Narrator: Kiku

I began to clean the room. Ludwig-kun, Gilbert-kun, Alfred-kun, Matthew-kun, Mei-chan, and Hercules were all there. Hercules was laying down and closing his eyes.

"I'll help," Ludwig-kun said. He stood up and picked up cans and candles.

"Thank you," I said.

"I'll grab the candles me n' Mattie brought," Alfred-kun said. He stood up.

Everyone except Hercules stood up and started helping.

"Thank you all," I said. "You didn't have to do this."

"Nah, no problem," said Gilbert-kun.

Soon we cleared away all of the candles and cans. I heard a car outside the house.

Gilbert-kun left the room to look. He came back and said, "Hey, Mattie, Alfie, your mom's here. Mattie, see you at school!"

"Bye!" Alfred-kun said. "Kiku, you're awesome, thanks!"

Him and Matthew-kun left. Thirty minutes after that, everyone except for Hercules had left.

Hercules moved and woke up. He sat up slowly.

"Hm . . ." he said, looking around the room. "Everyone . . . left?"

"Yes," I said. "Ludwig-kun and Gilbert-kun left not long ago."

"Okay . . . sorry I . . . couldn't help out . . ." he said.

"It's okay," I said. "Do you need to be at your house soon?"

He shrugged. "It's not far . . ."

I looked at the clock outside. "My mother will return soon . . ."

He didn't say anything for a minute. Then he said, "Kiku? If you . . . don't mind me asking . . . where's your dad?"

I sat next to him. "I don't mind your asking," I said. "He died in the water when he took a fishing vacation. I was a baby."

He frowned. "Died . . . in the water . . . ? You mean drowned . . . ?"

"Yes, that's the word," I said. "I don't remember him."

There was another minute of silence.

"If you don't mind me asking," I said, pausing, "where is—?"

"My dad?" he asked. I nodded and looked at the floor.

"I . . . don't know," he said.

I waited.

"My mom . . . told me that . . . she met him at a bar," he said. "It was a . . . one-night stand."

"One-night . . . ?"

He explained.

"Oh."

"She never . . . got his name . . . or saw him again," he said.

"Your mother told you this?" I said.

He nodded. "We're . . . usually pretty open . . . with each other."

"I understand," I said.

There was another minute of silence.

"I like your costume," I said.

"Thanks . . . I like yours," he said. "So . . . what's your . . . favorite manga?"

"I like many manga," I said. "Burichi, Naruto, Kuroshitsuji, Wan Pisu, Monsuta, Tetsuwan Atomu, Burakku Jakku, Soru Ita—"

I stopped talking. "I'm sorry," I said. "I said a lot."

"It's fine . . ." Hercules said.

"What is your favorite manga or books?" I asked.

"I don't read . . . a lot now," he said. "I did . . . when I was younger. I liked . . . Alice in Wonderland . . . The Mysterious (. . .) Benedict Society . . . the Narnia series . . ."

"I know of Alice in Wonderland," I said. "I don't know of the other ones."

"Maybe . . . I should get back . . . into reading," he said.

I heard a car outside.

"That's probably my mother," I said. "Hercules, do you want to meet her?"

A minute after that, my mother opened the door and entered.

"Ah, tadaima . . . sagyō wa yosō—"

She stopped talking when she saw Hercules. "Oh, hello!" she said with a smile. "Are you a friend of Kiku's?"

Hercules nodded and stood up. "It's nice . . . to meet you. I'm . . . Hercules." He shook her hand.

"Kiku was told me about you," she said. "I'm happy since both of you like cats!"

"Er—Hercules, do you want me to walk you to your house?" I asked.

He nodded. "Thanks . . . nice to meet you, Ms. Honda . . . bye."

We left.

Translations:

The manga Kiku listed are, in order: Bleach, Naruto, Black Butler, One Piece, Naoki Urasawa's Monster, Astro Boy, Black Jack, and Soul Eater

Ah, tadaima... sagyo wa yoso- = Ah, I'm back... work was-