Gangster Cinderella

Chapter Fifty One: And An Average New Year

Six days later on New Years Eve, my mom was discharged from the hospital. Coming back home I find the last person I expected to see at my house ogling my mom.

"Chieko! You're finally home." My mom rushes over and hugs me tightly. "Takeomi came by and told me what happened with Kita, he said she killed someone on Christmas."

"Wow imagine that." I warily reply before turning my attention onto my lovestruck friend. "Shouldn't you be celebrating the New Year with Senju-chan at your own home?"

"I heard that Do 'an Vien just got discharged and I wanted to see how she was holding up." He answers while still blatantly checking out my own mother right in front of me.

"Takeomi...a word in private?" I yank the idiot away from the kitchen into the bathroom.

"What the hell Chieko!?"

"What the hell you! Why're you undressing my mom with your eyes?!"

Takeomi leans against the wall. "What can I say, your mom's got it going on."

"Seriously dude? You're quoting Fountains of Wayne right now?"

"Chieko...your mom is a beautiful woman and I am just appreciating that."

I pinch my brow, "Look Takeomi, I've already seen and dealt with a lot last night and the last thing I need right now is to one day come home to you walking around in your boxers after screwing my mother!"

"Why? Did she mention me?" He asks, completely ignoring the issue I have with my older friend screwing my mom.

"You're fucking hopeless!" I slam open the door to the bathroom. "Just keep that thing in your pants or else I'll-"

"Run over it with a motorcycle?" Takeomi finishes my threat for me.

"This is exactly why I don't want you dating my mom!" I go back to the living room in a huff to find my mom laying out a cute purple kimono on the coffee table. "Oh wow that's so pretty mom!"

"I'm glad because I got it for you after I left the hospital...I know other moms could sow a kimono but at the very least-"

I hug her, "No, it's perfect thank you."

"So are you going to go to the shrine with Mikey?" She wiggles her eyebrows at me. 

I blush, "Well yeah. He's going to come pick me up around eleven tonight."

Takeomi comes into the living room and says, "Yeah I'm gonna head out. Senju needs help with something." 

"And thanks again for stopping by, and if you ever need anything don't be a stranger." My mom says to him.

A smug smirk appears on his face before he says, "I'll keep that in mind."

Before I can properly express my disgust with Takeomi, my mother hands me a red envelope. "It's too early for Têt...but since you're going to a shrine I figured you'd need some money."

"Oh yeah, Vietnam celebrates the New Year on a different day." I remark before accepting the red envelope.

"This year it's going to be celebrated on January 29th. And if I'm remembering correctly, your zodiac sign would be the horse." She smiles to herself, "Anyways, let's get you ready for tonight."

👘👘👘🧧👘👘👘

Mikey, Draken and Emma all show up around eleven. Mikey practically stops walking to gape at me in my kimono. Emma nudges him with her elbow, "Come on, you better give it to her." 

Mikey grabs my hand, "Um there's something I want to give you...I'm not the best at giving gifts but I want you to have it."

In my hand I feel something small, cold and metallic. I open my palm to find a small silver heart necklace. "Mikey...I love it." I kiss the unusually shy boy on his cheek. "Put it on for me!" I hand the necklace back to him and have my back turned to him. 

He tries to push as much of my thick curls away from my neck as he can before he starts struggling with the clasp. "Fuck." He curses under his breath as he struggle to put it on. I can't help but giggle at his struggle, "And just who are you laughing at?"

"I just think it's endearing that even you struggle with clasping a necklace together, that's all." I continue to laugh at him.

"There! It's on!" He huffs, "Stupid fucking necklace."

"Come on, let's go." I cheerfully say before pulling him towards the lights of the festival in the distance.

🌃🌃🌃🎊🌃🌃🌃

We somehow lost Emma and Draken once we reached the festival; but I suspect that was purposeful on Emma's part.

"I guess we'll find those two later...wanna go write an ema?" Mikey suggests as we walk by the New Year emas.

"Yeah let's do it."

We walk towards the table and take a New Year's planchet to write our wishes on. I quickly write, I wish to become the fastest motorcycle racer in all of Japan.

"Hmm? What're you writing?" Mikey tries to peek over at my ema.

"No peeking! Besides you can probably already guess what it is." I say before walking over to where other people are hanging their New Year's wishes.

He smiles, "Yeah I think I can guess what it is..." he suddenly goes quiet and this mournful look appears on his face. "Say...Chieko, do you think we'll still be together in the years that follow?"

I kiss his cheek before taking one of his hands in mine, "I'll be with you for as long as you'll have me."

"Chieko..."

He's about to lean in and kiss me when we suddenly hear Emma's voice, "Well, aren't you two getting cozy~"

We look to see Emma and Draken coming towards us. Draken joins in with the teasing, "So this is where you two were~ nice going there Mikey."

"Shut up, you're just jealous that you're still gonna be single in 2006." Mikey snarks back at his friend.

We're all interrupted yet again, but this time by a certain crybaby hero rushing through the crowd, "Wait for me! My ema!"

Emma immediately snaps to the sound of her name being called out, "Your Emma? What do you mean by your Emma?"

"Oh Takemitchy!" Draken exclaims while Mikey picks up a discarded ema from the ground.

"Did you mean this?" Mikey asks Takemitchy while holding out his wish planchet. "You look pretty desperate man."

"Please give that back!" Takemitchy pleads.

Mikey hands him the planchet with a simple, "Okay, here ya go."

People around us start getting excited over something and we hear someone call out, "Ten seconds till the New Year!"

Mikey looks at me and Takemitchy, "Let's jump together guys!"

We all start chanting on the count of three, "Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

A/N: Do 'an Vien (Chieko's mom) has a six year age difference with Takeomi. Right now (if my math is correct, which there is a possibility that it isn't) Takeomi would be 25 and Do 'an Vien would be 31. Soooo...Chieko's mom has got it going on~ 🎶🎶