The Game of Love

Chapter Twelve: Younger Brothers

Ogata Mariko was on her way to class with a large stack of books. The people in her class who had volunteered to move them with her from the library never showed up to help her. She simply accepted that she was going to have to move them on her own. So, she had the librarian stack them all up on a large pile in her arms. "Are you sure you can move them all like that, Ogata-san?" asked the librarian.

"Yes, it's no problem," replied Mariko cheerfully. She liked being helpful, which made her practically the welcome mat of her homeroom class. Everyone volunteered to look good, but everyone knew that Mariko would take care of everything anyway. It wasn't fair at all, but Mariko didn't know any better.

She was attempting to navigate down the hall towards her homeroom, but she had a difficult time seeing over her large stack of books and her bag's shoulder strap kept sliding down her shoulder. Poor Mariko walked down seeing other people from her homeroom class. Some of them were the other volunteers, but they didn't so much as acknowledge her as she balanced the books passed their view.

Finally, she collided with someone. Mariko fell back on her behind. All the books were scattered everywhere. Her bag was lying next to her. She realized that all the talking and chattering in the hall had come to a stop. She looked up and saw Makino Susumu standing over her. She flinched back and closed her eyes, expecting him to yell at her for her clumsiness.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I wasn't paying attention," said Susumu, surprising everyone. His tone was sincere. Usually, Makino Susumu sounded cynical, sarcastic, apathetic, or bored. He offered Mariko his hand. "Let me help you up, Mariko-chan. Are you okay?"

Mariko numbly nodded. The fact that he remembered her name surprised her even more. The rest of the people in the hall were even more shocked to find that he actually knew one of the girls' names. Mariko held out her hand and Susumu pulled her up. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked at him. Susumu started to pick up the books. "How many were there?" he asked.

"Twenty," replied Mariko. "I had to pick them up from the library for my class." She started to pick up the books as well and her bag. She only had five in her hand, while Susumu had fifteen of them. She expected him to stack them on the pile in her waiting arms.

"Where's your homeroom, Mariko-chan?" asked Susumu. If the other students weren't shocked before, they were were now.

"Um...this way," said Mariko. "But, you don't have to do that. I can get them there myself," she added hastily. He ignored her as he went towards her homeroom. She trailed after him with her face bright red because of the fact that Susumu was helping her and the eyes of the other students were on her.

"That's enough," said Mariko weakly when they reached her classroom. "You can just put them back on the stack and I'll carry them in." Instead, Susumu walked into the classroom and put the stack on the sensei's desk. Mariko put the books in her stack on top of the one on the desk.

"Which is your desk?" asked Susumu.

"That one over there," replied Mariko as she pointed to the desk in the center of the room. "Why?"

"Just curious," replied Susumu. "I'm going to my class now. I'll see you around." He gave her a small wave and a slight smile as he walked off.

Mariko felt her cheeks go even redder. She walked up to her desk and sat down. It was something out of a dream for her. The most popular guy in the school helped her. However, her bliss wouldn't last for very long as a group of girls from her homeroom class stormed in. They all stalked up to her desk angrily. There were half a dozen of them.

"What do you think you're doing, Ogata?" demanded one of the girls.

"Um...what are you talking about?" asked Mariko.

"You know what we're talking about. You and Makino-sama," said one of the other girls, using a high honorific as if to show Mariko how much higher Susumu was from her.

"He just helped me carry books to the class. That's all," replied Mariko. She looked like she was going to cry.

"You broke the rules. All of them. You're just a Junior. You didn't even address him properly and you didn't have enough people with you. You should have at least two people when you're talking to him. And how dare you make him carry those books for you!" ranted off the first girl.

"But, he did it on his own. I tried to stop him," insisted Mariko.

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again, Ogata. Or you'll be sorry. Remember your place in the school, you worm," said the first girl as she flipped her hair. She had to stop because the rest of the students and the sensei were walking in.

"Thank you for bring the books in," said the sensei as she smiled at the class. The rest of the students who were supposed to bring the books in quickly said that it was no trouble at all. No trouble for them, thought Mariko without any bitterness. All she wanted to was disappear.

Susumu went to class to find the rest of them waiting for him. He had taken the long way around to his class and appeared a minute late, but the sensei smiled at him congenially. Susumu had his headphones in with his MP3 player pumping music. He turned it off and took his seat in the front center of the of his room.

Most anyone could tell that Susumu wasn't an ordinary Eirin student. "Makino-san, please note the dress code," said the sensei as he looked at Susumu's uniform.

"What's wrong? The school code says that I have to wear the uniform. And I am, but it doesn't say how I have to wear it. It's right there. Look it up," said Susumu calmly. True, he was dressed in the school uniform, but he didn't have the outer jacket buttoned up and his shirt wasn't fully buttoned up. He even left it not tucked in. The teacher sighed and simply made the morning announcements.

Susumu got away with a lot of things in the school because he made Eirin look good because of his athletic prowess and his academics. He had his own share of enemies in the school. The boys from the student council couldn't stand him because they didn't know what his background was exactly and he usurped power from him because he was more popular than them. The majority of the teachers in the school disliked him because he was a smart ass, especially his homeroom teacher. It didn't how many demerits the school sent home to his parents. There was nothing they could do about it; they were away in Osaka, thus Susumu went undisciplined and unpunished.

Eirin had a lot more restrictions than Eitoku. Eirin restricted what the students could wear and what they could bring to school. Susumu always bent the rules, but never completely break them. He liked to see how much he could get away with before anyone stopped him. Susumu hated most of the pompous bourgeoisie in the school. The only person who didn't seem like any of them was Mariko. He didn't have any friends in the school and it was his third year of high school.

By lunchtime, what happened in the hall in the morning had already spread all over the school. Everywhere Mariko walked, she heard mumbling. She couldn't stand it. Maybe, it was better to avoid Susumu. This was becoming too much for her. She saw him walking out of the school. She thought it was strange that he was allowed to leave. Eirin didn't allow its students to leave like that.

"Makino, are you coming to track practice after school?" asked one of the members of the track team.

"I'll be there. We do have that huge track meet against Eitoku soon," replied Susumu with a nod. The girls from Mariko's homeroom came up to him.

"We're sorry about what happened this morning with Ogata Mariko. We're sorry she spoke out of turn and forced you to carry the books to our class," said the girl who started questioning Mariko earlier. Mariko felt an unfamiliar surge of anger as she tried to get away.

But something stopped her. It was Susumu's response to the girls, "I don't think you have to apologize to me. Your class was the one who should apologize. She wouldn't have to carry all those books alone, if it wasn't for the rest of you. Another thing, she can talk to whomever she wants. I don't care either way." The girls looked startled by his response. He walked off, leaving everyone in a state of shock.

*

Tsukushi was at the airport, waiting for Shizuka's arrival. She was looking forward to seeing her. Shizuka was coming from Ireland. Northern Ireland to be exact. Formally known as Todou Shizuka, she had married an Irish man named Adam Kent. He was a criminal lawyer who fought passionately to allow Norther Ireland the right to govern itself without British oppression. Shizuka and Adam were married almost four years ago when Tsukushi came to England. Tsukushi was Shizuka's maid of honor. Later on, when Shizuka's son, Michael, was born, Tsukushi was made his godmother. The two women were close friends.

Shizuka Kent walked out of the gate to see Tsukushi. She smiled as she walked up to her. The two women embraced. "It's good to see you, Shizuka," said Tsukushi in English.

"It's good to see you, too, Tsukushi-chan. It's been so long since I've seen you," said Shizuka.

"I'm sorry that you had to be dragged all the way from Ireland just to sign a silly, little contract," said Tsukushi. Shizuka was usually a lawyer for poorer people of low status in Europe. The only client she had who made more than five figures a year was Tsukushi. She was her lawyer because Tsukushi trusted her. Shizuka's husband was a passionate man who cared about his cause to free Northern Ireland from British oppression. Adam was the type of man who would always fought for what he believed in no matter what odds were against him, and even if it was a losing battle. He had graduated out of Trinity College and met Shizuka when she was an associate starting out at a firm in London.

"How are Adam and Michael?" asked Tsukushi.

"Fine. Michael cried as I left. I almost couldn't go, but Adam told me to get on the plane. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here," replied Shizuka with a laugh.

"Do you mind staying at my flat?" asked Tsukushi.

"Not at all. How has it been so far? It must be strange to be back in Japan like this," said Shizuka.

"I should ask you that question. I've been busy with work and school. The usual. Just another location in the world," said Tsukushi.

The two women walked to the waiting car. "Have you heard from him lately?" asked Shizuka.

Tsukushi knew exactly who Shizuka was talking about. "Yes. He sent a dozen roses to my room at the Maple. He's getting bolder."

"Sammi must be worried. There's so much more security," said Shizuka.

"I don't know why everyone is so worried," muttered Tsukushi. "There are just days where I wish I could just get away from all of this."

"You chose this life, Tsukushi," Shizuka reminded her. "By the way, have you seen anyone from the old crowd?"

"What do you mean?" asked Tsukushi.

"There was a lot of news in Europe about your big date with Tsukasa," teased Shizuka.

"You heard about that? It was a disaster," sighed Tsukushi. She related the whole story to Shizuka. By the end, she was laughing.

"He called you a prostitute? I never thought he'd go that far," laughed Shizuka.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. I did see Rui yesterday. Do you want to know what he's been up to?" asked Tsukushi, changing the topic all together.

"I hope he's doing well. I didn't hear anything about him assuming power in his father's company," said Shizuka. Tsukushi told her what happened. "Oh, I see. I never would have expected that from him," said Shizuka with a smile. She knew that she had nothing to do with Rui's decisions these days. There was nothing really left to their relationship.

"I hope you don't mind me imposing on you in your home," said Shizuka.

"It's okay. I don't mind at all. It's only three days. And you could never impose on me. I read the script last night after I heard your message. It's a really good one. I want to do this movie, Shizuka," said Tsukush. "I want to try something new."

"Sounds good to me. Are you really happy? Or are you just telling yourself that?" asked Shizuka, leaving Tsukushi something to think about as they drove back to her flat.

*

By the end of the day, there were more rumors flying around Eirin. There was a change going underway. The students were looking at Mariko with a whole new light. Some of the boys who didn't know who she was now noticed her. The girls were jealous of her, especially the ones from Susumu's fan club.

Mariko wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. However, she couldn't stop herself from going to the track to watch Susumu practice. He was doing splendidly, landing all of his jumps perfectly. She sighed to herself. Maybe, the other girls were right. Susumu was too high up for her.

She was about ready to walk off, but Susumu spotted her. "I didn't know you were here," he said out loud.

"I came to thank you for what you did," said Mariko with a smile as she turned around.

"You could try doing that yourself. Are you really that weak?" he asked her, but his voice displayed no malice.

Mariko felt something shatter inside her. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I mean why don't you just stand up for yourself. I don't like weak people. You're the weakest person I've ever seen," Susumu told her. "How do you walk around without a spine? You can't always depend on someone to rescue you all the time. You have to learn how to stand on your own."

Her eyes filled with tears. So that was what Makino Susumu thought about her. Her heart broke. She looked up at him.

"You're crying. How predictable," he said in a bored tone. Something came over Mariko. She marched up to him and slapped him. He looked at her in astonishment as he held his cheek. The rest of the track team members stared at them.

"You--" she started to say, but she stopped herself. She glared at him as the tears came down her cheeks. "I don't need you to do anything more for me. You've done enough!" she cried as she ran off, leaving Susumu bewildered.

This threw Susumu off balance. The practice was pretty much ruined. He yelled at his other teammates and stalked off early, wondering what he had done wrong. His cell phone went off as he walked off to go to work at the cafe. "What?" he responded without checking who was calling.

"That's a nice way to greet your older sister. Do you want to come over to my place this afternoon?" she asked.

"What time?" he asked.

"Three or four. Whatever time is convient for you," said Tsukushi. "I have to go. We're waiting for something thing. See you soon."

Susumu decided he was no mood to go to work. He would likely get himself fired. He called his boss and apologized for not being able to make it. He decided to go straight to his sister's apartment. He took the subway to his sister's apartment, which wasn't too far away from Eirin. However, he took his time and didn't get there until four in the afternoon.

"Hey, Susumu-kun," said Yuki as she showed up. He whirled around, but she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Must you ask so many questions?" asked Susumu. Kin-san walked up only to see Susumu go ahead of them.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Kin-san.

"I have no idea," said Yuki. "He's so temperamental these days. It's hard to believe how much he's changed in the past five years."

"Let's go up and see what's happening. You wouldn't know, would you?" asked Kin-san.

"I have no idea. It's a some kind of surprise. All I know is that Shizuka Kent was at the offices and they were doing some kind of negotiations," replied Yuki. It was true; she had no idea what was happening because she was in the accounting department most of the time.

Yuki and Kin-san were allowed inside by the front desk and the bodyguard stationed outside. They took the elevator up to find Shizuka, Sammi, and Tsukushi sitting around the table having tea. "Oh, you made it. Susumu didn't say anything about seeing you out there. He came up only a minute ago," said Tsukushi.

"Where is he?" asked Yuki as she took of her coat and hung it on the coat rack.

"He went into my study and said something about leaving him alone," replied Tsukushi with a shrug.

"Hello Shizuka-san," said Yuki as she smiled at her.

"It's good to finally meet you." said Shizuka. "I feel like an old friend because I've heard so much about you two."

"Likewise," said Kin-san, but he and Yuki were more bothered by Susumu's actions. "What's wrong with him?" he asked.

"I have no idea," replied Tsukushi calmly.

"Don't you think you should find out?" asked Yuki, thinking it was odd that Tsukushi hadn't threaten him or anything.

"What time is it?" asked Tsukushi. Kin-san glanced at his watch. "It's 4:16," he replied.

"It's tea time. We can all have some civility around here. Have a seat. Both of you," said Tsukushi. Yuki and Kin-san looked at her suspiciously, then at each other before finally taking a seat. It did seem strange that Tsukushi was so calm about her brother barricading himself in her study.

Susumu was pacing back and forth, replaying what had happened at the track. Why would Mariko get so upset over the truth like that? He was always a straight forward person. Most people didn't get upset at him when he said things. They took his criticism with some dignity. For the life of him, Susumu couldn't figure out why Mariko was crying like that and why she slapped him.

"What do you suppose he's doing in there?" asked Sammi, now a little concerned. Susumu had been in Tsukushi's study longer than thirty minutes.

"Probably brooding," said Kin-san as he took a sip of tea.

"You probably should do something about this," said Yuki to Tsukushi.

"You really should," agreed Shizuka.

"Never mind him right now. Anyway, I have to go and do the shoot in Okinawa. I don't know exactly how long I'm going to be gone. I'm going to leave right after the track meet at Eitoku," said Tsukushi cheerfully.

"I can't believe you managed to negotiate such a wonderful deal for her, Shizuka-san," said Kin-san.

"It was nothing. Just doing my job," said Shizuka modestly.

"Why are you both so calm about this?" demanded Yuki.

"Okay, Yuki. Okay. What time is it, Kin-san?" asked Tsukushi as she looked at him.

"It's 5:02. Why?" replied Kin-san.

"Tea time is over," said Sammi simple. Tsukushi stood up and marched up to her study. She knocked on the door first. There came no response. "Susumu. Open the door." There came no response again. Sighing, Tsukushi looked at Sammi. "Get me the key to my study." She knew that he had locked the door.

Sammi shook her head. "The extra keys are locked in the safe. They're in the study," she said.

"I see. Shizuka, would you mind lending me a hairpin?" asked Tsukushi.

"Sure," said Shizuka as she pulled one out of her hair. Tsukushi took it and bent it a little bit and went to the door. She picked the lock.

"Where did you learn how to pick a lock?" asked Yuki in amazement as Tsukushi dexterously picked the lock to her study. "Charlie, Sammi's older brother, taught me how," replied Tsukshi.

"Susumu," she said as she opened the door. "I need to talk to you." She walked in and closed the door behind her. The rest of them wondered what was happening. They all stood up and walked toward the door. "It's too quiet in there," said Yuki as she bit her bottom lip.

"I know what you mean," said Kin-san as he pressed his ear again the door.

"I wonder what's going on in there," murmured Shizuka as she looked at Sammi who could only shrug.

They didn't have to wonder too long because Tsukushi started yelling, "YOU BRAT! NO WONDER SHE CRIED! YOU ARE SO INSENSITIVE! HOW COULD I HAVE RAISED YOU THIS WAY?! CALL HER AND APOLOGIZE!"

"LIKE HELL I AM! SHE HUMILIATED ME IN PUBLIC!" fired back Susumu.

"YOU CALL HER AND APOLOGIZE RIGHT NOW!" ordered Tsukushi. "AND DON'T YOU DARE YELL BACK AT ME LIKE THAT! I'M OLDER THAN YOU! SHOW ME SOME RESPECT, YOU BRAT!"

The group outside winced. Shizuka thought that Tsukushi was a lot like Doumyouji Tsubaki. When it came to their younger brothers, Tsukushi and Tsubaki had to use force. Kin-san shook his head as he looked at the ladies around him. He really didn't want to step in. "Maybe, we should leave them alone. This seems like a family thing," he said.

"Yes," agreed everyone else, but they kept their eyes on the door as the sound of scuffling took place. Shizuka could guess who was winning. Or rather who wasn't fighting back. She smiled as she shook her head.

"So, how old is your son?" asked Yuki.

"He's two and a half," replied Shizuka proudly. "Would you like to see a picture?"

"I would love to," replied Yuki. Shizuka handed her a picture from her wallet. Yuki gazed at the handsome little boy. He looked like a happy child.

"That's it. This has gone on just long enough," said Sammi as she marched up to the study door and pulled it opened. The scene that greeted her and Kin-san was very amusing. Tsukushi had Susumu up against the wall. She had her foot right on his chest. He looked shaken. "What?" they asked in unison.

"Okay, this explains so much," said Sammi.

"I don't know her phone number. I only know her year and name. That's it," said Susumu. "Now, let me go, Oneesan."

Kin-san was doubled over helplessly with laughter while Shizuka and Yuki stared at him. Sammi sighed and turned her attention back to the Makinos. Tsukushi released Susumu by putting her foot back on the ground with the other one. She was flexible because of her daily yoga routine.

"I have an idea," said Shizuka happily. "Why don't we have a house warming party for you, Tsukushi? Just like what we did when you moved to your own place in London. We can invite some company over or just keep it small."

"I could do the cooking," offered Kin-san, already liking the idea.

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Susumu gruffly. He was smacked upside the head by his sister. "ONEESAN!" he roared at her as he rubbed the spot that had made contact with Tsukushi's hand.

"You brat, it's my apartment. I can have a get together if I want. Besides, you can invite Mariko-chan over. I don't care how you feel about her. I like her," said Tsukushi. "Bring her to Gaia Records tomorrow after school then we can get back here and have the house warming. Is tomorrow too soon for anyone?"

"No, not at all," replied Shizuka for everyone else. Susumu stood there grumbling. Was there anyone else in the world who was having a hard time like him? Why was he curse with such a horrible older sibling?

*

Nishkado Tori was still pondering. He was thinking about what had happened at the track meet with Makino. Who was Makino's sister? There seemed to be something familiar about her, specifically her voice. It was soft and sultry. He could have sworn he had heard her voice before. There came a knock at his bedroom door. "Who's there?" he demanded.

"Me," said Soujirou. "Where are my car keys?"

"What?" asked Tori. Ever since he came home from bordering school and started again in Eitoku, he and Soujirou were always bumping heads. "Why would I have your keys? It's your car."

"There they are," said Soujirou as he walked into Tori's room and picked them off the desk. "I know you're the one who's been taking my car out. You're not even old enough to drive. You don't even have a license."

"What's your point?" asked Tori cheekily. "I learned how to drive in America. They let people drive when they're sixteen there." The bordering he had attended for the last two years was on the East Coast of the United States.

"We're in Japan, idiot!" shouted Soujirou, losing his patience. Most people couldn't get under his skin, but Tori was an expert at it.

"Hey! Don't yell at me just because you can't go out and have a social life anymore," fired back Tori. It was true. Soujirou was more and more busy because their father was slacking off more, forcing him to take their father's place. The effects of their father's behavior made Tori lash out as oppose to making him more responsible like Soujirou. Their mother's guilt trips had no effect on Tori's behavior.

Soujirou found himself acting as a parent more and more towards Tori because of their father's constant absence. "You need to grow up. Stop humiliating this family and learn some manners," said Soujirou coldly.

"'Learn some manners?' You're just quoting that stupid bitch from the track meet, aren't you? You're just a puppet who can't think think of anything original," said Tori.

Soujirou started laughing to Tori's surprise. It vexed him. "Why the Hell are you laughing?" he demanded.

"You have no idea who that woman is, do you?" laughed Soujirou.

"I don't care!" shouted back Tori.

"You should. She's the most powerful woman I have ever met. She's the only person I know of who has stood up to the F4 without blinking. She's even stood up to Doumyouji Kaede," said Soujirou.

Tori stood still with his mouth hanging open. He had never met Doumyouji Kaede, but he had heard the stories of the ruthless business woman. He had never heard of anyone standing up to his brother and his friends. He looked up at his brother, mildly stunned, "Who the Hell is she? Why are you afraid of her?" he asked.

"She is Makino Tsukushi. And I am not afraid of her. I respect her," said Soujirou. He thought about how it would have been like if Makino never entered his life. He would have never met Yuki. He thought about her more often. He could have called her, if he had wanted to.

"How could you respect her for standing up to you?" asked Tori.

Soujirou smiled at him before ruffling his hair. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You're in for a big surprise. I'm not helping you out. Later," said Soujirou as he walked out of the Tori's room. He wore a smirk on his face. He was thinking of telling Tori about Tsukushi's job, but he had decided that it would be more fun if Tori found out on his own.

Tori stood in his room. He was more puzzled than ever. He decided it was time for some music. He cursed because his Ringo Arisu CD was in Soujirou's car. However, he had the MP3s in his computer, so he turned it on. He had to relax in order to figure out what was so special about Makino Tsukushi.

*

It was around 5:45 in the afternoon when Megumi Hiro called Tsukushi's cell. "Hello?" answered Tsukushi.

"Hello, this is Hiro. I was trying to come up with an idea for your album. You know that song we're supposed to work on together. Could you come out with me for a little bit?" he asked.

"I don't know I have some company over. Hold on a sec," said Tsukushi as she capped her hand over the speaker of the phone. "It's Megumi Hiro. I have to work on the new album."

"Ask him if you can do it any other time," said Sammi, concerned about Tsukushi's safety. They had a huge argument after she came back. They resolved before the business meeting that morning because Shizuka mitigated between them to settle their argument.

"Is there any other time?" asked Tsukushi.

"Actually, not really. I wanted you to come with me to some jazz clubs. You said that you liked blues and jazz, right? I thought that you might be interested," replied Hiro.

Tsukushi smiled. She did want to check out the clubs. "Oh, that's it. Okay, I'll take some of my bodyguards with me and I'll met you there. Where?"

"The Down Low," replied Hiro.

"Okay, bye. I'll see you then," said Tsukushi.

"Later," he said as he hung up.

"What?" asked Kin-san.

"Does anyone want to go to the Down Low with me tonight?" asked Tsukushi as she hung up.

"What's that?" asked Sammi.

"It's a jazz club," replied Tsukushi. "I'm sure that Hiro won't mind. And I'm thinking of inviting him to the house warming."

"I've got to take care of some business tonight," said Sammi apologetically.

"I have to go to the restaurant," said Kin-san. "If I want to take the evening off tomorrow night, then I'll have to go and work tonight."

"Sure, I'd like to come," said Yuki. "I've never been to a jazz club."

"So, would I," agreed Shizuka. "It's been a while since I've seen Tokyo at night.

"What about you?" asked Tsukushi pointedly as she looked at her younger brother.

"Do whatever you want. I'm going home," replied Susumu as he walked out of her apartment.

Tsukushi shrugged and sighed, "Teenagers. What are you going to do?"

AN: Longer than I expected it to be. Tori will find out who Tsukushi is soon enough. I wanted to do this chapter to start showing the boys' personalities. I really didn't dive into Shizuka's personality for this part because we already know her personality and it hasn't changed that much from the manga. The boys will play their roles later on, so this further sets them up. Mariko's role in the story is like Tori's secondary compared to what Susumu will do later.

I also wanted to show some growth in Soujirou's personality. He has to act as an authority figure with his brother because their father is absent. In the manga, Soujirou's father is goes off to Kyoto to be with his mistress. Actually, the pairing between Soujirou and Yuki is the only pairing I am sure of. I would like to show that Soujirou has grown up a little bit.

As for Tsukushi? Hmm...refer to my journal for further speculations: http://ayane.blurty.com

Disclaimer: I do not own Hana Yori Dango.