Chapter 15
Author's Note:
So, I wrote this chapter a few days ago. Originally it was connected to the next chapter but I decided to split it so that the 16th chapter wouldn't be so long. Any the result is a short chapter followed by a decently long one. I hope you don't mind. ^_^
The thwacking of a small rubber ball, the squeaking of sneakers on wooden floor and Kaneki's panting was all Morie could hear from behind Perspex. She stood watching as Kaneki and Tsukiyama took turns hitting the ball with their rackets in their game of squash. It was her current task to score this match then whoever won would be facing her and whoever lost would be scoring but she found that the bouncing of the ball much too fast for her eyes to fully follow. It also didn't help that she was only taught the rules mere minutes ago.
Kaneki was the only one who appeared to be struggling as he fumbled with the racket and sprinted far too much to try and reach an area where he could hit the ball. More often than not he would overshoot his swing and trip due to clumsy footwork. But he always got up quickly and tried again until he fell once again on his upper back huffing from exhaustion.
Tsukiyama looked down at him and smiled as the ball rolled on the floor. With a light laugh he said, "I see that sports aren't your forte."
Kaneki just looked up and grumbled.
Morie came in through the door and offered a hand to Kaneki. She tugged him up before looking at Tsukiyama. "I believe you won the match, Tsukiyama. My turn." She reached for Kaneki's racket and he handed it to her. "Go catch your breath," she instructed as he walked out of the court and behind the clear wall.
"You don't mind if I serve first do you?" Tsukiyama said as he walked behind Morie and picked up the ball.
Morie stepped into a marked serving square as she allowed him to take the first shot. He too stepped into the other square, rolled his shoulders once then threw the ball up into the air. With a flick of his wrists he brought his racket across to hit the ball. It slammed into the wall in front of him and rocked towards the centre of the court. Morie tense and ready sprinted towards the ball, readied her racket to hit the ball and swung with all her might only for it to miss the ball. Normally she would have hit the mark but the racket felt too long in her arms so her mind urged her to close the distance between herself and the ball resulting in the ball directly hitting her inner arm.
With a hiss of pain, she dropped the racket with a clatter then lifted it up for her to see. Before her eyes she saw the red circular mark turn a dark blue before shifting to a light yellow and then it was back to normal. She stared at it eyes slightly widened before she noticed Tsukiyama's shoes. Her arm was quickly snapped down. "I'm fine but I'll get you to serve again."
Tsukiyama bent down and grabbed the ball before walking back to his square and served once again the grin on his face growing ever wider.
The trio sat themselves down inside the café Tsukiyama had talked about a few days ago and they were currently waiting for their orders to be brought to them. The gourmet had suggested that they all have an iced coffee in order to cool and relax their bodies. To Morie the wording he used seemed odd after all the man had used similar words to explain why he dragged both of them to the squash court and apparently, it was to help loosen up their muscles.
Morie got up and started scanning the nearby bookshelves for something to read. Her fingers traced the spines and she would occasionally pull out a book to read the blurb.
"I told you, it's a perfect place for reading isn't it?" Tsukiyama proclaimed as Morie sat back down with 'The Woman in the Dunes'.
Kaneki couldn't help but agree as Morie turned to the first page.
A waiter came to the table and delivered the drinks along with a simple cheesecake Morie ordered off the menu. She picked up the fork, dug it into the dessert without looking away from the book and began to chew. Tsukiyama had to stop himself from choking on his drink as he watched her obliterate the cake. He put on a forced smile before getting her attention. "Do you not see the beauty you just destroyed?"
Morie looked up from the book. "Cake is cake. You destroy in order to eat."
Tsukiyama gasped. "'Cake is cake' she says…! How utterly quaint of you to say that, plouc de merde." Morie could tell that she had just been insulted and rolled her eyes in response. The action only seemed to further Tsukiyama's frustration. "It is well known that the way in which food is presented plays an important role in how delicious the food is perceived to be. Colour, arrangement and even plating need to be considered," he exasperated, hands held out palms up and pain evident on his face.
"Things like that are unimportant to me as I cannot taste what I am eating. I eat for nutrients and energy right now and nothing else." Morie then took a sip of her iced coffee with no emotion clear on her face.
Tsukiyama was gripping his glass tighter and tighter with every word and his smile was quickly turning to a scowl. "You cannot taste yet surely texture must play a part in what you eat?"
After a moment of contemplation Morie responded. "I like konpeitou for a few reasons but one of them is because of how they crunch."
Hearing such words his face softened a little but his eyes were still glazed over. To try and snap himself out of his thought's Tsukiyama turned to Kaneki who was nervously shifting his attention between his companions. "Do tell me what you like to dine on Kaneki."
"Oh um." He fidgeted around in one of his pockets and pulled out a small drawstring bag. Opening it he pulled out what looked like a brown sugar cube. "I-I'm not really that good with food but Yoshimura made this for me… I can't live off these but it can make the hunger go away for a bit so I think something like this is good enough for me."
Morie's eyes shifted from the novel and to Kaneki as he placed the cube he was holding into his drink and began to stir it. "You need to consider other things."
Tsukiyama looked as still as a statue as his scowl returned along with his tight grip. "The two of you rely upon merely eating for the sake of eating; taking no pleasure in the way you do so. Such unrefined methods pain me." His eyes shifted to stare at Morie. "At least in Kamishiro's case she cared for her meals even if it was the equivalent of junk food."
The cup finally cracked. The coffee it held started flowing from the fractures over Tsukiyama's fingers and then dripped onto the table.
Kaneki was quick to react as he grabbed a nearby set of napkins and started laying them down in order to soak up the liquid. As he was mopping up the drink, he kept his head down. "Are you alright? I am sorry if we said something that displeased you."
Reaching for the broken cup in Tsukiyama's hands, Kaneki jolted back slightly as he looked at his index finger. A thin line of blood started to trickle from the tip. Morie saw everything. The gourmet had flicked out one of his fingers just as Kaneki was about to touch the cup and a nail had pierced his skin. She clenched her jaw.
Tsukiyama quickly placed the cup down on a set of napkins before swiftly pulling out a handkerchief. "You need not to apologise in the slightest." Morie watching the scene play out could tell that the statement wasn't directed at her. In fact, the man payed no heed to her as he leaned closer to Kaneki. "Use this to stop the blood," Tsukiyama said as he handed Kaneki the white handkerchief.
"It's going to get dirty though…" Kaneki mumbled even though blood had already started soaking into the cloth.
Morie took the final sip of her iced coffee before addressing Kaneki. "In a minute or so that should heal." She then waved over the waiter who escorted them to an empty table whilst they cleaned up the spilt coffee and fractured cup.
What Morie said was true. Within the minute the bleeding had entirely stopped and the cut had completely faded. Tsukiyama took the handkerchief off Kaneki stating that he would clean it in the bathroom as if the blood dried it would stain. He then excused himself. Once Tsukiyama was out of their sights Morie snapped the book shut.
"What you decide is up to you but this man is creeping on you," growled Morie as she looked at Kaneki with hardened eyes. "Whatever he is doing now is to lure you in. You are probably exotic to him."
"He's probably just being nice. He sounds European so maybe it's a cultural thing?"
Morie felt anger start to bubble up inside of her chest. "You are naïve. He made you bleed! A ceramic piece isn't what cut you. It was his nail."
"Accidents happen sometimes…" Kaneki said reassuringly as he held his chin in an effort to excuse the man's behaviour.
"That wasn't an accident." Morie's expression was becoming as hard as stone. "I don't know what you are aiming to do by getting this close to him but for your sake and Hide's sake I am dragging myself down with you."
"P-please don't!" he exasperated. "I don't want you…"
Kaneki trailed off as Tsukiyama walked back to the table calm and composed. His oxfords clicked with every step. "I do hope I didn't keep you waiting," Tsukiyama lamented as he sat down. "And after thinking about it I must be the one to apologise for my behaviour. You see although Kamishiro and I liked books we unfortunately didn't get along and I was just reminded of an ill memory of us fighting which put me in a sour mood."
Kaneki reassuringly smiled. "That's alright but I am glad you have calmed down." He then let out a nervous chuckle.
"Non. I feel like I must right a wrong." Tsukiyama placed his hands on the table as his eyes widened with joy. "How would you two like to taste exquisite food? There is an exclusive restaurant in which I am a member of but if you are introduced by me then they will let you in. You said you were not good with food, Kaneki. I can organise a chef to prepare a meal that is easy to eat. As for Masuda even if you can't taste anything the spectacle would surely engage you and if you are with me there is no need to be worried about the other patrons. We could go tonight."
Kaneki beamed and as Morie watched and listened praying that he would say no so when he said yes, she was ready to flip the table and storm off. Instead she inhaled and slowly exhaled to keep her composure. "Very well. I shall go to."
"Excellent!" Tsukiyama felt a shiver of excitement travel down his back as his closed mouth grin stretched. "Do excuse me. I need to make a call to reserve your seats." With a flick of his wrist Tsukiyama grabbed his phone and dialled. As he talked, he looked at Kaneki then at Morie analysing each of them. "Ah yes we will need clothing. A suit and cocktail dress would suit wonderfully." He then leant in and asked for sizes informing the two that the dress code was mandatory.
Tsukiyama welcomed to two of them with wide, open arms and a smile.
Author's Note:
The Woman in the Dunes- A novel written by Kobo Abe and considered a Japanese classic. The Japnese name is Suna no Onna (砂の女) which literally translates to the woman of the sands. It tells the story of entomologist Junpei Niki who goes out looking for insects and misses the last bus home. He is taken to a village where they welcome him and house in in the bottom of a dune with a woman. When he wakes in the morning the rope ladder he used to get down has been taken away so he is trapped with the woman. Junpei discovers that the woman is forced to remove the sand that falls into the hole everyday or else she will be buried. There is more to the story than that but it is essentially a sisyphistic (Greek mythological figure rolling a boulder up a hill) narrative.