Response to reviewers:
Marina StormFire, Kireii, 1sunfun, TheHyuugaaMegumii, Six Impossible Things, Jenny Lie, Shadowofmyday & Baka chan xD: here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it. I'm sorry for the delay, though. I had a terrible, horrible, writer's block.
A/N: Most of the stuff in here, I claim artistic licence. Thanks to Wikipedia for the information on Les Créations de Narisawa.
Chapter 11
"Well, since our dads decided that we need time for ourselves, what do you want to do?" asked Rui.
"Can we go to London?" asked Tsukushi jokingly. "I'd love to have pub food,"
"Pub food?" asked Rui. "I thought you don't drink,"
"Yes, I don't drink but I do eat pub food," answered Tsukushi.
"Well, I can bring you to any Western restaurants around Japan, Hong Kong, Beijing and Seoul, but not London, New York or anywhere at the Western hemisphere," replied Rui. "I do have to go to work on Monday,"
"Rui, I'm joking!" exclaimed Tsukushi, "I have classes on Monday too, you know…"
"How is it that you are able to juggle classes and working with your dad at the same time?" asked Rui.
"Well, in London, there's a work attachment program that was conducted by the university, and one of Makino Corporations' firms took part in it," answered Tsukushi. "I applied for the work attachment program, got in, and that's how I started to work for my dad,"
"So, how did they not know that it is you who applied?" asked Rui. "I heard from my dad that aside from your dad, nobody knew you are THE Makino Tsukushi,"
"I do not use the Makino mansion address as my permanent address then, nobody knows how Tsukushi Makino look like before the coming out party, and aside from that, I'm just lucky, I guess," answered Tsukushi. "I'm starving, where are we eating?"
"Do you eat French food?" asked Rui.
"Yes, I do, but I don't like it as much as I love British food," answered Tsukushi.
Rui brought Tsukushi to Les Créations de Narisawa, a French restaurant run by a Japanese chef.
"Wow, I can't believe you can find a French restaurant in Tokyo," said Tsukushi as they entered the restaurant. "Is the chef, French?"
"He's Japanese, but trained in France," answered Rui. "You do know how to read French, do you?"
"Of course I do," replied Tsukushi. "I'm fluent in five languages, English, Japanese, Mandarin, French and Italian,"
The maitre-d led them to a table that was partially hidden from the rest of the diners, giving Tsukushi and Rui the privacy that they need. The waiter left them with their menus, and asked them to call him via the electronic waiter system whenever they are ready to order.
"Wow, they have quite a selection of wines," remarked Tsukushi. "I don't drink wines, though, but these are good wines,"
"For someone who doesn't drink, you know your wines," remarked Rui.
"One of dad's good friends owns a vineyard in France, I sort of picked it up from him," replied Tsukushi. "It came to a point that whenever we eat together, I would select his wine for him,"
"Are we ready to order?" asked Rui.
Tsukushi nodded, and pressed the electronic waiter system to call the waiter to their table.
"I'd like to have moules à la crème normande as the main courseand crème brûlée as dessert," said Tsukushi.
Rui was surprised to hear that Tsukushi chose to eat moules à la crème normande, for someone who doesn't drink, Tsukushi do not have any problems eating a dish that has wine in it.
"I'd like to have escargots de bourgogne as the main course and mousse au chocolat as dessert," informed Rui.
Tsukushi made a face when she heard that Rui will be eating snails.
"What about your beverage, sir, madam?" asked the waiter.
"I'd like a mango smoothie, please," replied Tsukushi.
"A strawberry smoothie, please," said Rui.
"I will be with your orders shortly, sir, madam," said the waiter and left.
"For someone who doesn't drink, you do eat something that has wine in it," remarked Rui.
"The alcohol evaporated when it cooked," replied Tsukushi. "Eww, you are going to eat snails,"
Tsukushi made a face and shuddered.
"Escargot requires an acquired taste," rebutted Rui. "I still do not understand why you don't drink alcoholic beverages,"
"I drank once, got drunk, passed out and woke up with a killer hangover," replied Tsukushi. "The hangover was so bad that I swore I won't ever drink again,"
"Once bitten, twice shy, huh?" asked Rui.
"Exactly," answered Tsukushi. "Not only that, I do not want to harm my liver,"
The day went smoothly after that. Since it was the start of the weekend, Tsukushi dragged Rui to bring her to Harajuku to see all the flamboyant fashion on display at Harajuku, and after that, Rui directed Tsukushi to a district where they could find fashion that was more in line with the upper class.
"I love those gothic Lolita dresses, Rui!" said Tsukushi. "Do you think I could pull them off?"
"Not that you can't pull it off, but I do not think that a graduate business student like you would want to wear a gothic Lolita dress," replied Rui.
'Right, you only know my graduate business student persona,' thought Tsukushi. 'Not my actress persona,'
"You are right, but it doesn't have to be an elaborate gothic Lolita that the group at Harajuku wore," said Tsukushi. "It could just be a simple one, for an informal wear,"
Rui smiled, and replied, "I may have dated a fashion model before, but I still do not understand you girls and fashion,"
Tsukushi tensed after hearing that. She knew that Rui used to date Todou Shizuka, fashion model turned lawyer before, but to hear it straight from his own mouth, she didn't know why, but it hurts.
"Oh, I really do not understand fashion either, as long as it is comfortable and stylish, I like it," said Tsukushi. "Though, it doesn't stop me from liking elaborate fashion like the Lolita gowns,"
"Plus, I'd be worried if you know fashion, as most of the men I know who knows fashion is either gay or spends a lot of his money on women's clothes for his mistresses," continued Tsukushi.
The mood deflated after that. They did take walks around Tokyo, and despite being once called 'a block of ice' by Tsukasa, Rui could feel that the girl walking next to him, who now has already changed to a summer dress that she bought earlier, was with him in the flesh, but not in her spirit, and truthfully, he felt weird about it.
"I think it's time for me to go home," said Tsukushi when it was close to dinner. "Can you take me?"
"Can we go to dinner first?" asked Rui. "I want to bring you to The Gordon Ramsay at Tokyo,"
"Can I take a rain check for that?" replied Tsukushi. "I'm sorry, but I'm just really tired,"
"All right," answered Rui. "It's a date,"
Rui took her home, and Tsukushi waved him goodbye before going back to her apartments.
Tsukushi changed to her night clothes, ordered a light dinner through the phone from the kitchens, and decided to do her assignments that were actually due in six weeks.
She was starting up on her third assignment when there was a knock at the door.
"Yeah?" asked Tsukushi.
"Tsukushi, it's Katie, I've got some great news for you!" answered Katie.
"C'mon in!" replied Tsukushi.
Katie practically skipped when she entered Tsukushi's study, wearing a big grin on her face.
"Guess who is chosen to be the new face for Covergirl Japan?" asked Katie.
"Me?" asked Tsukushi. "Err, I mean, Aikawa Anna?"
"Yes," replied Katie. "You'll be having a photo shoot two weeks later at Hokkaido,"
"Great!" said Tsukushi excitedly. "By the way, what's the news about that Period drama?"
"Well, it's now in its planning stage, and really, do you want to take it?" asked Katie. "You will be swamped with work if you want to take it, as it will require you to learn kendo,"
"It will be fine, I want to be busy, Katie," answered Tsukushi. "So that I do not have time for matchmaking dates,"
"Is your day with Hanazawa Rui that bad?" asked Katie.
Tsukushi shook her head, and answered, "No, it was perfect, until he mentioned his ex-girlfriend, fashion model turned lawyer, Todou Shizuka,"
"I don't know why, Katie, but it hurts when I heard him say it, like I can feel that he is still in love with his ex-girlfriend," said Tsukushi, who promptly burst into tears.
"Oh sweetie," replied Katie. "You know… this is the first time I heard you have feelings for someone, and I have been your manager since you were six years old,"
"Katie, I've had boyfriends before," protested Tsukushi.
"Boy toys," scoffed Katie. "The boys in UK all like you because you look exotic, and you like the attention they give you,"
"I guess you are right, this is the first time I have to work to get a man's attention, but Katie, I'm worth more than that," replied Tsukushi. "So, I'm going to forget whatever feelings I have for Hanazawa Rui, and just do my work as an actress and a graduate business student,"
"That's final?" asked Katie.
Tsukushi nodded.
Meanwhile, it wasn't the same as Rui. He hadn't been this happy ever since Shizuka dumped him. He was so happy that he was still grinning like an idiot when Monday arrived.
"Are you all right, sir?" asked Nohara when he saw his boss smiling softly like an idiot at the business contracts on his work table.
Rui was startled when his assistant suddenly spoke to him.
"Eh, Nohara, when did you enter my office?" asked Rui.
Nohara looked at his boss as if he had grown an extra appendage, and replied, "I knocked just now, sir,"
"Oh, yes, I am all right," said Rui, answering the question that his assistant asked him earlier.
"Well, sir, you are booked solid today after all the meetings that were supposed to be scheduled on Saturday," said Nohara. "The President, however, wants you to meet him for lunch,"
"Oh, thank you," replied Rui. "I am sorry about last Saturday, though,"
"That's all right, Hanazawa-san, after you asked to reschedule all your meetings, the President called me to make sure that I reschedule all your meetings," said Nohara. "He was pretty determined to have you meet the Makino heiress, and besides, it gave me the opportunity to leave work early that Saturday morning, after I finished work, that is,"
Being an interim CEO was not easy, and Rui was so busy that it was two weeks later that he remembered he promised Tsukushi that he would bring her to The Gordon Ramsay at Tokyo.
"The number you dialed is unreachable. Please try again later," said the operator when Rui tried calling her.
"Maybe I should go straight to the Makino mansion," he said to himself, and did just that.
At the Makino mansion, the butler showed him the way to the parlor, as Rui mentioned that he has come to meet with Makino-sama.
"Hanazawa Rui, what a pleasure," said Makino-sama, who was holding the hand of a young boy of seven.
"Sir, I'm sorry to intrude your home when it seems that you are busy with your family, but I'd like to enquire the whereabouts of Makino Tsukushi," said Rui.
Mr. Makino's face suddenly turned grim and he did not say a word, as Tsukushi had left for Hokkaido for her Covergirl Japan photo shoot.
"Onee-san is in Hokkaido," said the young boy.
"Susumu…" berated Mr. Makino. "What did she tell you before she leaves?"
"Oh, I'm sorry papa, I forgot," replied Makino Susumu.
"Well, young Hanazawa, Tsukushi has some work to do in Hokkaido, so she will be there for quite a while," said Mr. Makino.
"She's not avoiding me, is she?" asked Rui.
"Oh, no, she's not, like you, she's a very busy lady, so she understands why you didn't call her after the all day date that you both had," answered Mr. Makino. "But, please do not chase her to Hokkaido,"
Rui nodded, but he was going to do exactly that!
End of chapter 11 – please read and review.
