Shoko Komi's Ultimate Challenge
by Ulquiorra9000
Communication 24: Komi the collector
"Look at this, girls! The newest model! I could kiss it, haha!"
There was Ren Yamai in homeroom, showing off her fancy new smartphone to her friends, complete with a sparkly pink and gold case.
"Oh, wow!" one of the girls cheered. "You always get the best stuff, Ren!"
"I'm jealous," another girl added. "My mom never buys me anything. Ugh!"
"I've got two of those!" Najimi hollered as they passed by.
Ren scowled. "Liar."
Najimi stuck out their tongue. "Like you'll ever know. See ya!" They skipped off to join the arm-wrestling tournament that just started on the other side of the classroom.
Shoko Komi watched the entire scene unfold from her desk, head cocked in curiosity. She passed a note to Hitohito: Do you think I should get a new phone too, Tadano?
"Uh... I dunno. What kinda phone do you have right now?" Hitohito asked. Shoko showed it to him, and Hitohito shrugged.
"It seems fine," he said. Then he grinned. "And as for me, money's a bit tight right now, especially after Hitomi went on a field trip with her class to Tohoku. We've barely got two 100 yen coins to rub together."
Hitohito didn't seem bothered by any of this, but it did get Shoko thinking. She didn't usually follow tech trends or ask her mom to buy her expensive stuff; she was fine asking for budget-friendly makeup from her mom, sometimes some new clothes, or maybe a DVD of a movie she really liked. But to splurge every week on some new gadget? Was newer always better?
Shoko was still preoccupied with this when she walked home alone that afternoon, and she barely noticed when her father headed upstairs with a toolbox in hand. Then she got curious.
Shoko hurried up the stairs after Masayoshi and tapped him on the shoulder right outside the master bedroom. Is something broken? Shoko's expression asked. Can I help? Maybe this was a challenge in the making!
Masayoshi held up the toolbox to eye level. The antique drawer unit in the bedroom needs some repairs, and maybe some sanding and refinishing, too. Your mother reminded me last night to get it fixed today.
Now that was interesting! Shoko almost never went into her parents' bedroom, and the last time she went in there, she paid no attention to the furniture, that's for sure. Shoko made her excitement clear, and Masayoshi welcomed her into the master bedroom, pointing at the antique drawer unit in question.
This belonged to my grandmother, and her mother before that, Masayoshi explained with his polite expression. It has served four generations of the Komi family, but it's starting to fall apart. I'm not sure how long I can keep it in good shape. It jams a lot, the wood is getting warped, it's got some cracks and loose pieces... lots of problems.
Shoko knelt before the antique dresser, gently running her fingers along its time-worn wooden surface. How many people had happily used this drawer in their homes, storing their favorite outfits and other goodies inside? Shoko tried to picture it, but she had never actually met her great-grandmother and didn't know what she looked like. So she imagined a generic but beautiful Taisho-era woman humming to herself, sliding open this classy drawer unit to store her kimonos and other outfits... what a scene!
Did you want to help? Masayoshi asked. He set down the toolbox and knelt by it to prepare for work.
Shoko shook her head. I'm afraid I might damage it, dad. You're the expert. I'll just admire the dresser from a distance sometime later.
Masayoshi nodded, and Shoko got out of his way so he could get to work handling this precious antique with a practiced hand. Then Shoko went into her own room and put her hands on her hips, scoping out her private chambers. What did this room say about her and the family? Well, it was neat, clean, and girly without being gaudy, which was nice. But it also felt kind of... well, ordinary, without special personality or history. This was like a room found in a stock photo in a catalog! If Shoko ever had her own kids or grandkids, they wouldn't find her own dresser very interesting. Or her desk, or anything else in here. What a shame.
That was when Shoko realized something. She went "hmph!" and gently brought down a fist on her open palm. Of course! She could find her own history, even if it wasn't connected to the Komi or Niimi families, and have something to show off to everyone. Something that would last many decades without losing its splendor.
It would have to wait until Sunday, though, and Shoko couldn't wait. Here comes the new challenge!
*o*o*o*o*
It was finally Sunday morning, and Shoko eagerly slipped on her shoes and swung open the front door. Her mother didn't fail to notice.
"Going out, dear?" Shuko asked brightly as she swept the kitchen floor.
Shoko nodded happily, then dashed out the door and followed the directions on her phone's map app. She had never been to this part of her area, but it was worth the 25 minutes it would take to walk there. And it was such a nice morning, too, almost idyllic. It set the mood for what Shoko was about to do.
This is the place! Shoko put away her phone in her purse and glanced up at the classy wooden sign over the shop: EDO & MEIJI AUTHENTIC PIECES. An antique store!
"Welcome, dearie," the kind old woman behind the counter said when Shoko stepped inside, looking every which way. "Oh my, I don't get many young folks coming in here. Feel free to look around! I'm sure you'll find something to your liking."
Shoko hastily bowed to the little old lady and started browsing, her eyes soaking in the sight of all these gorgeous antiques from over a century ago. So much to choose from! The slightly dusty shelves and tables offered tea sets, decorative plates, little jewelry boxes, all kinds of dolls (male and female alike), vases of all sizes, hair accessories and combs, and even some metal lanterns and a few old katanas and knives, believe it or not. But those were locked in glass display cases to keep everyone safe. Good; Shoko could imagine Najimi playing with one of those and taking someone's finger off! Yee-ouch!
"You're such a sweet thing to visit my shop," the shopkeep spoke up again. She shuffled over to Shoko. "Perhaps I could give you a discount, dearie. I know students don't have a lot of spending money..."
That much was true; Shoko double-checked her purse and counted up her bills and coins, with a total of 5,672 yen. Not a whole lot, and some of these items went for ten times that or more. But not all of them.
"I'm Keiko Urasawa, by the way. Dear me, I should have told you that sooner!" the shopkeep added warmly. "And may I have your name?"
Shoko was ready for this. She got out her notebook and introduced herself, all while wondering if her grandmother Yoiko would get along with this charming shopkeep. Keiko wore worn-out but clean green robes and had her gray hair done up with an old-fashioned hairdo, and Shoko liked that look. This was totally different from going to the mall with her trendy friends or going to the arcade!
Keiko bowed politely. "A pleasure, young miss Komi. I'll leave you to your browsing. Come to me if you have any questions! Ho ho!"
Thoroughly delighted, Shoko resumed her browsing and quickly realized that at least half the shelves had goodies way out of her price range, including a rare doll that cost 40,000 yen! Shosuke's PlayStation 4 cost less than that!
But on the other side of the store...
Shoko carefully picked up an old comb, a lovely lacquer piece with black finishing and gold chrysanthemums painted on. It was so beautiful! Shoko turned it over in her hands, wishing it didn't cost a whopping 12,500 yen. She'd look like a princess, kneeling on her bed while brushing her hair with this thing.
"Oh, that one," Keiko said, and Shoko jumped about a foot into the air in alarm. She nearly dropped the comb and hastily put it back.
"No need for alarm, dearie. I love that one, too," Keiko told her. "If it's a bit too costly for you, I've got a similar one for just 2,000 yen. It's a common piece and not in perfect condition, but perhaps you'd like it? Here..." She picked up another comb from another shelf and put it into Shoko's hands. Sure enough, it looked more like a mass-produced item and wasn't as fancy, but it was still so pretty. And it was in good enough condition to be used, too, even if (according to the tag) it was made all the way back in 1905.
Shoko nodded and had it set aside. So, she just had 3,762 yen left to work with. What else could she find...
Not a 100,000 yen Meiji-era sword, not a 200,000 yen collection of hina dolls, and definitely not a scary-looking oni mask... but...
"Hmph!" Shoko eagerly pointed at a charming arita tea set, and Keiko confirmed that the teapot alone cost 3,000 yen while each cup was 1,500. Oh, that was too much for the whole set. Shoko couldn't afford that. So she wrote down an offer, and Keiko agreed to sell her just the teapot for a slight discount at 2,800 yen. Normally, Keiko explained, she'd rather sell tea sets and china sets as a whole, but this particular set had never found a buyer. Why not bend the rules for Shoko Komi the young enthusiast?
The teapot was set aside, and Shoko decided that 972 yen wasn't enough to buy anything else for her little collection. So, she offered to pay at the register, but Keiko had other plans.
"Don't tell anyone, my dear Komi," Keiko said with a sly smile, "but I think I'd like to treat you for being my best customer this week. How about... one of these?" She picked up one of many little dolls on a large rack and held it up.
Shoko gasped with alarm and scribbled a note: I couldn't just take one for free! You're running a business.
"Oh, don't be silly, dearie," Keiko said, motioning with her free hand. "These dolls don't usually sell well. I just have them to make the store look good, so there's no harm in giving you one of these. And you're such a sweet girl! I think you deserve a little something." She beamed.
Shoko gasped again and held a hand to her heart. Keiko was so generous! Shoko almost wanted to hug her, but she was too much of a dandere for that, so she bowed deeply in thanks and agreed to have the little doll added to her shopping bag free of charge. And it was lovely, a three-inch doll of a woman with fancy dark hair and red and gold robes, sitting seiza style with her hands on her lap. Cute!
Shoko gladly paid for her goodies and departed, making a mental note to visit again sometime just to chat with Keiko. Shoko was even tempted to add Keiko's name to her official friendship notebook. Time will tell.
*o*o*o*o*
Based on the shoes at the front door, Shuko had gone somewhere today, so it was Masayoshi who greeted Shoko when she returned home from her little shopping trip.
I just finished repairing the drawer unit, Masayoshi's expression said proudly. His glasses panes glinted. Would you like to see it and test out the drawers?
Shoko nodded and followed her father upstairs and into the master bedroom, shopping bag in hand. She set the bag atop the dresser, then carefully slid out one of the drawers. Ah, it moved nice and smoothly, and Shoko liked the scent of the old wood and varnish. She slid the drawer back in, then retrieved the three goodies in the bag.
What are those? Masayoshi's expression asked.
Shoko proudly held up the teapot in her hands, happy sparkles all around her. I visited an antique shop today, dad. I was inspired to buy some new heirlooms! This is mine now, and I want to pass it on to my own kids and grandkids someday. Isn't it beautiful?
Masayoshi leaned closer to examine the teapot. Is this from an arita tea set?
It is! Shoko's happy expression said. And look, I also got a hair comb and a doll. See? She presented the other two antiques, and Masayoshi gave a thumbs-up.
My mother has a few combs like that, as did her own mother, Masayoshi noted. I'm impressed you're keeping up the Komi family tradition, Shoko. And my great-aunt had dolls like that one, too.
Shoko was positively giddy. Hooray! She had the perfect new heirlooms for the family, and that meant she could mark today's challenge as complete. She took a picture of each antique with her phone's camera, then brought the antiques into her room and set them up in visible spots to add personality to this catalog stock photo living space. That's much better.
And needless to say, all her friends were impressed with those photos when Shoko showed them off in homeroom on Monday. And also needless to say, Najimi was definitely disappointed Shoko hadn't brought that samurai sword. Maybe next time? Just kidding.
