Chapter 211 - The Gallant Brother

"Say, Chiaki, are you free right now? I've been asking my brother to accompany me shopping but he can't go today, so I asked him to ask you if you are free but you haven't replied yet..."

Ha?

Suzuki Ara tried her best not to laugh at Aki's expression. She gave her a playful kick on the leg and told him to shut up with her eyes.

"I got married today, did you know?"

As her brother had given up and let her have her way, she was able to concentrate on her conversation with her possible future sister-in-law.  

"You did? Oh my God!"

Chiaki's voice sounded genuinely thrilled. Ara could imagine her jumping the way she was saying her congratulations.

"Pres did tell me that you are registering but I'm so sorry I couldn't come and congratulate you in person," Chiaki said apologetically.

Ara didn't mind. Aki did tell Chiaki about the marriage registration and the luncheon after they registered at the Cedar Palace. But today was Taka's checkup day, and the appointment with the doctor was set up a lot earlier than the marriage registration so it was alright.

Chiaki's mother's away in the morning visiting her sister, and so Chiaki had no one to take over taking Taka to his appointment. Most clinics and hospitals didn't accept outpatient care on weekends, and so Chiaki couldn't cancel this rare opportunity.

"It's alright. It's just a registration anyway. Just be sure to attend the real thing when we finally decide to have the ceremony."

At the mention of her wedding ceremony, warmth started in her chest and went down to the pit of her stomach. It was a pleasant and dreamy kind of sensation. She knew it would take a while before it could happen since she had tons of things she still had to do before she's prepared to be presented to the public.

"Of course! I wouldn't miss that one for the world," Chiaki answered swiftly, which made Ara smile. "Why were you asking if I'm free by the way?"

Oh…

Ara quickly got on with her show. "Ryuu left on a business trip so I'm suddenly free. My brother's busy too like what I said."

"Er… you are using his phone…"

The reminder almost made Ara laugh. Of course!

"Yeah because mine ran out of batteries. I'm in the car going back to Denenchofu now. Big bro is going to bring me there but he has tons of things to do after," Ara lied unabashedly making her 'busy' brother scratch the side of his head.

"I don't want to be alone, but my friends had to study for the test tomorrow," Ara continued.

Well, that one last bit was at least not a lie. Rin and the others indeed had to study their brains out for tomorrow's test. However, Ara could afford not to because tomorrow was English and Japanese, and she's very confident she could answer everything correctly.

"Oh well, they're not Miss Genius like you," Chiaki agreed good-naturedly.

"It's why I was wondering if you are free to come with me today," Ara asked with saccharine sweetness, which made the other cave in.

"Hold on," Chiaki said as she covered the mouthpiece of her mobile phone. She was probably asking her mother who was already home if she could go.

She could, and Ara was elated.

"Mom will take care of Taka so I can go with you. I'll go pick you up at Denenchofu in an hour okay?" Chiaki said, but Ara didn't want her to have the trouble coming when she lived near where she wanted to go. 

"Nah, I'll just meet you up there in Shibuya," she said, and the two of them hung up.

"You. Have. A. Date?"

Ara laughed at her brother's words. Aki enunciated each word scathingly like he was totally unhappy about it.

"Yes we have, and she wanted to pick me up at Denenchofu in an hour, but I said I'll just meet her there."

When Asou Chiaki gave a schedule, the diligent secretary followed through with it to the dot. It was one of the things that made her a good employee.

"How come she's going out with you than with me? And I'm busy?" Aki was still unhappy.  He was obviously hoping to have a date with Chiaki today.

"You already got married and have an awesome love life. Why ruin your bog brother's little date?" Aki said dramatically as he dried fake tears from his eyes.

Ara elbowed him on the rib, making the other grunt.

"I'm going to play cupid okay? You should be happy. If I leave it to you, you would be chasing her forever."

Today's Ara's little mischief on the menu was to find out what Chiaki really felt about her brother and give the woman a huge nudge towards Aki's eager arms. Their game of cat and mouse, chasing each other round and round had to end.

"What am I going to do then?"

Aki was seriously already dreading being left alone, and Ara grinned.

"Why don't you try and play nanny to Taka? If you're planning to be with Chiaki, isn't it better if you're already practicing to be a dad?"

Chiaki was Taka's legal guardian now, and so if she married Aki, the boy would be Aki's responsibility too. Ara was expecting Aki to flinch or grimace upon imagining the babies and their needs. However, Aki just looked at her smugly.

"Trying to scare me aren't you?" Aki scoffed as he extended his hand and gave Ara's head a playful chop. "Who do you think you're talking to? I'm the 'pro big bro' who even changed your diapers."

Since they had a five-year age gap, their mother made sure Aki was not left out and made him help her take care of his little sister. She made her son change diapers and helped in giving the baby Ara her baths.

Ara grinned. She remembered that bit as their mom had always been proud of the fact that her son loved his little sister so much. She boasted about Aki's sense of responsibility towards Ara to her friends whenever they had gatherings.  Every time people would come over their house, the tale of the gallant older brother would always be one of the topics their late mother would tell her friends until before they died.

"I know you're going to be a great dad," Ara told Aki honestly. "I will tell Chiaki that…"