“Where do you want to eat?” Cath asked.

“Anywhere would be fine.” Ryutaro answered.

“I know this really fine restaurant just near the jimusho. Let’s go there.” Cath led the way. They didn’t say anything while they walk side by side.

Ryutaro blinked as Cath stopped in what seemed to be an expensive restaurant. Ryutaro gulped. He had just received his allowance from the training but then he had to share it to Shintaro and their home expenses. He just couldn’t spend too much for one meal.

Cath chuckled. “I’ll pay.” She said.

Ryutaro’s eyes widened in shock. “I cannot let you do that.” He complained.

Cath stared at him. “Kawaii!” she exclaimed. “Don’t worry with anything.”

“Iie.” Ryutaro shook his head. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the street.

They walked in the streets of Tokyo.

They arrived in the wet market and stopped in front of the street food booth. “What do you want?” Ryutaro asked.

Cath stared at the foods then at Ryutaro, not sure what to choose.

“Don’t tell me, you haven’t eaten anything like this?” Ryutaro asked.

Cath shook her head in innocence. She pouted and stared at her feet. She was feeling stupid in front of Ryutaro.

Ryutaro chuckled at her expression. He found it cute. He took a large paper plate. “I’ll have an order of everything.” He told the vendor. “Take out.”

Cath’s eyes opened wide.

The vendor put an order of each from the stall and put it in a large plastic bag. They walked towards a vendo machine and Ryutaro took out two cans of orange soda.

“Where do you want to eat?” he asked Cath who was following him.

Cath shrugged. She doesn’t really know a lot of places in Tokyo.

“Ah.” Ryutaro exclaimed. He grabbed her hand again and pulled her. They ran and ran and then they stopped in a huge clearing. It was a park in the top of a hill.

Ryutaro sat down on one of the benches. Cath followed. “Do you see that?” Ryutaro asked Cath pointing at the set of houses down the hill.

Cath nodded.

“That was where my house was located.” He said smiling at her.

Cath looked him in the eyes and nodded.

Ryutaro pulled Cath on the bench and made her sit beside him. “I really love this place. I used to play with Shintaro and Papa here when I was still young.”

Cath just stared at him. He really mesmerized him, even since the day she first saw him.

“Look at that.” Ryutaro pointed something at the dark sky. It was a set of stars. “You see the red one?” he asked her.

Cath nodded.

“That is Ryutaro.” He said.

Cath stared at him in question. He smiled at her.

“Father named that star after me.” He looked up. And that beside the huge star, “That is Shintaro, my younger brother.” He pointed. “The large star beside him is Papa and the other is Mama.”

Cath smiled as she looked at the stars he was pointing.

“Wait.” He said. “That is Catherine.” He said and pointed at the bright star beside Ryutaro.

Cath stared at him in shock.

“Let’s eat.” He said and prepared their food.

Cath just stared as he did the preparation. He took the large plate and two sticks from the pack. He set it up in between them on the bench. He put the sauce beside the plate.

“Go ahead.” He said.

She just looked at the food. She hadn’t eaten anything like that. She was taught not to eat street foods since they were dirty.

When Cath didn’t do anything, Ryutaro took a piece of chicken liver in his stick and dipped it in the sauce. He pushed it towards and nodded to her. Cath took the offered food with .

She smiled at the taste. “Oishi.” She commented.

Ryutaro smiled. “I thought you already forgot to speak.” He commented back.

“Hah?”

“You haven’t said any single thing after I pulled you from that restaurant.”

Cath smiled and stared at the stick in her hands.

“Are you angry?” he asked.

“Hah?” she inquired looking at him.

“Are you angry that we wouldn’t be able to eat in that restaurant?” he asked.

“Iie. This is fine. Besides, I like the air here.”

Ryutaro nodded. “Go ahead.” He said pointing at the food.

Cath smiled. “Ittadaikimasu.”

“Ittadaikimasu.”

“I thought you hate me.” Cath commented after they eat.

“I don’t hate you, I’m just annoyed with you.” Ryutaro said.

Cath gulped. “Ouch!” she murmured. “Why?” she asked.

“You are annoying and you are a with a y mouth.”

Cath stared at Ryutaro in anger. How could he say that to her? That was already below the belt. “That is so offensive.” She complained in a loud voice.

Ryutaro shrugged. “That is what I think of you.”

Catherine gaped at him. She took her phone and dialed the number of her driver. “What place is this?” she asked him in anger.

“I’ll just walk you to the jimusho.” He offered.

She looked at him angrily and shouted the location at the driver. She then jogged down the hill. He followed her.

“What is your problem? I’m just saying the truth?” he asked.

“I hate your truth!” she snapped at him.

“Because the truth hurts?” he asked.

Cath stared at him and walked towards him. She hit him with her Chanel bag which he avoided. She glared at him. “I hate you!” she exclaimed.

Ryutaro shrugged.

A car pulled down beside them and Cath opened the back seat and drooped down on the seat in anger.

“You’re also pretty when you are angry.” Ryutaro commented.

“I don’t care!” she shouted at him and slammed the door shut.

Ryutaro chuckled when he was finally alone. He surely pissed the girl off. He looked again at his stars especially the brightest one.

“Ryu, when you find your special one, name that star after her so she would shine in your life forever.”

That was what his father usually say to him. He smiled and walked away.

Ryutaro woke up early the next morning. It was school days again. He needed to prepare Ryutaro’s meal. He would be able to make a bento for his younger brother that day since he got his first salary. He already calculated their expected expenses and there was still some more money left.

He stretched his arms as he walked towards the kitchen. He was flustered as he sniffed an aroma of margarine.

Shintaro was already seated in one of the iron chairs and munching on a pancake.

“You cooked?” Ryutaro asked.

Shintaro shook his head. “It was already here when I came in. I just needed to be early today since we are in charge of cleaning the gym.” Shintaro explained.

“Then who cooked?” he asked his younger brother.

“I thought it was you.”

That was when Cath skipped towards the kitchen. She flushed when she saw him. “You are already up.” She said and set a plate in front of him. She put two pancakes on his plate and drenched it with syrup and margarine.

She took a plate for her own and did the same.

“When did you get here?” Ryutaro asked.

“Around five, you are still sleeping.” She answered putting syrup in her pancakes.

“How did you enter?” he asked.

“I found the key under the gladiolas.”

“Eh?!” Ryutaro exclaimed. He looked at Shintaro. “How many people know that location?” he asked.

Shintaro shrugged.

“By the way, I already met your mom. She is really nice and pretty.” Cath commented.

The brothers snapped in attention to her.

“I talked to her. She said she would like me to be her daughter-in-law.”

Ryutaro gaped at her. “You talked to my mother?”

Cath nodded as she put a slice of pancake in . “She said that she is so sorry being a burden to you.”

Ryutaro stared at her. He, himself weren’t able to talk to his mom but this girl, she was able to. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” she asked back.

“Talk to okaasan.” Shintaro asked.

Cath pouted and thought. “I just went in with the food. She was already awake so I greeted her. I told her that I am your friend.”

Ryutaro stared at the pancakes in front of him. He stood up and ran towards her room. He quietly opened it and peered in. His mother was already sleeping.

“I guess, we can still cure her depression.” Cath whispered as she also peered in.

Ryutaro closed the door. Shintaro was looking at his brother in hope.

“I couldn’t afford it yet but with my work right now, I guess I could have a doctor check on her.” Ryutaro said.

Shintaro smiled at him. “Yosh.” He exclaimed and went back to the kitchen.

“Listen, I can help you with that.” Cath said.

Ryutaro’s eyebrows clenched. “I don’t need your help.”

“Don’t be stubborn.” She retorted back. “Father knows a good psychologist who could help your mother.”

Ryutaro glared at her.

“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll talk to dad about that.”

Ryutaro looked down. If he does that, what would happen to his pride?

“You are working for us, we could take it off little by little from your salary.” Cath said as if reading his mind. “Ok?”

Ryutaro smiled and nodded his head. His eyes changed to slits. “I thought you said you hate me?” he asked.

Cath smiled and put her arms around his nape. “You still don’t know me yet. I couldn’t stay angry of you.”

Ryutaro smiled and hugged her to him. “Ok, but that doesn’t change my impression of you.” He said caressing her hair.

“Eh?!” he heard her exclaim in his chest.

“You are still a .” He commented. Cath writhed away. She stared at him angrily. “And I want that y lips of yours in mine.”

Cath’s eyes grew wide and pushed him away. “No, no, no.” She shook her head while smiling seductively at him. “Morimoto Ryutaro, you are still sixteen and you are not allowed to kiss yet.” She said and walked away.

“Says who?” he asked.

“Says me.”

“Huh, I’ll show you, I’ll kiss a girl at school.” He threatened.

“Blah! Blah! Blah! As if you could.”

“I can!” Ryutaro exclaimed confidently.

Cath looked at him. “Bleh!