A Short Intermission
"Ara, Ku-chan?"
Her mother was sitting by the kitchen table when Kuriko teleported home.
"You look so cute!" She exclaims, clapping her hands together. "Did you go out shopping with your friends?"
'What friends?'
"Don't be rude, Ku-chan. Didn't you have fun going to the mall with your friends?"
'I guess… Maybe, in the beginning it was nice.'
"See." Her mother gets up and pours some tea from the stove. "Ah, Ku-chan is growing up so fast."
Kuriko ignores her mother. She's standing, frozen, by the fridge door, bending the handle in her painfully tight grip.
"Pudding?" Kuriko gets out between clenched teeth. For once, saying the words. Her voice is slightly shaky and almost breaks at the end.
"What did you say? Mama couldn't hear."
'Where is the pudding?'
Her mother gasps behind her. "Oh, I'm sorry. Mama ate it earlier. But I'll go to the store soon to buy some more. Does Ku-chan want to come along?"
Kuriko's ears are ringing. The voices that usually scream so loudly are for once quiet. Then, she realizes the reason her ears are ringing is because she's not breathing and she drags in a deep breath causing a small twister to form in the kitchen.
'No pudding...'
"Ku-chan," her mother calls. Her voice is not sharp, but there is a slight edge to it. A scolding just about to begin.
Kuriko flinches. The wind abates and the furniture, cutlery and plates all gently float back to their rightful place.
'When will you go?'
Mother tilts her head. "Go where?" she asks, confused, clearly not on the same wavelength as her panicking daughter.
'The store.'
"Discount hour starts at 5. So, I will go then."
Kuriko looks towards the wall clock. It was just after one right now.
'Four more hours.'
"Do you want to watch some tv with mama?"
Ignoring her, Kuriko takes a black card out of her pocket. She could still buy sweets with her brother's card. She clenches it tightly in her hands and her seaweed green eyes darken with resolution.
'I'm going back.'
"Okay. Have fun with your friends!"
Kuriko didn't hear her mother's farewell as she had already teleported away. Right back to Aiura and the crowded shopping center.
"Oh, Kusou, you're back." Aiura was standing pretty much in the same place with her crystal ball right up against her eyes. "I saw you didn't have any pudding at home. Sucks." She lowered the crystal ball and smiled brightly towards Kuriko. "Should we find a cafe?"
'Yes.'
