II. Ukyou
"It'll be great for business." Ukyou leaned over the cash register, pretending to count. Beside her Konatsu was furiously scrubbing a stubborn stain on the grill.
"Yes, Ukyou-sama," he answered.
"This wedding will be the event of the year, catered by Ucchan! I want to put together something cute, to show off our stuff. An okonomiyaki wedding cake! Of course there will be regular okonomiyaki too, and more, but we have to do something extra. We can take photos and put them up in the window. It'll be great publicity."
"Yes, Ukyou-sama."
"It's too bad it's not a western-style wedding. On the other hand, traditional is good. It fits our image. Tradition and innovation. That's not half bad, is it?"
"Yes, Ukyou-sama."
"It was so nice of Ranchan to ask me to cook. He knows how good it will be for the Ucchan. Notice he didn't ask Shampoo. Not that she would have done it anyway – you know, I haven't heard a peep out of her this whole time. Just goes to show, some people only care about themselves. Some people are only interested in their 'friends' when they think they can get something out of them."
"Yes, Ukyou-sama."
"A western-style wedding would be nice, though. Ranchan looks good in a suit. I think he would have asked me to be his best man. That would have been nice. But as it is, catering is still good. I think it'll really help us out. It's time to breathe new life into this place. I've been thinking for years about expanding. If that goes well, maybe we can open up another location. That'd be something, wouldn't it?"
"Yes, Ukyou-s––damn it!" Ukyou jerked her head around. Konatsu was staring in dismay at his torn, bleeding thumb nail. Ukyou hurried over to him, taking his hand in both of hers and lifting it for examination.
"Jesus, Konatsu. It's only a stain. It doesn't matter that much. Your poor hands!"
"I know. I ought to take better care of them," Konatsu said in a quavering voice. "I've let you down. Who would want to be served by a girl with such rough, unkempt hands?"
"Jesus, Konatsu!" Ukyou swore again, unsure how else to respond. "That's not what I meant. I'm glad you're working hard, but don't hurt yourself, for God's sake!" Idly she ran her thumb over the fine black hair that covered the back of his hand, and felt a tremor run through it. Don't you understand anything? she wanted to snap, but she knew it would only upset him more. Anger was not the right approach to take with Konatsu.
"Yes, Ukyou-sama. I'm sorry," he whimpered.
"There's nothing to be sorry for," she said, with exaggerated cheerfulness. "Here, I have an idea. Why don't we go for manicures together before the wedding? My treat."
"Really?" Konatsu asked, forgetting himself in his excitement and clutching her hands. "Oh Ukyou-sama, you're too kind!"
"Not at all. It'll be fun."
"Yes. Fun," Konatsu repeated rapturously. Ukyou puzzled over how easy it was to make him happy. It made her nervous, sometimes. His threshold for joy was set so low, she wasn't sure she would recognize real happiness if she saw it in him. She drew away from Konatsu and ran her finger over the grill. It was spotless.
"It'll be great for business. An auspicious new year for the Ucchan. Our best year yet! And Konatsu?"
"Yes, Ukyou-sama?"
"This time will be different. It will not be like last time."
"Yes, Ukyou-sama."