School on Monday was typical of school and Mondays, it sucked. Lunch was spent in a babble of conversation with Shizuoka and Risa. Shizuoka was thrilled that Hikaru had a phone now and confessed that she'd deleted the message from a strange contact without reading it.

Shizuoka liked older men, so didn't see a problem with Kiri's age, but she shared Risa's doubts over what kind of guy might be interested in Hikaru.

Hikaru was offended. "You've been complaining that I don't date for ages, and dragging me out with you! Why aren't you thrilled? And what's wrong with him wanting to date me?"

"You're just, um, so quiet? And you insist on wearing such plain clothes, and it's odd that someone who hasn't seen you on stage yet is so interested?" Shizuoka told her while reaching out and tucking a strand of Hikaru's hair back with one neatly manicured hand.

Risa protested, "Hikaru is really pretty when she does let me dress her up!"

Hikaru rolled her eyes at her friends. She told them he'd agreed to meet her friends when he picked her up on Wednesday.

The three of them went out together after school, but only for an hour. Risa had babysitting duty for her five younger siblings that evening. It was a frequent occurrence and her friends were used to it.

--

That evening Hikaru received another call during supper. Izumi glared at her when she left the table to answer it. It was a number she didn't recognize, so she answered it hesitantly.

It was the owner of Night Owls. He explained that he'd begged Yukito-san for her contact so he could make his request directly.

"Hikaru-san, the band we had scheduled tomorrow cancelled, and I haven't been able to find a replacement. Could you play until 11pm? Could your band play?" he asked hopefully.

Night Owls had her play regularly, usually at least once a week, so she agreed without much hesitation. Hikaru said, "I'll ask the band members, but I can't promise anything." As a rule Mirage was strictly a weekend band, due to Hatsuharu's work schedule and Hikaru's school schedule.

The call was ended with profuse exclamations of gratitude from Night Owls owner. "Thank you again," he repeated as the call closed.

Hikaru verified Ryuske's contact information and called him before returning to the supper table. He answered with surprise, "Hi? Oh, Hikaru, I see your message now."

Hikaru laughed and replied, "Yes. Are you free tomorrow night?" She explained the situation.

Ryuske said, after checking his tutoring schedule, "I could come play starting at 8pm when your usual set ends. I'll call Rin and Hatsuharu and ask if they are available."

"That would be great," she replied with relief. "Everyone needs to wear something red," she added. She also warned him, "I forgot to ask how much we'd be paid, so it might be less than Mirage usually demands."

Ryuske reassured her that he didn't mind helping out a place that regularly employed her.

When the call ended, she sent a message to Yukito-san verifying that she'd taken the job. He acted as an unpaid agent, playing the middleman on all the solo performances she did. He'd arranged it with Hikaru and her mother after the first time she'd played on stage.

--

Hikaru returned to the table and took a deep breath before announcing, "I agreed to work until 11pm tomorrow."

"What the hell?" protested Izumi questioningly.

"Night Owls has been really good to me and they're in a bind tomorrow over a cancellation, so I agreed to help," Hikaru explained reasonably.

Miri nodded and said, "Of course."

"It's not 'of course'," he replied to Miri. "You won't get to bed until midnight," Izumi fussed at Hikaru.

"One night won't hurt me Izumi-san," Hikaru replied with amusement, thinking of how often she'd worked the evening shift last year. She'd had a grocery stocking job before switching to music full time.

Izumi was not amused. "You think your curfew is a joke," he said bitingly. Miri laid a placating hand on his arm, but he shrugged it off. Hikaru tensed. Izumi continued angrily, "You only follow it when it's convenient!"

A rare burst of anger flared up in her. "If I'm only following it when it's convenient, then I'm going out tonight," she replied icily.

"Hikaru?" Miri asked in alarm.

"I would have gone on a date tonight, if I didn't have this stupid curfew!" Hikaru snapped. She sprang to her feet in agitation.

"Sit down," ordered Izumi demandingly.

Hikaru glared at him and said quietly but firmly, "No." She turned, went to the door, grabbed her jacket, and walked out.

She walked to the bus stop out of habit. There she sat down and looked at her phone. Her phone said it was only 7:15 but she called Kiri anyway.

"Hello, Hikaru sweetheart?" he answered immediately.

"Kiri, can I see you tonight after all?" Hikaru asked uncertainly.

There was a pause and then he replied, "Sure, where are you? I'm already on the road."

"Sitting at the bus stop near my house," she replied ruefully.

"Just stay there then and I'll pick you up shortly," he suggested.

"OK," she agreed. "Kiri, we shouldn't talk while you're driving."

"OK," he agreed and Hikaru ended the call.

A bus came by on its route, but Hikaru didn't take it. Within 15 minutes Kiri arrived, and Hikaru climbed into the passenger seat, carefully did up her seatbelt, and sat silently as he pulled away from the curb.

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"Dinner?" he suggested after a few moments.

"Sure," she replied tensely. "I had barely started eating."

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Something happened," he stated.

She shrugged.

He bit his lip, and asked, "Are you OK?"

She nodded, her eyes fixed on the road ahead of them. She flinched when a car pulled out right in front of them, but nothing happened.

Kiri asked hesitantly, "Do you mind telling me why I'm unexpectedly enjoying your company tonight? What happened?"

Hikaru looked at him and then quickly returned her gaze to the road. "I don't mind, but can I tell you after we've arrived?"

Kiri nodded, and the rest of the drive passed in silence.

--

At the restaurant, it was apparent that Kiri was obviously a frequent and well known customer. The host greeted them effusively and suggested slyly to Kiri, "This one is different, you will treat her well and keep her?"

Kiri gave an embarrassed nod and shrugged apologetically to Hikaru as they followed the man through the restaurant.

They were seated on cushions on either side of a low table in a secluded dining partition that could be entirely closed off. Hikaru fiddled nervously with the place setting in front of her. "You come here a lot?" she asked.

"Yes, several times a month," he replied. He watched her for a moment. "Hikaru?" he asked.

She looked up at him.

"Come sit next to me and tell me what's wrong?" he suggested.

She picked up her seat cushion and crawled over to his side. He helped settle her so that she was tucked up against him with his arm around her.

"I'm just behaving like a child," she confessed.

He looked at her oddly and hugged her against him. "What happened?" he asked again.

"I agreed to work until 11 tomorrow. The band that was supposed to play cancelled, and the owner was desperate. He gives me work regularly, so I agreed," she explained.

"OK?" Kiri replied.

"Izumi-san got mad and said I'm only following the curfew when it's convenient," Hikaru said miserably, "so I am childishly proving him right."

Kiri raised an eyebrow.

"I yelled that if I'm only following it when it's convenient then I would leave, and left," she admitted. "I'm completely acting like a rebellious little kid," she said ruefully.

Kiri laughed quietly. "Hikaru," he dropped a kiss on her cheek, "anyone would be tempted to respond that way, not just a child," he said reassuringly.

"I'm so angry with him," Hikaru complained. "I know I'm being unreasonable, that of course he'd be upset that I agreed to work so much later than his curfew, but when he said that I just got so angry," she added unhappily.

Kiri held her and tried to think of something helpful to say. Finally he simply replied, "Well, I am very glad to be able to see you after all."

She looked at him and nodded, "Me too." She leaned against him. He ran his hand up and down her arm and held her.

Their host arrived with a stack of plates. Hikaru sat up to move and he waved her back. "No no, stay there, I'll move the setting," he said quickly. "Will you share a plate?" he asked.

Kiri turned the question to Hikaru, "Do you mind sharing a plate with me?"

She shook her head.

Everything was quickly arranged and their host left them, pulling the folding doors shut as he went. Kiri dished up some food from each of the dishes.

Hikaru asked curiously, "He never asked what we wanted to eat?"

Kiri chuckled and said, "He never does anymore, he just brings whatever he thinks I ought to eat, I suspect. It's always good, and always includes several vegetable dishes." He picked up a tidbit in his chopsticks, dipped it lightly in one of the sauces and offered it to Hikaru.

She shyly accepted it, and Kiri watched her eat the bite with amusement. Hesitantly she chose something and offered it in return. Kiri leaned forward and took the offering in his mouth.

"Kiri?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes?" he replied.

"Can we feed ourselves?" She was blushing fiercely with embarrassment.

"It's not as much fun, but we can if you like," he replied agreeably.

After a they'd been eating a few minutes he asked, "Why do you find it so embarrassing?"

"I could feel your mouth move, even through the chopsticks," Hikaru replied blushing all over again.

He laughed.

After a little bit Hikaru asked, "Is everything OK with your work, since you were called in on Sunday? I forgot to ask last night."

Kiri's amusement faded and he replied, "Overall, yes, everything is fine. But that was a mess." A bit grimly he explained, "It was a continuation of the mess before. We've had to terminate their contract. One of their guys showed up to the filming completely drunk, and caused an incident. Then he jumped off a balcony while trying to evade security. He's currently hospitalized with nothing worse than a broken arm and a concussion."

"Wow," said Hikaru.

Kiri said, "We have really strict policies on substance abuse, so the company doesn't take a direct loss, but it's such a waste."

"Why?" Hikaru asked.

"If his friends hadn't tried to cover for him, or if he'd cleaned himself up after the last incident, they could have continued with us. Apart from the one guy's problem, they're a good group that I think could have done well. And the company that was doing the filming will be more reluctant to work with us in the future. Trying to smooth things over is a lot of what I was called in for."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.

"It's OK," he replied. Hikaru leaned close and he wrapped his arm back around her.

Kiri swapped their plate for the dessert plate. He picked up a piece of the dessert with his fingers and said, "You don't use chopsticks with this." He demonstrated how to dip it into the butter and then roll it in the powdered sugar.

Hikaru copied him, and then shyly offered her piece to him. He smiled at her and took it from her fingers, letting his tongue brush her fingertips and his lips close over her fingers.

She blushed, but didn't withdraw, and took the piece he fed her. He kissed her for awhile. They ate the dessert very slowly.

When they'd finished it Kiri ran his hand down her back and said regretfully, "I don't suppose I get to take you home with me now?"

Hikaru looked at him with wide eyes and said, "Um, no, I should go home. I usually try to go to bed about 10 on school nights."

Kiri leaned in and kissed her again. "OK," he agreed, "I'll take you home then."

Hikaru was silent on the drive back. Her grip on the belt was tight, and her back tense. "Are you going to be OK?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded, but didn't relax. When they arrived she got out immediately, but then waited as he came around the car.

"Hikaru?" Kiri asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Are you afraid you'll be hit again?" he asked.

"No," she replied immediately and without hesitation. "I'm embarrassed about responding so childishly though," she added.

"OK" he replied, relieved. "But really, I don't think you behaved all that childishly," he said and reached out to touch her cheek lightly.

He took her hand and explained as they walked slowly to her door, "I think you responded responsibly to your work obligation. And that anyone who is told they aren't following some restriction when they have been working very hard to follow it, will be tempted to stop following it."

Hikaru grinned at him and leaned in to kiss him again. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Since you're working so much later tomorrow, I'll definitely be done in time to come see the end of it at least, can I bring you home tomorrow?" he asked.

She nodded.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply for a minute, then released her. "You better go in before I decide to take you home with me after all," he whispered.

She went in.

Fortunately her mother and Izumi had already gone up to bed. Hikaru breathed a quiet word of thanks and quietly prepared her lunch box in the kitchen. Then she checked that her homework was ready, turned off the lights and went to bed herself.