Chapter 16:...Another Door Opens
For what felt like the millionth time Kyou found herself walking down the halls of the hospital. It was mid-morning now, a bit later than when Kyou normally came to visit Kale. If it wasn't for the short gap of time between Japanese school years than Kyou would be late in getting to her class. She was allowed the luxury of a leisurely pace for once and although she gladly took the opportunity it wasn't for relaxation. Kyou was feeling a great deal of apprehension that was unfortunately becoming just as familiar as the hospital corridors were.
It had been only a single day since Kale had resigned from his job at the Kindergarten. The shock of the sudden revelation of the rumors and Kale's response to them still weighed heavily on Kyou's mind. Kale may not have said so but Kyou knew that it weighed on him as well. He no longer had a job and he was getting closer to the day of his discharge from the hospital. There was a lot to figure out and not much time to do so.
"One step at a time," she mumbled to herself as she continued down the hospital corridors. Before she knew it Kyou was at Kale's room, knocking on the door.
"Come in," called out a voice from inside. It was a voice that did not belong to Kale but was still recognized by Kyou as belonging to her sister's husband Kappei. That wasn't much of a surprise to her since she knew that Kappei worked here at the hospital as a rehab assistant. Kyou complied with the invitation as her hand that was already on the doorknob twisted and opened it up.
Before Kyou could even take a single step into the room she was hit with the smell of freshly baked bread. As appetizing as it was Kyou was surprised by the scent. Over all of her visits to the hospital Kyou had come to associate the place with more pungent and far less appetizing smells like cleaning chemicals or disinfectants. Even the food they served here usually seemed more clinical than appealing not just in smell but taste and presentation as well. Something as alluring as the smell of freshly baked bread was just about the last thing she ever expected to encounter here.
With curiosity now becoming an additional reason to enter Kyou walked into the room and took a look around. Kale was sitting on the edge of his bed, dressed in regular clothes just like yesterday. Standing close by was Kyou's brother-in-law Kappei Hiiragi. Resting on a small bedside table between the two men was a simple basket whose contents were hidden from view by a piece of cloth.
"Ah, good morning Fujibayashi-san," greeted Kappei. His sandy colored hair that framed his surprisingly effeminate face rustled as he turned towards Kyou.
"Good morning to you too," returned Kyou with a nod. "But Kappei, you can just call me Kyou. I am your sister-in-law after all."
"Ah, my apologies Kyou-san," said Kappei.
"Just Kyou," corrected Kyou, putting emphasis on the lack of an honorific following her name.
"I understand Kyou-san," said Kappei. Kyou rubbed the bridge of her nose with one of her hands as she sighed. Kyou knew that it was pointless to resist; Kappei was very similar to Ryou in that any idea that stuck in their head would be nigh impossible to get out.
"Whatever," sighed Kyou in defeat. She turned her attention towards Kale and gave a warm smile. "Good morning to you Kale."
"Morning," replied Kale. The tone in his voice was flat and there was no return smile on Kale's face. Kyou wasn't surprised by this considering the circumstances but that didn't dull the pain she felt in her heart. It also didn't help her think of what to say to such an unenthusiastic response. There were a few moments of awkward silence before anyone spoke up. Desperate to break the silence Kyou eventually forced herself to make some small talk.
"So what's in the basket?" she asked while looking at Kale. His eyes did not meet hers, looking only to an empty space in front of him, nor was any response given. Kale remained in silence casting Kyou once more into the position of not knowing what to say. Kappei mercifully took the initiative this time and began speaking.
"Oh, it's some freshly baked bread," Kappei answered with only a slight wavering in his voice indicating that he noticed the awkwardness of the earlier silence.
Kyou had to bite her lip to stop herself from making a snarky comment about how that was obvious from the smell. She didn't want to risk killing the still fragile conversation with her sharp tongue. She chose instead to go with a more subdued reply. "Smells wonderful, did someone bring it as a gift?"
"Not really," answered Kappei after giving Kale a chance to respond only to be met with more silence. "As part of his occupational therapy today I had Saunders-san practice his cooking skills. He mixed up the dough all by himself then we used an oven in the hospital kitchen to bake it. It came out really well."
"Sure smells like it," replied Kyou.
"Did you want some?" This time it wasn't Kappei that spoke but Kale. He was looking at Kappei and Kyou now but still had a mentally exhausted and defeated look on his face.
'Finally got him to speak,' Kyou thought to herself. "Absolutely!" Kyou chirped, injecting as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could without making it sound fake.
"Well I guess I'll leave you two alone now," said Kappei. "Saunders-san, I just want to say again that you did a good job today. I'll see you tomorrow for your last therapy session, okay?"
"Alright," simply replied Kale.
Kappei turned away from Kale and looked at Kyou before giving a quick bow. "It was good seeing you again Kyou-san."
"You too," Kyou sighed, unable to fully hide her exasperation with the continued use of the unwanted honorifics. Either because of not noticing or not caring, Kyou wasn't sure which, but Kappei did not acknowledge the frustration in Kyou. All he did was give a smile and a wave before leaving the room and shutting the door behind him.
"Alrighty then, no point in waiting," stated Kyou as she walked over to the basket and the wonderful smells it exuded. She picked up a knife that had been left by the basket and started to reach for the cloth. She stopped when the often forgotten social rules made themselves known for once in her mind, promoting her to look back at Kale. "Do you want a slice too?" she asked.
"No thanks, not hungry" shrugged Kale.
"Alright, that's it," huffed Kyou, slapping the knife back onto the bedside table and turning herself fully towards Kale. "What gives?"
"Huh?"
"Don't huh me mister," demanded Kyou with a scowl shot at Kale. "What's going on with you? I know you are going through a lot right now but usually when you are feeling depressed you still will at least try to make conversation, so why are you like this now?"
Much to her frustration Kale didn't give a response right away. He had heard her, that much was obvious from the stunned look he gave before looking down at the ground. Kyou folded her arms as she waited and continued to stare at Kale. A minute passed with nothing still said. Kyou started tapping her foot impatiently as another minute passed by.
"Well?" she finally asked in hopes of prompting him to speak.
"I'm sorry," said Kale.
Kyou stopped tapping her foot. "For what?" she asked.
"For yesterday," he replied. "I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday. i made a big decision without talking to you about it, I yelled at you, I just...I was a complete jerk. I know I said I was sorry yesterday but from the moment I saw your face when you came into the room all I can think about is how big of an idiot I was to you. I just feel so guilty about it." In addition to his sorrowful words the regret he felt was loudly expressed by the way he held his head low, eyes cast downwards to the floor and away from Kyou.
"That's all?" asked Kyou. "That's what has been bothering you?"
"I mean, yeah, among other things as well but, yeah," replied Kale without even lifting his head.
"Well that's just stupid," Kyou scoffed.
"Huh?!" His head shot up and twisted to look at Kyou in stunned disbelief, quiet obviously not having expected such an reply.
"I told you, don't huh me," reminded Kyou first with a scowl then a playful wink. Kyou started walking over to the spot on the bed next to where Kale was sitting. "It's like you said-" Kyou interrupted herself for a brief moment to sit down on the bed."-you already apologized yesterday."
"I know but..." Kale's words trailed off as he felt the blazing glare that Kyou shot at him. "You have to admit, I was a jerk yesterday."
"Yeah, you were," replied Kyou without any sort of hesitation. Despite being a straightforward individual Kyou felt some regret for being so blunt with Kale right now. She knew from her own experience with depression though that there were times that being simple in speech was necessary to break through the miasma of depression. Kyou also knew that being straightforward in speech didn't mean she couldn't be nice as well.
"But you know what, that's okay," added Kyou.
"Me being a jerk to anyone is not okay, especially if it's you," objected Kale with a small scowl of his own.
"You are right, being a jerk isn't okay," agreed Kyou with a nod. Confused by the seemingly conflicting statements Kale tried to speak up only to be silenced by Kyou putting a finger to his lips. "But you are still a good person, that's what I mean by 'that's okay'."
"How can I be considered a good person after how I treated you?" mumbled Kale through lips still partially sealed by Kyou's finger.
"Let me ask you this, do you consider me a good person Kale?" questioned Kyou. She brought her finger away to allow him to speak more clearly. Her eyes though remained firmly fixed on Kale's.
"Of course I do," quickly answered Kale. "You are the most wonderful person I've ever known."
A blush along with a soft smile spread across Kyou's face before she was able to speak. "And how any times have I lost my temper with you? How many times did I hit you with my fist, a kick, or a book?"
"Well...I mean..." Although Kale's reply was little more than a stutter it was obvious that he remembered each outburst from her and was hesitant to count them all.
"Exactly," nodded Kyou. "If you consider me to be such a wonderful person when I've had so many outbursts for no good reason then it only makes sense that you are still an amazing person despite one outburst you've had during a difficult time. Is that not true?" Kale's silence and gaze that shifted from side to side told Kyou that he couldn't argue against that logic but he still struggled with the guilt he felt.
"Yeah I may have had an outburst, but I still made a huge decision without talking to you about it beforehand," meekly argued Kale.
Kyou let out a long sigh saturated with exasperation that she made no effort to hide. "Alright, how about this then, each time one of us makes a huge decision without discussing it the other person gets to make a huge decision themselves and the other person has to go along with it without any argument. I think that's a fair rule for our relationship, right?"
Kale stared back at her, the wheels turning in his head as he pondered over the words she had said. Finally he gave a smile, one with genuine warmth that made Kyou's heart sing with relief.
"Alright, it's a deal," he said while smiling.
"Good," replied Kyou. She started to lean forward to give him a light kiss when something stopped her. As her face got closer she felt her chest tighten uncomfortably, her stomach cramp, and her head pound with pain. These physical sensations surprised Kyou and caused just as much confusion. She had kissed Kale before so she wasn't sure why the attempt now was accompanied with such discomfort. It frightened her enough that she aborted the kiss and instead turned the leaning forward into a quick hug. Even that show of affection brought up the same symptoms of discomfort but they were muted compared to before.
Kyou decided that now wasn't the time to worry about herself and so pushed those worrisome emotions out of her mind. Before Kale could return the hug Kyou stood up and walked over to the bedside table. "Since you aren't hungry I'll take this with me," stated Kyou as she snatched up the basket. She was already at the door and opening it up when Kale finally got in a reply.
"That's fine and all but where are you going?" inquired Kale.
"I'm making my big decision to make up for yours," called out Kyou, turning back just long enough to give him a smirk. "I'm gonna find you a job!"
"Easier said then done," groaned Kyou. Her long purple hair bundled into a ponytail dangled in the air behind her as she leaned back and looked up at the afternoon sky. The shadow of the nearby apartment building where she lived shielded her from the worst of the bright spring sun as she gazed up from the bench nestled against the side of the building. Kyou let out a heavy sigh as she continued to look to the clouds as if they held the answers she sought.
"What's easier said than done?" asked a voice from beside Kyou. Kyou tilted her head back to an upright position and looked to her left where Tomoyo and Nagisa sat next to her.
"Huh?" replied Kyou, indicating she hadn't been paying attention.
"I said what's easier said than done?" The question came from Tomoyo in a cool and steady tone that Kyou quickly realized was the one that had asked the first time.
"Oh, I just meant about finding Kale a job," answered Kyou. She gave another sigh and looked away from her friends and towards the side yard that was in front of her. Some distance away were Ushio and Botan, far enough away that she couldn't hear anything the little girl said but close enough that she could make out the faint sound of laughter as her former student played with her precious pet.
"I should have realized," shrugged Tomoyo as she looked out into the yard as well. "You did call us here about that after all."
"I'm not quite sure how much help I can be though," interjected Nagisa who unlike the other two was paying attention to those on the bench. "I didn't work much before I had Ushio and most of my time now is spent taking care of her and our home. I'm sorry I can't help more."
"No no, it's quite alright," assured Kyou. "Even if you don't have any ideas it still helps to vent a little"
"Well I'm happy to help anyway I can," said Nagisa with a sincere smile.
"So what makes the process so particularly difficult?" Tomoyo inquired.
"Well finding a job in normal circumstances is difficult enough already," responded Kyou. Both Nagisa and Tomoyo's nodded in agreement. "Kale's circumstances make it even more so."
"You mean his recent amputation?" guessed Tomoyo. Her voice was lowered in volume, not quite to a whisper but enough that it was obvious that Tomoyo was trying to be sensitive about the issue but wasn't quite sure how.
"Partly," said Kyou. "That certainly plays a big role but I'd have to say the biggest problem would be his living situation."
"What do you mean?" asked Nagisa. "I thought he had an apartment in town already."
"He did." Kyou closed her eyes for a moment as she let out yet another sigh. "Because of his hospital stay though he is behind on his rent payments."
"Is he is being evicted because of that?" questioned Tomoyo, looking back towards Kyou. "If that's the case he could delay it by petitioning it in the courts. Real estate law here does tend to favor tenants."
Kyou shook her head. "Yeah I know, but even if that was the only part of the problem Kale wouldn't fight to delay it; he's just too nice in that way. Anyways, he will have to move out of his apartment since he can't afford it anymore. The main part of this problem is that it was strongly recommended by his doctors that Kale shouldn't live on his own right now."
"I see..." said Tomoyo as understanding began to shine within her eyes.
"Why do they suggest that?" Nagisa asked Kyou.
"His recovery has been great, miraculous even," explained Kyou. "The problem is that his injuries were rather severe. Complications can show up anytime, especially in the first few months. They are afraid that if he lived on his own that he could experience another complication and no one would be there to get him help."
Silence fell upon the three women. Even without speaking they knew what was on each other's minds. They were thinking of the sudden and completely unexpected complication that had marred Kale for the rest of his life by taking his arm and that was only a problem with his limb. If his other injuries acted up, especially his head injury that had required a craniotomy, the results could be truly catastrophic. The undeniable realization of the fragility of life weighed heavily on them for those moments.
Eventually the silence was pushed away by Tomoyo. "So not only does Kale need to find a job he needs to find a place to live where he won't be alone."
"Exactly," nodded Kyou in agreement with Tomoyo's summation. "He can't live with me because I'm gone for long portions of the day due to work, and I certainly can't think of any places where he could work that would also give him a place to stay."
"Quite a difficult situation," sighed Tomoyo.
"I know!" Kyou exclaimed. "It's all just...just so-"Just as she started to growl in frustration so too did her stomach. A light blush kissed her cheeks and Kyou let out a nervous chuckle.
"Long crazy day, haven't even eaten much," she admitted. Kyou reached to her side opposite from where Tomoyo and Nagisa sat. From there she grabbed the basket she had taken from Kale's room earlier that day. She whipped off the cloth and inhaled the last few whiffs of the freshly baked scent that still lingered. She had sliced the bread when he got home earlier but had neglected to actually have a slice, having become distracted by her thoughts of what to do for Kale. Kyou was determined to correct that error and started to shove a slice into her mouth. Gnawing hunger made her forget to ask beforehand if it was alright to interrupt the conversation nor did she think to ask if they wanted any. All that her mind wanted right now was to satisfy her stomach.
"That's looks quite delicious," commented Nagisa.
"Indeed, the quality looks exceptional," agreed Tomoyo.
"It is great," Kyou sputtered through her bread-filled mouth. The crumbs spilling from her mouth as she attempted to talk clearly pointed out to her the social misstep she had committed of talking with your mouth full along with her earlier mistakes. She went from savoring the delicious bread and instead chewed it as quickly as possible so she could promptly resume the conversation she had so rudely disrupted.
"Did you make that yourself?" asked Nagisa.
Kyou shook her head as she choked down the last few bites of bread still in her mouth. After a large swallow she gasped for air then elaborated. "No, it wasn't me. I've never made bread this good."
"Oh, so you bought it from the store then?" theorized Tomoyo.
"Actually no," corrected Kyou. "Kale made it."
"Really?" exclaimed both Tomoyo and Nagisa.
"Really," said Kyou, a smile quickly spreading across her face as she felt pride swell within her heart, easily making her forget the guilt she felt over her earlier social mistakes. "He made it as part of his occupational therapy this morning. Here, try a slice and see how awesome it is!" Kyou held out the basket towards Tomoyo and Nagisa
"If it's not too much bother," Nagisa said as she reached forward and took a slice.
"My thanks," also said Tomoyo, taking a slice of bread as well. Unlike Nagisa who had immediately started nibbling at the bread, Tomoyo held it in her lap as she looked at Kyou.
"What sort of skills does Saunders-san have that could be used for a job?" she asked.
Having expected her friend to eat rather then talk, Kyou was caught once more with her mouth full of delicious bread. She was forced to repeat her earlier actions and quickly consume the baked good without appreciating the simple yet pleasing flavors.
"I'm not quite sure," admitted Kyou after clearing her mouth. "He has skills in cleaning from working at the Kindergarten and he used to be really good with drawing. A lot of that may have changed now though, certainly his skills in drawing did because...well, you know... " Her voice trailed off as the willingness to continue talking about the sensitive subject quickly left her.
"This is really good," Nagisa happily stated, filling the awkward silence much to Kyou's relief.
"Really?" replied Tomoyo. Nagisa's testimonial over the bread's quality proved to be too enticing and Tomoyo took a bite of her own slice. "Wow, it is quite impressive," Tomoyo said after the single bite.
"What's really good, Mama?" asked a fourth voice. All three women turned and saw Ushio standing by Nagisa. Her young eyes were full of sparkling curiosity as she looked between the three adults and the basket of bread.
"This bread that Saunders-san made," explained Nagisa to her child. "Here, try a piece." She broke off a corner of the slice she had been eating and fed it to Ushio. There was a smile on the child's face as she consumed the morsel, giving a satisfied gulp after only a few seconds.
"Do you like it?" asked Nagisa.
"Mm-hmm," Ushio said along with a enthusiastic nod. "It's just as good as what Akki makes!"
"Akki?" repeated Tomoyo, looking to Nagisa with a eyebrow raised in minor confusion.
"That is what she calls her grandfather," informed Nagisa. "My father's name is Akio but he decided he wanted to be called Akki when he first found out I was pregnant with Ushio."
"Ah, I see," nodded Tomoyo.
The conversation became subdued when Tomoyo, Nagisa, and Kyou all resumed eating their slices of bread as Ushio went back to play with Botan. Even with as tasty as the bread was though Kyou felt the silence went on for too long so she thought desperately for anything that could serve as a subject for small talk.
"You know, Ushio is right," Kyou said. "This bread is just as good as the ones sold at your parents' bakery."
"Yeah, it really is..." Nagisa's voice trailed off as she looked at the bread. Kyou and Tomoyo were soon just like Nagisa, looking at their own slices as an idea formed in their minds. Suddenly they all exclaimed the same thing at the same time with such vigor that Ushio and Botan jumped in surprise.
"That's it!"
"So you think I should become a baker at the Furukawas'?" Kale asked as he sat himself on the edge of the hospital bed. With his one arm he put the book he had been reading on the nearby bedside table and turned his full attention to Kyou.
"Yes." At first that was all Kyou could manage to reply with. Her chest was heaving in and out as she sucked in revitalizing air into lungs that still stung from the exertion of a frantic sprint just a few minutes prior. The idea that had struck herself and her friends had proven too exciting to be contained and Kyou immediately ran to the hospital. Now she stood by the side of Kale's bed panting and wheezing but still trying to get her message to Kale.
"We'll talk about it but can you please take a seat before you faint?" pleaded Kale. Kyou gave a shallow nod and let herself fall into a nearby chair. She forced herself to take in a few deep breathes instead of rapid and shallow ones. This quickly began to stabilize her breathing and Kyou found herself able to talk more easily.
"This isn't up for debate," Kyou simply stated. She still was somewhat winded and as she breathed in some more Kale responded.
"What do you mean this isn't up for debate?" he questioned.
"We made a deal, remember?" Recognition dawned on Kale's face upon hearing Kyou's reminder. It wasn't enough for her though and she wanted to be sure that there was no room for argument in the slightest. "You made a big decision without talking to me about it so I get to make one and you can't argue against it."
"Well, yeah we did but-" Kale was interrupted by Kyou shoving her hand forward with index finger pointed upwards, signaling for him to wait.
"Look, despite our deal if it's not right for you I won't force you to work and stay at the Furukwawas' but I want you to seriously consider it and give it your best shot," said Kyou. "It would be both an opportunity for you to have a job and a place to stay while you continue to recover."
Kale gave no objections to Kyou's request and instead closed his eyes, rubbed his chin, and gave a long 'hmmm' as he pondered upon it. Kyou wanted to point out again that if he wanted to stay true to their deal he couldn't object to her decision. Even she with her hotheaded nature though knew that to repeat that point would do more harm than good for her argument now so she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't able to remain completely silent however and soon a muffled tapping sound could be heard as she tapped her foot against the ground. She stopped the instant that Kale opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Alright, I'll give it my best try," agreed Kale. His mouth and eyes were narrowed in determination as he punctuated his agreement with a firm nod.
"Good," simply replied Kyou.
"When would be a good time to ask them do you think?" Kale inquired. As if the universe deemed to answer that question itself there was a sudden and loud knocking at the door to Kale's room. Both Kyou and Kale jumped in surprise but the former of the two was able to quickly compose herself.
'Right on time," Kyou thought to herself with a grin colored with surprise at how unintentionally well-timed the arrival was. "Probably right now," Kyou said in answer to Kale's question. Kale tried to hiss a question of surprise about the sudden arrival but found that his voice was drowned out by Kyou when she called out, "Come in!"
The door swung open and in sauntered Akio Furukawa. Akio was without his usual green patterned apron that he was commonly seen wearing at his bakery and instead was wearing rather simple street clothes. He also wore a suitably complementary neutral expression on his face when he first entered the room and gave a nod to Kyou.
"Hey Fujibayashi," Akio calmly greeted. "My darling daughter asked me to meet you here-" His voice caught in his throat and Akio narrowed his eyes when they spotted Kale. "Ah, so it's you, wife stealer," he growled. Kale started to shake his head but was unable to do anything else before another voice interrupted him.
"Akio-san," sweetly said the familiar voice. Akio immediately stiffened and gave a nervous smile that looked uncomfortably forced. Out from behind Akio stepped Sanae Furukawa with her usual cheerful demeanor shining in bright contrast to Akio's nervous face.
"Sorry, sorry," quickly said Akio, each apology followed by a quick bow.
"I-it's quite alright," assured Kale. "It was a simple misunderstanding yesterday. Again you have my apologies."
"We were just happy to help so there is no need to apologize," chirped Sanae. "Isn't that right dear?" To Kyou and Kale it seemed as if that when Sanae turned to face Akio the look she gave him was only full of love. There had to be something else though, something just as terrifying as it was hidden for Akio looked back to his wife with eyes widened in absolute terror.
"Y-y-yes my darling wife," exclaimed Akio far louder than was necessary. "No reason, no reason at all!" Akio broke out into nervous laughter that went on and on, only stopping when Kale cleared his throat.
"Akio-san, Sanae-san" called Kale, he only feeling bold enough to use their given names for clarity's sake. Both of the Furukawas turned to him and met his gaze. His unwavering sight, furrowed brow, and tightly drawn lips quite clearly stated that what Kale had to say was a serious matter. What they couldn't see was just how nervous Kale was about his request. Kyou could see, she had the experience with him that the Furukawas didn't which allowed her to see the anxiety that swam behind those determined eyes.
For a moment Kyou felt as if her heart would burst from a sudden surge of love and gratitude. Here Kale was at what many would call rock bottom. He was still recovering from a months long coma, lost an arm to medical complication, had to quit his job due to vicious rumors, all while dealing with the chronic depression he was already burdened with. Despite all that he was trying his absolute best for her, trying to fulfill a promise he had made even though he had been so thoroughly surprised and had no mental preparation to fall back on.
"What is it?" asked Akio with a simplicity that would be rude and dismissive from someone else but from him showed respect due to the absence of his usual frivolity.
"I...I have no right to ask you for anything," started Kale. "To you I am nothing more than a stranger that you have every right to distrust. Right now though I find myself jobless and with the need for a place to stay while I continue to recover. I don't know what else to do, where else I could go. Akio-san, Sanae-san, I hate to be so bold but..." Kale stopped talking for a moment. He sucked in a deep breath of air, closed his eyes, then bowed forward as far as he could while remaining seated on the edge of the bed.
"Please allow me to work and live at your bakery!" Kale exclaimed.
Time seemed to slow to a halt. Kale remained bowed with his only arm braced against his knee to prevent him from falling forward. Akio and Sanae both looked down at Kale while remaining motionless. Kyou held her breath as she looked between Kale and the Furukawas. The only real evidence that time was still progressing was the muted ticking sound of a clock that hung on one of the room's walls. The silence between each tick seemed to stretch into eternity for Kyou as she anxiously awaited a response from the Furukawas. Kyou wasn't sure how much time had passed when she found herself jumping at Akio starting to talk.
"Just one question," Akio stated. "What was your previous address?"
"Huh?" uttered both Kale and Kyou in confusion, the former of the two looking up from his bow. Both of their imaginations had prepared them for a multitude of possible responses but Akio's was one neither of them had been expecting, let alone even thought of.
"Well since you are going to move in with us we need to know where you lived before so we can retrieve your belongings," explained Sanae, a soft brief giggle escaping from her as if it was silly that she even had to explain.
Tears began to form in Kale's eyes as he stared at them in disbelief. "I-I-I don't know what to say," he stammered. "Don't you have questions about if I can bake, what kind of person I am, anything like that?"
"Why would we have any questions like that?" Sanae asked with noticeable confusion on her face.
"Yeah, exactly," added Akio. "We already know you can bake amazing things. Plus you stood up to some horrible people in our neighborhood while defending someone. As far as I am concerned you helped make where we live a safer place so if anything we owe you. So when do you discharge?"
"Yes, please let us know," requested Sanae with a beaming smile. "I'd like to make sure I can get your room ready in time."
Kale was left speechless, only able to stare back at the Furukawas. Kyou also, despite it initially being her idea for Kale to ask them, found herself unable to speak in the face of such overwhelming generosity. Looking at Kale she saw that he wasn't able to hold back the tears any longer and they soon began to flow freely from his eyes. Kyou was about to ask why he was crying in response to incredible news when she felt something wet on her cheeks. She brought her fingers up and brushed her face and to her astonishment found that she had begun crying as well without even realizing it. Before she could even wonder why she wept Kyou felt within her heart the answer to the unasked question, remembering how just yesterday she explained to Kale that what he would feel she would as well.
'I understand now,' Kyou thought to herself in sudden realization as tears continued to streak down her own face. 'I understand now why you are crying Kale because I'm crying for the same reason. These aren't tears of sadness but of joy and relief. You are being blessed with incredible kindness and appreciated for something that others spread false rumors about. For once in a long time something is going right for you.' That was something for which Kyou could never adequately express her gratitude. Even against such impossibility she would try. Without any prior planning Kyou and Kale both bowed forward in coordinated humility that mirrored each other perfectly. Each of them wept as they choked out words that they felt didn't do enough justice for quite how much they felt.
"Thank you," they both whimpered in humble gratitude. "Thank you so much."