Guild Master here again, again.
This is the prelude with Kyoka's and Haru's past being revealed.
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Serving as a vendor for a music festival had both its ups and downs. The ups? People of all sorts and walks of life were rarely gathered in one place to share their love of the art of music. He could converse and meet all sorts of characters that purchased one of his many unique dishes. The downs? The heat, the body odor, your body odor, the humidity, the sun, the unpredictable weather, the overpriced goods that stalls knew they could exploit, the spacing of the venues and conflicting time slots for all the bands…
Haru was surprisingly agile and was even outpacing some of the food stalls that had teams of up to ten staff members. To their shock his line was moving so consistently that the other lines were scared that this one food truck`s business was going to put them out before the festival even finished it's second day. It was classic American fast food and because it was all finger food without the need to use two hands the people who were moving between event spaces were able to munch and get to their events on time. The ingredients were decadent and it was every bit as genuine artery clogging delicious that was synonymous with the food. No corners were cut to ensure that the meal was delicious over being super healthy or vegan. Now that it was roughly after the lunch rush there and opening his fridge up he saw he was running low again. He had to cut the dining experience short again for his patrons. He wiped the open sign clean and wrote it closed in the same ornate style as the previous sign.
"Sorry folks, gotta give me about forty five minutes and I'll be right back."
A few disappointed whines here and there as well as some even leaving in favor of another line for their meal. Quite a few were still waiting as they were more concerned with their spot in line than even the festival. A lot of them were returning customers, funny enough. Haru stood behind his van out of immediate eyeshot and lit a cigarette as he pulled out his mobile to make a call. The dial tone was short and immediately after he got a response.
"Tanaka supplies, how may I help you?"
"It's me. I'm running low and need another resupply, and NO conspicuous transport. No helicopter, no semis, and especially no armed escort. Seriously it's like you fucking idiots are trying to piss me off."
He didn't wait for a response as he hit end call on the screen. He took his time smoking and easing his nerves as he looked out on the masses migrating around the festival grounds. The whole place was buzzing and it felt like he was inside the veins of a living animal itself. He leaned up to a nearby tree on the slope he was standing on and just took the time to feel the vibe that only something like this festival could summon out of the blue. He was done with his cigarette and proceeded to snuff out the nub of an ember on the bottom of his shoe, intending to throw it out properly in a bit. Out of the corner of his eye he caught the sight of something that made him stop and process what he saw for a solid eight seconds. He put his shoe down and had the dead butt of the cigarette in his fingers as he peered over to his right and saw a small shield face planted on the slope in the baking sun. It was a weird feeling of deja vu for him to run into a kid when they've been incapacitated and faced down on the floor. It didn't last long since it looked like the kid was wearing a black sweater with a band logo printed on the back of it. Shorts and sneakers made it hard to discern if they were a boy or girl; besides that he took a few steps forward and knelt over the child who was probably unconscious due to the heat.
"Uh, kid? You ok?"
Nothing. Ho boy did he not want this kid to be dead.
Thirty Minutes Later
"Ahhh, thanks again mr!"
The now identified as a girl was finally able and back to the land of the living. Haru was genuinely worried that a dead kid had just wound up in his lap. Thank lady luck it was just a mild heatstroke. Taking another look he could see two earphone jacks hanging down from her earlobes.
"Uh, sure. Um… Can I ask where your parents are, by the way?"
Like a lightbulb she realized what she was doing just before she passed out.
"My mom and dad! I was showing off this cool sweater I just got and then…"
Her eyes began tearing as Haru could guess that she had lost sight of her parents and got scared in the bustling crowd. She must have been panicking to not realize she was having a heat stroke while wearing a black hoodie in this hot and humid weather. Haru didn't skip a beat as he just plopped his hand onto the kid's head and ruffled her hair to distract her for a moment.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up like that. They're probably looking for you and are hoping you're safe. We got one of those things right now, so chin up kiddo!"
His toothy grin looked funny to Jiro through his facial hair. Like a hip young santa. She forgot about her tears for now and allowed herself to feel better about the situation.
"Okay, so now it's time to figure out the second thing we need. We gotta find your parents; more specifically, we need them and you together… Yes I know I sound kinda crazy when I say it like that, but that's not what I'm trying to do here."
He saw the look of incredulity on the child's face and tried to defend himself in vain.
"The festival has a PA system they use all the time. I can call the front office and ask them to make an announcement where they could find you, and then…"
"... Oh! Then they can find me instead!"
"Right! Smart kid."
He gave her a head pat that she smiled at. Pulling out his phone he paged the front office. He bounced from hold to a person twice before someone finally managed to help him.
"Hi, yes; I need to report a missing child I have here with me… Uh yes, give me one moment."
Haru looked at the girl who was just fiddling with her earphones out of boredom. He got her attention and asked her an important question for the PA attendants.
"Hey kiddo, what was your name? I think I forgot to ask you at the start."
"Oh! It's Kyoka, Kyoka Jiro."
"..."
"..."
"... Your parents; they wouldn't happen to be named Kyotoku and Mika, would they?"
"Uhhh… I think so?"
The voice on the other end reminded Haru that he was still on a call.
"Huh? Oh yeah, that. Nevermind, I think we should be ok here. Thank you."
He hung up before the other end could say anything else. Curiously he began dialing another number and put the phone up to his ear.
"... Whatcha doin?"
"Hm? Oh; sorry, sorry. I'm just skipping the PA part of the plan and going right to the source… Hello? Hey Kyo, been a while since I heard from you!... Yeah funny story about that…"
Six Minutes Later
"Kyoka! Oh baby, come here!"
"Momma!"
Kyoka practically leapt into her mothers arms as she grasped her mother with all her might. The mother was simply holding her child close and making sure she really was there. The father was just behind her looking a little winded trying to keep up with the wife. From the shade of his van's sunroof Haru was leaning against his van from the outside as he waved to the father who caught sight of him after checking on his daughter.
"Haru! I didn't know you were here! I see you still run the old girl as hard as usual."
"You know it. She's kept up with me so far; no reason to give up something so good between us."
The father and Haru shared a laugh as they shook hands. The mother was right behind them with Kyoka's hand in hers.
"Haru-san! Thank god you found our little girl! Both of us were so worried looking for her in this crowd. It's a miracle she ran into you like she did."
"Mika! It's been too long. Yeah she passed out right behind my van when I went for a break; scared the dickens right out of me seeing he flat on her face like that."
It caused Mika such grief that her young daughter had suffered from so much heat as she was lost in this terrifying environment.
"Don't beat yourself up. Someone would have found her and returned her to you just the same as I did. This type of thing happens to the best of us, so for now just focus on what happened and not what could've happened."
"... Thank you, Haru."
He just smiled when she used the non formal version of his name. Kyoka felt a bit out of the loop with what was going on, so her mother gave a formal introduction to this strange man who also happened to save her. Sort of.
"Kyoka, I would like you to meet a mutual friend of mommy and daddy. His name is Nakamura Haru. We used to visit his stall just before you were born."
"That's an understatement! When your mom and I ran into him we were trying to work in English lyrics into our pieces when this man began reading our pieces upside down."
He gave Haru a solid pat on the shoulder as Haru had his arms crossed and grinned back at the blonde man.
"He critiqued us and even threw us some pointers. Could you believe it? A food truck cook, helping US with music? Well, since then we were too busy with you and hadn't seen him around since."
Haru knelt down onto one knee and even sat on his ankle to lower himself to Kyoka's level. He gave her his hand for a shake after her parents finished regaling their daughter with their history with Haru.
"Nice to officially meet you, Kyoka."
She was already familiar with him so the greeting wasn't as awkward as it could have been. Taking his hand they shook. Kyoka had a good feeling that Haru was a good guy after all.
"Anyways, you guys must be starving! Let me set up a space for you real quick and get you settled."
Before the parents could refuse the offer for a meal, he was already behind the van fiddling with something out of eyeshot.
"Um, that's quite alright. We don't wanna bother you further and right now it seems like your line is still here; how about we just come back-"
The two parents rounded around the back of the van and saw that Haru had actually set up a rounded table with a single stem and had three cushioned stools rounding the edge. There was enough flat grass for the space and amazingly Haru had set up a white sheet as shade for the table and was now just tying off the last corner of the triangle to a tree. Now only was this shade with a canopy that won't just cook them from above due to it's clean white color; the stools looked like absolute heaven in comparison to having to walk around even more in the blazing heat.
"Huh? What's up?"
"... IIIII said; we will happily take you up on that offer…"
Haru just gave the family a smile as he returned to the kitchen with just five minutes to spare to make the three of them something from his kitchen. They didn't mind if they were fed or not. Just being here in shade with cushioned seats was enough of a godsent. Kyoka was just sort of doing her own thing as her parents were indulging in resting their feet. She saw that this was a lot for their feet and since she did a significant amount of walking with them she too wasn't going to complain about this setup. Just then Haru returned with a tray filled with all sorts of goodies for the Jiro family. A basket of garlic rosemary fries, cheeseburgers which were double stacked, and oddly a basket of chicken tenders that weren't advertised on his menu that day. Another basket filled with condiments and pickle spears was plopped down before Haru turned back to his van and returned with two frosty mugs and a massive bottle of beer meant for parties. And for Kyoka a liter bottle of water with her own frosted glass and a single bottle of cola. Hydration was key at these events and giving her nothing but sugary drinks was not a good idea for a girl who just recovered from a minor heat stroke.
"Uh, H-Haru? How much…"
Before the father could say anything else Haru cracked the bottle open on the beer and stopped the families ability to refuse his generosity with that. It would be a sin to waste the alcohol at this point.
"On the house, no exceptions."
The frosty glasses were poured perfectly and distributed to Mika and Kyotoku respectively. Haru was even a good enough host to pour Kyoka her glass of water.
"Thank you!"
"You're very welcome! Smart kid ya got here."
Haru left them with the southern hospitality being at his food truck. The family were set on catching certain performances, but thinking this was too good of a treat for this weary unit of attendees they all cheered their glasses and partook of the bounty in front of them. As Haru was now cutting down his line and sending the other food vendors into a panic over business being overtaken by him the Jiro family were relieving and taking a load off from the weather and their aching feet. Haru was making five more orders of burgers simultaneously at blinding speeds as he was silently thanking those who delivered a complete restock of his ingredients while Kyoka was still out like a light. He would have run out several times over if it wasn't for the ease of access he had at a single call.
"Jeez, this is the life…"
Mika and their daughter were too busy stuffing their faces to say anything, but managed to mumble and nod at the family patriarch. They were at the festival from day one and for the entirety of the festival they were limited to overpriced drinks and waiting in line forever in the heat for a single meal of the day. Given a hot meal within five minutes of being offered one for free and receiving ice cold drinks in ample amounts just the same was more than they could have asked for. The parents were very thankful to their past selves for not getting uppity when Haru first spoke to them about their compositions. Kyoka was a bit more of a messy eater since she was only ten years old. Her mother noticed that her daughter had neglected to wipe her mouth and as a dutiful mother she picked up a napkin from the bundle given to them by Haru and approached the girl who was finishing off some fries sticking out of her mouth.
"Kyoka, your mouth."
The girl obediently stuck her mouth out to her mother as she was wiped clean with the paper wipe. Her mother then left a few more napkins next to her which she then dutifully used throughout the meal. Since the parents and Kyoka were sweating non stop since they got to the festival they've been sweating buckets without remorse from the humidity. Feeling a bit anemic without proper salt in their system, the refreshing beverages and salty foods helped them all feel re-energized. The family even took the opportunity to plan how they were going to spend the rest of their time here at the festival. The expectations they originally had were probably a little unrealistic in hindsight and now with some new perspective they mapped out something that everyone could agree to. After about forty five minutes of back and forth, Haru exited his van once more to check on the family.
"Well, glad to see that everything was satisfactory. How was it?"
In his hands were another liter of water and four more frosted glasses for the parents. He swapped out the lukewarm glasses that were now empty and poured them a new glass each. The two other glasses he brought were filled with water.
"Haru… You are… Waaay too kind! Like seriously, this is nice."
The wife could only nod and wobble slightly as they had about two mugs of beer each. The parents were giggling like schoolgirls and guessing they were a little dehydrated before arriving. Haru thought to himself that maybe opening with beer and not water was probably a bit of oversight on his part. Kyoka was still having fun with her folks as she was now sipping on her bottle of soda and enjoying the last of the garlic fries.
"You're folks sure are funny, huh?"
Kyoka just gave him an indifferent nod as agreement to his light hearted jab at their slight inebriation. Seriously, this kid knew how to go with the flow better than some adults he knew. For now he took away the empty baskets and mugs from the table and resumed his work in the van, same as usual. The parents began sipping at the water and felt infinitely better as they were hydrating again. For the next twenty minutes or so they just enjoyed their time with one another and shared their unified love of music. The parents were able to better pace themselves with the water clearing their buzz a little.
"Well, glad to see I can still deliver on a clean plate."
Haru was again done with his line and put up a closed sign without any sort of return time. He cleared the table as the family got up to return to the festivities; they greatly appreciated the hospitality and were pleasantly surprised with being able to reconnect with an old face.
"Ahhh. You spoiled us rotten, Haru. Seriously, the only way you could do any better than this is to give us a shower that isn't being fought over by a hundred other people."
Making that comment started a small chuckle that quickly faded. The entire family were all sweaty, sticky, and smelled awful ever since the afternoon yesterday. The showers had timers that you needed to put money into and didn't permit anything longer than five minutes. Only Mika and Kyoka were barely able to squeeze into one stall while noticing the used state of the shower. It was an experience nobody wanted to experience again so they elected to just forsake a wash for the rest of the festival.
"Sure."
Kyotoku just looked at his friend as he finished picking up the last empty basket off the table. The empty drink containers were for the second trip. He burst out laughing and just patted Haru on the shoulder while Haru just kept a straight face. The lack of a reaction just cued the father in that what Haru just said wasn't a joke.
"... Wait, seriously?"
The tray was lifted in his left hand and with the right he stuck a thumb out towards the van.
"I'm on the road a lot. Since I like visiting other parts of the country I had this thing built for long distance travel. It's got a bet, additional storage for other things I would use for the road, and finally a fully functional shower with temperature control."
It was like they were looking at the face of god as they heard Haru relay the news to them all. To his credit; Haru did keep a level head when the family all got onto their knees and started praying to him. Even Kyoka was chanting some kind of prayer. Again he couldn't help but think that this whole festival was just a three day concentration camp for the musically passionate.
Fifteen Minutes Later
Normally a family outing would usually just consist of the family. An exercise to grow stronger bonds and produce memories to reminisce over later on. The sheer ridiculousness of Haru having to help the parents as they were still halfway wasted and having their child perched on his shoulder was more or less the same thing; give or take that someone was there to make sure that the memories stayed pleasant. When he gave Mika and Kyotoku that massive bottle of beer he thought they were at least around the same tolerance level as last time; if not a bit lower. He must have been so distracted over seeing them again and caring for his customers that he forgot that the two of them were probably slightly dehydrated. Combine that with their abstinence from alcohol until just recently they were miles away from the old baseline he remembered. The water he gave them was mostly a precaution and for the most part; at least they weren't passed out in the open. Feeling ever so slightly responsible, he decided to help the family along and get them through the event until they were sober enough to walk for more than thirty seconds without stumbling.
"Haru-san, it's hot up here."
Ah, and the young Kyoka on his shoulders. Her parents lost her by accident while dead sober; now it would probably be ten minutes until they realized they lost her. He didn't really have a hand free since Mika and Kyotoku were half leaning on him and using him as support. This way she could still enjoy the event and he could keep track of her without having to juggle three people.
"Sorry, kiddo. Lemme see if I can find aaaaaa… Yup! Found it."
Haru took the family with him to a stall that was selling straw hats of all different styles and sizes. He got a wide brim for Kyoka and two for each Jiro to his sides for the heck of it. With that he and the family were now ready to resume the day and catch the remaining performances the family wanted to see. Speaking of which…
"... Wait, which area are we going to right now?"
The Jiro on his left sort of pointed in a rough direction and tried to walk there as the guide before Haru managed to grab the back of his pants and yank him back.
"Location! What's the area name?"
The inebriated parent just stared at Haru for about seven seconds before suddenly getting a case of the giggles, which his wife then caught from him. If God himself came down to him right now and offered him divinity; he would then promptly return it by sticking it up his ass to block the heavenly light pouring out of it.
Four Hours Later
Going from area to area helped the parents sober up with all the exercise they got. That, and ample amounts of water provided by Haru. The first thirty minutes or so were probably the worst as he was carrying most of the weight as they passed the first venue by accident and had to go back. By the time they got there the band was all done and they were off to the next one immediately. The bottles of water that he fed the parents all went into sweat and a bathroom break that he helped every member of the Jiro family with.
After an hour the parents were sober enough to walk on their own with just the slightest of hangovers. More water and a few sports drinks helped fight that off and get the parents back into peak condition. Meanwhile Kyoka just witnessed the whole thing from her vantage point and silently judged her parents with a bored look in her eyes. Although she never had seen her parents drunk before, she felt like this was something she wouldn't forget for a while. They were able to make their performances well enough. The rest of the day was just Haru making sure that the three were okay and just taking the time to actually attend one of these events rather than just sticking to his parking space at the vendors area. Now it was getting late and for the most part they all had an hour time slot where none of the performances at the festival piqued anyone's interest. The sun was finally setting and giving everyone a slight respite from the direct heat. Now it was just the humidity lingering.
The family made the decision to take Haru up on his offer and utilize his shower while they had the time. Haru again asked where the family set up camp and they told him they were set up on a set of hills facing northeast that was a fifteen minute walk from his van. Pointing out how it must be hell to keep waking up to a baking tent must be rather unfortunate; he could gauge that they weren't exactly lucky in drawing from the lottery for camp areas based on their reactions. Well, he's already started; why stop now?
"Did you want to camp out at my van? Technically my area stretches out further back and there aren't any rules against me sharing that space with just one family."
The family were almost uncomfortable with the amount of generosity they were getting from Haru. Not that they were put off, they just felt guilty and didn't want to take advantage of him at this point.
"My van faces east, also I have hammocks-"
"Thank you for your offer!"
"Thank you for your offer!"
The parents were off like thunder after lightning after picking up Kyoka and giving her to Haru like a stewpot. The father was yelling back at the two of them as he kept up his impressive pace right behind his wife.
"Give us thirty!"
Both Kyoka and Haru were amazed at how quickly they took up his offer after mentioning the sleeping arrangements. Such is it for people who actually stayed at one of these festivals for days on end. Kyoka was still being lifted by her underarms as she and Haru kinda had a moment of synchronicity over her parents ridiculous behavior.
"... Want some ice cream?"
"... Strawberry?"
"Sure."
He put her down and they began walking hand in hand to make sure Kyoka wouldn't wander off by accident.
Thirty Five Minutes Later
Kyoka was seated at the bar area with a glass filled to the brim with strawberry ice cream made from scratch. She was about done with the dessert with Haru in his kitchen, making something in preparation for dinner. Suddenly the parents that both of them were expecting pulled up to the van with their camping equipment all tucked up tight back into a single backpack.
"Sorry for being late! Anyways, where's the shower?"
Haru just jabbed a thumb to the opposite side of the van. The two parents could only marvel at the sight. It was nothing but a giant curtain that was boxing in the actual shower; but by far it was so marvelous they actually were excited enough to make this a memorable moment for them. For now they needed to attend the final few shows still on the docket and with only enough time to grab something quick, Haru placed two fried croquettes and sports drinks for the couple. They dashed off with Kyoka in tow as they shouted their thanks over their shoulders. He gave Kyoka a wave as she turned to look over her shoulders as she sat on her dad's shoulders. Now Haru had some time to himself for a while and for now decided to take it easy for a little bit. He sat at the table still set up in the back with an ashtray and two beers pinched in between his fingers. He used his thumbnail and just flicked the cap off the top. The cap fell into his open palm where he simply left it on the table next to him. Cool beer flowed into his gullet and made his blood feel like stroking satin. He lit another cigarette and just listened to all the venues in the distance. He was almost done with his second beer when he suddenly remembered he needed to make an important call. Cigarette pinched in his lips he dialed a number and waited for the connection.
"... Yeah, it's me. Listen, I'm gonna need some muscle down here in about…"
Two Hours Later
The Jiro's could say that the whole day had its ups and downs; but it was still a great day to remember. Returning back to the food vendors area they were especially excited for the next part.
"Kyoka, did you have fun?"
"Yup! Super fun!"
She was holding both of her parents' hands as they recapped the day's events with their little walk. They talked about which bands and artists were their most impressive and those that under-delivered in their live shows. Finally back they could see Haru in his kitchen in a different set of clothing than before. They approached and rounded the van towards the back. Only the father stuck around the front with Haru for a few minutes as he waited for his turn with the shower.
"So, here we are. I gotta say I'm really surprised to see you here since our last meeting."
Haru was still cooking for him and the Jiro family as he spoke, not looking up but engaging in the conversation nonetheless.
"How do you think I feel? I don't think most people find themselves in a reunion after saving an old friend's kid from heat stroke. Wish we just met elsewhere and left Kyoka not baking alive in the sun."
The man could only chuckle at the light jab and folded his hands on the wooden counter. As a good host, Haru got the man a glass of water and a beer at the same time. Another bit of ribbing at his expense. In reality he really did appreciate the water with the beer this time.
"Your kid really takes after Mika, eh? Kid's sharp as a tack and quick to move with things."
"Yeah, she's got a knack for things that I would have completely ignored at her age. She's got a hell of a future doing whatever she does."
Kyotoku reached for the water and downed the whole thing before cracking the bottle open with his keychain. Meanwhile on the opposite side of the van Mika was standing next to her daughter with the curtain partially open to check the water temperature. The whole system was rather robust and had both a rainshower and nozzle option for bathing. The bottom base was concave enough to make sure that the one cleaning themselves would know where the base was at all times. Around the edges of the base there was a fair amount of product that wasn't as numerous as her own but enough to say that Haru appreciated the finer points of male grooming. Out the side there was a drain hose that led down the grass and into a storm drain. Being able to use such a thing of beauty almost made Mika cry.
"... Okay, Kyoka! Mom's gonna be just around the corner. I'll leave your clothes right down here on the mat, ok?"
There was even a rubber mat layed out so that they could use the enclosed space to change out of their old clothes. Kyoka nodded and was then left to her devices to get clean. She shucked the crust of old articles of clothing and tested the water's temperature range. There was a wide berth for turning to change the temperature and it was almost one for one with how quickly the thing responded. Now it was time that she finally got some privacy; as much as she loved her family, getting closer to her teens made her crave some independence once in a while. She shuddered at the memory of her and her mom squeezing together naked in that small shower stall with the gross floor. The water was nothing but lukewarm and even then they could only manage a rinse without soap. Here, she had all the time in the world to experience a hot and relaxing shower with not just soap; an entire stock of different products at her disposal.
She got the water exactly where she wanted and stepping into the shower she was again blessed as this floor wasn't all slippery and gross, but slightly textured to prevent slipping and was immaculate. She rinsed off and began experimenting with the soaps to start. Picking up a green bottle it read moisturizing bath gel. She squoze an amount she felt was appropriate to start with and got to the relaxation she was looking forward to since lunch.
"Hey, look! It's a shower…"
Two college kids were wandering the grounds and were about to hit up a nearby venue when they heard the sounds of a shower going and turned to see there was indeed something that looked like a shower room up the hill.
"... wanna check if there's a chick in there?"
His buddy gave him a look of approval and started towards the grassy slope when they were suddenly grasped by the shoulder by something.
"What the f… Uhhh… Hi"
What had grasped them was a large ogre of a man standing well over two meters. Quite literally an ogre with his pronounced canines ,protruding horns, and blue skin which looked to be marred with multiple scars. It especially was concerning for the two young gentlemen that quite a few of those scars seemed to be at or near his hands. Clearly whoever gave this guy a security tee shirt deserved a raise for finding this guy.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Goodness, it even sounded like we worked out his voice.
"Uh, we… I me…"
"We were just… I guess…"
The security guard clearly didn't buy whatever half ass excuse they were trying to summon from nowhere. He crossed his arms and flexed the muscles in his arms to show them that those things weren't just to get pussy.
"Turn around and walk. I see any of you here again, getting thrown out will be the only thing you want after I'm done with you…"
They didn't even wait a second later as the dirt trail created a dust trail with how quickly they bolted out of there. Those two were lucky that a warning was all they got since the security guard they had just spoken to wasn't actually a security guard hired for the event. Earlier Haru had sent a call out for a few guards to be posted around the area where his van was for a bit seeing as there were some pretty reckless and inebriated idiots at this event. He really didn't wanna keep watch for the duration his guests were showering and it was something he was not comfortable doing compared to the other options. So instead there were about eight men that all looked like gladiators in their own rights patrolling and forming a perimeter so that nobody could sneak a peek with the family inside.
"Station two, checking in station three"
"Copy. Station three, checking in station four."
"Copy. Two possible threats cleared; both college kids with brown hair and short clothing. Station four, checking in station 5."
These comm checks went around regularly between the eight guards. Status, confirmation, and passing the check to the next person was mostly what was said with the occasional report of some stupid kid or adult thinking they could get their rocks off by peeking in a shower out in the open. These guards were some of the most capable employed by Haru's organization and had some of the highest success rates out of the countless jobs or operations they were brought into. At first they laughed at the prospect that they were being called out to a nearby music festival urgently to stand guard of a simple shower. The head of the group was about to contest the work order and file the paperwork to reject when it was notified that Haru was the one who called in and they were selected for the job. This immediately lit a fire under their asses as they got ready and arrived in twenty minutes flat.
These men didn't fear Haru as much as they respected and idolized him. All of these men were bred warriors and were brought to this squad due to their rather intense disposition to seek out conflict to prove themselves. For years they worked for this organization and it has brought them nothing but the best assignments, best gear, best intel, and whatever else they could possibly ask for. When they were informed about Haru's presence in the organization they at first thought it was a silly rumor. It was when the actual rules included that they acknowledge Haru as nothing but a superior they began to pay attention to the stories going around about him. When they arrived and met Haru one at a time at separate time slots they at first were quite shocked about how unassuming he was at first. What made them realize he was the real deal was when they shook his hand and tried to see if attacking him out of nowhere would affect the man at all. Not only were any of them able to come up with the first possible move; like their brains all of a sudden stopped that specific function altogether for no reason, but each of them felt themselves offed in the most impossible of ways. One popped like a balloon, another was accordioned where he stood, there was even one who was swung towards the ground like wet laundry with similarities not ending there.
They all spoke about how much it meant to them that they finally got to meet him and so he gave them a quick thanks for their service before they returned to the task at hand. To them it didn't matter if they were doing this or changing diapers for dozens of infants; any task given directly by that man was done with enthusiasm for this group. After about eighteen or so minutes the shower turned off and with another few minutes or so Kyoka emerged completely renewed and revitalized with product on her skin and hair. Now in her pj's she went around to let her mom know she was done. Mika helped her daughter dry her hair before happily fishing out her own items from their pack and went in for her moment of nirvana. Haru was a bit worried about the water levels since it was likely Mika was going to take her time as well. He checked the gauge discreetly on his phone and indeed it could support another twenty minutes of shower time at full blast. He looked back up at the father who was not commenting on his daughter's sudden glowing as she had used some of the lotion in the shower and it worked miracles for the child.
"Sorry guys, I'll be right back."
He exited and took a few steps away and dialed a familiar number he called earlier that day.
"Tanaka supplies."
"I need a refill on water. Just send in as few as possible if you could help it and be discreet."
"Yes, sir."
Haru hung up and left it at that. Outside the festival grounds about a mile away there was a convoy parked next to an exit road that was marked as a dead end since it was just a campground they took advantage of. In most of the trucks there was plentiful amounts of food and one massive truck filled with nothing but water in it's reservoir tanks. About forty or so people were posted here and were ready for any sort of request from Haru at a moment's notice. Now it was a call in for just water.
"We got a water drop inbound! I need the truck prepped and two of you on that truck now! Let's go, let's go!"
Two normal looking operatives that didn't sport scars or an intimidating stature immediately entered one of the camper-like trailers nearby and in less than a minute they both came back out in water delivery uniforms. Next to the large water tanker a quirk user able to stretch his limbs was operating the pump system on top of the truck and topped off the small truck with nothing but a tank on it's back filled to the brim with water. He gave the all clear and returned the hose to it's rightful position before stretching back down to normal height. The two now disguised employees hopped into the truck and went as quickly as possible without tipping. Near the exit to the main road that connected the festival location to the road a chain was magnetically unlocked and retracted as the water truck merged into a lane. The chain was returned to it's closed position to block the public. Near that a sniper team were patrolling from higher grounds and another stealthy hiding group of operatives were dutifully watching for anything that could warrant their attention.
Ten Minutes Later
A horn could be heard from a distance near the dirt path downhill as Haru could guess that it was his water that finally arrived. The people gave the truck enough space to move at a decent speed to only come at a complete stop downhill the van. All the guards were notified of the drop beforehand so they stood down and allowed the vehicle to come and go unimpeded. The two employees got to work in their roles as one began setting up the hoses and the other pulled out a clipboard with some paperwork for Haru to sign so that they could make a paper trail for him later. Haru waited at the top as the clipboard was the first to approach.
"Hi there, Nakamura Haru?"
"That's me."
"Perfect, sign here please… Alright, everything seems to be in order. Have a good night."
A small bow and he was down the hill and back in the truck to begin documenting the paperwork through a laptop inside the truck. The other employee was up the hill with a wide hose and finding the exposed inlet he hooked it up and switched the pump on. It was a powerful enough pump to fill up Haru's van enough for a while and it did it while pumping uphill and in less than ten minutes. With that they left Haru to his privacy.
"Wow, you get water delivery all the way out here? That fast?"
"Aha, yeah I try to be prepared for these types of events and so I had a buddy of mine get in touch with a local supplier to keep a few units handy."
Kyotoku just whistled at how impressive it all sounded. Now it was his wife who returned in proper sleepwear and looking to be a whole new person. He got right up for his turn and boy was it well overdue. He was in the shower three minutes flat scrubbing away the past two days off of him. Kyoka and her mother were seated at the bar and were served their dinners before the father returned from the shower. Simple bentos with eel since this was more or less a reunion between friends.
"Wooow, Kyoka! Look at what Nakamura made for us!"
"Ohhh"
The girl saw the amber sheen of the eel sauce reflect the light like it was gold leaf. The sauce had no fishiness that would sometimes put her off when she and her mom visited the supermarket. The steam and fragrant seasonings that subtly gave a pleasant complexity to the sweetness was making the child more than eager to sink her chopsticks into the serving in front of her.
"Remember to say grace, Kyoka."
She stopped herself short and reminded herself of her manners. Kyoka clasped her palms together with her mom and gave their thanks for the delicious meal prepared by Haru. The fish was perfectly deboned and was fluffy and crisp with no resistance against the chopstick as the family took their first bite into their meal. The flavors weren't as strong or sweet as other bento eel they had before; somehow it made the meal far more palatable and enjoyable as a result. They could appreciate the texture of the steamed eel against the individual grains of plump and soft rice. Because there was less sugar used it was helping the sweetness of the rice to become a part of the whole dish. Before they knew it Kyoka and Mika were working on the boxes of eel and rice like it was their first meal in weeks.
In his stall Haru was leisurely preparing side dishes for the family as he cracked open a bottle of beer and enjoyed the sounds of his guests taking great pleasure in eating something he made for them. As much as he could have had everything out and done in less than a minute flat; there was something about just taking one's time to make something for someone else. Haru was placing one small dish of seasoned veggies and pickled sides one by one and drinking like a sailor while doing so. Mika knew that whatever he was drinking was just as strong if not stronger than what he had been serving her family earlier that day. To see him lose none of his dexterity while pounding brews was leaving her more than just a bit impressed.
"Ah! So much better!"
Kyotoku was toweling his head off and dressed in his own sleepwear as he came back around to the front of the food truck. He sat down next to his wife with his daughter sitting on the opposing end of the seating arrangements. Haru didn't skip a beat by getting another hot serving of eel on rice in front of the father that immediately began to disappear like the rest of the family's boxes.
One Hour Later
The mother and child were sound asleep behind the van in a hammock Haru had attached to a tree and his van. The summer night wasn't terrible by any means and with a tolerable amount of humidity it was just short of being uncomfortable for the parent and child snuggled up together. Haru was kind enough to slide a window open and let a fan that he used for baking fan a mild breeze for the two of them. In the front the sounds of the last few shows were still echoing across the venue and carried with it the cheers and hollers of the late night party goers still wide awake at that hour. At his bar the father and him were just enjoying a few beers while Haru was just making some appetizers for the two of them as they enjoyed a bit of light banter after being out of each other's company for the past few years.
"Hm, so besides all that other stuff; I'm glad to at least see you doing well enough now."
"Yeah, a family really throws you off a bit; even if you're ready."
Haru and Kyotoku cheered with their bottles at the shared sentiment over how life can still manage to surprise them even now. They both drank deeply and sighed as the buzz was getting there for the two of them.
"Other than that; I'm glad to see that you're doing this after all these years. I gottas say I wish I had a gift for music like yours over your cooking. I would take over the world with that sort of musical acuity."
"... Yeah, no. If anything you'd be the same guy making music for a living the same you are now. You, your wife, your daughter; knowing you, you'd have done the same thing regardless of fame or fortune."
It sounded a bit of a strong comment to make about anybody and their lifestyle choices. Because of the familiarity Kyotoku had with Haru from the past, he knew that the comment was very much a compliment that was well thought out and personal for the father.
"You think? Maybe I'd be selling out stadiums across the world if I had the god given talent for it…"
There was the sound of a bottle hissing open followed by another as now done with this round of drinks Haru got their next round ready. Passing the frosty bottle to Kyotoku he and the dad clinked their drinks once before drinking to their health.
"Nah. I don't think so."
The blonde man just chuckled softly while staring at his bottle.
"Am I so predictable?"
For a moment Haru stopped moving to think of the right words to elaborate how it was he felt about what he knew about the man. Haru downed two thirds of his bottle right then and there.
"Ah! No, not predictable. The way I would put it is that you're honest with everything you do and want. I couldn't see you doing anything other than what it is you want; and I think I know you just well enough to figure out what it is you wanted out of life from the very beginning…"
The white head of hair nodded to the area behind it's owner. Finding it a bit funny that someone would call it what it is, he just smiled at Haru's observation of his family life. It was frightening at the beginning when he first ran into Haru out in the wild. He was wandering a town that he had found himself in and without much to his name he saw a food truck that was serving hot soup and noodles for dirt cheap. He sat at the vendor and asked for whatever was cheapest and pulled out his sheets of rough drafts to figure out what he was trying to accomplish out of the scribbles and edits he kept throwing in. Feeling a bit lost over the whole thing he just chucked the messy notes off to the side on the bar and rested his aching head on his arms. Most of his pain came from being a young man who was traveling around looking for an opportunity to share his passion with the world. Like any story of the up and coming artist finding his start he was rejected over and over while being forced to make his way through the world penniless and wandering without roots to set.
"Here you are; wonton ramen with the works."
Placed next to the stressed young man was a bowl that was steaming hot and ornate with all sorts of wonderful and decadent toppings. Spring shrimp dumplings, bamboo shoots, chopped kelp, different sorts of onions, and other unidentifiable ingredients that smelled like heaven to the hungry man. He was feeling a bit nervous since he was certain something this luxurious was well out of his means at the time.
"Uhhh, what? I'm sorry, but I-"
"On the house."
The blonde man who was certain that he was being charged for something that he didn't ask for was left silent at the claim that this wasn't a cheap way for the cook to extort money from a hungry vagabond. The man turned to him and getting a good look at the chef he saw that despite the white hair that aged him a bit the man was much closer to being in his mid thirties than in his fifties like he thought he was.
"I ain't gonna charge a man who hasn't had a decent meal in what looks like forever. Just eat up and let me know if there was anything else I could do for you, ok?"
Ordinarily Kyotoku would have gone out of his way to try and reject such generous offers. Right now he was far too hungry as well as unwilling to waste such a fine meal as this out of some sort of vain effort to look generous. He gave his thanks and began filling himself with a bowl of delicious dumpling soup and noodles. Not only was he hungry after months of travel; this was leagues above any sort of noodle dish he's ever had in his entire life. It was everything that could make a noodle soup perfect; a light and savory aroma, pronounced flavors that melded and unified, and ingredients that were all carefully prepared by hand to bring out the best quality of the dish. While feasting on the dish he didn't notice the discarded pieces of paper being plucked up off the bar table and being flipped through by the chef himself. The whole bowl was gone in a matter of minutes and it wasn't until the whole bowl was empty Kyotoku realized that he was so full he thought he was close to being sick. He patted his belly and wanted to thank the generous man when he saw something that was familiar to him being read through by the very stranger who fed him on their tab.
"Not bad. Gotta say you could use a different scale progression over this one. It's a bit stiff for an acoustic piece."
So mortified that something so personal was being reviewed by a cook and being critiqued by the same person was enough to set the man into a panic bad enough to dive over the bar to try and wrench the sheet music from their grip. His head was caught in the chef's hand and pushed back out the van before he got close enough to make a grab for his music.
"Relax, buddy. I'm not gonna eat it or anything; just had a few things I wanted to say about this. Will you let me say a few things?"
Readjusting his headwear he felt quite vulnerable over having his most personal work being seen and torn apart by a stranger. His music was now being held hostage by the same guy who was generous enough to feed him for free; the word conflicted didn't do any justice in describing how he felt right now. Without much choice he just nodded tentatively while eyeballing the cook with a pointed look. The chef just ignored the stare and pulled out a pen from under the countertop and expertly spun it several times before catching it. Rather than just pitching Kyotoku his own ideas the white haired man included him in the discussion over which way he wanted to take the song creatively. For hours they talked and shared ideas for the song; eventually the clock striking midnight was what cut their time short. Now completely revived and ready to hit the road with a renewed passion, Kyotoku realized something that he failed to ask at the start of this odd encounter.
"Wait, what's your name? I forgot to ask."
"It's Nakamura. Nakamura Haru. Don't worry about it, I'm sure we'll meet again."
Surely enough some time after that first encounter he ran into the familiar food truck in the city and from there they became good friends. Shortly after that was when the aspiring musician met his future wife and so acquainted her with Nakamura while going out one evening. Quick to engage those in conversation, she and Haru hit it off and were easy friends after one meal at Haru's van. They were not frequent in seeing each other even after exchanging numbers and for the adults it was no big deal as they would always have quality conversations with one another. It wasn't until their daughter was born they stopped contacting Haru completely seeing as the new addition to their family made it difficult for the parents to have any sort of social life with their other friends. What set the nail in the conversation was when their daughter accidentally broke her fathers phone and despite his best efforts he was unable to save all of his contacts. Seeing Haru again here after such a random coincidence was a rather refreshing twist to the whole event.
"... I guess you got me figured out better than I do, eh? To think I would be here with a family and doing things that parents do for their kids is something my younger self would have hated to see happen to me. Now that I'm here with them; I wouldn't trade them for all the fame and fortune I could ever imagine."
For the rest of the night Haru and Kyotoku just kept talking and drinking for the rest of the night. Of course the lightweight was cut off to prevent a hangover immobilizing him tomorrow. Haru knew better after the shitshow he caused earlier that day.
Several Months Later
"... Sure, I don't see why not."
Haru was on the phone with Mika and by the sounds of it they were hopeful in getting Haru to teach their daughter english. Kyoka was rather enamored with western music and was intent on learning how to sing like her favorite artists; the problem was that her parents were unable to locate a tutor that specialized in proper english enunciations to get their daughter to where she wanted to be. After almost two weeks they were having trouble finding the right teacher for her and were so close to just calling it a lost cause. It was the mother who reminded her spouse that they had regained the means to communicate with someone who not only had the bonus skill of being musically attuned, but was someone who could speak English like a native speaker.
"I can do this friday? Would that work out for you guys?... Perfect. Just text me the address and I'll be there at four… Yup, don't mention it… Alright, say hi to the family for me."
He hit the end call option and returned to speaking to the conference room filled with what looked to be quite a few executive types sitting at the long table Haru was heading. Nobody said anything as he finished his call and only after giving them permission to speak was the meeting able to continue uninterrupted.
Several More Months Later
"... and if you take a look here; you'll see the proper usage of the phrase 'all we've got here'."
Kyoka and Haru were sitting in a studio space with Haru going over some slang to help the girl understand and develop her own writing abilities. Kyoka read the example sentence and was able to get a basic understanding of when it was appropriate to use that term. She really was a rather bright girl as she had been able to understand and absorb information at a fair pace. Not wanting to lose sight of the lesson's purpose he also reserved a studio space nearby where the Jiro family lived to make commuting easier for them. He first had Kyoka relearn the muscle memory needed to speak perfect english, at that point the exercises made her sound anything but. A lot of tongue positioning and jaw positioning exercises for quite a while before they got into any sort of educational material. Now they were past the basics; Haru got her into understanding more urban coloquializations and casual language to make her understand the phrasing of the words to avoid making an accent on some of the tougher enunciations.
"Okay, you want to give it a shot?"
She needed a moment before she was ready to tackle the sentence. With a little more confidence she spoke the sentence out loud.
"What we have nowu is all we have rleft"
"Good! You're far better than where we were a few weeks ago; but I do want you to be aware of those vowel sounds that sneak in sometimes. Also the tip of the tongue goes just past the front teeth; make sure to remember that for future reference."
Kyoka wrote down his advice as Haru got up and grabbed an electric guitar and plopped himself down onto the swivel chair that was right next to the studio deck. He plugged it in and adjusted a few of the settings before putting on a headset that was plugged in to check if the guitar's audio was coming in as intended. Right as Haru finished making preparations for Kyoka; she finished up her notes and joined Haru at the sound deck in her own chair. The familiar set of headphones were plucked off the hook to the left of the desk and slipped onto Jiro's head without any help from Haru. She listened to the piece that Haru started from their last session and could see that it was pretty much done and was being tweaked by the slightest of margins.
"So? You think we got something here? Any thoughts?"
"... Mm-mm. I like it! It sounded really good!"
"Okay then, go ahead and hop on in and I'll sync up the last bit of editing for you. The lyrics should already be in there."
Like any child who listened to their elders she obediently hopped off the chair and entered the sound booth. She had some difficulty with the stool as she climbed it, but since she had practiced enough she was up and ready to go in no time at all. Her eyes gazed over the sheet music and how the lyricism synced to the rhythm of the music. Being the daughter of a family of musicians sight reading music was something that was taught to her before she was even able to walk on two legs by herself.
"Do you need a listen through?"
Wanting to get a rough idea she just nodded at Haru. He played the smooth R&B track that had all sorts of dark velvety melodies. It didn't take long for Kyoka to get the hang of it and signaled Haru for a proper attempt.
"Okay. Recording session attempt number one. Starting in three, two…"
She didn't need any further instructions as she had everything down pat. Stopping here and there for a break or some notes on her singing they were in there for quite some time.
Three and a Half Hours Later
Kyoka was putting away her writing materials and was ready to head home after a satisfying day of working on music. Over at the computer Kyoka can see that Haru had finished compressing the file and was downloading a copy to his phone.
"Do you listen to the songs we make?"
"Hm? Oh, of course! What sort of teacher would I be if I didn't do my research and see what it is we can improve on? Besides, the others have been hounding me for a new song already."
The download finished just then and with a quick check through his own earbuds he confirmed that the download went through properly. In her opinion it seemed weird that he would go through all this trouble to save and listen to everything they've done so far. She didn't think about it too much as she zipped up her bag and was ready to leave since her mom was going to be there soon to pick her up.
"Okay. I'll see youuuuu…"
Just as she was halfway out the door with one foot out and the other still in; she froze and hung on that one vowel as she began processing what Haru had just said. Looking back at him the white haired tutor of sorts was already uploading the file to an account linked to a music sharing website. Seeing that yellow loading bar filled her with some sort of dread that she was having a hard time describing. Embarrassment? Yeah, embarrassment unlike anything she's felt before. And to a lesser degree; slightly violated.
"Haru-san! What are you doing?!"
"Huh, what?!"
The sudden outburst from the usually calm and level headed Kyoka genuinely made Haru jump a bit and snap to attention at the source of the noise. Kyoka dove for the man's legg and began frantically yanking at his leg while wrapping her ear jacks around the offended limb. It took a bit of effort to get the desperate girl off his leg while she latched on like a tick with a mission.
"Oy! Okay, okay! I get it! You're embarrassed! Let me explain!"
"AAAAAAAA!"
"Hello? Would you guys like any…"
The studio waiting staff peeked her head into the sight of a grown man hopping on one leg trying to pry an insane child off of his leg. She could guess that they were rather occupied so she silently excused herself.
"... I'll be back later…"
Haru wrestled with getting Kyoka off for another minute or so before he finally managed to get her ear jacks untangled from his knee and hefted the child by her underarms.
"Okay! We good?! Are we calm?"
He put the indignant child down and immediately she began kicking his shin which was rather effective in getting the message across about her sheer annoyance with Haru.
"Ow! Ow ow ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I should have said something! I get it; so please stop kicking me!"
Kyoka did stop eventually, but standing there she had her head hanging and was standing with her back straight with her arms ramrod straight down. Her hands were fists and after shaking a little with her frustration she stared daggers at Haru with flushed cheeks and wet eyes. Haru at least had the decency to act sheepish and kept elaborating what exactly he did with their recordings over the past few months.
"Uh, yeah… I thought some feedback from another pair of ears was necessary to help figure out what it was we could improve on. I didn't say anything because I figured that you would wanna jump ship if I told you I was doing this… If it makes you feel any better; I only gave them to people I knew well enough."
"... How many?"
Instinctively he reached for the back of his head and looked at a rather interesting poster on the wall as he just scratched at the base of his skull.
"... Uhhh… T-three? Maybe four?"
She was mortified. Why were people listening to her singing? What did they think? For someone as introverted as Kyoka this was an irrational fear fully realized. Her cheeks went blazing red as she looked at Haru with a look of complete shock.
"They love your music, by the way! They were really excited to see what else you had to make. That's good, right?"
All he could see was her purse, her lips harder and holding in her tears over her embarrassment while her cheeks were going positively scarlet. Haru braced for the worst, and what he got was more or less what he had expected from the girl. She bolted for the couch and dove for it face down and screamed into the leather seats. He knew that this reveal was going to be a little much for the girl and being subtle with it certainly didn't take the edge off for Kyoka. Usually Haru would have done all this after Kyoka left to make sure that she didn't see where her songs were going. Again, Kyoka was a bit too quick to catch onto things for Haru to be subtle with her. The embarrassed child was certainly not processing anything bit by bit. Now all he could do was just take a seat next to the appalled little girl. He waited patiently for the girl to settle down enough so that she could listen to what he had to say next; which roughly took about another ten minutes. She was still faced down on the sofa, hoping that the furniture itself would swallow her whole and make her problems disappear.
"... You okay, kiddo?"
Obviously there was no response.
"Yeah… If that made you feel like this, then you're really not gonna like this…"
Her ears perked up and her heart sank to her tummy, in that order.
" I may or may not have booked a small performance at a cafe for you to… Perform at?"
Up like a starting gun she looked into Haru's eyes to see if he was just messing with her. He wasn't. She went bright red once more and took off for the exit like a banshee.
"AAAAAAAA!"
Haru was rather impressed by the display of speed by the young girl, but knowing better he made a call to someone who was waiting for his call. He dialed the number and waited for a response.
"Hey, it's me… Yeah, no… Sheee… Didn't take it so well after all… Yeah… Yeah, it's still there… Well, just let me know… Okay… Alright, Mika. Say hello to the husband for me… Bye."
Huh boy, he did not envy the mother as she was probably getting an earful from her daughter… And as soon as Kyoka figures out that the live performance thing was her mothers idea? Yeah, as much as he wanted to help; that was her problem.
Two Weeks Later
Kyoka had a tendency to tap the tips of her earjacks to each other whenever she felt nervous or unsure about something. She was in the green room behind the cafe's stage area. It was by no means a large place and even the hallways leading into the room were questionably narrow over how large the couches were inside the green room. Haru and her had managed a small dialogue where she apologized for her reaction and he apologized for doing something like what he did without her permission. They both hugged and made up in no time at all and were again teacher and student just like before. In her curiosity she asked about who it was that listened to her songs and so Haru revealed that the ones listening to her songs were three children who were about her age. Only two of the three gave him any feedback as the third kinda just forgot to respond after some time. It was still a mystery as to what kind of people would listen to her singing and so she asked if she could see them. Haru told her that they would be there at the live performance where they were eager to listen to her.
The day finally came after days of waiting and now she was so racked with anxiety that she wasn't sure if it was her or the room that was swaying ever so slightly. She hopped off the sofa she was sitting in and marched to the full body mirror to inspect her clothes and hair one last time. Black long sleeve paired with a forest green bomber covered in some decorative patches. Jeans that were hugging her legs pretty snugly with american skate shoes adorning the ends of her legs. Finally, a slight amount of makeup and styling was provided to her by a stylist right before coming into the cafe. She thought she looked pretty but was still fiddling with a stray hair or two like she was compulsively obsessive. She was about ready to just yank out the strands when the door opened behind her and startled her out of her obsessive fiddling. Into the tight room there were now four additional people she couldn't recognize following Haru. The adults were just engaging in some light banter as they entered.
"-So if we could just sharp that one measure I think it would do some good to add some texture to the piece."
Haru allowed the other men into the room while he held the door for them. They all began sitting at the couches and making themselves comfortable. They all looked like middle aged men and their clothes screamed jazz band with button up shirts, sports coats with just a tee shirt underneath, and other accessories and hats to adorn their aesthetic. Once they were all in, Haru shut the door behind them and approached the nervous girl before kneeling down to her level as he spoke.
"Kyoka, I would like for you to meet the rest of the band that's playing with us tonight…"
The men all gave her a smile and a wave as the young Jiro shielded herself ever so slightly using Haru's kneeling profile as her shelter. All the men took no offense and even began chuckling at her behavior. The oldest looking one there even began speaking to her gently.
"Good afternoon, little missy. I heard this was your first live performance. How are you holding up?"
Haru stood up and immediately Kyoka grabbed Haru's left hand while trying to burrow her face into his chino pants. Looking back up at the portly man she saw that his laugh lines next to his eyes and straw panama hat made him seem much nicer than she thought.
"Don't worry so much. We're here because we acknowledge that you've got something special about ya. We'll help you out however we can; so don't be afraid to depend on us. We've done this for over thirty years, ain't that somethin."
Immediately the group of musicians burst into conversation over old stories and tales of their younger days and it filled the room with a jovial atmosphere that helped even Kyoka feel confident in the abilities of these well seasoned veterans of music. Haru gave Kyoka a squeeze of the hand and got her attention to give her a look of sympathy and confidence.
"These guys are picky over who they play with. They're here because they believe in you; so don't feel so nervous over something that we've been working on for almost a year, okay?"
Still feeling some of the lingering nerves she felt slightly better over the instilling comment that Haru had planted in her. They were on in about thirty minutes or so and for the rest of the time they went over the sheets of music making final adjustments to timing and other minor things. It gave the girl something distracting as she was rather involved in the conversation as well, much to the surprise of the other band members who saw that she indeed was worthy of their attention so far. Soon it was final call and feeling stones in her stomach once more she swallowed and walked over to the small stage that was already set up for the performance. The lights weren't nearly as intense as she was ready for them to be and as she entered the audience gave the musicians a round of applause as they took their spots on stage.
Kyoka sat center stage and had a mic positioned that was adjusted slightly by a stage hand that worked for the cafe. The others all took up their instruments and began to do a final sound check to make sure nothing was out of tune. The older gentleman who spoke to Kyoka first was playing the bass; while Haru was on the guitar and the others on piano, trumpet, and bass. The audience were all waiting politely and looking out onto the crowd Kyoka could just about make out her parents sitting nearby. They both waved and gave her their silent emotional support. Scanning even more she saw that the audience was mostly young adults with only two kids there as well. She didn't catch too many details but as far as she could make out there was one boy with messy hair and one girl with a fanned out ponytail. By context she knew that those two were probably her secret admirers who were looking forward to this live performance.
The band was finally up to snuff and they all looked to each other for visual confirmation. The drummer counted them in with a hushed voice and right then the piano followed by the drummer were playing the opening melody to the first song. Without even thinking about it she knew which song it was that they were performing. Even then she felt that something was wrong. None of the words were coming to her head. She knew the song cold, but still it was like there was a piece of paper that was just blocking out the lyrics she needed to sing. The guitar was in and then the trumpet and base. The first few measures were done and soon it was gonna be her turn to start singing. She wanted to just get past this to do her part and she felt like she was failing something important for everyone here. Closer and closer it approached and still she was stiff as a sculpture. She wanted to cry over how much she felt like a failure. Haru and all these musicians were here to help her share her music and there she was unable to utter a single syllable. She started to go dizzy and now was panicking as it was just seconds until she needed to be there. She felt like a failure and it felt so awful; unlike anything she's felt before.
Rather than the measure that was her que to sing; a thunderous blast of high pitched screeching came out of Haru's amplifier and made everyone jump out of their seats. The screeching was still going and many of the people watching the performance were trying to cover their ears in response to the unpleasant conversation. Acting quickly Haru fumbled with the controls and eventually figured that just switching the thing off was the only course of action. A massive sigh of relief went over the crowd as the deafening sound was shut off. The two stage hands as well as Haru had to stop for a moment to troubleshoot for a second. It didn't take much time at all as they found the source of the technical failure to be a partially unplugged main cord. It looked as though the plug wasn't tucked in all the way and pooped out at the start of their performance. Not wanting to waste any more time the stage hands plugged the guitar back into the amp and with his own microphone Haru made an announcement.
"Sorry about that folks. Looks like there was an unsecured plug that got in the way and now it's been handled. Okay…"
Haru clapped once and startled a few of the audience members over how sudden and loud it was. Kyoka herself was caught slightly off guard and was startled by the noise. However after being scared like that she suddenly didn't feel as claustrophobic like before. It was like her head was floating and her body was made of helium balloons. Looking back over the crowd the apprehension and fear she had of their judgements was now manageable rather than cloying and suffocating.
"Ms. Jiro; would you like to count us in?"
Her eyes shot to Haru as he offered her the role of getting them started. Looking at his face she saw a look that gave her only one very simple thing he wanted her to remember. That this was simply a room full of people who she could share her music with. She had no reason to be fearful of anything and it was alright if anybody didn't like her songs. All they did to create all they did was out of an honest passion for the art form. There was absolutely no reason for her to feel ashamed over what she genuinely worked hard over. With her eyes back up front Kyoka felt like she was just talking to a bunch of strangers. There was a little apprehension, but for her it was healthy and didn't cage her up like before. With renewed vigor she counted in the band with little difficulty.
"One, two, three, four…"
Just like before the band started up and unlike before she was unburdened of all her noxious thoughts. A simple ballad to open the night; everyone was drawn in by this young girl singing of such a smooth and relaxing melody. The performance was nothing short of perfect and it was all due to the combined efforts of everyone on that stage performing as they were. Even those english lessons that Haru worked in were showing results as there was no mispronunciation to distract from the song written completely in english. Nobody could even move with how entrancing the whole performance was. Here was this young child who was singing like someone five years senior to her and with how excellent the musical accompaniment was keeping everything in line Kyoka let herself get lost in the music she created with the help of all these wonderful people who saw her potential. In fact it was so perfect one would think that the start of that show was rather out of place for how smoothly the rest of the evening went.
In fact there was a rather good explanation as to the little 'technical failure' of Haru's amp earlier that only the gentlemen of the band knew. Through their years and years of experience they developed a sort of sixth sense over what was happening on the stage. Even with half of their experience one could tell that Kyoka was sitting far too stiff and was panicking internally. They kept playing and while hoping that she would snap out of it in time it became more and more obvious that it wasn't going to happen in time. Stopping someone's first performance due to stage fright was mortifying, but next to that was completely bombing on the first song. They hadn't dealt with a first time performance in so long that for once in their lives they were at a loss over what else to do besides continuing the performance.
As they got closer to Kyoka's vocals the others noticed something out of the corner of their eyes that only they were able to catch. Haru's guitar was indeed plugged into an amp off to the right of him; but through a foot pedal that sat behind one of the stage's speakers. In a move that would forever stick with them he had the genius idea to begin drawing the cable leading to that amplifier taut with his left foot and with the smallest amount of careful pressure he gently yanked his plug loose just far enough to cause a deafening shriek from improper connection. It was so subtle it was brilliant. Rather than letting Kyoka have to fend for herself he faked an equipment malfunction to spare her the heartbreak of ruining her own live performance. With just that he gave control of the whole performance back to the young girl and it was one of the most religious experiences these older men had performing for an audience. They saw someone who was just somebody who liked and knew music transform into a musician tried and true in her own special way. It made them feel like it was their first performance all over again and made the rest of the night nothing short of a night to never forget.
As they finished one song after another the audience could barely contain themselves between breaks of each song. Some of the songs picked up pace while others were so moving it sent some of the more emotional members of the audience into tears. Each and every band member there was on point and had no intentions of ruining the night with subpar instrumentals. Their cheeks and jaws burned, their fingers and wrists were getting close to enflamed, and their fingertips were rubbed so raw that it almost took off an entire layer of skin before the end of the night. There was so much passion contained on that one stage that night it was truly something that everyone would remember for the rest of their lives. Almost an hour of constant playing and with only a few short moments for the performers to collect themselves it was all they could do from tripping over themselves and collapsing from overexertion. By the end of the performance every musician up there was drenched in their own sweat and in an ungodly amount of pain from their feverish playing. Such technical players rendered thoroughly worked through by less than an hour of playing.
The final song was a bit of a faster piece that brought up the energy of the place and got everyone to stand up for the entirety of the piece. So much was hanging in the balance for these seasoned musicians that there was nothing short of absolute surgical precision coming out of their instruments. Even the free solo moments that let them show their chops were marvelous works of art in their own rights. The end of the piece faded out and after a pregnant pause the silence was broken by a round of applause that sent the entire place into an absolutely mad house of passionate fans showing the performers how much the concert moved them. Kyoka didn't know what to do. She was feeling so many things all at once she thought she was going to be sick.
Rather than just sitting aside; the musicians stood shoulder to shoulder next to Kyoka's stool. Haru helped Kyoka down with the help of the pianist and with a bold moment of gratitude they all linked hands and took a bow. When they all stood back up, it was right then that Kyoka knew what she wanted to do. One deep breath went in as she spoke to the audience from the bottom of her soul.
"THANK YOU! YOU'VE BEEN A WONDERFUL AUDIENCE! GOODNIGHT!"
That one legendary line that always came after a performance she had always seen but never had the opportunity to use. The sea of people giving her their reactions was something that made her feel more connected to everything she loved about music than any other moment in her life before this show. Feeling this raw energy was something she would treasure for quite some time. Before long the band and her left the stage to let the people of the audience get home and sleep off the excitement of the night.
Ten Minutes Later
Kyoka and the band members of the performance were exchanging contact information and even gave her their business cards in case she ever needed any of them for any other performance she may have planned in the future. She gave all of them sincere thanks that they all took to heart. Just then Haru peeked his head in and made himself known to everyone in the room.
"Knock, knock. Is it okay for me and a few friends of mine to come in?"
The musicians had timed their exits well after taking a quick selfie on Kyoka's phone that all the older gentlemen requested that she send them each a copy through their phones. As they all took off for the night Haru brought in two kids that were rather shy as they all shielded themselves behind Haru's knees.
"Great job tonight, Kyoka! Even with my highest expectations you blew that out of the water like it was nothing."
She blushed from the honest praise from her mentor and felt damn proud over how well everything went. It was then she let her eyes linger on the other two guests that Haru had brought into the green room alongside him. He gently ushered the two of them from out behind him and introduced both of them.
"Kyoka; I would like to introduce to you your secret critics and admirers. This is Yaoyorozu Momo. Over here we have Midoriya Izuku. C'mon out, guys. Say hi."
Haru put a name to each face and for what it was they both left an impression on Kyoka. Momo was a tall and pretty girl with porcelain skin and was dressed in a lovely red dress with elegant seams that looked to have been made from hand. It wasn't anything too fancy at first glance, but she thought about how nice it looked on Momo. With a ponytail like a mane and lovely new shoes it was like she was a princess out on the town for her own leisure. It actually made Kyoka self conscious about how hard it was to take her eyes off the lovely girl.
Looking at Izuku, he was much less formal and had hair that was like a mop on his head. He carried himself a little sheepishly and was dressed in jeans with a plain shirt and zip up jacket. His only notable piece of clothing was the pair of bright red shoes he had poking out of each jean sleeve. Somehow by acting so shy it was somewhat flattering for her to be revered by someone so similar in age. Coming from adults it was usually just them being kind to the child. From others her age it just sort of cemented the sentiment that she really was someone with notable talent. They were both fumbling to get a greeting that Haru thankfully made easier with a laugh and making them shake hands.
"You were sooo amazing! I can't believe that you're so talented! It's like… Woah!"
Izuku could only manage to nod furiously in agreement with Momo. Still not used to such compliments from other kids she was unable to fight off the blush that was absolutely cooking her brain. She could only squeak out a small thank you towards her peers. Izuku then came to Kyoka with something he wanted to ask her since the start of the show. He suddenly approached her and in her own confusion over what was happening she stood flat as a plank as Izuku was at a ninety degree angle with something in his hands as he stretched his arms towards her.
"Can… Can I get your autograph? Thank you very much!"
She could barely manage to hold the pen still as she signed the pen pad with a somewhat lopsided made on the spot signature. Thinking he was going to be disappointed he instead thanked her from the bottom of his heart after seeing the signed piece of writing material. Momo made a similar request that came out a bit straighter than Izukus. The two of them fawned over the autographs and began talking about all sorts of things with the youngest Jiro. From heroes to music and known musicians they all took turns sharing in each other's interests and passions. It was another hour before Haru returned to a room with three children all leaned up against one another while sitting on the couch. The parents outside were all sharing in conversation and only after bringing up the time Haru got them to realize they should probably start heading home. The three families each took their children to their respective transportation with Haru accompanying Inko with Izuku being carried in Haru's arms gently so as to not wake the boy. They said their goodbyes to one another and went their separate ways.
Before going home; Haru could wager that in their excitement the children probably forgot to exchange contact information. He set up a quick chat room with all three kids and himself and just sent them all a message saying to sort the rest of their info exchange themselves. The three of them were quick friends and although they couldn't spend an exorbitant amount of time in real life there was no shortage of conversation between them. Sometime later it became four with the addition of Mina and still there was more to come.
A few weeks after the concert Mika had stumbled across the business cards that Haru had given her as the messenger for the band members. Out of curiosity she looked up the names and found out that they were all a part of a major studio band that was well deserving of their pedigree. Movie soundtracks, concerts, foreign events, these musicians were people that had auctions over their available time slots. Some of the notable charges were quite high; more than that it was startling to her that for an opening gig that was roughly thirty minutes minimum cost about eighty million yen. She was well recognized in the world of music and she had nowhere the level of influence to get players of that caliber to play for any of her pieces; unless the institution she worked for was willing to fork over hundreds of millions for some sort of extravagant event or sponsored concert.
It still freaked her out how Haru was somehow the most inconspicuous yet alarmingly significant person she knew. For now she left the cards on her daughter's desk with a post it note saying that she shouldn't lose these at any cost. Seeing how people from around the world would chew off an arm and leg for that band's time, it was the gentlest way she could relay the information without freaking out the young girl.
Some Years Later
"Haru-san?"
"Hm?"
Out in front of a shopping center Haru was sitting next to Kyoka with her electric guitar freshly refurbished being played silently in his dexterous hands. Now in her junior high years she was on her way home from the music store after picking up her guitar when she saw Haru's truck serving greek falafel and spanish seafood rice. Feeling peckish and wanting to speak with her long time mentor she stopped by where he promptly shut the store down before another line could form and began making the girl some of the rice dish she had caught a scent for. After finishing they caught up over small news since the last time they met which was roughly just over a month ago. Haru asked to see her axe and without hesitation she gave Haru permission to do as he pleased; she hadn't come across a reason not to trust him so far. He sat looking out to the passing crowds while she sat facing the van while enjoying the late lunch. It was sometime during this comfortable silence between them that she wanted to pose a question to Haru. One that's been bugging her for some time now.
"Did you always know you wanted to be a cook? Why didn't you want to become a hero or something?"
Haru just kept playing some song he knew as he just answered her casually without seeming too flippant.
"I can't. I don't have a quirk."
Kyoka was just about to take another bite when she froze right then and there. She was well aware of Izuku's condition after speaking to the boy for years and knew how delicate of a subject it was for the group to talk about. Now it just seemed as though she stepped on a conversational landmine with Haru.
"Guess ya didn't know, huh? Kinda surprised the others didn't tell you. Don't worry about nothing. It's been years and I've made my peace. So yeah, technically I wasn't able to be a hero from the start, but it never really came across my mind. I was kinda quiet and enjoyed other things. Thus…"
He took his right hand off the strings and just gestured to the van in a generic gesture. Going back to casually playing her guitar it was like it wasn't even worth conversation; having been born quirkless. It was sort of a relief that it wasn't a sore spot for him, but now it seemed as though her question was now nil since he just told her he didn't have any qualms over what he wanted to do when he was younger. Right now she really needs someone's input on a rather personal situation she's facing.
"Why? Parents still not giving you trouble?"
Guessing that he knew her parents better than she did, it was indeed just that. The older she got and the closer she was to going to high school she kept thinking about what it was she wanted to do for her future. Anybody could look at her parents from the outside and tell her that she should count herself as lucky that her parents were so supportive of her decisions. Problem was she still was deliberating and running into indecision over two paths in the road. On one hand she wanted to become a hero and be someone who brought together people with her own abilities. On the other hand she still felt strongly about music and couldn't just leave behind something she not only worked at for years of her life; it was something she loved and so it was this lack of guidance over which to choose that was making things difficult.
"... You wanna know what I think?"
After some silence Haru spoke again and just rested the guitar underneath his crossed arms as the guitar rested on his right thigh. He looked out to the people walking by them and just observed the flow of life in the city.
"I think that if I were you, I'd stop looking at things in black and white. Sometimes it's hard for a musician to keep their ear to the ground since they obsess over the art. Minding keys and harmony to get the right balance can make it almost impossible to just listen for new possibilities."
Kyoka could simultaneously get what he was saying and couldn't figure out the cryptic way he was speaking. Her brain just hurt trying to figure out his supposed riddle.
"My recommendation? You're your parents' kid. They weren't shown a clear path and it gave them time to think things over. This time round I suggest just going with the flow and see where that takes you. Not that I'm saying you should just be lazy; heavens no. But I think you do need to stop thinking of things as hard locked paths that need payment as a toll for entry. Get it?"
She had a better idea, but still couldn't understand what he was hinting at. At least it was something she could use as advice for now.
"Alright, kiddo. Better finish up there and get home soon; mom's probably starting to worry over where you are by now."
XX Years Later
The morning was a rather crisp one and with the roads cleared he had no difficulty getting to where he needed to be. He was still a few blocks away, yet still he could see the towering landmark that indicated where his next stop was going to be. This was gonna be a good day. He could feel it.
