Resting at the Higashikata Residence (2013) (Chapter 9)
About an hour later, the group was finally able to board a train at a neighboring town towards Morioh, and the atmosphere was relatively quiet, especially for the Itomori natives. And as luck would have it, Tessie and Sayaka both had relatives that could give them a place to stay for the time being, so they were no longer with the group. But for the Itomori natives that were present, the reality that their entire lives were irrevocably altered was just starting to sink in.
But soon, they arrive in Morioh, and Koichi readies to leave the group and says "I should get going, guys. My mom is probably worried sick about me. It was nice meeting you, Mitsuha! I hope you and your family do okay!" And while Koichi leaves, Okuyasu nudges Josuke and says "Yo! Can I stay over for dinner? I don't feel like cookin' tonight." Josuke replies, saying "Yeah, sure thing."
And once they arrive at the Higashikata residence, Josuke leads them all in, and Tomoko quickly hugs him tightly, yelling "I'm so happy you're alright! The news scared me to death!" But after Josuke was able to calm his mother down, he introduced her to the Miyamizu family. Mr. Miyamizu bows and says "I appreciate you helping us out, during this difficult time." The rest of the family follow in his example, and Tomoko says "It's alright! I can't imagine how you all must be feeling, so I'm fine with helping one of Josuke's friends."
But then she turns toward Mitsuha and Yotsuha, and glares, frightening the two girls, and she says "But you two kids are helping me in the kitchen! Let your elders rest for awhile! Understand?" They both immediately stand up straight, and give a sudden single nod, and then she turns to Josuke and Okuyasu, and says "And you two will get the guest bedroom and extra mattresses together, okay?" Josuke casually says "Got it!" and Okuyasu grins and says "Yes Ma'am!"
After all the kids scrambled to get to work, Hitoha sighs and says "That's one way to get things started…" And Mr. Miyamizu looks on in shock, mumbling to himself, saying "She has my kids wrapped around her finger, and she only just met them…" Then Tomoko smiles at the sitting adults, and says "Do you two need anything to drink? Some coffee?" Mr. Miyamizu looks up and smiles, saying "A coffee would be nice. I still need to make more phone calls tonight, so I'll be up late." Then Hitoha answers, saying "A bit of tea would be nice. This was a stressful ordeal."
Tomoko nods and says "I'll be right back, and we'll have some food ready soon too. And at least you're all safe!" Mr. Miyamizu nods and says "Of course. We're still alive, and that might be all that really matters at this point." After a bit more time passes, Josuke and Okuyasu got all the extra beds and things set up, while Tomoko and the girls were able to finish all the food.
The kids all ate together, while the adults sat in the kitchen sipping their drinks slowly. While everyone ate, Okuyasu turned toward Yotsuha, saying "So you're Mitsuha's little sister, huh?" Yotsuha nods and says "Yep! So you're both her friends now, right? I'm glad she's finally getting a few more friends. She acts too weird for her own good!" Mitsuha blushes and yells, "Hey!" Then Josuke pauses and says "Well… Okuyasu and me are pretty used to weird', so it's not big deal…" Then Mitsuha turns toward Josuke and shouts, "I'm not weird!" After a moment of silence, everyone started to laugh, loud enough for the adults in the other room to hear.
Tomoko smiles and says "I'm glad your kids are still in high spirits. They've had a rough night." Mr. Miyamizu agrees, saying "We all have, but they are still children, so they don't know how to cope as well. I'm honestly relieved that Mitsuha met those two boys, because they seem to get along well." Tomoko proudly replies, saying "I've raised Josuke well, and Okuyasu is a good kid too. And it seems like both your girls are good natured as well." Mr. Miyamizu sighs, and says "I can't exactly claim much in their behavior, because I've been much too engrossed in my professional life than I should have been. I'm starting to wonder if I've been too distant with them." Tomoko smiles and says "I'm sure you'll figure it out! You've got a chance to reevaluate some things, so give it a try!"
After everyone ate, Okuyasu said his goodbyes and headed home, while the Miyamizu girls both went to their beds to get some rest. Josuke went to bed soon after, fairly drained from the experience, as it was still pretty overwhelming for him to witness an entire town be wiped off the map in an instant. Both Hitoha and Tomoko eventually went to bed as well, while Mr. Miyamizu stayed up a bit later, until he was able to determine the whereabouts of all of the Itomori residents.
Soon, morning came for the Higashikata residence…
←To Be Continued