A/N: Not mine.

"You've had a dopey look on your face all day, Kotoko," Jinko commented. "So, what gives?"

"I wouldn't really call it 'dopey'," Satomi pointed out. "That's more like how Kin-chan is everyday. Our friend might take it as an insult."

"Funny you should say that," Kotoko teased, "since I found out that Naoki and Kin-chan have a great deal in common."

"No!" Satomi leaned back in horror. "Don't tell me that you have been comparing kisses!"

The other girl almost choked on her tea as Jinko spewed hers onto the table. "Warn me before saying something like that."

"Belay that," Kotoko adjured. "Never," she aimed a threatening finger, "say something like that again. No, what I meant was–you remember who Kin-chan always thought I liked back then?"

"Duh," Jinko grunted as she wiped her face, "Irie-kun. But then, so did most of our class."

"Not just our class," Satomi reminded her.

"Exactly." Kotoko relaxed in the booth and smirked. "Including Naoki himself."

"I never thought Class A had as many gossips as us," Satomi mused. "Just goes to show that, underneath it all, people are alike."

Jinko had a look of extreme concentration on her face. "So when Irie-kun asked you out, he thought you already liked him?"

"You know how he doesn't like big public scenes?"

"Yes. That's why our local idiot calls him cold-blooded and robot and such as that."

"He later told me that what finally tipped the balance was my restraint in showing my feelings. He thought that was quite admirable and that it wouldn't be a hardship to be seen with him."

There was a brief silence before Jinko asked, "Is that good?"

"Well, I suppose so," she replied, "since it seemed to work out."

"I sort of get it," Satomi said slowly, "seeing that he always acts so serious, like an adult. But he was showing a little more emotion at the festival."

"We had been dating for a while," she shrugged, "plus Kin-chan really bugged him that day, with his put-downs and cheating."

Jinko laughed. "Not to mention that Mrs. Irie pushed the boundaries with her family area. There is nothing subtle about that woman."

"I know," Kotoko giggled, "considering how much they look alike on the outside, they are very different personality-wise."

"Well, as long as you don't go comparing kisses with her!" Satomi elbowed her, causing all three of the girls to collapse in hilarity.

"You don't have to follow me all the way to the train station, Kotoko." Naoki scowled slightly. "I promised Dad that I would do this, even if I'm not sure I want to attend his alma mater."

"Yes, but if you don't take the Todai test and later decide to go there, you'd have trouble."

"So says the person who didn't even take the national test." He poked her nose with a gloved finger, which she pretended to bite.

"The situation is not the same and you know it." Her face tightened momentarily in pain.

"Yes," he sighed, "and it's too late to change your mind anyway. So," he shifted his bag to a more comfortable spot on his shoulder, "you'd better get a move on if you don't want to be late for school."

"No worries on that. I'm not feeling that well–"

"Then you should have stayed home."

"It's not that bad. I'll stop by Fugu-kichi on my way for tea and a rest before I let Obasama spoil me rotten with lunch in bed."

"You do that," he ordered.

"Besides, I was going to skip today anyway, with you out of school. It's Valentine's Day," she huffed, "and Kin-chan has been making not-so-subtle hints about what kind of chocolates he'd like to receive."

"When will that imbecile understand that you are not interested?" he wondered.

"I don't know; maybe by the time I'm a grandmother?"

"We're not yet open for busi– Oh, it's you, little miss!" Odawara approached, drying hands on the towel tucked in his belt. "Boss will be surprised to see you. Here, let me help with your bags."

"Thank you so much." Kotoko began to sort her packages on a table and looked up as her father entered the room.

"Daughter, what are you doing here? Is it not a school day?"

"Yes, and I'm not going." She kissed both cheeks, cringing at the realization that Mrs. Irie's 'French' manners were rubbing off on her. "I had some shopping to do."

"Oh, Kotoko," his voice held disappointment, "and you were doing so well."

"And I'm still doing well, Otosan. You know that after the tests in December we're pretty much finished. And here!" She held out a small box. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"You should save that for your friends and Nao-kun," he scolded gently. "Plus, giving food to a chef–!"

"It's not really food, Papa. It's from that place in Australia that you have the catalog for."

"Oh, my! A set of specialty salts!"

"I know that you are always experimenting with flavors. I wanted to give you something to use."

"My dear!" He embraced her. "Ideas have already begun to flow. However," his eyes twinkled, "I hope that all of your gifts are not useful in pickling."

"No, just yours." Her laugh turned into a wince, and a hand flew to her side. "Do you think I could trouble you for some tea?" she asked. "I haven't been feeling well the past hour."

"Of course. Satsuke," he called, "a pot of tea for my lovely daughter."

"Thanks, Otosan. If it's all right with you, I'll just sit here and wrap and label my other gifts."

"Odawara, I have to step out to the market; I'm in the mood to create a fish dish today. And, boy," he shook a finger at the young man pouring boiling water from a kettle, "no flirting; she has a boyfriend."

"I bet she made it herself. That's the best way to show her true love."

"What's that, Kin?" Dozo's perusal of the English text was disturbed by the other's mutterings.

"So you want to talk to me again, traitor?" Kinnosuke snarled. "Well, maybe I'll accept your apologies once you see that I'm right."

"Right about what?"

"Kotoko. She's gonna give me honmei chocolate today. I can almost taste it."

"Yeah," he replied with an unseen eye roll. I hope he enjoys its imaginary taste because I believe that's the only chocolate he's going to get. "You know, Kotoko's absent today".

"She is?" The boy's neck twisted in all directions. Lost in his cocoa-fueled haze, he had not even noticed. "Well," a hand thumped his desk, "she just wants to make it special. I bet she's getting herself all dolled up and will meet me after school. After all," he looked around with a sneer, "our school uniform is not sexy or romantic at all."

Oh, shit, is he ever going to have egg on his face, Dozo thought. I can't wait to tell Gintaro the latest bee in Kin-chan's bonnet.

Naoki glared at the venerable gates of the Tokyo University campus. His feet, for some reason, refused to pass through. Finally he retreated to the sidewalk and retraced his steps to the station. This is my life, and I am not going to be guided solely by my father's dream.

"Odawara-san, do you think Aihara-sama's daughter would like something to eat?"

"Eh, Satsuke, we've already warned you that she's off-limits."

"It's not that. He, uh," his feet shuffled, "allowed me to practice the vegetarian gyoza this morning, and I thought I might see what she thinks. Being raised by such a wonderful chef, I'm sure her opinion will be helpful."

"You should listen more to what Boss says." At the slumped posture, he added, "He has confidence in you and that should be enough, but go ahead. I will warn you that the little miss always has a good appetite, so I doubt if she will have a bad word to say about free food."

"Thanks, sir, I'll prepare a platter immediately."

The older man tutted with a smile. The young ones always need to have their egos stroked, and Kotoko, loving food as she does, will do that all right. He frowned when he heard the clatter of a dish on a table; Satsuke had always been an adept server, so what–

"Odawara!" The panicked tone kept the man from chiding him for the honorific omission. "It's Aihara-san!"

"Let's see. Truffles stuffed with strawberry cream. No, wait, I don't know if Kotoko likes strawberries or not. Maybe caramel or vanilla. Whatever, it better not be hazelnut–everyone knows Kin-chan don't like hazelnuts!"

"Yeah, 'cause you're nutty enough without them," Dozo muttered as the boy in front of him continued his fantastical maundering.

Naoki stared at Odawara, nonplussed. "Kotoko has been taken to the hospital?"

"Yes, young master Irie." The older man twisted his towel into a taut spiral, eyes worried. "Aihara-san took her a half hour ago."

A young worker dabbed his eyes behind the man's shoulder. "And I was the one who gave her the last thing she drank. I swear on my life that I did not poison her!"

"Satsuke," Odawara chided him, "no one thinks you did."

"Of course not," Naoki stated woodenly, "she didn't feel well earlier. I'm sure you did nothing to harm her. Odawara-san," he grasped the other man's arm, "which hospital?"

"Raspberry? Coconut? Maybe just solid chocolate?"

Exiting Tonan High students gave a wide birth to the young man talking to himself as he leaned against the gateposts. Many shook their heads as they passed him on their way home.