Birds chirped and flew over the dock in the midst of the sun's rays peeking at the waters' edge.
Within the boat, Bansai stayed in position with his legs underneath. For Michiru, while shifting from time to time, her figure remained in the same spot. Snored throughout the night along with some saliva leaking. Gross when staining part of his pants and coat, Bansai couldn't deny it, but it never got to him.
In spite of his eyelids weighing down, the man pushed to keep awake. Handles of his shades slid in a languid pace until the ends fell off his lobes. It took a split second for the lenses to hit Michiru's cheek, emitting a sharp snort and concluding her snoring altogether.
When subconsciously shoving the sunglasses away did she grunt followed with a yawn escaping. Stretching legs and arms and whimpering from an audible pop. Michiru licked her lips before facing him.
The corners of them twisted up at the sight of his eyes. Light from the lantern diminished at some point during nighttime and sunlight bled through the windows, giving her a clear sight of beige irises.
"Good morning." Observing his eyes more while receiving the same greeting, there appeared to be some red in his sclera. Her brows shot up.
"Were you awake all night?"
"Indeed." Bansai rubbed his eye with a palm. "I can't sleep while sitting like this and you deserve to have a spot for your head to rest on. Though I will admit I didn't expect you to fall asleep last night."
"Oh." Her smile crooked. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to make you go through that."
"There's no need to apologize. It wouldn't have felt good if you slept on the floor."
"Sure, but you didn't have to go this far."
As she went to reach for the shades, Bansai said, "Michiru."
"Yes?"
"Speaking of last night, how much do you remember? You managed to not throw up but you seemed to have blabbered quite a bit."
"Ah, that's right." Pushing herself up, she handed him his sunglasses. Michiru cupped her own chin while recollecting the previous night. "Let's see…I remember laughing, going outside for a moment and you suddenly raising your voice at me."
"I only did that as you drifted into sleep. You would've hit the floor otherwise."
"True," She admitted with a shrug.
"Do you not remember the part where you mumbled?" He raised an eyebrow while asking.
She scratched the back of her cranium. "Honestly, not really."
Bansai elaborated, "Well, you seemed to have confused certain days. You believed I was with you a handful of nights ago when in reality, it occurred a handful of weeks prior."
Shifting her gaze to her lap during an attempt to piece his indication together, Michiru inquired, "What did I say then?"
"You basically referred to the time I listened to your chorus."
Broadening her eyelids as wide as she could, the woman uttered, "What do you mean?"
"You mentioned something about your fingers."
Michiru pursed her lips, heat growing within her cheeks as well. Not helped when his brow remained still.
"Did you happen to have a dream involving me at some point?"
A churn formed in her gut as his words reiterated in her head. Any and all burning sensations washed towards her collarbones.
"Michiru, I'm asking to see if we're on the same page. You almost went silent when bringing it up."
She brought her eyes to make contact with him. With her entire figure stiffening, a gulp went down.
"I did." She rapidly blinked at how smooth words came about.
"I see," Bansai said, eyebrows now even. "The alcohol must've spoken for you again."
Reminiscences of last night running through her mind stole her focus to the point where his statement hardly reached comprehension.
The memory of her saying all this out loud to him in real time sparked clarity shortly.
"What is it?"
"Oh," a small gasp parted her lips at his inquiry. Forcing the corners to curl up while answering, "sorry, got lost in thought." It took seconds to thrust herself from the floor yet had little thought in doing the action.
"I've been here all night so I'll need to get home sooner than later."
Sparing a glance at his features, there turned out to be more red in his eyes than the first time. In spite of Bansai insisting her not being at fault, it didn't prevent her hunching a tad.
"Hope you get some sleep." Similarly, thinking twice with words escaped her mentality. A droplet of perspiration trickled over her hot cheek, leading herself to push the statement aside.
Michiru went for her sandals after a quick bye. As soon as her fingers tugged the handle, she shoved the door to the side but not before a monotone voice spoke from out.
"Bansai-dono, are you in—"
Said voice halted the minute the door fully opened, with the woman biting her lower lip to suppress a startled yelp.
Both individuals stared at one another wordlessly. While the older man arched his brow, Michiru pondered on the name of this person from scanning his features.
"Takechi Henpachinko?"
"That isn't my name."
His blank response brought a spark to slam in her cranium. Legs involuntarily jerking, wasting no time dashing beside him.
He spared a brief glance at her back while Michiru sprinted but soon turned to Bansai. Though having his mouth part, his eyes caught sight of the tray, carafe, and cups. Followed with the whites in his eyes reddened and some bagging underneath.
As Bansai used a foot to press against the mat, the older man asked, "Bansai-dono, how much did you drink?"
Meanwhile…
Michiru refused to halt her personal trail until arriving home, rushing to enter as sweat grew more profuse.
Slipping her sandals off, she knelt on the flooring with palms landing. Pants escaped in rasps as sweat dripped to said floor. Involuntarily coughing from saliva getting caught in her throat shortly.
Visuals internally imprinting brought her to raise a hand, strands of hair slipping between fingers and blocking her sight.
Michiru wanted to say something yet words leaving her mouth broke, slipping past with little if any self-coherence.
"You pervert…" Her wheezing went for moments, leading to uncertainty on when it'd end.
Swallowing a thick ball of saliva, she raised her head. Upon turning sideways did she pay heed to a piece of paper lying on the table by the wall. Followed with the rest of her straightening, Michiru stepped towards said paper and reached for it.
Pulling the sheet, she read, 'Got called in early. My boss informed me workers started getting sick, currently understaffing. I tried texting you this but my phone died before I could finish, hence the letter. Had to charge my phone at the last minute so I won't have it with me until I'm home. Hopefully I'll manage. See you when I'm back.'
Teeth scraped Michiru's lower lip. Heading for her workplace at an unscheduled time wasn't uncommon for Mika but a considerable amount of people resulted in being too sick to go at once? Not something heard of every day.
When facing the living area, Mika's cell phone came into sight, charger plugged in while resting on the table.
An impulsive sigh escaped. "Didn't she charge her phone not three days ago?"
With her twin presumably already beginning her shift, bringing it over later was out of the question. It led Michiru to shake her head.
Michiru took her own device out and placed it next to the other. As her breathing gradually eased—although muscles in her arms and legs continued tensing—the back of her hand smeared drops of sweat across her forehead. Scrunching her features from a sticky sensation blanketing her flesh, the woman started towards the other side of her house.
Michiru's mood made little difference during the rest of morning and well into afternoon. Even after taking a lengthy bath, relief was temporary much to her annoyance. By the time Michiru's hair dried and fluffed normally, her thoughts reverted back to her conversation—if one could call it such—with Bansai while under the influence.
More so with him giving little expression this morning excluding tired eyes. Seemingly unbothered but was how he felt inside the same?
At some point, the sun began setting to where cumulus clouds slowly went from gray to a dark shade of purplish-pink. Although Michiru became aware of time, her center of attention cemented on her phone screen.
Thumbs pressed into various buttons at a quick pace. Once finished with a text, she read it over.
'Listen, I want to apologize for my behavior last night. I should've been more careful.'
A corner of her lips curved down, subsequently leading to shake her head.
"Doesn't sound right."
Michiru pressed 'X', eliminating all words before trying another message.
'Boy, did I end up getting wasted! How embarrassing! lol'
Her bottom eyelid convulsed followed with the same digit removing the entire text.
'Tell me how I can make up for my attitude and I promise to do it!'
Michiru's teeth clenched and proceeded to do the action a third time.
'Did you think I went crazy back then?'
'Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.'
'Did I go into any more detail than what you told me?'
'Were you annoyed when I blabbered so much?'
Each attempt at a message increased sparks of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Sensing a layer of sweat coating her palms as the text cursor blinked, now void of words.
Michiru's jaw stung from tightening, lower lip scraped by teeth. Her eyes squinted with silence lingering over and general ambience thickening in the room, each second passing.
"Why?" Thoughts escaped when asking, focus strictly on phone buttons and her palpitating thumbs. Her rhetorical question went on in a borderline hoarse voice, "Why can't I think of anything good?!" Different potential responses wouldn't stop roaming through her head. However, her throat constricted when her thumbs didn't shift.
Was one sentence even enough?
Outside, Mika strolled through the area under the partially clouded sky. It wasn't completely night though stars shined by the time sunlight lessened as well as the moon rising from the horizon.
Mika rubbed her eyes while groaning. Keeping her composure at work should've been relatively easy but with her workplace containing half the amount of employees throughout the day, it ended the complete opposite. The fact that it was almost if not now the time of year where the bathhouse would be at its busiest didn't help.
As the distance between her and her home shrunk, she temporarily halted her steps at the lack of light from inside.
"Is she not home?" A brow furrowed while muttering under her breath. Eyes began blurring from water forming, bringing Mika to shut her eyes and force a bit out.
She pushed her feet, taking little time in reaching the pair of shoji at last.
Pulling one to the side, Mika called out albeit voice soft, "I'm back."
Although spotting the mentioned woman, Michiru's body jerked. One of the devices fell to the floor.
"Oh! Welcome home!" Her sister abruptly stood. Mika was sure she discerned a crack in her tone.
Ignoring it for now, she asked as she stepped in to slide out of her sandals, "How come it's dark?"
"Ah, I didn't even realize it. Seems I got distracted." A compulsive laugh slipped from Michiru's mouth. "But now that you're back, I should figure something out to cook." She started towards the kitchen and then switched the light on.
The sudden brightness coming from said kitchen stung Mika's eyes to where she grunted. Pressing pads of her fingers over her squeezed eyelids, wiping more water away but endeavoring to adjust to the amount of light.
After muttering a curse, she turned to the floor where a phone now rested beside the kotatsu. Being in a silhouette, making it difficult to make clear whose it belonged.
Mika reached for the cell phone. Was she checking to see if it was charged?
Turning to have it face her, she caught sight of a dimmer light.
Subsequently witnessing words on the screen ill prepared.
Taking the rice cooker out and setting it down, Michiru returned to the living area's edge.
"Say, Mika, how does chicken curry sound for dinn—" She cut herself off instantly at her sibling's frozen figure, glued to the phone but gripping fingers around the base.
Michiru gave a slow blink, followed by taking a step or two forward. Though her mouth parted, nothing came out because Mika finally broke eye contact with the device.
Only to face her with eyes bulging and clenched teeth.
A gasp tore from Michiru, barely registering in saying her name.
"Michiru," Mika's tone went low, swifting her arm to have the phone screen in her direction.
"What is the meaning of all this?!"
To be continued…