Happy Valentines Day!
Chapter Ten:
Rōzu felt particularly smug, but only for a few seconds.
She had been sparring with Pie every day for a week now and this was the first time she ever managed to win a duel with him. She had never thought she'd be capable of throwing her oldest brother in a judo match, and was incredibly impressed with herself.
With his face pressed against the mat, both wrists in Rōzu's hands with her foot between his shoulders, Pie was proud of her. He knew for a fact that this was not an easy feat and that most female students at the Academy had particular trouble with judo, especially ones Rōzu's size and therefore did not have much weight to utilize. It was harder when the opponents were so much larger.
And he definitely had not been going easy on her, nor she on him.
Which was something Rōzu realized quickly as a potential mistake, a possibly deadly one.
"Pie," She said urgently, moving her foot and dropping his arms, dropping to her knees and forcing her brother onto his back.
"The battle is not over," Pie informed her as he tried to lunge for her but Rōzu grabbed his wrists again.
"I'm calling it, then," Rōzu said quickly. Pie froze, and she saw the confusion in his face. Then, carefully, Rōzu let go of his wrists again to put her hand on the left side of her brother's chest.
"The device in your chest," She said. "It's just under the muscle. I can feel it even through your shirt. What happens if it breaks while we're sparring?"
"It will not break," Pie said reassuringly, folding his legs to sit more comfortably on the floor. "The mats do help."
"That thing wasn't designed for someone who gets flipped, kicked or punched, no matter how soft the landing material is." Rōzu argued. "Besides, isn't it basically supposed to zap your heart if it stops beating? What happens if it does that while your heart is really going fast and then pressure is applied? Or if it does actually break? It's so close to your heart. It could kill you. Whoever designed this didn't design it for the user to do this sort of thing."
Pie couldn't disagree and tentatively rubbed his chest with one hand. What he didn't tell Rōzu was that he was the one who designed the small contraption. He had brought the idea from Earth and redesigned it in a way that would be beneficial to Cyniclons. It hadn't been planned that he would be the very first test subject, though. He had finished the first prototype weeks before the accident and it had been coincidence that the hospital he was brought to had volunteered to try the prototypes on those they thought it would benefit.
The Healers hadn't expected Pie's heart to momentarily stop during surgery. And they certainly hadn't expected it a second time.
Pie knew that his father was the one who gave permission for the Healers to quickly insert the device, hoping that if his heart stopped again that the device would do its job. And, luckily, it did. But he also knew his father felt some guilt over the entire incident. Risa was in another room with Rōzu at the time, the girl being the last of Pie's biological siblings to give blood on his behalf, and the others were asleep. There wasn't time to wake anyone or go to Risa. Curry had to decide then and there what to do, and hoped he made the right decision.
Curry had told Pie all this, almost in a confessing manner. Pie could understand his father's distress, even long after the device proved to have been not only a success but one of the things that had saved his life. But still to make a decision that was life or death, and on behalf of one of your own children… Pie wasn't a parent himself but was also aware that it was a decision no parent wanted to have to make.
But Rōzu and Éclair were the only ones unaware that this particular device was crafted by Pie himself. It was something very few knew in general. Pie knew the instant he was told why he had an incision down the length of his sternum but no problems with his heart, lungs or any other organs within his ribcage and the only real damage to his chest being a few broken ribs. But he had been scolded by Rin, Rirī and Kish when the only thing he wanted to know if it worked right and for some statistics. As he half-listened to their berating, he realized he should have at least waited for the pain medicine to wear off some and he was able to actually pretend that he was fully awake.
But, still, he had to admit Rōzu was right. It was fairly dangerous, especially with the device untested in this regard.
However, he was also grateful for this chance Rōzu unknowingly dangled before him.
It was a chance to be a scientist again.
Pie pulled Rōzu onto his lap and held her there, arms wrapped around her.
"Rōzu, while I believe this is safe, you do raise a valid concern," He told her. "Moreover, this is something you are concerned about, and present valid reasoning to be concerned. Therefore, I will research it."
"And we won't spar until you know for sure if it is safe or not, got it?" Rōzu said, pulling away from Pie just enough to give him a serious look. The corner of Pie's mouth lifted, suspecting that is what she was doing.
"Precisely," He said. "You will be the final deciding factor when it comes to us sparring again, no matter what I find."
"Good," Rōzu said, wrapping her arms around her brother, giving him a small squeeze.
As Pie sat there with Rōzu on his lap, he started thinking.
If he was going to investigate this properly, he was going to need the already-known information. Information about the device itself, the patient, the procedure, the circumstances and a basic idea of health and anatomy. To get that information, he'd have to find someone who had what he needed.
And the best someone for this task, he was sure, was Rirī.
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"You walked into a doorframe?" Rirī said in disbelief.
It was the most convincing lie Pie could come up with. Which was why he was now sheepishly rubbing his chest, his wet hair still sticking to his face and neck. The idea had come while he was in the shower. In order to present a hypothetical and potentially dangerous situation, first he needed to present a real and potentially dangerous situation.
So far, it seemed to be working. At least, he was hoping it was working.
Rirī heaved a sigh and rubbed her forehead.
"Alright, sit down, let me have a look," She said.
Pie did as he was told and sat on the edge of the bed. A few moments later, Rirī bounced onto the bed beside him and tenderly pressed her fingers over his heart. After a few moments of prodding, she said,
"You're fine. Nothing's broken. I think you'd have definitely felt and or heard it if it did."
"I figured as much, but it is never unwise to get a professional's opinion," Pie said.
"Cut the flattery, Pie-Chan," Rirī said. She narrowed her eyes. "I don't think you actually walked into a doorframe at all, by the way. What is it exactly that's going on?"
"Nothing. Why are you acting so suspicious?"
"Because I have seven siblings and only one of them isn't devious. Plus I'm not stupid."
Pie couldn't deny that it wasn't a valid reason.
"Pie, just tell me what's up," Rirī said, now more concerned than annoyed as she took her brother's hand in hers. "I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, not even Mama or Papa."
Pie carefully weighed his response. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he needed Rirī's help. She knew a lot more about the body than he did, and he really would need some sort of help in order to study this the way he needed to. So, he decided to tell a half-truth.
"I want to learn to fight again. And in order to do that, I am going to require more strenuous activity and—"
"A couple of hits to the mat, and the body as well," Rirī finished. "And so you're worried about whether or not this device… actually, did you give this thing a real name or what?"
"I did not, but it's predecessor is a human medical device called a 'pacemaker'."
"Good enough. You're worried about whether or not the pacemaker will work with what you want to do."
"Exactly. And I want to have your thoughts and opinions on the matter, and any definite answers you might have that I do not."
"Well, I honestly don't know," Rirī admitted. "If I had gotten my hands on it before, maybe I'd have an answer. But I only know what I've been told, which is about the same thing as you." She thought. "I guess the first thing, in order to act accordingly, is see if your heart can handle the exercise."
"It can," Pie said, almost defensively.
"The only examples we have to go on is from your physical therapy with Tali, and even though she pushed you, she never pushed you as hard as a trainer at the Academy did," Rirī said.
Pie almost opened his mouth to respond, but didn't. Rōzu definitely made him work harder than Tali. Not as much as the Academy had, but enough. Obviously, though, he couldn't tell Rirī that.
"Then what do you suggest?" Pie asked.
"First, we see how much—if at all—your body is relying on the pacemaker," Rirī said.
"It's been months," Pie pointed out.
"I know," Rirī said. "But we don't know if your heart still needs it. We're still on the lookout for any potential issues."
"I did not realize that you were included in the multitude of Healers who use the collective 'we'," Pie said teasingly, a smile tugging his lips. Rirī shoved his shoulder playfully.
"I've always been one of your Healers, and always will be whether you like it or not, so you better get used to it," Rirī said, just as teasingly.
"So I shall," Pie said. "What do you suggest we do first in our course of action, Healer Ikisatashi?"
"Well," Rirī said. "First thing first, we'd need to look at your pacemaker's most recent transcripts, and I could compare them to previous ones. But you know what that means."
Pie grimaced.
"Yes," He said.
The pacemaker-device also recorded Pie's heartbeat. The doctors were concerned with the fact that Pie's heart had stopped several times during the surgery and wanted to keep a closer look in case there were problems that they hadn't been able to diagnose right away or if there was some sort of long lasting effect. While it didn't transmit to a computer of any sort, there was another device that was laid over Pie's chest that would copy over the recordings.
While this process wasn't painful or invasive, it did annoy Pie because he had to lie quiet and motionless for a half-hour. And he had to be awake, not asleep, in case he shifted in his sleep.
Rirī sighed and rubbed her brother's arm.
"Sorry, Pie," She said. "I know you get bored out of your mind, but you're actually due for it anyways. Best to just get it out of the way and get the information you want, right?"
Pie hated that Rirī was the most logical out of his siblings. But he couldn't disagree.
"Breakfast first?" He asked. Rirī laughed.
"Yeah, breakfast first," She said, grabbing his hands as she stood up. "Come on."
When Pie and Rirī were nearing the kitchen, he suddenly remembered something.
"Today is Saturday," He said.
"Sure is," Rirī said.
"Lettuce and I were going to go to the library before she goes to work," Pie said.
"Oh? When is she coming over?" Rirī asked.
"We said we would meet at Café Mew Mew at nine AM."
"Hmm, that's an hour and a half from now," Rirī said. "We don't have to do the recording today."
"No, I am hoping that whatever information I can glean from the recordings I can use to help me conduct more research," Pie said. "And I would like to start as soon as possible."
"Well, I think we might have enough time to do both," Rirī said. She paused and then said, "Hey, would it be a problem if I went with you two? I'm kind of curious about the library as well. It sounds so cool but I haven't had a chance to go yet."
"Of course you can come," Pie said. "You are always more than welcome to."
"Me too?" Kish said, suddenly appearing behind the two, resting his elbow on Rirī's head, making her swat at him.
"Yes," Pie said. He frowned some. "Have I been indicating that anyone would be unwelcome to join Lettuce and myself on these excursions?"
"No, we just didn't know if you'd feel like you were being baby-sat if we just decided to follow you," Kish said. "Besides, we'd be intruding on your time with your friend."
"Lettuce is your friend as well," Pie argued.
"Yeah, but, oh, how do I put this?" Rirī said. "Lettuce is our friend, but she's much more your friend because you two are always hanging out together."
"That is not true. We are not always 'hanging out' together. Last night we both sat with you two as well as the rest of the staff at Café Mew Mew, therefore 'hanging out' with other friends. We did not even sit next to each other."
"No, you sat across from each other and talked primarily with each other about different books and occasionally you'd both respond to something in the conversations around you," Kish said. "Besides, we've been here a whole week now and every day you two have done something together or gone somewhere or at least talked for nearly an hour. So, what? Do you like her?"
"Kisshu," Rirī said in a scolding manner as Pie responded,
"Of course. Is that not the basis for having a friendship with someone? Because you 'like' them?"
"But do you love her?" Kish asked a sing-song voice, smirking some.
Before Pie could even really process Kish's question, Rirī said,
"Kisshu, don't be rude. It's none of our concern, no matter what. And, besides, boys and girls can be friends without it becoming love."
"Yeah, well, your 'friendship' with Zen says otherwise," Kish said, turning his teasing towards his sister, who's cheeks were suddenly stained pink. Pie couldn't disagree with Kish's statement. Zen and Rirī had been best friends since they were small, but within the past year, they realized that they had fallen in love with each other and were now dating.
"Well then, you and Lemon are the support to my statement," Rirī returned coolly. Kish clenched his fists at his sides, lips pressed together.
"Lemon and I aren't even really friends anymore," Kish snapped, suddenly irritable, glancing away.
"When did that happen?" Pie asked, arching an eyebrow. He had always known that Kish and his classmate, Lemon, had an off and on friendship. The two were always bickering and it seemed as if they were too much alike to really get along. However, they were also very good at combining their mischief, playing pranks on people and generally causing a disturbance. As far as Pie knew, this was the only thing that had really cemented the two titling each other 'friend'.
"When we were thirteen. She went off to focus on her Healer training. I went off to focus on my military training. It's no big deal, okay?" Kish snapped. "Come on, let's go eat."
With that, he stormed towards the kitchen, but Rirī and Pie lingered only a moment to exchange sighs.
"Ichigo may be the first person he realized he loved, albeit unreciprocated," Pie said.
"But Lemon was definitely his first crush." Rirī said with a nod, knowing exactly what her older brother was about to say.
"Precisely."
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Lettuce was surprised to see Kisshu sitting on the Café doorstep when she arrived. He looked up from a volume of manga, which he snapped shut at seeing her.
"Yo," Kish said, standing up.
"Good morning, Kisshu-San," Lettuce said, giving the boy a smile.
"Pie asked me to wait here for you," Kish explained.
"He's still at your ship?" Lettuce asked, brow furrowing slightly in confusion.
"Yeah, currently undergoing his own version of torture: boredom," Kish said, rolling his eyes some.
Lettuce blinked once and said,
"Huh?"
Kish sighed and said,
"Come sit down, I'll explain."
Lettuce cautiously sat down beside Kish on the stairs and he explained to Lettuce the situation, ending with:
"Pie gets very bored and is usually in a foul mood by the time the transmission session is all over. Henceforth, his version of torture."
"I… think I get it…" Lettuce said. "So, that's what he's doing right now? Checking the pacemaker?"
"Yep. What's weird to me is that I think he might have actually reminded Rirī about it this time, but why I don't know. Anyways, he and Rirī ended up running a bit behind, so Pie asked me to wait here for you since he knew you'd be here before he was," Kish said. He glanced at the manga in his hand. "I've got to put this back in Tart's room before he notices I took it. Wanna come with me back to the ship?"
"Sure," Lettuce said, suddenly feeling excited. She hadn't seen the inside of the alien's ship before.
"Awesome," Kish said, getting to his feet. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, because he said, "Oh, and Rirī and I kind of wanted to join you and Pie at the library today, if that's cool with you. Pie's given his okay, but if it's a problem with you…"
"No," Lettuce said, shaking her head in confusion. "No, that's perfectly fine. Why would you think that's a problem, Kisshu-San?"
"Ah, never mind," Kish said. He could understand Pie, physically blind and mostly an emotionless zombie, not realizing he was completely in love with this girl. But Lettuce? These two could be so frustrating sometimes. "Come on."
Kish grabbed her wrist and teleported, bringing her straight into the kitchen.
"Didn't know you left," Rin said, glancing over her shoulder at Kish.
"Didn't know you still left your lab these days," Kish retorted. "You know there was hot food in here an hour ago?"
Rin rolled her eyes and continued to peel an orange alongside a bowl full of dry cereal and a cup of coffee.
"Ohayo, Rin-San," Lettuce said. Rin just lifted her hand briefly in a somewhat wave but didn't turn.
"Don't mind her, I'm not sure when she slept last," Kish said to Lettuce in an undertone. Sensing that it was probably unwise to leave Lettuce alone with Rin, Kish nodded towards a doorway. "Follow me."
Lettuce nodded and they were almost out the door when Rin asked,
"What are you and Pie doing so early this morning, Midorikawa-San?"
"Well, I think now it's more what Pie-San, Kisshu-San, Rirī-San and I are doing this morning," Lettuce explained, pausing to speak to the older girl. "We're going to the library."
"Should have known," Rin mumbled. Suddenly, a thought came to her. Kisshu and Rirī would both be there… They could help her keep an eye on Pie and she could better investigate the library without worrying…
"Would it be alright if I joined this excursion?" Rin asked, turning and offering her smallest, shyest smile. A smile Kish didn't know Rin could pull off until he saw it.
"Of course!" Lettuce said cheerfully. Was Rin finally starting to forgive her? She hoped so. As Kish studied Rin, he was hoping for the same, if for Pie's sake more than anyone else. Pie and Rin had always been attached at the hip, but Kish also saw how Pie seemed to be starting to have a similar relationship with Lettuce. Kish knew that if things continued to be tense between Lettuce and Rin, Pie would eventually have to choose between his sister and one of the few close friends he had (and, as Kisshu was still sure of, had a crush on at the very least). He knew if that would happen, one of the girls were going to get hurt, and Pie undoubtedly would be too.
"I don't know why you all feel the need to ask for permission every time, though." Lettuce said. Suddenly, she looked worried, glancing between Kish and Rin. "Have we been acting exclusive? If so, that wasn't our intention and—"
Kish interrupted her, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
"No, nobody's felt excluded," He said. "Just better to ask permission than forgiveness, right?"
"Oh. Of course," Lettuce said, cheeks staining red some.
"Come on, I'll show you around," Kish said the ship. Lettuce nodded and followed him out of the kitchen. Kish gave her the grand tour, the highlight being him sneaking back into Tart's room while the boy was who-knows-where.
As Kish dragged Lettuce down the hall, they stopped at seeing Rōzu.
"Ohayo," Rōzu said, giving a wave of greeting to the two.
"Ohayo," Lettuce responded.
"Lettuce Onee-Chan, I guess you're here for Pie-Chan?" Rōzu asked.
"Uh, I guess you could say that," Lettuce said, still feeling a bit awkward. She was still somewhat of a stranger, and in someone else's house, er, transport. Space-traveling hotel? Intergalactic mobile home? She really didn't know what to refer to it as.
"Pie-Chan should be ready soon," Rōzu said. "I heard him and Rirī arguing about something just a few minutes ago."
"It is considered rude to eavesdrop, Rōzu." Pie said, coming up behind his sister and gently bringing his hand down on top of her head.
"I wasn't eavesdropping," Rōzu insisted, leaning her head back to look at her brother upside down. "I simply happened to overhear. And I couldn't even make out anything either of you said."
"Which was one of the reasons we didn't speak so loud," Rirī said, adjusting the bag she had slung over her shoulder. She turned to Lettuce. "Ohayo, Lettuce-Chan."
"Good morning," Lettuce said in response.
"You two ready to go?" Kish asked.
"I believe so," Pie said, releasing Rōzu.
"Have fun at the library!" Rōzu said as the four headed back towards the kitchen as Kish quickly explained that Rin was coming as well.
"So she does know there's an exit to the lab," Was Rirī's only response.
"I heard that," Rin said, eyes narrowed as she poked her head out of the kitchen door.
"You ready or do you need more time?" Kish asked.
"I'm good to go," Rin said, stuffing some items into her bag. "Let's go."
They arrived at the library shortly after. Pie and Rirī seemed to have an idea of what they were looking for, as they went straight for the catalog computer.
"What are they looking for?" Lettuce asked as she sat down at a table with Rin and Kish.
"Heck if I know," Kish said with a shrug.
"Ohayo, Midorikawa-Chan!"
Lettuce glanced over and smiled at Mari-San the Librarian.
"Ohayo!" She said. "Mari-San, meet Pie-San's sister and brother, Rindou-San and Kisshu-San. Pie-San is currently looking for books with his other sister, Rirī-Chan. Kisshu-San, Rindou-San, Mari-San is one of the librarians here."
"Nice to meet you," Mari said with a smile and a small bow.
"Same," Kish said, nodding his head. Rin lifted her head briefly to give a small, half-smile in greeting.
"Do you mind if I sit down with you for a few minutes?" Mari asked.
"Not at all," Lettuce said. Mari sat down beside Lettuce, directly across from Kish who sat beside Rin.
"Pie-San told me that he lost his sight in an accident," Mari said. "Honestly, this is quite a unique situation. The library is affiliated with a school for the blind, but most of the students are either born blind, or have lost their sight due to illness. With those who were ill, they were able to learn braille and some other things prior to becoming completely blind. It helps, we've found, with the transition. But with something so sudden… I can only imagine how difficult that is."
"It has been," Kish admitted with a sad nod. "And I know it's been a lot harder on Pie than he lets on sometimes. I've always thought that Pie's number one fatal flaw has always been that he tries too hard to be tough."
"Pie-San… he's the oldest?" Mari asked, giving Rin a glance that seemed to be assessing her age in comparison to Pie's.
"Yeah, Pie beat Rin for that position." Kish said.
"By five minutes," Rin added as she cross referenced a note on another sheet of paper, not looking up.
"And we've got three younger siblings, too. I think he does it especially for-slash-because of them, although mostly it's just personality." Kish said.
Mari nodded.
"I have a big brother myself. He does the same thing." She said. "Which leads to the question I want to ask: what kind of help do you—as some of those closest to Pie-San—think that he needs and what help will he accept?"
"What do you mean?" Lettuce asked, no one noticing Rin's hand pausing in writing mid-kanji.
"There is a lot of technology that exists now to help people who are visually impaired live without having to be on reliant on others, as well as a few tips and tricks that have been passed down that are still useful. Everyone has a desire to be self-sufficient, to be able to do things on their own, but that can be made difficult by the sudden loss of a sense." Mari explained.
"And there's technology that can help with that?" Kish asked, looking surprised.
"Oh, yes!" Mari said with a large smile. "There are now cellphones, computers and E-readers that have specially designed screens so that the braille can change. There are also watches that are similar, and there is a hand-held device that scans objects and makes certain sounds for certain colors. There are also cups with sensors inside that make a noise when the cup is full and gadgets that identify money. And there's also lots of new things that help with navigation…"
"Navigation?" Kish repeated, and Lettuce watched as he straightened in his seat, ears perking slightly. "Like what?"
"Well, they make bands that go around a person's wrist that tells them if they are too close to an object, and there are special canes that do something similar, looking out for things like stairs or a car, even another person. There's canes without that feature, though, and guide dogs serve just as well." Mari said.
"Then I think we might just have found the answer to your question, Mari-San," Kish said, a big grin spreading across his face. "Pie's only options in navigation are either cling to the walls or to someone else, and I know he doesn't like either of them."
"For some reason, I don't think Pie-San would very much like a dog," Lettuce said musingly.
"Agreed," Kish said with a nod. "Pie's not a big animal person anyways. But the wrist band… that I think he'd like."
"He doesn't need it."
Kish, Lettuce and Mari turned with surprise to Rin, who was slowly packing up the things she had just brought out.
"Why do you say that?" Mari asked.
"He doesn't," Rin mumbled. "He just doesn't. He has us for that sort of thing."
"Come on, Rin, you know how Pie often likes to just go off by himself," Kish said. "This will let him do that again. After everything that he's gone through in the last couple of months, I think he needs it just as much as he's needed people around him."
"He still needs us. He needs…" Rin suddenly shook her head some, looking flustered before continuing, "Besides, Kisshu, you should know better. Pie doesn't need to be by himself for reasons you know all too well."
"But isn't it better to have the option? Besides, even if there are others around to help, it's nice to do things on your own," Lettuce said.
"You don't get any sort of say," Rin said as she stood up.
"And what says you do?" Kish asked coolly, lips pressed together tightly.
Rin just glared at him before stalking away, curls bouncing as she left. Kish sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
"I'm sorry," He said to Mari and Lettuce. "Rin hasn't been taking any of this well, really. She's been very over-protective of him lately."
"Understandable," Mari said with a nod. "It sounds to me like everyone in your family is still adjusting to the new normal. It'll take a while, but she'll start relaxing more when she knows Pie-San is able to do more on his own."
"I sure hope so," Kish said with a sigh. "I know I can't take much more of it, and I don't think Pie can either."
"Eh? Where'd Rin go?" Rirī asked as she came back, arms loaded with books, Pie not too far behind her with a few tucked under his arm, his fingers trailing along the shelves. Lettuce noticed he wasn't reading the braille on the books' spines, so that meant he was using the shelves as a guide to make sure he didn't walk anything. Lettuce felt her heart grow heavy; Mari was right. Pie needed something to help navigate; walls and shelves that eventually ended wasn't it.
"She forgot that she had something to do at home," Kish lied easily in response to Rirī's question.
Lettuce couldn't tell if Kish was that great of a liar that they both believed it, or if Rirī and Pie were both too interested in whatever books they had brought over to really recognize it. Either way, she wasn't going to complain.
Mari cheerfully greeted Pie and then introduced herself to Rirī. However, she did have to excuse herself to go help another patron nearby.
"Got enough books?" Kish asked, looking at the books that Pie and Rirī had spread out on the table.
"Never," Pie responded.
Lettuce glanced at two lying on top of each other and noticed that underneath the braille was large numbers that said where these books belonged on the shelf. She noticed that they went near each other, the exact same place. Her knowledge of libraries told her that meant that these books were on the same topic.
"Why did you get all of these books on the heart?" She asked.
"It's a bit of a long story," Rirī said.
Lettuce recalled what Kish told her when they first met up that morning.
"Does this have anything to do with the pacemaker?" She asked.
"It does," Pie said, his attention on the book in front of him.
"Wait a second," Kish said, narrowing his eyes. "Are you two playing scientist or something with this?"
"Or something." Rirī said.
Kish rolled his eyes.
"I won't ask any more questions," He declared. "Because I'm either not going to understand a word you two say, or I'm going to understand perfectly and not like it."
Lettuce chose to not ask questions for the exact same reason.
Eventually, Pie and Rirī had decided which books they needed for whatever it was they were researching and checked them out, heading to the Café. However, for once, Pie seemed annoyed about going to work and clearly wanted to get to his books.
After several long, stressful, noisy and messy hours, the Café was closed and clean. However tired the staff was, they weren't quite ready to part ways yet.
"Let's play a card game!" Éclair said excitedly, pulling out a deck of cards. The Cyniclons had been teaching their human friends to teach Cynnth card games, and in return the humans taught the Cyniclons human games.
"Old Maid, na no da!" Pudding suggested eagerly.
"Sounds good to me," Ichigo said. "But it looks like we'll have to alternate as to who plays and who doesn't since there's a lot of us."
"You can count me out entirely," Pie said. After being away from the books for so long, he was ready to get back to them and find the answers he both wanted and needed.
"Me, too," Lettuce said, blushing slightly. "I'm really bad at Old Maid."
"Anyone else?" Kish asked as he started to shuffle the deck of cards.
"I will gladly sit out and enjoy being a spectator of the first round with a cup of tea," Mint said.
"Me too," Berry said with a nod. Rirī opted to join them as the rest gathered round the table to play.
As those playing and those sitting out divided into their own separate tasks and mentalities, Lettuce walked over to Pie before he could teleport away.
"May I join you as you read?" She asked.
"You may if you tell me how you knew that it what I planned to do," Pie said with a small frown. He did not like the idea of being predictable.
"Lucky guess," Lettuce said with a small smile and a playful tone of voice. "And because I could tell that's been what you've wanted to do since we left the library."
Pie's frown deepened, but he responded,
"Fair enough of an answer."
With that, he extended his hand for Lettuce to take and they both disappeared.
As they did, Kish and Rirī exchanged a knowing look before simultaneously rolling their eyes.
"What was that look for?" Ichigo asked.
"What look?" Kish asked innocently.
"Uh, the smug one?" Ichigo said.
"If by 'smug' you mean 'totally and completely right despite our dear older brother being so in denial about a lot of things', then you are right." Rirī said.
"What's Pie in denial about?" Mint asked.
"Something so obvious it shouldn't take us answering for you to know," Kish said as he started to deal the cards.
"Something to do with Lettuce-Chan?" Berry suggested.
"Ding-ding-ding," Kish said with a smirk.
"Something to do with Lettuce and the massive crush she has on Pie?" Ichigo said, also slightly smirking as she picked up her cards. "Yeah, that look is completely justified then."
Éclair hid her grin behind her playing cards. She might need to work on Pie a bit, but otherwise everything was going perfectly! Now she just had to keep it that way…