Sora didn't ask who Tooru had been, despite the fact that Mizuki had barely mentioned her former best friend since their first night together. Katsuji was familiar with the entire story as well, though from a different perspective.

When he heard the name paired with his own, Katsuji said a little bitterly, "I'm so sorry Mizuki, and I feel so stupid."

"Why?!" she asked with alarm.

He looked away from her as he admitted, "Of all people I should know better than to do something because 'it's what people do', but I didn't even get your phone number so we could stay in touch after I graduated."

"I can see why you wouldn't have wanted to ask for it, with all the rumors," Mizuki assured him quickly. "Don't worry about it."

He suddenly turned back to her and snapped angrily, "That's even more reason that I should have done it! I withdrew from you because I didn't want to make anything worse, but I should have stayed close."

Sora set his hand on Mizuki's shoulder, but didn't say anything while Katsuji continued, "And I didn't want to ask for your number because I really like you, but not like that. And you're younger than I am, and a girl, and people just don't do that. I was stupid!"

After a startled moment, Mizuki asked with a grin, "Want it now?"

Katsuji looked up at Sora uncertainly, and asked, "Won't your boyfriend object?"

Mizuki looked up at Sora questioningly, and he smiled down at her and replied calmly, "I'm not going to tell Mizuki not to keep in touch with a friend because he happens to be male." After a moment he admitted to her, "I was afraid you didn't have any friends left, after looking through your phone."

"You looked through her phone?" Katsuji asked a little sharply.

Mizuki glanced back at him and laughed. "I gave it to him and set it up so he could unlock it. He wasn't trying to spy on me Katsuji-senpai."

"Sorry," Katsuji apologized to Sora immediately. "But Mizuki-chan is a really nice girl, she deserves someone who trusts her, and none of those stupid rumors about her are true!"

Mizuki blushed yet again, and Sora assured Katsuji with a grin, "I know that very well."

Mizuki rubbed her cheek against Sora's hand affectionately and he bent down and tried the little dragon on her ear.

"It really does suit you," he informed her. Then he asked Katsuji, "How much does it cost?"

"Fifty," was the quick reply.

Mizuki objected, "This kind of thing would be a couple hundred at a jewelry store. If it's really silver?"

"It is, but nobody's going to pay that much to a street vendor Mizuki-chan," Katsuji objected. "Besides, that's how I've got them all marked."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Mizuki looked at the tag and asked, "Do you have the pen you used?"

Katsuji fished around in a case beside him for a moment and handed it to her.

Mizuki added a 1 in front of the 50 and then slashed through it and wrote 100 clearly in the remaining space. "You can at least do this," she showed him.

"I agree," Sora added when Katsuji hesitated. And he added, "You should also put them on the net for jewelry store prices. Even if you don't sell many there, people who buy one from you in person will feel like they got a fantastic deal if they look it up later."

They talked for a while more, until Mizuki chose a ring that had a pulse mark as it's decoration, and asked Sora, "Would this one be okay?"

He looked at her in surprise, and assured her, "Whatever you like Mizuki. You can get whatever you think is cute and I'll wear it?"

"I think this one looks like a heartbeat," Mizuki admitted a little shyly.

Katsuji announced smugly, "I'm going to tell her that you got it immediately! She didn't think anyone else would see it like that."

"Is there one in both our sizes?" Mizuki asked a little anxiously.

"If there's not, she can make them," Katsuji insisted reassuringly as he pulled a long thin box out of the case that the pen had been in. He sorted through it until he found the rest of that design.

They lucked out, and Katsuji found one for both of them. Sora insisted on paying him for both rings, and the price Mizuki had written on the dragon.

Mizuki objected that the dragon was an unnecessary extra, and he told her, "It can be your Christmas present."

"We're getting consoles," she pointed out.

After a baffled moment he offered, "If you won't take it, I can store it until Valentine's day? You like it don't you?"

"Yes," she agreed immediately.

"Why can't I give you an extra present?" Sora asked.

"We're combining our accounts anyway!"

Mizuki blushed as she admitted, "I have something extra for you too, but it doesn't cost this much."

Sora covered his eyes and insisted pleadingly, "Mizuki, just get both. Stop worrying about keeping everything equal? I want you to have it."

Katsuji told Mizuki, "If you don't agree, I'm just going to give it to you."

Mizuki laughed and gave in.

Sora tucked the little dragon back onto her ear and took her home. Mizuki gave it back to him when they arrived and told him, "Keep it for Christmas morning, that's when we usually exchange things."

--

They talked with her mother more that night.

Minori asked her daughter a string of pointed questions about the logistics of moving to another town, including the particulars about available schooling and adjusting her college applications.

Mizuki answered with a level of confidence that startled both Sora and her mother. She had already looked up a lot of information that her mother thought she needed.

Sora felt more than a little overwhelmed by the list of household and financial tasks that Minori felt an 'adult' should be prepared to deal with. Mizuki had heard the list before each of her sisters had gotten married though, and while she had yet to actually perform all of the duties listed, she felt confident that she would be capable of them.

--

They discussed it again with both of her parents on Sunday morning, but Junshiro said firmly, "We're not deciding this right away."

Mizuki accepted her father's reluctance without argument, to Sora's surprise, but she complained regretfully after eyeing the clock, "I don't get to see you much on Sunday with this shift."

Sora scooped her into his arms and kissed her deeply in front of her parents before replying. "It's okay though, I can go home and clean my apartment and get ready for you to come Wednesday night. I'm glad. It means there's only three nights this week that we won't spend together."

Mizuki grinned and kissed him again. "Yes," she agreed.