Your hair is messy (9)
Naoki travels to a parallel universe where Kotoko doesn't love him. (2013 Japanese TV series)
18
Irie spent the worst Christmas Eve of his life.
After returning home, Kotoko said something inexplicably like "I'm not feeling well" and went upstairs in a hurry. She didn't leave the room all night, and Irie didn't go up to disturb her. He was also not feeling well and planned to go to bed early tonight. When he passed by the trash can, he threw all the cakes he bought into it.
The next morning, Kotoko was fully recovered. She looked in the mirror, picked out a chocolate hairpin and put it on her head. Then she remembered that Irie had bought it for her. Then she thought of Irie who had been left in the living room by her last night.
Qinzi woke up as if from a dream and felt that she had caused a big disaster.
Irie's temper was like a proud and stubborn bull, her anger silent and difficult to calm down. But this time, Kotoko knew what he was angry about, and it was her fault, driven by the negative emotions of heartbreak, which brought harm to the innocent Irie.
Kotoko racked her brains but couldn't come up with anything. She decided to just go for broke. Since she was in the wrong anyway, she might as well continue to act like a scoundrel and annoy Irie until he forgave her.
But Irie was not angry with her, because just last night, not long after Irie returned to his room, he ran downstairs again and really made a phone call to Hokkaido. He wished Sano a happy Christmas Eve in a cold tone and asked him if he wanted to come out for a gathering.
Sano was confused on the other end of the phone: "Irie-san wants to get together with me? But I'm not in Tokyo."
"So you didn't go back to Tokyo. That's good."
Sano:?
"I mean, Hokkaido is pretty good."
Sano:? ? ?
"Bye-Bye."
Irie didn't want to say goodbye. It would be too unlucky to say "goodbye" to Sano. It would be better if they never saw each other again.
After ruling out the possibility that Kotoko's abnormal behavior had nothing to do with the chance encounter with Sano, Irie felt much more open-minded. He felt that Kotoko might really be feeling unwell. It was cold outside, and she had been out for a walk for who knows how long, blown around by the cold wind, which must have given her a headache and fever.
Irie wanted to show his concern, but was afraid that Kotoko had already fallen asleep. If he disturbed her rest now, it would only backfire and make her even more uncomfortable, so he decided to observe the situation tomorrow morning.
Fortunately, Kotoko slept well and woke up feeling fine. She also expressed her deep apologies for releasing the pigeon into Irie last night. She kept pestering Irie with energy, saying, "Irie-kun, please forgive me," "Irie-kun, I'm sorry," and "If Irie-kun doesn't forgive me, I won't let you leave the house."
Irie wanted to laugh: "I told you to stay home, why are you running around everywhere? You're asking for trouble."
Kotoko admitted that she was "asking for trouble" and it was too hard. If she could do it again, she would never leave the house.
Although Irie was unable to spend Christmas Eve with Kotoko, their relationship gradually improved and their interactions became closer.
On the weekend, Kotoko went to Irie's house with bags of vegetables, intending to cook lunch for him. However, she ended up burning the only pot in Irie's house and had to atone for her sin by cleaning. She found that Irie's medical books and test questions had increased significantly, and she was very happy for him.
"Irie-kun, are you preparing for the transfer exam? That's great."
"Well, it's time."
Kotoko picked up a random book and flipped through a few pages when she suddenly felt melancholy. "Irie-kun wants to be a doctor, Kin wants to be a chef, Satomi is interning at her dream magazine, and Jinko wants to join a record company. They all look so talented, but I'm the only one who doesn't know what I'm going to do in the future."
Kotoko didn't have a dream. Her ideal job was to be able to support her lover and be with him forever. She had once considered working in Hokkaido after graduation, but it was just a thought. She loved her father more than Sano, and she loved the familiar environment of Tokyo more.
Now, let alone.
well……
Irie suggested to her, "How about you become a nurse in the future?"
Kotoko thought he was joking, so she laughed along, "Me? I'm reckless, so I'm not suitable to be a nurse. I'll scare the patients."
"How will you know if you can't do it if you don't try? Since you don't have a goal anyway, why not work towards this goal first? If you succeed, you can still help me." Irie was obviously serious: "You only make things difficult for me and make me angry. Don't you want to make amends? This is much more meaningful than doing housework a hundred times."
Qinzi laughed dryly: "Hehehe... that seems to make some sense..."
What she was really thinking was, why was Irie always so harsh? He'd start lashing out at her with sarcasm and lashing out. She knew no one was perfect, but wasn't Irie's imperfect approach too annoying?
A few days later, Irie's father returned home jubilant and announced some great news. Pandai had been undergoing a transformation in recent years, having not only escaped the predicament of being consistently outperformed by competitors but also seen its sales performance reach new heights year after year, seemingly returning to peak form.
Irie's father is grinning from ear to ear every day and plans to treat the whole family to a nice meal to celebrate Pandai's new birth.
The hotel chosen by Irie's father is located in the most prosperous central area of Tokyo. Even the gate is decorated magnificently. Everywhere you look, there is gold, as if it is inlaid with dazzling diamonds.
It is said that it is extremely difficult to reserve a private room in this hotel, so the spacious lobby is always empty. There are very few guests, and all of them are very stylish, either wearing suits and ties or covered in jewels.
Kotoko was completely absorbed in her meal, eagerly anticipating the many delicacies she was about to savor. Just then, she heard someone calling Irie's father's name. The whole family turned in unison to see a distinguished old man with a gentle yet dignified smile.
As for him...
It is no exaggeration to say that Kotoko's heart stopped. This was the first time in her life that she had seen a beauty of this level. Even the beauty of the School of Science, Matsumoto, was overshadowed by her.
From the conversation between the two sides, Kotoko learned that the old man in front of her was the president of the Kitaesha, Oizumi, and the beautiful young girl next to him was his beloved granddaughter, Oizumi Sahoko.
The Hokuei Society is currently collaborating with Pandai, and the business partners just happened to meet and exchange a few pleasantries, but President Oizumi is very interested in Irie Naoki.
"I've heard people say a few years ago that the Irie family has a remarkable eldest son. Who could have imagined that the person who wrote such a brilliant operating plan and helped Pandai successfully transform would be a young man who hasn't even left school yet? The young are truly formidable."
Irie lowered his eyes and said modestly, "President Oizumi, you are too kind."
Chairman Oizumi cast his gaze towards Kotoko, who was standing at the back of the crowd. "Excuse me, is this young lady from the Irie family...?"
"Hello, my name is Aihara Kotoko, yes, I am..." Kotoko was so nervous when her name was suddenly called that her back felt cold. For a moment, she didn't know how to simply introduce herself: "I am a friend of Irie Naoki."
A gleam flashed in President Oizumi's eyes. He continued calmly, "Naoki's willingness to bring friends to dinner with his family must be of extraordinary significance. The deep friendship between young people is truly enviable."
"No, no, no!" Kotoko blurted out, "We're having dinner together because our fathers have known each other for many years, and their friendship is deep."
Kotoko's impulsive decision to distance herself from Irie was completely unintentional, so by the time she realized something was amiss, an eerie silence had already fallen. The three elders stared at her in surprise, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to.
Yuuki glared at her fiercely and replied loudly: "That's right! My brother will never have a deep friendship with a stupid woman!"
"Yuki!" Irie's mother said sternly, "Don't be rude!"
Yuuki turned his head away angrily and ignored everyone.
Only Rujiang remained calm. He thought he should be used to it. One cannot be hurt by the same thing over and over again. Qinzi had pushed him away many times, so one more time would not matter.
He had thought that after getting to know each other for a while, Kotoko would at least show signs of softening, but it seemed that she hadn't. He had gone around in circles and was still stuck at the same point...
He couldn't understand what Qinzi was thinking. He had no idea.
"Is that so?" President Oizumi nodded and stopped paying attention to Kotoko. "So, Naoki is single now?"
Irie's face showed no emotion: "Yes."
President Oizumi finally smiled easily: "Then there is no need to avoid suspicion. Why don't Naoki leave your contact information with Sahoko? The two young people can keep in touch in the future, and let Sahoko learn more from you."
19
"Follow what? Learn what?! Isn't President Oizumi very rich? Go hire a professional teacher yourself! Stop bothering our Kotoko's Irie!" Jinzi clenched her fists, almost killed on the spot by the emotion called anger: "And you, Kotoko! What are you doing?! Why do you say you don't know Irie well?! Why are you giving others an opportunity to take advantage of you?!"
"I didn't say Irie-kun and I weren't familiar with each other. I just didn't want to cause any misunderstandings..." Kotoko chose her words carefully. "You don't understand. Irie is far more talented than I thought. I heard from President Oizumi that when he was still in high school, he was already able to share the burden of the family business. And now I'm still a daughter who worries her father."
"Really? Do you only now realize the difference between you and Irie? He's a genius, Kotoko, do you understand what a genius is?! Why do you think you became a legend at Dounan University?! Because according to normal development, the gap between you and Irie is too big, there's no way he would like you!"
Kotoko nodded thoughtfully, then shook her head, her thoughts sometimes clear, sometimes confused: "Irie-kun really deserves someone better, like Matsumoto, or Oizumi Sahoko. They are both so outstanding, smart and beautiful, and come from wealthy families..."
"None of this is the point!" Rimi grabbed Kotoko's hand and said, "The point is, Irie likes you! Kotoko, when a pie falls from the sky, there's no need to look around to see who's most deserving of it. If it falls into your hands, it's yours!"
"But, this pie in the sky, no no no, it's not fair to Irie-kun. He just fell into this without knowing what he wanted. I don't think Irie-kun knows what he really wants."
"You're so nagging, Kotoko. Actually, you still don't like Irie, right? If it were Sano, you wouldn't give him up to anyone else."
Sano.
Just the mention of this name would make Kotoko feel sad. After Christmas Eve, she threw away the amulet she had kept for Sano, completely giving up the idea of reuniting with him.
She didn't look forward to meeting Sano again, because she was afraid that she would learn about his marriage. Kotoko couldn't imagine that on an ordinary day, she would see Sano holding his wife and passing through her world again.
The boy who is as bright as the moon in my memory, please don’t appear again, don’t fade away again, just freeze in the most gentle and bright moment forever.
As for Irie, the countless halos around him did not turn him into a brilliant and scorching sun. He seemed to be always shrouded in a layer of gray and cold tones, making Kotoko feel depressed, mysterious and unpredictable.
She couldn't understand the hidden meaning in Irie's words, couldn't read his eyes, and couldn't accept his inexplicable harshness. However, when she thought about it carefully, she found that the time she spent with Irie was not difficult, and happiness and touching moments accounted for a large proportion.
Does Kotoko care about Irie? Yes, she does.
Does Kotoko like Irie? There seems to be no reason not to.
Irie is impeccable except for his personality. Even though he is weird, he is willing to compromise for Kotoko. To put it in a rounded way, he is perfect.
Kotoko didn't necessarily want to match him up with any beautiful woman, she just hoped that Irie would realize that he actually always had a better choice. Kotoko hoped for the best for Irie, hoped that he would be happy and at least not regret his decision today.
———————————————
"Great genius, I've heard about your story. You've been facing obstacles everywhere in your pursuit of Qinzi, right? I've told you not to be so delusional."
When Ikezawa sat down across from Irie with his plate, Irie was unwilling to accept. No one wanted to see a gloating, unpleasant face during mealtime.
He used to be more annoying, but ever since Sano showed up, Irie has been liking Ikezawa a lot more.
Ikezawa thought the same. Compared with Sano, his dislike for Irie was mixed with a bit of intimacy. So besides bickering, he wanted to find an opportunity to have a deep and heart-to-heart talk with his rivals.
Chi Ze said: "We two share the same pain, and it's not easy for both of us."
Irie:......
Why on earth have I ended up in the same boat with you?
Irie suddenly lost his appetite.
On the night he met President Oizumi, Yuuki, who had never cared about his brother's love history, unexpectedly proposed to Irie: "Brother, you and Oizumi Sahoko should be together. You two seem to be a good match."
"Do you like Oizumi Sahoko?"
Yuki didn't answer his brother's question: "I don't like Kotoko Aihara."
It is well known that Yuki doesn't like Kotoko. His room is occupied by Kotoko, so he has to squeeze in with his brother. Kotoko is the culprit who caused his living standard to decline, so she is bound to be hated.
It is said that children do not hold grudges and their anger comes and goes quickly, but Yuuki's anger is getting more and more intense, and now he is almost irreconcilable with Kotoko - his irreconcilableness is one-sided, and Kotoko is still infinitely tolerant of him, so everyone is puzzled.
Irie didn't understand. "Last time when you were sick, she didn't care about you at all. Why don't you like her?"
"Because she's not nice to her brother!"
Yuuki had been accumulating a lot of resentment for many years, but he dared not express it, and it finally exploded.
"My brother loves Kotoko and treats her wholeheartedly, but she never appreciates it. She only misses Sano Hidekazu who will never come back!"
"I know my brother is unhappy most of the time because of her! But she only cares about her own happiness and doesn't care about my brother at all!"
"We clearly agreed to get to know each other, but now she's going back on her word in front of everyone else, saying that the only deep friendship is between parents. Is she kidding me?!"
"Brother treats Qinzi so well, but she doesn't cherish him at all. She doesn't deserve to be loved by him at all!"
Yuuki's mood is not difficult to understand. He simply feels sorry for his infatuated brother and is prejudiced against the "bad woman" who let him down. He openly stands on Irie's side and supports Irie, but all Irie can feel is sadness.
Kotoko doesn't like Irie's moodiness, but she never realized that she is also fickle. Kotoko is neither completely good nor completely bad. She is indecisive and always gives Irie a little hope that is just within reach, but suddenly takes it back when he is off guard.
Irie had always known that his relationship was a mess, but he hadn't realized that in the eyes of outsiders, he had become a figure worthy of sympathy. Whether it was Jin's sympathy or Yuki's indignation, it made him uncomfortable.
Over the years, Irie had been angry, sad, and confused by the changes in Kotoko. He spent a long time getting angry with her, but all he got in return was her indifference.
It's not that he hasn't thought about giving up, but the more he faces such a conflicted and cowardly Kotoko, the more he misses the brave and determined Kotoko of the past. When the nostalgia turns into obsession, it can no longer be easily cut off.
Now Irie has returned to the time point before the time travel. He has spent the second three years of knowing Kotoko and completed the goals he set when he came. Pandai did not fall into crisis, his father did not get sick due to excessive pressure, and facing President Oizumi, Irie finally had the confidence to say "no".
But what about him and Kotoko?
What else does he need to do to get back the piano he wants?
tbc
Here’s a little spoiler for everyone:
In the next chapter, Irie will succeed in pursuing his wife, but this article doesn't mean to end yet. Yes, I still have to write about Fall in Love with a Kiss 2, a love version of Fall in Love with a Kiss that doesn't involve marriage. It seems to be a happy ending after suffering, but in fact... hehehehe
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