Note to the dear readers, if there are any: I made all of the people
grow up one year. Later on in my story, everyone will be growing up until
after college. This is because I want to come to the ending where Tsukushi
and her pair will marry off. They can't marry in high school, can they? ^_^
"I can't believe we're finally third year," Kazuya gushed to Tsukushi. She laughed and nodded in agreement. Over the end of the year before, she had somehow managed to regain whatever respect she could scrounge up, and gain a few friends. Kazuya, Sakurako, Makiko, they were her close friends. Her life was in order once again...Except for...
"Makino! Idiot! Why didn't you greet me at my first day of college?!" Tsukasa Doumyouji's voce boomed from the top of her. It was lunch time, and she had been eating in the cafeteria. Tsukushi looked up with an annoyed look on her face. She was no longer at war with the F4, in fact, sometimes, they could actually stand the sight of the other, but she couldn't help but get annoyed with Tsukasa.
"I don't need to do that!!" Tsukushi shot back. "Hire someone else to greet you!"
Tsukushi looked at the person beside Tsukasa, and smiled in spite of herself. Hanazawa Rui was looking more mature and he was a beautiful image of a young man about to meet the world as what it really was.
"Hey, Rui."
"Hey, Tsukushi."
"Hey, the two of you! I'm still here, remember? Rui, aren't you annoyed she didn't greet you? She greeted Soujiro and Akira, and she completely forgot the both of us!"
Rui shrugged. "She greeted me this morning in the emergency stairs."
Tsukasa was busy wondering if he should wait in the emergency stairs then everyday when Tsukushi gave a grimace. She waved to Tsukasa.
"Congratulations on actually going to college, Tsukasa."
Tsukasa threw back his head and laughed proudly. "You're righjt! Someday I'm going to become a great world leader, Makino Tsukushi, and you'll be proud that you're my friend!!"
Tsukushi grimaced. Since when were they 'friends'? she turned to Rui.
"Rui, why'd you go with Tsukasa? Don't you know his dumbness will rub off on you?"
Rui closed his eyes, his bangs falling into his face.
"I felt like seeing you."
A flicker of annoyance went across Tsukasa's face, and the two left the high school cafeteria. Sakurako gushed.
"Uuuyyyyyy! Tsukushi! You didn't tell me you like Doumyouji and Rui!"
Tsukushi's eye twitched, but she chose to remain silent. Kazuya started whining.
"No, she doesn't like any of them at all! Right, Tsukushi?" He looked at her with pleading puppy eyes, wanting her to confirm it. Tsukushi heard herself laugh.
"Who would like that Doumyouji? He's just a spoiled rich kid!"
Makiko sighed. "What I wouldn't give to talk to any of the F4," she breathed. Tsukushi smiled softly to herself. Makiko was acting just like any other high school girl in the campus. None of them got it. The F4 were just like any other person.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~**~~*~**~~*~*~**~~*~*~*~**~~*
"What? You want me to come?" Tsukushi asked. Tsukasa turned red, and he looked away. Soujiro and Akira were snickering at his reaction. Rui, passive as always, leaned on his arms. The five were at the campus grounds. Tsukushi had been walking on her way home when Akira had called her over to come have a drink with them.
"Yeah. It's only going to be a small gathering, so it wouldn't be too bad if you came along," Tsukasa said. Tsukushi couldn't imagine any person with Tsukasa's social standing having a small gathering for a birthday celebration, but if he said only a few close people were coming, then she'd accept that.
"Yeah, and all of us will be there, too, to show you around," Soujiro said. "We'll show you a couple of guys that just might fall in love with your plain face and straight body."
Soujiro and Akira laughed good-naturedly. Tsukushi felt her face grow red.
"Shut up, the both of you!" Tsukasa said savagely. The F2 continued laughing. Tsukasa kicked the both of them. Rui stretched lazily.
"Well, I'm going to sleep," he said. He got up. Tsukushi stood up as well.
"Wait," she said. "I have to ask you something."
Rui hesitated, but waited for her to gather her things, and the two of them walked together to the campus gates. Akira and Soujiro were snickering between themselves when Akira caught the look on Tsukasa's face as his eyes followed the figures of Tsukushi and Rui to the gates.
"Don't worry," Akira said, putting hitting Tsukasa on the shoulder. "Rui doesn't like Tsukushi."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~*~*~*~**~~*~**~~*~
"Please-!" Tsukushi said, pleading with Rui using her eyes. They were walking on the streets. Rui gave her a lazy look, hints of a smile already playing at the sides of his mouth.
"Sure," he said. "I'll help you pick out a shirt for Tsukasa."
"Great!" Tsukushi said, punching a fist in the air. "The party's tomorrow, Saturday, so I have to get a gift now...you guys are so weird. You invited me at the very last minute. Can we stop over at my house? I've got to get my savings."
"Don't worry," Rui said. "I'll pay for it."
Tsukushi looked at him. "That's not good. That way, it would be like you're the one giving the gift, and not me, right? Don't worry, I wont buy something really expensive."
They reached the apartment Tsukushi had moved into. Tsukushi laughed nervously. Only Kazuya, Makiko, and Sakurako knew that she was living by herself in the apartment. Tsukushi pushed away her thoughts.
"This is where you live? This place is as big as my-"
"So," Tsukushi deliberately interrupted, sitting him in the dining area, since there was no living room. She knew that the last word in Rui's sentence would have been: 'bathroom'. "Make yourself at home! I'll be right back."
When she reappeared, she was dressed in jeans and a shirt. Rui was looking uncomfortable in the dining area, and Tsukushi giggled to herself.
"Where are your parents?" Rui asked.
"They moved to some fishing village, and they took Susumo along with them. They're sending me money through the mail."
Rui didn't let his discomfort show. A high school girl living all alone by herself?
"Come on, let's go," Tsukushi said brightly. "It's going to be a long, long night."
Rui's limousine was waiting outside when they stepped out. Rui had called the driver using his cell phone. They were driven to the mall, where Tsukushi dragged Rui around for more than four hours, making him fit t- shirts and take a look at belts and wallets.
"It's a bit tight around my shoulders," Rui said. He honestly didn't mind being dragged around the mall, since Tsukushi was so anxious to make it up to him. She was actually scrimping enough money to buy him an ice cream cone. Rui didn't mention that he didn't eat the ice cream at the mall since they didn't put enough cream.
Tsukushi looked at the polo critically. "You're right," she said, smiling. "I'm lucky you're about the same size as Tsukasa, so I don't have to worry about getting the wrong size."
They were in the dressing room. Tsukushi handed him another polo. "Here, try this," she said. She handed him a crisp blue polo.
Rui started unbuttoning the polo that he was wearing. Tsukushi turned red and stalked out of the dressing room quickly. Rui didn't even seem to notice that she had been there. After a while, Rui stepped out the dressing room. Tsukushi's breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her with that trademark passive stare of hers, but his eyes were somehow bluer.
"It fits well," Rui said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Th-that's good," Tsukushi managed to stammer. Rui looked at the price tag that hung from the right sleeve.
"How much is your budget?" He asked. Tsukushi looked through her wallet, counting the bill carefully. These were her savings for three months. Rui was waiting for an answer. Tsukushi looked up from her wallet, her face turning red with embarrassment.
"Uhm, about five thousand yen," she said. "Why, how much does that polo cost?"
Rui looked at the polo again, pretending to read the price. The polo actually cost more than Tsukushi could afford, about eleven thousand. Normally, that would be half the price he paid for his own polos, but he didn't say anything. He looked back at Tsukushi.
"Wait, let me confirm with the lady at the counter," he said. "Look around this place first."
He went off.
When he reached the counter, he talked to the lady in a nonchalant voice, for Tsukushi's benefit, if she happened to be listening at the moment. Of course, she wasn't the type to eavesdrop, but words could always drift to her ear.
"The price tag shows eleven thousand yen," Rui started. "Now, my name is Hanazawa Rui, the..."
Rui returned to the dressing room, and Tsukushi was waiting.
"Well?" she asked. "How much is it?"
Rui yawned lazily. "The price tag is blurred. I can't read it. Why don't you try asking the lady at the counter? She was taking too long checking her machine, so I left."
He went behind the changing screen, and Tsukushi talked to him from the other side.
"Do you think Tsukasa will like it?" she asked worriedly.
"I think so," Rui said honestly. Actually, that brand would have been considered trash to the students of Eitoku, but if Tsukasa could just see her effort in picking the right gift for him, then he was sure that Tsukasa would be as grateful for the gift as he would have been.
Rui got out, and handed the polo to Tsukushi. She walked over to the counter, holding her wallet. She looked at the lady. The lady was a young woman in her early twenties, and as of the moment, she was looking a little nervous.
"Excuse me, the price tag isn't clear, how much is this?" Tsukushi looked for the paper tag and saw it for the first time. Rui must need glasses, she thought. The numbers were written clearly and she didn't need any assistance in reading it. Eleven thousand yen! Even her own shirts cost around only seven hundred.
"Eleven thousand yen," the counter lady said. Tsukushi was just about to turn away. From over Tsukushi's shoulder, the lady sweat as she saw Rui glare at her.
"But-!!" The lady said somewhat frantically, grabbing the polo again. "This is on...it's on discount, you see..." The lady got the ran the polo through her machine. Tsukushi frowned as the price of eleven thousand came up on the monitor. The lady laughed nervously.
"That's the trouble with these things," she said without missing a beat. "These machines get broken much too easily."
She re-punched the numbers in her keyboard, until the price of five thousand appeared on the monitor, pressing the keys so hard that the keyboard jangled.
"Well, what do you know! It's only five thousand," the lady said. Will that be by cash or by credit, miss?"
"Cash," Tsukushi said, and then looked at Rui suspiciously. He was looking at something else. Tsukushi chided herself for being so paranoid. She mumbled thanks to the lady at the counter, and she approached Rui.
"You know, it's the strangest thing," she said to him. "Did you..."
She looked at his lazy face, and then started laughing to herself.
"Never mind," she said. "Listen, I have a hundred yen. Let's go get ourselves some shaved ice."
~**~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*
Tsukushi looked at the sight before her and frowned. What Duomyouji had meant by a 'small gathring' actually meant several grown-ups, several high school students, and members of the F4 and their friends. At the moment, Tsukushi was feeling a little left out. Everyone was wearing expensive suits from Versace and Lacoste. She asked herself if she should have borrowed something from Sakurako instead of going in one of her 'poor' outfits. The word poor left a bitter taste in her mouth. It made her sound like a peasant. But at the moment, she was feeling very out of place. Everyone was snubbing her.
"Makino!" Soujiro came up to her out of nowhere. "Wow, you look..."
Soujiro looked for a polite enough word. The fact that he was wearing a white cutting-edge long sleeved shirt and slacks didn't help her disposition at all. He was looking classy, and the girls around him were gawking at him and trying to get his attention.
"Poor." Tsukushi said deadpan-ly. Soujiro winced. Akira appeared behind him, and he clapped Tsukushi on the back. Akira was wearing a similar white shirt and black pants.
"Hey, Makino!" He said cheerfully. "Nice jeans."
Tsukushi turned red. She shifted her bag uncomfortably, and was relieved when Rui popped up. He looked at her. Rui was wearing a dark green polo and black slacks.
"Hey," Rui said. "Our table is over there." He grabbed her arm and started to lead her to a table in some part in the middle of the vast front lawn. Tsukushi held back.
"You know..." she said. "Maybe I should...I don't really fit here..."
"Don't be like that," Soujiro laughed. "Tsukasa wouldn't like it if you'd leave without greeting him."
They reached the table. Tsukasa was already sitting, and there were three girls around him...three very familiar heads...Tsukushi was about to turn around to leave.
"Y-you invited Makino Tsukushi?!" Asai suddenly burst out in that shrill voice of hers. Tsukushi winced and pretended not to notice the amount of stares coming her direction. Tsukasa looked up from his plate. He was wearing a formal Armani suit, and when he saw her, his whole face lit up.
"Yo," he said. He motioned for her to sit down. Tsukushi sat down gratefully, and cast a glare at Asai, who stalked off with her two friends.
"Who else is coming? There are seven seats," Tsukushi said.
"My sister, and Shizuka," Tsukasa said. He grimaced. "Really, Tsukushi, couldn't you have worn something that looked at little less-"
"You said this was a casual party."
"A little less poor?"
Tsukushi put her hands on the table, trying to hide her anger. But as she looked around to the other people in the party, she recognized the truth in his words. What was she doing, wearing something that was fit for the maids? She saw that the other women were wearing dresses, at least knee- length. And here she was, wearing jeans. She was about to get up when a servant put a plate in front of her.
Tsukushi stared at the food. Beside her, Rui piped up: "That's Pork Chow Mien, a Chinese specialty." Tsukushi looked at him gratefully. Beside her, Shizuka, having arrived, said,
"Tsukushi, you really do look healthier since I last saw you."
Tsukushi looked at Shizuka. The woman in front of her, if anything, had become more beautiful. Her eyes seemed wider, her smile more alluring. Rui said from her right:
"She's cuter."
Tsukushi blushed and looked at Rui, who seemed to have thought nothing of the comment except a casual statement. Shizuka laughed. From across the table, Tsukasa wondered what they were talking about. Tsubaki said:
"Tsukasa, I never realized how much you like Tsukushi."
Tsukasa turned red. Soujiro and Akira looked at each other.
"No way... he's not denying it!" Akira said, amazed. Tsukasa barked at Rui.
"Rui! Get up! I want to sit beside Tsukushi!"
Everyone at the table looked at Rui, who looked at Tsukasa lazily. Without a word, Rui got up. Tsukasa got up, grabbing his plate. Rui sat back down in his seat. Tsukasa's eyes narrowed.
"Cramps," Rui said. "Looks like you're staying there. I can't walk."
AFTER DINNER
"Come on, let's go give our gifts," Tsubaki said, standing up. "Hey, Tsukasa. Let's go to your room."
The rest stood up and followed Tsubaki's lead. Asai vaporized from thin air.
"Doumyouji! Where are you going?" Tsukasa ignored her. They reached Tsukasa's room. Tsukushi stared around in amazement. It was a large, large room. The floor was carpeted, there was a fireplace, everything was in rich colors. The ceiling was high above head. Tsukushi took a passing glance at the bathroom and saw that it was as big as her whole apartment room.
Akira elbowed her playfully and chuckled at her awe. "I guess that reaction is expected from a poor person," he chuckled. Tsukushi sighed.
"Stop it with the 'poor' already," she hissed. Akira just laughed. The seven sat down after Tsubaki lit the fireplace. All of them got out their gifts, and Tsukasa waited impatiently. Tsukushi kept her gift in her bag, wanting to give no clue as to what it was.
Shizuka was first. She gave him a slim, semi-flat box. Tsukasa tore open the wrapping paper, and there, in front of him, was a brand new Pentium five Apple laptop computer. Shizuka grinned.
"It's not even out in the market yet," she said. Tsukushi watched Tsukasa's grateful face and her hands tightened on her bag. Was it good enough? Sure, she had spent five hours in the mall with Rui just searching for the gift, but was that enough to make it a great gift?
Next was Rui. He gave Tsukasa an envelope. No one needed to look to know that it was a check. One point five million! No one in the room seemed overly surprised, so Tsukushi kept her shock to herself. 'Money comes so easily for them', she thought.
Next was Tsubaki. She looked at her younger brother and gave him a small box.
Tsukasa opened it, and held up car keys.
"A new Mercedes," Tsubaki beamed. Tsukasa grinned. "Now that you're old enough, I guess you're going to need a new car," Tsubaki finished.
Next was Akira. He handed over an envelope. There was a coupon inside.
"You know my island in the east?" Akira said without pride. "Normally, no one is allowed there except family members and the servants, but with that coupon, everything is paid for, all the expenses, for two weeks. You can choose when you want to go there."
Soujiro handed Tsukasa another envelope. "Here," he said to his friend. "I couldn't think of anything else, so I paid for your car insurance."
By this time, Tsukushi had completely crumpled the wrapping paper of her gift, despite the vinyl bag she was using. All the other gifts that had been given had cost more than she could have ever dreamed to afford. All eyes turned to her expectantly. She was the last in the circle. Tsukushi felt herself withering.
"Uhm," she said, stalling for time. "I...I sort of forgot to get a gift."
Tsukasa frowned for the first time in entering the room. "What are you talking about?"
"Uhm, I...Ah...I couldn't get you a gift. I'm sorry..."
She looked up and barely saw Tsukasa's hurt expression. She was also busy looking at Rui, apologizing for dragging him around the mall when she wasn't going to give the gift anyway. Rui understood her look, but he said quietly:
"Tsukushi, it's a great gift."
"What?" Tsukasa said, having not heard what was said. Nobody in the circle bothered to repeat the phrase for him. Tsukushi straightened herself up, and then came to a decision. She reached into her bag and got out the crumpled gift. She hesitantly gave it to him. He received it without much expression.
He held up the polo...And he looked at the brand: GAP. Tsukasa lost himself in his thoughts. He wondered what Tsukushi had to sacrifice to be able to afford something like this. For him, it was easy to come by that kind of money, but for someone like Tsukushi, it would be very hard, with her monthly allowance of three thousand yen.
The whole group was waiting for his reaction, all of them breathless. Anyone could see Tsukushi's effort. Where all they had to do what cough up the money that they had aplenty, she had obviously needed to scrounge up enough money for the gift.
"Here," Tsukasa said, pushing the gift back towards Tsukushi. "This is too much. You could have jut baked me something."
"But...I...really wanted to try and get something to your level," Tsukushi said, her eyes completely hidden. Her smile was fixated in place.
"You didn't need to," Soujiro said, quickly trying to make the most of the situation. "We know you're poor, so don't worry about it."
Slowly, Tsukushi took the polo and stood up. Tsukasa stood up.
"It's not that I don't like it-!" He started. Then he frowned. "Oh, just give it to me then!" He advanced towards her and grabbed it.
She grabbed it back.
"Doumyouji! It's okay! Don't bother yourself."
She stalked out, closing the door softly behind her. Rui looked at Tsukasa.
"She wanted so hard to please you," Rui said quietly. "The least you could have done was act happy about her gift."
**~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~**~**~~*~*~*~*
"A POLO?!" Asai said scornfully as Tsukushi went out the main door. "A servant told me what you gave him."
Tsukushi glared at Asai and tried to hurry past, but her two sidekicks blocked her way. Asai was frowning.
"You know," Asai said. "I can't help but admit that maybe, just maybe, Tsukasa is getting attached to you. I want you to know..."
She paused for effect. Tsukushi started to push past them.
"...You can't compete with any of the people here. You're way too low class for Doumyouji."
"My, my, are you saying that my son likes this Makino Tsukushi?" A rich, sugary thin voice wafted from over Asuhara's head. The three broke up, and let the woman in front of them take a look. That was how Tsukushi first met Kaede Doumyouji, the mother of Tsukasa. The thin woman looked at Tsukushi in distaste.
"Why, but she's"
"She's poor," Asai finished, a smirk on her face. "That much is clear, no matter what she wears."
Kaede cackled. "That's not all," she said. "Not only that, but she's ugly!"
Asai nodded her confirmation, completely sober. "That's right. And she has no body as well."
Kaede sniffed the air. "Dear, that perfume irritates my nose. Please leave at once."
Tsukushi gladly went past them, wanting to go to her apartment as soon as possible. Asai's voice, from behind her, piped up:
"Hey, Makino! You're forgetting this. You dropped it."
Tsukushi looked back, and saw that she had indeed dropped the polo she had bought with her savings. It was on the ground, and Asai was stepping on it with her high heels. Kaede bent a little to take a closer look.
"What's that?" Kaede asked. Asai giggled.
"It's the 'gift' she gave to your son," she said. Kaede shuddered.
"Stay away from my son," Kaede said. "Wait until you grow richer."
All of a sudden, she was tired of everything. Tsukushi was tired of being called poor, and of people looking down on her. She vaguely saw her stone washed jeans, and then she looked up to see Asai's extravagant dress. She spun around and ran.
'I know it sucks,' she thought. 'But I don't know how to counter that.'
She tripped over something, and fell facedown in the buffet table. Italian and Chinese cuisine flew in all directions. Tsukushi sat in the middle of the mess, covered in food, willing the nightmare to end. First there was a muffled laugh, and then the whole crowd was laughing. If it had been anyone else who had fallen, they wouldn't have thought of laughing. But this was only a poor girl Makino Tsukushi. Most of the guests didn't even know who she was.
She got up and continued running.
"I can't believe we're finally third year," Kazuya gushed to Tsukushi. She laughed and nodded in agreement. Over the end of the year before, she had somehow managed to regain whatever respect she could scrounge up, and gain a few friends. Kazuya, Sakurako, Makiko, they were her close friends. Her life was in order once again...Except for...
"Makino! Idiot! Why didn't you greet me at my first day of college?!" Tsukasa Doumyouji's voce boomed from the top of her. It was lunch time, and she had been eating in the cafeteria. Tsukushi looked up with an annoyed look on her face. She was no longer at war with the F4, in fact, sometimes, they could actually stand the sight of the other, but she couldn't help but get annoyed with Tsukasa.
"I don't need to do that!!" Tsukushi shot back. "Hire someone else to greet you!"
Tsukushi looked at the person beside Tsukasa, and smiled in spite of herself. Hanazawa Rui was looking more mature and he was a beautiful image of a young man about to meet the world as what it really was.
"Hey, Rui."
"Hey, Tsukushi."
"Hey, the two of you! I'm still here, remember? Rui, aren't you annoyed she didn't greet you? She greeted Soujiro and Akira, and she completely forgot the both of us!"
Rui shrugged. "She greeted me this morning in the emergency stairs."
Tsukasa was busy wondering if he should wait in the emergency stairs then everyday when Tsukushi gave a grimace. She waved to Tsukasa.
"Congratulations on actually going to college, Tsukasa."
Tsukasa threw back his head and laughed proudly. "You're righjt! Someday I'm going to become a great world leader, Makino Tsukushi, and you'll be proud that you're my friend!!"
Tsukushi grimaced. Since when were they 'friends'? she turned to Rui.
"Rui, why'd you go with Tsukasa? Don't you know his dumbness will rub off on you?"
Rui closed his eyes, his bangs falling into his face.
"I felt like seeing you."
A flicker of annoyance went across Tsukasa's face, and the two left the high school cafeteria. Sakurako gushed.
"Uuuyyyyyy! Tsukushi! You didn't tell me you like Doumyouji and Rui!"
Tsukushi's eye twitched, but she chose to remain silent. Kazuya started whining.
"No, she doesn't like any of them at all! Right, Tsukushi?" He looked at her with pleading puppy eyes, wanting her to confirm it. Tsukushi heard herself laugh.
"Who would like that Doumyouji? He's just a spoiled rich kid!"
Makiko sighed. "What I wouldn't give to talk to any of the F4," she breathed. Tsukushi smiled softly to herself. Makiko was acting just like any other high school girl in the campus. None of them got it. The F4 were just like any other person.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~~**~~*~**~~*~*~**~~*~*~*~**~~*
"What? You want me to come?" Tsukushi asked. Tsukasa turned red, and he looked away. Soujiro and Akira were snickering at his reaction. Rui, passive as always, leaned on his arms. The five were at the campus grounds. Tsukushi had been walking on her way home when Akira had called her over to come have a drink with them.
"Yeah. It's only going to be a small gathering, so it wouldn't be too bad if you came along," Tsukasa said. Tsukushi couldn't imagine any person with Tsukasa's social standing having a small gathering for a birthday celebration, but if he said only a few close people were coming, then she'd accept that.
"Yeah, and all of us will be there, too, to show you around," Soujiro said. "We'll show you a couple of guys that just might fall in love with your plain face and straight body."
Soujiro and Akira laughed good-naturedly. Tsukushi felt her face grow red.
"Shut up, the both of you!" Tsukasa said savagely. The F2 continued laughing. Tsukasa kicked the both of them. Rui stretched lazily.
"Well, I'm going to sleep," he said. He got up. Tsukushi stood up as well.
"Wait," she said. "I have to ask you something."
Rui hesitated, but waited for her to gather her things, and the two of them walked together to the campus gates. Akira and Soujiro were snickering between themselves when Akira caught the look on Tsukasa's face as his eyes followed the figures of Tsukushi and Rui to the gates.
"Don't worry," Akira said, putting hitting Tsukasa on the shoulder. "Rui doesn't like Tsukushi."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***~*~*~*~**~~*~**~~*~
"Please-!" Tsukushi said, pleading with Rui using her eyes. They were walking on the streets. Rui gave her a lazy look, hints of a smile already playing at the sides of his mouth.
"Sure," he said. "I'll help you pick out a shirt for Tsukasa."
"Great!" Tsukushi said, punching a fist in the air. "The party's tomorrow, Saturday, so I have to get a gift now...you guys are so weird. You invited me at the very last minute. Can we stop over at my house? I've got to get my savings."
"Don't worry," Rui said. "I'll pay for it."
Tsukushi looked at him. "That's not good. That way, it would be like you're the one giving the gift, and not me, right? Don't worry, I wont buy something really expensive."
They reached the apartment Tsukushi had moved into. Tsukushi laughed nervously. Only Kazuya, Makiko, and Sakurako knew that she was living by herself in the apartment. Tsukushi pushed away her thoughts.
"This is where you live? This place is as big as my-"
"So," Tsukushi deliberately interrupted, sitting him in the dining area, since there was no living room. She knew that the last word in Rui's sentence would have been: 'bathroom'. "Make yourself at home! I'll be right back."
When she reappeared, she was dressed in jeans and a shirt. Rui was looking uncomfortable in the dining area, and Tsukushi giggled to herself.
"Where are your parents?" Rui asked.
"They moved to some fishing village, and they took Susumo along with them. They're sending me money through the mail."
Rui didn't let his discomfort show. A high school girl living all alone by herself?
"Come on, let's go," Tsukushi said brightly. "It's going to be a long, long night."
Rui's limousine was waiting outside when they stepped out. Rui had called the driver using his cell phone. They were driven to the mall, where Tsukushi dragged Rui around for more than four hours, making him fit t- shirts and take a look at belts and wallets.
"It's a bit tight around my shoulders," Rui said. He honestly didn't mind being dragged around the mall, since Tsukushi was so anxious to make it up to him. She was actually scrimping enough money to buy him an ice cream cone. Rui didn't mention that he didn't eat the ice cream at the mall since they didn't put enough cream.
Tsukushi looked at the polo critically. "You're right," she said, smiling. "I'm lucky you're about the same size as Tsukasa, so I don't have to worry about getting the wrong size."
They were in the dressing room. Tsukushi handed him another polo. "Here, try this," she said. She handed him a crisp blue polo.
Rui started unbuttoning the polo that he was wearing. Tsukushi turned red and stalked out of the dressing room quickly. Rui didn't even seem to notice that she had been there. After a while, Rui stepped out the dressing room. Tsukushi's breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her with that trademark passive stare of hers, but his eyes were somehow bluer.
"It fits well," Rui said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Th-that's good," Tsukushi managed to stammer. Rui looked at the price tag that hung from the right sleeve.
"How much is your budget?" He asked. Tsukushi looked through her wallet, counting the bill carefully. These were her savings for three months. Rui was waiting for an answer. Tsukushi looked up from her wallet, her face turning red with embarrassment.
"Uhm, about five thousand yen," she said. "Why, how much does that polo cost?"
Rui looked at the polo again, pretending to read the price. The polo actually cost more than Tsukushi could afford, about eleven thousand. Normally, that would be half the price he paid for his own polos, but he didn't say anything. He looked back at Tsukushi.
"Wait, let me confirm with the lady at the counter," he said. "Look around this place first."
He went off.
When he reached the counter, he talked to the lady in a nonchalant voice, for Tsukushi's benefit, if she happened to be listening at the moment. Of course, she wasn't the type to eavesdrop, but words could always drift to her ear.
"The price tag shows eleven thousand yen," Rui started. "Now, my name is Hanazawa Rui, the..."
Rui returned to the dressing room, and Tsukushi was waiting.
"Well?" she asked. "How much is it?"
Rui yawned lazily. "The price tag is blurred. I can't read it. Why don't you try asking the lady at the counter? She was taking too long checking her machine, so I left."
He went behind the changing screen, and Tsukushi talked to him from the other side.
"Do you think Tsukasa will like it?" she asked worriedly.
"I think so," Rui said honestly. Actually, that brand would have been considered trash to the students of Eitoku, but if Tsukasa could just see her effort in picking the right gift for him, then he was sure that Tsukasa would be as grateful for the gift as he would have been.
Rui got out, and handed the polo to Tsukushi. She walked over to the counter, holding her wallet. She looked at the lady. The lady was a young woman in her early twenties, and as of the moment, she was looking a little nervous.
"Excuse me, the price tag isn't clear, how much is this?" Tsukushi looked for the paper tag and saw it for the first time. Rui must need glasses, she thought. The numbers were written clearly and she didn't need any assistance in reading it. Eleven thousand yen! Even her own shirts cost around only seven hundred.
"Eleven thousand yen," the counter lady said. Tsukushi was just about to turn away. From over Tsukushi's shoulder, the lady sweat as she saw Rui glare at her.
"But-!!" The lady said somewhat frantically, grabbing the polo again. "This is on...it's on discount, you see..." The lady got the ran the polo through her machine. Tsukushi frowned as the price of eleven thousand came up on the monitor. The lady laughed nervously.
"That's the trouble with these things," she said without missing a beat. "These machines get broken much too easily."
She re-punched the numbers in her keyboard, until the price of five thousand appeared on the monitor, pressing the keys so hard that the keyboard jangled.
"Well, what do you know! It's only five thousand," the lady said. Will that be by cash or by credit, miss?"
"Cash," Tsukushi said, and then looked at Rui suspiciously. He was looking at something else. Tsukushi chided herself for being so paranoid. She mumbled thanks to the lady at the counter, and she approached Rui.
"You know, it's the strangest thing," she said to him. "Did you..."
She looked at his lazy face, and then started laughing to herself.
"Never mind," she said. "Listen, I have a hundred yen. Let's go get ourselves some shaved ice."
~**~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*
Tsukushi looked at the sight before her and frowned. What Duomyouji had meant by a 'small gathring' actually meant several grown-ups, several high school students, and members of the F4 and their friends. At the moment, Tsukushi was feeling a little left out. Everyone was wearing expensive suits from Versace and Lacoste. She asked herself if she should have borrowed something from Sakurako instead of going in one of her 'poor' outfits. The word poor left a bitter taste in her mouth. It made her sound like a peasant. But at the moment, she was feeling very out of place. Everyone was snubbing her.
"Makino!" Soujiro came up to her out of nowhere. "Wow, you look..."
Soujiro looked for a polite enough word. The fact that he was wearing a white cutting-edge long sleeved shirt and slacks didn't help her disposition at all. He was looking classy, and the girls around him were gawking at him and trying to get his attention.
"Poor." Tsukushi said deadpan-ly. Soujiro winced. Akira appeared behind him, and he clapped Tsukushi on the back. Akira was wearing a similar white shirt and black pants.
"Hey, Makino!" He said cheerfully. "Nice jeans."
Tsukushi turned red. She shifted her bag uncomfortably, and was relieved when Rui popped up. He looked at her. Rui was wearing a dark green polo and black slacks.
"Hey," Rui said. "Our table is over there." He grabbed her arm and started to lead her to a table in some part in the middle of the vast front lawn. Tsukushi held back.
"You know..." she said. "Maybe I should...I don't really fit here..."
"Don't be like that," Soujiro laughed. "Tsukasa wouldn't like it if you'd leave without greeting him."
They reached the table. Tsukasa was already sitting, and there were three girls around him...three very familiar heads...Tsukushi was about to turn around to leave.
"Y-you invited Makino Tsukushi?!" Asai suddenly burst out in that shrill voice of hers. Tsukushi winced and pretended not to notice the amount of stares coming her direction. Tsukasa looked up from his plate. He was wearing a formal Armani suit, and when he saw her, his whole face lit up.
"Yo," he said. He motioned for her to sit down. Tsukushi sat down gratefully, and cast a glare at Asai, who stalked off with her two friends.
"Who else is coming? There are seven seats," Tsukushi said.
"My sister, and Shizuka," Tsukasa said. He grimaced. "Really, Tsukushi, couldn't you have worn something that looked at little less-"
"You said this was a casual party."
"A little less poor?"
Tsukushi put her hands on the table, trying to hide her anger. But as she looked around to the other people in the party, she recognized the truth in his words. What was she doing, wearing something that was fit for the maids? She saw that the other women were wearing dresses, at least knee- length. And here she was, wearing jeans. She was about to get up when a servant put a plate in front of her.
Tsukushi stared at the food. Beside her, Rui piped up: "That's Pork Chow Mien, a Chinese specialty." Tsukushi looked at him gratefully. Beside her, Shizuka, having arrived, said,
"Tsukushi, you really do look healthier since I last saw you."
Tsukushi looked at Shizuka. The woman in front of her, if anything, had become more beautiful. Her eyes seemed wider, her smile more alluring. Rui said from her right:
"She's cuter."
Tsukushi blushed and looked at Rui, who seemed to have thought nothing of the comment except a casual statement. Shizuka laughed. From across the table, Tsukasa wondered what they were talking about. Tsubaki said:
"Tsukasa, I never realized how much you like Tsukushi."
Tsukasa turned red. Soujiro and Akira looked at each other.
"No way... he's not denying it!" Akira said, amazed. Tsukasa barked at Rui.
"Rui! Get up! I want to sit beside Tsukushi!"
Everyone at the table looked at Rui, who looked at Tsukasa lazily. Without a word, Rui got up. Tsukasa got up, grabbing his plate. Rui sat back down in his seat. Tsukasa's eyes narrowed.
"Cramps," Rui said. "Looks like you're staying there. I can't walk."
AFTER DINNER
"Come on, let's go give our gifts," Tsubaki said, standing up. "Hey, Tsukasa. Let's go to your room."
The rest stood up and followed Tsubaki's lead. Asai vaporized from thin air.
"Doumyouji! Where are you going?" Tsukasa ignored her. They reached Tsukasa's room. Tsukushi stared around in amazement. It was a large, large room. The floor was carpeted, there was a fireplace, everything was in rich colors. The ceiling was high above head. Tsukushi took a passing glance at the bathroom and saw that it was as big as her whole apartment room.
Akira elbowed her playfully and chuckled at her awe. "I guess that reaction is expected from a poor person," he chuckled. Tsukushi sighed.
"Stop it with the 'poor' already," she hissed. Akira just laughed. The seven sat down after Tsubaki lit the fireplace. All of them got out their gifts, and Tsukasa waited impatiently. Tsukushi kept her gift in her bag, wanting to give no clue as to what it was.
Shizuka was first. She gave him a slim, semi-flat box. Tsukasa tore open the wrapping paper, and there, in front of him, was a brand new Pentium five Apple laptop computer. Shizuka grinned.
"It's not even out in the market yet," she said. Tsukushi watched Tsukasa's grateful face and her hands tightened on her bag. Was it good enough? Sure, she had spent five hours in the mall with Rui just searching for the gift, but was that enough to make it a great gift?
Next was Rui. He gave Tsukasa an envelope. No one needed to look to know that it was a check. One point five million! No one in the room seemed overly surprised, so Tsukushi kept her shock to herself. 'Money comes so easily for them', she thought.
Next was Tsubaki. She looked at her younger brother and gave him a small box.
Tsukasa opened it, and held up car keys.
"A new Mercedes," Tsubaki beamed. Tsukasa grinned. "Now that you're old enough, I guess you're going to need a new car," Tsubaki finished.
Next was Akira. He handed over an envelope. There was a coupon inside.
"You know my island in the east?" Akira said without pride. "Normally, no one is allowed there except family members and the servants, but with that coupon, everything is paid for, all the expenses, for two weeks. You can choose when you want to go there."
Soujiro handed Tsukasa another envelope. "Here," he said to his friend. "I couldn't think of anything else, so I paid for your car insurance."
By this time, Tsukushi had completely crumpled the wrapping paper of her gift, despite the vinyl bag she was using. All the other gifts that had been given had cost more than she could have ever dreamed to afford. All eyes turned to her expectantly. She was the last in the circle. Tsukushi felt herself withering.
"Uhm," she said, stalling for time. "I...I sort of forgot to get a gift."
Tsukasa frowned for the first time in entering the room. "What are you talking about?"
"Uhm, I...Ah...I couldn't get you a gift. I'm sorry..."
She looked up and barely saw Tsukasa's hurt expression. She was also busy looking at Rui, apologizing for dragging him around the mall when she wasn't going to give the gift anyway. Rui understood her look, but he said quietly:
"Tsukushi, it's a great gift."
"What?" Tsukasa said, having not heard what was said. Nobody in the circle bothered to repeat the phrase for him. Tsukushi straightened herself up, and then came to a decision. She reached into her bag and got out the crumpled gift. She hesitantly gave it to him. He received it without much expression.
He held up the polo...And he looked at the brand: GAP. Tsukasa lost himself in his thoughts. He wondered what Tsukushi had to sacrifice to be able to afford something like this. For him, it was easy to come by that kind of money, but for someone like Tsukushi, it would be very hard, with her monthly allowance of three thousand yen.
The whole group was waiting for his reaction, all of them breathless. Anyone could see Tsukushi's effort. Where all they had to do what cough up the money that they had aplenty, she had obviously needed to scrounge up enough money for the gift.
"Here," Tsukasa said, pushing the gift back towards Tsukushi. "This is too much. You could have jut baked me something."
"But...I...really wanted to try and get something to your level," Tsukushi said, her eyes completely hidden. Her smile was fixated in place.
"You didn't need to," Soujiro said, quickly trying to make the most of the situation. "We know you're poor, so don't worry about it."
Slowly, Tsukushi took the polo and stood up. Tsukasa stood up.
"It's not that I don't like it-!" He started. Then he frowned. "Oh, just give it to me then!" He advanced towards her and grabbed it.
She grabbed it back.
"Doumyouji! It's okay! Don't bother yourself."
She stalked out, closing the door softly behind her. Rui looked at Tsukasa.
"She wanted so hard to please you," Rui said quietly. "The least you could have done was act happy about her gift."
**~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~~*~*~**~**~~*~*~*~*
"A POLO?!" Asai said scornfully as Tsukushi went out the main door. "A servant told me what you gave him."
Tsukushi glared at Asai and tried to hurry past, but her two sidekicks blocked her way. Asai was frowning.
"You know," Asai said. "I can't help but admit that maybe, just maybe, Tsukasa is getting attached to you. I want you to know..."
She paused for effect. Tsukushi started to push past them.
"...You can't compete with any of the people here. You're way too low class for Doumyouji."
"My, my, are you saying that my son likes this Makino Tsukushi?" A rich, sugary thin voice wafted from over Asuhara's head. The three broke up, and let the woman in front of them take a look. That was how Tsukushi first met Kaede Doumyouji, the mother of Tsukasa. The thin woman looked at Tsukushi in distaste.
"Why, but she's"
"She's poor," Asai finished, a smirk on her face. "That much is clear, no matter what she wears."
Kaede cackled. "That's not all," she said. "Not only that, but she's ugly!"
Asai nodded her confirmation, completely sober. "That's right. And she has no body as well."
Kaede sniffed the air. "Dear, that perfume irritates my nose. Please leave at once."
Tsukushi gladly went past them, wanting to go to her apartment as soon as possible. Asai's voice, from behind her, piped up:
"Hey, Makino! You're forgetting this. You dropped it."
Tsukushi looked back, and saw that she had indeed dropped the polo she had bought with her savings. It was on the ground, and Asai was stepping on it with her high heels. Kaede bent a little to take a closer look.
"What's that?" Kaede asked. Asai giggled.
"It's the 'gift' she gave to your son," she said. Kaede shuddered.
"Stay away from my son," Kaede said. "Wait until you grow richer."
All of a sudden, she was tired of everything. Tsukushi was tired of being called poor, and of people looking down on her. She vaguely saw her stone washed jeans, and then she looked up to see Asai's extravagant dress. She spun around and ran.
'I know it sucks,' she thought. 'But I don't know how to counter that.'
She tripped over something, and fell facedown in the buffet table. Italian and Chinese cuisine flew in all directions. Tsukushi sat in the middle of the mess, covered in food, willing the nightmare to end. First there was a muffled laugh, and then the whole crowd was laughing. If it had been anyone else who had fallen, they wouldn't have thought of laughing. But this was only a poor girl Makino Tsukushi. Most of the guests didn't even know who she was.
She got up and continued running.