Track for this chapter:

On the Way, by Yiruma, from the album First Love

Hadley stormed into the kitchen, a mess of tangled black hair and the temperament of a bull.

"ETHAN, WHERE IS MAH ASSISTANT MAN'GER!?"

"H-he left, ma'am."

"Whaddya mean, 'e left?"

"He - " Ethan's head swung over to where Cindy was wildly gesturing to him to shut up. "H-he fired 'imself! It wasn' mah fault!"

"SO WHAT AM AH SUPPOSED TA DO FER A ASSIS'NT MAN'GER NOW, TELL ME T'AT!?"

"C-cindy..." Cindy's gesturing grew wilder. "Cindy hired a new one!"

Cindy whirled and headed for the door, but not fast enough. Hadley grabbed her by the back of the collar and spun her around.

"WHERE IS THIS ASSIS'NT MAN'GER NAH!?"

Cindy glared at him from across the room. Tsubasa peeked cautiously out from behind the pretzel machine.

"THIS IS THE NEW ASSIS'NT MAN'GER?"

"Y-yes, ma'am", Cindy said softly.

"COME OUTTA THERE. WHAT DO YA THINK YER DOIN'?"

"I-I'm, uh, I'm..." Tsubasa stood up and dusted off his shirt. "I am fixing the pretzel machine, ma'am. Ethan poured...ketchup in the pretzel batter and it's making the machine...sticky."

"YOU WHAT?" Hadley turned to Ethan.

"I - He lied! It was the nacho sauce what ah poured it in, not ta pretzel batter!"

"How many times ah told you. Boy, this ain't a RECIPE CONVENTION!"

"Sorry", squeaked Ethan.

Well, thought Tsubasa, at least she cared about what was happening behind the scenes. Not like Ryo.

"Eth'n, I'da fired ya by now if it weren't fer ta lim'ted staff ah got round here. Y'all bett'r git ta work cleanin' this place up. It's gonna be lunch time soon and a few poor brainless tourists might stop by here later. IF we're lucky", she added.

Tsubasa stepped fully out from behind the pretzel machine.

"Wow, this place is really run down, huh?"

"Awww, ya don't have ta compliment it. Seriously, that's an understatement. We run by 3 teens an' a bipolar lady...ah don't see how we ain't all dead by now, hones'ly." Cindy shoved a broom into Ethan's hands. "Git ta work. You made the mess. I'mma work ta counter. You", she said, pointing to Tsubasa, "Go'n organise somthin'."

Tsubasa looked around. "This place doesn't look like anybody's bought anything for a few...years?"

"I don' care. Jus' look like yer doin' somethin' and maybe someone'll come inside."

Tsubasa rolled his eyes. In the area of marketing strategy, this store had nothing.

"My first suggestion is going to be to try dusting off the smoothies", he muttered, grabbed a rag, and got to work.

Cindy chuckled. "Tried t'at las' week. It din't work."

Ryo ran frantic circles around the group, hyperventilating even as he yelled incomprehensible sentences.

Finally he stopped, staring out breathlessly at the city of New York laid out before them, and then whirled to face the group of 7 people who stood in front of the airport.

"WHERE IS TSUBASA!?"

Gingka sighed. "Dad, I can't believe you didn't notice he was missing on the flight from Beaumont..."

"Well, did YOU!?"

"You're the adult of this operation, sir", Hikaru put forth.

Ryo ran about 60 more circuits around the group in the next few seconds, peering frantically around the corners, while the small knot of 7 watched him expressionlessly. They had long before learned to tolerate these brainless fits Ryo was so prone to.

At last he collapsed on the parking lot and Kyouya stepped forward.

"Tsubasa's long gone by now. He hightailed it in Beaumont and barely looked back."

"You knew about this, buddy?" Benkei turned to him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Look." Kyouya held up a smaartphone. "Tsubasa has brains; he left his phone behind so he's be untraceable. I get the feeling he didn't want to be found."

"This is a disaster", Ryo said, grabbing the phone from him. "We need to get somewhere with good cell service. Maybe there's someone on his contact list who can tell us what's been going on with him lately."

A few minutes later, the group sat at a small table in KFC Jamaica as Ryo scrolled through the phone's menus. Gingka, Madoka, Hikaru, Yuu, and Kenta looked out on Queens breathlessly, while Kyouya seemed absent and Benkei watched him worriedly.

Ryo grunted in frustration. "He's got all his contacts locked."

"What about speed dial? Press 1 and see who the phone calls", Benkei suggested.

"It's probably me."

"I think it's safe to take our chances", Hikaru said sarcastically. So Ryo punched one on the touch pad and held the phone to his ear.

After a few rings, a grainy, accented voice picked up.

"Hey, bud. Whatcha be needin'?"

"I think it's Les", Yuu yelled from the window.

"Uh, actually, this is the director of the Japan branch of the WBBA", Ryo said importantly.

"Oh, it's the chicken man, grandpa. This is Andre Romero. Whatcha doin' wit Tsubasa's phone?"

"I-th-CHICKEN MAN!?" Ryo spluttered indignantly. "What on earth are you talking about!?"

"Dad, you've got more important things to worry about right now", Gingka reminded him.

"Oh. Right. Andre, let me speak to your grandfather."

Miles away, Andre handed the phone to Les.

"Hey, director. Whatche doin' callin' me at midnight?"

"I need you to tell me where Tsubasa is."

"He's findin' himself some wings. Ah plumb don' know where he headed off ta. Ah jus' know he needs it, is all." Les's voice was firm.

"But why did he leave?"

"He din't feel like he knew 'imself no moar. He 'ad ta go an' find 'imself before 'e could find a way back home. Leave 'im be an' he ma come back sooner."

"We all got some flyin' ta do", Andre cut in.

"Yeah. Time ta go, Andre, ta bus's waitin'. We jus' a-leavin' ta Christmas sing-off over here. Catch ya later, chicken man." Les hung up and Ryo set down the phone numbly, staring blankly at the wall across the restaurant.

Then he turned to Hikaru.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Now see here - "

"I know it's not your fault, it's mine; but I NEED SOMEBODY TO BLAME IT ON!"

Everyone in the restaurant turned and stared as the director continued to rant on; and then they turned back to their mid - morning business. They, too, knew that there was no sense in interfering with this incident.