Chapter Thirty-Four: Failed Negotiations

I found myself in white. Not on a white floor with white walls, just…white.

I had not sense of up or down, left or right; all that existed was…white.

At least I wasn't all-white, as I discovered when I looked down to find myself in my typical casual outfit consisting of a dark-blue button-up shirt over a light-blue t-shirt and blue jeans, along with my indoor shoes. "What's going on…?"

I sensed something in front of me only to look back up to find nothing…at first. Before long, however, several shadowy figures appeared before me; they each looked familiar to me somehow, and I squinted to see if I could find any details that would clue me in.

Nothing.

It took a moment, but I started to see differences in the shadows; feminine figures, some of which appeared to have long hair that fell to around the small of the back, some had shorter hair to the shoulder blades, and one had even shorter hair, only to the base of the neck. They were also of various shapes, some narrow at the shoulders and wider at the hips while others were more evenly proportioned, some standing confidently while others stood like they had their hands folded before them.

I jumped in surprise when they all spoke as one: "I love you, Tomoya."

I could readily pick out some of the voices: Kyou, Ryou, Kotomi… Theirs were the most…distinct.

My discernment ability became irrelevant as the shadows started to move toward each other. Not like they walked, though; it was more like they simply slid sideways toward each other. Also, it looked like the shadows on the ends were being absorbed by the ones closer to the middle, which were then absorbed by those even closer to the middle, and…

Eventually there was one shadow left, which looked like the others but didn't look like the others. Long hair, shapely yet evenly proportioned. Unique, yet similar.

This lone shadow started to walk toward me, and it began to take on color and detail, and I held my breath as I had a feeling that I knew who the mysterious figure belonged to.

"You may accept her, but you must accept yourself as well…" a voice that sounded like both Yuusuke's and Pastor Jeff's echoed from the whiteness.

"Who…?" I started to ask, but my question died on my lips at the figure stopped before me, having fully taken on color and detail.

Long, purple hair that gently brushed her bottom, with two ribboned locks and which framed a young round face… "Is it okay for me to still love you?" Mika asked as she gazed up at me with ocean-blue eyes…

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" I yelled, jarred from my sleep by the dream. I covered my face and rubbed it roughly. "Please…just…leave me alone," I begged as I squeezed moisture from my eyes, really wanting the dreams to go away. "I just want to live my life quietly….please."

The knock at my door was a welcome distraction from my distress. "Daddy, are you okay?" Ushio asked form the other side. "Did you have another bad dream?"

"Yeah," I managed to reply through a tightened throat. "I'll be all right. I just…need a few minutes."

"Okay."

Having addressed my daughter's concern I turned back to the task of knocking the dream out of my head by slapping my cheeks. Eventually I was able to heave myself out of bed, out the door, and down the hall to the bathroom, where I renewed the assault on my face, this time with cold water. "I've got to end this, somehow," I grunted between splashes. My mind then drifted to my 'date' with Tomoyo. "Great; I'm not ready for today…"

In spite of my lack of readiness I washed my face, sloshed the awful taste out of my mouth with mouthwash, and padded down the hall to see what Ushio was conjuring up for breakfast.

"Bacon, toast with jam, and hard-boiled eggs!" she announced as she set a couple of plates and a bowl on the kotatsu. "I wanted to try a more English style of-Oh! I forgot the berries! Be right back!" She hurried back into the kitchen presumably to retrieve said item.

I looked at the spread and my stomach growled; at least my dream hadn't messed up my appetite. I waited until she returned with the berries and sat down, then we thanked someone for the food and dug in.

"You have your…time…with Sakagami-san today, right?" she asked cautiously as we worked on filling our plates.

"Yeah," I sighed. "To be honest, I'm starting to have reservations about it, but… I made the commitment, so I'll follow through. Besides, I'm curious as to how she became an ambassador; she was pretty headstrong and straightforward in high school, but I'm still kinda surprised."

"Sounds like some of the girls I know at school," she giggled as she took a strip of bacon. "Of course, all of our Student Council members are girls…"

"Hardly surprising," I grunted. At her look of surprise I explained, "Back when I was in school, most – if not all – of the school's student leadership positions were filled by girls." I shrugged a shoulder. "'Course, I wasn't present in school much even when I was there, so I might be remembering wrong."

"Why do you think that was?" she asked with an honest expression. "I mean, why do you think there were so many girls in those positions?"

I shrugged again. "I dunno. Maybe the guys were too afraid of looking bad, so they didn't even try. Maybe the girls just liked being in control." I blinked a couple of times. "I guess we could ask Mika about it," I suggested as I tried to ignore a slight twinge in my chest, probably a side-effect of the dream. "She's the head of… Well, she's the Disciplinary Committee, after all."

"That's true," she giggled. "I'll ask her when I see her tonight."

"How's your new computer?" I asked, really wanting to talk about something other than Mika.

Her eyes widened almost comically. "Oh…my…gosh, that computer from Ichinose-sensei is so fast!" she gushed. "When she said what she did about it not… Do you remember what she said about it, Daddy? Not as fast…?"

"I think she said it wasn't as powerful as their newer ones," I said, straining to remember as well.

"Yeah, something like that! Anyway, Fujibayashi-sensei and I hooked it up and when I turned it on it was ready before I'd taken my finger off the power button!"

"That's pretty fast," I said, more than impressed. "I guess it makes sense, though; on old computer from one of Japan's top labs?"

"To think that this one is less powerful that what they're using now…" she breathed, her eyes still wide with wonder. "They must do some amazing stuff there…"

"Actually, Kotomi-chan showed me…" I trailed off with a cringe as I remembered what she tried to show me toward the end of our time. I managed to press on, though. "She showed me a couple of projects she's been working on. I probably couldn't follow half of what she told me, but her…the projects seemed pretty impressive."

"I'll bet."

"Anyway, I could imagine them needing some pretty powerful computers to do everything they do there," I finished, grateful that I'd only had the one flashback. "About yours, though; I'll look into a service provider to see about getting you internet access."

"Thanks, Daddy."

I sent her a smile just as my phone rang. I checked the caller ID but didn't recognize the number. "Hello? This is Okazaki."

"H-Hello, Okazaki-sama; this is Hiiragi Mika."

"Mika?" I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at it in surprise before realizing that the action was pointless so I quickly put it back to my ear. "I didn't know you had a phone."

"Dad got it for me last night. He figured that with how much I've been out that I should have my own phone."

"Good for you," I said while trying to not remember her appearance in my dream. "Anyway, what did you need?"

"I was hoping that I could give you my number, but I also wanted to ask if you were going to need me tonight. Aunt Kyou said that you were….out…last night, so I thought I should check."

It wasn't hard to imagine the thought that caused the pause toward the end of her statement. "I'll be home this evening."

"Great!" she chirped, her disposition having apparently performed a one-eighty. "Shall I be there at the usual time, then?"

"That'll work," I replied as I tried to ignore a sudden warmth in my chest. "As far as me having your number, though…" I sighed. "I'm not really comfortable with that. Does your dad know that you're trying to give me your number?"

"He does; in fact, he was the one who suggested it."

I blinked in surprise at the revelation, but it sounded like she had more to say so I said nothing.

"With as much as I've been over there, he thought it'd be a good idea. Just in case…"

I muted my end of the call and muttered some very unflattering things about the Hiiragi patriarch. "I can deal with it if you're not going to try to stop her, but don't help her, for crying out loud," I groused with the phone still muted.

"Okazaki-sama? Are you there?"

I unmuted the phone. "I'm here," I replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice.

"I have your number memorized, but may I have your permission to store it in my phone?" she asked, sounding apprehensive.

I puffed a sigh as I mentally cursed at Kappei some more. "Go ahead. And yeah, I'll store yours in my phone."

"I'll be sure to give you a nice picture for it later!"

"Sorry?"

"A photo! You know; to go with my number!"

Her words reminded me of when I got Kotomi's number; the exchange included a photo of her in her lab coat. Mika must have been talking about the same thing. "Um, sure. That's fine." The whole thing was really awkward; what would my boss think if he somehow ended up seeing her profile in my phone?

"C-Could I have a photo of you, too? To go with your number?"

I sighed again; if I was going to be a doormat… "That's fine. I don't think I have any in my phone, but I'll figure something out."

"I could just take a picture of you with my phone tonight! Would…Would that be okay?"

"Sure."

"Great! I'm looking forward to it!"

"Thanks."

"See you later!"

I ended the call, already feeling thoroughly spent…and it wasn't even noon. I looked around for my daughter but didn't see her; she must have left the room to give me some privacy. So I pocketed the phone as I headed down the hall to knock on the door to her room. "Ushio? You in there?"

"Yeah, Daddy." I heard some light thumping, and the door slid open. "Are you finished with your call, then?"

"Yeah," I said, then had a strange thought. "Sweetheart, turn around, please."

She gave me a puzzled look but did what I asked.

I gently probed around the middle of her back; to her credit Ushio remained still, though she giggled a bit. "What are you doing, Daddy?"

I stepped back with a nod. "You have a spine, all right," I informed her as she turned to face me again. "Obviously you got it from your mother 'cause your father sure doesn't have one."

Ushio covered her mouth as she snorted into muffled giggles. "What happened?"

"Mika's dad got her a phone last night and she talked me into…well, basically exchanging contact information," I said, feeling my face burn.

She shook her head as she looked up at me a sympathetic smile.

"She also wanted to know if I'd be home tonight so she could do the usual dinner stuff," I finished, feeling really lame.

"Poor Daddy," she said gently as she wrapped her arms around me. "Is it like what Fujibayashi-sensei said about you having a tough time with girls?"

"Probably," I said with a chuckle that helped to get rid of some of the embarrassment. "I didn't date in high school, and you know that I haven't dated since your mom died."

Ushio suddenly pulled away to arms' length and studied my face with a look of surprise.

"What?" I asked, concerned by her abrupt withdrawal.

"You… It used to be that whenever you talked about Mom you'd get really sad," she said, still staring up at me. "But the way you said it just now…"

"What about-?" I started, then it hit me; I didn't feel the pain like I used to. Sure, I was still sad, but it wasn't as overpowering as it used to be. "That's so weird. I mean, this isn't the first time this has happened, but…"

"Are you starting to feel better, Daddy?" she asked with an honest expression.

"I'm not sure, yet," I replied as I rubbed my temples. "I've been feeling kinda out-of-sorts since last Saturday, so I'm not sure where I am in my recovery."

"It's okay if you don't feel as sad as you used to," Ushio said as she gave me another squeeze. "I don't think Mom would want you sad for the rest of your life because of her."

"You're probably right," I sighed as I patted her on the back. "Hey, how about I try and get a weekday off this week and we go to your school and eat in the old Theater Club room? I could talk to my boss on Monday, and I think the school should still be open."

"Hey, you're right!" she squealed, squeezing me yet again. "You talk to your boss and I'll call the school; will that work?"

"Sure," I said, smiling down at her. "We'll do that."

She squealed while giving me a couple more squeezes before hurrying down the hall to do…whatever.

A knock on my bedroom door jarred me from a particularly good scene in my book. "Just a second, sweetie," I grunted as I got to my feet to head to the door. "What's up?"

"It's about lunchtime," she told me. "Do you mind if I go ahead and eat?"

"No, go ahead," I replied. "Whatever you want and can find, it's yours."

"Okay," she replied with a smile. "What time is the ambassador picking you up?"

I sighed noisily. "Well, Sakagami's supposed to be picking me up at about one. It'll just be a lunch this time, and she'll be dropping me off here at around three."

"That's a long lunch," she giggled.

That drew a chuckle from me, helping to lighten my mood. "We'll be talking, too, of course. We haven't seen each other in almost twenty years; two hours may not be enough, actually."

"Well, I hope you have a good time," she said warmly; then her face turned serious. "Are you still worried that she might act…you know…?"

"Not as much, anymore," I replied. "We'll be in public, so it's not like she'd have any chance to do anything funny." I suddenly felt a little guilty. "Ushio, I'm really sorry that you're hearing about all this kind of stuff. I know you're sixteen and legally an adult, but…you're sixteen."

"I understand," she said with another giggle. "I'll admit that this isn't quite how I was expecting my sixteenth year to go…" She glanced to the side, and I realized that she was thinking about her prior actions again. "…but it's a learning experience, at least."

"I'll bet," I snorted with a smile. "Did you need anything else from me?"

"No, but you might want to get ready," she suggested while pointing into my room.

I looked to where she was pointing and saw- "Twelve-thirty?! Shi- I mean, I've gotta hurry! Thanks, sweetie; I've gotta hurry!"

"You're welcome, Daddy," she replied calmly as she closed my door.

I quickly got dressed and slammed out my bedroom door to the washroom; I normally wouldn't have bothered with looking nice, but Sakagami was another high-class woman, and I didn't want to look like an ape the way I had with Kotomi.

Fortunately I finished with about five minutes to spare. "Made it," I gasped as I blotted my forehead to get rid of some sweat that had formed during my mad rush. "If she's still anything like she was back in high school, I definitely wouldn't want to keep her waiting."

"Was she pretty strict?" Ushio asked as she helped by fanning me with a sheet of paper.

"Yeah. She had her ideas about how things should be, and would get on you if you didn't fit them," I said, grateful for the cooling breeze.

We chatted a bit more while I waited, and I ended up giving her permission to invite a couple of her friends over for the afternoon just as there was a knock at the door. "That sounds like it's for you, Daddy," she giggled.

"Yup. Well, here goes," I said as I got up to answer the door.

The person on the other side was not who I expected. "Okazaki Tomoya-san?" a large man in a business suit asked.

"That's right," I said, feeling a little anxious; had the police changed their mind about the situation with Ushio? Were they here to arrest me? "Wh-What can I do for you?"

"Come with me, please," he said politely as he turned and headed toward…a black limousine?

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude but I'm supposed to be meeting a friend at one-o-clock," I protested as politely as I could.

He said nothing but opened the back door to the limo to reveal a very nice pair of legs within. "Right this way, sir."

Following a hunch, I approached the legs-er, car and cautiously entered.

"Surprised?" came a familiar voice, though the suddenness startled me, and I jerked my head to the side to see Sakagami grinning at me from where she sat. "Hey, Okazaki."

"H-Hey," I replied, feeling overwhelmed at my surroundings as I tried to settle into the seat opposite my old schoolmate; I'd never been in a car like Kotomi's, and I'd definitely never been in a limousine before. "This is…really impressive."

"Thanks," she said as she briefly looked around the interior as well. "I've gotten used to it by now, but I remember feeling like I'd stepped into a fairy tale the first time I rode in one of these."

"So how come you're picking me up in this?" I asked as I felt the car start to move. "Don't you have your own car?"

"I do, but the government won't let me use it," she replied with a flip of her hair; the motion reminded me a little of Kyou. "They want their ambassadors well-protected."

"I could understand that," I said. "That's…pretty cool."

"Not as cool as defending me from the head of the Judo Club," she said with another flip of her hair.

I blinked several times. "That's…kinda…out-of-the-blue."

"I'm serious," she insisted as she leaned forward, and my stomach lurched as the cut of her shirt reminded me of how…well-endowed…she was. "Even though it was so long ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. Care to guess why?"

"Um…no, thanks," I said; even at our ages, I knew that the wrong answer could have some serious consequences.

"It's like I said at the time; you made me feel like a girl." She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, which ended up giving me another reminder of her…blessings. "You were my first, Okazaki."

"E-Excuse me?"

She cocked her head with a puzzled expression, then burst out laughing. "Oh, sorry about that! I just meant that you were the first person to ever make me feel like a girl!"

"Ah." Not even five minutes into our 'date' and I was already very uncomfortable. "S-Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," she said with a wave of her hand and a light blush. "Poor choice of words on my part."

"Speaking of word choices," I said, hoping to change the subject, "how did you become an ambassador?"

"Well, I wasn't trying for the job, I'll tell you that much right now," she replied with another flip of her hair, "but I'd prefer to talk about that over din-er, lunch; I don't want us to run out of stuff to talk about or end up interrupted when we get there."

"Fair enough," I said, then looked around the cabin again. "Then…what should we do in the meantime?"

"Well, we could ask some basic stuff," she suggested. "Like: what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an accountant for Hikarizaka Electrical," I replied easily; as I guy, that was usually the first question anyone asked when first meeting me.

"That's funny; I always pegged you as the hands-on type," she said with another flip of her hair, then looked at me with an uncertain expression. "Er…no double-meaning intended."

I wasn't sure what the other meaning could…my face heated up as I suddenly realized another possible meaning. "I…didn't take it any other way than I like to work with my hands," I replied carefully. "Well, if it helps I was an electrician before I was transferred to the accounting position. You know, climbing power poles and stuff like that."

"That's pretty cool," she said with a small smile. "Funny, though; I figured that if you were going to be a laborer, you'd work in one of those recycling centers. You know, fixing stuff by figuring stuff out; using your brain along with your muscles."

"I had to do a bit of thinking as an electrician," I said, trying not to feel defensive, 'but the accountant job was better for me 'cause of my shoulder injury."

"Shoulder injury?" she asked, eyes wide as her arms fell into her lap. "What do you mean, 'shoulder injury'?"

"Well, I don't have it anymore, but that's kind of a long story. Anyway, my dad-er, my shoulder got busted when I was about to start high school, so I couldn't play basketball anymore." I shrugged, more aware of the sensation of the new muscle in my right shoulder as it moved. "It's better now, but like I said; it's a long story."

"I'd like to hear it during lunch if we have the time," she said with a look of astonishment. "I…I never knew…"

"It never really came up," I said with another shrug. "I'm not hurt, if that's what you're worried about."

"But…" she licked her lips as she leaned forward again, "…if you'd had to fight the head of the Judo Club with a busted shoulder…"

"I'd have ended up a fine paste on the floor either way," I quipped with a lopsided grin as I felt the car come to a stop. "I wasn't that kind of delinquent. I guess I could tell you the rest inside, if you wanted."

"I want," she said with an impish smile, which I couldn't help but return. "C'mon; you ready?"

"I guess," I said, feeling uncertain. "I mean; am I going to be okay dressed like this?"

"You look hot," she replied as the door opened, revealing the restaurant along with the limo driver.

"I'm not used to wearing long-sleeves," I explained as we got out of the car and headed to the restaurant. "I usually wear short sleeves to work since it's-"

I was interrupted as she spun to rest a hand on my chest. "I wasn't talking about your outfit, Okazaki," she said, and something about her expression caused my temperature to suddenly spike upward. "I said 'You look hot'." She then gave me a wink before turning to head into the building, and I followed while battling a slight case of dizziness.

The cooler air of the restaurant worked its magic, and I started to feel a lot better as we approached a podium with a gentleman standing behind it, and I had a flashback to my time with Kotomi. "Excuse me," I heard her say to the man. "I have a reservation for two for Sakagami."

"Of course, Madame Ambassador!" he said, his face lighting up with his smile. "It is good to see you again, as always. Right this way, please." We followed him into the main part of the restaurant, and I was slightly relived to see that the other guests weren't dressed too much more nicely than I was; nice, but not Kotomi-level. "And here we are," I heard him say as he stopped at one of the many tables, though I couldn't help but notice that this one was more…secluded than the others; looking around, I saw that we were in a section of the restaurant where the booths were designed to give their occupants more privacy. A lot more privacy… I swallowed a sizeable lump of anxiety.

"Thanks, this is perfect," I heard Sakagami say; I then watched somewhat dumbly as she slid into a seat before quickly taking my own across from her. As I watched, she picked up her menu and began to study it. "So, what are you going to have?" she asked.

I blinked stupidly several times before shaking my head to clear it and collect my menu as well; fortunately, this one was in Japanese. "Well, let's see… Wait, they serve burgers here?"

"Yup!" I heard her chirp form the other side of my menu. "That's part of the reason I picked this place." I lowered my menu to find her giving me an impish smile. "Surprised?"

"Well….yeah," I replied as I awkwardly scratched my cheek. "I've never been here before, but I figured we'd be going someplace fancy like the one Kotomi-chan took-" I quickly cut myself off, my stomach slithering to my shoes as I realized that I'd likely opened my big mouth.

"So, you were with Ichinose-sensei?" Her question was more of a statement. "I-If you don't mind me asking; where did you go?"

"We… I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but I remember that the menu was in French," I said, feeling sheepish while trying to not feel sheepish; it wasn't as though I was cheating on Sakagami, after all.

"Local?"

"Sort of."

"I think I know the place," she said with a flip of her silver hair. "If it's the place I'm thinking of, I met with some other diplomats there for a luncheon of some kind. Too snobbish, if you ask me."

"Well, the host wasn't rude or anything," I said, more to myself. "Wait, then what's this place?" I asked, gesturing to indicate the dining area around us.

"This is a family restaurant," she said matter-of-factly while looking around. "It's…higher-quality than most, but still affordable."

"Maybe to you," I grunted, then looked back to the menu. "Yeah, this stuff is way outside an electrician's salary."

"I…I'm sorry." I looked up from my menu to see her gazing at me with a look of regret. "Is…Is this embarrassing for you? I didn't mean to do that; I just wanted to eat someplace nice with you."

"It's fine," I replied, more out of reflex than anything. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything, it's just…" I sighed at my inability to find the right words. "I guess it just makes me think of where I could have been if my shoulder hadn't been busted so long ago."

"Yeah, you mentioned your shoulder in the car," she remarked. "How'd that happen?"

I sighed again, partly to give myself more time to think about how to phrase my answer. "My dad and I had been fighting for years after Mom died, and shortly before I started high school we got in a really bad one and ended up busting my right shoulder."

"I take it that's your dominant side?"

"Yeah," I nodded as the memories started to return, though I noticed that they weren't as painful as they used to be…just like my memories of Nagisa. "I got into Hikarizaka on a basketball scholarship, too, so…" I trailed off, not sure how to finish my thought.

"Damn, Okazaki; I'm sorry." I looked across the table to find her studying me with a look of regret. "Your whole life was messed up by that. Damn."

I blinked in surprise; at my session, she spoke so properly and politely; but here, she was starting to sound like the rough-and-tumble Sakagami that I vaguely remembered. "Thanks. I'm better now, though, thanks to an experimental surgery."

"Really?" She seemed to brighten with the new information. "That's cool. How long ago did you have it?"

I squinted as I tried to remember; finally, I gave up. "I can't remember exactly," I replied with a shrug and an embarrassed chuckle. "A few months ago, now. A lot's happened since then, so I've kinda lost track of time. I have my last follow-up appointment with Dr. Fujibayashi next Saturday. At least, I hope it'll be my last."

"So your shoulder works again?" she asked, leaning her elbows on the table, the cut of her blouse reminding me yet again of how well-endowed she was.

"Yeah," I said as I briefly raised my hand above my head. "It used to be that I couldn't lift my hand above the level of my shoul-OHMYGOD!" I shot from my seat as the sudden and unexpected sensation of something rubbing against my leg.

"What's the matter, Okazaki?"

"I-I'm not sure," I stammered as I checked my pant leg, vaguely aware of the attention my outburst had apparently drawn. "It felt like something rubbed against my leg." I glanced under the table but all I could see were the ambassador's legs, modestly crossed.

"Maybe a breeze blew your pant leg," she suggested, but something about her reassuring smile was…off.

"Y-Yeah," I managed as I reclaimed my seat. "Wh-Where was I?"

"Standing next to our table and yelling about your leg."

"No, before that," I said, starting to feel slightly annoyed.

"You were talking about how you couldn't raise your arm very high," she said, then glanced beyond me. "Our server's coming, I think."

"Good afternoon!" a young woman greeted as she bowed, then pushing a lock of black hair over her ear as she straightened. "I'm Hiroko, and I'll be your server today."

"Hello, Hiroko-san," I greeted before I realized that she wasn't finished. "Sorry; didn't mean to interrupt."

"N-No problem," she replied as she appeared to study me. "Guests don't normally greet me back; you're very polite, aren't you?"

"I don't think so," I said, starting to feel self-conscious. "After all, I just interrupted you, didn't I?"

"You did, but that's okay; I'll forgive you this time," she said with what looked like a playful smile.

"Are you here to take our orders?" I heard Sakagami ask, her tone sounding slightly menacing.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Hiroko squeaked as she quickly raised a palmtop computer. "I'm sorry! Wh…What can I get for y-you?"

We gave our orders, and as our server hurried away I looked to my old schoolmate. "What was that about, Sakagami? Do you know her or something?"

At first, she gave me a look of disbelief rather than an answer. Then… "Okazaki…she was flirting with you. And in front of me!"

"She was?" I looked over my shoulder to find her, but she was likely already in the kitchen area. "That's weird; it didn't seem like it to me. Our conversation seemed a little odd, but…" I raised my hands in a shrug. "Sorry."

She shook her head with a scoff. "Seriously? You couldn't tell?"

"Not a clue," I replied honestly. "What made you think she was?"

"Girls don't 'forgive' guys that way," she said as she leaned forward again to fix me with her gaze. She then shook her head. "I guess you don't know how good-looking you are, huh?"

"I've…been told a couple of times…about that," I said, thinking back on Ushio's words, as well as the many recent interactions I'd been having with the under-twenty crowd.

"Well, you are," she declared, then appeared to study me further. "Damn; now that I really look at you, it looks like you haven't aged a day since high school. Your eyes show some signs of age, but otherwise? Damn."

"I promise you; I've aged at least sixteen years since then," I replied with humor, though it quickly sobered. "Maybe more with Nagisa's death."

"Your late wife, right?"

"That's right," I replied, waiting for the twinge of pain that didn't come.

"Yeah, that would do it. Sorry." She crossed her arms as she studied me some more, and I thought I felt her foot gently tap against my leg; so that was it. "You really have aged well for all the crap you've been through."

"Thanks…I think."

"Do you think I've aged well?" she suddenly asked.

"You? Ah…" I hesitated, Ushio's words about me saying nice things about girls coming to mind. But she asked, so… I closed my eyes and tried to remember what she looked like back in high school. Finally, I opened my eyes. "Yeah, I'd say you have. I couldn't say exactly how you've aged well, but I can say that you look a lot like the second-year that I remember from high school."

"In case I didn't tell you back then; I don't like lies, Okazaki," she said in a tone of warning.

"Cool. Same here," I replied as I held her gaze.

I thought I heard a slight whimper before she averted her eyes. "G-Good. Th-Then thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome."

She must've been surprised by my praise, because she was quiet until our server came back with our orders. "…and here you go," she finished as she set my plate before me. She then stepped back to a professional distance. "Is there anything else I can get for you? Condiments or anything like that?"

"I don't see our drinks," Sakagami said after briefly surveying our table.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she squeaked as she bowed. "I'll be right back with them! I'm very sorry!"

"Don't worry about…it," I said to her rapidly retreating form.

"She bowed to you, Okazaki," Sakagami remarked.

"All right," I said, starting to feel annoyed again. "What am I supposed to do about it?"

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. "Damn," she scoffed. "I'm sorry; I guess I'm feeling jealous. I invited you on a date, after all."

She had a point, and her words cause me to remember Kyou's admonition: "Just because you don't see it as a date doesn't mean that they won't." "Yeah. Yeah, you did," I conceded. "I'm sorry; I'll…try to be more aware from now on."

"Thank you; I appreciate it," she replied in a subdued tone.

Apparently neither of us knew what to say after that, so we ate quietly as we waited for our drinks.

"Here you go!" our server chirped as she placed my drink before me. "One lemon tea, and the red wine for you," she finished as she placed a tall, fancy glass in front of my 'date'. My 'date'.

"Thank you, Hiroko-san," I said with a smile; I liked remembering people's names, but I hoped she wouldn't get the wrong idea because of it.

"Y-You're welcome," she replied as she hugged her tray to her chest; considering her proportions it actually looked a little uncomfortable. "En…Enjoy your meal!" Before Sakagami or I could say any more, she bowed and took off back toward the kitchen.

"Did you see it that time?" Sakagami asked in a low tone.

"I think so, yeah," I said. "The way she was holding her tray, and…she looked like she blushed a little…"

"She also had one foot pointed inward, just a little bit," she said as she picked up her drink. "I'm not surprised you missed that, but good job on the others."

"Thanks."

We ate in awkward silence for a few more minutes. Well, at least I felt awkward. "So, how did you end up an ambassador?" I asked, hoping to change the topic to something more pleasant.

"It's been a long road," she started, "but it goes all the way back to high school. Do you remember the campaign to save the sakura that lined the path to the high school?"

"I remember hearing about it in the news," I said. "But I never really followed it much."

"That was my campaign," she replied as she reached up to flip her hair only to stop herself; we were at a meal table, after all. "I ran for Student Council President so I could work to save them."

"That's pretty cool," I said with no small amount of admiration. "Apparently you succeeded since they're still there."

She nodded in confirmation. "It was hard work, though; not only was I running the sakura campaign, I also had my presidential duties."

"Sounds like you were kept pretty busy," I remarked.

"I was," she replied with another nod. "Apparently I'd impressed some of our local politicians, and they encouraged me to run for public office after I graduated."

"Wait; do you mean that they encouraged you after high school or that they encouraged you, so you ran for office after high school?"

"The latter," she replied, then smirked at my puzzled look. "The second one; 'former' would refer to the first option I listed."

"Okay, thanks." While I liked learning new things, it was still pretty embarrassing learning them 'on-the-fly'. "So I take it you followed their advice?"

"Yup," she said before taking a sip of her wine. "I didn't fool around, either; I took a month off after graduation to plan before running for mayor." She gave me a puzzled look. "You…didn't know that I was your mayor for a while?"

"I...was kinda busy…" I said lamely.

"Yeah," she said while studying me. "I guess you were. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I said with a shake of my head. "It's not like you were there or anything; I can't expect you to remember."

"I wish I had been."

"Huh?"

She rested her forearms on the table, and I had to resist glancing at her attributes again. "I wish I could've been there for you; if nothing else, I could've kept you from drinking and smoking like that."

I smiled softly at her. "Thanks. I guess it would've helped to have someone to kick my ass when it was needed. Maybe I wouldn't have abandoned my baby daughter."

"You were hurting, and badly, Okazaki," she said softly, and I was touched – and a little surprised – by the warmth in her eyes. "I wissh I could have been there to take away your pain."

I noticed the slight slur to her words but decided to not mention it; she was drinking wine, after all. "Th-Thanks. Anyway, what happened after you finished being our mayor?"

"Huh? Mayor?" She blinked a couple of times. "Oh! Right. Well, it's hard to explain; I went from being an assistant to one member of the Diet, and then another." She shrugged a shoulder. "It was kind of a promotion; with each appointment I ended up with more and more responsibilities. Eventually, someone who'd been keeping track of my work ssubmitted my name for consideration to replace the outgoing ambassador to America."

"That's pretty cool," I said, thoroughly impressed, though I noticed that she slurred again. "You worked hard and it paid off."

"Yeah…" she said with a small smile, and I felt the light pressure on my leg again. "The only problem iss, in all that time I couldn't find a good man."

"I'm…sorry to hear that," I said, suddenly feeling self-conscious, not just at her words but also at the way she was looking at me. "So there wasn't anyone who'd ask you out?"

"Oh, there were plenty," she replied before taking another sip of her drink. "But they were politicians, ya know?"

"I'm not sure I get what you mean," I admitted.

"Seriously?" She snorted behind her hand. "Okazaki, you've got more testosterone in your little finger then everyone in the Diet!"

"Could you lower your voice, please?" I asked as I noted the disapproving gazes sent our way. "You're being a little loud."

"SSorry," she slurred again but did ask I asked. "There aren't any men in politics," she explained, her voice barely above a whisper. "They talk like a bunch of high-school girls, plotting and scheming; they're not straightforward and honest like you are…and I am."

"I see," I said, uncomfortable with what I was learning about our political leaders. "Well, I'm sure you'll find someone…worthy of you…soon."

"Oh, I found him a long time ago," she said while looking at me with a smile that seemed…predatory. Her foot had also made a reappearance, heading north for my…

I sighed, having reached my limit. "Look, Sakagami; I appreciate your…admiration, but I'm not on the market and probably never will be."

"Suuure," she cooed; how much wine had she…well, had? "You haven't had sex in over a decade, Okazaki. And you've got a high-schooler panting for you, don't ya?"

"Ambassador…" I hissed, trying to remind her of her position. "We should probably leave soon; you're not acting…yourself."

"I haven' been myself for a long time," she pouted. "I've been whatever other people have needed me to be!" She looked down at her mostly-empty plate. "I'm done. You?"

I looked down at my mostly-eaten meal and decided it wasn't worth sticking around to eat if Sakagami was working on making a fool of herself. "Yeah, I'm done."

"Cool." She grabbed up her glass and drained it, and I realized that she must have had more than one glass during our meal; perhaps I'd been too distracted with my own musings. "Let's pay an' get outta here."

"Okay." I helped her to unsteady feet and let her hold my arm as we made our way up to the front counter to pay. She fumbled out a government ID and what I figured was her government credit card. "Should you be using that for this?" I asked. "This was a personal expense."

"Oops, you're right." She tossed the card back in her bag and rummaged around, finally producing something more appropriate. "Thankz, Okazaki; you saved my ass."

I tried to avoid looking at her posterior as we left the restaurant and headed toward the waiting limousine. "She…had too much wine, I think," I told the driver. "I'm sorry; I didn't think to keep track of her drinks."

"Again?" he grunted with a shake of his head. "Don't worry about it, sir; I've dealt with this before."

We managed to get Sakagami into the back of the limo and I got in after her, helping her into the front-facing seat while I took the rear-facing seat again. "You okay?" I asked as the car started to move again.

"I'm fine," she replied, waving a hand at me. "A little wine is good for the gut, or something like that. 'Sides, it helps with the pain."

I had a feeling what 'pain' she was referring to but still decided to ask. "What pain?"

She leaned forward, almost falling to the floor; I managed to catch her in time, though. "Such strong hands…" she murmured. "I wonder how they'd feel on my-"

"That's enough, ambassador," I said, hoping that hearing her title would help her pull it together. "You're drunk."

"I know I'm drunk, dammit!" she grumped while sitting on the floor with her head tilted back. "That's how I make the pain go away!"

I dreaded what the answer would be but risked the question: "Is there something I can do to help you?"

"Fuck me."

"Excuse me?"

"Fuck me," she repeated. "You 'member back in high school, when I toldya that you made me feel like a girl?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied carefully, still shocked by her language.

She somehow managed to level her gaze at me as she leaned toward me. "I want you to make me feel like a woman."

I almost asked why she wanted me to do it, but I'd had enough reasons spelled out for me so all I could do was sigh. "I'm sorry, Sakagami; I can't do that."

"It's easy enough," she protested. "We just get naked and you put your-"

"That's not what I mean," I interrupted, "and I think you know it. What kind of guy would I have to be to have sex with you now? Drunk and all that?"

"A real slime," she said sadly.

"That's right. And I think you also know that I'm not the kind of guy who'd have sex outside of marriage, don't you?"

She said nothing, but shook her head as she slumped.

"So I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscience do that with you."

She looked back up into my eyes. "Do you mean that? Are you really sorry?"

Was I? "I wish I could take your pain away," I replied honestly. "And, to be honest, I probably would be out looking to remarry if t wasn't for the fact that I still miss my wife."

"Bullshit."

"Excuse me?" I said, shocked by her response.

"You don't miss your wife as much as you thhhink."

I shoved her away before I could stop myself. "What do you know about me and Nagisa, anyway?"

"I'm sure you miss her," she said, swaying a little. "But she'ss not the reason you won't date."

"And you know this how?" I demanded as I crossed my arms; we swayed a little as the car rounded a turn.

"Because I'm a girl."

"Huh?" My arms dropped; something about her statement sounded familiar...then I remembered. "And girls are complicated, right?"

"Right," she confirmed. "Yeah, you miss your wife, but you don't azz much azz you used to. That girl's your real reason."

"What girl?" I was pretty sure she was referring to Mika, but I wanted to hear it from her own mouth.

She growled before reaching behind her to grab a bottle of water. After downing some of it she said. "You know which one; the one who ssaid she loved you at your sezz…sezz…"

"My counseling session?" I offered.

"Yeah." She took another drink from the bottle, then wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "The girl with the long hair with a couple of locks tied back like Missus Wizard."

"You're talking about Mika?" I finally said, figuring her 'Missus Wizard' nickname referred to Kotomi.

"Yeah," she replied; surprisingly, she was already starting to sound more sober. "Damn, Okazaki; how old is she? Eighteen?"

"Yeah."

"She'd be in her last year of high school, maybe university," she remarked as she lifted herself back into her seat. "How'd you two meet, anyway?"

I sighed. "There's…a bit of a story behind that. I guess the short version would be: she's the daughter of a couple of friends of mine, one of whom was my class rep."

She blinked, apparently surprised by the revelation. "Really? Which one? I mean, which one was your class rep?"

"Her mother," I replied. "Hiiragi Ryou, though she was 'Fujibayashi' back in high school."

"Wait a minute…" she said, rubbing her temple. "She's eighteen and you're…how old?"

"Thirty-six."

"So your class rep couldn't be too much older than you, right?"

"Right," I replied, puzzled. "What's your point?"

"When the hell did she get pregnant?" she asked as she fixed her hair. "Seems like your girlfriend would have been conceived during her mom's third year of high school."

"That's…" Truth was, I'd never thought of that before. "That's a good question. I don't know."

"Maybe you should ask," she suggested, definitely sounding more clear-headed; she must have had an amazing liver.

"Do you think there might be a problem?" I said, starting to worry.

Apparently she noticed, because she gave me a sly grin. "What's wrong, Okazaki; worried about your little admirer?"

"Well, kinda," I admitted. Was Mika adopted or something? How would Ryou have hidden a pregnancy during high school? For that matter, why would she hide a pregnancy? For that matter, why would she hide her marriage to Kappei? And why did the idea seem to bother me so much?

"You worried about what's-her-name?" Sakagami's voice suddenly cut in.

"Who?"

"Your little girlfriend," she said, sly grin still in place.

"She's not my any-kind-of girlfriend," I retorted. "And her name is 'Mika-san'."

"Oh, so now you add the honorific," she said teasingly. "Anyway, you're worried about her?"

"I guess… Since I never thought about this before, the whole idea kinda surprised me," I replied, choosing to ignore her taunt.

"Yeah, that makes sense. You sure you won't have sex with me?"

I blinked at the abrupt change in subject. "I'm sure, though I'll admit the offer has been…tempting."

"Whoo!" she exclaimed, fanning herself. "Thanks, Okazaki; you actually made my heart skip a beat with that one!"

I simply chuckled as I shook my head at her antics.

"Listen…" she said, her expression turning serious, "…I've had years to get my act together and approach you; it's not like I haven't known where you've lived all this time, after all."

I felt a little uncomfortable with the idea but said nothing.

"I'm sorry for acting the way I did at the restaurant; I think I forgot how great a guy you were – and still are – and…" She swallowed hard. "…I don't think I deserve someone like you."

"No, you deserve way better," I snorted.

Her expression didn't change at my attempt at humor. "No… I don't think so. I think someone like Mika deserves you." She flicked her gaze to the floor between us. "I can tell; she's supportive, lifts you up, you know?"

"And you know this because you're both girls?" I said with a smirk.

That got a chuckle out of her. "Sort of. That, and my skills as an ambassador have helped me learn how to read people… To some degree, I mean."

"Well, you're right about her being supportive," I told her. "She's been making dinners for me almost from the time my shoulder was injured-er, reinjured a few months ago, I mean."

"Yeah; she's a keeper," she declared. "I know that you're eighteen years apart, but if you let her get away you'll regret it." I saw her swallow hard again. "I would know what that feels like."

I wasn't sure what to say to that.

"If she's loved you for a while, then she deserves a response," she said quietly.

I looked to her, puzzled, only to find her still staring at the floor. "What do you mean?"

She lifted sad blue eyes to mine. "Either accept her and marry her, or reject her and send her away; either way, she needs closure."

I rubbed my face vigorously with my hand as I entered the apartment. "I'm home…" I grunted as I reached down to take off my shoes; man, my voice sounded old.

"Welcome home!" greeted a familiar yet unexpected voice, causing me to freeze with one shoe off.

"M-Mika?!"

A moment later Mika bounced into view…in more ways than one, I desperately tried not to notice. "Welcome home! I hope you don't mind, but I came a little early; I wanted to make a new dish that Aunt Kyou taught me recently, but it takes longer to make than usual."

"W-Well, I gave you a key to the place, so…" I tried to unscramble my nerves to finish my thought. "…it's fine."

"Great!" she chirped. "Have a seat and I'll bring you some tea!"

"…she's the supportive type who'd help you succeed in life…" rang through my mind as I fell into my spot at the kotatsu. "Where's Ushio?"

"She made a run to the market to pick up some ingredients for tonight's dinner," she called from the kitchen. A minute later she came out with a tall glass and placed it on a coaster in front of me. "Here you go! I figured that since it's hot outside that cold tea would be better."

"Thanks," I said gratefully as I reached for the sweating glass.

"How…was your time with the ambassador?" I heard her ask hesitantly.

"Fine," I said, trying to not remember my conversation with Sakagami about my 'admirer'. "We had lunch and talked about how we got to be where we are."

"I'll bet she had quite the story to tell," Mika remarked as she headed back to the kitchen.

"You could say that," I replied. "I'm not sure that I understood it all, but I know I learned some stuff about our political leaders that has me worried."

"I'll bet," she giggled from the kitchen.

I said nothing further but watched her as she stood with her back to me, her long hair swaying as she moved something from the counter to the stove, and started to think about how to best get out of my situation. Even though we effectively had the blessing of everyone who knew of her feelings toward me, she was still only eighteen and I still believed that she should have been interested in someone her own age rather than the thirty-six-year-old father of one of her schoolmates.

I didn't dislike the girl, of course; she was kind but firm, compassionate like her mother while strong-willed like her aunt. Cute as a button, too. Why couldn't she find someone her own age? Or even someone more…college-aged?

"Either accept her and marry her, or reject her and send her away; either way, she needs closure."

It pained me to do it, but I had to find some way to get her affection away from me. This had to end somehow, so I got up from my spot at the kotatsu and started over to her as she stirred one of the pots.

I saw a brief look of surprise in her eyes as I took her by the wrist and spun her so she ended up with her back to the counter, but away from where the flames of the stove could reach her. I stepped as close to her as I could without actually making contact and rested one hand on the counter, between her and the stove, but kept my other hand by my side; I wanted to give her plenty of space to run after what I planned to do, but my skin crawled as, without flinching, she rested her hands on my chest and looked up into my eyes.

I didn't say anything as I held her gaze: I wanted her a little worried. Not scared, but I could live with her fear if that's what it took to turn her off to me. It creeped me out yet again, though, when her eyes showed no fear; instead, I saw innocent trust.

I sighed internally; I had hoped that suddenly acting 'aggressive' toward her would have her running out the door, but… I sighed internally as I started to lower my face toward hers, figuring that would be enough make her uncomfortable enough to move away.

My skin crawled to the point of burning when not only did she not shrink away, she actually tilted her face upward, her eyes closing as her hands slid from my chest to my sides, on their way to my ba-

I jumped away with a strangled shout. "Wha…What are you doing, Mika?"

Her eyes fluttered open with an expression of bewilderment before it settled into one of loss. "Wh…Why did you stop?"

"You…You were supposed to push…push me away," I stammered as I pointed at her. "Or run."

"Why would I push away what I want so badly?"

I stared at her in disbelief; of course I knew that she cared about me but I was sure that she'd run when things got too real.

Her arms moved from their previous attempt to embrace me to cross over her chest. "I…I was ready, Tomoya-sama. My…My heart was…is…ready…"

'Tomoya-sama'? "Mika, you-"

"Why did you stop?" she demanded tearfully, taking a hesitant step toward me and causing me to hurry to the other side of the kotatsu. "Are you trying to torture me? Do you hate me?"

I suddenly felt a slight wave of guilt from what I'd just done. "I-I don't hate you, Mika; it's just that…" I gestured helplessly toward her, unsure of what to say.

Her look of sadness resolved itself to one of defiance. "You…You were trying to scare me away, weren't you?"

My eyes darted around the room, as though I could find the words I needed printed on the wall. Finally, I simply hung my head with a sigh, bobbing it a couple of times in confirmation. "I'm sorry."

"Please look at me, Tomoya-sama." After I had brought my gaze up to her still-determined expression she said, "Whether you like it or not, I love you. I told you that Mom and Aunt Kyou told me about all the qualities they saw in you and fell for, and I've seen them as well." Her air of defiance faltered as she lifted a hand to wipe away a tear. "I guess I am my mother's daughter, huh?"

I wasn't sure what to say to that.

"I'm sorry I'm so much younger than you are," she whimpered. "I'm sorry for following you around the way I have, and I'm sorry for falling in love with you."

Following? Suddenly, some things made sense, but I filed the thought away for later. "Mika, I-"

"No, wait; I'm not sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm not sorry I'm so much younger than you are," she said, her determined look making a return. "I'm not sorry for following you around the way I did, and I'm not, not, not sorry for falling in love with you. At all." Her expression softened. "What I'm really sorry for is that it makes you uncomfortable."

"Thanks."

"That doesn't mean that I'm giving up, though!" she declared, her expression brightening all of a sudden.

"Huh?"

She didn't reply, but giggled as she turned back to the stove and started humming what sounded like a happy tune.