The scene is not exactly a date. It is, in fact, Ulrich and Yumi's wedding. Enjoy. :D

Disclaimer: It seems that wedding reception speeches are not a thing in France, though they are in Japan. Either way, given Odd's uncertain country of origin, I'm going to say that he comes from a country where best man speeches are traditional.

Day 24: Date Night

"Yumi and Ulrich, Yumi and Ulrich… now, what can I say about Yumi and Ulrich?"

He paused for effect, looking out into the crowd and twirling his wineglass in his hand. A couple dozen curious faces stared back - the Stern family on one side, the Ishiyama family on the other, and all the bride and groom's school and work friends front and center. He saw small children fidgeting in their seats, and Yumi's father tapping his fingers against his empty plate. But he also saw some big grins from Jeremie, and Aelita, and William, and a few others he could see. Chances were they had certain expectations of him, and he wasn't about to let them walk away disappointed.

"I can say one thing," he went on. "Wow. Wow, wow, wow does time go by. It seems like just yesterday, or last week, we were just thirteen years old, and Ulrich was being his usual awkward teenage self. If anyone here can remember Ulrich's teenage self, you know what I'm talking about."

There was a small laugh from the crowd, mostly from the middle of the room. The Stern family was stone silent. His mother's grin was fixed; his father was checking his watch. Odd gave them a smile, then turned and beamed at Yumi and Ulrich, projecting a glance of admiration. "But here they are now," he said, "And look how beautiful they are."

They did look beautiful, and the guests clapped their appreciation. Ulrich cleaned up pretty well, quite literally, given that twenty minutes ago they'd been racing to get a chardonnay stain out of his shirt. And Yumi of course looked stunning, now that she wasn't surrounded by her relatives and he could actually see her. They both gave him awkward smiles, which told him that he probably was doing well so far.

"They've been through a lot," he went on. "All the twists and turns of life, and every time a twist hit just a little too hard, you know what? They bounced right back, and they kept going. They're strong. They're good, solid, strong people. Kinda like bouncy balls. You know, you can bounce 'em against anything but it's kinda hard to take 'em apart…"

He suddenly became very aware that Ulrich's father was glaring at him. Was it the purple suit? It was probably the purple suit. "But anyway, do you know how many people there are in the world who end up marrying someone they met in middle school? Not a lot. Like, really, not a lot. Only, like…" He counted on his fingers. "Four people I know, actually. Which, come to think of it, is a lot. But, yanno, we were…"

Odd stopped short when he saw Jeremie furiously slicing his finger across his throat. "We were close," he said, making a mental note to make it clear to Jeremie that he had no intention of blurting out you-know-what. "We've had each others' backs all that time, and we've looked after each other. We've always looked after each other. So Ulrich and Yumi, they're tight. Really tight. And they know everything there is to know about each other, even all the gory nitty-gritty, and they're still getting married. How beautiful is that?"

There was some scattered applause, but also a few incredulous looks. "I'm telling you, they've come a long way," he went on, waving his wineglass to emphasize his point. "They used to be at each others' throats a heck of a lot, when they weren't just blushing or avoiding each other or angsting to me in the middle of the night. And despite all that, it still took them forever to just come out and admit it, you know? It was pretty much not a secret that they were gonna get together at some point, but the years it took to -"

He was interrupted by a loud burst of static from behind him, and then a few loud taps on what sounded like a microphone. "Okay, wow, Odd, that was great, really great. A good speech from a good friend. But now, I think we're all eager to get to dinner-"

"Wait, what?" Odd turned back to face the bride and groom. "Look, I get it, I got carried away, but I was just getting to the good part, where I give you guys lots of compliments!"

"Odd, I told you -" Ulrich paused for a second, and sighed. "No. I'm being ridiculous. Never mind. Go ahead."

"Really?" Odd waited until he got a nod from both Ulrich and Yumi before he turned back to the crowd, beaming again. "Bottom line is, when it comes to couples, they're just about the top tier. And they're gonna keep doing great, and they're gonna work hard, and they're gonna conquer everything that stands in their way, because they both know Martial Arts and they'll kick your butt any day. That's it, I'm done. Good luck out there in the world, kids! And don't forget about your old buddy Odd when you're there."

- Carth