Kyoko snuggled closer to Yukio. Urufu’s present had taken her by surprise even though she knew he’d be too extravagant the way he always was.

While there were still a lot of them in the living room it felt strangely empty after most of the Irishima High guests left for the evening. The core group, by now including Hitomi, and Tomasu and Jeniferu of course stayed. They’d stay the night.

She frowned. There was one more. Noriko had shut herself in her room with a friend Kyoko didn’t know. She might have seen her occasionally, but most likely it was a contact from middle school.

At another table Tomasu, Jeniferu, Urufu and Kuri-chan ran a silent conversation. Kyoko couldn’t hear what they spoke about, but she guessed the contents. Across the table by which she herself sat Ryu kept Hitomi too busy with stupid jokes for her to have any chance to grow anxious about what happened closer to the kitchen.

It was all very normal and yet so absurd.

Soon enough she’d change places with Kuri-chan, and Urufu should probably be the one who rose first to give his chair to Yukio. Between them Urufu, Ryu and Kuri-chan should have no problem keeping Hitomi’s attention to themselves for the time needed to sneak out through the kitchen and into the backyard. Some topics, Kyoko suspected, were best kept out of earshot even from those who really already were in the know.

Seconds grew to a minute, and suddenly Urufu rose from his chair just as Kyoko had guessed. An almost wave had Yukio copy his motion, and only the discreet scraping of chairs on the floor gave away how the two best friends changed places. Kyoko didn’t know Ryu well enough for such an elegant solution, but in this case the one they wanted to keep in the dark was Hitomi, or at least the one they wanted Tomasu and Jeniferu to feel was kept in the dark.

Ryu looked up when a finger tapped on his shoulder and offered his chair to Kyoko as he stood. With a half smile on his lips he walked across the table just as Kuri-chan rose from Jeniferu’s side and stole the chair he left moments earlier. It must have looked like Kyoko had nowhere else to sit but at the other table.

Too much drama, she thought. There was no way Hitomi didn’t see through it all, but as long as she played her role maybe Jeniferu believed the dark beauty to be fooled. Tomasu you didn’t have to fool. The easiest way to keep him in the dark sometimes was to grab his arm and drag him away to where you wanted him. He’d protest, but he never asked questions.

Kyoko just hovered above the chair Kuri-chan left. There really was no need for sitting down.

“Tea?” she asked?

A nod was enough for her to leave for the kitchen. Behind her Jeniferu picked up her cup from the table and followed.

Yukio!

Tomasu got physically dragged from the table.

You really weren’t supposed to do that for real.

From the corner of her eye Kyoko saw Jeniferu cover her mouth to hide her giggling.

Kyoko shook her head, refilled the water boiler and replaced the used tea bag in her cup before opening the glass doors to the Wakayama backyard. Something trying a lot to look like western style outdoor furniture greeted her, and she put her cup on a table.

I wonder if Urufu has seen this crap? One of her father’s very few real friends had a minor obsession with northern Europe. Kyoko was a lot more familiar with what people there used during summer than Urufu ever knew. She probably was the first to understand the background behind the atrocity of a home in Mie that day late last summer when he and Noriko finally became a couple.

Tomasu and Yukio left the house and made Kyoko company. Both had cups in the hands, Yukio’s with instant coffee powder and Tomasu a tea bag just like Kyoko. Shortly after, even before the silence grew uncomfortable, Jeniferu joined them with water boiler in one hand and a cup in the other.

Each of them got something hot to drink and then Yukio drew for breath.

“Sorry,” he said. “I know we were supposed to wait until White Day, but Noriko told me it was better this way.”

Jeniferu nodded. A thin smile that almost reached her eyes slowly spread on her face. “If you’re trying to save our relationship, yeah, she’s probably right.”

Kyoko looked down into her cup. What other reason was there for this kind of subterfuge?

“Are you interested in trying, or at least one of you?” Yukio said. His deadpan tone surprised Kyoko.

Both shook their heads.

“That’s it then I guess,” Yukio said and sighed.

Yukio!

Tomasu smirked. “I think you lost Kyoko,” he said. “Better explain before she panics.”

Kyoko stared at Yukio. Somehow she’d just been had.

“Don’t be a jerk,” Jeniferu said and slurped down some watery excuse for what some Americans still defined as coffee. “We’re not interested in trying,” she continued after her cup joined Kyoko’s on the table.

“Look, you nabbed one of our birthdays.” Kyoko let her irritation get the better of her. “Explain in a way I can understand.”

Tomasu grinned. This time it was an honest grin. “I love her. We’ll stick together after a fashion.”

Jeniferu looked at him and Kyoko heard the girl draw for breath. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

“That’s what you like about me, isn’t it?” Tomasu responded.

Kyoko stared at the strange verbal ping pong match. And that was easy to understand exactly how?

“If you don’t kick me out I’ll cling to your life for as long as you live.”

The grin faded a little. “If you love me then just say so,” he muttered.

“Love you.”

“Love you as well. Let’s break up.”

“Yeah, let’s.”

What?

Across the table Yukio grinned so widely Kyoko feared his face might split.

What?

“I’m not all that interested, but I promise I’ll give it a try,” Tomasu said.

What’s going on?

Jeniferu turned and faced Kyoko directly. “We found a way that might work. I want to have sex with Tomasu, but I’m still too scared to be alone with him.”

“Yes?” Kyoko said. She still had no idea where this was going.

“So I’ll try sleeping around a little. To get rid of that fear. If you know any sex friend material you trust please tell me.”

“Whoa!” Kyoko never guessed it was going in this direction.

“I’m not happy about it, but I’m willing to give it a shot. Besides I already had my wild years myself. We broke up now so no one can accuse us of cheating.”

“I don’t understand,” Kyoko said. “What did you just promise?”

Tomasu smirked. “I won’t look for it, but I promised Jennifer I’d go along with one nights if the opportunity comes. Guess she wants us to be on a level field or something like that.”

Kyoko turned and stared at Jeniferu.

“He’s right. I don’t want to be the only one to feel like a slut.”

Tomasu shook his head. “Nothing I can do. I already told her that Jennifer, the other Jennifer that is, slept with just about everyone I knew before the two of us settled down together. I honestly don’t think in terms of sluts. Hate that word.”

Kyoko grimaced. She didn’t care about how the two of them solved the problem as long as no one got hurt, but she really disliked Tomasu for telling her about the other Jeniferu. It didn’t matter that she’d never meet the woman.

***

White Day came and passed without any surprises.

Ryu carried a backpack Urufu style. On his way to school it was filled with an absurd amount of return gifts for Valentine, and on his way home he cleaned out his junior year as a high schooler into it. Urufu did the same, as did Kuri. A surprisingly large number of girls had gifted her giri chocolate a month earlier.

As for Yukio and Kyoko they only needed bags to clean out their second year. Hitomi used her for her return gifts as well. Noriko, well Noriko stared at hers in desperation. For the first time in her life she was loaded with return gifts like a school celebrity. That photo shoot during their Kansai trip was to blame for the celebrity part.

This year there was no drama at all. Jeniferu already having given Tomasu honmei chocolate during Valentines received a huge bouquet of flowers in return, but you needed to be well versed in the language of flowers to know that it didn’t represent a lovers gift to his other. And yet, it did. Noriko knew that.

Kyoko had filled her in on the strange arrangement between Tomasu and Jeniferu, and as far as Noriko was concerned his gift to her wasn’t as much a White Day gift as a Valentine one.

White Valentine? Well, something like that, Noriko thought and smirked. You’d better forgive Yukio as well. He’d want to know why the two of you should move your date a week. Noriko tilted her head. Kyoko might be angry, but this wasn’t a really serious crisis between the two of them. Besides they got that day off and spent it in twosome luxury.

Noriko grinned and closed the door behind her. In half an hour she had her own date with Urufu. For her part she’d already blown up in his face and forgiven him. Rather sulked and forgiven him. He gifted her with exactly two red roses for a White Day gift, and she’d been stupid enough to compare it with the ring Kuri received last year.

Gah! I’m an idiot! She should have known Urufu would research the meaning behind his gift first. The bad part was that he didn’t know he was long since forgiven. Worst case she’d receive another fifteen roses when they met. She’d done her own research before this date. For once moron-sama is me.

Shaking her head she made it to the gates, left them behind her and walked to the station.

Hachiko. For some reason he decided upon the most stereotypical of places to meet. There was even a perfectly usable square much closer, but Noriko knew to what degree Urufu associated it with Kuri. Well, he’d come up with the strangest of surprises before. Starting at Shibuya didn’t mean they’d end up with a stereotypical date.

When she left the circle line she looked out the windows before descending the stairs. There was no missing it. Urufu sat by the statue. He was surrounded by teens and in his lap Noriko noticed a large bouquet of roses.

Crap! She hurried down, left through the entrance and started walking across the square. How do I explain this? For a moment she longed for more than a few seconds to reach him, but then she slapped herself mentally and marched on.

When the lone boy with the roses finally met his date the crowd around him quickly dispersed, Noriko noted.

“Noriko, thanks for coming here!” Urufu rose. “As a token of apology.” He bowed and reached out with both hands.

Yeah, fifteen of them. Noriko didn’t even need to count. Glumly she accepted her flowers. You didn’t even excuse yourself, and it wasn’t even your fault to begin with.

Desperate to make amends she looked around her. While the crowd had taken their distance the two of them still were the centre of attention.

“I owe you an apology,” she said. “I misunderstood,” she added. Misunderstood, my arse! You behaved like a jerk, Noriko. Suddenly ashamed she fingered the roses in her hand. Slowly and idea formed in her head, one that might at least salvage a little from her mistake. She picked out one rose and returned it to Urufu’s hands. When he met her eyes she picked out two more. “This is how I really feel.”

The stunned smile on his face had her heart racing in seconds.

“I love you,” she said and offered him another three.

A frown slowly replaced his smile.

“Do you mind if I keep the nine?”

He had, Noriko understood, done his research. A sudden blush swept over his face, but then he straightened and took her hands.

“Yes, yes of course you can. I’d be honoured.”

Noriko felt colour rise in her face. Did I just force him to propose to me?

“Give me a few more years,” Urufu said. “Where I come from you’re not supposed to wait more than a year afterwards, according to tradition that is.”

Wait more than a year? Oh! She heated up even more and something roared in her ears. In the end this year’s belated White Day came with the greatest of all surprises.

“Of course,” Noriko answered. She hardly heard her own voice. “I’ll wait for as long as you need.”