Hyouka – The AfterStory

Project Collaboration by Commander Cody & Maria

Wedding Story Arc

Houtarou x Eru

EPISODE 09

"We wish to get married," said Eru, in the presence of her father.

Eru gave Houtarou a nudge on the shoulder. "Uh…hai," he said. More like, it was mostly on her account, he thought.

Chitanda Tetsugo raised his brows, but he hardly looked surprised. "I knew this day would come, Oreki-san," he said.

"You hardly seem surprised," Houtarou said frankly. He felt another nudge from the shoulder. It was Eru again.

"Don't spoil the whole thing!" she whispered.

"Exactly," Tetsugo confirmed, referring to Houtarou's remark. "But first…the formalities. Oreki Houtarou-san, I give you permission to marry my daughter."

Houtarou felt surprised that the girl's father would suddenly consent. With many of the young men his age, he would have had to persuade Tetsugo that he was worthy to take his daughter's hand in marriage. What could possibly account for Chitanda-san's immediate consent?

"Now…I would like a word with Oreki-san," he said to his daughter.

"Hai," said Eru. She left the office room and shut the door.

"There is a side of my life that I have never told anyone…outside of this family," said Tetsugo.

"Why…never outside your family?" asked Houtarou.

"You'll find out soon enough, after I have told it to you," replied Tetsugo.

Houtarou braced himself for another family revelation. He had a foreboding feeling of a dark past within the Chitanda family about to be revealed; a revelation to be revealed only to very close friends.

"As you can see," Tetsugo began, "Right now…I have no living relatives outside of my wife and daughter. I had a brother, Kichirou; he died, along with his family."

"How?" Houtarou asked on impulse.

"Kichirou and his family were on a train homebound for Kamiyama," said Tetsugo. "The train was crossing a bridge with another track, with another train heading in an opposite direction. From what metropolitan officials concluded during an investigation, the train in the opposite direction lost control when a wheel snapped. That train collided with the Kamiyama-bound train, derailing it, sending it crashing into a river at high speed.

"That train bound for Kamiyama City…was the one where Kichirou and his family were on," Tetsugo continued soberly. "According to investigators…water flooded the compartment. By the time an emergency rescue crew arrived, the water had flooded nearly to the brim of the compartment, drowning two-thirds of the passengers. From a post-mortem investigation of my relatives…Kichirou was killed on impact when the other train collided; the rest of his family…drowned."

Houtarou became stunned. Drowning was surely an agonizing way to die. But what was more was the loss of his only living relatives.

"Many people in Kamiyama City began to speculate whether I had a hand in their deaths, since it was on that account that the entire property passed to me and my family," he said.

"Demo…Chitanda-san, you had no part in this," Houtarou protested.

"Of course not," said Chitanda Tetsugo insistently. "But with such perfect timing, what reason is there for many people not to think a family member was behind it? That's…that's mainly why I kept this matter only in the family. If any visitors brought up the matter…I would always say to them, 'I had no part in this'. And I would get upset."

"With a sizable property like that…" said Houtarou. "One would find it easy to suspect foul play."

"To be honest with you, Oreki-san…I had mixed feelings about this situation. A part of me became thrilled when the property came to him, but another part of me felt great sadness over the loss of my relatives; and a bitter fact that inheritance of the property came at the cost of his brother's life, and that of his family."

Chitanda Tetsugo turned around. "Did you ever wonder why I had some hand in preparing you for the workforce?" he asked.

Houtarou shook his head.

"Eru brought up the matter to me…long ago, while you were in your in your first year at Kobe," said Tetsugo. "From what she told me…you seemed to have potential."

"As…husband material?" asked Houtarou curiously.

"Hai," said Tetsugo. "The whole ceremony of the young man asking the girl's father for her hand in marriage was a traditional formality."

"You could have told me that you settled the matter," said Houtarou. "I was left hanging, you know."

"Daijoubou," said Tetsugo. "Eru had to be present, anyway. It is intended as a family tradition. Besides," Tetsugo continued, "The only living relatives I had…are all dead. The Chitanda family will pass, in some time. All that I had worked for Eru…I want to pass it on to the next generation in her line."

Houtarou said nothing as he took in the words of the girl's father. I had no idea he became this sentimental, he thought. But this silent sentiment was no criticism; rather, it was a compliment.

"Oreki-san, when you get to be old as I am, you will begin to have a greater appreciation of what will matter the most in your life," said Tetsugo.

"You…you seemed ready to give your consent," Houtarou stammered. "I…I thought…"

"We were acquainted with you, anyway, since Eru brought up the matter five years ago," said Tetsugo. "That was when you were in your third year of high school. It just…took some time. Besides, Eru was carried away with you anyway; and…well, she wanted to get in touch with you when you left for University." He made a grunt. "Enough of that," he said, trying to wake himself up. "Come tomorrow evening. I will begin sorting affairs in order for the engagement."

The next day, Houtarou, together with Eru and Chitanda Tetsugo, began settling business affairs. Chitanda Tetsugo was rather skeptical at first, seeing that Houtarou was only a mid-level library researcher.

"I had gotten into the habit of saving early," said Houtarou. "I just…didn't know what else to do with all that money." Even if it was true, to him, it felt like a preposterous answer.

"Hai," Tetsugo had to agree. "That is a good habit to cultivate. Do you know when the account matures?"

"In about seven years, I've already arranged to increase the fund…due to my salary increase," said Houtarou.

"What do you plan on doing with the account when you withdraw from the bank?" Tetsugo inquired further.

"Hmm…I haven't thought about it," said Houtarou.

"There are a variety of mutual funds where you can invest," Tetsugo was keen on advising him. "They help the businesses, but they spread the risk. I can get you in touch with someone at a firm that specializes in mutual funds."

Houtarou finds himself overwhelmed at the extent of Chitanda Tetsugo's generosity in helping him.

"Chitanda-san…I'm not sure what to say…" said a stunned Houtarou.

Chitanda Tetsugo makes a genial laugh.

"What about Eru?" asked Houtarou.

"I'll make arrangements to have her inherit the family property if I pass away," said Tetsugo. "For now…I have arranged for apportioning a certain amount per year as a supplementary income."

"For her?" Houtarou asked curiously.

"Eru is money-smart…for her age," said Tetsugo.

The following day, Houtarou made arrangements to leave early in order to stop by a local mutual fund firm in Kamiyama City.

Houtarou decided to start with a modest amount, which is about a third of his income.

Later in the evening, Houtarou got back to the Chitanda residence in the evening, after his work day is over.

When Houtarou arrived, Eru accompanied him; and both her father and mother asked many questions to their daughter, and Houtarou. Questions varied in regard to career choices and anticipated changes to be made if the young couple started a family. It was often said that when one person married another, the family was also married, too.

In the case of Houtarou and Eru, they planned to stay in the confines of Kamiyama City. With Houtarou, he mentioned plans to attain a master's level of his academic field and his teaching licensure.

Questions turned to business matters within the family. "This particular arrangement results in you assuming co-ownership of the family business," said Tetsugo. "As the owner, I still manage chief functions of the business, Eru will be assigned a greater portion of the management, so that she will become more familiar with managing the business.

Houtarou and Eru would have another problem to contend with: finding a house.

"I could find a town house in the city suburbs," said Houtarou.

"That won't be necessary," said Chitanda Tetsugo. "The Chitanda residence will be your home," Tetsugo insisted. "And it might as well, since both of you are co-owners. Unless you plan on working in another area in the Gifu Prefecture where you'll have to move close by."

"Splendid," said Tetsugo.

"I'm not anticipating that," said Houtarou. "Kamiyama Library is where I work. I'm here to stay."

"Oreki-san, Eru mentioned that you plan to attain your masters' and your teaching licensure, right?" asked Hiromi.

"That's my plan," said Houtarou.

Because Chitanda Tetsugo has no other living relatives, and due to the large size of the house, his wife proposed the idea of letting Houtarou and Eru live in the house.

"You will still have bills to pay," said Tetsugo.

"Have you put Oreki-san in the family will so that he and his family can inherit the house?" asked Hiromi.

"Not yet," said Tetsugo. "I'll start doing that."

"We plan to have the house stay with family members joined to ours through your marriage," said Hiromi.

In the spirit of longstanding tradition, the Chitanda family finalized the engagement in a ceremony, followed by a formal dinner, called a yuinou, hosted by the head of the family.

At the dinner, Houtarou could see what appeared to be his family at the other side of the table.

Chitanda Tetsugo and Hiromi brought out seven items. There was a pair of fans, a lacquered sake barrel, and a pile of hemp thread. The other items, however, were biological, all of which were dried, as they were prone to spoilage. There were bonito, clams, a squid, and kelp. Eru had an idea of what those things were, but Houtarou was perplexed by the seeming randomness of these things.

He leaned over to Eru and asked, "What is all this?"

Eru became mortified. "Houtarou-kun, you live in this country, and you've never even heard of this tradition?!" she retorted in a whisper. "How could you not?!"

"I've never encountered this kind of tradition," Houtarou said with a perplexed look, which Eru seemed to find humorous.

"In that case, I'll be happy to explain," she said to him with such a sweet disposition. She pointed to the seven items, identifying one at a time, starting with the pair of fans. "Suehiro," she said in a soft voice. "It represents prosperity. My family had kept these fans for a long time."

Eru then pointed to the hemp thread. "That's Tomoshiraga," she said. "It represents white hair. I have also heard that in the Kansai region the engaged were given a pair of dolls."

"Dolls?" asked Houtarou quizzically.

"Hai."

Eru heard clapping across the room. Turning around, she faced her father.

"Itadakimasu," Tetsugo said aloud.

Everyone clapped once. "Itadakimasu," everyone said together.

Every guest commenced dinner as each person passed a bowl of food from one guest to the next.

"What about the other ones?" asked Houtarou.

One at a time Eru walked Houtarou through the remaining four significant items on the table until the opportunity came for Houtarou to serve himself some food.

In the meantime, Eru resumed explaining to her husband-to-be the other items used to signify a prosperous, happy married life.

"Over here," Eru continued, pointing to dried bonito and kelp, identifying one after the other, "Katsuobushi…and konbu. The former represents virility. That's you, Houtarou-kun. The other…represents having children." All these things represented a procreation of a future generation.

Then she started with the dried clam, a lacquered sake barrel, a pair of fans, one white, and the other covered in golden dye. "Those items represent avoiding a prosperous and content life," said Eru. "The dried clam, nagonashi, represents avoiding ill fortune. And…" she continued, pointing to the sake barrel, "Sometimes being connected to avoiding ill fortune, though sometimes it's not one's fault…is yanagidaru: an reminder that one is not to live a wasted life. I believe that reminder ought to suit you well, Houtarou-kun."

"I'm not that lazy," Houtarou retorted with indignation.

"Demo…Houtarou-kun," Eru pressed further. "When you get married you can ill afford to be a minimalist…without making your wife and children so unhappy."

Houtarou heaved a sigh. "What about the fans?" he asked.

"The Suehiro," Eru continued, "Stand for living a prosperous life."

Houtarou picked up the golden fan, observing the intricate weaving. "I guess it makes sense," he remarked. "I think Satoshi would be interested in those fans, though, since I kept getting signs of ill omens at the Shrine."

Eru tried to stifle a laugh. "Houtarou-kun, you're so unlucky, then," she said, meaning it as a joke. "We'll keep the fans, then…to ward off bad luck. For real."

Houtarou heaved an angry sigh, prompting Eru to think that the young man was not taking kindly to what she thought as a joke.

"Houtarou-kun…don't take it personally," Eru tried to console the young man, as she squeezed his hand. Houtarou looked back at the young woman, then made a wan smile. Eru could make a joke, perhaps, a bit uncharacteristic of her, but she by her actions she would always be with him.

Then Eru pointed to the dried squid and the white hemp thread. "Those two things represent a lasting, permanent marriage," she explained.

"Nande desu ka?" asked Houtarou in shock, pointing specifically to the squid. "How is that supposed to represent a lasting marriage?"

"Because," said Eru, "This squid, surume, was dried so as not to decay. It's preserved. In preservation, the squid lasts. So we wish the same thing for our marriage."

"That's a bizarre way of illustrating the permanence of marriage," Houtarou remarked.

"But it suits the concept well," said Eru. "As for the hemp thread…tomoshiraga…well, Houtarou-kun, let's just say we will stay together forever. Zutto issho ni, Houtarou-kun," she finished with a cheerful smile, putting her arm around under Houtarou's arm, locking her eyes on Houtarou's face. "Issho ni."

Houtarou thought about these things, as he let Eru wrap her arm around his. For all he knew, what Eru was doing was a beginning for getting used to intimate physical contact, especially with a young woman. "I guess what you said makes sense," he concurred. "Anyway, my food is getting cold."

"Oh…hai," said Eru, feeling flustered and embarrassed over being a little inconsiderate about showing Houtarou all those fascinating knick-knacks that she forgot his physical hunger. "Let's eat, then."

At his apartment, Houtarou got up the next day. After brushing his teeth and changing into the clothes he wore outside the house, he came to the living room, where he saw his sister, Tomoe. Whereupon Tomoe saw her brother, she immediately greeted him with, "Ohayo, Houtarou."

"Ohayo," Houterou greeted his sister back in a casual way. "Ano…I'm surprised how I ended up here."

"Ah, Houtarou, that's because you got a little dizzy in the head…after drinking a lot of sake," Tomoe explained to her brother. "I had to walk you back to the apartment."

"I didn't drink a lot of it," Houtarou retorted, referring to the sake.

"Ah, daijoubou, daijoubou, Houtarou; there's no need to lose your temper," Tomoe tried to calm the young man.

Houtarou, though he had brushed and washed, felt not completely awake. He went to the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"Houtarou," Tomoe called him. "You have seen otousan and okaasan, have you?"

"Hai," Houtarou answered. "I did take notice. Ano…I did take the time to talk with them…after the engagement ceremony."

"Sou da ne," said Tomoe with a charming smile. Indeed she seemed happy for him, but in a reserved way. "I'm sorry I was absent during the ceremony," she said in an apologetic way. "I was traveling around Benares, you see."

Houtarou heaved a sigh as he sat down on the dining table, seeing that he could hardly comprehend Tomoe's restless spirit. He could remember that Tomoe stayed in that old city in India during his high-school years.

After Tomoe sat beside her brother, she said in a curious way, "Perhaps you could tell me how they felt."

"Well," said Houtarou, "Okaasan was shocked, I guess. As for otousan…he seemed a bit staid and expressed quite a surprise."

The fact that the shock happened to the Oreki family seemed to indicate that the family, save perhaps for Tomoe, may have been a bit distant with Houtarou himself.

"He also seemed relieved that I was at least modestly employed," Houtarou added, referring to his father. "Though he said that he wished I learned to aspire for more in life."

Tomoe laughed. "That's well appropriate for you, Houtarou," she concurred, considering that Houtarou's personal energy-saving policy was known quite well in the family. Houtarou only snorted.

"I did tell otousan, though, that Chitanda Eru and her family helped me to aspire for more," said Houtarou. "Were it not for their help, I would not have simply remained the same man that I was when I first enrolled at Kamiyama High."

Tomoe laughed again. "Well, Houtarou, in retrospect, I think it was a good thing fate destined you and Eru to be together."

"Fate, indeed," Houtarou mused, skeptical over whether his journey with Eru was destined, or done mainly on his own accord.

"Now, come on, Houtarou; you hardly need be so jaded," said Tomoe. "Regardless of whether you believe fate as a way of things, I think you are very fortunate to meet Chitanda Eru-san." She gave her brother a very pleasant look. "And now…look at you. You're about to get married soon. This point in your life is a major step for you. You'll have to think less of yourself now, and more for wife-to-be. Chitanda Eru-san has had a hand in shaping you to be the man you will have to be…when you make this kind of a commitment. I think she is a good woman, Houtarou; don't you think so?"

Houtarou reflected on her sister's words. How true they are, he thought. "Hai," said Houtarou thoughtfully. "Maybe I was so slow to see it. But now…."

Houtarou heard the phone ring. He picked up the receiver.

"Oreki Houtarou desu," he said.

"Oreki-san? Ah…Chitanda Tetsugo desu. "Just to let you know…you may need to be prepared for a possible change in schedule."

"Schedule?" asked Houtarou.

"The wedding ceremony," answered Tetsugo. "We planned to have a traditional one at Arekusu Shrine at 1300 hours; the ideal time when it is not so cold in the spring. We even had weather predictions that it would be about sixty-five to seventy degrees."

"The Juumonji family…they know about this?" asked Houtarou.

"They would," said Tetsugo. "However, Juumonji-san was telling me that he had another group reserve the shrine for another activity earlier…except it would extend to 1300. I had considered moving the ceremonies to 1600, but Oreki-san insisted that the ceremony cannot extend past that. You…you weren't made aware of that?"

"Not likely," said Houtarou, recalling his family's history. "It's…it's been a while."

"We'll take it from here," said Tetsugo. "I don't want you worked up over this detail. You have your work to concentrate on."

"Hai."

"Take care, Oreki-san."

"Let me call Irisu-san," Eru proposed right away.

Irisu Fuyumi was Eru's senpai at Kamiyama High. She was known for her aloof behavior; so much so that Eru could perceive Fuyumi as the female version of Oreki Houtarou. It was as if both Houtarou and Fuyumi were twin brother and sister.

During Houtarou's first year at Kamiyama High, Irisu Fuyumi had, through successful persuasion, had tasked him with solving a bizarre case of identifying the culprit of a crime committed in a film project. It soon turned out that Houtarou was to inadvertently create the ending that was desired for the film, even if was thought of as not desired by the film's scriptwriter, which made Houtarou upset and depressed, as he thought that the mystery criminal was part of the script, as opposed to being an incident that took place during the filming process.

Eru browsed through her phone address book, struggling to look up Fuyumi's name based on her surname using the first kanji character. It had been a long time since Eru saw that number. Fuyumi had a special way of influencing people to do what she desired. In contrast to Eru, who would often remain so insistent on people doing things her way, regardless of their disposition, Fuyumi could probe for weak spots in other people, and exploit those weaknesses by acting as if what was to be desired was trivial to the person, and therefore did not require much effort and time, allowing the person to feel mentally satisfied for completing the task at hand.

Finally, Eru found Fuyumi's contact information. She dialed the number. However, she received only Fuyumi's recorded message on an answering machine. Eru decided to leave a message, stating that she wanted Fuyumi to call back.

After some time, the home phone rang, and Fuyumi's message could be heard by Chitanda Hiromi.

"Eru-chan!" Hiromi called. "There's someone on the answering machine for you!"

"Oh! Coming, okaasan!" Eru cried, as she raced to the phone.

Eru redialed the number. At last, Fuyumi was on the phone.

"Moshi moshi," came Fuyumi's low but dulcet voice.

"Ah…ano…Irisu-san?" Eru cried frantically. "Chitanda Eru desu."

"Ah…Chitanda-san? You know, it's been a while since we were acquainted."

"Hai," Eru agreed.

"What can I do for you, Chitanda-san?" Fuyumi asked.

"Ano…I have a favor to ask," replied Eru, almost ignoring Fuyumi's question.

"I figured," said Fuyumi.

"I'm getting married this spring," said Eru.

"Married?" Fuyumi sounded surprised. "To whom?"

"Oreki Houtarou-kun."

"I'm…surprised. Ano…congratulations. We should get together sometime."

"Well, by necessity, we'll have to," said Eru. "You see…I…well, my family has difficulty seeking a preferred date and time to use the Arekusu shrine."

"For the wedding?" asked Fuyumi.

"Hai," said Eru.

Fuyumi, being a bit of a utilitarian, had the audacity to propose a relatively simple wedding ceremony instead. But Eru shook her head. "My family…is quite traditional," said Eru.

"Sou desu ne," said Fuyumi, sensing that Eru was quite insistent.

"Maybe you can help me persuade Juumonji-san," said Eru. "You're good at persuading people."

There was some silence of contemplation before Fuyumi gave her answer. "Give me at least a couple of hours for me to complete client work. You'll also have to account for arrival time.

"The shrine will remain open, but Juumonji-san will head home at 2000 hours," said Eru. "Please hurry."

"I'll try," Fuyumi promised. "We'll plan for 1600 hours."

Irisu Fuyumi waited at the Shrine. Her head, with a plain and eternally calm face, was lowered, with her eyes scanning through a mobile phone she regularly used.

She heard an "Ano" before she looked up. It was Eru.

"Kon'nichiwa, Irisu-san," Eru greeted her with a bow.

Fuyumi uttered the same greeting with a bow.

"It's been a long time," said Eru.

"Likewise," said a disinterested Fuyumi.

At Kamiyama High, Fuyumi was an upperclassman when Eru was in her first year. Eru had always addressed her as a senpai. Now it seemed a bit strange she was giving her the regular honorific.

""We can head inside, now," said Eru, anxious to defuse the awkwardness of silence.

"Hai," said Fuyumi as she followed her acquaintance.

The two young women descended the steps of the Arekusu Shrine, on their way to the main building.

"How was work?" asked Eru. "Negotiations going along, all right?"

"Going well," said Fuyumi.

"I had heard it was your first year at this new position," said Eru.

"Hai," Fuyumi agreed. "My department manager was willing to make a recommendation." Before, Fuyumi had worked under the supervision of her department manager for at least a year, which was a little unusual given that many people would have worked longer in one lower level position. Now as one of the mid-level managers at a firm in Kabukichou."

"Tokyo?" asked Eru a bit quizzically.

"Within the city," said Fuyumi, after making a nod. Fuyumi exclusively handled contracts and negotiations with its suppliers and customers. Given her gift for influencing people to do what she wanted, the job was the perfect match for someone like her. But even that would have taken a modicum of ambition.

Eru and Fuyumi stepped inside the main building. A young lady who staffed the receptionist's desk confirmed Eru's appointment with Kaho's father. It would take a while before they would be next, so said the receptionist, so the two young women had to wait at the lobby.

"Another former alumni of Kamiyama High also works in Tokyo. Do you remember Tanabe Jirou-san?"

"Hmm…I think I remember him a bit," said Eru. "He was part of the students' executive committee."

"Tanabe-san works in a foreign currency department of an international firm, where he handles international business transactions," said Fuyumi. "In Tokyo, distance-wise, we're almost like next-door neighbors. We get acquainted with each other from time to time."

"How is city life there?" asked Eru.

"Rather exciting, but…you have to be cautious, sometime," said Fuyumi. "Kabukichou is a bit of a red-light district," she added, implying a relatively unsafe environment, at least for women. "But I can handle myself there. And…Tanabe-san is nearby. If I need to ask a favor from him, he…he is available."

"It's good to have a friend nearby, especially in a place like that," said Eru with a smile reflecting gladness and relief.

Soon, Kaho's father emerged from his office. "Chitanda-san?" he called.

"Hai," said Eru. "Juumonji-san, Irisu Fuyumi-san desu."

"Hajimemashite," said Fuyumi with a bow. "I'm here to assist my friend on a delicate and hopefully resolvable matter."

Kaho's father seemed to sense that it was about Eru's wedding ceremony schedule. Nevertheless, he accommodated them into his office.

"Ano…we're here to open discussions about the ceremony's schedule," said Eru. Even at this point, she felt a little uncomfortable about handling negotiations. Mostly that was why she wanted Fuyumi's help; Fuyumi seemed skilled with negotiations.

Kaho's father heaved a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "Chitanda-san…I wish," he lamented. "Demo…the guests who made the reservation were rather insistent."

"But the Oreki family…they wouldn't be able to attend," said Eru. Not that it mattered much, perhaps. Houtarou's family never interacted with him much. But even she had some courtesies to observe. Besides, the Oreki family seemed insistent. Unless that little kink in the schedule could ever get resolved, the wedding plans could face another setback. Families, after all, were involved.

"It is a family event, after all," Eru added.

"The Sasaki family are important parishioners to the Shrine, and major contributors," said Kaho's father. "Asking them to reschedule their daughter's wedding would bring about…bad relations with them."

"Demo…" Eru was about to interject right away until Kaho's father raised his hand. At that moment, Eru realized she was being a little inconsiderate. "Sumimasen," she said in apology.

"You remember that this Shimizu-san had compromised our financial systems," said Kaho's father. "Before that man bolted, he released a large portion of information on our parishioners and donors. With their privacy violated, the Shrine's relationship with its parishioners is hanging by a thread. The last thing I need is complaints from Sasaki-san."

"Chotto kudasai," said Fuyumi, beginning with an apology before stating her opinion on the contentious family in question. "I am indeed sorry about this situation. Demo…it seems that these particular parishioners are being a bit…unreasonable."

"I'm afraid so," said Kaho's father. "But as affairs are right now…" He was in a serious dilemma, seeing that he could ill afford to turn down requests from patrons willing to business with him. If he made a wrong move in his negotiations with parishioners, they would regard even a slight rejection as the last straw, which would be followed a refusal to visit the shrine.

Fuyumi seemed to notice a pressure point in Kaho's father, pertaining to the Shrine's relationship with its customers. "I'm sure you understand that Oreki-san and Chitanda-san had given you warning about Shimizu-san's plot," she said. "It would have been the difference between keeping the Shrine in business or out of business."

Eru became a bit troubled about just mentioning Houtarou and Eru; Houtarou had sent Satoshi and Mayaka…and Eru to Arekusu Shrine. No surprise, though; Irisu Fuyumi had used questionable means when she was involved in the Kamiyama's film club's project. She had manipulated Houtarou before.

Fuyumi drives home the point that Houtarou and Eru had warned the Juumonjis about Shimizu's plot.

"Just go along with it," Fuyumi advised Eru.

"Now, now, Irisu-san, do not patronize me," Kaho's father scolded her. "As I recall, two of Oreki-san's friends were here."

"I did not mean to patronize you," said Fuyumi coolly. She had to defuse Juumonji-san's sensitive side, considering the recent aftermath of a nearly compromised business remained raw in his family. "But Oreki-san had to pry that information out of Shimizu-san's boss; which meant that he had to negotiate with that man. Please think of your schedule adjustment as a huge favor to Oreki-san."

After some time, and much talking, Kaho's father heaved a sigh. Even with Fuyumi, even he seemed to be at his wits' end. Still, he decided it wouldn't hurt to try again. He got out some schedule charts before slumping back on his chair and scanning them again.

"I'm not sure I can promise you 1300 hours," he said. "But I can guarantee a schedule at 1400 hours."

"It's…less than ideal," said Eru. "But…we'll take it."

"Kudasai," said Kaho's father, pleading for Eru to accept a schedule so hard to establish. "These negotiations have been making me more anxious. What with Shimizu-san and this disaster…"

"Sou desu ne," said Eru with great sympathy to Kaho's father, as she made a bow. "Arigatou gozaimasu." She and Fuyumi left the office. They strolled through the lobby and outside the building.

"Will you be at the wedding?" asked Eru.

"If you want," said Fuyumi. "I may be a little late, though. I would be able to arrange for some leave time."

"Well…with work, just be there whenever you can," said Eru. "No pressure, of course."

Fuyumi made a nod. "If you don't mind me saying…perhaps you seem a little young at this age to get married."

Eru made a thoughtful face. "Well…it shouldn't be that unusual at a young woman my age for that."

"Did you ever give consideration about your choice?" asked Fuyumi.

Eru simply smiled. "Hopefully, you're asking me out of alleviating your doubts," she said. "Hai. Besides…I knew Houtarou-kun."

"Houtarou-kun?" Fuyumi's eyes widened a little. It had been a while since Fuyumi had ever heard Eru address Houtarou as such. In her school years, Eru had always addressed him by his surname and an honorific.

"To be honest, Irisu-san, if it were any other circumstance, I wouldn't have made my decision so readily," said Eru. "Even with knowing him, though…we talked. And we decided…that marriage is what we desired."

"Sou desu ne," said Fuyumi, confirming an answer that left a desire for more.

"It's been a while since I heard about Oreki-san," said Fuyumi.

"Oh," said Eru. "We'll, I'm on my way home. What about you?"

"I have to travel this street before we part ways."

"I'll tell you what I can," said Eru, as both she and her friend conversed about many things that she and Houtarou had done leading up to this path of life.

END OF EPISODE

NOTES:

If you are curious about the strange wedding gifts that Eru is showing to Houtarou, check out this online article titled, "The Art of Proposing to a Japanese Girl":
japan/proposing-to-a-japanese-girl/

Japanese Naming Convention:

Surname: Given Name:
Irisu Fuyumi
Tanabe Jirou

Western Naming Convention:

Given Name: Surname:
Fuyumi Irisu
Jirou Tanabe

Vocabulary Translations from the Japanese Language:

Hai - Yes

Iie - No

Ano... - Umm... (Filler Word)

Zutto issho ni - "Always together". This phrase can also be translated as "Together forever".

2000 hours – the equivalent of 8:00pm

1600 hours – the equivalent of 6:00pm

1300 hours – the equivalent of 1:00pm

1400 hours – the equivalent of 2:00pm