-Faith, Love, and Forgiveness - Chapter Eighteen: Engagement-
Day Nine
The day after the "escape attempt", the two Diclonii were given pretty much exactly the final exam they had expected.
It began with a few role-play scenarios, but thankfully they were in written form and did not require them to physically act them out. After that came another practical exam, which was literally the exact same one they had two days ago.
A surprisingly long, but straightforward written exam followed, but like the practical exam, everything on it had already been gone over. After they were both finished, it only took a few minutes to "grade", and shortly afterwards, they were informed by Amari that both of them had successfully completed the program and would be going home the next day.
The two Diclonii thanked her and as they turned to go back to their room, she reminded them that their new identity was legally binding, and they should give serious thought to whatever name they choose for themselves. As soon as she finished speaking, her phone rang.
"Amari speaking... Yes... They have, yes... I don't think that's nece-... I understand that, but... very well, I'll tell them now."
"Asshole..." the older woman muttered after hanging up.
"What's wrong?" Nana asked.
"Mr. Saito has just informed me that he needs to see both of you."
"Like, right now?" Nana asked.
Amari nodded. "Just go see what he wants, and don't stay any longer than you have to."
Ten minutes later
"Well, looks like we'll be saying goodbye tomorrow. Do you feel confident enough now to go out into human society?" Saito asked.
Sitting side-by-side, the two Diclonii were forced to have one final interview before being allowed to return to their room.
"We already WERE in human society..." Lucy answered with clear annoyance in her tone.
"Tomorrow, you're going to be fingerprinted, photographed, and given a physical exam. After that, there'll be several pages of paperwork you'll need to fill out. Once all that's done, you'll be provided with an official ID card. Any questions?"
"Yes... Are we done? I need to call my boyfriend so he'll know when to come pick us up." Lucy asked.
Saito put his pen down and sighed. "Lucy, let's just cut the bullshit, ok? You've been going on about this fake boyfriend of yours for days, and it's getting old. You're a guinea pig for God's sakes, quit lying to yourself!"
"We've let you go on about it out of pity, but the fact that you're still doing it makes us a bit worried about your mental stability." Naga added.
Lucy and Nana looked at each other in shock, then turned back to the officials.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nana asked. "We live together! I see Kouta everyday, she isn't making him up!"
"Maybe we should start being concerned about her mentality, too." Hara said with a smirk.
"Miss Amari met her boyfriend when he dropped us off!" Nana protested. "Go ask her!"
"We already did." Saito replied. "She said she met *A* boy, but can't confirm he's actually her boyfriend. All she saw was them talking and kissing, and that doesn't prove anything. He could be her pimp for all that woman knows!"
"She probably paid him." Naga remarked. "At best, he's a fuck buddy. No self-respecting man, boy, or anything else is going to want a girlfriend with horns, red eyes, and invisible arms."
Lucy glared at the men, but before she could open her mouth to tell them to go to hell, she was interrupted by Nana breaking down in tears.
"How can you be so cruel to her? Do you have any idea how hard Lucy worked to get here?!"
The older girl's eyes widened in shock. "What are you...?" she started to say, but stopped.
"The only reason she came here at all was so her and Kouta could legally get married! She did everything you asked her to, and never complained about it, but you still treat her like this?"
"Nana..."
Before she could say anything else, the Sipelit ran out crying. After a few stunned seconds, the older Diclonius got up to chase her down, ignoring the officials protesting that they're not done with the interview yet.
"You should fail them both for non-completion." Hara urged.
"No. If I did that they could re enroll in thirty days. Let's just get them out of here."
The other two men agreed, completely unaware they were being spied on by a very, VERY angry Admissions Director who immediately went back to her office and called the contact number Yuka provided.
"Hi, may I speak to Yuka, please? This is Director Amari..."
A few halls away, Lucy caught up with the still-crying Nana, who she found sitting with her back against the wall. Nana looked up at the older Diclonius for a moment, then put her head in her hands.
Squatting down in front of her, Lucy looked at the Sipelit who had become the closest thing to a sister she had.
"Are you ok?"
Nana shook her head no, but said nothing. The pink-haired girl tried desperately to think of something to say, but finally settled on "Were they really bothering you that badly?"
It took the younger girl several seconds to answer, and even then she was crying too much to really make out what she was saying.
"Lucy, you've tried so hard... and they... they don't even care. It's like everything you've done is some big joke to them..."
Whether it was out of gratitude for being defended, or sisterly affection, Lucy reached out and hugged the younger, sobbing Diclonius against her. Nana latched onto her and cried freely as they sat there. Noticing movement, she looked up to see Amari looking down at them.
"Is she ok?" the woman mouthed. Lucy nodded, and Amari mouthed that she would wait at their room for them before leaving to give them some privacy. She felt bad for sticking her nose into the girl's business, but this was a situation that she couldn't ignore. There wasn't much she could do without creating a conflict of interest, so she had called Yuka, hoping by doing so they could find some way to comfort the girls.
And they did so in a way that nobody who witnessed it would ever forget.
Kaeda House - Twenty minutes earlier
"Kouta, I just got a very disturbing phone call from Director Amari..."
The cousins sat down and Yuka relayed what she had been told about the grossly sexualized questions, the trumped-up "escape attempt", and the extremely inappropriate threats to fail both Diclonii after Nana's outburst. The first question out of Yuka's mouth had been "So what did you do about it?", and she was understandably unhappy with Amari's answer that there's nothing she COULD do about it except call her and explain what had happened.
After listening to the whole story, both cousins were highly pissed off, but Kouta reluctantly told Yuka there really wasn't anything they could do. Filing a complaint would go nowhere, and both of them knew it. "It really sucks, but they're coming home tomorrow anyway, so..."
"So... you're content to do NOTHING?" Yuka asked angrily.
"Yuka, there's nothing we CAN do!"
The brunette thought for a moment, then got up, walked over, sat on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. For a moment, neither of them spoke, then finally, she asked him if he was truly serious about wanting to marry Nyu.
"Umm... what does that have to do with anything?"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS OR NOT?!" she yelled in irritation.
"Yes! Ok?! Yes, I'm serious about it!"
Yuka nodded. She knew her moment of... call it "self-consolatory intimacy"... was over, so she got off his lap and sat down next to him.
"Then, I've got an idea..."
Room 3412 - Thirty minutes later
Back in the girl's room, Amari sat on the bed with the Diclonii. Nana had calmed down, but was still understandably upset.
"I'm sorry this happened. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but... again, my office is right beside the interview room, so..."
"It's fine." Nana said quietly.
"I can't believe those bastards actually stooped so low as to claim your boyfriend doesn't actually exist. Excuse you, but I've met him personally, and I know for a fact she's telling the truth."
"It doesn't bother me. We're going home tomorrow anyway, let them think what they want."
Amari couldn't help but be impressed with the level of maturity the pink-haired Diclonius had displayed. Despite all the accusations and insults, Lucy never even raised her voice at the officials.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Amari asked gently.
Nana nodded, giving the older woman a weak smile. The Admissions Director surprised them both when she reached out and hugged Nana (who immediately hugged her back) then Lucy (who did hug her back, albeit hesitantly).
"Lucy's not used to hugging people she doesn't live with." Nana offered. The older Diclonius glared at the Sipelit, but said nothing.
"Have you girls decided on what name your going to choose?" she asked as she got off their bed. When both Diclonii answered no, she reminded them they'd need to make a decision by morning.
"Don't worry, we haven't forgotten." Lucy replied.
She bid the girls goodnight and left. Nana announced she was getting in the shower, and Lucy used this chance to call Kouta so he'd know when to be there. The couple made small talk for a few minutes as she debated whether or not to bring up what had happened during the last few days.
"Listen, there's..." she started to say but stopped when she heard the water shut off.
"Nevermind. I'll just tell you tomorrow." she said. Taking Nana's place in the shower, she had no idea Kouta and Yuka already knew about the kind of mistreatment she'd received, or that they had come up with a way to shut them up for good.
Sitting down on the shower-stall floor, Lucy pondered what name she should pick. It was very tempting to go ahead and take Kouta's name, but she decided against it. For some reason, the bride keeping her maiden name until the wedding took place seemed to appeal to her.
For her first and middle names, it was obviously going to be either Kaeda Lucy, or Lucy Kaeda, but she wasn't sure which one. No matter what name she picked, if Nana wanted to continue calling her Lucy, but everyone else wanted to use Nyu or Kaeda, that was fine by her. All that mattered to her was her last name, not her first.
Getting to her feet, she reached for the bottle of all-in-one shampoo/conditioner/body-wash Nana brought with her and began lathering up. Tomorrow, she would finally be getting out of here and going home to Kaeda House. In all honesty, the program actually hadn't been as bad as expected, but she still hated having to be away so long.
As she reached down to wash between her legs, Lucy couldn't help but wonder what making love in a shower like this one would be like. It wasn't exactly spacious, and that was with just her. Add Kouta to the equation, and she'd probably have to resort to bending over.
'Not that I'd complain about that...' she thought with a smile. Romance-biased or not, Lucy had no problem whatsoever with being taken from behind. Ironically, Kaeda House actually had an upstairs shower, but she couldn't remember the last time it was used, or even if the thing still worked.
'Well, guess there's only one way to find out.'
Once she finished her shower, the pink-haired girl brushed her teeth, changed into her PJ's, and joined Nana in bed. The Sipelit was watching another dumb-as-hell reality show called "Keeping Up With the Keipachian's".
"Ughh... you're still watching this crap?" Lucy asked as she slipped under the covers.
"I happen to find this show entertaining, thank you very much!"
"Really? Which episode; The one where they get drunk, or the one where they get drunk?"
"Oh, shut up!" Nana retorted.
The older Diclonius smiled in amusement and settled down to watch the rest of the episode. Forty-five agonizing minutes later, it was finally over. Luckily, Nana decided to go to sleep instead of putting in to watch the next one.
"Did you pick a name yet?"
Nana shook her head. "I think I'm going to stay with 'Nana', but I'm still not sure about a last name. What about you?"
The elder girl shrugged. "Either Kaeda Lucy, or Lucy Kaeda. I haven't decided yet... Honestly, I'm just happy to be getting out of here."
"You really miss him, huh?" Nana asked.
"Among other things..." Lucy said with a yawn.
The Sipelit smiled in understanding and turned the lights off. The two Diclonii exchanged "Goodnights" and rolled over to get some sleep.
Three hours later
Sitting on the toilet, Nana waited patiently for her body to decide "Ok, your wait time is over. You may pee now."
Once again, too much soda before bed had forced her to wake up and relieve herself. Lately, her body seemed to be fond of suddenly triggering a severe need for the toilet, only to turn around and change it's mind after she got to the bathroom.
After nearly twenty minutes, she was finally able to do her business, wash her hands, and go back to bed. Just as she was pulling the covers back over herself, she heard whimpering from the other side of the bed.
"Why... Kouta?"
"Are you awake?" she asked quietly. After a few seconds, she then heard what sounded like "Don't love me..."
'She must be having a nightmare or something.' Nana thought. It wouldn't be the first time the older Diclonius talked in her sleep, and it probably wouldn't be the last.
Then, Lucy began crying in her sleep, and it was not the "shed a couple of silent tears" type of crying she'd done before. It was barely audible, but not entirely silent, and was accompanied by slight shaking, almost as if she were sobbing.
Watching helplessly, Nana tried to think of some way to help.
"Please... don't go..."
From the sound of it, she was probably having a nightmare about Kouta leaving her. Unwilling to just ignore her and go back to sleep, Nana did the only thing she could think of to comfort the poor girl. Moving closer, the Sipelit eased an arm under Lucy's neck and hugged the crying Diclonius from behind.
To her relief, the comforting gesture seemed to be working. The distressed cries and shaking gradually lessened until eventually, they stopped completely, and Nana could see Lucy slip back into her usual, peaceful slumber.
"Thank goodness..." Nana whispered.
She waited a bit to see if if it was going to happen again, but after nearly a half-hour passed, she was confident it had been a one-off. Just as she started to pull away, Lucy unexpectedly shifted in her sleep.
'Oh, crap... my arm's stuck!' Nana thought. The Sipelit now had three options: She could pull back anyway and risk waking the pink-haired girl up, detach the pinned arm and get it back in the morning, or just stay put until Lucy woke up on her own.
With a faint blush on her cheeks, she decided the best course of action was to simply try and go back to sleep right where she was, and hope Lucy didn't get mad about it.
Embarrassingly, "right where she was" was spooning against the older Diclonius with her face so close to Lucy's, the two girls could kiss if the elder turned her head far enough to the left.
"Sorry about this..." Nana whispered. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep in minutes.
The next morning
The entire time the Diclonii were there, they had never had anyone actually come and wake them up. With both of them being early risers, and having an alarm clock in their room, there was no need for it.
So, naturally, the one time somebody DID come in to wake them up, it had to be the morning after they had gone to sleep in a very compromising position, because... of course it did.
It didn't help that Lucy's tank top had ridden up at some point and Nana's hand had found it's way up North.
The moment the orderly walked in, Lucy had woken up (a byproduct of having lived most of her life in a constant state of vigilance). He took one look at the Diclonii and politely excused himself, telling the pink-haired girl, "I didn't know you girls were... busy. When you're done, they're waiting for you at Discharge."
It took the older Diclonius almost ten seconds to realize the literal position they were in.
"What in the...? Nana, wake up!"
It took a moment, but eventually she succeeded in rousing the Sipelit back to wakefulness.
"Lucy, I..." she tried to explain, but was stopped by the other girl.
"Not now. They're waiting for us."
'Oh, thank God!'
One hour later
Nana sat waiting in a small exam room, watching as a nurse gave Lucy her "physical exam". In actuality, she recorded her height, weight, blood pressure, and temperature, then told the girls to swap places. Loud yelling could be heard somewhere in the distance, which turned out to be Miss Amari and Mr. Saito.
Since Lucy had admitted to being sexually active, the officials were demanding her physical exam be much more invasive and personal, an idea Amari instantly shot down because only the four basics had actually been specified as required. When the officials insisted, the four of them came to the small room and interrupted Nana's exam.
"Lucy, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Saito has a question to ask you."
"If it about his hair, yes, it looks stupid."
Nana, Amari, and the nurse all laughed.
Ignoring the insult, Mr. Saito cleared his throat. "Lucy, in light of your sexually active status, we want you to submit to an in-depth examination by a licensed OB/GYN, including pregnancy and STD tests."
"No." she said simply.
"...Excuse me?"
"I said, "no". I've had enough of humans forcing tests and exams on me." Lucy replied.
"This is a matter of public safety. You're running around sleeping with God knows how many men, and it's putting people at risk."
"I'm sleeping with ONE man, and it's none of your business. Besides..." she smiled sweetly, "I've read the law. Medical requirements are set by the facility hosting the program, and this hospital only requires height, weight, blood pressure, and temperature. Any other tests and exams require consent, and you're not getting it."
Mr. Saito stared indignantly at her, sputtering an incoherent response.
Lucy dropped the fake smile and gave him the same cold look she usually wore just before killing or maiming someone. "Did I use too many big words? I'm not some kind of illiterate animal, you know. If you're done wasting my time, how about going away so the nurse can finish Nana's exam?"
Wisely, he did just that. Miss Amari just smiled brightly at the pink-haired girl. "I'm so glad I got to see that."
"You're amazing, Lucy." Nana told her with a starry gleam in her eyes.
"She's got a way with words, I'll give her that." the nurse teased. "That said, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have the exam anyway."
"I'll pass. As I said, I've had enough of humans examining me." Lucy replied. The nurse simply nodded and dropped the subject. "If you ever change your mind, I'd be glad to help you find a doctor you're comfortable with."
After Nana was finished, they were taken one at a time to a conference room to meet with an official from the local prosecutor's office who looked very, very familiar...
"Hey, Lucy! How've you been?"
The Diclonius Queen hesitated a bit, which Moriyama picked up on immediately. "Relax, you're not in trouble. I'm only here because an attorney from the state is required to process the legal paperwork. Nothing you say will be used against you unless you lie to me, ok?"
Lucy nodded, and the prosecutor helped her fill out the copious amount of paperwork and forms. "So you're going with Kaeda as your first name? Why Kaeda and not Lucy?"
"Kaeda is my actual name. "Lucy" is just the name they called me at the Institute."
"Ah... that makes sense."
After the pile of paperwork was completed, there was a place for the state attorney to sign, indicating that the documents were ready for processing.
"Before I sign this, I need an honest answer from you; have you killed anybody since your escape from the Institute?"
"Some of the SAT personnel, that Shirakawa woman, and some scientist that was holding Nana at gunpoint."
"Anyone else?"
The way she was looking at her gave Lucy the impression she was leaving someone out.
"No, I'm pretty sure..."
The Diclonius stopped, remembering a girl she murdered by sheer impulse right after she was done killing Kakuzawa's son. She really didn't want to disclose that little tidbit out of fear she could be in trouble if she did, but didn't want to lie either. Finally, she decided to risk it, and confessed.
The prosecutor simply nodded and signed the paperwork.
"Thank you for being honest." she said, all but confirming that she already knew the answer.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but now that you've been given a new identity, any crimes committed by you from here on will result in criminal prosecution."
She then lowered her voice and leaned in close. "I really like you, Kaeda... so please don't put me in that situation."
The pink-haired girl gave her a sheepish smile and nodded her head.
Following this came collecting her fingerprints and having an official photograph taken, then she was sent to wait in the "secure area" waiting room until Nana was done. To her extreme disappointment, the three officials parked it in the corner of room to, as Naga put it, "Ensure she leaves the facility without endangering anyone."
Soon, she was joined by Nana, who, to the surprise of no one, had decided to take the name "Nana Kurama", as her legal identity.
"Why'd you pick "Nyu" as your last name instead of using Kouta's?" Nana asked.
"Well, I started to, but I... I thought it'd be a little more intimate if I waited until after we had actually gotten married." Lucy blushingly admitted.
Overhearing this, the group of assclowns that had been mocking Lucy for days just laughed at her. Nana was bothered greatly by the way her counterpart was being treated, but Lucy just told her to ignore them.
"We're getting out of here soon, don't worry about it."
Unfortunately, the three of them didn't seem to have anything better to do than ridicule Lucy for her "delusions".
But that was about to come to an abrupt end.
Amari, seated at the counter, picked up the ringing phone and was told by security that there was someone on the way up to take the Diclonii home. After hanging up, she called Lucy over and told her that her boyfriend was on the way up.
The pink-haired girl was on her way over to relay the news to Nana when the double doors suddenly opened. Seeing Kouta and Yuka walk in, Lucy's eyes brightened and she ran to him, almost jumping on him in relief.
He hugged her tightly, and Nana secretly smiled at the silence that had replaced the joking and insulting that had been going on until the literal moment Kouta and Yuka arrived.
"I've missed you so much..." Lucy told him happily. Pulling away, Lucy cupped his face and kissed him right in front of everyone.
Yuka walked over to the couple, giving the officials a look that would have scared Mariko if she'd seen it, and hugged the two of them, waving Nana over to join the group-hug.
At a loss for words, the three men just stared in stunned disbelief. They were so convinced Lucy had been lying about her supposed relationship that seeing it in person came as a total shock to all of them.
And that shock was about to get even worse.
"Come on, we should go." she suggested.
Kouta knelt down, and the first thing that came to Lucy's mind was he was simply tying his shoe.
Then, he pulled out a small box, and Lucy felt her heart literally stop when he opened it and revealed a glittering diamond ring.
Nana didn't know human jaws could drop that far until glancing at the stunned onlookers.
"Kouta..." Lucy whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she realized what was happening.
"You gotta be kidding me..." Saito muttered in disbelief. Hara and Naga just watched in silent disbelief.
"Nyu, will you marry me?"
Lucy held out for about four or five seconds, then abandoned all attempts to keep herself composed.
"Yes! Yes, I'll marry you, Kouta!" she said before breaking down into near-hysterical sobbing. Kouta stood up and she threw her arms around his neck and cried, overjoyed beyond words.
Director Amari, who had shed tears of her own watching Kouta propose, wiped her eyes and gave the three officials mocking the pink-haired Diclonius the most obscenely savage verbal beatdown Yuka had ever heard, ending it with: "I guarantee she loves him a hell of a lot more than your wives love you! I know because I've met them before! You should ALL be ashamed of yourselves!"
Kouta and Lucy hugged, kissed, and walked hand-in-hand out the door.
Yuka watched them go and, though saddened, smiled through her own tears. "You were right, Nana... they really WERE made for each other."
The Sipelit hugged her adopted mother tightly, nodding her head with a smile.
"Come on... let's go home."
Smiling at Miss Amari and giving the middle finger to the stunned officials, the Sipelit walked with Yuka to the elevator where Kouta was holding a still crying Lucy.
Noticing them, she let go of Kouta and ran over to hug Yuka.
The proposal (or rather the timing of the proposal) Lucy learned, had been Yuka's idea. After confirming that he was serious about marriage, Yuka suggested he go ahead and propose now instead of waiting. When Kouta voiced hesitation on the grounds of not having a suitable ring to give her, Yuka immediately offered to have the family pay for it.
"You're waiting until after graduation before you guys have the wedding, right? Then, what's the difference between getting engaged now, and getting engaged after you save enough to buy the ring yourself? Isn't it still almost three years either way?"
Having won him over, Yuka suggested he do the proposal right in front of the arrogant little bastards. It was almost surreal in a way. The same super-jealous girl who used to scream at him for holding hands with Nyu to help her cross a busy intersection was now insisting that she buys him an engagement ring so he can propose TO the other girl right in front of her.
Sometimes, life with Yuka was just fuckin' weird.
"I'm sorry those guys treated you like that." Yuka said, comfortingly rubbing the pink-haired girl's back.
She shook her head and held onto the brunette. "It's not your fault, don't worry about it..."
"Excuse me!"
Everyone turned to see the three officials coming their way. "Are you Kouta?"
"I am, yes."
"Could you please clarify what your relation to this girl is?"
"Well, I just asked her to marry me, so..." Kouta answered.
"Don't you know what she is?"
Nodding his head, Kouta replied with, "Yeah, I do. She's the girl I'm going to marry."
"She's one of those freaks with the horns and invisible arms!"
"I know that... and she's not a freak." he retorted.
"You know, but you're still going to marry that thing?!"
Letting go of Lucy, Yuka walked right up to the man and unceremoniously punched him directly in his face. The man collapsed, holding his bloody nose and groaning in pain.
"She is NOT a "thing", she's our friend, and my cousin's fiancé." Yuka scolded.
Hearing footsteps approaching, the officials turned around to see the Prosecutor walking up.
"What the hell's going on here?"
"That woman just attacked me!" he said while pointing at Yuka. "I want to press charges at once!"
The Prosecutor looked from the man holding his broken nose, to Yuka, then back to the man.
"You should pay more attention to where you're walking." she told him before walking back towards the "secure area".
"HEY!"
"And clean that mess up while you're at it." she called out without turning around.
Leaving the man where he lay, the four of them picked up their bags and walked inside of the elevator. Just to add insult to injury, Nana stuck her tongue out at him just before the doors closed.
For nearly their entire ride home, Lucy stared at the ring on her finger like she was afraid it would disappear if she looked away for too long. It was nothing extravagant; 14k white gold, with a single .4 ct diamond as the center stone, and a smaller diamond on either side, each with a three stone row of small accent diamonds.
For all Lucy cared, the ring could have been made out of cardboard and she'd have been just as happy with it. It wasn't the amount of gold or the size of the diamonds that mattered. For her, what meant the most was Kouta's willingness to actually get down on one knee in front of a room full of people (some of whom were hostile about the relationship) and ask her to marry him.
The ring was utterly gorgeous, yes (it wasn't the only piece of jewelry she owned, but it was by far the nicest) but it was just that... a ring. A man-made, inanimate object that symbolizes love is no match for the one who gave you that love to begin with.
In direct contradiction to the norm, Yuka would end up having to explain to the Diclonius that once a girl is given an engagement ring, she's suppose to wear it, not put it back in the box and refuse to open it.
"I'd never forgive myself if I lost it." Lucy told her.
She just laughed and reminded her that even if she did, insurance would replace it.
When they arrived home, Yuka presented them with two brand new smartphones, one pink, and one purple.
"Call it a graduation gift." she smiled. "If you need help with using them, let me know."
"By the way, Yuka's parents want to take everyone out tonight, so start thinking about where you'd like to go." Kouta added.
"Kouta, they don't really have to do that." Lucy replied.
"They know, but they still want to." Yuka smiled.
Lucy looked at Kouta, who nodded his head.
"Ok..." she smiled.
Bakari Yusi - Tokyo - Six hours later
The moment Yuka's mother saw Lucy, she burst into tears and death-hugged the flustered Diclonius.
"I can't tell you how happy we are to have you join the family." she said. "I know the wedding is a couple of years away, but if you ever need anything, just let us know."
"T-Thank you." Lucy blushed. It was almost scary how generous the older couple were being to her and the other's. Bakari Yusi was not exactly a cheap place to eat, and they were willing to pay for all five Kaeda House residents regardless of what they ordered.
It was easy to see where Yuka's penchant for always volunteering to buy everyone clothes, or food, or whatnot had come from.
After the seven of them entered, the hostess surprisingly greeted them by name.
"Is this her?" she gestured towards the pink-haired girl.
"It is." Mrs. Hinasaki said. The hostess smiled and led them to one of the private dining rooms in the back of the restaurant. When the doors opened, Lucy could see a banner hanging from the ceiling with "Congratulations Kouta and Kaeda" printed on it.
As Lucy blushed in embarrassment, Yuka explained to her that they wanted to celebrate their engagement, but didn't want to make her uncomfortable by doing it right in the middle of a crowded restaurant.
"You... You didn't have to go through so much trouble." Lucy said.
Yuka's father put a hand on the pink-haired girl's shoulder, assuring her that it was no trouble whatsoever.
"You're family... ok? We know you don't like the attention, that's why we wanted to do this in private." he smiled.
The Diclonius Queen was a bit lost for words, and visibly trying not to cry. Seeing this, Yuka's parents hugged the flustered girl as everyone else looked on, touched by Lucy's reaction. As they hugged, she quietly insisted she didn't deserve this kind of treatment, but was deeply moved by it nonetheless.
The hostess smiled and left to go get their waitress, shutting the sliding door behind her.
Fifteen minutes later
Now that Lucy had gotten over the shock, she was relaxed enough to carry on conversations without nervously tripping over her words.
"It really wasn't that bad. I think it was a bit asinine, sure, but watching Nana break two full boxes of light bulbs was kinda fun." she teased.
"Don't blame me! It's not my fault they're so damn fragile!"
As everyone started laughing, Lucy excused herself to the bathroom. As usual, the Diclonius turned every head as she walked by. If Kouta was to be believed, it was because she was an extremely beautiful girl. In her own opinion, it was the horns, hair, and eyes, not her looks, that was attracting attention.
If she was being honest, however, she did think he was at least partially correct, but it really didn't matter to her. Her fiancé found her attractive, and his opinion was what was important.
When she was finished, she washed her hands and returned to their private dining room just in time to see Yuka's parents having a disagreement with a girl who apparently didn't want to be their waitress.
"No disrespect, but I don't feel comfortable being around her. I'm happy she's engaged, but I'm going to have someone else take over."
Yuka's parents might be rich, but they weren't entitled Karen's. No yelling, no threats to sue, no "I want to see your manager!"
Deciding not to make big deal out of it, they simply sighed and asked her to close the door on the way out. Minutes later, a different waitress arrived and apologized profusely for the girl's conduct.
"It's fine, we're used to it." Lucy said simply.
The new waitress brought everyone's drink orders as hurriedly as possible. As she was taking their food orders, the manager stopped by to personally apologize for how the first waitress treated them.
"It's alright, don't worry about it." Nana smiled.
When the manager and waitress left, the conversation returned to the Cohabitation program the two had just completed.
"I wish you could have seen the look on their face when Kouta proposed to Lucy." Nana said. "I guarantee they didn't see that one coming!"
"Neither did Kaeda." Yuka laughed. Lucy blushed as everyone turned their attention to her.
"No, I... I didn't." she said while staring at the diamond ring on her hand. "I don't deserve to have this, or him, or..."
There was a pause, then she became overwhelmed by emotion and started crying. Nana sat and watched through tears of her own as Kouta, Yuka, and both of her parents comforted his sobbing wife-to-be. As she watched, the purple-haired girl wondered when she'd find a guy who loved her like Kouta loved Lucy.
As Fate would have it, she would indeed find a guy, but unfortunately, his kind of "love" was far from what she had been hoping for.