Chapter 2
New FacesOver Kyoko's first few days working as a geriatric care nurse she quickly discovered that it was no walk in the park.
The most immediately noticeable thing about Mrs. Berger was that she was missing one leg. This, it was explained, was because she had been a missionary in the Democratic Republic of Congo in her younger years. She had later relinquished her status as a woman of God and returned to France after losing one leg to a starved leopard.
Whilst no one had explained it to Kyoko, it soon became apparent that she now spent her every waking moment endeavouring to make herself completely legless through the means of cheap liquor. This created an almost never-ending supply of work for Kyoko, who was constantly collecting empty bottles from all manner of nooks and crannies around the house. Kyoko didn't yet know where the nearest recycling point was, and so was forced to stockpile this hoard of glass in a corner of her attic room until she knew what to do with it.
When she was not screaming drunkenly at her husband, Mrs. Berger was nursing a hangover and scheming. Quite what she was scheming was never made clear, but it seemed to involve brambles, a pitchfork and a rather unfortunate feline.
By contrast, her husband was a man of few words. Whenever Mr. Berger could avoid talking, he would. He took great relish in making swooping hand gestures and sign language with his great decrepit arms, usually knocking over a nearby object or his wife in the process. During the day he could usually be found mumbling to himself whilst reading classic literature or wandering the house and avoiding his medication. This medication was a source of great insult to his pride, and he would spend great lengths of time widely opening his brown, weepy eyes and frantically gesticulating to make it clear that 'he didn't need any' and that 'he was strong'.
Between the two of them, the Bergers certainly kept Kyoko busy.
On The 22nd of August 2016 at 5:00am, the sun had not yet risen. Thus, when Kyoko was awoken by her alarm clock she forced to scramble madly in the darkness for a minute to find it and switch it off. During this time, she hit her head no less than 4 times on the low-hanging rafters of the place, and tripped over her own suitcase twice. This light morning exercise having been completed, she groped her way to the light switch and illuminated the tiny space.
Kyoko had been promised minimum wage and room and board in return for her work, but found that her current living environment fell significantly short of this description. Though the attic was spacious, it was completely bare apart from a small wrought iron framed bed. The 16 year-old had no doubt that the bed was at least twice her age, and that it had not been disturbed until her arrival. The distinct lack of furniture posed little problem to her, though. Her suitcase was now serving as a wardrobe, nightstand and chair in intervals throughout the day, a stroke of genius that she was extremely proud of.
'I suppose I've been pretty spoiled until now'
She buttoned her shirt and walked over to the absurdly large window at the end of the room.
'Still, I'll have a nice view of the fields in the summer'
Once her hair had been appropriately tamed and her apron donned, Kyoko made her way downstairs. She first crept round the living room and library silently picking up empty bottles of assorted alcohols and sweeping away lint and crumbs, and then headed to the kitchen. She set the table for three, and went about frying eggs and making toast with timing so perfect that when her elderly charges sat down to eat everything was still piping hot.
Kyoko was contractually obliged eat every meal with her employers, and was just as awkward during these events as she had been when she'd first met them. To her surprise, though, Mrs. Berger suddenly began to speak:
"See 'ere Kyoohko, ye 'aven't really wandered the town now 'have ye?"
"No, Mrs. Berger"
"Why don't ye 'ave a little wander aboot now, eh? Meet the people, git to know the place, all o' that? 'Course, you'd 'ave to tek the bins oot and get the groceries, but that's all in a day's work, ay?"
"Why thank you ma'am"
'Why is she being so nice?'
Kyoko leaned over to clear away the butter and caught an almost overwhelming smell of alcohol on Mrs. Berger's breath.
'Oh'
She nonetheless acted as if nothing had happened, and walked over to the fridge to put away the jam and butter.
'I really must check her bedside table one of these days, I'm sure she's got a bottle of whisky in there… Still, who am I to complain for an opportunity to stretch my legs a bit?'
Breakfast having been cleared away and ancient hermits safely ensconced in their faded floral armchairs, Kyoko stepped out.
It was a cool but sunny day, and as Kyoko walked along the dirt road leading to the village square, she couldn't help but feel a little bit excited. In fact, she was so wrapped up in fantasies about recycling points and quaint food markets that she did not hear the tinny rattle of a small engine coming up fast behind her. In an instant, Kyoko was brought to her senses by the screech of brakes and a loud exclamation:
"OY, MATE! I COULD'VE 'URT MESELF!"
A tall, black haired girl was shouting at her from behind the wheel of a milk float. From the back of the vehicle a wiry, bespectacled man made an appearance and began to brush the dust off of his coat. He looked irritably at his driver before voicing his own opinion whilst looking the orange-haired stranger in front of him over:
"Kanae… That was a little unnecessary, surely? Shouldn't we try to clear this up?"
The girl named Kanae huffed indignantly and rolled her eyes.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? Now I've got places ta be so I'll be off"
'What's your problem? You were the one who nearly ran me over'
With a rev of the milk float's pathetic engine, the girl was gone. She left behind a cloud of dust and, unknowingly, her wiry passenger.
"I do apologise for her behaviour, she can be quite rude around strangers. From the direction you're coming from, I assume you're the Berger's new carer?"
"Oh, yes. I'm Kyoko Mogami. Nice to meet you, Mr…?"
"Yashiro. Yukihito Yashiro. Please do call me Yukihito."
"So uh, I assume you're the milkman?"
"Oh goodness no!" he chuckled. "I'm local Vet's secretary. I organise appointments and such"
'Wait, so that means…'
Kyoko's face fell, but she continued to walk in time with her new acquaintance.
'At least he seems to be a nice guy… unlike his employer'
She glowered, eliciting a look of concern from her interlocutor.
"Ms. Mogami, have I angered you in any way?"
"Oh! No, not at all! I just-" scrambled Kyoko "Have a lot going on right now, you know? Oh, and please call me Kyoko"
By this time, the pair had reached the centre of the village.
"Well, if you ever need to talk I'll be at the front desk over there." Said Yashiro, pointing to a tall shop front labeled 'Tsuruga Veterinarian'. "Goodbye now!"
"Wait!-" Cried Kyoko "Do you know where the recycling point is?"
After spending an uncomfortable half-hour sorting green glass from clear and brown and making numerous trips back and forth from the house with weeks of accumulated garbage, the bin situation was finally taken care of. Now, Kyoko only had to get the groceries and the she would be free.
On one of her myriad trips to the recycling point that day, Kyoko had the good fortune of spotting "Takagi and Sons groceries and butchery". By retracing her steps, she was quickly able to find her way to this pleasant faux-Tudor ('Actually, it could be real Tudor… who knows?') shop front. The exterior plaster was in excellent condition, and a few well-tended rose bushes were planted near the front door. A pair of red curtains was drawn in the window display, but a small sign nonetheless indicated "Come on in! We're open!". Exterior architecture sufficiently ogled, Kyoko took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The display curtains did an excellent job of blocking out the sunlight, so the interior of the shop was almost pitch-dark. As Kyoko's eyes adjusted, she noticed a constant, rhythmic shing shing shing coming from the back. It was the sound of a knife being sharpened. Peering at the back, she was able to just about pick out the figure of a tall, willowy figure leaning over. Slowly, carefully, she began to step backwards, one arm reaching behind her for the door. Suddenly the figure turned. It had seen her. Unnaturally glowing eyes saw straight through the darkness and met hers. Kyoko perceived a bloody apron and did what any sensible human being would do in the same situation: she panicked.
'Oh God oh God oh God oh God where's the door oh godoh g-'
It was walking towards her now, footsteps fast and confident as a leopard. Kyoko was still desperately scrambling for the door handle, trapped.
Kyoko had already reassessed her will and was fully prepared to scream for her life when the lights were suddenly switched on. Both she and the person in front of her spent a silent 20 seconds blinking furiously in order to readjust before she was able to really see who it was. Before her stood a lanky beanpole of a person, leaning lazily on a shelf of tinned vegetables. He had messily cut bleached white hair and a superfluity of piercing in his ears. Most noticeably, he had purple eyes.
"Hiya there! Sorry if I scared ya, we tend to keep the front lights off on quiet days."
Kyoko must have let her face slip, displaying her terror and confusion, as he then felt the need to explain his accoutrements:
"I uh, I'm an apprentice butcher, ya know, so uh, this isn't what I usually wear"
"Oh right, okay. Sorry."
"Nah, it's okay. Newcomers tend to be a bit spooked by my whole look, so I'm used to it. Speakin' 'o which, you must be the girl taking care of the Berger couple. I've 'eard lots about ya. I'm Reino by the way, nice to meet ya"
"I'm Kyoko, nice to meet you too"
Reino cordially extended a hand to shake, but realised halfway that it was still wearing a bloodied rubber glove. He peeled this off with the speed and accuracy of a practiced hand, and re-offered it. Hands were shaken, and tensions immediately dropped.
"Now, 'ow can I 'elp you?"
"Oh, um, I have-" said Kyoko, reaching into her back pocket "this list, if that's okay. Mrs. Berger said to just hand it over"
Using his ungloved hand, the shopkeeper took it and looked it over.
"Yep, we got all this. Gimme a sec to change outta this stuff and I'll get it for ya"
He pocketed the slip of paper and went to the back. In a few moments, he reappeared minus his serial-killer-like attire and a winning customer service smile. He placed a brown paper package on the counter, and then went about the shop pulling items off of the shelves and then bagging them. Once filled, he brought the bag to the counter where Kyoko was waiting patiently and announced the total which she owed.
'That's weird. There's no way that all of that cost so little'
Reino seemed to have noticed Kyoko's puzzlement and offered the missing puzzle piece.
"I can't sell you the booze, miss. Yer still a minor."
'She's sneaky, I'll give her that'
"Well, I'll take this then please"
The transaction was taken care of and polite goodbyes were said. Kyoko headed out into the narrow country roads, pleased that she had made a new acquaintance.
'I suppose' She pondered, eyes roaming the bucolic landscape, 'That emos aren't city-exclusive any more'.