260 Chapter five, 2017, years end: 8 (2/2)

Ryu took a few steps, turned and bowed like an old style westerner. With an invisible hat in his hand he returned upright. ”May I, dear lady, present for you Urufu's, or moron-sama's' shopping habits?”

”By all means,” Kyoko said. She had learned what a little helping Yukio with his part in the play 6:1 did for the cultural festival. She even curtsied a little on the pavement.

”A bike, a mere 300 000 yen, an offer you can't refuse. A backpack. It's a give-away, a fantastic deal in orange that would make its namesake proud. Almost free, just 15 000 yen!”

Kyoko bowed. If she was supposed to curtsey or bow she didn't know, but she wanted to continue the game. A few cars passed and Ryu made a pause for some relative calm to return again.

”When it rains, why settle for an umbrella. No, I've found you a light weight rice boiler for a mere 60 000 yen, trousers included. If it's merely windy, why not have this orange atrocity for 10 000 yen. It doesn't even come with a hood.”

By her side Noriko had started laughing, and Kyoko could see how Yukio stood grinning wildly. Apparently he approved of Ryu's exaggerations.

”For more formal occasions, a business suit. A find at a mere quarter of a million yen.”

That was unfair. It had been a gift from Kuri.

”A watch, same price, but the phone, alas, is a mere hundred thousand.”

'Maybe you should stop now.' Then it struck Kyoko it was exactly what Ryu shouldn't do. The list of excessive prices put Urufu's White Day gift to Kuri in a different light. Presented like this it was just a reflection on the only way Urufu knew to buy things. Expensive, always horribly expensive, because he lacked the knowledge needed to find find something good without paying in excess.

In front of her Ryu had gone silent, and Kyoko found herself standing still as well.

”He's a self-made man. Dad taught me about those. They're powerful people in their own right, but they never have contacts from birth. They always, always compensate for what they weren't born with.”

What Ryu just said went past her. Maybe it mirrored his upbringing, but Kyoko couldn't place herself in that kind of world. Noriko nodded her understanding, and her smile displayed something akin to respect for her own brother. Yukio just shrugged his shoulders like Urufu would have done.

'But I wonder what Kuri-chan would have done. Shrug, most likely.' But there would have been that flash in her eyes that said she understood more than anyone else. 'I think I understand you a little better now. Didn't you say you never bought jewellery but always bought the jeweller?'

While the conversation had fallen flat there were smiles on their faces. When they rounded a corner and saw the old mall ahead of them Kyoko pointed at the stand where Urufu's bike used to be locked.

”Right one?” she asked Yukio.

”Damn girl even knows where he placed his crap. But I got her in the end anyway!”

'He was never interested in me, but I love you all the more for making it sound like he was.' ”You got nothing. I reeled you in,” Kyoko said. Loving what Yukio said wasn't the same as allowing him to grow too large a head.

”Upstairs?” Ryu asked.

”Yeah, let's celebrate the absence of Kuri and Urufu,” Yukio said, and Kyoko watched how the two of them high fived each other out of nowhere.