Chapter 14: Christmas
"So, Kotoko, are you doing anything for Christmas tonight?" Kin-chan asks as I sit down for lunch. I'd recover from my accident a couple months ago; I'd sprained my ankle, broken my arm and received a mild concussion. I was out from school for a couple of weeks to heal up and Irie-kun was nice enough to bring home the notes and assignments so I wouldn't miss much. I still had a couple tests to finish before winter break started but I was looking forward to spending Christmas with Irie-kun.
"Kotoko's participating in an all-girls night out Christmas eve with us. Isn't that right Satomi?" Jinko states linking arms with me.
"That's right. So Kin-chan, you'll have to find someone else to hang out with this Christmas." Satomi agrees linking arms with my other side.
"But…but…Kotoko, this is our last Christmas before we graduate. Shouldn't it mean something where we include everybody?" Kin-chan asks, his eyes begging me.
I inwardly sigh. I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with Irie-kun. "I don't know guys. It's Christmas Eve and I have two tests I need to catch up on before winter break. I came down to have lunch, but if we're going to argue like I know we will, I'm heading back up to the class to study." I grab my crutch in my good hand while cradling my cast close to my torso; I stand up and leave my friends. "I'll talk to you guys later tonight when I figure out what everyone else is doing alright?" I wave goodbye and slowly hobble my way back to the classroom.
"Weren't you sitting with your friends for lunch?" Irie-kun asks me once I've collapsed into my chair. He's sitting with Watanabae-kun, both holding a book in their hands.
I place my crutches under my chair and turn around to face them, "I was, but they were making Christmas plans and I can't really enjoy my lunch with arguments around me. I decided it would be more productive to study for my tests during lunch rather than listening to squabbling infants."
He slowly lowers his book and shares a look with Watanabae-kun. "Aren't they your friends?"
I sigh, letting my head fall onto his desk. "Yeah, but they're so…so…stupid sometimes." I look up to glare at him. "I don't like feeling superior like you do when you look at class F. It makes me feel sick and guilty, but they're all a bunch of nimrods." Watanabae-kun and Irie-kun both burst out laughing, attracting the attention of everyone in the class. "Thanks guys, appreciate the effort to keep inconspicuous."
The bell rings, signalling the end of the lunch break. The afternoon passes by quickly. I sigh, cracking open my text book for the last time while the students around me, clear the classroom. Soon, it's just me, Irie-kun and Mr. Takashima. Irie-kun leans down, and pats my head. "Stop worrying, you'll be fine. Bye." He nods his head to our teacher before walking out the door, his bag over one shoulder.
"Mr. Takashima waves a couple packets of paper at me. "Are you ready, Aihara-san?"
I shake my head but obediently close the text book and remove everything from my desk. "Let's get this over with.
"I'm home." I groan into the house as I walk in.
"Kotoko-chan, you're home so late! Hurry, hurry! We have Shigeki's corporate dinner to attend." Mrs. Irie hurries me up the stairs.
Half an hour later, I'm standing in front of the mirror staring in awe at my reflection. My black hair is pinned back with a small crystal barrette and curled to cascade freely down my back. Mrs. Irie had picked out a dark blue cocktail dress, with crystals stitched onto the hem of the dress and scattered among the bodice, that fell just above my knees. On my feet were a pair white strappy heels. My makeup was down lightly and elegantly. "Come, Kotoko-chan, let's go see what Irie-kun thinks. She hands me a white scarf which I wrap around my arms like a shawls. "Oh, you look so beautiful! Come, come." She tugs my hand and pulls me down the stairs.
At the bottom, the rest of the Irie family has gathered. Yuki looks adorable in his suit with a matching red tie, however, Mrs. Irie must have had some influence on what Irie-kun wore a blue tie that matched my dress. "Tada! Doesn't Kotoko-chan look amazing Naoki?" She gleefully squeals. "I need pictures. You two, stand together." She propels me into Irie-kun, his arms comes around to catch me.
"Mom, we have to go. It doesn't look good for the president to arrive late, especially since he has to arrive early to greet the guests."
"I guess you're right." She pouts. "I'll just have to take it there." She exclaims stuffing the camera into her purse. "Alright, let's go!"
In the car, I find myself between the two brothers. Yuki-kun can't seem to stop staring at me. "What's wrong Yuki-kun?" I ask.
"Nothing," He mutters, going bright red. He tugs on my arm, I lean down closer to his height. "It's just that, right now, you look like the perfect bride for my brother." He whispers quietly. I pull back in shock as heat rushes into my cheeks.
"Oi, Kotoko, what did he say?" Irie-kun asks, looking at both of us.
"It was nothing!" I exclaim, waving my hands in front of me. "Absolutely nothing, completely nothing, you don't have to worry about anything." He just looks at me in disbelief. My red face probably didn't help my case. He looks over at his brother who smirks. Irie-kun groans, slightly frustrated, and turns away from both of us. Mrs. Irie turns around to face us.
"We're almost there. Mind your manners everybody, and Naoki," He turns to face his mother, "Stand with your father and greet the guest with us. Unfortunately, Kotoko-chan, could you watch Yuki for about half an hour?" I nod my head. "Thank you, dear."
We pull up in front of a lavish hotel; the bellhops open the door Yuki-kun jumps out before a young man offers me his hand to assist me. I take the hand and gracefully climb down from the vehicle. Irie-kun steps down behind me. He then removes my hand from the bellhop's and pulls me towards the entrance.
"Irie-kun, what are you doing?" I ask feeling slightly confused.
"Mom and dad want me too. They think if I have a girl on my arm, it will make me look more mature. I acted reluctant, but I'm kind of glad. At least other guys will not have a chance to flirt with you if I'm always with you."
"As if they would flirt with me if given the chance, I'm not that attractive."
"Kotoko, how can you not realize that you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress? You look stunning."
I stare up stunned as we walk into the hotel. Immediately, bright lights start flashing around us. I squint briefly at reporters snapping pictures of the CEO of Pandai Toy Company and his family. They step closer taking more and more pictures, screaming out questions. The most popular one is aimed towards Irie-kun and I asking who I was.
Irie-kun stops. "She's a family friend and has accepted my invitation to support my father. She's not my girlfriend. My girlfriend is actually away visiting her family at the moment." He nods his head and pushes pass the crowd. We emerge out into a private banquet hall reserved for Mr. Irie's Christmas party. The reporters were not allowed inside. He releases my hand. "God, that's such a pain. I forgot about the reporters." I shook my head.
"Don't worry about it. You have fun greeting people, Yuki-kun and I'll go find our seats and grab a couple of drinks." He nods his heads and turns around to rejoin his parents.
"So? What did Oni-chan introduce you as? His girlfriend?" Yuki asks as he walks over.
I shake my head, "Still not ready to make public that I'm dating the son of a CEO." I hiss under my breath, nodding my head in greetings to people I meet eyes with. "It doesn't matter. It's something we both agreed on and if I start feeling uncomfortable about where we stand, that's always something we can talk about. Enough of this, let's go find some drinks."
Yuki-kun points across the room, "they have drinks being served by waiters or you can get something specific over there." He says before taking off in that direction. I follow his lead passing by other ladies and gentlemen dressed to the nine, their eyes on me. Feeling a little self-conscious by their stares, I almost sigh visibly when we reach the refreshment table. The bartender looks over and asks what we would like to drink, offering me a glass of champagne and other vintage wines. I shake my head.
"No thank you, I'm still underage. Can I get a glass of sparkling water with a lemon slice for me please and…" I turn to face Yuki-kun "What do you want to order to drink?" I ask.
He looks at the bartender. "Could I have the same thing?" The bartender nods his head and turns to prepare the drinks, handing them to us several minutes later.
"Thank you," I say opening my wallet. The bartender shakes his head, explaining that he's being paid by the drinks he sells after the event is over. I nod my head and place a small five dollar tip in the counter, I wish him a Merry Christmas before walking away.
"Why did you do that?" Yuki-kun asks as we walk around the room, killing time until dinner is served.
"Why did I do what? Tip the bartender?" He nods his head. "Because it's Christmas, the time for giving and he's here, offering his services for your dad's party instead of at home with his family. I know how his family, if he has one, might feel. It's lonely if not everyone's there." He nods his head, facing forward, a thoughtful look on his face
We circle the room several times, Yuki commenting on several people he recognizes and shares several gossip stories he's overheard in the past. During our fourth round, we spot Mrs. Irie sitting down at a table near the front of the room.
"Ah, there you two are. Naoki was a little worried when we found our table and didn't see you." She says with a smile as we approach. "I think he went off in the direction of the restrooms looking for you." She looks straight at me.
I laugh, "He's probably not looking for me at all, probably worried that I got Yuki-kun in trouble or something."
"Nice to know my brother isn't arrested somewhere." Irie-kun says behind me, I jump, spinning on my heel.
"Don't sneak up on people like that, Jerk." I huff, walking to sit next to Mrs. Irie. Irie-kun takes a seat next to mine, while Yuki claims the empty next to his brother.
Mr. Irie sits down on Mrs. Irie's other side. An older gentleman sits down next to him with a younger girl, abut my age. "Naoki, you remember Mr. Kimura and his daughter Sahoko? Kotoko, this is one of my company's partners, Kimura Ryo, and his granddaughter Sahoko. She's your age."
I smile and bow my head. "It's very nice to meet you. My name's Aihara Kotoko."
Mr. Kimura looks over me. "It's nice to meet you too. How do you know the Irie family?" He asks me.
I smile, "My father is good friends with Mr. Irie from high school. I use to often visit their house when I was little. Nowadays, I just see Irie-kun at school and when we're occasionally invited over for dinner."
"So you and Naoki-san are in the same school? How are your grades compared to his?" He stares, looking at me carefully.
"Grandfather!" Sahoko exclaims. "Asking about someone's school grades when you've never met them is rude."
I shake my head, chuckling a little, "Don't worry about it. I'm used to people asking how I compare against the genius over here, especially since we're in the same class. I believe I was five marks off from having the same score on our midterms a few weeks ago." I look toward Irie-kun. "Did I beat Watanabae-kun on the last three tests?" Irie-kun shakes his head. "No, he scored better on the Calculus test, but you definitely did better on the Biology and Chemistry tests. I think you were half a point behind me." I nod my head, turning back to Mr. Kimura, "I believe I'm second or third in the school. A friend and I are constantly battle for the second place position. Irie-kun here holds firmly to title of smartest student in the school."
"That's quite impressive. If I'm not mistaken, your school is quite competitive. Doesn't it have an escalator university? Not many high schools have that." I nod my head. "Congratulations, do you know what you want to study next year? If I'm correct, you and Naoki-san should be graduating soon."
"That's correct. I'll be attending our escalator university. I think I'm going to try and write the nursing exam this spring and start the nursing course in the fall."
Mr. Kimura looks at me with interest. "Nursing, that's an interesting path. Why nursing if you don't mind me asking."
I look down, "My mother passed away when I was little. Growing up, I wanted to become a doctor and help other heal. A couple months ago, I was injured and hospitalized for a couple of weeks. During that time, I witness the nurses helping and supporting the patients much more than the doctors were. Sure, the doctors are the ones that help the patient heal, but the nurses are around more often. I want to be able to bring a smile and hope to patients."
Irie-kun stares at me slightly stunned, I look over confused. He shakes his head and smiles faintly "I didn't know you'd figure out you're career path. When we last talked, you said you weren't sure yet."
"That was over a month ago."
"I guess."
Small talk continues around the table, as the waiters serve the courses for dinner. While we were eating dessert, Irie-kun slips a piece of paper into my hand and stands up. "I'm going to the washroom," He tells his mother before walking away. I quietly check the slip of paper and stand up at well. "Do you mind if I step out for a minute? I should probably call my dad and wish him a Merry Christmas." Mrs. Irie nods her head. I smile and walk away from the table and out the door.
The foyer outside is empty, a nice change from the crowd of reporters upon our entry. I walk down the hallway and out onto an empty patio. Checking the time on my phone, 11:45pm, I call my dad on the restaurant line. I wish him a Merry Christmas and we talk for a while about Mr. Irie's dinner party. When I hang up, I feel arms circling me.
"I wasn't sure if you could read my message with my mother and Mr. Kimura scrutinizing you all dinner."
"It's no big deal; I'm used to people asking me weird questions. What did you want to meet me out here for?"
He pulls me against him, hugging me under the night sky. "Merry Christmas, Kotoko. I love you." In the distance, I see fireworks bursting in the sky and a cheer rises up from the city. I smile and hug him back.
"Merry Christmas Irie-kun. I love you too." He pulls me back close, and cups my face in his hand. I lean against it, closing my eyes. Under the night sky bursting with fireworks, He pulls me tight against him, kissing me gently.
Merry Christmas Everybody! Hope you gave lots of gifts and received lots in return. Spent time with your family and shared a lot of holiday time. I had a great day, and I hope everybody did too. Following the Love in Tokyo adaptation, with the Christmas party, since they weren't in University, I made it so that Kotoko went to the dinner and I thought I should introduce Sahoko. Since she'll be playing a big role later on. Well I'm off to spend to last few hours of Christmas with my family and you guys should too. Ciao