A/N1: I just checked. I still don't own it.
"Otosan," Kotoko's bottom lip trembled, "what are we going to do now?" A smudge of dirt on one cheekbone bore witness to the trauma the small family had endured several hours earlier.
"Not sure, Ko-chan," Aihara replied. "I can't afford many nights in a hotel, and the office in the back of the restaurant will be too cramped for the both of us."
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I'll say an extra prayer before bed tonight. Is it okay if I take a shower first?"
He waved his approval just as his cell phone rang. "I wonder whose number this is?" he muttered.
By the time Kotoko emerged, toweling her hair dry, he was chattering away about some middle school field trip. Hmm, an old school friend, she thought. I guess that news interview must've caught someone's eye. She sneezed as she opened a dusty suitcase. At least we managed to dig out a few clothes before the safety officers barred us from the wreckage.
"And Papa's friend is sending over some workers in a truck to salvage all they can from our house." Kotoko's voice was definitely chirpy the morning after the earthquake which had flattened her new home.
"You sure landed on your feet," Jinko said. "If that quake had hit a few hours later, you and your dad could've been killed."
Satomi smacked her arm. "Way to keep things positive, Komori."
"Well," Kotoko pointed out truthfully, "she's not wrong."
"But still!" The taller friend's argument broke off as her attention wavered. "What the heck is that noise?"
"It's a song from this new alternative group," Jinko informed her, "but those speakers bite the big one. I bet they're not even Japanese. You can tell in the lower registers–Satomi, why're you pinching me?"
"Look," she hissed. Kinnosuke was scampering around the courtyard, approximately in time to the music, with a large box hanging from his neck. Once they deciphered the sloppy characters on the overly garish sign, they understood that their classmate was not performing an obscure Kansai dance ritual but importuning arrivals for donations to help 'poor homeless Kotoko'.
The shame and humiliation on their friend's countenance turned to horror when two extremely recognizable figures came into view. "My life is over!" Kotoko wailed as she covered her face.
Satomi placed an arm around her shoulders and guided her into the building. Jinko, meanwhile, began to berate Kinnosuke mercilessly. "You baka-est of all the bakas in Japan!" she screamed in his face. "Did you allow either of your brain cells to get together so you could ask yourself if this is something that Kotoko would want you to do?"
"It makes no never-mind to me," he replied smugly. "Besides, this is a sure-fire way to show my love for her."
She grabbed a handful of hair on both sides of her head and pulled the strands straight. "But she doesn't love you! And now you've humiliated her in front of the boy she likes–and his best friend!"
"Do you think she's referring to us, Watanabe?" Naoki inquired with a smirk.
Jinko turned to face the newcomers. "Ack!" she screeched and rapidly trod the path her friends had walked earlier.
"Yo!" Kinnosuke yelled, spraying spittle on the two boys. "You stuck-up Class A-ers are from rich families! There ain't no way you can't spare some pocket change to help poor Kotoko."
"If what we just heard is true," Watanabe countered, "the young lady wasn't aware you were doing this and wouldn't approve."
"Further, how can we be assured that this girl will receive however many yen you can finagle from folks? It would be a foolish person…" Naoki's voice trailed off as he read the sign above the loudmouth's head. "Her house fell in last night's minor tremor?" he asked.
"Yeah," he replied pugnaciously, "plus it was brand new."
What are the odds of those exact details happening twice? he mused. He smiled and shook his head before leading Watanabe away. "We're done here," he told his friend.
"You cold-blooded brainiac!" Kinnosuke shook a fist at their backs.
"I already gave at the office," Naoki called back to him.
That shut up the Osakan but, alas, only temporarily. "What the hell does that mean?"
Kotoko had never seen her father so animated. "As it turns out, the horizontal trusses held up pretty well. Most of our furniture was only slightly damaged. Iri-chan has offered some of his workers extra hours to repair and restore them."
"But I thought we were moving into their house," she asked, brow creasing. "Won't our stuff crowd things?"
"Not to worry." One hand left the steering wheel to wave away her concern. "His factory has some unused storage rooms; plus this is only temporary until the insurance puts things back to rights."
"I don't know, Otosan. I heard one of the first responders say that he was pretty sure the whole building would need to be razed."
"Heh, what does he know?" he scoffed. "I wager he'd say the same thing if a couple roof tiles fell off the Imperial Palace."
"Mm-hm." She made the universal female sound of disagreement which the male within earshot translated as, 'Of course you're right'. "So, tell me about this Iri-chan. I believe I overheard something about a middle school class trip where you found a peephole into the girls' bath."
He cleared his throat. "Ancient history, daughter. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything about it in front of the missus as she doesn't know some of his old stories. Iri-chan didn't meet her until he was in college." He beamed. "My pal graduated cum laude from Todai. He's a genius."
A genius, huh? If his old friend is one, maybe I can observe him and get an idea how to relax enough to carry on a conversation with Watanabe-san. She only returned to listening to her father when she heard her name.
"And Kotoko, even though one of his sons is your age, I don't want you causing any ruckus by falling in love with him. Both his boys are sharp as tacks, just like their father, and I'm willing to bet he won't want you following him around dreamily."
"Oh, no worries on that," she averred. "My heart's already taken."
"...my wife, Irie Noriko, and my sons, Naoki and Yuuki."
"Ooh!" the woman squealed and almost smothered Kotoko in her effusive embrace, startling her by kissing the air near each cheek. "You are très adorable! You pauvre petite thing!"
When Kotoko tried to get her mind and mouth around the strange words, Mr. Irie broke in. "Mama has a fascination with French art films."
"Yeah, Ma," Naoki added, "perhaps you should scale back on the foreign greetings."
"You mean scale back on the weirdness," Yuuki snarked.
Mrs. Irie waved a dismissing hand. "Pay no attention to those boys of mine. They are très rude; I don't know where they get it from."
"Don't you?" Naoki muttered, too low for his mother to hear. He and Yuuki trailed behind the female duo as the as-yet-silent Kotoko was escorted upstairs.
The girl's brain hardly took into account the newly pink decorated room (formerly Yuuki's) as she was dumbfounded about the fact that she was going to be living in the same house as Watanabe's best friend.
Half-formed plans floated through her mind as she lay in bed that evening. Did Watanabe visit the Irie home often? If so, would she be able to act normally in his presence? The last time he had been within two meters of her, all she had been able to do was open and shut her mouth like a carp; she may have even gurgled like one out of water.
And then she had actually run from him that morning before she could deal with the 'Kin-chan problem'. Which hadn't gotten any better throughout the day, she groaned, with him yammering on about arrogant assholes with no compassion.
Her hands flew to her mouth to smother a sudden shriek as she remembered that almost everyone at school believed that Naoki was the one who she was in love with. Had he heard that rumor? If he had, that would make her stay in their house even more awkward. And she had been warned against falling in love with the Irie son; if her father heard about it–oh, her life wouldn't be worth living.
As she shifted into position number seventeen on the unfamiliar bed, her tired and tortured mind at last formulated a thought of common sense. Irie-kun didn't seem unfriendly when we arrived; he even said some things that might could be seen as nice, so he either hasn't heard the rumor or it doesn't bother him. If that's how he's going to act, then perhaps I can relax and get used to being around him. And if I can do that with the top member of Class A, then someday I may be able to speak to Watanabe instead of running away. I mean, it's not as if I have any choice in staying with the Iries, so I might as well make the best of it.
A/N2: Mrs. Irie's 'quirk' in this story will be spouting various phrases in French. (Not necessarily good French, but that's a topic for later.) They're probably understandable within the context, but please let me know if you think I need to add translations.
T/N: I have been told that translations are indeed welcome. Therefore, there will be a Translation Note at the end of each chapter which uses any French. Très adorable=very adorable; pauvre petite=poor little.