Chapter XX

The limousine came to a stop outside the entrance to the Hayashi residence. A red carpet led up to the main doors, with reporters and guests on either side. The door to the limousine opened and Ren and Nozomi walked down the carpet, hand in hand. Immediately, they were bombarded by the cheers of their friends, the flashing of cameras, and the scrutiny of celebrities. It was embarrassing, but it still made them happy. Behind them in pairs were Eli and Umi, Honoka and Kotori, Maki and Nico, and Rin and Hanayo. Finally, the hosts and their daughter stepped out of the limousine and the cheering went silent. An air of solemn respect took over as Ryu and Aya walked down the red carpet with Hana, and many of the guests bowed in reverence. The group and their guests made their way to the ballroom, where an ornate stage had been professionally set up. The backdrop was that of three familiar tarot cards: The Fool, The Lovers, and the Ten of Cups. The stage platform was mainly rectangular, but it also had a part in the center that went outwards into the audience. Three large tables were lined up in front of the stage, but their contents were covered by white drapes. Another long table ran along the back end of the room, similarly covered. Maids and butlers stood along the sides of the room, including those already employed by the Hayashi family and those hired from local maid and butler cafes. As everyone filed into the room, the members of µ's went backstage and Ryu and Aya went to the front with microphones in hand.

Ryu looked at the audience standing before him. His arrest was known to all of them, but few of them understood why he of all people would be hosting a gala on Valentine's Day. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"Colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen, you are probably wondering why I am standing here in the first place, and not standing on trial or in a cell. I did not have the greatest of parents. My father was a poor Japanese immigrant who was constantly stressed out, and my mother was a poor German woman who was constantly drunk. When I came to Japan at the age of fifteen, I saw an opportunity to create a better life for myself. I eventually got a degree and married my wonderful wife, and when my son was brought into this world, I decided that I would be the father that I never had. I would be successful. I would create an easier future for my children. In my ambition, however, I lost sight of my goal. I created a financial empire, but left this estate empty save for two lonely children. To those fathers in the audience, I have this to share: We are all screw-ups in one way or another. That is simply the way we are. We try to be better than the fathers before us, but instead we fail in different ways. To my children, I know that it is not enough to simply say that I am sorry for leaving you alone these last ten years, but I will do everything in my power to make up for it." Ryu took in another deep breath to continue his speech, but was quickly cut off by Aya. "And without further ado, let's bring on the entertainment, shall we?"

The lights dimmed. The cameras went on. The concert began.

Ruteshi Kisu. Shitterun deshou? Suki shiteru. (Aishiteru)

The song was perfect. The driving rhythm, the exotic melody, and the nasally charm of Nozomi's voice filled the room. The dancing was exotic seductive, and most importantly, classy. Ren couldn't help but smile at the unique diversity in the audience: High school students with glowsticks and celebrities with champagne. The entire room was entranced by the performance. Soon, the second chorus became the bridge with a guitar solo. Nozomi walked along a platform leading to the crowd and approached Ren in a choreographed fashion. She ran he index finger up to his chin and as the song reached its climax before the final chorus, she pulled him in for a strong kiss on the lips, holding it until the moment she had to sing again. He smirked as the final chorus began and snapped his fingers, as the butlers, in a choreographed fashion, removed the white drapes from the tables, revealing a massive banquet on each of the three tables in front, and finally, a dessert bar on the table in the back with a six-foot-tall silver fondue fountain in the center. As if the show were not entrancing enough for the audience, the display on the tables caused their mouths to water. The song came to its final "aishiteru" and a string quartet took over as the girls joined the rest of the crowd for dinner.

A separate section of the center row was reserved for the nine girls, as well as Ren, Haru, and the members of A-Rise. Everyone took their seats and eyed the plates in front of them. Each of the plates had personalized meals for each of the girls. For example, Rin had an extremely deluxe ramen dish with all her favorite toppings, while Maki had an Italian pasta dish with plenty of tomatoes. Nozomi's dish was a gourmet serving of sukiyaki, while Ren's had filet mignon with a bowl of French onion soup on the side. Every dish was accompanied by an appropriate glass of wine, despite the fact that all of the girls were underage. The most unique dish, however, was Hanayo's. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she eyed the large pyramid of rice sitting on her plate, with each tier containing a different kind of rice. The largest tier at the bottom consisted solely of white rice. Her drink, however, seemed to be missing. She looked puzzled for a moment, until a waiter came by with a small cup and a large bottle. "What is this?"

The waiter smiled.

"Premium sake. Brewed only from the finest rice."

"Wait. I can drink… rice?"

The waiter nodded and set down the bottle and the small cup. The others went pale as she poured her drink. This isn't going to end well…

The party went on as everyone enjoyed their meals and banter. However, Haru noticed that something was missing.

"So… no chocolates?"

Eli rolled her eyes and pulled a box out of her handbag.

"Here you go. I'm sure you've gotten plenty at school, though."

Haru's face went pale as he remembered the letter he received earlier.

… I can't have Ren but I can still have you…

"Yeah… let's not go there."

Ren looked at Nozomi for a moment.

"I suppose I'm getting something, as well."

She cocked her head up and gave him a wry smile as she placed a heart-shaped chocolate cake on the table.

"What made you think that this was for you?"

Ren sighed. "I suppose I'll have to go all out on White Day."

Nozomi playfully rested her head on his shoulder.

"You wouldn't dare disappoint your girlfriend, would you?"

The banter continued even as the rest of the guests began to clear out. Aya walked over to the group with a group of maids.

"Well, we certainly had an eventful night. My maids have prepared guest rooms based on the order in which you walked down the red carpet earlier."

Nozomi and Ren's faces went red, and in a few moments everyone else was blushing when they realized what that meant. She arranged for them to sleep together.

As the maids led everyone to the guest rooms, including a heavily inebriated Hanayo Koizumi, Mrs. Hayashi whispered in her son's ear. "Feel free to wake up the hallway with your love tonight." Ren glared at his mother and headed to his room. After all the preparations and the events of the night itself, he just wanted to sleep. Hopefully, Nozomi felt the same way. She did have some perverted tendencies, after all…

As he reached his bedroom, he saw Nozomi staring inside, her face red and her body shaking with embarrassment. He looked inside to see that his mother had swapped out the bedding with red silk sheets and lit candles around the room. He buried his face in the palm of his hand for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Nozomi, you can sleep with Hana in her room tonight. I'll take care of… this…" He walked inside and started dousing the candles one by one, before turning around to notice that Nozomi was still standing in the doorway, fidgeting. "Nozomi, I'm not going to sleep with you when we've only dated for a little over a month." She looked at him with a pouty expression on her face. Ren could barely believe it. "Don't tell me. You want to sleep with me?" She finally spoke up, but looked away from him as if to hide her embarrassment. "Just a little, yes." Ren sighed and called out into the hallway. "Hana!" His sister burst out of her room and ran over. "Yes, Onii-chan?" Ren paused for a moment, thinking of the best wording. "Mother set things up for Nozomi and I to sleep together. For the sake of decency, would you mind sleeping between us?" Hana's expression lit up with childish excitement. She rushed over to the bed and tucked herself in to the center. Nozomi and Ren couldn't help but smile as they got in on opposite sides of the bed. Good night, Onii-chan. Good night, Onee-chan. The lights went out and the eventful evening came to a close with fireworks still lighting the night sky.

Two months went by, along with White Day and graduation. Nozomi and Ren were extremely busy during that time, with few weekends available for dates. While she and her friends were in New York, Ren was with his family visiting his grandmother in Germany. Two months… Two months had passed since that amazing evening. He was in Sapporo, getting ready to start a new life at a private school of business while working a modeling job on the side. He hadn't had much contact with his girlfriend, not even knowing where she would be going to school. As he walked up to the door of his new apartment, however, a familiar face stepped out next door. Fate wasn't going to let them be separated – Not now, not ever…

fin