Chapter 14
Is good to know
The school day ended and Naoki awaited the arrival of Kotoko at the gate, a little impatient because she was fifteen minutes late, as nothing bothered him more that day than wasting time, not to mention that the delay would affect their journey.
He had been reading for a while, but having to do with the warmth of early autumn wasn't very nice.
He wondered what would be delaying her, it couldn't be any school subject, because since he was her tutor, she said some school activities were easier and she finished them in time. He didn't imagine what good thing Class F could have to delay the departure of students.
"Naoki-kun!" He heard Kotoko and looked for her. She was coming down the fifteen steps in the main entrance stairs, which he counted one by one until her feet touched solid ground, without failing.
He stood up from the bench where he was and waited for her to come to him, calming her breathing after the race.
"I'm sorry, Jinko and Satomi... bought some muffins for my birthday... and I stayed with them for a few minutes..." She apologized gasping, and he wondered why she didn't have the condition to run if she did exercise weekly. Perhaps her fondness for eating.
He nodded to the irrelevant explanation. "Yes, I see the breadcrumbs." He watched the corner of her upper lip, which had traces of bread that she took off quickly, shaking her mouth with her left hand.
He snorted for her exaggeration, though he hid his snicker to her embarrassment blush.
He started walking to the subway station, with her beside him hopping from one foot to another, raising her hands alternately. Something so typical of her that he no longer rolled his eyes as he would other times.
Both entered and passed the turnstiles, but he took the path of another subway line and she came along without realizing it, following the lines of the floor.
"Naoki-kun! This is not the platform," she said wide-eyed when the subway was coming; the car was full because that line connected the center of the city, and it was a rush hour.
He smiled ironically and nodded, pushing her to the car when a few passengers got out, moving her like a little puppet, for her lightness.
"Naoki-kun?" she asked when he moved her to a corner where they couldn't be bothered by the crowd. Also, because he hated being so close to people.
At least, they weren't pushed to fit, as they would be elsewhere.
Transport gave a curve and the weight of the people fell on his back, making him press his palm against the wall of the car, so he didn't crush Kotoko, who groaned anyway after being squeezed slightly.
"Why do we use this way?" she questioned him, squeezing her school bag to her chest.
"Let to the center," he said, gritting his teeth as he realized that at that next station more people would go inside than outside. In those minutes of her delay, they could have saved that trouble.
The doors opened and someone pushed him, and he pressed his body against Kotoko unable to stop himself.
That was very uncomfortable.
"Where are we doing?" asked his girlfriend back to attack with her questions, when the subway went forward again.
He could answer that 'for her gift', but she would insist and be careless all the time, which would be more dangerous if they were going to a crowded place.
"There's something we're going to do," he said flatly, without further ado.
He lowered his head and saw her making pouty lips, not satisfied. He pressed his lips trying not to smile at the look on her face… changing them irritated by noting what he was going to do and where. He knew Kotoko was dying to go on the matter, but she would not bother seeing the face that he should have; only this time it wasn't for her questions, but the overcrowding. He preferred to arrive more than an hour in advance, to be in these circumstances.
He felt an elbow down on his side and shifted, grateful to hear that the next stop was where they would go out.
"Don't stay you back," he gestured to her, preparing to leave with the crowd.
Naoki sighed as they left the car and looked sideways to his girlfriend, a few steps from him, surrounded by people who moved her aside for hindering while trying to find him. He sighed shaking his head. She was so tiny she was lost among men in suits or people coming and going.
He directed his steps toward her and grabbed her wrist. "Do not!" she exclaimed without looking.
"Come on," he said rolling his eyes.
"Naoki-kun," said Kotoko happily.
He pulled her to the exit, where he let go of her arm. He took the common stairs, less crowded than the electric ones, and made her a sign to do the same, which caused a grimace of her lips and a snort from him.
Quickly they reached the main street.
"Where are we going?" she asked, though he stayed in his inscrutability, just checking she continue beside him, taking her arm as she walked away. "Naoki-kun? Oba-sama ordered something?"
Naoki denied repressing a laugh and saw the ice cream parlor faster than he expected.
He stopped Kotoko and signaled the entrance of the place, which she entered with a frown, following him to the counter.
"What do you want?" he asked, eyes on her, whose hazel orbs lit up.
"You bring me for an ice cream, don't ya?" Kotoko mused with a smile. "For my birthday?"
Naoki sighed and nodded her away when she hugged him very effusively.
"What are you going to ask?" He muttered. Kotoko brought her fingers to her chin, as indecisive.
"With melon on top," she said after a few minutes. "And you?"
"Lemon sorbet," he told her unemotionally, after making the request to the manager.
"Why so sour?" she asked, pressing her lips. "It's true, you do not like sweets," she answered, letting out a chuckle. "This is the best birthday ever." He watched her dancing in her place dreaming awake and ignored her, while their ice creams were being prepared.
Sometimes it gave him chills to think what kind of stuff she dreamed, that could include him, by the very idea that she would try to bring them to reality; it would be awful... more if she allied with his mother.
He received both ice cream and handed hers to her, after she shook her head to stop daydreaming. They took a table in the corner of the place to eat what they ordered.
Both were silent. He was eating slowly without doing anything, and she was taking the spoon to her mouth making different gestures each time she ate her ice cream. It was a funny thing to see, she was like a little girl eating a candy, at least a common one, because his brother never did things like that, although some of his behaviors were of his age.
Kotoko looked at him from time to time with her head down and giggling, beginning to irritate him, but he had to refrain from his reactions, at least that day. And the next he'd certainly vent in their practice.
Naoki finished his sorbet and leaned over the table, resting his elbows to approach her, clenching his teeth for what he would ask.
He had thought to buy her a gift on Wednesday and had visited some shops, but he had found he didn't know what he could give, thinking he didn't really know her beyond the trifles he observed sometimes. As often he ignored her or heard half her ramblings, he had not registered well her words and it was difficult to discern her tastes. He wasn't her boyfriend because he was in love with her (as if he believed he could fall into it) so that these aspects did not interest him, as much as he did not mind her more than the basics things.
The only thing he could think was more stupid red roses, but he would feel ridiculous carrying them in the open, without wrapping paper that could hide them… It was the worst thing to do. In addition, it was a foolish decision to buy them two days earlier.
If wanted, they could now go for them and Kotoko would stay with the task of carrying then, she would be delighted.
Better, he had decided to kill two birds with one stone. Not knowing what she would love and not wanting to walk the streets carrying a gift, he decided to take her to the center and let her decide what she wanted. As she was cautious, and he didn't have economic problems, he was not worried about the kind of birthday gift she'd ask.
"Naoki-kun?" He blinked at her call and realized he had stood still in front of her, his lips parted soundlessly.
He cleared his throat.
"What do you want as a birthday gift?" he blurted without thinking a lot, but on the inside, he flinched for the solicitous he was being with all that. He was not like this and resented being involved in a situation like that, even though he knew that she deserved it.
Damn stupid conscience and sense of honor.
Kotoko blinked several times.
"Will you buy something for?" she whispered and stood, circling the table to sit on the padded seat he occupied, forcing him to make room and approach the wall, having the impression that she tried to corner him. "Or anything I want?" she asked, bringing her body too close to him, bothering him.
He snorted with his nose and nodded.
She fidgeted in her place, with eyes skyward. He waited until she decided, wondering if six months prior he would have thought he'd be in a similar position.
"A kiss," Kotoko murmured, taking him by surprise. He was expecting anything but that.
Would she be satisfied with something as simple as that? She was definitely an economic girlfriend, if she had the opportunity to take advantage of him to spend money on her, and asked that.
He had to remember that she was like that.
If she were otherwise, he may not endure her as he was beginning to do… with her ups and downs (just aware of what his mother did). If she were another, he would not have accepted and tell her to settle for something else. However, the way she was content was banal and simple. And he had done previously.
He smirked and looked around the not too crowded place, where everyone was in their own world.
He put his face close to hers and saw how she closed her eyes.
"If that's what you want, then we can go home," he whispered near her ear and pushed her to rise from the seat, internally entertaining with her stunned expression as she stood up.
"Hey?" Kotoko blurted, and he took the trash from the table.
"It's time to go," he said, indicating that she moved towards the door, which she did looking at him askance.
Naoki pretended not to see it.
What did she believe? That he would kiss her like that in public? He didn't intend to repeat the occasion in front of the school. That was only for a good purpose; now, nothing justified a public display of intimacy and affection.
They headed back to the station and at that time the car wasn't as busy as before but crowded nonetheless.
"Naoki-kun," she called his attention as he read on the way home after changing lines, "What do you read?" she asked in a curious tone.
He changed the page.
"A book about a series of murders," he decided to answer, without giving the name, because it would not say anything to her.
His eyes remained on reading, half the story climax, where surely his assumptions of the criminal would be true, as usual.
"Those are the books I do not like, because they have no happy ending and there are many dead."
He rolled his eyes. "In real life, there is no happy ending," he replied, thinking she would not let him continue with his reading in calm.
"Why not? How can you say that, Naoki-kun? Oba-sama and Oji-san had their happy ending," she argued, and he bit his tongue before saying that her parents do not. "They're together and love each other and have a good life, two children, health, work, a good economic position."
"That's your definition of a happy ending?" he asked, frowning. While it was true that his parents had a good relationship, it was not a secret that his mother was the one who held the reins of the relationship and he did not understand how his father could be happy with his mother controlling much of his life. Besides, the 'happy ending' was a romantic notion for dreamers who did not think about the practical aspects of life, using that as excuse.
"My happy ending is when two people who love each manage to be together," Kotoko said.
Something so typical that someone like her could think of.
"But sometimes things can happen," she continued, without finishing, apparently, and Naoki took away his eyes of the book for another brief moment, "things that do not let people have their happy ending, but you have to fight for it every day to be together and have the things you want."
Kotoko sighed.
"I almost don't remember my mom," she admitted softly, and he had to make an effort to listen between the noises. He could not imagine how it was to live without a mother. His exasperated him, but he did not imagine his life without her. Kotoko had sad experiences compared to him. "Actually, it's practically nothing. I have little memories of Dad and her; they loved each other and Dad still does. And he said that she was supportive of him when he started his restaurant and it is thanks to her that he succeeded. Also, she gave birth to me, and he told me as a child that's another kind of happy ending… I think there are happy endings when people can have happy times with people they love, even if there's some suffering. We already at the station!" She suddenly exclaimed.
Naoki noted they had and he hadn't realized the announcement while listening to her.
He put his book in his bag and went out of the car in her company, then leave the station.
Kotoko was a hopeless romantic, but at least had clear ideas, he recognized and thought that for her not all things were black and white.
Perhaps he would have realized it before if he had listened when she talked and paid more attention to her. That way, at least, he would be reciprocal to the genuine concern of her in his matters.
But what was he thinking? He had no time for that and no great interest in her life. Why was he confused by her fault?
Naoki looked around, realizing they were in an empty street in a few blocks from home and had not given Kotoko her blessed gift, which he'd not dare to do at home, where he'd give his mother a chance to get material that she'd love to play in videos repeatedly.
He took Kotoko by her wrist and placed her on a step entrance of a house, taking her by surprise, as she opened her mouth.
He took advantage of them being at the same level and brought his face closer to hers; watching her eyes disappearing behind her eyelids. For a second, it crossed his mind to have fun at her expense and divert from her mouth, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she did, but the alternative was interesting
He narrowed his eyelids and placed his lips on hers, which had a little taste of melon, half opening his mouth slightly and capturing the now curved line of her lips with his. He took that as an indication to move them as they had done before, calmly.
He felt she slid her hands to his shoulders and let her be, until he took his free hand to her waist, to separate her. He took off his lips with her and lifted his eyelids, taking the opportunity to see the flushed face of Kotoko, who began to open her eyes, giving him the impression that it glittered.
Well, he had already given her the birthday gift
In the end, it was simple.
"Your present," he said, and went on the way home.
She caught him, running.
[...]
Naoki jumped warming up for the match to come, the final tennis competition in the male category, where he and a student from another school in the Kanto region, competed for first place.
Ishiguro, of his school, had just won third place; and the final women's match was about to finish. There was the last participant of the institute, seeking the third place after losing by a tall black-haired woman, who looked very smug and had quick movements, but returned the ball, as did his partner, without much vision; she would surely get the second position because her future opponent was playing like a pro.
He had seen who would play against him and had formed a strategy, having noticed the weaknesses of the other. He was not being pretentious, he was just taking into account aspects of his opponent that could be of benefit; also, he was good at what he did, so he was going to show, again, that was the best.
He had reached the end very easily, while others struggled greatly. Although it was always the same.
They announced the end of the game, winning the opponent of his high school, and Naoki thought it was a very close game, only decided by a bad kick of his fellow club.
He shrugged; his institute had already won first place in doubles, the two categories, and would have two more medals from the men; his coach could be happy with the results of that year, the last with three of them on the team. He would have to put more pressure on his kohais and see if there was talent in new members.
They indicated that his competition would begin in five minutes and he went to the line of the court. He nodded to his opponent, a boy his age who was new to the competition and seemed to get along with one of the older competitors that had congratulated when he won, Sudou, whom he knew from years before, one in which he lead him to see adult films. Apparently, Sudou was now running the college tennis club, after the previous two years was part of the school in which he studied, Tonan.
"You'll be the champion, Onii-chan!"
"Naoki-kun!"
"Naoki!"
"Irie!"
The chorus occurred simultaneously.
He rolled his eyes and gave a brief introduction to the stands, where a segment of the center was occupied by his cheerleaders, led by his mother, all dressed in blue with red details such as school uniform, carrying banners and bawling his name on each game he participated in this last event of the tournament.
Kotoko waved her red pompoms animation to see him looking at them, waving at him them and annoying him by hearing the cry of "Naoki-kun".
"Cheering until the end," his coach said at his side before giving him a lucky pat when they would begin.
The toss the coin suited his opponent to begin the set and Naoki was prepared at the center court to the service.
From there, it was a continuous blows in right, setbacks, volleys, and such, that managed to tire his opponent, knocking him out in the three sets they participated, making it too easy for him. He barely he used his strength in the game, wondering how his opponent managed to reach the final; if even Ishiguro gave him more fight.
It was too simple for viewers, who should have expected much more from the last game of men.
He shook hands with the loser and headed for the seats, to cool off before he changed, while listening to the indications for the last competition of women. The tall black-haired and the brunette of medium height approached to decide who started and the tallest smiled when the coin fell, nodding.
From her expression, Naoki imagined that luck had been in her favor and she'd start. For him, it didn't matter, but he assumed that others to take the lead in that part offered some encouragement to the game.
He stood up to go to the lockers and shower, when he saw the black-haired girl came to him, looking at him as Kotoko saw the food. Instead of bothering to prepare, she was wasting his time fooling around.
"Irie-san, congratulations on your victory," She said in her elegant and feminine voice.
'"Yes," he answered laconic, circling her to keep going.
"Irie-san, will you study at the University of Tokyo?" she asked from behind and he thought she had too much audacity, while ignoring her. "I'd like to be part of the same tennis team," continued the young woman.
As if he cared about that.
"Your game is going to start," he told her without turning around, heading for the showers.
[...]
Naoki, with a new change of clothes, sat in the row of the stands designed to competitors, with Ishiguro, who did not lose detail of the game, in which the brunette, as he predicted, was winning the first set.
"Who do you think is going to win?" Asked his partner.
He searched the names of the two on the board, which he hadn't previously heard. "Takahashi," he said plainly, then drinking water from his bottle.
"Matsumoto also looks good," Ishiguro said and he saw him looking at her with interest.
"Over-confident," he pointed, watching the movement of her feet and hands. "Nimble, but she doesn't return properly and gives the point to her opponent."
Ishiguro laughed. "If you say so, then it will happen."
A series of red silk slips, thrashing, appeared in his field of vision, making him snorted with his nose.
Kotoko put her hands on his shoulders and then looked to his right, with a smile on her face.
"Congratulations, Naoki-kun," she cheered, waving pompoms, which bothered his face. "You're the best player of Kanto. I knew you'd win."
He put her hands aside to don't disturb him with the ridiculous occurrences of his mother, who dressed her as a cheerleader for the game.
"Having this support, anyone would think so," remarked Ishiguro beside him, turning his body to face the back row, where his girlfriend was. "Aihara-san, you look good without the school uniform."
"Hey?" He imagined Kotoko with a stunned and flushed face.
"Ishiguro, Class B," said his club mate, laughing.
Naoki stopped watching the game and turned in his seat, looking at a fun Ishiguro watching the face Kotoko, who looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"Congratulations on winning your game, Ishiguro-san," she whispered her fingers after cracking her fingers.
His mate nodded. "Thank you. Congratulations to you too for getting into the top lists twice. Will you continue the rest of the year, Aihara-san?" He spoke, in good spirits.
Kotoko wrinkled her mouth. "The second time was not my intention, I just want to finish high school and graduate with Naoki-kun."
"It would be great to see someone of F occupying the fifty position until graduation, Aihara-san. If I'm honest, Morimoto-san, who had that place, I do not like him much. Better a pretty face in the number fifty."
Ishiguro offered a wink to Kotoko, who blushed at the compliment and pulled back, her hand on his arm.
Naoki focused his gaze on his partner, who laughed at the reaction caused by his girlfriend, and raised an eyebrow.
"Don't worry, Aihara-san, I know when I have an opportunity and Irie has the advantage of discovering a jewel like you first," Ishiguro said funny, while Naoki thoughy he did not know what he meant, or whether he believed that silly flirtation served with her. "Also, I'm attracted to women as Matsumoto-san, no offense."
Askance, he saw Kotoko gaping and nodding without looking away from Ishiguro, until he returned his eyes to the game, after Naoki did the same.
"Just take care of him, because Matsumoto-san seems to have the eyes on your boyfriend," hinted Ishiguro without turning, earning a gasp from Kotoko.
He rolled his eyes, the third set was beginning, and she interrupted him his concentration on the game.
"That... that you're implying it's not going to happen!" Said his girlfriend behind him. He imagined she would be with fists raised in the determination pose she did when she wanted to face adversity.
Momentarily he felt sorry for the black-haired woman, just because she did not know what she'd face if she tried to make a move, with the interest she showed in him; he did not care to have awakened her attraction, he was sure not to see her again.
Moreover, Kotoko… couldn't she think that he would not put his attention on someone else… something dishonorable?
After the service of Matsumoto, he cocked his face to look askance at his girlfriend who followed the competition with narrowed eyes.
"I have to take care of her Naoki-kun... he doesn't realize that there are dangerous people..." he read that in Kotoko's lips before her mouth formed a pout.
He suppressed a smile… That was the childish way of her; even if she had the certainty of knowing him and knowing he would not commit an offense.
AN: Hope you enjoyed it.
Karo.