Chapter Twelve: Growth Potential

I rubbed my face for the umpteenth time as I entered Hikarizaka High's main office. I was still reeling from the events of the night prior and had ended up losing a fair amount of sleep over it. Regardless of my circumstances, though, I had a job to do… "Afternoon, Himura-san," I greeted while hoping that I didn't sound as tired as I felt.

The look on her face told me that I failed. "Are you okay? You look exhausted."

"I'll be all right," I replied, hoping this time that she would let it pass.

"Well, you're cleared for entry," she told me then leaned forward, resting her forearms on her desk; fortunately, she wasn't wearing anything revealing this time. "Hey, listen; will you be free after school tomorrow?"

I almost chuckled; the way she phrased her question made it sound as though I was still a student. "Well, I have club tomorrow as usual, and the Angels have a performance tomorrow night. Why?"

She shifted ever so slightly in her seat. "Well, some of the staff and faculty are getting together for… Er, to socialize and stuff, and I thought you might like to come along." She angled her head. "You've been basically working for the school without any kind of recognition as far as I know, so I thought you might like to…I dunno, hang out with us?"

I blinked. "Will Koumura-sensei be there?"

"Not as far as I know," she replied with a shake of her head. "He retired at the end of last year, remember?"

"Oh, that's right." I had forgotten about my old homeroom teacher's retirement, much to my shame; the 'old man' had been an instrumental part of my high-school years, after all. I made a mental note to visit him. "Well… What time does it start? How long is it supposed to be? I might be able to attend for a bit."

Her eyes widened just slightly, and I experienced a sinking feeling as I remembered our prior exchanges, ones that had given me reason to believe that there was more to her invitation than she was letting on. "It's from two to four," she told me, along with the name of a well-known restaurant.

"Any particular dress code?"

"No no," she replied with another shake of her head. "Just come as you are; I-er, we'll just be happy to see you."

I thanked her, promising to let her know one way or the other before leaving for the day, but I left the office with a gnawing sensation in my stomach; I would definitely need to talk with Rie about the situation.

"Boss T!"

"Yukio!"

The lead singer for the Lords of Doo-Wop and I shared a laugh at what had become our typical greeting, and as I continued into the Chorus Club room I saw that, as usual, he sat with the other members of his group…along with Kotomi, surprisingly. Curiosity had me heading over to talk with my childhood friend, and along the way I saw the Friends for Life standing in one of the corners of the room and harmonizing, presumably warming up.

I arrived at my destination and knelt down next to the happy couple. "Hey, big guy; may I speak with my old friend for a bit?"

Hanzo's expression showed understandable confusion as he glanced from me to his girlfriend. "If… If Kotomi does not mind…"

She gave her man a fond smile that changed ever so slightly as she looked to me; still fond, but in a different way. "I would be happy to talk with you, Tomoya; would here be acceptable, or should we move to another part of the room where we can be seen by Hanzo but not heard?"

My smile broadened at her obvious attempt to honor her beloved. "Some level of privacy would be appreciated, but I have no problem honoring your desire for transparency."

After receiving a brisk nod from Hanzo, she and I rose to our feet and headed toward a surprisingly unoccupied part of the room. "What is it you wished to speak to me about?" she asked with a glance back at her beau; I experienced a bout of jealously but realized that it was more than likely due to my separation from Rie than any lingering feelings.

For the first time in a long time, I rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm just concerned about how much you've been here lately," I finally said in my best attempt at expressing my concern. "Don't you have responsibilities at SciTech?"

Her face fell, and I knew exactly what she would say next: "Do you not want me to come here anymore, Tomoya?"

I sighed in exasperation. "Kotomi, please stop assuming my intent; I do not like being needlessly put on the defensive."

Her hands flew to her mouth as her eyes widened, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Hanzo look in our direction. "I…I am sorry!" Then, to my utter surprise she suddenly dropped her hands, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them again she appeared to be much calmer. "I apologize for making assumptions regarding your intentions," she said contritely. "I understand that it is immature to do so, and I have been endeavoring to improve myself in that area. Would you please repeat your question?"

It took me a moment to process what had just happened; had she utilized a breathing technique to calm herself? "I don't remember exactly how I phrased it," I admitted. "But I'm just concerned that you'll get yourself in trouble with your supervisors if you're missing work to be here."

Her expression shifted to one of amusement "I believe that now you are the one making assumptions, though I believe that I understand." She paused briefly to gather her thoughts. "I tend to have a fair amount of 'free time' due to prompt completion of my assigned duties." Her brow furrowed. "I am puzzled as to why that would be so; nearly all of the other scientists have been working there much longer than I have. In fact, I have met several who worked with my parents."

My eyebrows jumped; it was the first time I'd heard her refer to her mother and father as anything other than 'mommy' and 'daddy'. "Well, that's because you're a natural genius."

She blinked in surprise. "You believe so as well?"

I snorted; so, I wasn't the first to broach the subject. "Well, sure; while the rest of us were in classes, you were able to spend all of your time in the library. You don't think that odd?"

Her eyes lost focus. "I…knew that I was different, but… Truth be told, I never really thought about it."

"You were in your own world, so to speak," I offered.

She nodded slowly. "I…believe I understand…. Wait, please; are you inferring that I am…" She averted her gaze with a blush. "…much more intelligent than even my coworkers?"

"I am," I confirmed while trying to avoid blushing as well at the sight. "I suspect that because you had been isolated – either by your own choice or those of others – you had no basis for comparison when it came to your intellect."

"I see…"

I smiled and reached out to gently clap her on the shoulder. "All right; my concerns have been addressed. Thank you for your time, Kotomi-hakase, and enjoy your time with Hanzo."

Her expression immediately brightened. "Oh, I will! Thank you very much!" To my surprise, she quickly bowed before hurrying back to plop down next to her boyfriend.

Smile still in place, I shook my head at our exchange before heading over to the-

"Okazaki-sensei?"

"Yes?" I looked to the source of the voice and found a young man with hair the same color as my own looking at me with anxious blue eyes; with him were three other male club members. "What can I do for you, Hajime-san?" By my best recollection, Hajime Ryuu was a third-year who had joined the Chorus Club due to Rie's performance at the Founder's Festival the year prior. Beyond that, I didn't know much about him.

"Sir, we-" Hajime abruptly looked to the floor, apparently unable to maintain eye contact.

One of the other boys stepped forward, this one with brown hair and green eyes. "Sensei, we've formed a new group, and we were hoping you and Nishina-senpai would be willing to evaluate our work."

I looked back to Hajime. "Is this true?"

The youth opened his mouth only to close it again with a nod, still failing to meet my gaze.

I couldn't help but smile at my student's awkwardness. "Sure, let me check with Ri-I mean, the club president." I looked around and found her with a small group of girls, and it surprised me that she wasn't with her group. "I guess they don't have to be with each other all the time…" I mused as I headed over to her.

After politely requesting her attention I told her about the new group, and she excitedly shot to her feet, excused herself, and followed me over to where Hajime and the others waited for us. "You've formed a group, Hajime-san?"

The third-year couldn't meet Rie's gaze either, but he nodded once, bashfully.

Rie and I exchanged smiles, though mine was tinged with more than a little concern; if Hajime had such a hard time just talking with us, how was he going to be able to sing in front of others? As long as he wasn't the lead, I supposed that it would work… "Well, the microphones are all yours, gentlemen," I told them.

They each took a microphone, and it struck me that they were a quartet, much like Souta's 'Friends for Life'. I also noticed that Hajime took the microphone typically reserved for the lead singer. "Don't worry, Sato," the brown-haired youth told our sound man; apparently he had become the unofficial spokesman for the group. "We won't tap the microphones."

"Thanks, guys," Sato called with a wave from the far side of the room.

"Do you have a name for your group?" Rie asked.

Hajime cast his gaze down yet again, and their spokesman raised his mike. "We have an idea, Senpai, but we'd like to see how this goes before we tell you; is that okay?"

She looked at me; having no real preference of my own I simply shrugged. "That's fine. Why don't you introduce yourselves and tell us what part you sing?"

"I got this," the quartet's spokesman chirped. "Unless…one of you wants to do it?"

Unsurprisingly, Hajime looked to the floor again; the other two boys held their hands up as though to say 'No way!'. "All right, then: I'm Tanaka Kazuya, a first-year, and if my voice hasn't already given it away, I'm the tenor." He turned to Hajime standing next to him, who gave him a hesitant nod. "This is Hajime Ryuu, a third-year, and he's our lead."

Many of the other club members murmured, apparently as surprised as I was that such a shy young man would be the lead singer.

"Next to him is Furukawa Kaito, a first-year like me, and he's our baritone. And finally…" He leaned forward slightly to gesture to the dark-haired teen standing at the opposite end of the quartet, "…this is Ichibangase Jun, our bass."

"Yo," he rumbled.

"Holy shit," someone murmured, and just as with Jiro's introduction I found it difficult to disagree.

"Nice to meet you all," I managed to reply in spite of my mild shock. At first, I felt bad for not knowing their names but quickly realized that with a club membership of over forty students I couldn't feel too bad about missing a member here and there, especially considering my responsibilities to two established groups. "What are you going to be singing?"

"It's called 'Dream On'," Tanaka replied, "and it's by the-"

"The Oak Ridge Boys!" Souta cried out happily as he shot to his feet with his hands raised, then blushed at the amused attention from the rest of the club. "Sorry, uh… We, uh…were thinking about doing some of their songs 'cause they sound a lot like the Statler Brothers, but…" He shrugged with his hands and a sheepish smile, apparently unsure of how to finish his thought as he quickly sat down again.

"Well, thanks for leaving some songs for us, Takanami-san," Tanaka chuckled. He then gave Sato a thumbs-up, and I figured that they were using some form of karaoke tape or CD.

I was proven right when the warm and delicate sound of a piano began to play through the sound system. At first, only Ichibangase's microphone rose, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Jiro and Hanzo noticeably sit up straighter:

"*Lay your head down on my shoulder
I won't let the night get colder
I'll protect you, I'll be keeping
Trouble far from where you're sleeping…*"

Though untrained, Jun had a soft, soothing deep voice that fit the song quite well, and it left me stunned – and the girls squealing – even as the other boys raised their microphones:

"*Until you wake in the morning
You've got the world to yourself.

Dream on
Dream about the world we're gonna live in one fine day
Dream on
Spend the night in heaven I'll be here to light your way.

Someday tomorrow we'll smile
But little girl in the meanwhile
Dream on...*"

I found myself transfixed not just by how well the boys harmonized, but also how they were able to join in and step out at just the right times. I was especially surprised at how Hajime's demeanor changed once he started singing, going from shy to confident in nearly no time. Impressive.

"*You're a princess, chains around you
I'm a hero who just found you
'Til a brand new day must wake you
Let imagination take you

Go where the music is playing
I'll be along in a while.*"

They sang the chorus twice more, and then everyone cheered as they bowed.

"Well done!" I exclaimed when the club's cheers subsided enough. "You all harmonize really well, and you all seemed to step in and out of the song without a hitch." I grinned as I briefly glanced around the room. "Like most of the members of the club have had to deal with, you'll need to work on your 'L's and 'R's but I'm really impressed." I turned to Rie. "Anything to add, Club President?"

"No," she replied with a shake of her head, and I found myself immersed in a sweet, fruity fragrance that faded way too quickly. "To be honest, I'm already looking forward to your next song."

"Thank you Sensei! Thank you, Senpai!" Tanaka exclaimed over a second round of cheers from the club as the group bowed once again.

"What's the name of your group?" I asked, reminding him of his earlier promise.

The teens exchanged sheepish looks before Tanaka answered. "We're going with 'From Hikarizaka' for now, Sensei."

"Is there a special meaning to it?" Souta asked. "We're actually thinking of changing our name."

My eyebrows jumped, but I remained silent.

"We're, uh…naming it the same way the original group did," Tanaka explained while rubbing the back of his neck. "They're named after the place they started singing, so we thought we'd try doing the same thing."

I exchanged a smile with Rie. "Well, I look forward to seeing what you guys do in the future," I told them. "Keep up the good work."

"YES, SENSEI!" they all replied as one, bowing at nearly the same time and causing my smile to broaden.

As the rest of the club fussed over the newly-formed group, I caught Rie's attention and indicated the door with my eyes. She nodded once and headed back to her group.

Less than a minute later, she caught up with me just outside the club room entrance. "What did you need, Sensei?"

I cringed at her usage of my title, though I was well aware of the reason she used it. "I'd like to talk briefly with the Angels after club today. If you could all spare about ten minutes for me, that is."

"I'll let them know," she replied with a smile. I must have been staring at her without realizing it because she awkwardly added, "Was there anything else?"

I shook my head to force myself out of Rie World. "No, that's it; thank you for your time."

"Of course!" Her nose wrinkled cutely with her smile as she turned toward the door. Before she opened it, however, she looked over her shoulder at me with half-lidded eyes, and I could suddenly feel my heart pounding in my chest. "I'll see you back inside," she said in a noticeably huskier tone.

It took me several minutes to calm myself enough to be around anyone, let alone the club members.

"We saw how much fun Takanami-san was having with his group, singing fun songs like that, and we wanted to try it," Tanaka explained as the rest of the club listened attentively. "We didn't want to compete with them for songs from the same group, but Jun-senpai here," he continued while thumping the back of the bass seated next to him, "found out about another group that sings the same style of music, so we listened to a few of their songs and liked them, so we picked one."

"That's cool," one of the male club members said; I couldn't tell who it was, though.

"How do the four of you know each other?" I asked.

The members of the quartet exchanged awkward grins. "We actually didn't know each other until a few weeks ago," Tanaka replied, still acting as spokesman. "Ryuu-senpai was the one who came up with the idea. He came to me and asked about starting a group like Takanami-sani's, and we asked around the rest of the club to see if any other guys were interested, and Jun-senpai and Kaito said 'yes'."

"How neat…" Rie breathed.

"So Hajime started it?" I asked. The student in question looked at me, then ducked his head in a nod, and I couldn't help but smile at his bashfulness. "Well, you guys sound fantastic; keep up the great work."

"Thank you, sensei," the quartet replied in unison.

"That reminds me…" I said while looking around for a specific face. "Souta mentioned something about a name change; is he here right now?"

"Right here, Sensei." I tracked a raised hand and found Souta getting to his feet. "Hajime-senpai kinda beat us to it, but we were thinking of changing our name in, uh…"

"Were you thinking of using a naming convention similar to theirs?" I suggested, then grimaced. "What I mean is: Renaming yourself in the same way as Hajime's group?"

"Yes, Sensei," he replied. "We're thinking of changing it to 'The Ito Brothers'."

"Ito Brothers…" Rie echoed. "What an interesting choice. Why that name in particular?"

"It's… Well…" The lead for the newly-christened 'The Ito Brothers' blushed nearly crimson. "Yamato found out the Statler Brothers named themselves after a brand of tissue, and we wanted to honor them by copying their name choice…if that makes any sense."

"Well enough," I replied while exchanging a grin with Rie; I'd never thought about the brands of facial tissue but could understand the awkwardness around naming a singing group after one of them. "For what it's worth, I like the 'brothers' aspect; it sounds a lot closer, a lot more like family than 'Friends for Life'."

"So it's cool?" Souta asked with an eager expression.

I mulled over his question. "I think it sounds nice and would do well in the entertainment industry, if that's what you're asking." I gave a lopsided grin. "But, ultimately, it's your choice; you're the ones who'll have to live with it, after all."

"Yeah, I get it." Souta's eyes briefly lost focus before he spoke again. "Well, we'll go with it and see what happens."

"Sounds like a plan," I said with a smile.

Fortunately, all of the Angels were available after club. "Wh-What's up, Chief?" Reiko asked as we stood outside the library doors. "You sound really serious."

I paused with my hand on the door handle. "Do I? I'm sorry, I don't mean to be." I slid the door open and stepped aside to let the girls through first. "There's just something I've been meaning to talk to the five of you about but keep forgetting."

"Oh!" Nao chirped with a handclap. "Is this what you'd asked me to help you remember the other night?" I gave a nod so she addressed the other girls. "It's fine; it's nothing bad or anything."

"Why did he ask you to help him remember?" Rie asked, and I could have sworn that she sounded a little jealous.

"I just happened to be visiting her family when I remembered," I explained as the girls took places at one of the tables; I opted to stand to be more easily seen. "She was right there, so I asked her to help me remember."

"Looks like you didn't need me after all," she said with a giggle.

"I don't know," I chuckled softly. "I wouldn't be surprised if asking you to help me remember in and of itself ended up helping me remember… If that makes any sense."

"It does," my soprano replied with another giggle.

I smiled at her expression then froze as I took in the sight of the Angels of Japan; save for Rie, all of them had varying degrees of redness to their cheeks, and it reminded me of the exchanges I'd had with each of them during my visits to their respective homes. I only hoped that my slightly-warm face wasn't red as well. "I, uh…"

"Are you okay, Tomoya?" Kana asked, surprising me until I remembered her words to me during my visit to her home; the comparative boldness suddenly made sense.

I subtly took a calming breath. "I'm fine; sorry about that. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Anything we can help out with, Chief?" Reiko chimed in from the far end of the table, and I had to force myself to not think about what she had said about…

"N-No…thank you," I managed. Finally able to force my mind to the appropriate topic I told them, "I've been meaning to talk with you about writing your own songs. I don't know if you remember this or not, but the English judge at the 'Rising Stars' finals suggested this after your win. I just wanted to put the idea before you."

"That's not a bad idea," Rie mused from her spot next to me, her lovely blue eyes losing focus. "I know that I've had some ideas for a song about finding true love…" She blushed attractively with a shrug of her slim shoulders. "…but I haven't really taken the time to work on any lyrics."

"Sorry Boss, but I don't think I can help you with that," Reiko said with a grin that quickly faded as she looked at me again with a deeper blush. "Well, maybe…"

"M-…Maybe we could all meet up and put our heads together?" Amane suggested, and I noticed a further tint to her cheeks as she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

"M-Maybe we could help more than we realize?" Nao offered, also glancing at me as she spoke.

"That would be wonderful!" Rie exclaimed with a clap before turning in her seat to face the others. "We could meet at my place, and… Are you okay? Your faces are all red."

"I'm fine, Boss!" Reiko replied, more loudly even than her usual. "It's just heat…er, I mean, the heat! The heat. Kinda warm in here, ya know?"

Rie turned to me with worried eyes. "Maybe we should move to anoth-… Tomoya, are you hot, too? Your cheeks are pretty red."

Crap; busted. "I'll...be all right," I truthfully replied with a raised hand. "Seeing all these red faces is causing me to feel a little self-conscious, I guess."

"S-Sorry about that, Chief," Reiko offered.

"It's fine," I replied, forcing my face to contort into a smile. "I've said what I need to, anyway. You can all leave for the day whenever you're ready."

All of the Angels save for Rie shot to their feet. "I need to use the bathroom first," they all said in perfect unison. They then turned wide eyes at each other before hurrying out the door, leaving it open in their flight.

I blinked awkwardly at the door due to the likely reason for their….reactions…during our meeting. Fortunately I remembered something that I needed to talk about with Rie that would help me take my mind off my…possible situation. "Hey, Rie; can you spare a minute before we head out?" I requested as I settled into the chair next to her.

"Of course," she replied while turning back to me, though she still had her puzzled expression; very cute. "What's up?"

I allowed myself a moment to think about how to phrase my thoughts. "Well… You know Himura? The receptionist at the main office?"

"I don't know her personally, if that's what you're asking," she replied, her confused expression turning to an awkward smile. "But yeah, I've had to check in at the office before."

"She invited me to an informal staff and faculty gathering tomorrow after school," I explained. "If I remember correctly what she said, I've been doing all this work for the school as an advisor without any recognition, and she thought it would be nice for me to be there. Not for any kind of reward or anything, just to be…" I had to ponder my words further. "…recognized as part of the staff, in a manner of speaking."

"How wonderful!" she exclaimed excitedly. "You'd be treated like you're, uh…part of the school!" Her smile faded into a thoughtful expression. "You'd still be here for club, right?"

"Right," I confirmed with a nod. "I told her that if I attended, I'd have to factor in club time and preparation for tomorrow night's performance."

She lifted her eyes to mine and scrutinized my face. "You're worried about something about it, aren't you?"

I sighed heavily. "Rie…" I licked suddenly-dry lips, unsure of how to express my concern. "I've…been given reason to believe that Himura is…well, attracted to me."

Rie blinked to a wide-eyed expression. "R-Really?"

I suddenly had to cast my gaze to the floor.

"Wow…" A moment later I felt a touch to my arm and reluctantly met her eyes again. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, huh? I mean, you're really handsome and kind and sweet…" Tears pooled in her eyes. "…and right now you probably look kinda available…"

I sighed again as I looked to the side, guilt gnawing at me; while I wanted to also tell her my suspicions about the other Angels I also didn't want to cause needless conflict in the event that I was wrong. It was more likely that I was right, unfortunately, but still… "As far as I know, I've not done anything to warrant her affection, and-"

"You don't have to," she giggled, but I could hear a teary hiccup as well. "Like I said; you're tall and handsome and caring; I think girls of all ages love that in a guy."

"Damn," I muttered, then finally met her gaze. "Listen, Rie: If you don't want me to go, then I won't go. I don't want to give you any reason to distrust me."

"I trust you, Tomoya." She giggled as she stood up to wrap her arms around my neck. "After all…" She pulled away to gaze into my eyes, and we…

…

…

…

"So, uh…if anything…" she continued, jarring me from our bond, "…it's other girls that I don't trust. But that won't happen until they give me a good reason to. So you go and have a good time, and if the receptionist or any other girl gives you problems, well…" She brushed her lips against mine, sending a chill down my spine. "I believe that you'll know what to do. After all, I believe in you."

I looked into the face of my beloved and felt tears start to form, and I gently pulled her into my lap for a tender embrace. "Thank you, Rie."

I paused outside the door to the main office and unconsciously straightened my tie. Well, at least until I realized that I had unconsciously straightened my tie. I reached out and opened the door while mentally girding myself for what I was about to do.

"Checking out, Okazaki?" Himura asked.

"Y-Yeah," I replied, then winced at my brief lapse into my prior way of speaking. "That is: Yes, I am."

She smiled and lowered her eyes to her computer screen as she tapped at the keyboard. "All right, you're all done for the day. Congratulations."

"Thank you," I chuckled. "Um, regarding the gathering tomorrow…?"

"Yes?" She leaned forward with a hopeful expression.

I cleared my throat, more to relieve myself of anxiety than anything. "I should be able to attend for about an hour; as I believe I mentioned earlier, the Angels have a performance tomorrow night and we'll need plenty of time for preparation and travel."

"Perfectly fine," Himura replied with a nod; behind her, the other office lady looked over with a smile. "I'll-We'll see you tomorrow, then."

As expected, I left the school grounds with an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Fortunately, I had someone I could talk to regarding my…situations.

I was working at my desk when I heard the front door open and shut, and I smiled and tossed my pen on top of my stack of paperwork before heading out of my room to jog down the stairs. "Welcome home, Dad," I greeted as I reached the bottom. "How was work?"

"Ah, Tomoya," Dad replied. "It's good to be home."

"Rough day?"

"No more than usual," he chuckled, but I noticed a light grunt as he bent over to remove his shoes. "Working while old can be a bit of a challenge."

I chuckled as well. "I'm not sure that you're old enough to be saying that just yet."

He simply chuckled again as he slipped on his indoor shoes.

I licked my lips, uncomfortable with what I was about to ask. "Listen, Dad? Could we, uh…talk?"

He straightened to turn surprised eyes on me. "Goodness, Tomoya; you sound anxious. Is everything okay?"

I sighed. "To be honest, I'm not sure; that's why I want to talk to you."

He studied me intently with his steel-blue eyes. "We'll talk at dinner, okay?"

I quickly agreed, and we spent the next hour working on dinner while chatting about our day at a more superficial level. Ever since Rie had encouraged me to talk with my 'old man' and he and I reminisced over photos of Mom, our relationship had slowly but surely started to improve, culminating in a conversation regarding what I considered a turning point in my life: the fight that had led to the injury to my shoulder. We had argued to be sure, but the exchanges were more controlled, more rational than those previously, and in the end we each had apologized to the other for our respective contributions to our self-destructive lifestyle.

Eventually, we took our places at the table and put our hands together. "Thanks for the food." We then retrieved our chopsticks and began to eat.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" Dad asked several minutes into the meal. "You seem deeply troubled."

I finished my bite and laid my chopsticks aside with a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure where to begin, but…" From there I told him about my interactions with each of the girls during my time with their families. Without revealing names I told him about each of the girls' behaviors, about Kana's confession and Nao's odd behavior as well as her younger sister's. I awkwardly told him about how Reiko had expressed her affection toward me and, finally, I told him about the change in how Amane addressed me, from 'nii-san' to 'onii-san'. "I wouldn't normally think anything of it," I added, "but since the other girls have become more affectionate, I'm concerned that this may signify a more…intimate interest on her part."

"I could see that," he grunted with a nod as he poked at his meal.

"I also seem to recall that girls who liked an older man – or boy, rather – would refer to him as 'onii-chan'," I continued.

"And it's not hard to see the possible progression in how she refers to you," Dad realized. "I can see how your concern would be justified."

I placed my chopsticks aside to lean forward, resting my forearms on the kotatsu. "Do you have any suggestions? Did you ever have to deal with something like this?"

He chuckled lightly, and I could have sworn that he sounded embarrassed. "You may find this hard to believe, but I was a rather handsome young man when I was your age."

"I've looked in a mirror," I replied, and when he gave me a puzzled look I smiled. "I've seen photos of Mom; I don't think I got all my looks from her."

He chuckled again and averted his gaze. "You're too kind to this old man, son." He cleared his throat, and I couldn't help but smile again. "I had…a bit of a following back in high school; I was quiet, which was why I was surprised when my female classmates – well, any of my classmates, really – would try to talk to me, but being approached by the young women was especially surprising."

"I think I understand," I said in an effort to empathize as well as encourage him to continue. "It's usually the gregarious ones who receive most – if not all – of the attention."

He blinked in obvious surprise. "Yes, that's quite true." He smiled softly. "I'm sorry, Tomoya; it's taking me a while to get used to this new you. I can't tell you how proud I am of the man you've become. And the man you're becoming," he quickly added.

I felt my face heat up at his words but held his gaze. "Thank you, Dad."

He grunted, smile still in place. "Anyway, to get back to your concerns: First, I don't think you need to address anything unless they directly express their affection toward you, which I think you said one of the girls has done already."

"That's right."

"And knowing you as I do, you let her down gently?"

"To the best of my ability, yes," I confirmed. "I asked her if Rie knew about her feelings toward me, and…" I realized that I was giving more information than necessary so I waved my hands. "In the end, I let her know that as long as she refrained from acting untoward towards me that there wouldn't be a need for Rie to know, but if she acted on her feelings then I would have to tell Rie. Does that make sense?"

"It does," he replied with a nod and a proud smile. "Well done, Tomoya; I'm not sure I would have been able to handle it as well as you did."

"Being in the idol business has made me aware of how to handle…delicate situations," I said evasively, not wanting to take all the credit for my actions. "My contacts in the industry have been very helpful in this regard."

"And from the sounds of it, you've been a remarkably humble student," he replied, and I could tell that he wasn't going to let me deflect the praise. "For what it's worth, I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you," I said, feeling my face heat up again. "Anyway, I suspected that this would simply be a waiting game of sorts, but thank you for listening to my concerns."

"We're family, Tomoya," he said, reaching out to pat my hand. "I know I haven't been a very good father for a long time, but I'm working on becoming one for you."

"I… I appreciate that," I managed to reply through the lump in my throat, which I quickly cleared. Having a concerned and involved father was going to take getting used to.

As we returned our attention to our meal I grunted to myself as I realized that receiving positive female attention might also be something I would also have to get used to.