Totally 'Tokyo Cinderella Story'
Story Delight

'... ... Ah, it's all right ... ...' Hitomi's voice was slightly shivering, 'Hey, is this Mr Takagi who called yesterday?'

This time, it was Yukiko's turn to have her voice shiver.

'Did he make a call?'

'... ... Kikuo, he ... ... didn't tell you?'

Yukiko silently nodded her head.

'He called to say sorry to you, saying, no matter how late, he hopes you will call him back.'

'... ...'

'Ah! But, don't blame your brother!' Hitomi hurriedly protected Kikuo. 'Because you kept it from him first! You have such a good brother like Kikuo, it is already very hard to come by, do you know?'

'... ...'

'And also ... ... Such a romance that you can't even tell your brother, maybe it's better that you don't continue it.'

The way Hitomi said it, and also with her silently sighing, and also with her showing an expression on her face, Yukiko was unable to understand them.

After that --.

After Yukiko was seperated from Hitomi, who had planned to stay at a hotel; when she reached home, she found that Kikuo's expression was very strange, not just very serious, but also filled with anger.

'Mother had told me about everything!'

He said in a low tone. The reason for his anger, half of it was because he felt that his senses were slow. The man who had mistaken him for a driver at the Tokyo station, the director who had invited them to the extravegant Takagi Corporation Ball, and also the who had called yesterday night, until the call their mother had just made, he just realized with difficulty, that actually it was the same person.

'Mother said that she would like to come to Tokyo this Sunday, that day just happens to be your birthday, so she will make the sushi that you like best ... ... because she has no money, so she will take the long term bus here, to stay here for a night, and go home on Monday. Mother has high blood pressure, her heart is also not good, why would she specially come to Tokyo ... ... Do you know?'

Yukiko also faced Kikuo's anger with silence, she thought, in her heart, if Kikuo had told her honestly about Masashi calling her the night before, when she had called Masashi this morning, she would not have been so impolite to him.

'First he invited you for a dance, to let you become mesmerized by him, then he will flash dollar notes near your face, after that, isn't it to ask you to go to bed with him!? Why he is helping us, is just to let you give yourself to him, to thank him, isn't it!? What joke is he making?'

'He is not that sort of person!'

'Mother has already said, those money is to provide maintenance fees for you!'

'Brother! Like you, such a rough person, you wouldn't understand! You don't bother about me!'

'Anyway, I am just a rough guy! I won't bother about you!'

... ... The two, brother and sister, haven't been like today, been in such a big quarrel.

The two of them started a cold battle, not by just not talked to each other, but also not looking at each other.

Kiuko slept early, snoring. Yukiko was just frowning and brushing her teeth.

She noticed that on the dressing table, there was a necklace which she had never seen before, beside it was a note, the writing was rather illegible, writing . Yukiko silently took the necklacein her hand, even though that looked similar to a cheap necklace sold on European streets, but under the light by the basin, it let out a gentle glow.

She turned and looked at the shadow of Kikuo, who was covered by the bedsheet and sleeping soundly, but just with her feelings at the moment, she just could not open her mouth to say a word of 'Thanks.'

At this time, Masashi had also just arrived at home, very tired.

After spending some long hours in the bar, all the tired feelings were coming back to him. Hitomi was at the bar, he could only hear a person, who seemed to be the store owner, complaining, 'That girl Hitomi, is skipping work again!' This was the only and worthless cross point.

He made a glass of whisky for himself, then, while he was drinking it, he listened to his telephone recording.

After Shinji's call about some business matters, there was a female's voice.

'How are you?'

Masashi's shoulders suddenly moved a little, that was a voice he had cherished for a long time.

'If you are unable to come to my wedding, then I hope you can come to the second party, I really hope to meet you! I will first fax the map of the place to you!'

Masashi turned towards the fax machine, there was a piece of paper there about an invitation to a marriage. He took a quick look at the map, his feelings started to become rather interwined. After he had added water to his whisky and had drunk it, he started to drink whisky with no water added to it.

In the late night, the phone started to ring, but Kikuo and Yukiko both hid in their blankets, their bodies stiff, pretending to be asleep and refusing to answer, actually the phone was just in a position where it could be reached by both of them. Both of them had a premonition, this could be Masashi calling them. But still, the two of them did not move, desperately telling themselves never to answer, the phone continued ringing for a while, and then it stopped.

Masashi was drinking his whisky, and putting back the phone at the same time. He was quite drunk, and all the more, he wanted to hear Yukiko's voice.

Even though he drank more whisky, her voice that was deep in his memory, and also the words at the bottom of the map, could still not disappear from his memory.

Even those words seemed rather round, they were hard to forget; not just hard to forget, it further made him very sad.

For the twenty four birthdays that Yukiko had had so far, this was the one where it was the most emotional.

Just at some days before this time, Yukiko had deeply believed that on the day of her birthday, Masashi would be there to keep her company.

But now, the person before her, making the sushi, was her mother. She had taken a night bus, looking tired after the journey. Yukiko had already made up her mind, she would never see Masashi again. and she would never call him again.

'I really didn't much contact with Mr Takagi, I'm only just ordinary friends with him!'

She was removing the doubts of her mother and getting her picture right.

'But, if you two are only ordinary friends, why would he want to pay off the debts for us? ' Yukiko's mother still could not understand, Yukiko suddenly remembered what Kikuo had said, she smiled and said, 'He is pitying me! Just like some rich people who like to do charity work, the reason is the same!'

'But ... ...' Yukiko's mother took a look at the expression on Yukiko's face, and said with a worried look, 'Mother is afraid that you are being made use of by other people ... ... Mother is afraid that if you grow to like him, what can be done ... ...'

'Oh! Mother! I have nothing much to do with him! Now there isn't, later there won't be any either, there is really nothing much between Mr Takagi and me!'

'Really?'

'Really, I can promise!'

'... ... That is good! Then Mother can go back feeling relieved.

Yukiko's mother finally smiled. From that time she went back to visit, only until now, she had another chance to see her mother again. Mother's figure was thinner, it was probably because of the closing down of the guest house, and also because they still had to carry heavy debts! Her white hair on her head had also increased by quite a lot. To let her mother become so worried over her, Yukiko really felt very bad. I really cannot see him again ... ... Yukiko gave another self warning to herself.

Kikuo could also deeply understand the worry felt by her mother for Yukiko, so he really tried to look for something happy, to cheer his mother up.

He accompanied Hitomi back to her apartment to get her luggage, on the journey he nervously said to her,

'Oh -- This, how should I say it ... ... It's like that, my mother just came from the countryside today, so, if you are free, could you come to my place, to eat sushi with us, I would like to introduce you to my mother ... ...'

But still, it looked as if there was no response from Hitomi. She was just silent and walking straight ahead, as if she had something on her mind. She was thinking, if Kenji was not at home, it would be good, but on the other hand, she also felt that if she took her luggage away while he was not there, it was much too lonely and sly too!

Kikuo was also scared by Hitomi's over silence, so because of that, after what he had just said, was just speechless.

'We're here! Here it is!'

There was light in the room, meaning Kenji was inside.

Hitomi turned back and looked at Kikuo, who was stiff and standing straight at the position.

'Don't worry! I already have no relationship with him!'

'... ... What about me?'

'I also want to be your boyfriend!'

'... ..'

'It's also what I am thinking!'

It was as if Hitomi was specially trying to avoid Kikuo's gaze, so he took his hand, both going up together.

After knocking on the door, Kenji was silent, opened the door with no expression. Even after he saw Kikuo by Hitomi's side, there was still no change in his expression. Hitomi and Kikuo also silently packed the clothes, cosmetics and other things inside the bag. Kenji stood in a corner of the apartment, staring intently at the shadows of the two.

'What are you doing! I thought you had changed your mind!'As they were arranging the luggage, Kenji was saying in a teasing manner.

Kikuo replied for Hitomi who was looking down, saying in an angry manner that was full of hostility, 'We just came back to get the luggage!'

Still, Kenji treated Kikuo as an nobody, he suddenly got Hitomi to his side, starting to kiss her.

'You .... ... What are you doing?'

Kikuo immediately pushed them apart, then gave Kenji a punch on the cheek. Kenji, who was of a rather thin build, getting a blow from Kikuo, who was strong, started to collapse on the floor.

Just as Kikuo was clutching his fist again, preparing to give him a second punch.

'Stop! Stop!'

Hitomi started screaming.

At the moment following that, appeared a scene which Kikuo would never believe.

Hitomi used her body to cover Kenji who had fallen on the floor.

It was already past dinner time, but Kikuo was still not back. Yukiko and her mother sat there, not doing anything. They looked at the sushi and birthday cake on the table, and they had already done so for two hours.

'Let us start first! Mother!'

Yukiko was already rather impatient, just as she was getting the beer out of the fridge, the phone rang.

'It must be Brother who is calling, really, It's already ... ...'

As she took up the receiver, but couldn't hear the other party's voice, there was only silence. The silence was suffocating.

'... ... Hello, Hello? Brother, is it you?'

'... ... I want to see you ... ...'

The other party only said that, it was Masashi's voice, and it seemed that he was already drunk until he was unconscious.

'What are you talking about! Are you drunk?'

'... ... I would like to see you ... ... Today, I don't want to be alone at home ... ...'

After he had hung up the phone, Masashi was still drinking beer in the house where he lived alone. He didn't taste the beer at all, he was onlt filled with a whole body of prickling and hurting, regretful pain.

If he had known that, he wouldn't have went ... ... Once again, he crushed the wedding invitation that he hadn't wanted to throw away, then threw it to the bottom of the sofa. Before his eyes, once again there appeared the scene of his former girlfriend in her wedding dress, holding a bunch of fresh flowers, with a smile on her face. He went inside the noisy and mixed crowd, at the entrance of the place, watching from a distance the smile of the person who was once his girlfriend. There was only once when their eyes met, she blinked her eyes, after a slight moment, it was immediately replaced by a light smile. After that, he was unable to stay at the same place, so he left the place quickly, but he also felt that he was really useless.

No matter how much he drank, how drunk he was, not even that he couldn't get rid of his upset feelings, but it further added to the unhappiness deep in his heart.

Would Yukiko come ... ... He only told her the address of his apartment, then he told her he would wait foe her, for the whole night. Even through the telephone, he could feel the uneasy expression on her face. Maybe she would not come after all! Probably she wouldn't come! Anyway, it didn't matter. Masashi took up the empty glass, pouring whisky into it again.

The doorbell rang.

When he opened the door, he saw Yukiko standing there.

'... ... I didn't know you will really come!'

Masashi said coldly. But still, his view was weak and fell to Yukiko's shoes.

'What happened?'

'I am not the guy you imagined to be!'

'... ... What do you mean by this?'

'Do you have the courage, to keep me company for one night?'

'... ...'

Yukiko was holding tightly to a scarf. That was, when she was leaving, her mother had said, 'It will be very cold tonight!'And from her neck she took the scarf and helped her to put it on. But, as she ran to the roadside to get a cab, it had fallen accidentally. She had lied to her mother, saying, 'A colleague at my workplace, suddenly said she had something to discuss with me!' She didn't know if her mother completely believed her, her mother just sent her off without a word.

Before her eyes, there appeared the image of her mother waiting for her at home, but Masashi still did not dare to look at her straight in the eye.

Even so, Yukiko looked at him and said,

'In your heart ... ... Even if it is just a small corner ... ... Is there an existence of me?'

'... ...'

Masashi was still looking down, not looking at her.

'That dosen't matter!'

Yukiko put the scarf on the sofa, then she slowly removed her sweater, and she also removed the necklace Kikuo had given her.

'The day of my twenty fourth birthday ... ... I would like to ... ... spend my time with you ... ...'

After it turned to daylight, Yukiko silently walked out of the room, Masashi was still sleeping.

She did not regret, but still, she was not happy at all, just feeling that, having spent a night with me, she was even more lonely.

While she was arranging her things in the living room, she saw, by accident, a piece of paper under the sofa, that had been crumpled up into a ball, opening it up to see, it was an invitation, inside it was a line of words , the name on the top was the same as the name of the bride.

After Yukiko had left Masashi's apartment, she realized that she had left her necklace behind, but she already had no time to go and get it back. Her mother had arranged to go back home on the morning bus. She had no time to go back to her apartment, so she went straight tothe bus station on the highway. She went like when she had gone out, having the scarf in her hand, running straight to the bus station. At this moment, if she still had the scarf around her neck, thinking of her mother, it really was suffocating ... ...

She finally reached there on time, looking at her mother sitting there alone on the bench, she really seemed very much older than yesterday.

'Mother!' Yukiko was panting and running to say to her, 'Sorry!'

'It's all right! Kikuo also didn't come back last night, he didn't even call!'

Her mother's eyes were red, probably she hadn't slept well! Even as she was smiling, it looked so weak.

That colleague of yours, how is she now?'

'Oh ... .... it's like this! Because she was drunk until she was almost unconscious, so I didn't feel at ease to leave her alone and come back ... ...'

'... ... Is it ... ...'

'... ...'

'Mother, it's time to get on the bus!'

Her mother took her luggage, preparing to get on the bus, Yukiko silently placed the scarf of her mother on her neck. This scene was just opposite of that time when she had come to Tokyo, three years ago. Thinking about it, Yukiko felt bad about lying to her mother.

'... ... Mother ... ... I ... ...'

Her mother cut off her words, saying with a smile,

'I'll go home and tell your father, to tell him not to worry. I'll tell him there is nothing between you and Mr Takagi, you are only ordinary friends with him. That's what I will tell your father!'

'... ...'

The bus started to move. The heavy and low sound of the motor, further led Yukiko to have a traumatic feeling. She could not help running after the bus that was slowly leaving.

'No, I'm lying to you! Actually last night I went to see Mr Takagi! Mother ... ... Sorry! I ... ... like Mr Takagi ... ...'

Still, her voice were all covered by the noise of the engine, Yukiko's mother couldn't hear anything. She was sitting by the window, with her motherly smile, ans waving goodbye to her.

To her, this smile was really too considerate ... ...

Only until evening time, Kikuo just came back with a wan look. But, the reason for him looking that way, was not just over Hitomi and Kenji's matter. After he had rushed out of Kenji's apartment alone, he went by himself to a bar to drink and forget his sorrow, until he was so drunk, with no memory whatsoever, until in the morning, when he awoke and found himself in a bed of a love hotel, by his side was a a stranger , no, should say a guy dressed as a girl .

Even though the blow of falling out of love was not small, but he slept with a homosexual person, this was really too ... ...

Kikuo continually scolded himself, but, he was a person who didn't know how to lie, though he didn't mention that the person sleeping with him was a homosexual, but he still admitted that he had become drunk and opened a room at a hotel, told about the matter truthfully to Yukiko.

After Yukiko had listened to it, she was of course very angry, she scolded, 'It's really unbelievable! Really low graded!'

But --.

'Yesterday night, I really didn't want to be alone!'

Kikuo looked wan and talked to himself, his voice suddenly overlapped with Masashi's voice on the telephone that day.

'Sometimes men will be like that! Don't want to be alone at night, no matter who the other person is, just to let him have a hug will do. It's only when he has someone to hug, he can only forget something he wants to forget. These are a man's feelings ... ...'

'... ...'

Yukiko continually told herself, even if it was like this, it didn't matter, she had finally come to understand the fact.

Just as long as a male and female spent one night together, it would increase their understanding of each other, this probably was a lie.

At least to Yukiko, there was still a considerable distance between her and Masashi. Even if he was just in front of her, but there still seemed to be an invisible wall existing between them.

Three days after Yukiko's birthday, Masashi arranged to meet her, he even passed her a golden and shining credit card.

'For your birthday present, I have thought about it for a long time, but I still don't don't know what to give you ... ... Tomorrow I need to go away to do a task, so I have no time to accompany you to pick. If you don't mind, can you use this card to pick the things that you like!'

She was very happy that he wanted to give her a birthday present, and also happy that he had taken time off to pass her his credit card, but, to use this card to pick her favourite things, this was ... ...

As Hitomi, who had come to visit Kikuo who was not there, knew about the matter, she was also very surprised and said,

'He is really looking down on people! Does he think everyone can be bought over with money!?'

'... ... Do you also think that way?'

'Of course! To this kind of person, you should throw your temper at him! Why don't you just clean spend a hundred thousand on his card ... ... A hundred thousand dosen't seem much, maybe you should spend a million!'

'A million!'

'Yes! You don't honestly show him your feelings, he dosen't really how your feel, if otherwise, how do you really know his feelings?'

'... ... Umm ... ...'

While Hitomi was watching Yukiko who was nodding her head, she was sighing to herself. For Masashi's personality which had not changed, she was feeling helpless, at the same time, she felt that he was a lonely person.

'Yes, Brother still has not come back, though it's so late! Nowadays everyday he goes to the bar!'

'I made a call to the swimming school, they say he has taken leave today.'

'Really?'

'Yes! So, I am a little worried ... ...'

Hitomi's face darkened a little, she couldn't explain her actions on that day exactly to her, even if she did, she might not even understand. But the result was that, Hitomi went back to Kenji, going against Kikuo.

Yukiko wrongly guessed that Hitomi's meant that she about Kikuo, so she smiled and said,

'My Brother's matter, will have to rely on you!'

Hitomi returned with a smile, saying,

'I also said the same words to my brother's girlfriend, to her girlfriend that he was dating, saying, 'Mr brother's matter, will have to rely on you!' Because I think my brother really loved her ... ... Even until now, I think my brother still cannot forget her ... ...'

'Yes, I almost forgot that you had a brother too!'

Looking at innocent Yukiko, who was nodding her head and smiling, made Hitomi, who could not help but turn and avoid her gaze.

Yukiko was just, at the moment, over the fact that she could not be able to understand Masashi's feelings, getting so worried, just as this moment, something happened that was of a great shock to her.

Shinji told her, 'I have something to discuss with you!' Asking her to come to the company one time. She thought in her mind, it must be Masashi, who was out at his task, asking him to pass a message to her! So, according to the fixed time, came on time to the lobby room of Takagi Corporation.

Still, Shinji just forgot about this matter altogether, until she talked to the lady at the reception counter for a while, he finally showed up.

'Sorry! Sorry! I forgot about this matter of asking the country lady to come here! It was this neckalce you left at Masashi's place, but I have already given it to another secretary, at this moment she has left already!'

'... ...'

'Sorry, I asked you to come here specially! I will get someone to mail it back to you, please give me your mail address.'

'... ... All right ... ...'

She was sad that Masashi had told him about her leaving her necklace at his place, this sadness was far more than her anger towards Shinji. Because her stand was made completely clear by someone else.

After she had written down her address and gave it to Shinji, she didn't know he would put on a teasing smile, saying,

'This time, I think you better think of how to leave the scene. Mr Takagi is thinking of another person; not only that, he also has an engagement with Ms Kanzaki Hatsue! How can he get married with a country girl like you?'

Yukiko left angrily, then she rushed into a nearby jewellery store, taking out the credit card Masashi had given her, and very impolitely, she walked towards the most costly area in the store, where the most expensive items were displayed.

From Shinji's words, she could also hear that, the woman that Masashi loved most, was not Kanzaki Hatsue, but it was another person, so that means ... ... the existence of that lady, suddenly came clearly before her eyes ... ...

Herself compared with Kanzaki Hatsue and the other lady, in the position of his heart, it was only as a country girl, from the start, she was already without any chance of winning.

Hitomi finally met Kikuo at the coffee shop. Not only did she twll him that she wanted to go back to Kenji's side, she also talked about Kenji having musical talents. But Kikuo's reaction to what she said, was not really caring about it, it was one ear in and one ear out.

He pointed to the ice cream that Hitomi had ordered, 'The top portion of this, looks very fat and clumsy' And started making some low graded jokes, his personality was like that, it was very hard for him to face reality.

Even as Hitomi who saw him like that, felt a little guilty.

'Going on like that, it's also not good to Kenji! Kikuo, if you really love me, why don't you try more strongly! Win me over from Kenji's side! I want you to try harder!'

'What are you talking about! Like that type, who sometimes sticks with you, sometimes ignores you, that messy business, I'm not that type of person who can handle it ... ...'

'... ...'

'And anyway, I ... ...' It seemed as if he was half not wanting to lose, and half admitting that he was losing, 'I don't really like you ... ...'

Just at this moment, a block of cold ice came down to his face, that was cold ice cream.

Hitomi put the empty ice cream glass on the table, glared at Kikuo for a moment, then left the coffee shop. It was only that. with Hitomi's angry gaze, at the end, there appeared some misery in it.

Kikuo who was left alone in the coffe shop, while wiping his face with the towel, was facing the gaze of the surrounding customers, laughing out loud.

'Now I have really become a man as cold as frost! Not frost, but ice cream, a man as cold as ice cream ... ... What with what ... ... Ha Ha ... ...'

After Yukiko had read the prologue of that letter, she said with a face of unhappiness,

'Wait, Brother! How could you write it like that? With you like that, Mother will get even more worried, isn't it?'

Because Yukiko herself was also writing a letter to her mother, that's why she said that.

'Then let me take a look at your letter!'

'I don't want to!' Yukiko hurriedly kept her letter in the drawer, them turned towards Kikuo and said. 'Yes, Brother! About Hitomi's matter ... ...'

'Don't talk about it!'

How can you say she is an absurd woman! Don't you really like her? Talking about a woman you like in this way, it's not good right?'

'You really look funny when you are angry, almost as if your face is going to fall off!'

'I am seriously talking to you about the matter!'

After Yukiko had said that angrily, Kikuo also felt the effect, and also shouted at her angrily,

'She has made up with her old boyfriend!'

'... ...'

After a moment of silence, Yukiko started shrugging her shoulders, signed, 'Oh!' Then went to open the fridge door, taking a can of beer out, putting it in front of Kikuo.

'You don't worry ... ...' Kikuo forced a smile on his face, open the can lid, saying, 'I don't care, I don't care at all!'

'Never mind, in front of me, you don't need to force it!'

'... ... Is it ... ...'

Kikuo drank the beer drop by drop.