I'm lost. I was just going to the kitchen to make myself a snack when I got turned around and ended up in what I think might be a living room. Except Julie-san showed me the living room yesterday and this is not the same room. That living room had been nice and homey with a large blue plush sectional, and an ottoman. Everything in that room screamed comfort and relaxation. I mean the giant television and shelves stocked with every movie imaginable must have cost a fortune but something about the room had put me at ease. The room I've found myself in is cold and luxurious. Less lived in and more staged. Various trophies and prized possessions decorate the beige walls and there is a grand piano instead of a TV.
"I see you've found your way to the parlor." Kuon-san says as I am examining one of Kuu-san's awards in the wall. "This room is for entertaining guests who are not family. It's really posh and showy in here."
"It's nice." I say daring to touch the velvet loveseat. There was a white Persian cat I had seen wandering the halls the other day. I bet she never steps foot in this ostentatious room.
"It's boring and pretentious." Kuon-san says with a sneer at the awards on the wall. "Some day your awards might be up here." He coos at my son in my arms. The baby gurgles a reply and I think I almost see a smile on Kuon-san's face.
"I was looking for the kitchen." I think to explain before he can leave us alone. This house is so huge it might take me hours to find my way back to the room where they set up my sewing machine or Tina-san's room.
"The kitchen? If you're hungry all you need to do is text Yukihito. His number is in your phone." Kuon-san says, and I frown.
"I didn't want to bother anyone."
"He wouldn't consider it a bother. Go back to your crafts and I'll have him bring you something." Kuon-san says starting to walk away.
"I don't know how to get back to the craft room and I would really prefer to make myself something to eat." I say following him. He pauses in the archway then turns and points his thumb behind himself.
"The craft room is down this hall. My home office is the first door, that's where I was when I heard you out here mumbling to yourself about being lost. The door further down is your craft room. The last door down this hallway is our home gym. I spend most of my time in these two rooms." He says pointing out the doors to me as I peer around him.
"Thank you." I mumble glad that he is being nice for once.
He looks down his nose at me then sighs and says, "Come on I'll give you a tour. Julie probably meant to do it and got distracted by the new ears and backpacks at Dajowey again."
"Backpacks?" I had heard of the different themed ears. I even coveted some that I had managed to get a glimpse of, but I didn't know they had bags.
"Yes, evidently all the ones being released this year glow in the dark." He says in a mockingly mystified voice. "Come on before I change my mind."
He walks quickly across the room to the other exit. I adjust Eric in my arms, so he is secure as I chase after his 'uncle'.
"This is the living room," He says walking into the room Julie-san had already showed me. "It's like the parlor except the parlor is closer to the front door. And only immediate family is allowed in here, and the Takarada family."
"Do you often have guests?" I ask awed by the need for two living rooms.
"I told you my mom likes to have parties. She's grieving so she's bound to spend a lot of money and find any reason to invite guests over. Dad always gives her whatever she wants. Well, it's not like we don't have the room. The parlor is just for greeting guests in a professional capacity. Our lawyer, Julie's doctor, and anyone else who is here to meet with us but not staying for longer than an hour."
As he speaks, he walks backwards out of the living room and into another room. I step in to find what looks like a grand ballroom.
"This is party room A. There is another party room on the third floor. Along with a pool. Party room B has a terrace and thus a nicer view of the gardens. They had hoped that Rick would get married in the gardens and have his reception here." He says interrupting my twirling. "Should you be dancing with him in your arms?" He asks and takes the baby from me without asking.
"Careful!"
"Says the woman who was spinning around with him." He scolds tucking Eric in his arms. "I've got him don't worry. I used to babysit Maria-chan. This way come on."
"You've already seen this room," he says leading me into the dining room where we had breakfast before. "The kitchen is through here."
He pushes open a door and I follow him into a spacious kitchen. The long granite countertops are shiny and black. The center island has well used pots and pans hanging over it. I marvel like a kid in a candy store imagining all the food I could make in here. Things I wasn't able to make back in the small kitchen I shared with Shotaro. Mostly because he wouldn't let me buy any of the equipment I would need.
"I'll show you one more room here. Hopefully you can manage to not get lost anymore." He says beckoning me to follow him through another archway.
To my surprise there is another dining room behind the kitchen. This one is smaller; cozier and it has a fireplace and a bookshelf.
"This is the keeping room. Not many homes have them anymore but then not many homes have four living rooms." He says. I mouth four incredulously and his eyes sparkle with amusement as he nods pointing up to indicate that there are more on the other levels. "This door." He says pulling a door open that had been seamless with the wood paneling of the wall. "Is a secret passageway that will take you upstairs to the bedrooms."
"You have secret passages! Are you spies?" I ask. No wonder they are all so beautiful and they live in this great big house. It's like something out of an espionage movie.
"No, Kuu is a world-famous actor and Julie is a model." He explains as he shuts the door.
"And you and Rick?" I ask looking around the room. Not even the Fuwa Ryokan had this many miscellaneous rooms. It had bedrooms for guests sure, and tea ceremony rooms, but not four living rooms. What did a family need four living rooms for?
"Rick was an artist, but you should already know that." Kuon-san says, and I wish I could slap the devilish look off his face.
"Right, I was merely asking about you. What is it you do exactly Kuon-san?" I ask trying to cover the fact that I knew nothing about what Rick-san did.
"I help Takarada-san run LME." He says eyes hard and cold. "Here, the tour is over you should be able to find your way around now." He hands Eric back to me and turns on his heel to leave.
"Wait!" I shout rushing after him. What did I do to make him mad now? "Let me make you something to eat. To thank you for the tour."
"I'm not hungry." Is his surly reply.
That's a load of rubbish. He didn't come to supper last night and he skipped breakfast this morning.
"Please, I promise it will taste good." I follow him all the way to his office.
"No thank you." He says before slamming the door in my face.
"Hmph. Come on Eric, we'll make uncle grumpy face something delicious. Then he'll have to thank us and be nice." I grumble on my way back to the kitchen.
I use the secret passage to go up to Tina-san's room. I've never cooked while holding a baby before, so my plan is to bring his bassinet downstairs. This is something I have also never done with a baby in my arms before. If Kuu-san or Julie-san were here I would ask them. I could always message Yashiro-san as Kuon-san had suggested earlier but I have barely spent any time with him, and he seems so busy already.
With a worrisome expression I take out my phone and call Kuon-san. Amazingly he answers on the first ring.
"What is it now? You didn't get lost again already, did you?" He asks sounding irritated. I open my mouth but can't ask him for help. He's already pissed enough. I hear a sigh then in a softer voice he asks, "What do you need?"
"Nothing. I'm sorry. Sorry." I say in a hurry before hanging up.
"Mommy is so stupid." I whisper to Eric. "Kuon-san already hates me but here I am constantly adding fuel to the fire. Any day now he's going to demand a paternity test or even try to force me to produce documentation that I am Tina-san." There's no way I could do any of that, but I also couldn't convince him that it wasn't needed. I should just pack my things now and leave.
A knock at my door interrupts my panic. Kuon-san is in the hallway peering into the room.
"You needed something?" he accuses crossing his arms.
"No, I, uh…" I trail off frightened by his penetrating gaze.
"You've never cooked while holding a baby before." He states and enters the room. "Fine, I'll take the baby and you can cook lunch."
"What?" I ask dumbfounded by the offer.
"It'll only be twenty minutes, right? I'm supposed to take a lunch break anyway or Yukihito will scold me and tattle on me to my mother." He says with a shudder. "You can't be any worse a chef than she is. At the very least I bet you'll make normal portion sizes."
He holds his arms out for me to give him the baby again. I stare at his hands wary of his sudden shift to being nice today. What happened to teasing and distrusting me?
"I told you I used to babysit Maria-chan." He says as though that makes sense of the situation. I can't accept him acting this way. He hasn't mocked me at all today about not really being Tina-san. "Fine, figure it out all by yourself."
"Wait!" I say following him back downstairs and into the kitchen. He doesn't say anything as he takes a seat at the island counter. "Don't drop him." I place my baby in his arms.
"I won't drop him." He reassures me in a dead serious tone.
I cock my head at the odd man. Why is he being so nice today?
"I thought you were making us lunch." He says after a moment of me doing nothing but stare.
"You hate eating." I counter crossing my arms.
"I don't hate eating; I just never have much of an appetite." He says adjusting Eric's blanket to better cover him.
"Why are you being nice to me?" I ask unwilling to let it go.
"You want me to pick on you?" He asks in reply.
This man has no intention of giving me any answers. I turn on my heel and set about the kitchen to make a quick meal for the two of us. Kuon-san's eyes follow me around as I take out last night's white rice.
"Where did you learn to cook?" he asks suddenly as I am gathering all the ingredients for gyudon.
"…" What do I say? How would Tina-san answer that?
"Rick said you came from a wealthy family. Not as well off as us but you had servants. Did you sneak down and have one of them teach you?" He asks.
I can't think of a lie fast enough so I just say, "Your dad can cook."
"My dad didn't grow up rich. He worked in a restaurant to put himself through acting school at LME." Kuon-san explains.
"Okay so rich people can't cook?" I ask pulling out a knife to chop the vegetables.
"No, I'm merely pointing out that Tina had no need to know how to cook. We didn't correspond often, but my brother did tell me about some things in the letters he wrote." Kuon says, "None of the pretty girls I know can cook anything."
"Well as you said I'm not pretty." I say doing my best to act snobby. Like those girls at the party. I bet they have never stepped foot in their own kitchens.
"I never said you're not pretty." He lies.
I remember it clearly how he was in disbelief that Rick-san would ever date someone as ugly as me. Not that I needed him to point it out. Everyone has been telling me how hideous I am my whole life.
"I never said you were ugly. I pointed out that Rick prefers tall blondes." Kuon-san continues to speak. "They were usually vapid and shallow too. All any of them ever wanted was to get near him in the hopes that they could get their hands on our money or that he would make them famous. I never thought any of them were low enough to get pregnant on purpose to trap him."
"Tina-san would never…!" I say then bite my tongue as I realize my mistake.
"What would Tina-san never do?" Kuon-san asks intrigued.
"I didn't get pregnant on purpose." I correct myself.
"All I'm saying is no girl I ever met and hooked up with at a bar was into me for my personality." He says and I can't help but to reply rudely.
"What personality?"
I cover my mouth in shock and look at him with wide eyes. He already hates me and here I am picking on him.
"I'm sorry I…"
"No, it's fine." He says with a smirk. "I suppose I deserve that."
"Sorry." I say again.
"Did you even know my brother?" He asks and suddenly I'm feeling less sorry.
"Why are you such a jerk?" I ask in reply and return to cooking.
He laughs but doesn't answer me. I finish making lunch and place a bowl in front of him. I sit across from him marveling at the way he balances the baby as he gracefully eats his beef and rice. How can somebody who is so rude still be so elegant.
"Kuon, I'm back. I got you onigiri for lunch." We hear Yashiro-san call from the dining room.
"In here." Kuon-san calls to him and the older man comes in with a shopping bag of what looks like junk food masquerading as healthy snacks.
"You're eating?" Yashiro-san gasps.
"This one insisted that I eat with her." Kuon-san says.
"I did not." I say, though I sort of did insist on making him lunch.
At the same time as I speak Yashiro-san says, "I'm sure Tina-chan bullied you into it."
"I didn't say bullied. I said the girl insisted that I eat with her." Kuon says standing from his stool. "Here." He hands me my baby. "I need to get back to work."
Yashiro-san peeks into the bowl and raises his eyebrows looking impressed. "You finished all your food."
"Would you like some Yashiro-san?" I offer and Kuon-san frowns.
"Yes, please. If Kuon willingly eats it, it must be good." Yashiro-san says taking a seat beside me.
Kuon-san lingers for a moment his eyes seeming to say that he doesn't like that Yashiro-san is sitting down eating with me. He leaves with a deep frown on his face accompanied by a look of confusion. He must be upset that he can no longer bully me into outing myself about not being Tina-san.
"Thank you, Tina-chan.," Yashiro-san says as I set a bowl in front of him. He digs in immediately making a noise of appreciation as he eats. "You two seem to be getting along." He comments.
"Who?"
"You and Kuon." He explains as he does a happy dance while eating. "This is really good. I bet Kuu-san would love it if you cooked with him sometime."
"Oh, no it's not really that good. We don't really get along very well. Kuon-san likes to bully me and accuse me of things. He said he doesn't trust me." I say struggling to eat with the baby in my arms. How did Kuon make it look so easy?
Yashiro-san giggles. "Kuon-san is like that. He's not particularly good at showing affection so he teases and picks fights."
"…" I say nothing.
If I keep speaking, I'll end up saying something about how Kuon-san is suspicious of me. Yashiro-san could become suspicious too and then I'll have them both prying details about Tina-san out of me. I have to find out what else Rick-san told Kuon-san. Unless he was lying, and Rick-san never wrote anything to him about Tina-san. I have to find out before Kuon-san uncovers all my lies.
"Did the two of you talk about anything interesting?" Yashiro-san asks. What could he mean?
"Not particularly. I got lost trying to find the kitchen and he showed me around some. He told me about Kuu-san being an actor and Julie-san being a model." I answer leaving out that I had foolishly asked about Rick-san. Of course, Tina-san would know what her husband did. how could I be so stupid?
"Did he tell you that he used to want to be an actor?" Yashiro-san asks surprising me.
"What?" I ask.
"He was in a few commercials and had a small role in a drama, but he was bullied into quitting." Yashiro-san says.
I vaguely recall Erika-san saying something about Cedric picking on Kuon.
"I wasn't his assistant back then, but I did work at LME. Lory promoted me when Kuon-san got a job in the office there. He had insisted on working his way up and not just being handed the business. Especially since Takarada-sachou and he aren't related. Kuon didn't want to inherit the company but Kouki-san, that's Takarada-sachou's son, he has no interest in the company. He has his own business ventures overseas." Yashiro-san explains as he polishes off his bowl of food. "I don't want to be too greedy, but would you mind if I had some more? It's really good."
"Oh, of course I'll get you more." I say adjusting Eric in my arms so I can stand up.
"NO, don't trouble yourself. I am the assistant. I'll get my own food." He says jumping up and quickly going to the stove.
I made too much meat anyway thinking I was hungrier than I actually was. Yashiro-san eats as we talk about his daily tasks, and he spends an extra long time explaining to me Kuon's eating habits. Skipping meals is a regular thing for that man. Working late either at the office or in his home office is his normal behavior. Then he eats a convenience store onigiri that Yashiro-san stocks up on usually at the beginning of the week. We talk until Eric wakes up crying because he needs to be changed. Yashiro-san offers to help but I insist that I don't need any assistance.
Honestly, it's just really embarrassing that I find myself bad at being a mom. Even the surly antisocial Kuon is better at balancing my son while performing mundane tasks. I would probably know how to hold a baby if I had been held as a baby more. I'm bad at changing diapers. I keep putting them on crooked and Eric pees out of the side.
I take Eric up to Tina-san's room and set him in his bassinet. I unfold a new diaper and proceed to undress him. Nervous and shaking I try to wipe him up quickly before he can pee in my face as he has done before. Julie-san says it isn't on purpose, but I swear I've seen him smirk afterwards. For not being related to Kuon he sure is starting to take after him.
"Please don't pee on mommy." I say in a sing song voice as I toss the old diaper and lift his legs to put the new one beneath him. "Sweet baby boy don't act like uncle Kuon and bully your mom." I manage this time to get the diaper on him without incident, but it looks lopsided and uncomfortable. Maybe I could make a doll to practice on.