.

Naoki stood up to go for him.

Kotoko placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. "Kin-chan, I saw that Naoki-kun went to the ice cream stand, also I looked at Yuuki approach us without seeing on his way. Accidents happen," she said to her companion quietly. "I got this."

He stood there watching her going away and returned with calm steps to his place. That time he was certain that she was the best person to talk to his brother.

[...]

Whatever Yuuki and Kotoko speak, it served to enhance the mood of his brother and make him participate in the water with her, accompanying her even in the slide.

Naoki decided in his mind that it would be something of them, when he noticed that it also worked for them to get along better, because Yuuki was closer to her when they returned home, without making her object of insults. And his notebook, as he revised at night while he slept, had a very significant drawing of Kotoko, which described her as great. That was something.

At least, he would not have to worry anymore about enmity.

However, there was still the matter that will be around over his head thanks to the conversation he heard at school.

Well, they said it was best not to spy.

"Naoki-kun?" Kotoko was calling him from the open door of his room.

He was amazed, it was Sunday, and she had left her room for something else than eat. Surely she would plague him with any request.

"What do you want?" he snapped, slamming the book of aeronautics that he could not conclude.

He heard Kotoko muttering something that included the words boat and plane, before turning.

She had her hands hidden behind her back, there was a box lined with wrapping paper.

He frowned. Would she go to a birthday party? He hoped she hadn't come to ask him to go with her.

"Are you busy?" Kotoko asked in a whisper, nodding to the book down on the table.

"Say what you have to say," he replied, sighing. Her dress was not like going out, so he could not ensure anything.

She laughed and shifted uncomfortably.

"Kotoko," he warned because he didn't want to waste time; he had to see if Aircraft engineering would be something that he would do, after passing through the naval.

"Eh, yes." She pulled the box—of a considerable size—from behind her and placed it on his legs.

He was surprised at his weight, no more than she was giving him a gift.

"I hope you like it," Kotoko said in a very low, with a red face.

Naoki sighed and began to remove the silver paper wrapped around the box, taking care not to tear it in the process. When it came to content, he opened his eyes, surprised.

It was a set to assemble an old ship in a bottle.

Kotoko's gift election told him she had noticed that he was reading about Marine engineering (when he did) and she thought he would like it. Well, it was not an unpleasant activity, but he never thought he would it.

"Why?" He spoke with a strange feeling of unease.

Kotoko smiled as he placed the package on the table; her face shone with a happy expression. He was almost blinded by her emotion.

Nonsense.

"As a thank you for helping me to study," explained his girlfriend in a singsong way. "Thanks to you I got to be twice," she emphasized two fingers high, "on the list of top fifty".

Worthy of Kotoko not taking credit, even when she also had to do in the matter.

"And because you're my boyfriend," she continued, moving from one foot to another, "and I wanted to make you a gift. Although it was difficult to choose for those who have…"

He nodded and grabbed her wrist, stopping her monologue. He ignored the growing sense that he could not identify his chest, almost like guilty, but deep there was satisfaction with her loyalty. Regardless of it, he felt gratitude, and it was fine to let her know, for the trouble she had taken.

She looked at him with eyes open wide and bright when he pulled her close and had to put her hands on his chest for support.

"Thanks," he said only in a whisper, keeping his eyes fixed on her face. She parted her lips and licked her tongue and he had a lapse in his mind, in which he brought his face closer to his girlfriend, with his attention solely on her mouth.

Then he joined his lips to hers.

AN: Hello!

I know, long time. Good news is I have my Bachelor's degree :D, also, that I'll put my 100% to finish this fic this year. I think IG steals my inspiration, so I need a "Complete" here ha,ha.

I've been doing some changes in first chapters (3 of them so far); the fic hasn't changed, but someone told there are parts difficult to understand.

Love, Karo

Guest: Ha,ha, I thought it was funny to have Naoki in a situation like that. He needs to suffer XD. He's more human now, an effect of Kotoko. He don't realize it, though. Thanks for r&r.