HOW THEY WISH IT WAS RAINING

-TheSilentReader-

CHAPTER 6: Fukuzawa Family

How to convince Otou-san to let them drink sake

Miki stood up from her seat and took all the dirty dishes on the table. It was an unusual Saturday evening, when both her children had visited the house for the weekend. She went to the sink and gently dumped them, and she started the faucet and washed them. At the dining table were her husband and her two kids, Yumi and Yuuki, laughing at a story that Yuuki was telling them. This used to be so normal years ago, back when her children were still in highschool, all problematic with their respective personal lives and could not able to share them in front of the dining table. But now, seeing them goofing at their heart's content about their lives in their universities made her heart skipped a beat. This was not just an everyday experience—sooner or later, their visits would be less frequent. Maybe, sooner or later, they would just visit to collect things, as they proceed with their own lives as adults. She thought that time passed by so slowly, but seeing them now—their features not anymore identical, they were already having their own opinions, own ideals, own principles. She felt herself drifting further and further away from them. She knew that she was being so sentimental, so emotional that she decided not to ever show or tell this kind of feeling to anyone—not even Yuiichirou.

(He'd be teasing her too hard, to the point of tears.)

She continued cleaning the dishes, faster and more methodical than ever before, hoping that she could catch up with her three monsters at the table. The sink was a little farther from the dining area, thus she could not make out whatever they were talking about. The sound of the pressure coming from the faucet blocked her ability to discern their conversations. She decided to rush everything.

Then, she heard her husband shouted. "Sake? Are you even at the legal age to drink?" He asked both of them, growling more thunderously than his usual voice, as if scolding them for playing at his workroom.

"Eh, Otou-san, I'm twenty. You should scold Yuuki for demanding it." Yumi complained, not because she was not allowed to have liquor, but because of Yuiichirou forgot her age.

"Otou-san, even though I'm ten months younger than her, surely you'd let me join, right?" Yuuki teased his father.

Then, Miki heard a chant that suddenly becoming louder and louder. "Sake, sake, SAKE!"

"No!"

Miki chuckled. They might not admit it, but being in the university would teach students too many things, from their professors to their labmates—she knew that occasionally, some person would invite them in a little party and would try to drink. Although, she'd argue to herself that maybe, Yuuki might have tried it before he graduated from Hanadera—considering what she learned from her husband the tradition there . . . but she digressed. Yuuki is a very sensible and principled man. Yumi, too.

The father asked timidly. "Tell me, Yumi, Yuuki. Did you ever drink liquor?"

"Honest?" Both chanted.

"Of course. You'd dare lie to me?" Miki noticed that he was trying not budge and laugh.

"Well . . ." Both were again in sync in answering their father.

"Well?"

Yumi looked at Yuuki. The latter decided to be the spokesperson. "We tried it before."

"When?"

"Before . . . graduation?"

Yuichiirou seemed to be accepting the confession quite nicely. "Graduation . . . WHAT?"

Then, both his children panicked—their arms flailing to negate any negative assumption that their father had been brewing inside his imaginative mind—that once more, they began to explain the situation at the same time, with the same words, "NO! Otou-san! We were both there! It was some sort of a prank back at student council party! Most of the members were graduating . . ."

"And?"

". . . and somehow sake was slipped into the drinks by some alumni." Both grunted, seemingly imagining their own particular sempai that slipped liquor into their drinks. Miki thought of the known sempai's of Yumi and Yuuki, which were Sachiko and Suguru. But, it did not add up. Those impeccable and neat persons surely won't do something so bizzare as that.

But, in a group of friends, there is always someone who was more cracked than the rest of them. Although, Miki wondered who'd that be.

Yumi explained further. "It was a party of the Hanadera council and the Yamayurikai. You see, we were at the Rose Mansion back then. Surely, no one would ever dare slip some liquor . . ."

"Except for a certain alumni."

Both repeated. "Except for that certain alumni."

Then, Yumi added, "That was the only time for me. So, then . . ." and Yuuki joined on cue, "Sake, sake, SAKE!"

"NO!" Growled their father.

Miki chuckled again as she rinsed the dishes. He was enjoying this much. Their children were never so open to trivial things such as this before; usually the subject of their conversations were about their sempai's and their council work (back in highschool), and their professors they now considered devils of the highest degree (now in college), which surprised Miki a bit back then. Yumi would never speak in such audacity, until that time. Calling a respected professor a demon?

Well, people, and Yumi is not an exception, change.

"But, Otou-san!" Yuuki howled.

Then, a very solemn voice began to emanate into Miki's ears. "You see, Otou-sama,"

(Otou-sama? What is with the ascent of honorific?)

"If ever I'd be given a chance to change the past, I would." Yumi said in a very soft, modulated, yet determined voice. "What I wish, before everything happened, that my first sip of liquor would be infront of you, and you Yuuki. You're the only people that I trust with these kinds of things. It would be a dangerous christening for me, I must say, but you're the only person I trust to teach me to drink until I can finally able to hold it and control it myself."

Then a brief silence ensued the table. Yumi continued, in a much softer tone, "But even after all those unfortunate events, you won't trust the words of your only daughter, Otou-sama?"

There was a sound of shuffling at the table.

That was horrifying. That was the first time Miki heard such a lovely, no, too ladylike tone from her daughter, who used to have a much higher pitch in her voice. She picked up words that would certainly swayed Yuichiirou to the core. Using the word "trust" and Yumi (of all creatures of the Earth) demanding that . . . her children was really desperate to take away few years off their father's life.

Just to tease him.

"'Christening'? Really, Yumi? That's a heavy word, you know. You scared the hell out of me." Yuuki commented.

Miki could not detect any movement from her husband. She then shut off the faucet. (She was already finished cleaning—much to her surprise.)

Still, Yumi's act was still not finished. "What do you mean, Yuuki? What I said is true. From the depths of my heart."

"Re—really?" Even Yuuki was experiencing the same torment as his father.

Miki then hurried away from the kitchen to look at the entertainment brought by her daughter, Yumi, at the dining table. When she began to take a peek, she found her daughter sitting in her chair, the dainty fingers of her right hand covering her lips, the other hand rested on her lap. She sat straight; her arms slouched a little, indicating a defeated pose; her blushing face avoiding the perplexed looks of the Fukuzawa men.

It was as if another woman—a very playful woman acting all delicate and crap (she had to term it like this)—had invaded her daughter. This needed some sort of exorcism. Or that, someone might have taught this trick to her. Whoever that was, she's making a beautiful actress out of her Yumi.

"I'm already twenty, Otou-sama. It will be just one sip. Surely, mother . . ." the kid just looked at her signalling her presence in the area, ". . . has approved of it. Right, Okaa-sama?" Yumi asked sweetly.

Miki felt goosebumps.

"NO!" The head of the family objected. Thus, it was back again from the start.

Yumi resumed to her "normal" self as she slouched even more, and threw away the impeccable Ojou-sama act out of the window, and propped her chin on her hand. "Jeez. Just one sip."

Yuuki whispered to his sister, "That was good, Yumi. You almost got me there." albeit it could be heard by the rest of the family members.

Then, Yumi replied, "I mean, really. What's wrong with my act?"

"When you mention 'Okaa-sama', that gave you away."

Yumi seemed to take this as serious business. "Oh, that."

(Why is that?) She wondered. What could possibly the reason why the mere mention of her would break the act?

Now it was Yuuki's turn to convince his father.

"But, Otou-sama, why not?"

"Because, number one: you're not yet on the right age to drink; two: it would be too irresponsible for me to allow you to drink, especially, in front of me; and three: Yumi will follow." He explained.

Miki smirked; she just noticed a line of sweat travelling from his crown to his forehead.

"But it will just be one sip. Surely, that won't do anything to my system yet. On top of that, you told me, Otou-sama, that we Fukuzawa have the toughest liver in town. Surely, you're not lying when you told us your stories about your adventures in your college days." Yuuki explained.

Oh, that a Waterloo.

He began to blush with the memory of his glory days. "Well, yes, we do have high tolerance for alcohol," then his eyes began to glow red, and growled again. "But I would not take chances on my children!"

Yuuki stood up from his seat, and recited his speech as if he were a politician. "Then clearly, why don't we challenge ourselves now! In this place, where the Fukuzawa, the legendary man having the highest tolerance for alcohol, is residing! And let me remind you, Otou-sama, that you discovered such a wonderful talent at a tender age of nineteen! Three large bottles of sake consumed and still sober! On your first try! The same age as mine! Just before you hit college! And I was already attending my classes for almost five months. Sure you know, that is so unfare."

He weakly defended. "I was foolish back then."

"But still, you bragged about that foolish moment of yours. To us . . . your children, heirs who'd possibly inherit such unique trait of yours!" Yuuki smile was enigmatic, that Yumi began to clap her hands in admiration. He was really into this speech . . . declamation thing.

"Well then, what say you, my dear Otou-sama?"

"NO!"

Miki dumped two small glasses at the center of the table, and filled it with rice wine that was withdrawn from the bottom shelf of the refrigirator. She set a glass each in front of her two children. Yuuki and Yumi looked at her with their eyes wide, dumbfounded of their mother's actions. Meanwhile, her husband could not even object his wife's decision. Especially when she put another in front of him and asked, "Do you want a glass?"

Everyone was quiet as she did these.

The oldest Fukuzawa replied meekly. "Yes, please."

"One glass. No negotiations, please. Or I'll hit you with this bottle on your head. Hard. And feel headache no medicine could solve. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Miki chuckled after she left for the kitchen. She could get used to this.

THE END

A/N: This reminded me of my and my siblings' after-dinner talks. Without the liquor, of course. Just talking, laughing, having high-fives for every funny story, that sort of stuff. I hope you enjoyed this one. Please leave a comment or just a simple hello would do!

Un-betta-ed. All mistakes are mine. Correct them, if you will. Please!