A/N: Not mine.

It only took a few days before Kotoko felt almost completely recovered from her misadventures. However, Mrs. Irie backed off from a fortnight of bedrest only after Naoki promised her that he would watch over the girl most carefully.

The day of her return, it took the combined forces of Satomi and Jinko to stop a rampaging Kinnosuke from heading to Class A after he saw the remnants of Kotoko's facial bruises.

"I oughta give that bastard a beat down," he raged. "Treatin' her so wrong!"

"Again," Kotoko's voice rose, "Naoki was not responsible for this. I slipped and fell."

"Yeah, but you were with him, weren't you? That never would've happened on my watch!"

"Refresh my memory, Jinko," Satomi spoke in a sarcastic tone, "who was it that kicked Kotoko in the shoulder while at a dead run?"

"Bu– bu–" he stammered. "An accident!" he cried.

"As I said," Kotoko gritted out. "Now, shut it!"

Jinko and Satomi looked at her with wide eyes. "Wow," Jinko breathed, "that's the meanest I've ever heard her sound."

"I suppose she has finally had enough of the shaved ape's shenanigans."

"'Shaved ape'. Good one, Satomi!"

Of course, Kinnosuke had to have the last word. "And don't call that asshole Irie by his given name!"

Kotoko twirled and faced him, hands fisted at her sides. "Right back at you, Ikezawa!"

Amid his classmates' laughter, Kinnosuke blubbered, "Wha– what happened just now?"

"Uh, Kin-chan," Dozo had an unusually alert moment, "I think she don't like you much."

"Yeah, maybe you should stop chasing her and try for one of the other gals in class," added Gintaro.

"Nah," his confidence oozed back, "just wait'll she hears what I have in mind for Valentine's Day. Then she'll see how a true man treats his woman and I'll have her at my feet." He crowed, "I won't make her beg long before takin' her back."

"You think he'll ever get the message that she ain't interested?" whispered Gintaro to his friend.

Dozo shook his head. "And the bad thing is, we'll have to listen to every one of his dumb plans to get her attention."

Jinko was close enough to overhear. "Wrong. Not just you but the entire class will hear it, and that for sure will turn Kotoko's stomach."

The boys could do nothing but agree. "Yeah, old Kin's not the sharpest tool in the shed."

"But he is the loudest."

"Ah, Kotoko, I'm sorry to think of this so late, but are you upset that the Todai entrance test is on Valentine's Day?" Naoki asked as the two wound up a last-minute review session.

"Now, now," she shook a finger at him, "you have been listening to Obasama, haven't you?"

"Do I really have much choice?" he groaned. "Although she does go on and on, I have been more or less successful at tuning her out the last few years."

"An almost universal trait of teenagers," she noted wisely, pausing to let out a small gasp before resuming a teasing mien. "Let me see: go to school as normal and have my feet dogged by the drooling stalker, or make my way to a stately campus and try to impress the test-makers with my intelligence? Not much of a choice, from my perspective."

"I get your point," he grinned, "although I would love to see the expression on that dolt's face when you don't show up to fall at his feet from his romantic gestures."

"Don't worry; I'm sure the girls will have their cameras primed and ready. Meanwhile, we need to have a good night's rest before the mental exertions tomorrow." She stood and began to stack her notes neatly, only to grab her side and bend over suddenly.

"Kotoko?" Naoki sped around the table.

She waved a hand and gave a weak smile. "It's just a twinge. I'll be okay momentarily."

"It looked as if it felt more serious than that. Here," he took the folders from her hand and returned them to the table. "Go upstairs and take a relaxing bath. I'll clear this away for you."

"But–"

"No," he shooed her towards the stairs, "go!"

"Bully," she wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue, "but I will comply." Busy sorting the stacks, Naoki did not see her hesitation once she reached the landing. Jaw clenched, she set her shoulders and proceeded to her room.

Naoki paused with his hand on the light switch after returning the kitchen table to breakfast readiness. His thoughts turned to a conversation he and his father had less than two weeks earlier.

"–in my day, when you presented a young man with honmei chocolate on Valentine's Day, it was a requirement for him to–"

Mrs. Irie's lecture to Kotoko was shut off when Naoki shut the door to his father's study and leaned back upon it.

"Ah," Mr. Irie chuckled as he looked up, "your mother pestering poor Kotoko-chan about true love again?"

"Yes," he scowled and took a seat in front of the desk which dominated the room, "and I have no way to save her. Or, rather, if I save her, Mother's leap to a conclusion would be Olympic length."

"Mama does love her romances," he smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, "and I must say that I have benefited greatly from them throughout our years of marriage. Why, the things she would–"

"No." Naoki held up a commanding hand. "I refuse to go from flowers and roses to hearing tales about my parents' sex life. Please, Otosan, change the subject."

"I do believe I am going to take advantage of that rather open-ended request." When his son's face showed a question, he continued. "We shall discuss business–in particular, Pandai–a topic which I have not failed to notice does not interest you much."

"Father, I know that you love wheeling and dealing, but I am different. I would rather–"

"Put aside your boyish foolishness, Naoki," he stated with a frown. "Pandai is your future, and the sooner you accept that, the better. Here," he shoved across a thick packet, "this is the folder for the upcoming quarterly meeting. I would like you to read the documents and share your opinions on some of the findings." He cut across Naoki's protest. "I know that business is in the Irie blood, so cease your arguments."

Almost sullenly Naoki opened the binder and began to sort the papers once he had scanned them. He found little to interest him, as they were mostly numbers, although he did notice that the profit charts did not rise in as large an angle as he recalled from previous forced readings. He was about to question that when his father began to chuckle. "What has you so amused?" he asked, not smiling.

"Oh, it is just appreciation for the genius of our mysterious shareholder. I predict that his suggestion will gain us much profit in the coming year. Listen to this." He straightened the thick stationery and read. "'Today's youth is fascinated with cooperative branding. An American example is a recipe on a box of cereal which mentions a particular brand of marshmallows needed to prepare a sweet snack. Race car numbers attached to model vehicles will see fans of the drivers purchasing those, even if they do not collect those items otherwise. I should not fail to point out that Pandai has already done this to great success with their action figures from certain popular movies.' Oh, he has us there, Nao! Too bad we weren't able to top Kenner's bid, or we could have made a mint on Lucasfilm's products.

"'Therefore, since this company has solidified its success with its lines of original battery operated toys, I most humbly suggest that we tap into the logical connected market. Contract with a battery manufacturer–I suggest Fujitsu, but if another offers a better deal, take it–and have them produce designed covers to complement Pandai's toy list. Including matching batteries with the original purchase of the toy will whet the taste of collectors internationally. To make some even rarer, sell themed chargers with rechargeable batteries in exclusive designs not found in the one-use type.'

"I can hardly wait to have my assistant run the numbers and write out the proposal for the board."

"Rechargeable batteries? And decorated ones at that? Father, I am not sure–"

"What? Do you comprehend what this means? Increased profits from what is considered a staple in our field. Why, the yen will practically be flowing into our coffers."

"Otosan," Naoki held an intense expression, "is this not familiar to you?"

"What do you mean?" he scoffed. "This is a unique idea which will revolutionize toy sales worldwide."

"Not that unique. Kotoko mentioned the same several months ago at dinner." He prodded, "Remember?"

"No, I don't believe so. Besides, this has the marks of a true genius all over it, and lovely as Ai-chan's daughter is, she is likely simply playing at studying business trends. Honestly, I don't see her in the rarified pantheon to which our treasured friend belongs."

"Perhaps you need your prescription adjusted, then," his son muttered.

He decided to drop the subject and was able to escape after a few more minutes. But ever since then, he had been more and more convinced that he had solved the mystery of Kotoko's evasive answers to her investment portfolio. "Well," he snickered, "I just hope that I have a ringside seat when she shoots down all of those dinosaurs' neolithic beliefs on the place of women in business."