Chapter Ten: Then and Now

The chill of the restaurant's air conditioner was a welcome change, actually feeling warmer than the unusually cold Fall temperature outside and allowing me to unbutton a couple of coat buttons.

"Table for one, sir?" a blue-haired waitress asked, her white-and-gold uniform showing more of her cleavage than I was comfortable with.

"Hello, miss." I tugged on my tie to loosen it ever so slightly to relieve my throat of some unnecessary pressure. "Actually, I'm meet-"

"Tomoya! Over here!" a familiar purple-haired voice called, and I found Kyou waving at me from a corner booth, her sister sitting quietly beside her.

I looked back to the waitress as she also looked back from the pair. "I'm meeting them," I told her with a gesture and a smile, though it was likely unnecessary at that point. "If I may…?"

"By all means," she said with a bow – showing even more cleavage – and as she moved to help another customer, I shook my head with a sigh as I moved into the sea of tables.

"Hey, you two," I greeted as I approached the twins. "It's been a-"

"Yo, Okazaki!" a familiar high-pitched and nasally voice greeted, causing me to jump, and I turned wide eyes on Sunohara – dark hair and all – as he gave me a two-fingered salute from his seat across from the girls. "It's been a while!"

"Y-Yes, it has," I briefly stammered; having my intended greeting inadvertently stolen from me left me momentarily without words.

"Surprised?" I looked over at Kyou, who was studying me with a catlike grin. "Youhei said he'd be in town for a few days, so I thought I'd call and see if you were free."

"That's…good." Truth be told, I wasn't sure how to react; apparently I'd been working with professionals for just long enough that I'd effectively forgotten how to relate to my old schoolmates. "I apologize; when I heard your message, I wasn't sure what to expect, so…" I cleared my throat as I grabbed onto my more professional demeanor. "In any case, thank you for thinking of me."

"Where the hell'd you learn to talk like that?" Sunohara snorted as he scooted over on the bench seat. "Eh, whatever. C'mon, sit down, man; I wanna hear what you've been up to that's got you all suited up like this."

I studied him as I claimed the proffered seat; other than his hair color, he hadn't seemed to have changed much since school. He wore a light-blue dress shirt along with what appeared to be dark-blue slacks; it was hard to perceive the latter under the tabletop, of course. His hair had been cut shorter as well; not military short, but noticeably shorter than what I'd been accustomed to.

"Yeah, Tomoya, let's hear it," Kyou chimed in, drawing my attention as I settled in. "Last we knew, you and the Chorus Club were doing musicals with us, but after graduation you just…vanished."

"Well…" I started as I loosened my tie further, partly to relieve myself of my anxiety and partly to give myself time to construct a reply. "After we graduated, I assisted Yukio and his group as they participated in the 'Rising Stars' competition. May I assume that you've heard of that event?"

The twins exchanged a glance. "We…have, but we don't generally have the time to watch it," Kyou replied.

"I'm not interested in that crap, anyway," Sunohara blurted out, then ducked his head at a glare from Kyou. "But I would've watched it if I'd known that your harem was on it."

I sighed. "They're called the 'Angels of Japan' and I'm only dating Rie. Anyway, her group competed in the following cycle, and after they won they signed on with 'Go! Go! Idols!'."

"Never heard of that company," Kyou remarked. "But I've heard about the Angels of Japan. That's your girlfriend's group?"

"It is, and Yukio's group is called the 'Lords of Doo-Wop'.

"Oh, yeah…" Sunohara said with a snap of his fingers. "I thought I heard something about them a while back."

"Because they're still students, they're only allowed to perform on weekends," I explained. "I'm hoping that they'll go full-time after they graduate, though; they all have amazing voices, and I think that they could go far in the industry."

"And what about you?" Kyou asked. "You've been talking about your groups, but what about you?"

"Me?" I'd been so focused on how proud I was of my singers that the question caught me off-guard. "Um… There's not much to say about me, to be honest; I just try to find performance venues and fill out the appropriate paperwork. Between that and acting as the Chorus Club's advisor, I keep pretty busy."

"Wait…you're the advisor now?" Sunohara asked with a look of wide-eyed surprise.

"I am," I confirmed with a nod. "After Koumura-sensei retired last year, he recommended to the school that I take over the advisory role. I was never informed as to why, but I assume that it's due to my contributions to-"

SNORT!

I blinked across the table at Kyou, who was hiding a smirk behind her hand. "Sorry, but do you have any idea how you sound?" she snorted. "You sound like a middle-aged businessman, but you're the same age as us."

I sighed as I remembered that Sakagami had said almost exactly the same thing. "So I've heard. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable."

"It's just…weird, man," Sunohara chimed in. "I mean, we haven't seen you in ages, and you show up all dressed and talking…" He waved a hand at Kyou. "…well, like she said."

"I like it," a timid voice interjected, and we looked as one to Fujibayashi, who quickly blushed under the sudden attention. "He sounds so mature…" She sat up straight to look me in the eye. "Good for you, Okazaki-kun; I believed that you could be successful and now you are."

"I'm getting there, slowly," I admitted. "In any case; thank you very much, Fujibayashi."

She immediately blushed molten. "Y-You're welcome!" she squeaked, her prior courage having apparently left her as she ducked her head and averted her gaze.

"Excuse me," came a new yet oddly familiar feminine voice, "if you're ready, I can take your order."

I redirected my attention from my blushing, purple-haired friend to address the newcomer. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite… Hey, it's you!"

Furukawa Nagisa stood before our table, wearing the cleavage-revealing uniform and an expression of surprise. "O-Okazaki-san?!" She glanced down and quickly pressed her notepad against her chest. "I-It's been a long time!"

"Sure seems like it," I agreed. "How have you been? Did you start here after graduation?"

"I'm sorry," she said with a bow while keeping her notepad against her chest. "I'm not supposed to talk about personal matters during my shift."

"Right, I'm sorry," I said with a raised hand. "I should have known better."

"I-it's okay!" she exclaimed as she straightened. "M-May I take your order?"

I looked sheepishly over at my tablemates. "Go ahead and order if you're ready; I don't mean to hold things up."

"D-Don't worry about it," Fujibayashi said while glancing repeatedly at our server. "We can wait…right, Onee-chan?"

"Yeah, we'll wait," Kyou replied, shooting a glare across the table at Sunohara; I didn't see him in time, but I figured that he'd made the mistake of opening his mouth to protest.

I looked back to Furukawa with a smile. "I apologize; could you give me another minute or two?"

"O-Of course!" she squeaked. "I'll…be back!" And with that, she spun so quickly that she nearly slapped me with her skirt just before she hurried off.

I made sure that she was out of sight before resting my head in a hand with a sigh.

"Figured it out, huh?" I heard Kyou ask, to which I nodded. "You used to miss pretty obvious cues back then."

"I was busy feeling sorry for myself," I sighed as I removed my hand to look her in the eye. "But I've seen a lot in the idol industry that has helped me to recognize the signs. Not that she made it hard to recognize, anyway," I finished with a wave of my hand toward the center of the eatery, where Furukawa was likely bussing other tables.

"Sheesh, Okazaki; there are guys out there who would kill to have your problem," Sunohara remarked, and I looked over in surprise at his words. "I couldn't get any attention to save my life, and you all but had the Chorus Club president falling at your feet. The Genius Girl, too."

"That's because you acted like an arrogant jerk," Kyou said matter-of-factly with a flip of her hair. "Please tell us that you've grown up since then."

He scoffed with an expression of disbelief before looking to me. "Okazaki, are you going to let her talk to your best friend like that?"

I sighed; I didn't like it, but he'd been needing to hear it for a long time. "I hate to say it, but I can't exactly argue with her. You and I were both difficult to deal with, and effectively for the same reason; self-pity, though our reasons differed."

"Bullshit!" he hissed, then hung his head with a sigh. "But…you're right, dammit."

Kyou opened her mouth, but I held up a hand to request her silence. "I really am sorry to have to tell you all this. For what it's worth, I think that you could still go a long way in soccer if you could get your ego out of the way."

He flicked a glare at me, but it quickly shifted into a frown. "You're right again, but I wish you hadn't said it in front of the women."

"So you think I'm a-"

"Kyou, please," I interrupted as politely as I could while holding up a hand again; I really didn't need her potentially fanning the flames of his bruised self-esteem. "Sunohara, I remember seeing your skills on the field, and – while I'm no expert – I have good reason to believe that you could be quite successful."

He huffed, he glared at me, but he eventually sighed heavily. "You really think I should try?"

"Would you rather be driving taxis for the rest of your life?" Kyou asked with a surprisingly gentle tone.

He opened his mouth, but Furukawa's return prevented him from answering. "Are you ready, Okazaki-san?"

I gave a chuckling sigh. "No, but give me a moment to pick something." I glanced up at her with an apologetic expression. "Sorry about that."

"D-Don't worry about it!" she squeaked as she pressed her notebook to her chest once again.

While the others gave their orders I grabbed up my menu and quickly perused it and selected a chicken dish with broccoli and mashed potato. "I'd like this with apple juice, please," I told her when it was my turn.

"Of course!" she chirped as she vigorously scribbled on her pad. Your meals should be ready in about fifteen minutes!" She then bowed before hurrying off, nearly slapping me with her skirt again with her departure.

"She's sure got it for you," Sunohara remarked as we watched her disappear into the kitchen area. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Me?" I replied with a blink. "As far as I know, she's already aware of my relationship with Rie."

"Yeah, but it's obvious that she likes you," Kyou said with a careful flip of her hair.

"Granted, but until she says something more direct, I'm not going to make assumptions regarding her intent," I told them. Kana's situation with the stalker suddenly came to mind and I quickly added, "Of course, one can be too direct…"

"Huh?"

"Never mind," I said with a chuckle and a slight wave of my hand. "Just remembering an awkward situation from a while back."

"Ooooookaaaaayyyy…" my former sparring partner replied with a puzzled expression.

Our meals came a little earlier than expected and we all began to eat…after giving thanks, of course. During our dinner discussion, I found out that Sunohara had a younger sister named Mei, and that she had been the one to convince him to visit the city of his old school. "She got it in her head that I should come back here," he explained. "She thinks that seeing my old stomping grounds will help me figure out what I'm supposed to do next. Or something like that."

"Have your efforts borne any fruit?" I asked before taking a bite of chicken.

He gave me an odd look before answering. "Um, not yet; I just got here yesterday, and I ran into these two on the way from the train station. All I've been able to do is get settled in at my hotel room and come for this. Well, and sleep, of course."

"Well, I hope that you find what you need," I said with an encouraging smile. I then turned my attention to the twins. "Speaking of aspirations; what have the two of you been working toward?"

Kyou was in the middle of a bite so her sister answered. "I'm working at the hospital in the next town over as a nurse."

"Well, good for you!" I exclaimed while keeping the restaurant's quiet atmosphere in mind. "Are you planning on working in the medical field long-term?"

"I-I don't know," she replied, her cheeks pinking as she looked away. "I guess I just want to help people, and I thought this would be a good way to do it."

"So you're testing the proverbial waters?" I followed up.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well, good for you," I said before realizing that I was repeating myself. "I hope that this works out well for you."

"Th-…Thank you."

"I'm working toward a degree in teaching," Kyou said before I could even ask. She then smirked at me. "Well? Are you surprised?"

"I am," I admitted, "but it's a good kind of surprise. While I wouldn't have thought of you in a teaching role specifically, I can see it."

"Will you stop talking like that?!" Sunohara huffed, drawing our attention to his annoyed expression. "God, you sound so stuffy."

I sighed. "I apologize. At this point, though…?" I shrugged with my hands. "I'm not sure if I could go back to my old way of speaking, even if I wanted to; I've been in the industry just long enough, I suppose."

"I-I like it," I heard Fujibayashi say, though she averted her gaze once again when I looked to her.

"I'm getting used to it," Kyou chimed in. "it's still kinda weird coming from your mouth, but I kinda like it."

I smiled at my old sparring partner. "Thanks, Kyou; truth be told, it took me a while to get used to it myself."

"What is myself…?"

Something about Sunohara's words… "Weren't you asking yourself something like that last year?" I asked.

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, his eyes unfocused; to my surprise, Kyou managed to avoid commenting on the action. "Yeah, I was. It's just that…I dunno…" He sighed again. "Seeing you helping out the Chorus Club got me thinking… And now that you're a big shot now and all got me thinking about it again."

"I see." I gave his words time to sink in before turning just enough to rest an elbow on the table and my head against my fist to study him. "What are you, Sunohara?"

He flicked his gaze up to me. "I dunno, man."

"You don't seem like the taxi-driver-type to me, Youhei," Kyou remarked with a surprisingly gentle tone; it hadn't been that long, so I still remembered their occasionally-hostile interactions from last year. However, her expression then turned impish. "If you really have the 'mad soccah skillz' like Tomoya said, wouldn't it be a waste to not use them?"

Sunohara scoffed behind a hand. "Never thought I'd hear you try to encourage me." Another sigh. "Yeah, I was a bit of an asshole, wasn't I?"

"Whether you were or not doesn't change the decision that you can make right now," I said, tapping the table for emphasis.

"True," he grunted, his eyes unfocused again. Then his mouth twitched to the side. "Thanks, guys. I guess I have a lot to think about."

"Just don't hurt yourself," Kyou quipped with a twinkle in her eye.

To my surprise, Sunohara started to chuckle quietly, and the rest of us soon followed.

We finished our meals, and I waited for several minutes while poor Furukawa botched my transaction several times, earning me almost the same number of nudges and knowing grins from Kyou. Eventually she was able to produce a receipt and the correct change, and the four of us headed out of the restaurant. "Hey, Tomoya; could I have your number?" Kyou suddenly piped up. "I mean, your cell number?"

My lips flapped with my sigh as I considered her request. "I suppose it's fine," I finally replied, reaching into my jacket's inside pocket to withdraw my phone. "The only thing I'd ask is that you keep in mind that this is primarily for business; Kotomi and Hanzo gave this to me for that purpose, and I'd like to honor their intent."

"Who's Hanzo?" Fujibayashi asked in her typical timid style.

It took me a moment to realize why she'd ask. "He's the bass for the Lords of Doo-Wop?" I prompted in an attempt to jog her memory. "He's the big guy that Kotomi ended up hanging out with."

"Who could forget?" Kyou said while wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, and it was hard to miss the glow in her eyes.

"Those two are dating now," I added carefully, hoping to extinguish her flame without needlessly hurting her. "They started shortly before summer break, if I remember correctly."

"Eh, still no harm in looking, right?" Kyou countered, glow still in place.

"Onee-chan…" Fujibayashi giggled.

"I'm surprised your woman would let you go out with friends, though," Sunohara remarked, then had to dodge a glare from the older twin. "I just mean that you two were so lovey-dovey that…" He shrugged his hands, apparently unsure of how to finish his thought.

I sighed and then realized that I'd been doing that a lot during my time with my old schoolmates. "All right, I guess it's fine to tell you, but this goes no further than the three of you, understood?" After all three of them nodded I told them about the situation with GGI, about the illegal alteration to the Angels' contract, and how Rie and I were putting up a false front in an effort to assist in finding the culprit. "I'll admit that it's not easy," I added. "Not being able to hold her…? Sometimes it feels like I'm being torn apart."

"That really sucks," Sunohara said with a clap to my back. "Sorry, man."

"I had no idea…" Kyou breathed, but unlike my old delinquent buddy she rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Sometimes I feel like a coward…" I admitted as we turned a corner. "I talk about being strong and all that, but sometimes I just want to give in and…and take her in my arms."

Apparently I caused the others to feel awkward, because no one knew what to say to that right up until we reached the crosswalk where we would part ways. "Hang in there, Tomoya," Kyou said with an encouraging squeeze of my hand. "I know I gave you a lot of crap last year, but I know that you're a strong man and can do this."

"Thank you," I managed as I felt my cheeks heat up. I then paused for a moment to study my old classmates. "You know, it might sound odd for me to say this, but I miss high school. More specifically, I miss our interactions."

"Yeah, me too," Sunohara agreed. "Even the ones with you, Kyou," he added, earning a dirty look that quickly faded to a smile.

I chuckled at the exchange before an impulse had me checking my watch. "Sorry, but I need to go; I have some paperwork to take care of before club."

"Catch you later, man," Sunohara said with a lift of his hand.

I briefly studied the trio once more before giving a brisk nod and turning to head back home.

"Okazaki-kun!"

I stopped and turned to find Fujibayashi hurrying to catch up with me; I had been walking at a pretty quick pace, after all. "What is it?"

She stopped before me, and I noticed a couple of droplets of sweat on her cheek and forehead as she worked to catch her breath; beyond her, I could see her sister waiting with arms crossed. "I-I'm sorry, but I have to tell you something before you go."

I nodded agreeably. "Okay, I can spare a minute. What's up?"

She took one last breath before fixing me with her gaze. "You're not a coward, Okazaki-kun," she declared, surprisingly without her typical stutter.

I blinked at her words. "Um, thank you, but what makes you say that?"

"You face your feelings and have been trying to fight them, whereas I…" She glanced away, apparently unable to look me in the eye. "I'm the real coward."

"How so?" I asked, concerned by her self-assessment.

She took a deep breath. "Because… Because I love you."

"Huh?"

She giggled, most likely at what must have been a confused expression on my face. "I have been attracted to you since early in our second year of high school, but I never could get the courage to tell you."

"I see…" I murmured as I thought back on as many of our interactions as I could recall; suddenly her interest in talking with me made sense. "I'm sorry for having been so dense."

She shook her head vigorously. "It's not your fault, Okazaki-kun; like you said about Nagisa-san earlier, it was my responsibility to tell you, not for you to second-guess me."

"I see…" I repeated, unsure of how else to respond. "Well… Thank you for thinking so highly of me; I regret that I cannot respond in kind."

"I understand completely," she said with a raised hand, as though to stop me. "The only reason I'm telling you is so that I can tell you…if that makes any sense."

"Closure?"

"Exactly."

I briefly regarded my old class representative before bowing to her. "Fujibayashi, thank you for loving me and for talking to me during our time in school. I wish the best for you in life, and…" I gave myself a moment to think about how I wanted to phrase the next part of my wish. "…may you find one who can love and appreciate you the way you should be."

She gasped with her hand to her chest, and her eyes started to glisten. "Don't say things like that, Okazaki-kun; you'll make me love you even more."

In spite of the tears in her eyes she managed a giggle, and when she reached out to me I let her fall into my arms, and as she cried my mind drifted back to our interactions at school, and I smiled softly as I gave her a gentle squeeze.

I checked my watch as I passed through the gates to Hikarizaka High School; even though my time with Kyou and the others had taken me away from my paperwork, I was able to work my way through enough of it to enable me to leave the house with a clear mind.

"Checking in to check out our girls again, Okazaki?" Himura asked as she rested her elbows on her desk as she leaned forward, and I realized that I could nearly see down the plunging neckline of her blouse and felt my face heat up; apparently my time around the restaurant's uniform had made me a little more sensitive to how women presented themselves. Or maybe it was due to my pseudo-separation from Rie? Maybe it was a bit of both.

I shook my head to clear out the random thought before answering. "Not this time, Himura; sorry, I guess I'm feeling, um…serious today."

"I see…" she said, straightening in her chair and removing her cleavage from my view. "Okay, Serious-san; you're checked in. Have fun with your serious duties."

I chuckled at her playful jab. "Thank you, Himitsu; have a good day."

I felt her eyes on my back as I left the office, and as I headed away toward the old school building I furtively glanced back to find that she was, in fact, watching me with a small smile. A sudden feeling of self-consciousness had me double-timing it to the doors, though I opened them carefully so as to not slam them; I didn't want any more unwanted attention, after all.

The familiar sounds of the Chorus Club room brought a smile to my face as I felt myself start to relax; prior to my involvement with the club, I never would have thought myself happy to come back to the school for anything.

"Boss T!" Yukio called with a wave; as usual, he sat with his group plus Yuki and Kotomi.

"Yukio!" I called back. "Any new tunes for us today?"

"Not today, Boss," he replied at a lower volume as I approached the group. "I hear that Souta and his boys have been working on something, but I don't think they're ready yet."

"Give us a couple more days, sensei," Souta called from another part of the room, drawing my attention to the quartet of first-years. "I think we've just about got it down."

"I'm looking forward to it," I told him. "Another Statler Brothers song?"

"Of course!" he chirped, smiling along with his group. "Still a lot of songs of theirs to sing!"

I chuckled at his exuberance, then noticed as the Angels entered the club room. Remembering my schedule for the evening, I made my way over, and – after exchanging a smile with Rie – stopped Kana with a gentle touch to her shoulder. "Are we still on for tonight?"

For some reason, she blushed lightly as she looked away. "Y-Yeah."

Her behavior had me understandably concerned. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh!" she squeaked. "Um, yes! Sorry, it's just that…the way you said it made it sound like a d-date or something."

I played back my statement, then scoffed at my mistake. "I can see how it could be interpreted that way, sure. I'm sorry about that."

"P-Please don't worry about it," she replied, her blush already starting to fade as she met my gaze; I marveled at how much she looked like Fujibayashi. "I know what you meant; it's just that it took me by surprise. Anyway, yes, my mom and dad are looking forward to meeting you tonight. In person, I mean."

"Of course," I replied, somewhat amused by her behavior; next to our conversation during the incident with the stalker, this was the longest I could remember talking with her. "I look forward to meeting them in person as well." She nibbled on her lip with a faraway look in her eyes, which piqued my curiosity. "Was there something else?"

"Huh?" She blinked out of her reverie to refocus on me. "No. Well, not really." She sighed and giggled at the same time. "It's just that…my mom and dad aren't like other parents, you see."

"How so?"

Another giggle-sigh. "It's kinda hard to explain, just…try to not be surprised, okay?"

I blinked; she hadn't given me much to go on, but… "I'll…do my best."

"Then I'll see you tonight," she replied, then shook her head rather vigorously. "Er, we'll see you tonight."

I studied her as she rejoined Rie and the other Angels; while her behavior wasn't overtly suspicious, it did seem as though she spoken to me as though talking to her crush. "Hm," I finally decided before moving to check on the next group; since I really didn't know her too well, there was no point in potentially overanalyzing the situation.

As with my visits with the Sugisakas and the Hattoris the two nights prior, I double-checked the address in my phone with that of the home before me before heading up the short walkway to the Uematsu residence. From my conversations with her parents I knew that Kana lived with her mother and father but didn't know if she had any siblings.

After one last check of the address, I reached up and knocked on the door. The door opened, and I had to force my jaw from dropping.

On the other side of the doorway stood one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen in my life. Long flowing silver hair framed a heart-shaped, youthful face before cascading down narrow shoulders to brush against the soft skin of her arms. Round, blue eyes twinkled at me from just below the curtain of silver, and her nose appeared to have been perfectly chiseled from the finest marble. Full lips tinted the same color as her hair turned upward in a gentle smile. A floor-length light-blue dress cautiously hugged a slim yet curvy figure, and white slippers covered her delicate feet. All that was missing was the halo.

I forced myself into my professional demeanor, if for no other reason than to prevent myself from asking the unknown beauty on a date – much to my shame. "G-Good evening," I greeted with a bow as I tried to quench the guilt that had suddenly washed over me at the thought of my beloved Rie. "I am Okazaki Tomoya; is this the Uematsu residence?"

"It is!" she replied with a voice that brought to mind the tinkling of a thousand tiny bells. "I'm Chiyo, Kana's mother. I'm pleased to finally meet you, Okazaki-san."

"L-Likewise," I managed as I straightened, unfortunately bringing her otherworldly beauty back into my line of sight.

"Please, come in," she offered as she stepped aside to allow me entrance. "Saburou should be home in a few minutes."

I paused halfway across the threshold; while I was devoted to my Rie, I wasn't sure I could trust fully trust myself around the Uematsu matriarch. "M-Maybe I should wait outside, then," I suggested while internally cursing my stuttering. "I d-don't think it would be appropriate for…for another man to be here while your husband isn't."

Her eyes twinkled again as she angled her head with what appeared to be an understanding smile. "Very well, Okazaki-san." She gestured to a chair on their front porch. "Please feel free to sit there while you wait; I will bring your tea to you."

I held up a hand in polite protest. "Oh, you don't need to do that, ma'am; I'll be fine."

"No, please," she insisted, taking my hand in both of hers – and my knees nearly out from under me at her soft, gentle touch. "It's really no problem. I'll be right back."

As she entered her home I slumped into the proffered chair, suddenly needing the support. I faintly heard her calling for her daughter as I tried to get my emotions in check. I felt sweat beading on my forehead and raised my hand to wipe it, only to find it shaking. "Well, this'll be an interesting evening…" I murmured to myself as I clasped my hands to stop the tremors.

"You okay there, son?" a friendly masculine voice called, and I looked up to see a man, clad in a light-grey business suit, heading up the walkway. His violet-colored hair was peppered with grey here and there, and I thought it interesting that the grey in his hair matched that of his suit.

Though I'd never seen the man before, I recognized his voice from our many phone calls and shot to my feet to bow. "Good evening, Uematsu-san; I am Okazaki Tomoya. I-It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well, Okazaki-san!" he exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face. "It's a pleasure to finally have a face with the voice." He then paused in thought before snapping his fingers. "Actually I have seen you before, but…" He waved his hands as he continued to the front door. "Anyway, welcome to our home."

"Thank you, sir."

Just then, the angel-er, Kana's mother came out the front door with a tray with a small mug on it. "Here's your tea, Okazaki-san. Ah, welcome home, dear!" She handed me the mug before quickly setting aside the tray to give her husband a hug. "How was work?"

"Tiring," he sighed as he gave her a squeeze. "We signed on a new client, but I'll tell you all about it at dinner." He then seemed to remember that I was there. "That is, if our guest is okay with it."

"Of course," I quickly replied with another bow. "I'd hate to disrupt your family time."

We made our way inside, where Kana greeted her father, and it wasn't long before we were settled around the dinner table.

"So, Okazaki-san," Saburou started as his wife filled his plate, "how did you end up in the idol industry? Not to sound rude, but you seem awfully young for your position. What are you, nineteen? Twenty?"

"Nineteen, sir."

"Kana's told us a bit about the Nishina girl's situation, but I was hoping that you could fill in some of the gaps," Chiyo added.

I took a deep breath, primarily to avoid being carried away by the melodious tone of her voice. Without going into too many details, I then told them about Rie's desire to reconnect with her family and how it led to her forming what would later become the Angels of Japan. I told them about the contributions I made at Rie's behest, and how it had helped with her success. The situation with Kotomi, the concert at the school… "…so by the time I realized what had happened, I was the manager for the Lords of Doo-Wop," I finished with an awkward smile. "The Angels entered the Rising Stars competition the cycle after, and the rest, I believe, you already know about."

"That we do…" Saburou mused with his chin cradled in his thumb and forefinger. "So, you were the one who talked Ichinose-hakase down from the rooftop?"

"Sort of," I replied sheepishly. "Rie was a huge help in that situation."

"But the article mainly mentioned you," Chiyo pointed out.

"Article?!" I blurted, feeling the blood drain from my face at the revelation. "Wh-What article?"

Kana's parents exchanged a puzzled look before Saburou spoke. "It was in the newspaper. Are you saying that you didn't know about that?"

"N-No, sir."

He chuckled. "Well, then; you may not be aware of this, but it seems that Japan owes you a debt that I doubt it could ever repay."

"Is that so…?" I murmured. I'd never really thought about how my actions would have affected anyone other than Kotomi; what a small world I used to live in.

I must have been staring blankly at the tabletop for quite some time, because a giggle from Kana jarred me from my musings. "You're a hero, Tomoya."

"Thank you." Desperate to redirect the attention from myself I addressed the Uematsu patriarch. "S-So…what do you do for a living, sir?"

"I'm the CFO of Sakaguchi Security," he replied matter-of-factly. "I don't make any decisions, but I do make sure everyone gets paid what they're supposed to." He then gave me a smile and a wink. "Uncomfortable with all the attention, Okazaki-san?"

"You could say that," I answered evasively; why was I having such a hard time keeping my cool? A glance at Chiyo's smiling face reminded me of the likely reason for my unsettled state.

"Then we'll back off," he replied in a conciliatory tone. "Oh, and just so you know; I'm not related to the composer for Square. Not that I'm aware of, at least."

His out-of-the-blue comment caught me off-guard, and I chuckled at his spontaneity. "That's good to know, sir; thank you."

He chuckled kindly, and we enjoyed small talk for the rest of the meal.

In what had become the grand tradition of home visits, I found myself in Kana's room – with her parents' permission, of course. "Just remember to keep the door open," her father had admonished. "We trust you both, but we also know that temptation can be a persistent foe."

"Yes, father," Kana replied as she pulled me into her room by the hand.

"He knows that I'm with Rie, right?" I asked worriedly.

He eyes lost focus for a moment before she replied. "He does, but he's told us that he's seen a lot while working for his security company."

"That makes sense," I mused as I allowed myself to be settled into a plush chair. "I've seen what people can…do…in the idol industry; I've just tried to protect all of you from exposure to those kinds of things."

"And I'm thankful for that," she replied with a giggle as she sat down before her desk, upon which sat a computer. "May…May I show you something that I really enjoy?"

"Certainly." My shy soprano and I had never really conversed much, so to not only see her so talkative but also for her to want to share part of her life with me was humbling. "What is it?"

She smiled and spun around to start the machine. A minute later, I was sitting next to her as she started up a game. "Have you ever heard of visual novels?" she asked as the program started. I shook my head and she started to explain. "It's a kind of video game that's kinda like reading a story. It's usually told from one person's perspective, so other people appear as, um…still images while the dialogue shows up at the bottom of the screen."

"Interesting…"

"It'll make more sense when you see it," she added just as the title screen came up. "This one is called 'Family', and it's about a high-school boy who's dealing with depression. He meets up with several other girls, and if you make the right choices you can go down their 'route' – their individual story."

My dad had never owned a computer so I'd never had the chance to try out video games – other than at the arcade, of course. "So why is it called 'Family'?"

"Because that's the focus of the game," she said as she absently scratched the side of her head with a finger. "Each of the routes focuses on an aspect of family. In one of them, the girl lost her parents and has been living alone for a long time."

My brow furrowed; what she described sounded a lot like Kotomi's situation…

"Anyway, there's what's called the 'canonical' pairing, and if you satisfy all of the requirements you can unlock more of her story. Or, at least from what I've read," she said while ducking her head with a blush and a smile. "I haven't collected enough glowing spheres for that."

"I see," I murmured, remembering the snowflake that I caught after Rie serenaded me during my exile. "Sounds interesting, though I'll admit that I'm having a hard time following all of this."

"It's okay," she replied with a cute smile. "I know I'm not very good at explaining things."

"I'm not sure that's what it is," I told her in an effort to be consoling. "Other than at the arcades, I've never played video games, so I just may not have the knowledge needed to make the connections. Does that make sense?"

She nodded, smile still in place.

Wanting to show some understanding of her game I asked, "If you were to write a story – a 'route', I think you called it…? – what would you write?"

Her cheeks pinked, and she looked away. "Mine would be about him saving the girl from a stalker and how their relationship grows from there."

The room suddenly felt warm, and I studied my now-furiously blushing soprano. "Kana?" I paused to carefully consider what I was about to ask. "Is there a subtext to this that I'm missing?"

She shook her head, then nodded. "I'm sorry, Chief; when you saved me from that stalker I kinda started to…you know…"

"Let's pretend that I don't," I said gently. "While I regret putting you in a potentially awkward situation, I also don't want to proceed based on an incorrect assumption."

She sighed. "I understand." She glanced toward the door before continuing. "I'm really sorry, Tomoya; after you protected me I kinda…developed feelings for you."

I scooted my chair away to a safer distance. "Well…thank you for telling me, but…" I chuckled awkwardly. "Does Rie know?"

"I haven't told senpai, no," she murmured.

"Do you mind if I tell her?"

"NO!" she cried, leaping from her chair. "I mean… Please don't tell her! I didn't mean to, and I don't want to ruin our friendship! It's just that you're so smart and strong, and you've been so kind and wonderful to me, that…" she fell back into her chair, apparently drained from her outburst.

"All right, I won't tell her," I promised. "Are you going to be okay? Now that you've told me, I mean?" She nodded with a forlorn expression so I added, "Then I don't see any need to tell her. But I have to warn you; if you start acting inappropriately toward me, then I'll have to tell her; understood?"

"Yes, sir."

I relaxed into my seat with a sigh of relief. "That being said, I do consider it an honor to be attractive to someone as cute as you."

Her gaze snapped to mine. "Y-You think I'm c-cute?"

"I'm sure that I'm not the only one," I said while carefully reaching out to pat her head. "Actually, it's interesting; you remind me of one of my old classmates. My old class rep, as a matter of fact; she has short, purple hair and blue eyes as well."

"Really?" she gasped with her hands folded beneath her chin.

I leaned back in the chair and folded my hands over my stomach. "Yeah, I actually met up with her and her twin sister for lunch earlier, and she…" I trailed off as I remembered our conversation just before we had parted ways. "Um, she's a sweet girl, too. Yeah."

"Is everything okay, Tomoya?"

Her question drew my eyes to her still-pinked face, and I felt guilt for…well, whatever problems I might have been causing for Rie due to the affections of these other girls.

"Thank you for coming," Chiyo said as she stood with her family to see me off.

"Thank you for having me," I replied with a bow before turning to head down the-

"Okazaki-san, could I talk with you for a minute?"

I turned back at the sound of Saburou's voice to find him heading toward me. "Of course sir." He gestured to where their walkway met up with the main sidewalk, and we made our way there. Once we arrive I asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," he replied with a chuckle, though his expression then turned serious. "Tomoya, did my wife make you uncomfortable?"

It was my turn to chuckle, though mine was more awkward. "I'm sorry, sir; when I first saw her I was…captivated by her beauty. I'm really sorry; it took me by surprise."

"I'm sure it did," he replied with an understanding smile. "If it's any consolation, you're not the first one to react that way. In fact…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "…it's gotten to the point where I can't leave her alone when we're out in public or guys will start propositioning her, sometimes before she's even out of my sight."

Normally I would consider statements like his to be bragging, but in light of my own reactions I found them quite credible. "I'm not sure how this will sound, but she comes across as a real lady, and I don't just mean in how she dressed or does her makeup or anything superficial like that."

"No, I understand," he said while lifting a hand. He then sighed. "The truth is, she and I nearly divorced about five years ago."

I had to pick my jaw up from the ground before I could reply. "D-Divorce?"

He chuckled, presumably at my exaggerated reaction. "We were in a bad way back then; Kana was about eleven and Chiyo had been exposed to some feminist propaganda and started demanding all sorts of things from us."

I'd certainly heard of feminism; many idols apparently subscribed to that philosophy, though I didn't know much about it myself. "But somebody needed to care for Kana."

"But instead of being an understanding husband and trying to understand what was truly bothering her, I simply told her that the woman's place was in the home; we were already making plenty of money from my job, after all."

"Ouch," I murmured, reflexively imagining Kyou's reaction to such a statement. "So how did you two reconcile?"

"We didn't really want to divorce," he continued, "and we heard about a priest who specialized in helping couples with their problems, so we went to see him." He chuckled softly. "Imagine our surprise when we found out that he was an American."

I blinked in surprise. "An American?"

He chuckled again. "Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction. Pastor Ash-…wait, they do it differently over there. "Pastor Jeff Ashton; call him whatever you want as long as it's not a profanity."

"Sorry?"

"That's how he introduced himself to us: 'Call me whatever you want, as long as it's not a profanity'." Another chuckle. "I'll never forget our first meeting for as long as I live." He looked over at me. "Meeting him marked the beginning of the salvation of our marriage."

"How so?"

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "He taught us things from his religious book, about how husbands are supposed to be and how wives are supposed to be. I've never asked Chiyo how she felt about it, but I was pretty skeptical at first. But as we talked, more and more of it made sense, and I found it changing the way I thought, not just when it came to Chiyo, but…" He narrowed his eyes in thought. "…but also making me rethink what it means to be a man."

"Impressive…"

He blinked, then refocused his gaze on me. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to go on for so long. The point is that the reason Chiyo is the way she is is because she discovered what it means to be a true woman, and that's likely what drew your attention…as well as that of nearly every man she's been around. Her femininity."

I mulled over his words, and when I reflected on my initial reaction to her presence his words made sense. "I…think I understand." I looked over at him with a grin. "Maybe I should visit this Jeff Ashton myself."

"It couldn't hurt," he said with a chuckle. "Just keep in mind that his surname is 'Ashton'; Americans usually give their given names first."

"Understood."

He sighed heavily, then reached over to clap me on the shoulder. "Well, I'd better not keep you any longer. Thank you again for visiting us; it was a pleasure speaking with you. In person, that is."

"Likewise," I replied, stepping back to bow. "Have a pleasant evening, Saburou-san."

"To you as well," he replied with a bow of his own. "Good night."

I headed home with a lot to think about: my reaction to Chiyo's unearthly beauty, Kana's affection toward me, and my conversation with Saburou.

I had much to think about, but I looked forward to the process.