"Brr! Good thing you suggested that we leave early!" Watanabe greeted them at the station. "With the snow slowing down the trains, we won't have much time to spare."
"We should still make it there ahead of schedule." Naoki guided Kotoko into a vacant space and the three stood in the crowd. "Let me put your bag over my shoulder so you'll have more room," he told her.
"Interesting talisman there," Watanabe commented as it was passed over. "Homemade?"
"Yes," Kotoko answered him. "Obasama gave it to me this morning."
"She probably put a lot more than good luck wishes in it. You'd be better off tossing it once we get to the test center."
"I couldn't do that to her, Naoki-kun," she protested. "Besides, you know she'll look for it when we get home."
"Are you still not letting your mother know that you two are dating?"
"It's not that easy to‒oof!‒'date' when you live in the same house," Naoki attempted to explain as an influx of passengers moved the students into closer proximity than was normal for them. "It's hard enough to deal with her on a regular basis, but to have daily inquiries into a relationship‒. Plus, I have a feeling that she would bug our rooms if she thought that would give her more information."
"I wouldn't put it past her," Kotoko offered from the vicinity of his armpit. He shuffled a bit to give her more space.
Watanabe looked at the overhead display. "The next stop is ours. We'd better get ready to shove our way out."
"Right." Naoki leaned forward to shrug off Kotoko's bag and got a funny look on his face.
"What's up?" Watanabe asked.
"Kotoko's bag. It's stuck in the door."
"Really?" She ducked behind him to examine it. "It's Obasama's charm. It's caught pretty firmly but should pop free once the doors open."
"But our stop uses the opposite door!" Watanabe's voice held a slight touch of panic.
"I'll tear it out!" Naoki gritted his teeth and pulled to no avail.
"How many more stops until this door opens?" asked Kotoko.
"I'm not sure."
"Well, I'll stay on until it does, then make my way back," she declared.
"No," Naoki contradicted her. "I'll stay. Watanabe, see her there safely." His friend nodded and he placed a hand over Kotoko's protesting mouth. "Look, I can run faster, and even if I get there at the absolutely last minute, tests don't frighten me. You need to show up in plenty of time to relax and be in your very best form." The train screeched to a halt. "Now, go!" He gave her a quick hug and shoved her towards Watanabe.
Thirty minutes later Watanabe and Kotoko met him in the lobby of the testing center, and the three mounted the stairs to the registration table. "How far did you have to go?" Kotoko asked anxiously.
Naoki was still breathing heavily. "Two stations down. Too bad Ikezawa wasn't there to time my speed."
"What happened to the good luck charm?" asked Watanabe.
Naoki handed the bag to Kotoko. "It's still right there. You should take it off until the test is over. Mother definitely sewed the wrong kind of luck into it."
"You may be right." Kotoko reached out her hand, but she barely touched the homemade talisman before it fell off and floated to land several steps behind them. "That's strange." She turned to reach for it and was bumped by a rushing man wearing a test proctor badge.
"Hey!" Her overbalanced position meant that she was unable to fight gravity.
Before her wobble turned into a free fall, Naoki leaped and grabbed her from behind, losing his balance in the process. Somehow he managed to turn partially in midair before landing on the stairs, bouncing down the last few to the lower level. Naoki's back took most of the abuse, as his arms were wrapped around Kotoko, trying to prevent her from injury.
Watanabe shook himself free of his startled immobility and hurried down to them. "Irie! Aihara-san! Are you hurt?"
Kotoko blinked up at him. "I don't think so. Where's Naoki?" When she discovered that his tight grip on her chest prevented her from sitting up, she twisted her neck. "Naoki-kun? You can let go now."
"Oh." He breathed raggedly. "Ouch. But are you all right?" he asked with anxious eyes.
Kotoko nodded and stood and watched him slowly move. He winced and gasped sharply when he placed his weight on his right foot and began to collapse again. Kotoko grabbed him with her left hand and cried out also. If Watanabe had not been there, they would both have ended up back on the floor.
It wasn't long before several adults joined them to assess the damage. "You need to be seen by medical personnel," they were advised.
"You don't understand," Watanabe replied. "They are here for the national test."
"Yes, yes, but their health is of greater importance. Besides, the liability for the fall…"
"Oh, for the love of‒!" snapped Naoki. "Kotoko!" She turned to him. "Which arm?"
She smiled wanly. "My left one again. I can still write."
He pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped it around her hand and wrist. "Okay. You and Watanabe go ahead. I'll join you when I can."
"But you'll be late!"
"Don't worry," he assured her grimly, "they'll let me in for fear of legal action. And I'm better able to make a good showing in a shortened amount of time than you are."
Her eyes were still distressed as Watanabe pulled her away. "I hate to agree with him when it sounds as if he's insulting you, but it is the truth."
"I know." She gave him a trembling smile. "Don't take too long, Naoki-kun!" she called as she was ushered back upstairs and he was guided down a back hall.
"You heard the lady," he said with clenched teeth. "Let's make this fast!"
Despite his wish for speed, there were only twenty minutes left in the first exam when Naoki hobbled into the room, a bandage on his face and a crutch under his right arm. The test administrator handed him a test booklet and directed him to the empty desk with his pencil box on top. He bit back a curse when he realized that the price for the bag partially cushioning his fall was that all of his lead had been shattered. He was about to raise his hand when he noticed a colorful pencil and the torn half of an eraser propped on the desktop behind the case. He smiled as he recognized one of Kotoko's anime characters. Pink hair! He laughed softly and then began to answer the questions almost before he finished reading them.
During the break between sessions, Kotoko made her way to his desk. "How are you?" she asked anxiously.
"They wrapped my ankle but suggested that I get it checked out by the hospital. How's your wrist?"
She waved it at him. "Not too bad. Some girls never go out without painkillers."
"How...feminine of you, Kotoko. Mother would be so proud."
"Oh, it wasn't me that brought them." His chuckle broke off in a hiss when pain shot up his leg as he shifted his foot slightly. "Do you want some? The girl is over there." She turned and bumped into Watanabe who had also drawn near.
"No," he refused. "The pain is helping me focus. But this pencil," he held it up, "I thought you didn't like pink."
"He's a dragon slayer," she stated, as if that was a valid explanation.
Naoki looked at Watanabe. "That mean anything to you?"
His friend shook his head. "I hope you don't mind us going through your bag, Irie. We thought we would set you up to begin as soon as you got here and discovered that your pencils were useless. I provided the eraser," he added with a grin.
"Well, with help from my friends, caffeine and a...dragon slayer," he waved the pencil, "I should be all set for the next session."
Why am I seeing double? Naoki blinked. No, make that triple. He shook his head and gritted his teeth. I had two cups of coffee this morning. I should should be extra alert with the pain. What the heck is going on? He pinched the inside of his elbow, gritted his teeth and forged on.
As he and Watanabe and Kotoko made their slow way of the building, he complained, "Nothing has gone right since Mother tied on that charm this morning."
"Maybe it was influenced because she didn't feel well last night," Kotoko proposed.
"Thank goodness it got lost in the melee on the stairs."
"Um, Irie?" Naoki felt his friend's hand on his back. He handed the battered charm to him with an apologetic expression. "Somehow it was stuck to the fabric of your coat."
Kotoko snatched it out of his hand. "At least Obasama won't get her feelings hurt since we didn't lose it!"
"Oh, my! What happened to you two!?" Mrs. Irie's screech brought Yuuki running to the door to witness the sight of Naoki, crutch under his right arm, braced by Kotoko, who sported a sling made out of Naoki's muffler cradling her left forearm.
The two were assisted to the couch, where they leaned back in exhaustion. Mrs. Irie instructed Yuuki to fetch them something to drink while she called the doctor. As she dialed, she scolded Kotoko, "I told you that you should have made Onii-chan a good luck charm!"
"Charm." Kotoko and Naoki looked at each other. "Maybe it wasn't Mother's fault after all."
Kotoko was the first to pull out her special packet. "Look, Naoki! The ribbon broke!"
"So did mine." He stared at the object in his hand. "She said we could look after its work was done."
They upended the bags and examined the contents. "I have a success, a yaku-yoke, a safety, a luck boosting and three test taking omamori. That makes seven‒lucky number!" Kotoko said.
"I have seven also. There's only one test taking‒"
"She knew you didn't need that much help!"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I also have one luck boosting and five safety amulets."
"Well," Kotoko said after a moment, "you could have been hurt much worse in that fall."
"Yeah." He reached over and touched one of hers. "This yaku-yoke could have been warding away the bad luck of Mom's charm. Remember, it was given to you."
"Mmmm." Kotoko picked up Naoki's bag. "There's something else in yours." She pulled out a small sheet of paper. "It's a note!"
He took it from her. "'It was foreseen that you would put yourself in harm's way for the other's sake. Since you are reading this, the safety talismans worked. Ki wo tsukete. T.N.'" He looked at Kotoko. "That is one spooky girl."
"But she said that she knew…" Kotoko's eyes were wide.
He put his arm around her. "Sometimes it's safer not to ask questions."