Chapter 31

Christmas. 2006/12/27 20:40 So. This year’s Christmas. As my girlfriend wished, she got her shoes. On the other hand… I went out and bought a suit Y-ko would like. And remember, this is supposed to be my Christmas present we’re talking about. Oh well, it’s not a big deal. … A suit Y-ko would like. This is a surprisingly difficult choice to make. I’m a student, but I already own several suits. I got most of them for the purpose of working part-time jobs, and Y-ko really seems to get a kick out of them, which is great, but… Here comes another suit. … Even Y-ko can’t wind up being completely thrilled when I end up bringing home another example of the same old thing. So my plan is simple. First, run through the items I already have. Striped? Check. Black? Check. Gray? Check. … I’ve got two buttons, three buttons, and even three buttons extending to the reverse of the flap. … Huh? Seems to me like I’ve got all the bases covered… That means we have a problem. No matter what I buy, I’ll have something resembling it in my closet already, which means any excitement Y-ko derives from the suit will be minimal. That’s not a good thing. That’s a very bad thing. I even considered going the distance and buying a formal tuxedo. But… There’s hardly any call for a student to need a tuxedo. Even if it does make Y-ko happy, I have to admit that I hesitate at the thought of dropping a month’s worth of living expenses on an outfit simply for Y-ko’s sake. So… … What do I do? As I wandered around the men’s garments area, mulling over my options, I saw a term flash into the corner of my eye. It was… Three-piece suit. … Yes. The combination of a jacket and pants with… … a vest added to the mix. Yep. Could this be the very thing that would capture Y-ko’s heart over any other option? My choice was made… December 24, Christmas eve. At our prearranged meeting spot. Okay, so I knew to expect that… I mean, every time I try to work a figure out of her for how much she’s spent on manga and djinshi over the years, the most I can get is a smile and an “I don’t even want to think about it.” Not that she’d regret even a bit of it, regardless of how big that number was. … I’m almost a bit jealous of the way she lives. There’s nothing in my life that I can feel that enthusiastic about… As we went to the dessert shop for the Christmas cake I had ordered, I made sure to liberally compliment her on her new shoes, and then we headed back to Y-ko’s house. Thirty minutes later. I slowly unfastened the coat buttons. Removed the article that had been covering the upper half of my suit all evening. It’s showtime. She stopped moving. There was silence. … Sleeveless suit? …! Y-ko’s eyes are glinting with intent! …? Wh-what? Have I just been spared? Oh dear… Her eyes are glittering and sparkling… —She’s going to be so disappointed… Once she learns that the back of this vest… … is just plain lining. That’s right. The vest looks crisp and smart when viewed from the front. But viewed from behind, it’s like this. … Alas. She’ll probably be furious… even though it’s not my fault. If you have a problem with this, take it up with the gentlemen in England… … I thought silently as I pulled the jacket off. After all, the gentlemen in England who developed the three-piece suit could never have guessed that there would be people in Japan who would find the vest itself to be “moe.” Her eyes… They’re dead inside… Well, she was really excited over the whole thing… And why am I getting in trouble for buying a three-piece suit just to make her happy?!