A/N: Not mine.

Kinnosuke's tantrum over Naoki's and Kotoko's departure from the field distracted his classmates so much that at least two forgot to show up for events. Thus it was that Class F's "Day of Triumph" resulted in a defeat which was discussed repeatedly the following weeks, causing most of them to bow their heads in humiliation. They were not so cowed, however, as to not place the blame where it belonged, and Kinnosuke found himself shouted down every time he tried to proclaim his dominance.

He was so involved in trying to regain his former position of power that he failed to notice Satomi, Jinko, and Kotoko often had their heads together and thought nothing of them departing the school as a group at the end of the day.

Therefore, shortly before the Christmas break, it came as a great surprise to him when Hakamada mocked the majority of the class for their failure to qualify for the associated college before congratulating the trio of girls for succeeding.

"Oi!" the boy called, "whatcha need a college degree for? I'm here–ready, willin' and able to take care of you after we're married."

The teacher showed an unexpected sense of humor when he countered, "I didn't know you were into polygamy, Ikezawa."

He stared, blankly. "Huh?"

"It is illegal to have three wives at the same time. Now, consecutively is another matter, but I think your proposal might be soured if the ladies know they are only temporary."

At least half of the class was snickering at his cluelessness, and it was only when Gintaro–brave soul that he was–explained that he understood. "Hey, what's the big deal? Everyone knows that Kotoko is the only one for me!"

"But you're not the only one for her!" was shouted by several.

Kotoko nodded in agreement. "I've been telling you for almost three years now, Kin-chan," she gritted out. "It's gotten so bad this senior year that I've been thinking of filing charges."

"That's Irie's influence on you!" he yowled.

Satomi stood up and got in his face. "That's her common sense and reaching the end of her patience."

"And if she didn't like you to begin with, then she sure doesn't like you now," Jinko added.

"Who was it," Kotoko piped up, "that said repeating the same action over and over and expecting the results to be different was a sign of insanity?"

"Whu–?" Kinnosuke growled then waved it away. "That's just fancy talk you learned from that egghead!"

"Considering that the mangled quote from Miss Aihara is attributed to Albert Einstein," Hakamada broke in drily, "I'd say that's a good possibility. Not that she is wrong. Ikezawa," he scrawled a note and tossed it to the boy, "take this and go speak to the administrator on duty. At least he or she can explain the inadvisability of harassing a fellow student while on campus."

"Huh?" was again his erudite response.

"Go to the office and leave Aihara alone! Now, scram!"

Kinnosuke left, although his 'scramming' wasn't very rapid and he muttered all the way, but he did return an hour later in a much more contemplative mood. The class breathed a sigh of relief when he remained fairly silent for the rest of the day.

Kotoko chortled as she told Naoki of the classroom scene on the way home.

"I wouldn't be too confident," he warned. "He has been publicly rebuked, so he may react like a wounded animal and strike out unexpectedly."

Her face did not display a pleased expression. "So, you're saying that he's going to be more dangerous–um, annoying?"

"It's a possibility."

"Well, crap. So much for a relaxing holiday."

"You know," he hesitated, "you could always come to the annual Pandai Christmas Eve bash. Knowing him, that's when he's more likely to make one of his dramatic plays, and we always have tight security at these get-togethers."

"Oh," she poked him in the side, "keeping out the riff-raff?"

"We will have some of the movers and shakers of Japan in attendance," he pointed out. "Besides, Yuuki and I will be happy to have someone under the age of forty-five to talk and dance with."

Kotoko bit her lip. "Are you sure I'd be welcome?"

"Silly!" He smacked her over the head with a folder. "Don't forget my mother and her penchant for match-making. If I were you, I'd hurry and pick out a dress, or she'll hijack you for a marathon shopping session."

"Good point." She nodded. "Now I just need to hit up Otosan for an advance on my allowance."

Naoki's concerns were warranted, but his suspicions of Kinnosuke's target were, shall we say, off-target. Aihara raged nearly every night that his employees had to chase the teenager from his restaurant. "How that idiot thinks that I will take him on as an apprentice, considering all the grief he has caused my daughter– Aargh!"

"I'm sorry, Papa." Kotoko hugged him. "Maybe I shouldn't have tried to hide from him."

"No, daughter," he patted her on the head, "don't lay the blame on yourself. I'm glad you had a fun time with Nao and Yuuki-kun, and I'm far from being too old to handle an annoying whippersnapper like that baka."

"I'm glad you say so," she admitted. "Because I've told him to leave me alone six ways from Sunday, and nothing has stopped him. The school office either!"

"You just have a couple more months until graduation, and then I'll be happy to call the authorities on him," Mr. Aihara declared. "Aggravating he may be, but he needs all the education he can get."

"But, sir," Naoki had been a silent witness to the conversation, "what did he hope to gain by–excuse my language–sucking up to you?"

The man rolled his eyes. "He thought that by worming his way into my business that he would have an 'in' with Kotoko."

"As if!" she retorted.

"I know, I know," he assured her. "I'm just saying that he assumed he would be the heir to my business, and that would automatically grant him you."

"Number one, ick! And number two, anyone who really knows me never would have tried that. If there's one place that I am not to be near, it's a professional kitchen."

Naoki chuckled, "He just probably wanted you in his personal kitchen, barefoot and pregnant."

"Ugh!" She ran hands down her face. "Now I need brain bleach!"

"These are great photos!" Satomi gushed as she paged through the album.

"Did Mrs. Irie take these?" asked Jinko.

"No, she was ordered to leave all recording devices at home," Kotoko replied. "Pandai had several professional photographers in attendance. Not only did that provide a souvenir for the guests, but Mr. Irie could control which ones were released to the press."

"Irie-kun must get his smarts from his dad, with thinking like that," Satomi averred.

"But he got his sneakiness from Obasama," Kotoko divulged. "I originally went with them to keep from running into Kin-chan on Christmas."

"Oh, yeah," Jinko nodded, "he was bound to try to hijack you on 'Couples Date Night'."

Satomi narrowed her eyes at one photo. "You and Irie-kun look really close in this dance picture."

"Well," she blushed, "we–and Yuuki-kun–spent the entire evening together. We could sit at the table and talk for only so long."

"I see," she turned the page and laughed, "you danced with Mini-Irie also. Honestly, was one of the photographers assigned to only you?"

Kotoko shuddered. "I don't think so. Mrs. Irie did make sure that she got a copy of every picture with me or the boys in it."

"What's this?" Kinnosuke appeared suddenly behind Satomi's shoulder and snatched the album. "Oi! You're doing it again!"

"No," Kotoko stood, "you're the one 'doing it again'. You've been told and told to leave me alone." She reclaimed the album with a quick grab. "Now, leave my father alone as well."

"Nah," he bragged, "I'm wearin' him down. Pretty soon he'll be beggin' me to be a chef in his joint."

"His 'joint' is Michelin-starred," Kotoko gritted out, "and the most likely job for you would be dishwasher. Oh, wait, Otosan has an automatic one. So sorry!" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "But even if he didn't, I am not part of the job perks. And I warn you that at least half of the employees think of themselves as my uncles. So, as I said before, back off."

"Why–"

"Yes, Ikezawa," Hakamada had entered the area quietly, "back off and sit down. You need to stop disturbing the 'Iries of Class F' and hit the books as hard as you can or you won't even have a high school diploma, much less a college degree."

Muttering, the boy stomped back to his desk, not noticing that his pals, sensing the mood, scooted theirs well away from him.

In his great pouting fit, he missed the whispered conversation between the girls in which Kotoko confided that Naoki had asked her to be his girlfriend.

"Girl," Satomi stared at Kotoko strictly later that day, "did you tell Irie-kun that you used to have a crush on him?"

"Yes," she replied, "a long time ago. That was the same time I told him that I didn't like him for a while, too."

"But your feelings are real now, right?" Jinko appeared anxious.

"Sure," she said, "and I also let him know that."

"So, what does he think about your flip-flopping emotions?" asked Satomi.

"Oh," Kotoko shrugged, "he just said that now he has climbed back on the pedestal, he'll do his best not to fall off again."

The girls giggled together. "He has it bad, sister!"