"Jinko! Satomi! Boy, do I have news for you!" Kotoko shouted as soon as she saw them in the little cafe where they had planned to meet.

"Sit, and spill." The two were eager to hear what just happened. Mama told them the gist of it, but they wanted to find out more.

"So...Irie gave me a present...and I opened it...and there was nothing there!"
"WHAT? That's horrible!" Satomi shouted and Jinko nodded vigorously, sipping at strawberry-soda.

"Humph," said Kotoko. "If I was Matsumoto Yuuko, or something like that, he would have gotten me something! But NO, I am just STUPID Aihara Kotoko."

"You aren't stupid!" Jinko exclaimed and Satomi added, "He's the jerk, I don't see why you should blame yourself! So what else happened?"

"Well, then, the doorbell rang, and Watanabe-I mean, Akio, gave me a teddy bear and he stitched in my name HIMSELF!"

"Woooow! That's the kind of guy that I want!" Jinko murmured.

"Jinko, shh!" the redhead said. "you have no right to complain!" she said huffily. "You guys have Narasaki and Ryo and who do I have? No one! Oh wait, never mind. Watanabe asked me to be his girlfriend."

The friends' eyes got as wide as saucers. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"Well, Mama interrupted by saying we have a...ritual coffee family, or something like that, and slammed the door in his face."

"You mean family coffee ritual." Jinko supplied helpfully and Satomi elbowed her. "Shh, idiot! Irie's mother told us to not tell anyone she told us about everything, least of all Kotoko!"

"What are you two muttering about?" Kotoko asked.

"Uh..um..." Satomi had to think fast. "OH! Here are our Christmas presents to you!"

"Aww, these are so pretty! Thank you!" Jinko had given her a necklace and Satomi had gifted a watch. Kotoko took out her Christmas presents to them: for Jinko it was a pair of neon headphones, and for Satomi, a makeup set.

"What were you planning to give Irie?"

"Well, I worked really hard at a job at the Ramen place and saved up enough money to buy him his medical textbooks, as his father still doesn't know he is studying medicine and he has no support with the expenses..."

"And...then?"

"He REFUSED THE GIFT!"

"The audacity!"
"The Jerk!"

"THE ICEBERG!" The two friends immediately chimed in insults as support to their best friend.

(Later, after Kotoko left, Jinko said, "Irie doesn't normally refuse her gifts, that rudely! He took that head massage even though he probably has no use for it!"

"Something is askew..." Satomi muttered. "We have to talk to Irie.")