Chapter four, 2018, white Valentine, segment four

Having that chat with Ulf took more than the day Christina promised Ko-chan. Almost a week passed before her schedule and Ulf’s coincided, which meant freshmen and juniors both dropped everything in favour of cramming before the last exams of the year. Stealing some of his time meant grabbing him by the neck in the Haven between cramming sessions in the inner room.

Noriko threw her a sour glance, and Christina regretted chipping away even a little in the already limited time Ulf and Noriko could share, but a promise was a promise.

“Outside?” Ulf asked after he resigned himself to being dragged away from his girlfriend.

Christina nodded and opened the door. A tired chiming of the doorbell later they stood on the street. She waited for her body guards to arrive as well. Now was not the time to play mouse and cat with them.

“Could you give us some privacy, please?” she asked.

When she passed the convenience store a little later both guards followed them discreetly just out of earshot.

“Talked with Yukio?” Christina asked. Walking by Ulf’s side was no longer awkward, and she could enjoy his company and long for Ryu at the same time.

“Yeah.” Ulf fell silent again. “Why don’t we take this in Swedish? It’s been a while.”

Oh! Cramming Japanese the last year had made her used to using the language. Maybe too used to. “Sure.” Like the first year. Christina pushed that thought away. First year included memories she treasured, but they were best treasured alone.

Ulf switched language. “Just in case your goons get too close. Want to keep it alive as well.”

With a nod Christina nudged him to continue. Forgetting the language she once grew up with wasn’t the reason they were out here.

“Mind strolling through some side streets?”

She shook her head. There was less traffic and despite dusk turning into evening darkness she’d be absolutely safe with Ulf and body guards close. If anything a stalker, and she had too many of those since becoming famous a year and a half earlier, would be the one in danger.

A few blocks later they were enveloped in darkness. Japan being Japan dusk was but a fleeting moment between day and night. Of course it wasn’t really dark; it never was in Tokyo. Still, here away from the main street, her feet echoed in a subdued light she remembered from her first teenage years back in a Stockholm that no longer existed. In more ways than one that was a world lost and gone.

“You should tell Noriko your feelings more often,” Christina said.

“She knows I love her,” came the expected response.

Moron. You really are an idiot. She took a deep breath and forced down her irritation with the man she once loved to insanity. “You’re a fan of making new and exciting mistakes,” Christina began. “Reusing old ones is a waste of time, didn’t you say that?”

After a few seconds of silence Christina heard Ulf drawing for breath. “Yeah, so what? It’s not like…”

She cut him short. Some kinds of idiocies you never ever did again. “Just tell her you love her! No special occasion, no special romantic feelings, no special nothing. Just tell her over and over again!”

“But I might not feel like…”

“Then fake it! As long as you want her by your side then tell her! Tell her several times a day!”

“But that would be dishonest…”

“Look you idiot!” If this lesson called for her hurting him then so be it. “The day Noriko walks out of you because you didn’t love her enough, that’s the day you’ll understand just how dishonest you are all the time.”

Ulf still fidgeted. “It just doesn’t feel right…”

“Do you love her?”

“Of course I love her. That’s not what it…”

“Then tell her! Trust me on this one. You already lost one girlfriend because you didn’t.”

This time he flinched, just as Christina had known he would. Note to self. After this talk I’m getting some alone time with Ryu no matter what. An entire evening snuggling up together with her showering him with affection, now that was the kind of special event you couldn't afford every day.

Christina didn’t wait for him to protest. To be honest she didn’t expect him to. Her last salvo hit below the water line and he was sinking fast.

If I’m the teacher in matters of love then something’s seriously wrong. But maybe this was matters of communication. She didn’t really tell him how to love Noriko. How the hell did you manage to stay married for over twenty years? But he had, and Christina knew he had experience from before that. The way he explored her body when they were still a couple gave away that his wife had been anything but his first.

“Look,” she said to change topic. “Ko-chan is complaining, and that means Yukio is as well. We have to get off their backs but I still need their help.”

Ulf’s face lit up again. He probably felt happy about any topic that didn’t remind him of last year’s disastrous Valentine. A pity this topic would.

“Playing Cupid with the freshmen?”

Christina shook her head. “It’s gone beyond that. That’s why it can’t be you and me. We’re living proof of how wrong it can go.”

By her side Ulf froze in his steps. It took you this long to understand why our break up disqualifies us from helping them? How dense can you be? She screamed a little inside. Does that make me the queen of fools falling for him the way I did?

“So Yukio and Kyoko?”

“Yukio and Kyoko. They’re the sane couple.”

“I could go with Noriko,” he protested.

“I just scolded you for your lack of affection, so that’s a big no.”

“You and Ryu?”

“You mean the guy who spent more time last autumn trying to break the two of you up than hugging me?”

Ulf fell silent again. “So Yukio and Kyoko?”

Above them something frightened took flight and left an echo of shaking twigs behind it. Christina looked up but she only saw naked branches stretching into the sky.

“I’ll pull some strings as well. Ryu owns me a few.”

“Irishima?”

For being so dense, sometimes Ulf’s ability to put things together bordered on clairvoyance. Christina shuddered. “Irishima,” she confirmed.

“I don’t think Ai deserves this.”

Christina nodded. “I know, but she’s the closest we have as a friend of Jeniferu’s. I need someone in that school as well.”

“Let Ryu handle it. You’re going to hurt people anyway:”

You insensitive arse! But Ulf was right. Besides Ryu needed to talk things over with Ai anyway.