Chapter Fifty-Three
I hadn't been looking forward to this day much. That my father had made my mother promise not to raise too much hell in the wake of her disapproval made it better, but I was far from as happy as I should have been for someone marrying another.
On the drive to the same garden reserve the first meeting had been held in, my mother hid behind her sunglasses, silently disapproving of this whole thing. She straightened out her kimono.
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Naoki? You want to marry this girl? Because after this ceremony, it would be very hard to go back." My father said all that I already knew. Yuinos were a strong lock into an engagement.
"I'm sure." I said, sure that I needed to marry Sahoko. Even now, going back was not an option. Too many plans had already been made, promises arranged. Only now it would be made official with the exchanging of gifts and rings.
"Just as long as you're happy with it."
"I am." I said almost automatically. It was routine to give these answers without a thought.
"Alright." He said as though he didn't believe me. My mother cut in.
"I don't see how you could be, with her being such a boring girl." She said.
At the garden reserve, we took the same elevator, but to a different floor. This time, we wound up in a much fancier room with high ceilings and formal seating.
It appeared we were the first to arrive.
"Oh, honey, stop looking so down." My father rubbed my mother's shoulder.
"How can I? This is the worst thing that could've happened." She took no heed to his advice and furthered her pouting. She set the gifts we'd brought with us on a table near the seating arrangements.
"I don't mean to upset you more, but there will still be a wedding ceremony after this."
She let out a defeated sigh, "Oh, I feel like crying."
"Mom, enough of that. Everyone else will be here soon."
We set up the wine and glasses and the door opened again. The Chairman first in line, he led Sahoko's parents and then Sahoko through. Her and her mother both wore red kimonos.
"Konya, Okita, this is Noriko and Shigeki Irie," Sahoko's parents bowed, and so did my own, "And this is Naoki, their son." This time, I bowed.
"It is a pleasure to meet you today." I said.
"As it is for us to meet all of you." Sahoko's mother said. She was a slight woman, though she seemed harsher than Sahoko.
"Then," Chairman Oizumi conducted, "We shall toast."
All seven of us bowed again before our seating cushions and took our positions on them. The Chairman poured the wine into the glasses. We rose them for the toast.
"Let us begin," He rose his as well, "To Naoki and Sahoko's future together." Each of us took a drink. Not fond of alcohol, I didn't take much. We got down to business.
My father passed my mother our gifts, each holding its own form of symbolism to how happy Sahoko and I were going to be together.
My mother somberly presented Sahoko with these gifts, bowing once more.
It was Sahoko's father who presented me with the same round of symbolic gifts. When that was done, the rings were brought forth.
I knelt parallel to Sahoko then, feeling every drop of my life drain out of me in an instant, any hesitation wiped away with it.
Robotically, I slid the sealing ring onto Sahoko's finger and she slid her's onto mine.
"Please take him onto yourself forever." The Chairman said.
"I humbly receive him," Sahoko said, "I take him onto myself forever."
"And I humbly receive her. I take her onto myself forever." I said. With the word 'forever', it felt more like a prison than a marriage. These simple statements had me locked in. There was no way out now.
"I am pleased to announce that Sahoko Oizumi and Naoki Irie are now formally engaged."
"I accept it with great pleasure." I said, but this ring weighed more than it should've.
…
Before leaving, Sahoko dressed down from her kimono and into a dress. After the Yuino, we'd planned to go somewhere together for another date. I chose to bring her to a place with a view I always appreciated. The river bend. After that would be a place more her style.
Approaching the bend, I had a few memories flood me. As usual, of course I saw an overall calmness about Sahoko, but she didn't enjoy the view quite so much as someone else had.
"My parents used to bring me here a lot as a child, especially during spring when the cherry blossoms bloomed." Sahoko said.
"The cherry blossoms are very beautiful around here." I said.
"So pretty!"
I heard the voice from far away, as though I'd hallucinated it.
"I just love this view."
Near the very center of the bend, I spotted her. I was happy to see her for the moment before I noticed the person settled against the rail right beside her.
"Hey, isn't that Kotoko-san?" Sahoko went directly for the pair, "Kotoko-san?"
"Oh, hey, Sahoko-san! It was nice talking to you the other day." She batted her eyes and flashed her famous smile, but it faltered when it landed on me.
"What a coincidence meeting you here. You're on a date, too?" Sahoko said.
"Yes, we are." Kinnosuke threw his arm over her shoulder and fixed me with a victorious glance. Knots formed in my shoulders.
"How do you do?" Sahoko said with her best manners, "I'm Sahoko Oizumi, Naoki-san's fiancee."
"Hi, I'm Kinnosuke Ikezawa. I'm a chef at Kotoko's father's restaurant." He presented himself clumsily.
"So, you're the successor of his restaurant?"
"No, no, I'm just an apprentice."
"So," Kotoko shifted her gaze to Sahoko, "What made you come here today?"
"We're going to see an art exhibition in Ginza soon, and Naoki-san suggested we come here first. He said it was a great spot." Sahoko smiled over at me.
"She said she wanted to feel a sense of openness. This is just the place." I tried a hand at faking my best grin. Kotoko's face fell.
"Anyway," Sahoko said, "You could join us if you'd like. It's of Francis Bacon's early works."
"What?" Kinnosuke was befuddled, "Bacon?" Kotoko's brows knitted together, thinking hard.
"We… we prefer sausages over bacon. Don't we, Kotoko?" She nodded along. The two of them were so alike, it angered me.
I smirked, "You shouldn't force them to go, Sahoko-san. It's too much of a pain for them to go anywhere like that," Sahoko's eyes widened and her jaw fell slightly, "They should stay at their level."
And then she was exasperated, the most emotion I'd ever seen displayed on her face, "Oh my."
"Our level? What is that supposed to mean?" Kinnosuke took defensive stance.
"You're calling us stupid?" Kotoko said.
"That's not true?" I said.
Sahoko gaped at me, seeing me for the first time, "Naoki-san?" She asked. She had no idea how much of a stranger I actually was to her.
"Let's go, Kin-chan," Kotoko grabbed his arm and dragged him away, "Let's do something that suits our level!"
"Kotoko-san…" Sahoko appeared to almost go after them.
"Have fun with your bacon. We're going to eat sausages until we're full. Bye." She called as she and Kinnosuke marched away at a quick pace.
A feeling of absolute dread came upon me so fast that there was no time to stop it, "Kotoko," She hindered, "You two are perfect together."
Kotoko shone her teeth at me one last time, "Why, thank you."
Watching them disappear from the bend, I nearly forgot that Sahoko stood beside me and must've been shocked to her core.
"What's wrong?" She asked me, her expression a mix between concern and suspicion, "Why would you say such a mean thing? It's not like you."
"It's not like me? Don't worry, though. I'd never talk to you like that." This didn't make better the situation. Instead, it might've even vexed her.
She took a short few seconds before saying anything more, "You're a great businessman, and you're incredibly smart. You seem to know everything. But you don't know your own feelings, do you, Naoki-san?" She gave me a disappointed look, "I'm going home for today."
After she left, I hung around the bend with my thoughts as a few tourists poured in to take pictures.
I was tormented.
Tormented by the things she'd said, the things I'd said, and by wondering if Sahoko had suspicions over me and Kotoko. She was a smart girl after all, keen to sensing emotions. Who was to say she couldn't figure it out on her own?
I stayed there for I don't know how long, anguishing over too many things at once. When I finally did make it home, it was dark out and I was ready to go to bed.
"You're late again." My mother said, though she didn't sound very concerned. Perhaps she had given up at last, "Kotoko's late, too." It ripped through me, the sentence baring its nasty teeth along with all the possibilities of what they were doing.
"I see." I said.
"She's been coming home so late, but this is the latest I've seen so far. I wonder if she'll come home at all tonight." My mother wobbled and I could see that she'd been drinking.
"Goodnight." I said as bleakness rang its bell.
"They're moving out, you know," I hadn't even thought about this part of the ordeal and it bit me, "Are you sure you're okay with that?"
For once, I didn't confirm nor deny. I just couldn't seem to utter the answer.
