Chapter 25
Those little details
Naoki heard the lesson of Biochemistry while the sensei put notes on the blackboard at the front, explaining part of what they would find in the laboratory practice of the next class; his classmates wrote down in their notebooks—the one at his side with more heart and soul after asking a question.
He had to admit that Funatsu was a good student, mainly so studious, but he rolled his eyes at the thought that all his efforts were to overthrow him, although he had some interest in the field. He wondered if someday he would realize that being number one or two, or other, did not really matter, as long as he acted the right way.
Or maybe Naoki didn't understand and that was Funatsu's way to motivate himself.
The sensei ended the class and all were prepared to leave. He went to the library, where he stayed to read.
Moments later, ready to begin, the vibration of his phone in his pants broke his concentration. He was going to ignore it, but he didn't do it knowing that the people with his number didn't call unless it was important.
He took out his phone from his pocket and saw Kotoko's name on the screen, which made him frown because she had not attended classes that day to solve matters for her first formal practice.
He went to the entrance of the library, putting the phone to his ear once he accepted the call.
He heard sobs and moans from the other side.
"Naoki-kun…"
[…]
After signing the consent for surgery, Naoki put his brother's surgery in the doctor's hands. The doctor had explained to him that it was an abdominal obstruction, after showing him the results of X-rays and the symptoms. The physician would confirm it with the surgery, however.
When the doctor had given him the prognosis, after some tests, he had breathed relieved after brooding on the problem with his current knowledge. Never would have he expected that the first real person to be part of a medical hypothesis—without intervening, just listening and thinking—, after beginning the career, would be his little brother. He had done it after Kotoko's words in the other side of the phone; she had had enough cool head when he asked her to calm and give a description of what was happening, which led him to tell her what to do.
Naoki went to the waiting room where he had left his phone to Kotoko to call his mother; she forgot hers at home, hurried to go in the ambulance.
He found her wandering around in a corner, holding his phone to her chest, with trembling hands and head down. There was just a man asleep in the waiting room.
"Kotoko," he said stopping in front of her to end her moves.
She looked up to meet his gaze.
"He'll have surgery, he'll be fine," he said calmly, trying to convince her. Maybe in a little deep part of his mind, he tried to reassure himself too, but he trusted the ability of the physician to confirm a diagnosis and make everything all right. "You have acted quickly and correctly," he added, internally proud.
Kotoko nodded, holding out his phone with a trembling hand. He picked it up and put it back in his pocket, putting his school bag in the floor.
"I'm so relieved," she whispered, hugging herself.
Then she let out a sob, and he saw her put a hand on her cheek, wiping away a tear. "I was… so scared… that…" Her body shuddered and he stepped toward her, placing a hand on the back of her head; Kotoko launched into his chest, crying. "Naoki-kun…"
With hesitation, he raised his left arm and placed it around her waist, sighing with bowed head, waving her red hair. He felt a kind of comfort after some time in restless, experiencing a momentary doubt and thinking in the confirmation of the doctor's prognosis. At least, Yuuki was in good hands.
He separated from her, bended to pick up the bag, and directed her to the seats to wait.
That was worse than the occasion with Kotoko, because at least with her he had the opportunity to see her before, while with Yuuki he was blind in a sudden case.
He closed his eyes for a moment, relaxing slowly, finally recovering from the surge of adrenaline after signing the consent. He had acted with cool head until he had passed the critical moment, when the situation his brother had taken a toll on him.
However, the occasion had made that (if it was possible) his interest in medicine increased. He felt more interest in its wonders and how the knowledge could benefit; how much they could achieve with others, even being aware of those they could not save. His fervor would be to work for those that had possibilities and those who hadn't, doing as far as he could, even if they died later. It would be difficult but he had a goal.
"It's a situation with his intestines, the doctor will take care of it," he said, turning his attention to Kotoko.
She nodded, finishing her sobs.
[…]
Naoki entered Yuuki's hospital room; there, he saw Kotoko beside the bed, a storybook in her lap, while his brother shook his head repeatedly with a pout.
"Onii-chan!" Greeted his brother, who had less than one day in the hospital and already seemed annoyed to be there. "She doesn't shut."
"Don't talk like that of your onee-san, Yuuki-kun," argued her, resting in the hospital bed on her folded arms.
He sat on the chair on the other side, his mother had gone home because she didn't want to neglect the preparation of dinner, although Shigeo-san said he could do it, or they could even go to the restaurant if they wanted. His mother had refused, but he knew it was her way to remain busy, after seeing her youngest son in the hospital recovering… and refusing to close attention.
"Kotoko, stop," he murmured, accepting the book she had, from Yuuki.
"Why is he allowed to read to you?" she asked, straightening up.
"Because he doesn't stutter or misread," scoffed his brother, though Naoki thought she had done well in her previous job and that was just a normal act from Yuuki. "Adjust my pillow."
Kotoko nodded, grimaced and held out a hand, to do what the other told her; but apparently she was not satisfied, because she accompanied him on the bed, laying beside him.
"What are you doing?!" Yuuki exclaimed, crossing his arms.
"I'll be your pillow," she explained with a smile.
"Don't be silly, get out of my bed!"
"No."
"You want to be my pillow because you're fat!"
He suppressed a smile hearing Kotoko's gasp, but in the room echoed a child's laughter.
"You bother other patients," he chided weakly, watching the other child in the room, who had hair and eyes black and looked frail.
"Don't worry, I enjoy listening to them."
Kotoko got up from the bed and went to occupy the chair beside the dark-haired boy.
"Hey, they're Naoki-kun, Yuuki-kun, and I am Naoki-kun's girlfriend, Kotoko," she introduced with a smile. "What's your name?"
"Nobuhiro… Nobu," pronounced the boy. "Hi, Kotoko-san."
"We regret the noise, you must want to rest."
Nobu shook his head. "I like listening to you, there has never been funny people in the room." Naoki frowned, wondering how long had he been there. "And you're funny telling stories."
"Am I? Do you want me to read to you?" suggested his girlfriend, bowing to him.
The other shrugged. She rose to the bag on Yuuki's side table.
"How long have you been here, Nobu-chan?" Kotoko asked, after taking out a small book of tales.
"This time, a month," Nobu replied, shrugging.
"This time?" Kotoko went back to the seat.
"I have a disease in my kidney… I have to be here several times," explained the child. Naoki felt intrigued of the illness he that could have, curious about his case.
He saw Kotoko pressing her lips, nodding. "I understand, and how old are you?"
"Nine."
"The same as Yuuki, are you in fourth year?"
"Yes, but I think I'll have to repeat."
"And your parents?"
"They work to pay for the hospital."
In that moment, he analyzed the attentive eyes of his girlfriend, wondering if she asked from the professional side, that might influence her questionnaire, or it was pure self-interest.
By telling his parents were divorced, she began exploring his situation, making him realize that the university was making her mature in some ways. Or maybe he realized until then.
However, she did not change much, going to the point of offering tutorials to the child to keep up—with prior knowledge of her skills—, so he had to sigh, knowing it was not a good idea of her.
[…]
Two children's laughter could be heard from the other side of the door and Naoki turned the knob to enter the his brother's hospital room, where he and his new great friend were having fun, probably, due to his girlfriend.
"Wait! I know those answers, I saw them in Yuuki's notebook," she spoke amid the laughter of Yuuki and the giggles from Nobu, more restrained.
"And which are they?" he asked from the doorway, making her gasp.
"Don't worry, Kotoko-san, we can leave that for the end," Nobu said with a kind smile.
Kotoko's shoulders slumped. He sighed; she simply could not improve in school activities that she should know at her age. He had to interfere with the child, or the "help" would affect him more that benefit him, though her intentions were laudable.
He went to his brother, who was doing his homework, and ruffled his hair as a greeting, before going to bed occupied by his roommate.
"Nobu…"
"Yeah! They are mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians," said Kotoko, pointing with a big smile each tetrapod, which he saw impressed, as she was right.
He heard the sound of a pencil hitting the floor from Yuuki's bed.
"Yuuki kept repeating them a few weeks ago while doing his homework," she explained with a note of pride in her voice, perhaps for remembering.
Nobu looked at his notebook with a nod, writing.
"I don't know the others," said Kotoko, scratching her head. "Then she looked at him. "Naoki-kun is smart, he should know! He studies to be a doctor and cure many people."
Kotoko's unwavering confidence, he thought, taking the seat next to Nobu.
"Do you want me to help you?"
The boy watched him hesitantly, before nodding.
[…]
Yuuki's week in the hospital went fast, and the day he was discharged, with the tightly closed wound, was emotional for him. Naoki noticed it because his brother had become good friends with Nobu in those seven days away from home.
He understood his appreciation for the child. In the evenings he taugh him, Naoki discovered he was a very nice child, whose circumstances were sad, as Kotoko pointed out while leaving the hospital. The farewell of the two infants had a lot of crying, and Yuuki's cries didn't finished with great welcome food at home.
"Cases like Nobu-chan and other children are very sad," opined aloud Kotoko, on Saturday before practicing tennis (which he didn't know why did not suspend), two weeks after his brother stay at the hospital. "In the place of my practice, I see many children suffering…" She sighed. "Yesterday Suzuki-sensei attended the case of an eight-year-old girl, whose mother died years ago, and now her father is dying… her only family lives in America… but she has a heart disease and they cannot take care of her."
She rested her head on the mesh network, with eyes closed. Perhaps that course was too much for her if seeing others suffer took the light off her in that way. It was what she would do in her life, like him, but her heart had room for many people and her empathized with others was intense.
"Kotoko…" he whispered, not knowing how to voice his thoughts.
"But I know there will be some way to help, so I'll continue my training," she said with a fist raised, determined.
He sighed; he knew that there would be no one more persistent to fulfill her purpose than she would. Even when it seemed impossible and situations escaped from her control, she would show a smile and not falter to get what could be achieved, or even make the impossible, possible. Moreover, with someone like her in that work, knowing that her positive attitude would prevail, it would be a benefit to people on her way.
Her choice Kotoko was right for her; she would seek ways or different perspectives and would work for others, as she did in what mattered to her, facing it with that smile that had an effect on the ones that receive it. He knew it well.
He stood, holding her hand grasped to place the ball.
"Today you start," he said picking up his racquet to stand on the other side… to expect any good service.
[…]
"Today, being onii-chan's birthday, we unveil the new house!"
Naoki sighed, while others applauded the words of his mother. He was grateful, at least, that she didn't throw a party for the refurbishing, focusing only on a family celebration after seeing the changes made; only his mother had supervised throughout the process, so it'd be a real surprise to others.
He thought it was an exaggeration, but admitted that he was interested to see what they had done with the new floor, after they were a week in a hotel.
His mother jumped in the hallway outside the door of his room. She turned the sign, which only had Yuuki's name, making him had a bad vibe inside.
"The first change," his mother announced, clapping, before opening the door. "We couldn't leave Yuuki far away from us," she added with a smile.
His brother shouted excitedly, entering the bedroom, which, with Yuuki's small bed, a desk and a bookcase, looked as wide as it look before they both shared it. A wall had been painted with robots and the room had his toys in the corner.
"Come on, come on, Yuuki, don't be late, much remains to be seen."
The room that belonged to Kotoko was transformed into a playroom, to the great joy of Yuuki and amazement of his girlfriend. The guest room recovered its purpose, but a different bed had been placed; his mother said Shigeo-san was very comfortable with the one on it, so he had it in his bedroom at the top floor.
The first thing that hit him at the new floor was the feeling of being in a spacious apartment. Before he had thought, with suspicion, that his room and Kotoko's were up there as well as the one of her father, who arrived home late at night.
His mother winked as they passed the Shigeo-san's bedroom and the small gym next it; there they found Kotoko's bedroom with the door facing the exercise area.
Just by opening the door, with no doubt, he noticed that the room rivaled the size of his parents' one, especially because it had its own bathroom.
Perhaps his mother was not so straightforward, because in the middle of the room with cream-colored walls and soft colors—and not as girly as her previous one—, was the same single bed of his girlfriend.
"Oba-sama! So much for me? Why not… for Naoki-kun? Or for oba-sama and oji-san?"
His mother laughed, rejecting it with a wave of her hand.
"Nonsense, onii-chan's room is equal to this, also in front of the room for the… study… the library… on this floor," said his mother, without anyone but him noticing her hesitancy.
He thought. Two master bedrooms, with two medium-sized rooms, a bathroom, and a medium-sized room, and three bedrooms on the lower floor.
He wrinkled his nose; he felt that this house was made for three families.
It was incredible. She had had her way, adjusting their plans for the future, hiding it perfectly. She deserved a bow of acknowledgement.
"We are missing the other rooms."
Naoki continued, containing an ironic laugh, as he had no desire to continue that.
[…]
Deep into his studies, the end of the year came quickly to Naoki and his family, reaching Christmas Day so early that he did not realize how. The temperature was falling and the days became shorter. Living together at home with the same hectic but comfortable pace made time flew, like the last nineteen months, full of interesting moments that he would never have thought to live.
His mother focused mainly on Yuuki and his shy classmate, giving him a break; although he supposed that with the arrangement upstairs, she thought it could happen a situation that will speed things.
As if her desire would come true, especially because he saw his girlfriend a lot.
The relationship with Kotoko remained as always; she, with her own attitudes, though less present, was immersed in cases of young people living in cybercafés, a research with a classmate; and he learned manual skills in his classes. That was fine with him, who was grateful that staying busy with college, made her less insistent.
Actually, they coincide mostly during the weekend. So, it was a surprise to him that she refused the opportunity to accompany them to the Christmas dinner of his father's company, which all would attend—except for Shigeo-san and Kotoko—, because she had promised to accompany her friends at Christmas, after these finished things with their boyfriends by their deceptions.
It was a bit frustrating for him to discover that he would have preferred her presence at the boring dinner full of Pandai employees. However, he recognized her faithfulness and her concern for others, which made her the type of person worth of keeping.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us, Kotoko-chan?" asked his mother as everyone prepared to go and Kotoko put lights in the living room, trying to give a festive atmosphere to her and her friends, as she did the previous year.
She did a doubtfully face and then shook her head.
"No, oba-sama, have fun. Jinko, Satomi and I will watch movies, sing karaoke and be three together today. Besides… I wouldn't have a dress," she admitted with a laugh.
His mother nodded with a grin, repositioning Yuuki's bow tie, which he removed with a grin, wanting to loosen it.
Kotoko's phone rang and she walked away while his mother tried to approach him to do the same thing with Yuuki, although he made sure that his tie was not twisted and his black tuxedo not wrinkled.
He kept his eyes on his girlfriend, who was speaking at the corner of the room. She made faces of disappointment to later transform them into smiles of joy, as he read from her lips that it made her happy that everything was a misunderstanding between Jyunpei and her friend—who should be the plump one, if he wasn't mistaken—, and that both Kotoko and her other friend would enjoy the evening together. Also, she would try not to make the other feel bad for being the only one of the three without a partner.
Kotoko hung up and went with them. "You all look very elegant," she praised with a smile reaching into her eyes while looking at him. "I wish I had been able to dance with Naoki-kun."
"There's still time," suggested his mother.
Kotoko shook her hands. "No, no, have a good time."
She accompanied them to the door, waving her arms, and he with his family headed to the hotel for the party.
Uneasy, thinking that the event would be tedious, he stared at the outside, ignoring the words of regret from his mother, on the misfortune of not being able to show off his son's girlfriend that day, to the wives of the members of his father's company.
Stopping at a traffic light, he watched a convertible discovered, as if the owners didn't have cold, and blinked, recognizing the passenger girl… it was Kotoko's tall friend, Satomi. He must have been mistaken and the other dated a Jyunpei, but he could swear the pretty had a boyfriend with money, and the plump a singer.
He sighed; it should be the opposite.
However, as if by chance, five lights later and close to the hotel, he found that in a nearby park a musician was on stage, with Kotoko's plump friend at his side.
[…]
Naoki looked condescendingly to the young woman introduced by his father's partner, hiding his inner displeasure. He felt that way because they used the event as an excuse to show woman respectable for him—even when his mother had told he had a girlfriend, whose absence made them think did not exist—and because he was thinking about Kotoko's situation, after her two friends leave her dumped with their plans.
And what she hated was to spend that date alone, not refusing to go to her father's restaurant even when she had to lend a hand.
He sighed nodding his father's partner and his daughter—of a name he didn't matter—, excusing himself with his father, who gave him an ashamed look.
He met his mother when he asked for his coat to a waiter. "Are you leaving?" she asked with a sly smile.
He nodded.
"I'll tell Dad, spend a good Christmas with Kotoko-chan," she whispered with a wink.
Fortunately for him, she did not see the faint blush that appear on his face, nor the face of anger he made when he think she could insinuate something else… which he wouldn't do, but the idea itself was not unpleasant. Of course, he was attracted to his girlfriend, but…
He gritted his teeth as he ordered a taxi to take him to the supermarket, with a sudden idea in mind.
[…]
Depositing in silence the things on the dining room table, Naoki looked around strangely; the absence of Kotoko shone, because quietness was unusual for her. He wondered if she had fallen asleep, as she was alone, or if she went to the restaurant.
He walked to the living room and frowned, his instincts told him something was there. He went to light a lamp beside the couch of his father.
Naoki barely caught a smell of perfume before stepping aside, a powerful cry of Kotoko ringing in his ears.
He fell to the couch and Kotoko pounced on him, hitting his head with the tennis racket.
"Stop!" he demanded, bringing his hands to her wrists, stopping her.
"Naoki-kun?" The racket landed on his head and went to the floor. "I thought you were a thief!"
He laughed at the ridiculousness and Kotoko hugged his neck, making her feel the shaking from his laughter. She must have an embarrassed face noticing the nonsense she thought, when the crime levels where they lived weren't high.
He sat putting her away from his body, leaning over to light the lamp, after which he saw her small pajama shorts and a short-sleeved blouse. With heating inside the house, she could feel more comfortable like that. If he, in his tuxedo, felt hot.
"The party already finished?"
He denied. "It was getting bored with my father's partners introducing me to his daughters as potential candidates for a wife."
"What?!" she cried, folding her arms with a pout. "I thought you came to accompany me."
"I? And your friends?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"They already left," she said, blushing and looking away.
He placed his index finger on her forehead, making her face him. He stuck out his tongue. "Then you dined very quickly, sang karaoke and watched the shortest film in the history," he muttered with feigned innocence.
Kotoko bit her lower lip.
"The truth is that their boyfriends and they made up, they were misunderstandings," she murmured, making him smile without her seeing it.
He stood.
"And what did you have for dinner?" He asked over his shoulder, while she remained on the sofa staring at her lap.
Naoki picked up the small cake he had bought and brought it to the freezer, going to the dining room with two cans of tea and the plates for both, finding that she didn't follow him.
He left the plates and took the handle of the bag of fried chicken, transporting it to the living room; his mother wouldn't know they ate there, anyway.
In the living room, he placed the bag and the cans, and took out the chicken, sitting on the couch.
"You haven't dined, right?" he questioned her; she looked at the table. "Although the amount I bought can be enough for both," he said, opening his can.
"I thought you'd gone to change your clothes," Kotoko answered with bright eyes.
He put the can on the table and shrugged. "I'm hungry," he commented, untying his bow.
Kotoko jumped on him, taking him by surprise, to the point of making him lay on the couch.
"What?!" He let out wide-eyed, watching her.
She smiled and leaned forward, pressing a kiss on his lips.
"Thanks, Naoki-kun," she whispered.
He frowned. He didn't want his intentions too clear now that he saw the stupid thing he had done; it was not something like him.
He looked away.
"I didn't eat dinner," he said uselessly, because the cake would not disguise his plan… that at least she did not spend that time alone.
Kotoko pressed her lips on his, making him look back at her, to find her with her eyes closed.
Breathing in, he followed suit, bringing his hands to her waist and half opening his mouth returning the kiss. He traced his tongue on her lips and cocked his head, asking for a place in her mouth; he soon met her tongue, which made him shiver.
His heart began to stir in his chest, making a rapid march that accelerated his veins and warmed his skin.
He separated from Kotoko with a gasp and, while kissing her, he moved on the couch, exchanging positions to make her lay back with his right hand slipping under her blouse. He smiled feeling her tremble and his lips took over the line of her throat, going to the junction between her neck and shoulder, sucking lightly on that place.
He felt a drop of sweat down his back, cursing heating of the house, wanting to get rid of the jacket, but to take a garment would be a point of no return, and he still had too much sense for it. He returned his lips to hers, nibbling her lower lip between his teeth, feeling her hands moving from his chest to his head, messing his hair with her fingers.
Kotoko groaned when he slightly increased the pressure on her lip, stopping the movement of her hands.
He put his forehead on hers and allowed that both breaths slow down, as the rhythm of their hearts. She had something that made him want to continue kissing her, once started. It didn't happen when they were separated, but he felt addicted each time their mouths joined.
He didn't recognize himself for having reached that point, in which he could hardly control once he kissed her and wanted more of her, in a way that unnerved him and made him lose track of what was happening around him. It was amazing and scary to feel it.
On the hand resting on her waist, he felt a slight movement, accompanied by a growl.
He laughed and sat down, grabbing a napkin from the package before opening it and taking out a piece of fried chicken.
Kotoko, red-faced, did the same but dropped the thigh of chicken when she had not taken it off the package and ran out, leaving him dumbfounded, chewing his piece. Wasn't the growl a hungry thing?
He shrugged, lolling on the sofa, and continued eating. She returned moments later with a package in her hand, which he placed in his lap, forcing him to leave his food and clean his hands.
"Merry Christmas, Naoki-kun," she pronounced gently.
He removed the wrapping of what appeared to be wrapped clothes and asked himself, afraid, if she knitted a sweater, since his mother's attempts to teach her last year had been unsuccessful.
He felt his throat dry and swallowed hard when he finished unwrapping her gift, seeing a white garment, a white coat with his name sewn on the front, in a meticulous mode. It was a nice present from her.
"I know that very soon it will have the title of doctor there," said Kotoko with a smile.
He left his gift at his side and placed a hand on her head, pulling her body slightly. "Thank you, Kotoko," he whispered in her ear.
She nodded and leaned to the table take the thigh, which she began to eat with relish.
Doing the same, he thought, perhaps, he did not have to give a poor excuse for the cake in the refrigerator. Perhaps between them was unnecessary to pretend so much.
Or just for Christmas time he could allow it.