MAPH 25

"I ain't getting no calls..."

Iwamoto and I are both sitting on the sofa waiting for a call from his sister. We've been living together for a year now, and today is the day of the medical school national exam admission announcement.

Iwamoto keeps staring at the flip phone he has placed on the table in front of the sofa. It's a beautiful shocking pink color. He chose that color solely because it was free and strangely, it looks fits well in his big, muscular, tanned hands.

"Yesterday, we were on the phone and she nagged about what if she failed, about her score, and so on, and now she's...late!"

"Okay, okay. Please calm down. Just give her more time."

Iwamoto groans and scratches his head in frustration. Yesterday he and his sister were indeed on the phone until midnight. At one point he shouted, saying, "I'm off tomorrow, you can call me right away whether you failed or accepted! Anyway, get to bed already!" Strangely enough, Shimabukuro also happened to threaten me to take some time off. So yeah, I went along with it and took my paid leave.

I think Iwamoto's sister will be fine, but I still stayed home to accompany Iwamoto. Just in case.

Looking back, I remember that I did not feel particularly anxious before the national exam announcement. Aside from the fact that I had quite a lot of confidence, I actually didn't care much about whether I would pass or not.

Things are still the same as back then. The announcement is held before the end of March after the high school graduation celebration ended. Which means student orientation will start on April 1st. And those who failed will have to retake the test in a different major and campus.

Please pass! Please, please, please pass the d**n test! Oh, but will God answer this prayer based on my impure intentions?

If Iwamoto's sister passed the national exam, I want to ask her brother to marry me.

These past few months, I've been enjoying my days as Iwamoto's boyfriend. Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, White Day...

In the past, before I met Iwamoto, I admit that I often felt envious and resentful of others' happiness. Oh, how they could joyously spend time with their loved ones. They looked so disgustingly happy while I was suffering inside.

This year I am completely free of that suffering.

I enjoyed many cheesy events for the first time in my life. Falling in love with Iwamoto. Terribly in love with Iwamoto. Almost like a husband who had gotten carried away by his young wife. I kept wanting to touch him all the time, talk to him, eat with him, watch silly shows, and listen to old songs next to him. Basically, there wasn't a single second when I didn't want him around. And he was showing quite an interest in me too! A genuine interest as if he could read my mind.

One day, he told me that he had never been downtown at Christmas. He'd never had any time off since graduating from high school.

"And even if I had time, I don't want to go alone," he said, turning around with a twinkle in his eyes. "But they say the illuminations there are beautiful. Is it true...?"

So we booked train tickets. It had been a long time since I had taken a train and I hadn't researched the latest updates beforehand. It almost made us miss our stop. Fortunately, I realized this and quickly grabbed Iwamoto to step out of the train just in time. We laughed at that.

Christmas was still a week away, but the city center was already bustling. There was still time before dark, so we entered a fashion building that seemed to have been built by a famous architect. I had intended to enjoy only the unique structure of the building, which spiraled up a slope, but my reflection in the show window caught my attention: Iwamoto was striking. Tall, has good posture. His simple military coat and undershirt that were apparently bought at a flea market, looked as if they were something else. In contrast, I looked like a wild man.

I used to think that it was inevitable that I would look this way no matter what I wore. I was always a bit nervous about going into clothing stores. I didn't want people to look at me and wonder why someone like me would be in a fancy store like this. But seeing me looking like a beggar right next to Iwamoto made me realize. I had to show him that I cared about my appearance too. I didn't really want to look good. I wanted people to think that I was making an effort.

So I boldly asked Iwamoto if he could help me find clothes. He was a bit taken aback since he had never bought clothes in that kind of a place. Same as me.

Iwamoto was reluctant at first, but once he started choosing, he seemed to enjoy it. His ability to enjoy anything is one of his beauties. The staff was also very supportive. They did not look down on me who was badly dressed. Was it because it was a good store with well-trained staff, or was it because Iwamoto was with me? Probably both.

Because I thought that kind of opportunity was rare, I ended up buying all the clothes Iwamoto had said were good. Iwamoto was flustered. For him, it was impossible to buy so many clothes in one shopping trip, but for me, it was an honor to wear the clothes Iwamoto had chosen for me.

In the end, we were late to witness most of the illumination shows. It made me wonder what we had come there for in the first place. But I was relieved to see that Iwamoto was in a good mood.

"It's fun, isn't it? Let's go somewhere again, wearing the clothes we bought today," Iwamoto said.

After that, we went out again several times.

We went to a town by the sea to eat seafood. We took a walk along the seaside in winter. We went to a car test-drive event and talked about the next car we should buy. We went to see an action movie. We had an all-you-can-eat buffet at a nearby yakiniku restaurant. Everything with Iwamoto was terribly fun.

To be honest, I've been wanting to propose to him for quite some time. Particularly since the emergence of MFUU, same-sex marriage became very common. Their existence had broken down the stereotype that same-sex couples cannot reproduce through natural mating. The unshakable reality silenced the opposition. And because of this miracle too, it seemed that we should no longer rely solely on existing science. The day might come when we would see a perfect woman capable of growing a penis and impregnating another woman. Some scholars said that.

So now, no matter where you live in this country, you can have a same-sex marriage. They are granted the same rights as marriages between men and women. Iwamoto is an adult, and as long as he agrees, we can get married. But I thought that would be too fast, so I added three more weeks to my initial plan and waited until the announcement of her sister's exam pass.

Now the big question is, will Iwamoto be willing to marry me? Everything can go wrong. I ask him to marry me, he refuses, I'll say okay. It will hurt, but I'm prepared for it. I notice that Iwamoto has not told his sister about me. Though, I can understand the situation: her brother suddenly seems to be living with an older man he just met, says that that old man is his doctor, that they are lovers and are going to become husband and wife. It would be a strange situation. If I were Iwamoto's sister, I would definitely be suspicious. I would not be able to keep my cool suspecting that this old man is actually using her older brother to marry him. Moreover, she has an important exam coming up. Iwamoto probably does not want to cause her any unnecessary stress.

Frankly, I am being too impatient to marry Iwamoto as soon as possible. He is so dangerously popular. I want to declare to every person in the world that Iwamoto is my spouse. However, I also realize that I cannot go over the line. I have to respect him.

The phone rings.

Iwamoto quickly picks it up before the second ring.

"Haruka!"

Did she pass?

"I see, I see, I'm glad, I'm really glad. You did a great job, you idiot! Don't worry about it! I'm sure you did your best! Congratulations!"

Looks like everything is in order with her. My shoulders slump in tremendous relief. I forget all about my national exams years ago, but I'm a thousand times sure I wasn't as happy as I am now.

"Yes, oh... Well, why don't you just take your time?"

Iwamoto is still on the phone. He always talks about a lot of stuff with his sister, so this is going to be long. And since I'm afraid I'll make a strange noise and his little lie will be exposed, I get up to retreat myself to my room.

"Haruka, there's something I need to tell you."

I stop in my tracks.

"I've no longer been living in my boss' place for quite some time."

I widen my eyes.

"I'm living with the very good doctor who took care of me when I first discovered that I'm an MFUU. Oh yeah, yeah, you remember him well, yes, Yuge-Sensei. Thanks to him, I don't need to show my juniors my bloody trouser and stuff."

Iwamoto glances briefly at me and giggles.

"Shut up! I was going to tell you once you passed. I'm sure you'll pass, you idiot! I ain't worried!"

Then Iwamoto cut off his speech and lowers his head. His cheeks are red.

My face turns red as well.

"I'm in a relationship with my doctor. I'm going out with him."

A few seconds of silence. Then, comes a girl's high-pitched, excited voice. It is so loud that I can hear it from where I stand.

"Oh, shut up already, don't scream! Oh, uh, I thought you were going to react differently. Haha, what kind of question is that? Yes, he's handsome. He's sweet and strong and cool. He's a fuc*ing good-looking man. No, no, he doesn't like taking pictures. Ask something else."

I'm not good-looking, I'm definitely not good-looking. You are the one who meets the definition of good-looking!

"Yes? Oh, no, not yet."

There's another cry from the phone. Iwamoto looks at me with his eyes squint in joy.

"No, next time. I said no. I'll call you again later." Ignoring the continued bawling, Iwamoto hangs up the phone.

"Heh heh." Iwamoto lowers his eyebrows and giggles mischievously. "I said it."

I stagger back toward the sofa.

"Just how? Isn't he really awesome? How did you catch him, such a good one!" Iwamoto playfully mimics his sister's tone. He really is in a good mood.

With a smile, Iwamoto then brings his hands closer to me and gently strokes my cheek. No, he wipes my tears! Oh my, I am unaware that I am crying right now.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I really wanted to tell her earlier. I waited for her to pass the exam. I was very scared she would object and tell me to break up from you. Well, I would never do that even if she said so..."

I sniff.

"I've been waiting for this day too. I've been waiting for Haruka-san to pass the national exam."

"What? Why?"

I grab Iwamoto's hand on my cheek.

"Iwamoto."

It is so awkward to say this while I am crying. But what's the point of me worrying about my appearance now?

"Please marry me."

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