I didn’t expect them to make out like that. Kyoko felt a little guilty. She was, after all, the one who pushed Noriko to be a little more greedy.

“Something’s wrong?”

“Sorry, no, nothing.” She put away the touchpad. The waterproof touchpad she had requested Urufu acquire well over a month ago.

He complied, and by now she did some of their planning and analysis together with Yukio in the family bath.

“Yukio, could you cut another fifteen percent?”

He moved over to her side, and she revelled in his naked body. Despite everything Urufu and Kuri-chan said she very much appreciated watching Yukio whenever they shared a bath.

“Ten or twelve,” he said after checking the screen. “Doesn’t need trimming to be honest.” He looked at her. “That’s my girl.” He smiled. “Seeing that we could cut it down even more, that is.”

A little of his ability must have rubbed off then. “This part,” she said. “It’s a little process centric, but I want to keep it that way.”

“How so?”

“Well, you know how Urufu wants us to be product centric, but this just rubs me the wrong way.”

Yukio stared at her with more interest in his eyes. “Elaborate,” he said, copying one of Urufu’s favourite expressions whenever he went into teaching mode.

“Well,” Kyoko started. “They’re delivering a service.” Despite having trouble finding the words she knew where she wanted to go with this one. “If you reduce it to the tangible components then who’s going to take responsibility for it?”

Yukio grinned. “You’d call an outdoor spa a component?”

Kyoko nodded so hard she splashed water all over the touchpad. “Definitely! They’re not selling spas in the first place. You can’t buy one without at least a one year service agreement.”

Yukio put the edge of both his thumbs in his mouth. He was adorably cute like that. “I’m listening.”

“A spa’s basically a bathtub. They’re selling a bathing experience, and that’s a lot more.” Words were really the hard part. “Look, Yukio, a bathtub can’t have a goal.” No that wasn’t right. “Those making a bathtub can have a goal, but not those servicing it.”

“Huh?”

She knew she was being unclear. “I want someone being responsible for the entire sale, and I want everyone involved actually being involved in the entire sale. And involvement is process rather than product.”

“Are you saying...”

“Yes, I’m saying Urufu is wrong about this. He’s got it backwards, at least here. They’re not selling off the shelf software.”

“I what?”

Kyoko looked up at the voice. Urufu walking with a towel in his hand and Noriko tagging along just behind him. They just got together. Guess she’s still conscious of being naked around him.

“Urufu, have a look at my suggestion. If you like it you can sprinkle all those fancy words around.”

Urufu read through what she had written. “So you want to drop the product centric approach?”

Kyoko nodded.

“You know it’s kind of built into the very backbone of agile development.”

“Then there’s an error in that backbone,” she stubbornly persisted.

“Convince me!”

“Look, Urufu,” she was getting agitated now, “people who can’t say why they’re doing something should just stop doing it.”

He met her stare with eyes wide in surprise. “And from a high schooler!” Then he shook his head. “Fine, we’ll do it your way then.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“Why?”

“Because my gut feeling tells me to. Because I’ll cut your analysis to shreds and probably understand why it’s the right thing to do, and then find the flaws in your presentation, and then have Yukio cut them away.”

Kyoko high fived Urufu. “Hear that, Yukio?”

“They should, but they should know why,” Noriko suddenly said.

Kyoko stared at her. “Huh?”

“Look, what you’re doing might be a good thing, but if you don’t understand why then then there’s something wrong with the doing, not with the what.”

“Huh?” This time all three of them stared at Noriko.

“I guess it’s the difference between having a purpose for doing something and the goal for that something.”

Something clicked in Kyoko’s brain. “You wonderful, fantastic girl! I love you!”

“Huh?”

She looked at the entrance. Oh oh. Well, can’t avoid it forever.

“You keep working even in this place,” Ryu asked from where he stood beside Kuri-chan.

Kyoko nodded at the two newcomers. You’re not setting the pace for this, you’re not! “And a good thing it is. Noriko just solved the entire problem.”

“I did?”

“She did?”

Kyoko laughed. “She did. I’ll rewrite before you get it, Urufu. OK?”

He grinned and sat down in the water. “I think I see where you’ll be going. Yeah, we’ll definitely run with your idea.” The water rippled around him. “Noriko, I’m wrong. It’s fine to be close here.”

Noriko smiled and took a seat just by his side. “Heh, then I’ll be just that,” she said and leaned into him.

You can’t possibly even pretend you’re not feeling Kuri-chan standing behind you! Crap, you could cut slices out of the tension here.

“You’re close to each other.” Kuri-chan’s words bounced off the water and vanished into the night one by one.

Maybe it was better this way.

“I just heard it was fine being close to my boyfriend.”

“Your boyfriend?”

Kyoko waited for the explosion.

Urufu tilted his head backwards, and through the surface Kyoko saw how Noriko’s hand gripped his like a claw. That must hurt, even to you.

“Yeah, we’re a couple now, Christina.”

“Oh, I didn’t know,” she answered and walked into the pool. Long legs rippled the water just like Urufu’s had done earlier. While her voice was strained Kyoko heard no anger.

Behind Urufu and Noriko Ryu stood frozen in place.

“He’s a good man,” Kuri-chan said after lying down in the water. “Care for him, will you?”

“He’s a great man, and yes, I will.”

“Do you love her?”

This time Kyoko felt pain spreading in her throat. Of all questions she hadn’t expected that one. Kuri-chan, I’m so sorry!

“Yes, yes I love Noriko.”

Kyoko stared at Urufu and Kuri-chan. Silence and pain spread around her until it was almost unbearable.

“I’m happy you found someone to love.”

Please Kuri-chan, don’t sound that bitter! You knew how much he loved you. But Kyoko also knew how much the tall girl needed to hear those words, and now she had, for someone else’s sake.

“I’m not. Not him. I’ll never agree to it.”

“Ryu?”

***

While her world broke down just a little more Christina surprised herself by honestly feeling happy for Ulf. Bitter, yes, angry, yes, hurting yes, but happy still. She hurt him so much, and whenever he was in pain it hurt her as well.

She stared at Noriko. No, the midget didn’t gloat, but in Noriko’s eyes Christina saw a determined flame. The girl was ready to take even her on if she tried to get Ulf back.

I like you Noriko. I like your guts. You’ll be good for him.

But still it hurt.

“I’m happy you found someone to love,” she said. Then the words registered in her mind. What am I saying? I broke up with him. How petty a human have I become?

“I’m not. Not him. I’ll never agree to it.”

Christina looked at Ryu in surprise. She knew how she felt about his little sister’s crush on Ulf. She hadn’t expected him to come clean about it though.

“Ryu?”

And why is Yukio getting involved?

“Yes Yukio?”

“Shut the hell up! Good thing Noriko’s your sister and not your property. Agreeing with it, blah! Shithead!”

“Look, she’s my...”

“Shut up you moron!” Ko-chan said all of a sudden. “Agreeing with it? Are you stupid. None of us care if you agree with anything or not.”

“You don’t have the right to...”

“And neither do you, idiot bro.”

“If you don’t break up with him immediately I’ll...”

“Tell mom? Please do. Or dad? That would, if possible, be even more stupid.”

“Noriko, I’m you’re brother. You have to...”

“How tainted did you become. How much of Red Rose is part of you?”

Christina didn’t have to look twice at Yukio and Ko-chan to see the open disgust in their faces. That Noriko shared it stunned her, but what scared her the most was the burning contempt in Ulf’s eyes.

I expected more of you. Ryu’s disapproval was more understandable than what the rest of them believed. “Ryu, I’m also over fifty,” Christina said.

She searched his eyes and received a nod of understanding.

“I know, but that’s different.”

“Is it? How?”

“Well, I’m a guy and...”

“You really don’t want to go there,” Christina said. “Especially not with me.” She probably sounded more irritated than she was. Japanese gender values were very different from those in Sweden, but at least she hoped her friends understood there wasn’t a trace of racism in Ryu’s anger.

He backed down, just as she had expected.

“I still don’t like it,” he said and entered the spa.

She waited for him to make it halfway to her.

“You don’t have to like it. I disagree with you, but no one can force you to like it.”

Ryu smiled at her and Christina saw exactly the wrong kind of hope in his eyes.

“That still doesn’t give you the right to control your sister,” she added to shoot him down as firmly as possible. Everyone was entitled to their opinions, but acting on them was a different thing.

“She’s still my...”

“She’s not your anything.” Christina glared at her boyfriend. “While she’s a minor your parents have the right and responsibility to make decisions for her. You, none at all.”

He pouted. Ryu actually pouted. “You’re just taking his side as always,” he said and glanced at Ulf.

Damn, sometimes he’s just a kid. Christina was too angry to feel uncomfortable around Ulf and Noriko despite what she had done just days earlier.

“No, I’m taking Noriko’s side.”

“Tell us when you’re done. Listening to the two of you makes me sick,” Yukio suddenly blurted out and stepped out of the pool.

Ko-chan kept her silence but followed him. Christina was sure she saw her shoulders rise in frustrated rage.

Noriko stretched uncomfortably from where she had nestled under Urufu’s arm as if to seek shelter from the verbal onslaught. The discomfort however, Christina noticed, had nothing to do with being naked so close to someone else. I anything Ulf was Noriko’s only safety here, and that hurt in more than one way.

“Look,” Ulf said, “we’ll let you and Ryu talk things over.” He gave Noriko enough room to sit up properly. “I’d like some tea anyway.”

“Ulf, please...”

“Christina, you did nothing wrong, but sometimes you’re dumb as a post.”

Christina thought for a moment if she would get angry or not. Ulf verbally insulting her was so unusual she didn’t have the luxury of an instinctive reaction, and in the end she was glad she didn’t.

“Explain,” she said.

Ulf was halfway to the doors, and Noriko had already gone inside. “They’re still kids. I see what you tried to do, but it was too little too late.”

“Ulf?”

“Until he apologises,” Ulf pointed his index finger at Ryu who by now sat beside her, “they’ll never understand that you only tried to partially cover for him.” Ulf shot a glare at Ryu. “You’re an arse kiddo. Grow the hell up!”

Ryu half rose. “You don’t have the right...”

“As your friend I can only wonder if you’re a moron or not.” Ulf suddenly grinned and shook his head. “Telling Christina and Noriko what is right or wrong for a woman. How bloody stupid can you get?”

“This is Japan...”

“And I’m trying my best to get the hell out of here, but they refuse to hand me a passport. Don’t ever try that shit on me again!”

Christina shuddered despite steam rising from the spa. Rapidly becoming infatuated by the boy by her side didn’t lessen the fear of Ulf suddenly deserting her at all.

“Ryu, he said he wanted some tea,” she said in an attempt to defuse the situation.

“I am. Have a nice chat.” Ulf turned and headed for the doors. Almost there he turned once again. “Don’t forget homework. Summer’s almost over.”