Chapter 5 - Room for Dessert

Dinner was, at most, the middle third of our evening out together. A delicious middle, and one that was more enjoyable than I had been expecting. Not that I thought it would be unenjoyable - at least, not most of our company - but if I could ignore the sadness in Rinko's eyes I may almost say it was as fun as when it's been just the two of us.

    …almost.

    Now that it's over, we still had things that needed to be done. Our destination was the old park a healthy jog away from the I MY ME building. On a normal day the park was lovely, in part because of the tall, ancient cedar around which the rest of the park had been constructed. If you had an urge to walk plentifully without actually going anywhere then this park was as good as a treadmill, only with much more pleasant scenery during the months when the trees and flowers are in bloom. In December, as I'm sure you can imagine, much of the park's appeal blows away with the discarded leaves, leaving behind nothing but barren trunks and branches, empty benches, and a few old, ill-maintained sculptures. For a few nights in the winter months though, the space takes on a certain different splendor, with lights and decorations more than making up for the lost beauty of nature. Christmas and the days surrounding it are such nights, and tonight the park has been transformed into a winter festival, complete with delicate sculptures carved out of enormous blocks of ice. As idols from the company headquartered just down the street, and since word of our plans somehow made it to our producer Lina, the duty now falls to us to judge the winner of the ice carving competition.

    Even on our night out, you see, an idol is always working.

    "So should we split up? We'll get more pictures that way, and we won't have to disrupt the festival goers as much." Our smallest idol - honestly, possibly the smallest idol, though it isn't like any of us have tried to verify that - made a fairly good point. Plus, if we split up then maybe I can get Rinko alone and try to cheer her up. Somehow…

    "Hmm. Maybe by our units? Then each can pick our favorite and compare." Though, not if we grouped off like Anette was suggesting.

    "What if it's a tie? We should split up into three groups. That way there's no way we'll get deadlocked." Akira held up a hand with three fingers, for those of us who needed a refresher on how many three is.

    "I'll take-"

    "I'll go with Rinko!"

    Eimi furrowed her brow and twitched her nose at me when I cut her off and grabbed Rinko's hand. After dinner I had been expecting it, and I wasn't about to get outmaneuvered twice in a row. Rinko looked momentarily shocked at our mutual outbursts over her then smiled at me rather weakly.

    "I'll take Eimi." The remaining member of her unit took pity on her and followed my lead, gripping Eimi's hand tightly enough that her attempts to pull away and argue were fruitless. "We'll meet you at the judges' table when we're done!"

    "I guess that leaves us. They went right, so we'll start left. You two can go straight and we'll all meet at the end. Good luck!" Yume shrugged as she said this and grabbed Anette's hand as well, shooting down the girl's objections by pointing out that if she let her roam as she pleased they would end up separated within minutes.

    As Rinko and I walked, I couldn't help but feel the pallor that had befallen her holiday. Rinko normally loves things like this. In fact, last year she was like a moth, being drawn from one sculpture to the next by the dazzling lights shining on, in, and through them. Contrary to the usual order of things she had now become a cocoon, shut off from her usual sense of wonder and merriment, walking slowly from one display to another, rarely uttering a single word other than "that one's nice" or "that's cute." She remained this way up the center of the park, all the way through the left pathway and through most of the way on the right, right up until we reached a towering sculpture. It wasn't the most elaborate display, or the most precise, but it seemed to reach Rinko in a way the others hadn't.

    "Rinko… I'm sorry you're not having fun this year."

    Rinko looked at me confused. "I'm having fun."

    "Are you sure? You've looked like something has been bothering you all night."

    She turned her head from me and stared up at the figure rendered in ice. One arm was a little slender compared to the other. It was hard to tell where his beard ended and his clothes began, and he was far larger than most depictions I'd seen, but it was obvious from the sack slung over the figure's back and the cap that was of a similar style to mine that this was meant to be Santa.

    "I guess I'm just worried Santa won't be able to grant my wish this year. That's all. Honest."

    "I'm sure he tried as hard as he could. Sometimes even he must have limits. Right?"

    Rinko pondered my words for a few moments, gazing up at the grotesque sculpture, before asking, "Can we vote for this one? Maybe Santa will work extra hard."

    Oh, Rinko. You're just setting yourself up for more disappointment… Sometimes the universe just can't give you what you want, no matter how much you want it.

    "Of course we can. It is kind of charming if you look at it right, isn't it?"

    On the rest of the walk through the park to see the final displays, Rinko seemed to perk up. No longer was she sulking in her cocoon, nor carrying that immense sadness in her eyes. Still, I knew it was only temporary, and my heart ached the entire time. How could I possibly face Rinko tomorrow, even with the myriad gifts my guilt prompted me to buy for her in Santa's name. What good are new pajamas, a new bath friend - a koi fish to go with Mr. Froggy - or some new perfume compared to a sister?

    In the end, once we had all gathered back at the judges' table, we were outvoted in favor of a different impressive display - Santa in his sleigh pulled by all of his reindeer, each rendered so precisely that if not for their translucence they could have been mistaken for the real thing - created by the winner of the last two years' festivals.

    "It's ok, Junko." Rinko had tried to cheer me up. "Santa still won, and that's what's important. I think maybe I'm a little tired though. I'm going to head back to the dorm."

    "You can't!" This outburst came from the least likely of sources, who tried to walk back her enthusiasm. "What I mean is… You can't go back yet! The evening isn't over, and it's bad luck if the party breaks up before everyone is ready. It's… a lack of Christmas cheer! And… Santa takes it personally!" Ten very puzzled eyes stared at Eimi as she rambled on. "Just come on! We haven't had dessert yet, dummy!"

    Having failed at talking her way through her reasoning, Eimi simply grabbed Rinko's free hand and started pulling in the direction of our final stop. Now, I know from firsthand experience how impossible Rinko is to move if she's truly determined, or how unstoppable she can be once she's gained momentum. The last time I had reason to try it took myself, Chiyo, and Kanon working together just to halt her forward advance. It's no wonder then that Eimi got nowhere, very literally, as her full might is nowhere near enough to budge Rinko once she has her heels dug in. Honestly, it's practically a superpower. Thankfully for as stubborn Rinko is, some of our friends are equally strong themselves, and once Akira added her might through Eimi things started moving in earnest. This started a chain reaction that, though effective at ensuring Rinko came with us, was a bit embarrassing, as all six of us ended up walking awkwardly in a chain of idols all the way from the park to the bakery for our last stop of the evening. Even when Rinko, giggling, agreed to cooperate we didn't let her go unchaperoned. If you knew Rinko personally, you would understand…

    "Now get in there!"

    Eimi shouted as she pushed Rinko through the large double doors of Lunation Bakery, as though once she were inside she would be incapable of exiting if she wanted. The rest of us joined them much more eagerly, the warm bakery air a welcome treat all on its own after such a long time at the park. The restaurant had looked a little bit busy from outside, but now that we could see it plainly it was positively packed. A line stretched almost all the way to the door, waiting patiently to pick up their orders from the first cashier, no doubt having placed them months ago. Another equally long line was for those hoping to order something fresh for the holiday at the last minute. Their small dining area was similarly busy, with every table and booth in use. Maybe we'd need to get our dessert to go and celebrate back at the dorm?

    "I already bought you all dinner, I may as well treat you to dessert too. I'm just that generous. I know, I'm pretty great." Eimi bragged, humbly.

    "But how will you know what I want?" Rinko asked.

    "You love everything on the menu, so you'll be happy no matter what. Plus, you obviously want Christmas cake." A bold guess, considering only about ninety-percent of customers dining in had the fluffy white and red cake in front of them, and one of the lines queued for checkout was entirely composed of those who had ordered one for themselves.

    "Wow… That's an amazing trick, Eimi! What number am I thinking of?"

    "Um… you're still thinking about Christmas cake?" Rinko's face took on a look of utter shock as Eimi, somehow, guessed exactly which number Rinko was thinking of. "Seriously… You all wait here, I've got this covered." Eimi took a few steps toward the counter before pausing and looking back. "Especially you, Miss Hoshino." She continued her trek, walking past both lines and directly to the register, interrupting the transaction taking place to retrieve a bag from behind the counter. She returned quickly, the entire exchange taking not even a minute, with a smug smirk. "At least some places have the good sense to recognize me when I visit."

    "Should we go back to the dorm? There don't appear to be any tables available." I asked, gesturing to the full dining room.

    "Well that's just unacceptable. Don't they know who we are?"

    "Gonna talk to the manager and demand he find you a table?" Akira laughed.

    "Why you… No. No, I am not. Rinko's our leader, so she's going to get us a table." Rinko giggled at Eimi's joke, though Eimi continued to point a finger at her. "It's not a joke. Someone's at our usual table. You're our leader, so it's your job to go talk to them and convince them to let us have it. If they have any Christmas spirit, they'll do the right thing." Eimi opened the bag and handed the top parcel of several to Rinko. "Take this with you. Now go. Shoo. Get to it."

    After a large nudge, Rinko started walking slowly across the bakery. I clenched my fists. I could scarcely name all the ways Eimi had just upset me. Is this some kind of trick to embarrass Rinko? Or does she actually believe that just because we're idols we should get that kind of special treatment? Everyone is here for the same reason we are, and asking anyone to leave just so we can have a better time is the exact kind of behavior that could ruin our reputations if anyone noticed us, and with how often we come here it seems likely that someone will recognize us. My best friend made it about halfway to the booth before I decided I couldn't let Eimi's trick go any farther.

    "Rin-!"

    My cry was cut off by Rinko's even louder squeal. At first I thought something horrid must have happened as she stood there in the middle of the tables, but then she ran at breakneck speed directly toward our usual table, disappearing into the high-backed booth. I glared at Eimi, who was just standing there smiling, obviously very proud of whatever mischief she had caused. I took off straight for the table, the clattering of numerous footsteps following behind me. I made it as far as Rinko had before I stopped in much the same manner, followed by the juniors who had trailed after me. How in the world…

    In the booth, Rinko was hugging a girl who looked almost but not quite identical to her. I mean, I've always been able to tell the difference myself. They're fraternal twins who just happen to look a lot alike, just how siblings often do, and growing up has only accentuated their natural differences with their choice in hairstyles and fashion. I've also never known Rinko to look that annoyed to be involved in a hug, so it had to be Shiki. I watched them for a minute, completely stunned that the impossible had somehow happened. But… how? Even this afternoon all of the girls were lamenting how there wasn't more we could do. But that means it must have been…

    Glancing back toward the entrance, Eimi was standing there with a completely insufferable smile. She waggled her finger at all of us as if to say "don't bother them", then signaled us back to her.

    "Alright, let's go. I'm tired of waiting for a table. What happened? How did Rinko screw up my very simple task." Our blonde friend rolled her eyes annoyingly. "I should have known."

    "Eimi, how did you possibly…"

    "Hm? Look this good? It's mostly genetics, but I'm in a festive mood. I'm sure I could give you all some makeup tips that should help. A little. First things first, that hair color. Have you considered-"

    "Seriously! How did you pull this off?"

    "Yeah! We tried everything but couldn't even manage to get in contact with Rinko's sister."

    "Yeah! What gives?"

    "Are you magic or something?"

    We all interrogated her as to her methods. Granted, the results were just short of miraculous, but why would Eimi do something like that for Rinko? In fact, she's been overly generous the entire evening. Could Eimi like Christmas that much? Or even stranger, could Eimi actually like us that much?

    "I don't have the slightest idea what any of you are talking about. Rinko has a sister?"

    "You know she does. She told us during practice!"

    "Did she now, Akira? I thought that was some kind of nightmare. I mean, the two of you are bad enough, but two of Rinko?" Eimi glanced upward to feign thinking. "I must not have been paying much attention. I do recall someone trying very hard to help themselves to my gifts from my adoring fans though. Gifts that I normally can use to get little favors here and there, assuming someone's giant hands haven't stolen them all. Some people like trashy department stores even more than you do. Can you believe that? So, I assume Rinko's staying here for a while?"

    "It certainly seems like it."

    "Well good. She has the number for a car once they're done being all emotional so they both make it home safely."

    "Eimi, thank you. You have no idea how much this means to Rinko." Obviously, Rinko could never know exactly what had happened. To her it would always just be proof that magic exists if you believe hard enough. But I could thank Eimi on her behalf, because it means nearly as much to me as it does Rinko.

    "I still don't know what you're talking about, but of course I'll take credit."

    "Thank you, Eimi!"

    "Yeah, thanks!"

    "You really are très magnifique!"

    The three juniors surrounded Eimi and caught her in a group hug. Eimi, naturally, protested loudly but somehow managed to not fight them off even the tiniest bit. Almost like she wasn't actually all that upset by it at all. It's funny how often that happens, now that I think about it. I could swear I actually saw her smiling, until she noticed me looking and quickly changed her demeanor.

    "Get off of me, you weirdos! You're gonna mess up the cake!"

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