Chapter 10

In a little cozy cafe, Iyori was sitting at a small round table, looking at the young man sitting in front of her. Tomoki was resting his chin on his hand, looking into Iyori’s eyes without saying a word. They had ordered a milkshake to share, but that was long gone and they had run out of things to talk about, so instead, they both enjoyed the silence and each other’s company. 

“I’m really happy you were available today, Yuki,” said Tomoki and flashed Iyori another one of his warm smiles. “I feel so refreshed after seeing you.” Iyori felt her lips curl upwards, into a smile that wasn’t pro-forma or forced, but simply formed out of joy. 

“I’m happy too, since the first time we went out, I was hoping you would become a regular,” replied Iyori and put her hand on Tomoki’s. 

“I think it’s safe to say that wish of yours has already been fulfilled,” said Tomoki and let out a slight chuckle. “If I could, I would request you a lot more often, but the minute you are available, someone else always beats me to it.” Iyori gulped, knowing the exact reason for this occurrence. 

“I’m really sorry, you’re right, I have gotten a... a new regular... and he’s quite persistent,” explained Iyori, feeling her blood get hotter when she spoke of him. She knew, that on some level, it was her own fault. Because of her negligence of school, she had to stop skipping classes all the time, which meant less time for her job. Besides that, it had already been a few weeks since she agreed to Shuya’s suggestion, but she never expected him to be so diligent about teaching her. He was making it harder and harder for her to actually go on dates with anyone besides with him. 

“Is that so?” asked Tomoki and looked troubled. “Does this new regular not understand that there has to be enough of you for everyone?” 

“Not in the slightest!” spat Iyori, feeling her temper getting the better of her. “I don’t think he ever thinks of anyone but himself. He can act extremely narcissistic and act like he is the most important person in the world.” 

“Wow,” said Tomoki and when Iyori looked at him, she realized what she had said, seeing his startled facial expression. 

“I’m... I’m really sorry about that! My temper got the better of me for a second,” said Iyori quickly while bowing her head down apologeticly.

“There’s no reason for you to apologize,” said Tomoki. “I just never thought about how you would have to go on dates with all sorts of men, even the ones you don’t like. It must be tough.” 

“It’s okay, because I can also go on dates with men who are really kind and caring, like you, Tomoki.” Iyori spotted a hint of redness in Tomoki’s cheeks, but he quickly got a hold of himself before he let his emotions run wild. 

“I’m happy to hear that you enjoy my company, just as much as I enjoy yours,” answered Tomoki. 

“I do,” said Iyori, but she suddenly felt her phone vibrate and reached into her pocket, whereafter she continued; “I really do enjoy your company, but now I have to get going.” 

Seeing Iyori’s slightly dejected expression, Tomoki asked: 

“Is it the narcissist?” Iyori just replied with a nod. 

Both of them quickly got up from their seats and left the cafe, walking out into the warm afternoon sun. 

“At least let me follow you some of the way,” said Tomoki who was standing next to his red bike, which he had parked right outside the cafe. 

“No, that’s okay,”  said Iyori quickly. “I know you have to get back to school, I will be fine on my own.” 

“You’re right, I really should get back,” said Tomoki and looked a little disappointed, until suddenly, his expression changed again and Iyori looked at him in confusion. 

“Just one last thing,” said Tomoki and walked up to Iyori, whereafter he swung his arms around her and enveloped her into a warm hug. 

“Tomoki?” said Iyori startled and confused, still feeling Tomoki’s strong arms wrapped around her. 

“I’m sorry for going against the rules like this, you must think I’m a scumbag,” said Tomoki and quickly loosened his grip on Iyori. “I just figured you would need a quick hug before your next date, you know, to give you some strength.” Iyori stayed still for a second, trying to figure out her mixed feelings and wondering whether she should reprimand him or not, but seeing his caring eyes looking at her, she couldn’t do anything but feel happy. 

“How could I ever think of you as a scumbag?” said Iyori with a smile brighter than the sun. “Thank you for encouraging me today, next time I promise it will be the other way around.” 

“Deal, but let’s see when the narcissist will give you some time off next,” said Tomoki jokingly. 

“I will try to keep him in check,” said Iyori. “Take care of yourself until next time.” 

“You too, see you later, Yuki!” Iyori and Tomoki waved goodbye to each other, whereafter Tomoki got up on his red bike and cycled off, disappearing from Iyori’s sight. 

Feeling a newfound motivation after receiving the heartfelt hug from Tomoki, Iyori turned around and walked in the direction of The Sapporo Central Library. It wasn’t far away, but the weather was great and she didn’t want to rush. When she neared the main entrance, she noticed Shuya standing in front of it, his school bag swung across his right shoulder, while he looked into the distance. 

“Hey,” said Iyori when she was only a few meters away from Shuya and he quickly turned his head, startled, as he hadn’t taken notice of her until now. 

“There you are!” said Shuya annoyed, “you’re late.” 

“I was on a date,” said Iyori in a matter-of-fact tone, whereafter she went on her way, walking into the huge library. 

“Of course you were, you skipped classes today,” said Shuya, who still had a stern look in his eyes while walking next to her. 

“Calm down will you?” said Iyori. “You shouldn’t be scolding me, you should compliment me for not skipping classes for an entire week. My customers were getting impatient, do you want me to lose my job?” 

“That certainly would make it easier for you to pass your finals,” said Shuya cold. 

“I need the money,” continued Iyori. 

“Then get a normal part time job,” said Shuya, but Iyori just laughed in response, as if what Shuya had said was something impossible.

“Should we get started?” said Iyori and changed the subject completely, before sitting down on a chair at one of the long tables in the middle of the library. 

“Why are you so eager today? It’s scaring me,” said Shuya and got chills all over his body, whereafter he also sat down next to Iyori. 

“The faster we get started, the faster I can go home,” said Iyori and sent him a smile way too bright to be genuine and Shuya just rolled his eyes in response. 

“Whatever gets you motivated,” said Shuya and reached into his bag and took out all his school books. “Should we start where we left off?” 

In the next couple of hours, all conversation between Shuya and Iyori was purely related to homework and school. It required all of Shuya’s patience to remain calm when Iyori said, for the fifth time, that she still didn’t get it, and it required all of Iyori’s self control to not lash out and just get up and leave, when she didn’t understand it. They did attract a few looks from people around them, some in wonder and others in annoyance, hoping they would quiet down or leave soon. In the end, Shuya was the one to call it a day, as he could tell Iyori was at her limit and to be honest, so was he. 

“Well that’s that,” said Iyori and let out a relief once they had left the library and was standing outside. “I’m going to the park to wait for someone to request me for a date, so you can go home on your own today.” Iyori quickly waved at Shuya and then turned around, but after she had taken one step forward, she felt her phone vibrate. 

“Mr. Takahashi is requesting a date.” Iyori read the message in the white dialog box on her screen before she turned around and looked at Shuya. 

“Seriously? Don’t you think we’ve already seen enough of each other for one day?” 

“Come on, I’m hungry and I know you are too,” said Shuya and walked up to Iyori. “And who knows if your next date will buy you dinner?” 

“You have a point!” said Iyori, immediately giving in to Shuya’s arguments. “Let’s go!” 

Even if Iyori resisted at first, it was only a front. They went through the exact same conversation every time they had a study session and somehow they always seemed to end up at the same small restaurant to eat dinner together. The food was great and the owner was sweet. Sadly, she was completely deceived, thinking Shuya and Iyori were a happy young couple who were enjoying their youth together, when in fact, reality was entirely different. It didn’t take more than a second after they entered the restaurant, before the owner was standing in front of them with the same happy smile as always. As usual, she would compliment Shuya for taking such good care of his girlfriend, making sure she got enough to eat and was happy and healthy. And as always, Shuya managed to swoop in an insult, disguised as a compliment for Iyori. Being the only one who understand that the compliment was actually an insult, Iyori had to control herself and put on a smile to maintain the act, so the poor owner wouldn’t get her beautiful fantasy crushed before her eyes. 

“Every time...” said Iyori annoyed after they sat down at their usual table. 

“I can’t help it,” said Shuya and let out chuckle. “I just love seeing you having to restrain every muscle on your face to keep the smile intact. It’s hilarious.” 

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” said iyori sarcastically, but she quickly quiet down when she noticed the owner approaching them. 

“There you go,” said the owner, who had started personally coming with their orders. “For the young couple.” 

“Thank you,” said Iyori and immediately started eating the second the owner was out of sight. Shuya couldn’t help but let his eyes fall on Iyori as she stated slurping her noddles at the speed of light, as if she hadn’t eaten in years. 

It was the same every time. Her cheeks and her small nose would both turn red from the steam, and every time she sank, a new smile would appear on her face. 

“By the way,” said Shuya and Iyori looked up. “There’s something I’ve been thinking about.” 

“What’s that?” asked Iyori, her mouth still full of food, which made Shuya make his usual expression of disgust. 

“You really have no manners,” said Shuya, but quickly glossed over it. “Anyway, I noticed that on your profile, it says you don’t do karaoke dates. Why’s that?” 

“You read my profile?” said Iyori. 

“Of course I did, and I think you’re trying to change the subject.” 

“No I’m not,” said Iyori quickly. “There’s nothing to it. I just don’t want to go on a date with a man to a place where he and I will be left all alone. It’s better to go to places where a lot of people are around, in case something should happen.” Shuya nodded understandingly to Iyori’s explanation. 

“Indeed, that makes a lot of sense,” said Shuya and Iyori looked relieved for a second until Shuya suddenly continued; “I thought the same thing at first, but then I went on and read some of the other girls’ profiles. They all wrote that they were willing to go on karaoke dates, as long as it was a group date or some kind of get together with more people.” 

“You sure did your research...” said Iyori and gulped. 

“I’m just curious, you’re the only girl in the company who doesn’t do karaoke dates. I really want to know why.” Iyori looked away and shrugged her shoulders. 

“You can believe what you want,” answered Iyori and let out a sigh. 

“But there must be a reason for it!” continued Shuya 

“Or maybe you just want there to be a reason for it,” said Iyori in a firm voice, making Shuya raise his hands in defeat. 

“Fine, I won’t ask any further,” said Shuya and Iyori gave her thanks. “Although, I have never been more sure than now, that there’s a reason for it.” Iyori was only a few seconds away from getting up from her chair and smacking Shuya across the face, but he quickly stopped her. 

“Calm down, what if the owner sees you? Do you really want to ruin her picture of us as the perfect couple she thinks we are?” Iyori thought about it for a second, before she gave in and leaned back in her seat again. 

After Iyori had eaten as much as her stomach could hold and it was starting to get dark outside, they decided to make their way towards the train station. Only a few others were on the train, but somehow, they still ended up sitting next to each other. Neither of them said a word, Shuya was looking at his phone and Iyori was leaning against the window, looking at the scenery outside as it hastily flew by as they moved forward. When they reached their stop, both of them got up at the same time, almost synchronously, and they both got off the train and left the station, only giving each other a quick nod before parting ways.

The journey home felt longer than normal, maybe because Iyori’s head felt full and her body was tired after a long day, or rather, a long week. At least she was walking home on a full stomach and she knew she would be able to be one with her bed very soon, which gave her all the motivation she needed to continue forward. 

As she continued walking, she suddenly remembered something and reached into her pocket for her phone. 

“End date with Mr. Takahashi?” Iyori quickly clicked on “Yes” and made sure to type in the correct time of the end of their date. Surely there was no reason for him to pay for the time they spent on the train too. 

After checking out, she was ready to start walking again, but in the same second, she saw a new message on the screen. 

“Mr. Takahashi gave your date a 5 star rating, congratulations on another successful date.” A tiny smile couldn’t help but make its way to Iyori’s lips. Even after all this time, he made sure to give her a 5 star rating every time, even if they only spent the time doing homework. 

No, shake it off, thought Iyori to herself as she quickly shook her head and put her phone away. Don’t let yourself think he’s actually a good person. That boy is a narcissist! 

Completely caught up in her own thoughts, Iyori nearly walked past her house, until she quickly came back to reality and turned around, walking straight to the door. There seemed to be no lights on inside, something that only made Iyori feel even more tired, and when she grabbed the handle, it was like the tiredness finally took over and she let out a huge yawn. She quickly locked the door behind her and took off her shoes and jacket before she headed inside, but she when she turned on the lights in the hallway, to find her way to her room, she noticed a silhouette sitting in the dark living room. 

“Dad?” asked Iyori calmly as she slowly neared Akihito who was sitting in his chair, staring into the distance. “Why are you sitting here? You must be tired, you should go to bed.” Akihito just let out a huge sigh, while Iyori stayed put like a statue, not knowing what to do next. 

“You’re home late,” said Akihito then after a short while. 

“I made sure to message mom, telling her I wouldn’t be home for dinner,” Iyori excused herself, but Akihito suddenly hit the table hard and interrupted her before she could say anymore. 

“That’s not the problem here,” said Akihito angrily. 

“Dad, you’re waking everyone,” whispered Iyori and tried to make him him calm down, but as she turned her head slightly, she noticed an empty glass on the small coffee table and she already knew it was no use. 

“Do you want me to go get mom?” 

“No, I want you to listen to your father for once!” yelled Akihito and Iyori heard footsteps approaching from the hallway. “You shouldn’t be out all night, you should be at home, doing your homework, studying for your finals, just like other diligent students do.” Like a stab to the heart; that was exactly what Akihito’s words felt like to Iyori in that moment, but for once, she felt like she had the perfect comeback. 

“I hear you, I really do, but dad, this time-” 

“Why can’t you be more like your sister? Even your brother hated school, but at least he always did his best and he still managed to finish it with decent results. Why can’t you at least do that?” Iyori held her breath, being cut short by her father who seemed to continue his preach. 

“Hanako, your younger sister, is in the top 10 of the entire school. She is working hard every day to improve and do better, and what do you do? Nothing but make your parents worry and your sister embarrassed.” 

“What is going on in here?” said Hina who came out from the shadows. 

“Nothing,” said Iyori and quickly turned around, whereafter she ran to her room, making sure she concealed the few tears that seemed to have made their way down her cheek already. Hina turned around, but she only saw the shadow of Iyori disappearing inside her room and shutting the door behind her with a loud thud. Letting out a sigh, Hina slowly approached her husband. 

“Dear, weren’t you a little too harsh on her?” asked Hina and in the same second, she noticed the empty glass as well. In one quick motion she reached for the glass and held it right in front of Akihito’s face. 

“What is this? Are you sitting in here, alone at night, drinking?” 

“Like there’s a law against that?” said Akihito annoyed and took the glass out of Hina’s hand. 

“Did you have a tough day at work?” asked Hina, now in a much softer voice than before. 

“Manual labor is always tough...” sighed Akihito. 

“I know, but please, don’t make this drinking thing a habit of yours, I think you really scared Iyori before,” said Hina 

“You’re right. I was actually waiting up for Iyori, but I guess all the waiting made me anxious and I ended up drinking more than I should.” 

“Maybe you should stop worrying so much about her. Why not give her some space?” 

“How can I do that when she is putting her entire future at stake?” said Akihito firmly, “if she fails again, how will she be able to go to University? If she doesn’t get a good education, she will just end up like me.” 

“What’s so wrong with that? Aren’t you and I happy?” Akihito looked up at his wife and showed her a smile, although his eyes were still filled with worry. 

“Of course I’m happy with you, you gave me 3 beautiful children and I want what’s best for them. I don’t want them to have to fight like I did. I want them to have a more easy, comfortable life.” 

“I’m sure everything will work out in the end,” said Hina and took Akihito’s hand in hers. “Maybe we can’t see it right now, but somehow, I’m sure it will work out. 

Hello everyone!

I hope you still like the story even though the plot is progressing slowly. I'm taking my time trying to show all the characters and why they behave the way they do. 

Even if I have no children, I can imagine how it must feel to be a parent, always worrying about your child, hoping they will have a good life and not make the same mistakes you made. Sadly, we humans have a hard time understanding each other and seeing how we're only trying to look out for each other. Even if we speak directly to each other, we somehow seem to not be able to reach each other.

But what did you think of this chapter? Let me know in the comments what you think.

Take good care of yourself and stay happy and healthy!

Love, Annalise~