Nadeshiko has to work overtime for New Years, leaving Rin to celebrate their anniversary by herself. Sort of.
"Oi, Shimarin." Chiaki's voice calls out from across the kotatsu. Rin looks up from her phone, pausing the game she's playing. Chiaki gestures sloppily at the TV with her beer can, her fifth one of the night, the n-th one of the day. "I dun wanna alarm yoou," she slurs out, long past the stage of actual coherence, "but innit that Fujiko on the TV?"
Fujiko who? Rin turns her attention to the TV, confused, wondering if Chiaki really is that far gone before she remembers Fujiko is her stupid nickname for Nadeshiko. Annoyed, she opens her mouth to say it's Nadeshiko, not Fujiko on TV, and holy crap Nadeshiko's is on TV, that's her wife on national television, how did she even get there what?
There, in the left-hand corner of the screen, bundled up in layers of coats, scarves, and gloves and with her signature open-mouthed grin, is Nadeshiko. She's waving so frantically at the camera that it's a small miracle her arm hasn't fallen off yet.
Rin blinks. Hard. She takes off her glasses, rubs her eyes and looks again.
Yep, definitely Nadeshiko; She's the only person in the world who would wear that hideous knitted cap with the eye-watering tail pomp.
Chiaki burps and lets out an inebriated chuckle. "Das Fuji- Fujiko! When did she *hic* get in the TVeeheehee *hic*!"
"Who's on TV?" From the kitchen, Aoi enters the living room, carrying a tray of mandarins. Halfway, she sees the TV and simply stops and stares, eyebrows disappearing into her hair. Slowly, she sets the tray down on the kotatsu.
"Oh my," she remarks softly, her tone of voice making it sound like seeing a close friend appear on national TV is a regular occurrence. "Now, how did Nadeshiko get herself all the way over there?"
Isn't that the million dollar question? Rin drops her phone onto the table and grabs the remote, not caring in the slightest that she basically has to shove the remains of their New Year's Eve hot pot to the side as well as a literal graveyard of empty beer cans. Some things are more important (like having your wife appear on national TV of all things.)
She smashes the volume button, and the anchor's voice quickly fills Rin's shared apartment.
"...concludes the Kirigamine New Year Festival! We hope the viewers at home enjoyed the show performed by the locals and maybe we'll see you again next year! Local time is 19:45. Now switching to a live feed of the area."
Chiaki adjusts her glasses, blinking blearily. From her seat at the kotatsu, she inches closer to the TV and squints with all the concentration afforded in her current state. "Waaaaait a minute. I know where this is! It's zat street cam from tha' place you went to Shimarin!" For some reason, she finds that statement to be unbelievably funny and breaks down into a fresh round of drunken giggles. "Is- is that the *hic* reason why she couldn't come to the *hic* New Year party?"
Rin can only nod dumbly. Suddenly all of her wife's odd behavior, the strange excuses and erratic absences the week before the party make sense. Just how on earth did she manage to keep it a secret for so long without Rin finding out?
Working overtime my foot. I can't believe I fell for that. Rin thinks, torn between disbelief and solid amazement. Whoever heard of a school nutritionist having to work overtime on New Year's Eve?
The camera suddenly focuses on Nadeshiko and Rin hears the anchor go, "Oh, it looks like we have one viewer who has something to say! Let's say hello!"
The camera zooms in, and as if sensing the attention, Nadeshiko's face lights up even further. She picks up the placard propped next to her and holds it up directly to the street cam.
XOXOXOXOXXOXO Happy Anniversary Rin-chan! I love you! XOXOXOXOXXOXO
Chiaki claps, or attempts to and ends up missing her hand and patting air like an idiot. "D'awwww that's adora- adorda- adorbab- das cute."
Cute, sure. Sweet even. But also very, very, very public, much too public for Rin's taste. She feels her cheeks light on fire just imagining the curious people currently watching and wondering just who in Japan is Rin-chan. On the one hand, this has to be the sweetest, most endearing gesture Nadeshiko or anyone for that matter, has ever done for Rin, period. But on the other hand, this is a live stream and oh, god, how many people are watching this right now, how many people know?
"Wow, the viewer count just spiked!" Aoi remarks, reading her mind as she checks the website on her phone. "There's close to 5,000 people watching right now."
Rin chokes. That's 5,000 people too many. 5,000 people who now know of a specific Rin-chan that previously didn't know of her before. A Rin-chan who at the very moment is debating legally changing her last name to Kagamihara and hopping onto the next flight outside of Japan. Do they even do international flights on New Year's Eve just before midnight?
As if sensing her discomfort, Aoi puts down her phone and moves over to Rin's side of the kotatsu to place a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't be too upset. You have to admit, it's a very..." she pauses, racking her brain for a word, "very… Nadeshiko sort of thing to do. Why not enjoy the sentiment behind it?" she finishes with a disarming smile.
Rin glances back at her wife, who's still waving the placard and beaming like a spotlight at the camera, and a small smile cracks through the anxiety. "True." Because isn't it exactly like Nadeshiko to drive 100 plus kilometers to Kirigamine, a day before New Years just so that she can shout out to the world just how in love she is? Aoi's right. Once all's said and done, what's there to be anxious about?
And besides, the audience only knows her first name. Rin is as com as a household name you can get in Japan. There have to be at least a billion other people in the country who share the same first name as- oh my god.
SHIMA RIN, WILL YOU MARRY ME AGAIN?
Somebody- Rin's not sure if it's Aoi or the TV anchor, let's out a high pitched squeal, dropping all pretenses of composure. Chiaki stares dumbfounded at the TV, and then promptly falls straight on her back and begins howling with laughter. "D'you- d'you think she forgot or-or," she gasps for breath, tears streaming down her face.
Rin kicks her in the side, but the mad cackling doesn't stop. She buries her face in her hands and lets out a high pitched noise that's somewhere between a whimper and a low scream. 5,000 people. 5,000.
"The viewer count just tripled! No. Quadrupled!" cries Aoi. "It keeps going up!"
20,000 people and counting. Her grandfather watches this channel for crying out loud. Oh god.
Rin snatches her phone off the table, opens her message app. Her fingers fly across the keyboard as she furiously types out her message and hits the send button.
R: YWhy are you on nationjal tv and whyy are you aasking me to marry you?
R: AGAIN?
On screen, her wife pauses in her waving to pull out her cell phone. Her eyes light up, and she quickly begins typing back her reply. Seconds later, Rin's phone beeps.
N: Because it's more exciting this way!
R: Whjat? For who?
N: Everyone else! Also, it's an unspoken rule that if you end up on national TV in front of cameras, you have to propose to someone.
R: You made that up right now didn't you.
N: ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
R: Sweetie…
R: You can't see it right now, but I'm making the face.
N: The one where you're smiling nicely on the outside but on the inside you're doing the opposite of smiling nicely?
N: The scary smiley one?
R: （＾ｖ＾）
N: Σ(⁰Д⁰)
R: （ ＾ ｖ ＾ ）
N: ΣΣ(⁰Д⁰;)
N: Okay, I surrender, I surrender!
N: Honestly? I just wanted to show up on TV.
N: And for everyone watching to know how I have the best wife in the whole wide world.
N: And that I love her so much that I'd ask her to marry me twice.
As mortified as she is, Rin's body betrays her by making her heart skip at least ten beats as she reads the message. It takes all her composure not to hug her phone close to her chest and to not break out in a big, dumb smile. She can't believe she fell in love with this dork. She can't believe she married this dork.
Well, I guess that just makes two of us then.
"Awwww!" goes Aoi, who's reading their exchange over Rin's shoulder. Chiaki mimes a stupid kissing face, but she's so far gone that she ends up looking like a fish out of water, so no one pays her any mind. "Well, don't keep her waiting!"
Rin runs a hand over her face, trying to pull her cheeks down. She lets out a long sigh, more for appearance's sake than anything, and types back a reply.
R: Fine, I believe you. You're off the hook.
N: ღゝ◡╹)ノ
N: And?
R: Are you really going to make me say it, again?
N: Pleeeeeeease?
N: If not for me, then for the audience at home, waiting on the edge of their seats
R: Fiiiiiiiiiine.
R: Yes, yes a thousand times yes.
R: I, Shima Rin, will marry you, Kagamihara Nadeshiko.
R: Again.
Rin puts down her phone and looks back at the TV. The smile on Nadeshiko's face grows to astronomical proportions. Rin see's her shoulders shake up and down, can practically hear the delighted giggles rolling off of her in waves.
Nadeshiko picks up the last placard (and the only placard left, Rin notes with some amusement, that cheeky puffball) and shows it to the camera.
SHE SAID YES!
The announcer breaks out into loud applause with shouts of "Congratulations!" from the background studio. Aoi shrieks in delight. Chiaki manages to slur out, "I'm s-sooooo happy fer you two," before taking a swig from her empty can and promptly bursting into tears. "BANZAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
Rin just shakes her head, covering her smile with her phone as the people and world around her celebrate as though New Year's has come three hours early.
Through all the noise and celebration, Rin's the only one who notices Nadeshiko mouth something to the camera before grinning brighter than the sun.
Rin just shakes her head again. Love you too, she mouths back.
R: So are you coming back before midnight?
R: Nadeshiko?
R: Are you there?
N: Yep, yep! I'm here. Just figuring something out!
N: So, hey, Rin-chan, did you know that I took the bus to get here?
R: ?
R: I thought you took the scooter.
N: I would've, but the glitter on the poster board kept getting blown off by the wind.
N: And it got everywhere. Everywhere!
N: In my shoes, in my hair, in my socks. You know what's worse than wet socks?
N: Glittery socks.
N: (⋟﹏⋞)
N: You know what's worse than glittery socks?
R: No idea.
N: Finding out that you looked at the wrong date for the bus schedule and that the last bus for the day left two hours ago.
R: …
R: You're stuck there aren't you.
N: Eheheheheh
N: （＾。＾；）
N: Do you think they'll let me hitchhike on the freeway?
R: No and don't do that.
N: ( ⁰д⁰)!
R: What? What is it?
N: They just turned off all the lights! I can't see anything it's so dark!
N: What do I do Rin-chan? (T~T)
R: Try not to get eaten by a bear
N: Σ(T□T)
N: Nooooooo, I've only been married for an hour, I don't wanna be a snack for a bear!
R: I'm kidding.
R: Hang on a second.
R: ...
R: Chiaki gave you the old outdoor club tent as a graduation present, right? Where did we put it?
N: (? w ?)
N: It should be in the closet, behind the blankets. Why?
N: !
N: Wait. Are you?
N: Is it?
N: Are we going camping!
R: When have we not?
R: Be there in five, hang tight.
N: Best. Anniversary. Ever!
AN: Yes hello how do you do fellow kids, I too am well versed in the l33t speak, word.