A/N: Locations with glacial Internet speeds provide fewer distractions from writing. I finished lots of chapters; just polishing them up.

Chapter 11

Kotoko had barely seated herself in Advanced English when someone sat down beside her. To say that she was surprised it was Naoki would be an understatement. "Eek...oop!" she sputtered as she leaned away from him in astonishment.

"What a greeting," he commented drily. "I don't know exactly how that would be translated into English, but it would be interesting to see you try."

"Irie-kun! What are you doing here?"

"I believe I was planning ask the same question. But for you, the yes or no type may be simpler. So, is the purpose of your elaborate masquerade to elude Ikezawa?"

"Kin-chan?" Kotoko laughed nervously. "What…?"

"You said as much after the last class," he interrupted. "I know that he has been…vociferous…in his pursuit of you, but has he been behaving like a gentleman?"

Kotoko stared at him blankly. "What can I say?" she thought to herself. "I don't want to tell him that my purpose was to create distance between him—Irie-kun—and me so that I can get over my one-sided love. " In the meantime, the silence grew as she could come up with no good answer to the sudden—and unexpected—question.

However, Naoki interpreted the lack of response as confirmation of his suspicions. Added to Kotoko's own statement and the misconstrued list in her bedroom were Chef Wannabe's recent antics in the classroom and college cafeteria that kept Kotoko in a constant state of mortification. Even high school memories of Ikezawa clinging to or pawing an unwilling Kotoko appeared to be evidence that the idiot had been nursing an unhealthy obsession for Kotoko for a good long while.

Before he could attempt to restate the question, Naoki heard a familiar commotion from the corridor. Acting quickly, he scooted his chair back and shoved Kotoko and her bag onto the floor under the table in front of him. He then moved the chair forward again, effectively trapping her between his legs and the front modesty panel of the table.

"Kotoko!" Kinnosuke's voice boomed in the half-empty lecture hall. "Where are you? I am here to guard you from that devil Irie again!"

Kotoko closed her eyes in embarrassment and cringed closer to Naoki's leg.

"You!" Kinnosuke had located Naoki in his unusual location and was advancing, finger pointing in accusation. "What have you done with Kotoko? I have not seen her for two days!"

Naoki leaned forward nonchalantly, his left hand moving beneath the table to rest on Kotoko's head to keep her still. "She never showed up in the cafeteria the other day?" he queried.

"No! And she is not here again!" Kinnosuke's eyes roamed the room.

"She must have dropped the class," Naoki suggested. "Won't that make you feel relieved?"

Kinnosuke spun around and glared at him. "Yes!" he spat. "Now that she will be out of the reach of such a lecherous man as you, she will realize her true feelings for me, Kin-chan!"

The slight jump against his leg at that outburst gave an edge to Naoki's next words. "Just remember to be civilized about this, Ikezawa. We are not in the Stone Age, you know."

Kinnosuke's face became completely blank. "Stone Age? What do rocks have to do—Hah! Don't try to distract me, you wise-ass!" He leveled a sneer at him as he backed out of the row. "Kotoko will be mine, Irie. I swear it!"

After he clattered down the hall, Naoki let out a long breath. "Well, that was refreshing." He pushed back his chair and looked down at the wide-eyed face staring up at him between his legs. "I apologize for placing you in a fairly…provocative position, but I thought you would want to avoid that encounter."

"Huh?" Kotoko's face reflected her confusion, but Naoki could not determine which of his statements had caused it. He stood to assist her to her feet, then grabbed hold as her wobbly legs dropped her sideways. He held out the adjacent chair and she plopped into its seat.

"Would you like me to remain with you during class?" he asked.

"Oh no!" Kotoko protested. "I will be fine alone back here. You should stay in your regular spot." She gestured toward his usual table. "Matsumoto-san will not be happy to sit by herself."

Naoki glanced down. Matsumoto had entered shortly after Kinnosuke's tempestuous exit and appeared unconcerned that he had not yet arrived. "Not that I care that much for her happiness, but we ought to keep appearances as close to normal as possible, I suppose. Although I doubt your swain will return again. You probably can forgo the disguise in the future." He stood and pushed his chair in, then paused as he looked down at her. "You know that if anyone is…bothering you, you can ask for help. Remember what I told you in our doubles match. 'You're not alone'."

Kotoko blinked up at him.

He gave a brief laugh. "Just think about what I said, okay?"

"O-kay," she replied softly as she watched him walk away. "Oh, Irie-kun, don't be nice to me!" she sighed. "My feelings for you aren't leaving fast enough, and now you're making it even harder to get over you!"