IV - Party
Talk about a change of pace.
Maybe dancing and singing, Ding dong, the witch is dead! would be a bit much. But the dictator was away on business for the next few days, with a (rather lengthy) list being the only reminder of her presence. And that meant – Parties! The karaoke center! Tons of free time!
Well, no.
Had he already forgotten that that there was still one Oribe around? As long as at least one of them was there, the rules were going to be enforced – in full. And while Aoi might have been a bit new at this, she had learned from the best – and it showed.
So, today was the day to do the monthly cleaning. And that meant he had to clean the bathrooms. And not just his own; there were two others in the Oribe apartment. Boy, there was going to be no shortage of excitement on this day.
It was different, Sana could concede that much. And just a few minutes into class, there was already another change. Aoi wouldn't have enough time to go grocery shopping, so they would be going to a nearby family restaurant for dinner. Well, at least that beat having to scrounge around for leftovers, or having Aoi teach him how to cook (she had promised to do that sometime later in the week).
And by morning break, there was another entry in the category, "What doesn't belong in this picture?" A group of boys were playing keepaway with a school bag, with its owner frantically running to and fro, trying to recover her bag. This went on for a little while until, under severe pressure, one of the boys made an ill-advised pass that was tipped and picked off – and the bag returned to its owner.
"Nice, Shuu," Sana remarked as he arrived on the scene. The owner was now clutching the bag, hugging it tight with both arms. "But why is she at our school?"
"She's just here for a couple of hours to take some advanced classes. She has to go to her own school after this."
Wait a minute. Her appearance, that uniform – didn't that mean she was an elementary school student? Just how old was she, anyway?
Sana turned to ask, but she had already run off. Poor kid; she was probably late to her class.
* * *
Maybe change wasn't such a bad thing.
Alas, the law of probability was starting to catch up. Classes. More classes. Homeworks. Projects. Announcements for future exams. Exams returned. There were rumors going around that last year's graduating class had been rather lackluster, which would explain the growing workload. And as long as Yuzuki-sensei was still around, there would be at least two nightmare subjects. She had lived up to her promise on the last physics exam – and then some. Sana had received 42% on the exam, and as it turned out, that wasn't even a bad score. Chemistry wasn't quite as bad, but it was the equivalent of being punched in the gut after being kneed in the head; everyone was shell-shocked by that point. At this rate, Sana wondered whether anyone would be able to survive long enough to take the final exams.
Lunchtime went on as usual, with the party of five – minus Aoi. Most of the time was spent complaining about classes (yes, Yuzuki-sensei was everyone's favorite target) or cleaning duties (Nanaka was the only one who was on the hook this week). Club activities was the other popular topic. Shuusuke's team wasn't doing so well, and would probably end the season below .500; Shuri was mowing down local and regional competition, and had received invitations to several big tournaments. As for Asami? She had a violin competition coming up, and was also thinking about playing a duet with Sana at some point. But they hadn't found a good opportunity (or a piece) to perform.
And the afternoon classes? He would be lucky to stay awake, as the lunch coma hit him at full force. It didn't help that the most boring classes – such as Japanese history or literature – were usually scheduled at that time. At least those vending machines were still there; it was times like this when he needed caffeine and sugar very badly.
Not that he was terribly looking forward to the end of school. No class representatives meeting or rehearsal today, so it was straight to the apartment, after meeting Aoi at the gate. And Aoi didn't waste any time. Sana was to start by cleaning up his room and vacuuming the floor; only then would he move on to his real task – cleaning his bathroom. Only after passing the inspection would he be allowed to move on to the bathrooms in the Oribe apartment. It was painstaking, hard, and dirty work. And just when he thought he had finished, he was told to bleach everything down. Oh, yuck. Now that smell was something; he was going to be stuck with that odor for some time to come.
After he was done, he was told to take a shower and wear something "nice". Thankfully the shower got rid of most of the nauseating scent, and he was able to find a decent pair of slacks and a stylish sweater. As for Aoi – hmm. Now that was a new look; she was wearing her contacts, stockings that went above her knees, a rather conservative one-piece dress, while carrying a matching handbag. Had she suddenly aged a few years?
It was a relaxing walk to the family restaurant, where they would be having their dinner. More stories from Aoi – she had decided to at least take the mock exams for college; the door was left ajar for now, though it probably wouldn't make any difference in the end. Her friends were grateful for adding another study partner, and were urging her to apply. There was more pressure from her guidance counselor, who insisted that Aoi was a slam-dunk to make it to at least a second-level college, and had a good chance to make it to a top-level one. Sometimes Sana wondered whether they were really related; his grades were a far cry from hers and he'd be thrilled to make it to even a second-level college.
They had settled in their seats and started looking at the menu when Sana noticed something – or someone. Was it her? From the side, it was tough to tell, but a wave grabbed her attention – and Sana realized that it was. What a strange sight, seeing an elementary school girl sitting all by herself at a restaurant. And she didn't seem to be waiting for anyone, either.
A probing glance was tossed in Aoi's direction, which was met by a look of approval. So Sana motioned the girl to join them at their table, and introductions soon followed. The girl was indeed the one he had seen earlier in the day. Her name was Hinako Mochida, and she was in the fifth grade (but planned to enter junior high in the following year). This meant she was ten years old, though her birthday was coming up this weekend. But she wouldn't be able to celebrate it with her parents. That's because they were away. They were always away. That's why she was all alone at this restaurant in the first place; her parents had left 2000 yen on the table and a note telling her that she could eat dinner anywhere she wanted. It was an insult, really; it's not like she could take the two bills and call one "Mom" and the other one "Dad".
Hinako apologized – then suddenly turned quiet. Hmm. Now that was a mouthful – and he wasn't talking about the food that Hinako had stuffed herself with. It was that word again, busyness – which, (not so) coincidentally, looked suspiciously similar to the word business. It always seemed to get in the way of anything and everything he wanted to do. And it was the same story for Hinako's parents as well, if he was reading this correctly. And even Hinako, at the age of ten, was not immune. After all, wasn't she already taking advanced classes from his school? And she was probably studying for the junior high school entrance exam already; probably for some prestigious boarding school far away. With goals like that, things like birthday parties and trips and even dinner with family was always going to take a back seat. But was it really worth the sacrifice?
Sana and Aoi listened for the most part while Hinako continued her story. And really, it was hard not to be impressed. People would use words like privileged or gifted or blessed to describe Hinako and the life she led. Her parents were highly regarded and owned a large house, probably one of the biggest in Sakuranomori (though not as large as the Wakatsuki mansion). Hinako had already taken part in several math contests for elementary school students and had routinely scored among the top 100 in the country. And Sana's guess had been correct; there was an academic scholarship waiting for Hinako at a well-known junior high school as long as she cleared the entrance exams – and yes, it was a boarding school on another island.
But none of this seemed like bragging, for it was spoken without pride. No, it was closer to the opposite. Her parents always seemed to be complaining about the "glass ceiling", and how they could never quite break into the very elite. And even Hinako's accomplishments were belittled; after all, she hadn't won those math competitions and didn't receive a scholarship offer from the country's #1 junior high school (though acceptance was likely). Oh, and there were other complaints. Like all the hours she wasted in front of the TV, especially the popular kid's show, Yeti-chan's Wacky Universe. Or her comparative lack of talent in music; she was better than average at the piano but not good enough to place in competitions. Her athletic abilities were distinctly average. She didn't have a whole lot of friends at school. And there was more – way more.
Were all parents like this?
At least Hinako was lucky enough to have two. After all, Aoi had been raised by a single mother, while Sana's parents were divorced. And neither of them had lives that even remotely compared to hers. A reminder, and a reality check – and Hinako fell silent once more.
"Aoi-neesan," Hinako finally spoke. "Is it asking for too much? All I want is a birthday party. My classmates always talk about them, but I've never been to one. And I've never had my own. I think it would be fun to have cake and presents and play games. What do you think?"
Was that an invitation?
"Do you have any classmates you want to invite?" Aoi asked.
"Well…"
Ah. Aoi realized she had to choose her words more carefully. Hadn't Hinako more or less admitted that she had no friends her age? And when it really came down to it, there were only two people Hinako really wanted there – and they were both away on business.
"When will your parents be back?" Aoi tried again.
"By Saturday night."
"Then – how about Sunday?"
"But – my birthday is on Saturday!"
"So you'll celebrate it a day late. That's what my mom and I did when she was away on my birthday. It'll be all right, Hinako."
Hinako seemed rather unconvinced, but conceded nevertheless.
"So – Sunday afternoon? I'll call my parents and ask them if it's OK to have a party then. And in case it happens – could you two come?"
The response was simultaneous.
"What?"
"Well…"
"I don't think so. We have a lot of work to do," Sana continued. And indeed, that list was kind of like the hydra; whenever one task was done, it seemed like two grew in its place.
"I really wanted to thank you two for helping me…" Ah, those eyes. Aoi was a sucker for them; Sana tried to warn her –
"Then we'll do our best to come," Aoi promised. Dang, he was a little late on that one. "I can't make any promises, but we'll give you a call later in the week."
"And…"
And? Boy, Hinako was really pushing her luck.
"Sana-chan, do you know the person who got my bag back?"
"Ah. Shuusuke. We've been buddies ever since elementary school."
"Really?"
Somehow, Hinako seemed a bit too excited about it.
"Then… could you invite him to the party, too? It would be really cool to have him there."
"Well… if there is a party, and if we can make it, I'll give him a call. And I'll let you know if he can come."
That was a lot of ifs, Sana had to admit. And he knew well enough that if you started multiplying too many ifs together, you almost invariably got a number close to zero. But as long as it made Hinako happy – did it really matter?
* * *
So this was going to be another killer week.
At least Aoi had lifted the ban on caffeine; that was the only humane thing to do. Heck, it was one of those times when even coffee or soda just wouldn't cut it; he needed the hard stuff – like Lipovatin or some other energy drink.
Not to mention that the cooking lessons had started in earnest.
The first lesson promised to be a simple one. His task was to reheat the leftovers and takeout orders from the family restaurant. That had to be the easiest lesson he'd ever had in his life; all he had to do was to pop open the microwave, then –
Oh wait, there was a catch. The use of the microwave was not allowed. Now that made things a lot tougher. Let's see. He could use the oven to heat the fish, but that meant he would have to preheat it first. The noodles could be fried in oil – but NOT in water. The chicken with black bean sauce could also be heated in a pan – but this time, he COULD add water. And how in ($^( was he supposed to heat the white bread buns and rice? (Answer: steaming) In the end, he managed to avoid creating new life forms, introducing new elements to the world, or producing rainbow-colored explosions, but it was a battle all the way through. But at least the results were somewhat edible, although he couldn't quite get all the food ready at the same time (for which he received a mild scolding), and the fish remained cold and uneaten (next time, he would have to turn the oven on sooner and set it to broil).
Lesson two was no easier. Aoi had made some menu plans for later in the week (thank goodness he didn't have to do that on his own), and it was his job to come up with a grocery list, stay under budget, and do the shopping. Oh, and to help with that second part, he was given pages of advertisements, coupons, and a list of web addresses. Making the list was easy enough, though Aoi still saw the need to make a few corrections. But staying under budget was just as difficult as he feared. He could theoretically go to the supermarket and buy everything he needed at full price, but that would send the bills skyrocketing. It was the classic packing problem, trying to figure out how to fit a truckload of groceries fit inside a very small budget. Coupons. Afternoon specials. 2-for-1 deals. Bonus points. Credits. And it wasn't enough just to stay under budget; he also had to figure out how to earn the maximum number of bonus points and credits so he could save more money next time. And the shopping? Now this was another puzzle in itself, as he had to find a way to minimize time and distance, while timing his visits just right so that he wouldn't miss the deadlines for any of the specials. And if that wasn't enough, Aoi kept changing her mind about what she wanted to make, forcing him to make adjustments on the fly.
By this point, Sana really didn't want to know what lesson three was going to be. At least Aoi agreed to push it back to next week.
Unfortunately the lessons scored rather low on the brutality meter, compared to some of the other things he had to deal with. And it was true for Aoi as well. No question, it would take some teamwork to get through the week. Tasks and chores had to be completed in complementary fashion. Resources and knowledge would have to be shared. Everything he did had to be negotiated, from when he could play the piano to when he could use the computer. And in the meantime, he had to field phone calls from both Oribes – by this point, he didn't know which one he dreaded more.
Sana felt like one of those balloons that was being filled with more and more air – at some point, it was going to pop. Was this really what he had signed up for? He had received advanced warning, yes. He wasn't here to play around. The goal of this stay was redemption – it was that word again – not to spend all of his time reading manga or playing video games or hanging out with friends or breaking the Oribe family rule. But at times like this, it just seemed too difficult. OK, so maybe he would be redeemed – whatever that meant – whatever was left of him, that is. Then what? Were things magically going to turn out great? Was he going to be sent to some paradise, or at least a place where he could get things like rest and sleep? Just what did he have to gain from putting himself through all of this? Sometimes Sana wondered whether it was really worth it.
But even emotions like anger and frustration were starting to die down – they were taking away way too much energy. He was slowly becoming like a zombie, devoid of spirit and purpose. His mind was on autopilot, able to do all the mechanical tasks but unable to do anything that could be considered thinking. Forget the autopilot mode; was there an off switch somewhere?
"Otouto-kun?"
Was that a voice from a human being or from some anime show? Oh wait, the TV was off, and had been off pretty much all week (actually weeks), so it had to be the former.
"Otouto-kun. I talked to mom about the party on Sunday."
"Oh."
"She said we could go."
So, what was the catch?
"She said it was OK as long as we kept up with school and promised to work the rest of the time. She told us not to worry too much about finishing the list."
He supposed he ought to be thankful, except that the dictator was also responsible for adding to the list throughout the week.
"And I got a call from Hinako. The party will be at three o'clock, at her house. She said don't bother with presents."
Which actually meant, bring presents but don't fuss over them too much. He wondered what would be right for her.
"And… aren't you forgetting something?"
Oh, right. That. Two down, and one to go. It looked like Hinako's luck was holding so far.
"I'll give Shuusuke a call." It was on short notice, and the odds were still against it, but a promise was a promise.
* * *
So it looked like it was going to be just the two of them after all.
Hinako was sure to be disappointed, but there was nothing else they could do. Sana had done his part, appealing to Shuu's guilt and even using his weak spots – and the best Sana could extract from Shuu was a maybe. Logic may not have been Sana's strongest area, but he had this one down cold: Yes meant probably, probably meant maybe, and maybe was a polite way of saying no.
So they introduced themselves to Hinako's parents, and the party started in earnest. They started munching on snacks as Hinako's parents asked (grilled?) them about their meeting at the restaurant. Really, there wasn't much to say – she seemed lonely, so they invited her to eat with them and talk. Which led to the next topic. Ah. Hinako didn't seem to have many friends her own age, as she lived her own world and had different interests. And there were a group of students who were bullying her, making each school day a miserable existence. That was one of the reasons they were thinking of sending her to junior high school next year; she could use a change in atmosphere. And the other reason was that she was a bona-fide genius; she never failed to get top-notch marks in school and had done very well in national math competitions. What was the best way to put it? She was able to – think in a way that was very different from most people, and somehow get to the destination faster than anyone else.
As for poor Hinako – being referred in the third person by one's own parents couldn't have been a very pleasant experience. Fortunately her parents caught themselves and started to light the candles; this was going to be a day of fun. They were about to sing Happy Birthday when –
A bell?
Hinako's parents opened the door, and there he was. It looked like Hinako had hit the jackpot after all, for Shuusuke had arrived. So celebrations were put on hold while Shuusuke struggled to extend a story that he could tell in ten seconds – apparently, Hinako's parents weren't satisfied with one-sentence answers.
After a couple of minutes Hinako got impatient and clapped her hands. So everyone took the cue and sang Happy Birthday, and Hinako blew out the candles, which was met by a round of applause. Which was followed by presents. A black hair ribbon from Shuusuke, a brown headband from Sana, and a small stuffed Yeti-chan from Aoi. And from her parents? A book of math puzzles from her mom… and a book titled, "10 secrets to investing in bonds" from her dad. Hmm…
After they had cake, Hinako's parents moved into the background while Aoi, Sana, and Shuusuke were invited to Hinako's room. Indeed, it was somewhat of a shock. In a word – spartan. Bare. Empty. Plain. There seemed to be no color in the room; everything was either black, white or in varying shades of gray. Her bookshelves were filled not with the latest shoujo manga or light novels, but with textbooks, test preparation books, and reference books. The closest thing to what one could call "leisurely reading" was a collection of classic Japanese literature. Her desk itself was practically empty, save for a computer – which she promptly turned on as soon as she entered the room. What kind of a life did she have, anyway?
Some of those questions were answered once the computer started up. Web pages of math competition winners – and sure enough, her name appeared on several lists. Descriptions of the junior high school she was planning on entering, and mock exams – and according to the results, Hinako was all but guaranteed to pass; it was only a matter of how high she would place on the list. Oh, finally. She wanted them to check out her web album. But it wasn't filled with pictures… in their place were pie charts. Graphs. Tables. Descriptions. Apparently, Hinako had quite a collection of stocks. Although, Hinako explained as she pointed to one of the pie charts, she was keeping a large cash reserve – there were rumors of a large bond offering in Sakuranomori, and she wanted to have cash around just in case.
Afterwards, Hinako asked everyone if they wanted to play any games. So she opened up her closet and revealed… Shogi. Go. A deck of Hanafuda cards. Mahjong tiles…
Was this really her room, or was someone pulling a cruel joke?
It must have been real, since she was pulling out the box of Mahjong tiles, after putting her gifts away. She set up the tiles on top of a small foldable table, and they started to play. Or rather, attempted to; Shuusuke was the only one of the three that knew how to play. So it was up to Hinako to explain all the rules, while Aoi and Sana struggled to even grab the tiles without revealing them to everyone else.
After a crash course, the game started – and the results were predictable. It was a mismatch from the start as Hinako took advantage of each and every one of their mistakes. It was a very good thing they weren't playing for money, because they surely would've gone broke. It got so bad that Hinako decided to place a huge handicap on herself before the last round – and still won going away, as she called just about every one of Sana's and Aoi's moves and successfully bluffed Shuusuke on her way to a spectacular hand.
Next, a trip to the music room. Hinako turned out to be a pretty decent player; she could play simple pieces without too many problems and gave a creditable performance of Mozart's Turkish March. Probably not as good as Sana (or Aoi, for that matter) was at her age, but by no means could she be considered bad. Of course, she was no match for the current Sana, who ploughed through Mozart's 12 variations of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, much to her delight – and finished things off by playing the opening theme song of Yeti-chan's Wacky Universe, which was met with eager applause by all. (Sana had spent all week working on that one.)
They returned to the living room, where Hinako's parents had prepared tea and light snacks. The party was starting to wind down now. Or wind up, in Shuusuke's case – he was glancing at his watch for some reason –
"Shuu, do you need to go?" Sana asked.
"Well, Shuri's working at the retirement home – "
"On a Sunday?"
"They had a special event there, so they asked her to come. I was supposed to pick her up – "
A couple of problems with that. Shuusuke didn't have a car and there was this thing called a bus. But Sana figured that was none of his business.
"All right, go," Sana told him. After all, Shuri was one of those people you simply did not want to cross.
"Wait!"
Everyone's heads turned toward Hinako.
"Um, Wakatsuki-san, could I talk to you alone for a minute?"
Shuusuke agreed, and they disappeared for a minute – before Shuusuke emerged and ran off, with a hurried wave his only farewell. Hinako followed slowly, her head down – ah. It must not have been the result she wanted.
Hinako waited until her parents were out of earshot before she started to explain. "I couldn't tell him. I just couldn't do it!"
"Tell him what?" was Sana's instinctive response.
"After all this. All of this trouble… All I could say was 'Thank you.' Why couldn't I say it? How I really felt?"
"Maybe you did," Aoi offered gently. "Maybe it's how you really felt about him, deep down inside. Didn't you want to do something for him, because he was kind to you? And you did. And for us, too. It was a wonderful birthday party. Didn't you have a lot of fun, too, Sana?"
"Of course."
"But – but – that's different! That's not what I meant! Why does it have to be so difficult, Aoi-neesan? Why couldn't I do it? Is it the age gap? Did I make a bad impression? Was it something I did? Or was it something that was hopeless from the start? Impossible?"
Aoi thought for a moment before answering. "There are a couple ways to look at this. One way is to believe that true love has no bounds. Whether it's age or gender or species. And – "
"Yes?"
"The other way is that true love has bounds – and for that, you should be very glad. You'll have to believe in one or the other, Hinako-chan."
"But which one?"
"I'd like you to ask your parents that question. But let me ask you. Do your parents love each other?"
"Of course."
"Do they have certain rules that they follow?"
"Yes, but – "
"Just think about that for a moment. And talk to them. I'm sure the answer will come to you. Good luck, Hinako-chan."
And with those words, the party was over. Sana gave a bright wave while Aoi offered a consoling hug – before they left.
* * *
Maybe his luck was turning around after all.
It was somewhat ironic, because Shuu had always been the lucky one in the past. Born into a rich family. Good looking, popular at school, and athletic. His grades were fairly good as well. And of course, his twin sister Shuri would always be by his side, though Sana couldn't tell whether this was a blessing or a curse.
But somewhere, there seemed to be a reversal of fortune. While Sana had a hard life, there were always moments like today. A sense of relief. Satisfaction. Joy. Indeed, something close to exhilaration, which was only fueled by Aoi's own. When his aunt's gentle voice and optimistic words were taken at face value. When even his own mother would let him off the hook, and merely told him to "keep going". And while moments like these were rare, he always had the feeling that they wouldn't be gone for long – the time would arrive once more, and fill him with enough energy to keep going. Was this what people called hope? If it was, then fulfillment couldn't be too far away. And surely, redemption would be a major part of this; a future he could look forward to…
Ah, how different it must be for Shuu.
Something was "off" about him at the party. What was it? Shuu had always lamented that they never had enough time to hang out. And Sana had reminded Shuu of this over the phone, while inviting him to the party. A chance to share stories. To make new plans. And to prove their "male superiority" to the girls (OK, so this one had backfired big-time).
But Shuu's mind seemed to be in another place all afternoon. Could it be – issues with family? Aoi had hinted at this several times, although she didn't know for certain, either. But it seemed to be the most likely culprit. Shuu and Shuri's birth mother had died more than ten years ago, and their father had remarried not long thereafter. And from their occasional snide comments, they didn't seem to be too fond of their stepmother. That was on top of their regular disputes with their father – and with each other.
Still, all those things were just typical family problems and most people managed to live through them. But Shuu – he literally looked sick at times, and especially today. He was far from the creative and energetic friend Sana had once known, the one who came up with all sorts of ideas and things to do. It was almost as if life was literally being sucked out of him. Stagnant. At a standstill. And in the end, the water would turn foul and most living creatures would die off, save for the mosquitoes that used it for breeding grounds.
But there was always hope. Nanaka had overcome steeper odds and was on the road to recovery. And Sana himself was starting to move forward. But that had been made possible only with full support from those closest to them – when would they come through for Shuu?
