Author's Note: Sorry for the incredibly late update: my hospital visit lasted several more days than expected, so I didn't get home until late, late Tuesday evening. Fortunately, although my room had no wireless access, I was able to type up this brand new chapter!
Chapter 3: Tea and Talking
The instant Takashi set foot in the library on Sunday his arm was grabbed by a terrifyingly energetic Sumiko Ikeda, and he was dragged off campus and into the town.
"Sorry about the rush," she panted as she towed him along winding streets, "But we've got to get there before it closes. Sato-sensei lets me stay after hours if I get there before she locks the doors."
"Um," Takashi said in a vaguely understanding tone, and tried furtively wrench his wrist from her death-grip. The girl was pulling him past buildings at an incredible clip; he was a slightly surprised that he wasn't being lifted off the ground like an airplane (he was also wondering how Ikeda had gotten so tall and also why he couldn't stop thinking about her height, which really had nothing to do with the fact that he found tall, plump women attractive).
When they finally halted, he nearly lost his balance at the sudden stop, and had to balance on one foot to keep himself from falling flat on his face.
"We're here!" Ikeda announced, grinning widely. Takashi, now with both feet firmly on the ground, looked up and found himself in front of a small shop with peeling green paint and several dying houseplants in its windows.
"The Cracked Pot!" Ikeda announced, gesturing widely. She looked at Takashi expectantly. "What do you think?"
"Hmm" the boy said in a non-commital tone. Quite honestly, he thought that the shop had seen better days. But he followed Ikeda through the door and into surprisingly pleasant interior.
"SATO-SAN!" Ikeda bellowed as she led Takashi to a table, "IT'S SUMIKO!" Then she shoved him into a chair and sat down herself, humming tunelessly under her breath.
There was some rather alarming clattering from the back room of the shop, an then a tiny, elderly woman emerged through the back room's shadowy doorway and trotted towards where they sat.
"Sumiko-chan!" she cooed, "It's so good to see you again! I…oh my!" She glanced (in a way that she obviously thought was surreptitously) at Takashi and smiled coyly. "And you brought a young man."
Sumiko nodded energetically. "Yup! He's helping me with my weaponry paper." She glanced at her menu. "I'll have a cup of sencha. What'll you have?" she asked Takashi.
He looked down at the menu. Almost immediately, the terrible struggle of manners and taste began. Should he get bancha tea, the cheapest drink in the shop, or kukicha tea, which was his favorite, but much more expensive? He frowned in concentration as the battle raged in his stomach.
Much to his tastebud's regret, manners won. "Bancha," he said, and attempted to hand his menu to Sato-san. Much to his surprise, Ikeda's hand stopped him.
"No. He'll have a cup of kukicha," she said, and then sat back in her chair and gave him one of her blinding smiles. "I could tell you wanted it," she explained.
"How?" he asked, and noted the puzzled look that spread over her face.
"I… don't know. I just find you easy to read, I guess."
Takashi managed not to fall over in a fit of surprise and laughter, but it was a close save. He had been called many things over the years; the 'wild type', the 'gentle giant', 'the protector'. 'Easy to read' had never been one of them.
"Most people can't," he said.
"It's your eyes," Ikeda said decisively. "You broadcast everything through them. Maybe nobody's able to see what you're thinking because nobody's able to look at your face!"
"Mm."
"Well, anyway," she said, "Do you have the books?"
Ah yes, the books. Takashi pulled them out of his bag and laid them gently on the table. Almost instantly, Ikeda picked up the thickest volume and began to read. Takashi settled in for a long wait.
About ten minutes later, Sato-san tiptoed to their table and laid down two steaming cups in front of them. Takashi lifted his own and took a sip.
And nearly cried at how delicious it was.
The tea was the best cup of kukicha he had ever had. It was creamy and light, and had the delightful nutty flavor of really well brewed tea.
Ikeda had picked up her cup absentmindedly and was gulping it down, still reading voraciously. He couldn't help but notice that Sato-san kept watching them intently, like a mother hen watches her chicks.
Twenty minutes passed, and Sato-san was beginning to look annoyed. After half an hour had gone by, she twitched aside the curtain the curtain that blocked the back room off from the rest of the shop and stalked in.
"Ah, Sumiko-chan? Could you help me for a second?" Sato-san called in a wheedling tone.
Ikeda heaved a sigh and stood, placing the book carefully back onto the table. "Coming Sato-san!" she shouted. "I'll be back in a second," she assured him, and tromped towards where the small woman was.
Takashi sat at the table for a minute before curiosity got the better of him. He got up and walked quietly to the curtain. He was just about to push the cloth to the side and step inside when he heard something that made him stop. Sato-san was saying something.
"…and he's terribly handsome! Will you be getting…involved with him?" Sato-san sounded terribly excited for some reason.
"No." Ikeda's voice. "I told you, he's helping me with my paper! That's it."
"I'm serious! Good men are hard to find, and as a friend of your dear departed mother, I must encourage you to nab him while he's free." The older woman's voice took on a devilish tone. "You're a good looking girl, you should seduce him! The tall, silent type are always wild in bed."
"Sato-san!" Ikeda sounded flustered, and Takashi couldn't blame her. His own face was terribly red as well. She sounded just like Tamaki Suoh had, when the blond boy had assigned Takashi's type. And it didn't help that the more hormonal parts of his brain were agreeing with Sato-san on the 'good looking girl' comment.
He heard hurried footsteps coming towards the doorway, and rushed back to the table. He didn't want Ikeda thinking he was an evesdropper.
When she arrived at their table again, her cheeks were flushed and she was studiously avoiding his eyes.
"I'm halfway done with this book," she muttered, staring at the tabletop, "I'll finish it tommorow."
"Alright. Shall we meet here?" he asked.
She looked up in surprise, and their gazes accidentally met.
The moment stretched on for a very long time.
Then there was a koud thump as Sato-san appeared from some dusty recess of the store and set down a box of tablewares. Their eye contact was broken, and they blinked at each other for a second. Ikeda's face turned redder than a piece of tuna sashimi.
"O-okay," she stammered, and then suddenly grabbed her bag. "Igottagobye!" she said, and whirled out the door, thrusting some money into the hands of a very startled Sato-san as she did.
Takashi sat in rather stunned silence for a moment, before his attention turned to Sato-san, who was laughing quietly.
"Such a 'proper' girl," she said fondly. She whirled around abruptly and stared at Takashi like a queen stares at a spider who has accidently spun its web in her shoe.
"Take care of her, understand?" she said. Her voice sounded almost angry, and she had a terrifying frown on her face. She stood there for a moment longer, with Takashi frozen in front of her, and then her expression suddenly reverted back to the usual calm smile. "Now, you should get going. Thank you for coming!"
He nodded to the woman, and walked out the door, still rather shell-shocked from Ikeda's sudden exit.
He hoped she wouldn't act as strange tomorrow.
Some Things of Note:
Tea: Bancha is the most common type of green tea, and is considered to be to 'common tea'. Sencha is Japan's most popular tea, and is made by grinding the tea leaves. And finally, kukicha tea is a type of tea made of not only leaves, but also the stalks and twigs. Kukicha tastes more sweet and creamy than most other Japanese teas (I've had it, it's very good.)
And Announcing…
I'll be updating every Wednesday, if I can. However, summer is a busy time for everyone, and my schedule gets pretty hectic during the months of the sun, so the updating schedule might be a little crazy. Please bear with me!