Chapter Forty-One

She snuck glances at me while reading through the menu. I caught her and she looked away quickly, as though she was stealthy at all. But the reason she was here was obvious, so it was of no use.

"Are you going to order yet?" I said to her.

"Say, Irie-kun…" She held her chin in the palm of her hand, "Are you coming home on Christmas Eve?"

"I'm working," Her face fell. Christmas Eve was one of the busiest nights for restaurants. It was funny she didn't know that although her father was the owner of one, "You're not going to order anything?"

"Coffee."

"Sitting here all day and ordering nothing but coffee is going to make you sick." I said, pointing out that this was her third cup. She had nothing to say for herself. I refilled her and was on my way.

This time, she left after she finished and confronted the raging wind and snow storm outside. One week from Christmas, this kind of weather was frequent. The snow stuck and ice slickened the sidewalks. The sun couldn't have been seen for many days.

I, myself, didn't enjoy this weather. Kotoko, on the other hand, was mad for it. Outside the door, she stood, ready with her umbrella, and tilted her head back to catch snowflakes on her tongue. I shook my head at how jovial she was about this dark, cold winter. I failed to see the fun in it.

What I did find fun, however, was watching her get so caught up in it.

Soon, Kotoko was gone from sight and I pushed through the last hours of work. A snowy day wore into a slightly less snowy night.

The last customer left and me and another employee, Amano, swept up, cleaning tables as we went. Going to lock up, someone appeared in the door. It was rare to see my father here, so he must've wanted something from me. I postponed locking up. I told Amano it was okay to keep cleaning and led my father to the counter where he seated himself on a stool.

"What are you doing here so late?" I asked. He took off his coat and draped it over his arm.

"I was just on my way home and I had something I needed to ask you, and your mother wants to know too," I sat beside him, "I'm sure you already know about Pandai's Christmas Eve party, right?" I could've told him before he asked that I wasn't interested in attending, but I let him continue for the sake of his visit.

"That's right. I do." Amano looked over to me, mouthing that she was finished cleaning. The only thing left to do was lock the doors.

"You can leave now. I'll do it." I mouthed back. She nodded and left through the kitchen door.

"Well, I would like for you to attend. Please." He said. I sighed.

"I know why you want me there. You want to introduce me as your successor, but I don't know that I want to take over your company." I felt a little bad to be lying to him, since I already knew for a fact that I didn't want to lead Pandai in the future.

"I know that," He said, certainly more agreeable than my mother, "But just this once, please attend the party. Right now, that is all I ask of you. Just show up."

"I'll see if I can, but I have to work Christmas Eve." I stood and he followed suit, running his arms back through the sleeves of his coat. I brought him to the door.

"Thank you, Naoki. Hopefully, I will see you there."

I was finally able to lock up the door and switch the sign from open to closed. In back, I hung my apron and put on my coat. I left through the kitchen door and locked it after me.

The snow was coming to a temporary end. Because of this, I decided I could make a stop at the bookstore before going home.

The bookstore around the corner from Teppan was all but deserted except for myself and one elderly man browsing the cook books. I directed myself to the medical books section. It was about time I bought my own and stopped renting from the library.

Here, I found a wider variety of books to choose from. I picked two titles out from the books I hadn't yet read and bought them, the sooner to be home and out of the cold.

Once in my apartment, I placed the books on my bookshelf, not delving in right away with the idea of sleep in mind.

I fell directly into my pillow.

In a sweep of reluctance to do so, I took step into my parents' house. The first thing I could see my mother doing was asking about the party. While I had asked my boss for the day off and he had agreed, once I told my mother, she would assume that I was indeed going to take over Pandai. But it was just my luck that I'd left my only suit here when I left.

But at least there would be one person there who already knew I had no intention of doing that.

"Is dad home early?" I heard Yuuki say in the living room.

I took off my shoes in the entrance and came around the corner to find the living room adorned with the many Christmas decorations my mother dragged out and dusted off at around this time every year. She and Kotoko stood hanging ornaments all over the tree in the corner of the room.

"Irie-kun, why are you here?" Kotoko said, dropping a red bulb on the floor.

"Is there something wrong with me coming home for a visit?" I sat in the chair beside Yuuki's.

"It's just been so long since you were last here. What are you here for?"

"Just a visit." I said.

"You never tell much," My mother said, "Your father stopped by last night and asked you about the Christmas party, right?" Straight to the point, she was. I didn't answer her. Kotoko started anyway.

"I'm so excited for Christmas Eve! This year, Satomi and Jinko and I are going to have a party. They said that they're going to bring cake and fried chicken." She said.

"That does sound fun. I remember when me and my friends used to do things like that around the holidays! Just beware, because girlfriends like to ditch last second for their boyfriends." My mother squinted her eyes at me, "If only Naoki was going to the party, you could ditch yourself and come to Pandai's party." This was so like her. I wanted to tell her even less, if that was possible.

"Oh, no, I can't do that. We made a promise."

"Anyway… what are you here for, Naoki?" My mother asked, her eyes wide with expectation.

"Dad asked me last night if I would go to the party and I told him I would think about it. I've decided to go, so now I'm here for my suit." I said plainly. My mother crossed her arms and smiled.

"Oh, are you now?"

"I'm only showing my face. This doesn't mean I'm taking over the company."

Yuuki howled with excitement, "Yay!"

"Your father is going to be so happy."

I bet he will be…

"Kotoko, it's too bad you can't get out of that party with your friends." My mother said, to which Kotoko bit her lip. As much better as the party would have been, she did have plans and was excited about them.

"Um… well, I could." She said.

"But I thought you couldn't cancel with your friends." I said.

"Right."

I thought about whether or not I should say it, then I threw the fact that my mother was in the room out the metaphorical window, "It's too bad. It would be so much fun with you there." I glanced away from her and my mother to ignore any looks I might've gotten.

"Oh, Naoki! You should convince her to come." There my mother was, at it again. Only, now that I'd said that, I supposed she thought she had a reason.

"She's made plans already. There's nothing I can do about it," I started toward the stairs, "The suit is still in my old bedroom, right?"

"Yes, it is."

I got the suit and came down the stairs to hear Kotoko humming as she decorated the tree. I popped back in.

"I should be going now. See you later."

"See you!" Kotoko singsonged.

I put my shoes on at the door, laughing lightly at how elated she was simply to be putting up Christmas decorations. It really was too bad she wasn't going. Maybe I wouldn't have been dreading it so wholly if she was. And it was too bad she didn't actually know that.