A/N: Not mine.

Mrs. Irie fretted when Kotoko refused all but a piece of toast for breakfast. "I may not agree with you subjecting yourself to a stressful test on the 'Day of Love', but that is not nearly enough to nourish you today."

The girl gave her a wan smile. "But that is all I feel like eating. Any more and there is a good possibility that it will make a quick reappearance."

"You mean," Yuuki's eyes grew mischievous, "you might puke?"

"Yuuki-kun! What have I told you about language such as that at the table?" Mrs. Irie scolded her younger son.

He pointed at Kotoko. "But she started it."

"While that may be so, she at least used a more refined way to describe the…process."

"Whatever you call it," Naoki commented, "it is the same action."

"Onii-chan, hush!" She waved a dismissing hand at him. "My dear, if you do not feel well, then why don't you stay home and let me care for you?"

"It is not that severe," she demurred. "I am certain that I shall regain my spirits as the day progresses, and I have a packet of nuts in case I become hungry later."

The matron frowned at the logical response. "Well, I suppose I will let you go, but I must register my disapproval."

"As if you could stop Kotoko." Naoki stood. "Are you ready?"

She wiped crumbs from her mouth. "I'll be right there."

Naoki noticed that Kotoko's steps were slower than the norm. "Are you certain you are well?" he asked, concerned. "Because no matter what my father says, I will attend whatever university I choose; it doesn't have to be his alma mater."

"I must admit that I am not in top form," she shrugged to hide a wince, "but at least I feel better than when I took the entrance test for Tonan High. And I owe it to my benefactor to take advantage of his efforts to smooth the way, whether I gain admittance or not."

"Yes," he paused to select the appropriate words, "your benefactor, did he perhaps…"

"Besides, this will put me out of reach of Loverboy Wannabe."

Distracted, Naoki chuckled, having heard second-hand the extensive bragging that Kinnosuke had made to Class F of his plans to woo Kotoko. "I hate to miss his tantrum when he finds out you are not at school today."

"It's not my fault that he won't listen. Ow!" She bent over and rubbed her lower abdomen. "What a time for cramps."

"Well, you will have a chance to rest on the train. At this time of morning, there should be plenty of empty seats."

"Yes," her eyes showed strain, "that will be most welcome."

"Whaddya mean she ain't at school?!"

Satomi winced at the shout made so close to her ear. "Kotoko is taking the entrance test for Tokyo University today. It was no secret, baka."

"I concur, Ikezawa," Hakamada intoned from the lectern. "Now, sit down and listen to the morning announcements."

The class had to strain to hear the words spoken through the speakers as Kinnosuke animaverted on a multitude of subjects: his bad luck with love in general, non-supportive friends in specific, and a boatload of curse words aimed at Tokyo University for their lack of romantic spirit.

"It's just as well that Kotoko's far away," Jinko whispered to Satomi. "Those flowers he brought stink to high heaven."

"And when he was talking about 'showing her a good time', well, I don't think Kotoko would've had a good time," she murmured back.

"Yeah, everything was about how much Kin-chan would enjoy it."

She snickered. "Our girl would take twice as many exams to get out of his reach, but it doesn't hurt that she's doing it in the company of Irie-kun."

Naoki's concern had grown when Kotoko's 'rest' on the subway had not improved her physical condition. She leaned on his arm, and their pace was slow as they approached the venerable gates of Todai. "Here we are," he stated unnecessarily.

She smiled weakly. "The campus looks beauti–"

"Kotoko!" He managed to catch the girl before her head hit the ground. Carefully balancing her weight, he checked her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief at finding it but was disturbed at its rate. Seeing that several bystanders had stopped to view the tableau, he asked the group, "The nearest hospital?"

With the directions firmly in his mind, he rose to his feet and, as at the sports festival, once more easily carried her to safety.

Kotoko's senses revealed to her that she was not in her own room, but she was more surprised to find Naoki next to her bed than the fact that she was in the hospital.

"Wha' hap'nd?" she asked.

Naoki quickly placed a straw to her lips and replied, "You collapsed on the sidewalk. I brought you to the emergency room." He gave her a stern look. "How long have you been feeling ill?"

"Um," she licked her lips, "a few days. I wasn't eating well; maybe…lack of nutrition?"

"Nothing so simple," he told her. "You had appendicitis. Luckily, it had not reached the point where you would need an operation. A few more hours with this," he indicated the IV bag, "and you can come home."

"That's great," she began before a look of horror spread over her face. "The test!"

"Yes, you missed it," he said. "Even though you seem to soldier through exams while under the weather, I believe this one would have been an impossibility."

"But you missed it also!" she cried.

Naoki tapped her nose. "You know that I have no attachment to a particular university."

"But Irie-sama–"

"Dad will just have to live with the disappointment. And Kotoko," he took her hand, "when you fell, it shocked me into the realization that I don't want to wait any longer before telling you that I care for you. Greatly," he added when she stared at him without speaking.

She bit her lip. "Naoki, Obasama didn't spike your breakfast with anything, did she? Considering the date, that is."

"No," he laughed, "although if she actually had access to a love potion, I wouldn't put it past her. This," he sobered, "is something I have been coming to grips with for some time. At first, when Mom started trying to play Cupid, both of us resisted and kept to friendship. Now," he took a deep breath, "I would like the chance to see if we could have something more."

"Oh." Her hands pleated the edge of the sheet covering her.

"You don't have to answer me immediately," he assured her, "and if you do not feel the same, I will accept it."

"Unlike my annoying classmate." Kotoko's mouth almost turned up into a smile before she blew out a breath and spoke, "I am not rejecting you. Actually, I would love to accept, but there is something which I have kept from all of you, even my father."

"Oh? You mean the fact that you are the second largest shareholder in my family's business?"

She appeared astonished. "How did you know?"

"A few clues here and there," he shrugged, "plus the financial support to Aihara-san and your offer of scholarship were made almost simultaneously. The late Yasutake-san was not a private individual, and neither is his widow. I postulate that it was through her machinations that you had to leave school."

"I suspected as much," she admitted, "but as I–like you–assume that he provided Otosan's loan as well, I could not be so ungrateful as to request more."

"One thing puzzles me," he leaned forward, "with what I think is your financial standing, why did you not simply pay for your last year at Hame-Bo?"

"It was the timing," she explained, "I had just reinvested the quarterly interest and had few funds to spare. That is all I can 'play with' until I reach the age of twenty-five."

"But you purchased shares in NakaRiko shortly after you came to live with us."

Kotoko nodded. "And the next quarter's funds would have been on their way to my investment account. With Pandai as the initial grant from Yasutake-san, I especially wanted to honor him by continuing to hold shares there; thus why I purchased all on offer which I could afford. Technically, I could sell any that I purchased, but I only did so with the others."

"You are aware that Father and the other directors believe that you, that is, 'the shareholder', are male."

"Yes," she frowned, "and, as much as I admire Irie-sama's business acumen of the past, he is extremely unprepared for the future, or even the present."

"Agreed, and I have an idea for that. However, back to an earlier part of the conversation. Kotoko," he hesitated, "will you be my girlfriend?"

She beamed at him. "Gladly, Naoki. Now, I have a question for you: who is going to tell your mother?"

Naoki laughed. "I believe if we continue to sit here and hold hands that she will draw her own conclusions. The whole family should be here soon."

"It is a good thing that we are already in a hospital. I fear that she will be overcome at the discovery and may need to be revived."

He lifted her glass. "I have some ice water to toss in her face if necessary. Although," he drawled, "it might be a good idea to wait until we get home and you completely recover before we break the news to Dad that you will be taking my place in the company."

"Naoki," she gasped, "you have decided?"

"Yes," he nodded, "medical school for me. Of course, you will have the greater challenge of those old fuddy-duddies on the board."

"Well," her eyes narrowed, "since I will no longer be voting by proxy, they'll just have to adjust." She rubbed her palms together. "I can hardly wait for the spring meeting."

Naoki laughed. "Tokyo will likely experience another tremor on that date. But planning your 'debut' can wait for later. Right now, since neither one of us are going to Todai, why don't we narrow down the list of colleges and figure out where we will attend?"