CHAPTER XIV

…

There is a certain social dogma that keeps one class of people separate from another. I couldn't stop thinking about the other day. If I was born into a much wealthier and respectable family, it is certain that things between me and Yukino would be different. Not that my own name is any less respectable or inferior to the Yukinoshitas, but it is obvious that we're on the shorter end of the stick. While sitting inside the church during mass, it then occurred to me that religion is one of the things that keeps the poor for murdering the rich. Spirituality and imaginary friends from the sky; it's excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet.

If Mama Imoguiri could read my mind right now, I'm sure I'll earn another sermon and a pinch to the ear. Again that Sunday I went with the Ieyoris up to Shiomigaokacho, now more out of habit than of sincere enthusiasm. This time it was just Mama Imoguiri, Hanzo and I together. Manuel Ieyori was probably somewhere in Los Angeles. He said that he'd already passed my letters to my family, and that they were delighted. While things were still heated at home, Manny laid low and watched from the sidelines. He warned that the Yakuza are not to be trusted. Tensions were rife at the moment.

It happened that we met Mrs. Yuigahama again that day. Her daughter Yui was also present. I noticed that when a situation like this arises, the adults always try to rope their children together, especially if they're of the opposite sex. It only served to make the atmosphere even more awkward. Suddenly, Hanzo vanished from beside me, which meant I was now stuck and couldn't leave because it would be considered "rude" for some reason, walking away from a conversation. Mama Imoguiri and Mrs. Yuigahama chatted, even talking about how Yui and I "look good together" and such, and then sent us off to walk together by ourselves.

How do you go on from here? I had other things to do, but it wouldn't hurt to entertain some small-talk. Frankly that wasn't my area of expertise. Yui walked beside me. She wore a beige parka over her sweatshirt and a pair of dark stockings under her dress. Her reddish hair was bundled up casually. Usually, Yui was all bubbly and cordial with everyone but she had a quiet and unsmiling expression again just like the other time I was with her.

Realizing that I wasn't going to make the effort, Yui sighed exasperatedly. "You're being too quiet again," she muttered.

"Well there's nothing to say," I reasoned.

"Really?" she glanced at me, furrowing her eyebrows. She swept back some of her hair which was being tousled by the cold wind. "You don't wanna talk with me?"

I was silent for a moment. "It's okay just being with you," I said.

Her eyes widened before pulling a dubious look. "Are you hitting on me?"

I scoffed, finally letting out a smile. "Am I really that ambiguous?"

"You tend to give off the wrong impressions, Hikki." She continued, now more relaxed. Her shoulders loosened, and she shoved her hands into her pockets.

"You yourself are being unusually quiet."

Yui looked at me carefully. "The other day… is it true?" I was initially puzzled, not understanding what she meant. "You got into a fight last Friday?"

"What did you see?" I asked her slowly.

"Some of my classmates saw you. They're talking about you now. Hikki, please don't hurt yourself," she scolded me. Though her face betrayed a worried concern.

I shook my head. "You know that's nothing like me," I insisted. "I'm not one to be looking for trouble, honest. What you heard was probably exaggerated, and I'll obviously turn out to be the perpetrator. And your friends don't exactly like me," I added.

Yui was skeptical, but she didn't say anything else. Inwardly, I frowned. What happened the other day was certainly going to be the talk of the week, and I was going to be singled out again. All because I tried to help Isshiki Iroha, albeit in a not so appropriate manner. A rotten method, if you will. I wasn't a fighter, but there were only so many ways to deal with assholes who bully and push people all over the place. And even less if there were three of them. No way to take them all on at the same time.

Iroha became my 'friend', for all that's worth. If I needed to ask a favour of her, maybe she'll help me out. So it was only reasonable and courteous for me to also do her a favour and help her out. It was not me to be sticking my nose into someone else's affair like that, but perhaps the temper I acquired from a certain friend of mine played its part. I take care not to trouble myself with enemies, although if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone. Unfortunately and ironically, my emotions got the better of me. That's why I got beaten badly the first time I tried.

If there's one thing I learned from a fight, it's that in some cases it's best not to go for the head. It'll leave more incriminating evidence, and the knuckles of my left hand were wrapped in gauze after getting lacerated when I struck teeth. Iroha was probably the only one who knew about it. Yui noticed me slip my hand into my coat, but if she saw the bandages, she didn't say.

We keep walking down the sparse streets in Shiomigaokacho. It was a chilly morning, and the iron fences and street posts we passed by were frosted with ice. The sky was quite clear this early. The clouds were very high up, and looked thin and feathery; cirrus clouds, according to a book I'd read. Looking beside me, Yui was probably thinking to herself as well.

Whatever she was thinking about, it seemed to be taking up most of her mind. Yui suddenly said in a low voice, "I have a boyfriend now…"

I was more amused by this non sequitur than anything. I raised an eyebrow and stared at her. "Is this some sort of a segue, or?" I said slowly.

Her cheeks reddened a bit, and she turned away. "No, I'm just letting you know."

"What does that mean for me?"

"What do you mean? Are you trying to flirt?"

"No, I'm just surprised why you'd tell such a thing." I shrugged, chuckling. "So how long have you two been together?"

Yui gave a vague answer. "Not very long," she said. "He's a graduate already."

She hadn't yet introduced the guy to her mother, saying that Mrs. Yuigahama would probably not approve of him. I could take a wild guess as to why not. The guy could be still unemployed and job-hunting, or not exactly of a good nature. But I wasn't about to judge someone who I'd never seen yet.

So when Yui asked me what I think of him, I didn't have an answer. "If he's the guy you really want, then go ahead. I think you should do what you want to do. I don't care," I shrugged. Yui was annoyed, giving me her stubborn expression.

"Hmph. You're being mean," she pouted.

"How do you make it work?" I suddenly asked.

"E-Eh? Where did this come from?" she stammered in surprise.

I explained. "I mean, how do you guys make it work? Let's say that your mom really doesn't approve of your boyfriend and insists on breaking up the relationship. What do you do then?"

She seemed to be stumped by my question. "I… I don't really know," Yui admitted. She frowned. "Ne, Hikki! You're being a pessimist again. I know you already have your answers." She sighed, marveling at my cynicism and how we made it this far. She continued. "If you think too much, you'll never be happy."

I was piqued. "Thinking is hazardous to romance," I said. "It's like skydiving. You've got to be a fool to love."

"Sometimes I can't tell if you're being sarcastic," she grumbled. "Don't think. If you love someone, go and get them. There's nothing else to it, just go."

"I like that," I smiled. "How straightforward of you." Yui blushed and told me that wasn't it.

Finally we reached Shin-Chiba, where we parted ways.

"I'll see you next time," I mouthed, knowing that she might not even hear me amidst the morning rush and the noise in the station. I waved her off. She waved back, gazing at me with a sort of sad smile as her train rolled down the line until it was out of sight.

Mama Imoguiri was already in the house when I came back. She was sweeping the floor of the grandeur as usual and arranging the chairs. Hanzo was lazing at a table munching on a bag of chips while watching the overhead television. There were hardly any guests in the morning, but it was going to be busy in the afternoon. Normally we were off to our own businesses by now, but it was a Sunday and we could afford to slack a bit. Mama Imoguiri would later drive downtown to play bingo, and Hanzo would be watching the goods come down at the bayside. I myself was headed for the credit union this afternoon to deposit our revenues and meet associates.

Mama Imoguiri began. "Yui-chan's daughter, she's a good girl," she said quietly. "She's proper, good-looking and very kind. Don't you like her, Hachiman?"

"I like her alright."

"It wouldn't hurt if you tried dating her," she said.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we're just friends," I said reasonably, putting up my hands. She gave me an incredulous look, humming a response. "Besides, she's already taken."

Mama Imoguiri smirked at me. "What are you talking about? That girl doesn't have a boyfriend yet."

I was confused for a moment. "Yui said she does," I said, wondering to myself. "Or she didn't talk about him with her mother. That's because she thinks Mrs. Yuigahama will talk badly of him."

"That's probably because it's true," she said shortly. "If her mother has any opinions of the man, she's got good reasons. A man should not get to ruin a young girl's life. That's why I'm thinking it'd be good if you were the one to marry Yui-chan."

"So you're saying parents get to choose who their children marry, is that it?" I boldly ask, skirting her suggestions.

Mama Imoguiri smiled. "Of course not," she said gently. "We're not going to be the ones who ruin your lives. You love who you want to love. But you should use your senses to see if a certain someone is fit for you. The dilemma is that most young people forget to use common sense," she reminded me. "When that happens, love more often than not makes a person… nonsense."

I remained silent, mulling over her words carefully. Hanzo was watching us with amusement, not uttering a word.

"Why, is the girl I saw you bring around here the one you want?" she guessed sharply.

"What, Yumiko-chan?" I immediately winced, realizing my slip of words.

"Ah, so that's her name," she hummed thoughtfully. "I can tell you, she's not bad-looking either."

"Miura-san is just a close friend of mine," I admitted. "Nothing more."

"Will you date that girl if you were given the chance?"

"W-What?" I stuttered. "I don't think- "

"Don't think. But let's assume for the sake of argument that you would. What I don't understand is why you wouldn't give Yui-chan on the other hand a chance."

I was both impressed and terrified at the precision and deductions of Mama Imoguiri. Are most women inherently ESP-gifted? I might never know.

"So who is the actual 'close friend' now?" she continued.

"I just don't see Yui as someone who I could fall in love with," I answered carefully.

Mama Imoguri gave a skeptical look, pursing her lips. "That is very curious."

"Don't you think it could also work out between, say, a simple and not-so-rich guy and a woman from a wealthy family?" I asked, changing the subject a bit. "Out of curiosity. I mean, it does happen. I don't see why it's a bad thing."

"It's not a bad thing at all," she said. "Listen dear, even if you're from the gutter you can do what you want to do and date a rich girl. But her parents will also be doing what they want to do; and mark my words boy, they'll be doing everything in their power to break you two apart and stop their poor kid from falling with the likes of you." Mama Imoguiri chuckled, though she meant it all in good nature. "I don't mean to be harsh, but let's be honest. You only want what's best for your kids, even if it means playing the villain in the affair. You'll learn that."

My eyebrows furrowed, as I shifted in my seat. I crossed my arms. "But that doesn't seem right," I reasoned.

"It's not," Mama Imoguiri sighed. "Take your close friend for example. Miura-san is beautiful, yes. She'll make a wonderful girlfriend, I'm sure of it. But to what ends will you go to keep her around?" she challenged cleverly. "You think she can live in your world, which is far harder than the one she is used to? Do you think she is the kind of woman who can take care of herself? She has a lot of money, but knowing how to handle wealth is a whole different thing. And raising a family is quite another story. She's a doll, dear. Only a pretty and delicate thing."

I smiled and shook my head, disagreeing. "I think you'll find her true nature far more different than that. Miura-san is smart. She's strong too. She doesn't give up and she'd fight to get what she wants. She's not perfect, but that's why I liked her as a friend."

"I know." She put away her broom and pan and walked over to the counter. "We're only simple people unlike them. But I digress. Now try to put yourself in a parent's shoes; after all the sacrifices you had made, do you want your kid to end up marrying some poor sap without class?" She pulled out a ledger and began to write. She said that Yumiko seemed like a good friend. "But if it has ever happened, the princess marrying a lowly commoner, it's in fairy tales only."

Hanzo suddenly interjected. "What about that British king who married the American?"

"You know what happened with Edward and Wallis Simpson," Mama Imoguiri quipped, motioning with a finger. "Out of the royal household he goes. We can discuss that in another time. But let's take Hanzo-kun for example. What happened with that girl of yours - Marika, was that her name?" she pondered.

"Why am I involved in this discussion?!" Hanzo protested with a mouth full of chips.

"Well as you saw with him, he almost got in trouble for dating a third-year when he was twenty-two, and also the kid was a rich brat to boot. A big oaf of a troublemaker like him with a mestiza like Marika?" she shook her head solemnly. "It doesn't seem right as well, does it?"

"To be fair, she was going to leave anyways," Hanzo muttered begrudgingly.

Mama Imoguiri turned back to me with a gentle look. "It's not simply a matter of love, my dear," she said. "It's about dignity and self-respect. You find a person who you deserve. An equal to you. Either raise yourself to her level, or raise your standards."

Mama Imoguiri then put on a shawl and promptly strolled out of the house, bidding us adios before disappearing. Hanzo and I looked at each other and he sighed. As we both got up to start on our day, it became clear to me. The truth is that I had been thinking about Yukino this whole time. Inwardly, it was all about her. It may have been coincidental, but Mama Imoguiri perfectly addressed the dilemma without even knowing about Yukino. Something I hadn't been able to do. It was a combination of social and familial dogmas, prejudices and a sense of egoism that had ruined the relationship. But it was harder to accept that.

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there's an omake that precedes this chapter, but I'm working on the main plot right now. Not to worry, it'll come out in due time. I hope this is good enough of a follow-up to the last chapter which I know, was quite sad and upsetting.