Act 2: Secrets of the Skies
Segment 1: Frosh Days
Chapter 1-11: Japan
Ryuta zipped up the luggage bag. Only one of them was necessary. He wouldn't be staying in Japan for too long, and he had for sure left some clothes back over there. "Oi, Chris, see you in January!"
Chris was brushing his teeth. "Shee ya!" he mumbled, mouth full of suds, and waved as Ryuta walked past. "Bye, Amedramon!" The dragon grinned at him before zipping into Ryuta's phone as he walked into the Orchard Commons hallway and trucked his way to the elevators.
"James!" Ryuta called out and held the elevator door open.
"Heading home?" he asked, clearly looking ready to go to the gym.
"Yep!"
"You don't stop for anything, do you? Exams just ended."
"I couldn't wait, the airport is going to be hammered tomorrow and the day after."
James checked his phone. "Oh, right… even so, two days before Christmas? Yikes, guy. It'll still be packed."
"Yeah, that's why I'm going now." It may have been eight in the morning, and Ryuta's flight was six hours after, but transit alone would take him about an hour, and Vancouver International Airport was sure to be loaded with passengers. "Anyway, happy holidays!"
"Happy holidays!" James alighted and went off to get a sweat in. Ryuta alighted at the ground floor and hustled his way outside. Vancouver was a balmy four degrees Celsius with the residual heat coming off the ocean. He was wearing a light jacket and a sweater on top of his usual tee shirt. He could take off the layers if he needed to. Several students were making the same journey as him. The dorms would be open for living, but the stores and restaurants would be shuttered. Any students still on campus would have to make a long trek on the various bus routes into the city for food and groceries.
He popped the earbuds in. "Excited to fly back?" he asked as he rolled the suitcase beside him towards the bus loop.
"Someday," Amedramon mused, "I'm going to try to fly you there myself."
"I…" Ryuta was rendered speechless for a moment. "I'm not sure you'd be fast enough for that."
"Mmh… really?"
"Yeah, the Earth is gigantic, and it's all ocean that way too. Not safe at all." Ryuta stopped at Bay 7. The bus was already on its way around the loop, wires overhead bouncing as the vehicle came to a stop. 99 B-Line to Commercial Drive, announced the automated voice. Students streamed in through all three doors of the long bus.
"Okay, then I'll fly you to Banff. I can do that."
Ryuta pulled his bags up onto the bus. Seats were in short supply, but he found one eventually. "Still…" He cringed at the thought of the faces of everyone with Vanadramon passing overhead.
"How boring," Amedramon complained. "Wouldn't you want to see the Rockies from above?"
"Uh..."
"You would."
"Yeah, you're right, but I'm absolutely sure nobody else around here would take seeing a dragon in the sky very well. Besides, the sky is full of airplanes. It's not safe for you to be up there."
"I'm nimbler than I look! I can dodge them all!"
"Right." The bus quickly became so busy that speaking became a problem, not to mention the luggage occupying space on the bus. He could have just ordered a ride, but he didn't feel like it. It wasn't going to be that much faster or save him much of anything, especially considering the price he would have paid for it. The bus rumbled its way down West 10th Avenue, making a left and then a right, then continued eastward along West Broadway. Ryuta yawned as lowrises passed by. The crowds only intensified as more people were picked up along the avenue.
The chatter on the bus continued. He allowed his attention to drift from one direction to another. "Bit warm, eh?" "Yeah, good weather for some last-minute shopping." "I'm out of ideas, and the Bay is already short on appliances." "No, I went to Whistler last year." "Of course there's going to be a new years' party!" There were a few student-looking people having a conversation in Mandarin nearby him. Someone else on the bus was clearly very excited on the phone, possibly in Punjabi or Hindi or Urdu. He wasn't familiar. Another two students were chatting eagerly in Korean. He guessed another three were conversing in Farsi, and another two in Tagalog.
He realized just how impossible this would have been back in Tokyo.
He stood up as the bus finally halted at Broadway-City Hall, along with all of the other passengers headed for the airport. "Right, sorry guys," he apologized as he rolled his bags off the bus. He was glad he wasn't the only one doing this. The faint waft of eggs and coffee emerged from some nearby restaurants, but they had already eaten. Otherwise, he wasn't sure Amedramon would have the chance to eat for the next twenty-four hours.
Ryuta marched into the station concourse and tapped his Compass card, then continued to the stairs. He squinted at a dot matrix at the platforms below him and tried to make out what was next. The sound of rushing wind intensified. The next train arriving on the outbound platform is for Richmond-Brighouse. Never mind. Not so convenient. He took his time. The next one would probably take two or three minutes to arrive.
By the time it did, both cars were packed with people and their bags. There likely would be no sitting space for him. No matter. He rolled himself as far to the front as he could, although a bunch of kids were excitedly sitting right at the window, pretending to drive the train. He caught the eyes of one of their parents and grinned.
A faint light at the end of the tunnel grew brighter, and then the train emerged from the concrete tunnel and began to ascend as the track rose above the street, as much of the Skytrain was elevated, hence the name. "So Amedramon, any plans on what to do in Japan? We have maybe a week and a half."
"Besides see everyone else again?"
"That's a given."
"Hm… and we've already been up the Skytree too. No family vacation?"
"Nope, not this time."
"Awh, and no Monodramon either." Amedramon went quiet. Ryuta could see it deep in thought within his phone. It put its head down, then up, then back down again.
"We can figure it out later."
The next station is Bridgeport. Change here for trains to Richmond-Brighouse. Exit here for bus connections to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal.
"You know, we never went to Richmond after all that," Amedramon pointed out as several passengers alighted, only to be replaced by travellers with luggage. A Canada Line train headed northbound happened to stop at just the same time on the other side of the platform.
"Yeah, we can do that next term. Laura might know the way around. It should be fun."
"Not going to show the others around Burnaby yourself, though?"
"I don't really recognize it myself anymore, to be honest. I'd be a useless tour guide."
"And you're not going to go explore your hometown again?"
He sighed. "I don't know if it is my hometown anymore. We don't own that house, and now it's been torn down and replaced." He stared out the window as the train passed a shopping plaza bustling with last-minute shoppers. "Honestly, I don't know what my hometown is at all."
"Not even Tokyo?"
He shifted his weight around. Amedramon was staring at him innocently from his phone. "Not even there."
"Why not?"
"I… I'm not sure. I just don't feel like I belong there either."
"Well then, you should make a home somewhere."
"I know," he whispered. "I'll think about it after university is over."
The next station is terminus station YVR-Airport. The train's passengers disembarked as the automated train came to a halt, and they flooded into the small concourse. Ryuta smiled and waved for a family to go first. He wasn't in a rush.
Yuuka looked up again at the arrivals signage. Takaharu was on a train himself back to Tokyo, while Satsuki and Asuka had decided not to make the journey to Narita. She couldn't blame them. It was a long way away from Sumida, and the train ride – even the slower trains – was quite expensive. Still, she figured it was worth it.
More surprisingly, his family wasn't here. Today happened to be the first day of winter holiday. Hideaki not being able to show was normal, but Kanae and Haru… She wondered what might have been said.
JL17 had been due to land some time ago. He was probably waiting for his bags to come out onto the claim belts. She glanced at her phone. It was already five hours past noon and the sun was sure to be down by now. It didn't help that the airport was crowded with other people waiting on travellers to arrive; tomorrow was Christmas, and overseas visitors were all taking this as their cue to visit family.
A familiar shape of hair turned the corner. "Ryuta!"
"Hey, I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long." He seemed worn out. Flying for a half-day would do that to anyone.
"How was the flight?" She offered to take one of his bags.
He gratefully passed it off to her. "A bit bumpy coming out of Vancouver and then again on landing, but I'm alright."
"I wondered how takeoff would be. I was looking at the Vancouver weather forecasts that morning." The two made their way towards the train platforms. "So," she asked, "how was the city?"
He shrugged. "It's not what I remember anymore. Things have changed." He glanced at his watch. He'd forgotten to adjust it back to Tokyo time. It could be done later. "The old house is gone."
"Wait, really? Just an empty plot of land now?"
"No. It must have changed hands a few times and then been redeveloped, like a lot of Burnaby. There are apartments all around Metrotown now. It's not the sleepy suburb it used to be."
"I see." They filed onto a Narita Skyaccess bound for Tokyo. "That sounds like what's starting to happen to parts of Tokyo, actually. Things are redeveloping."
"Ikebukuro?"
"You heard." A famous arcade was closing there. It wasn't the only one in Tokyo to suffer that fate, either.
"I did. How did Takaharu take the news?"
"He's holding onto hope. I think he's right, though. It'll reopen eventually. I mean, it's Ikebukuro after all. If they didn't reopen, another one would take its place anyway."
He nodded. Yuuka took a careful look at his expression. It seemed like he was unbothered by the lack of his family presence. He sighed and slumped down in the plush bench. "I'm glad to be back." He smiled and closed his eyes. He really was tired from all the turbulence.
"I'm glad you made it." Yuuka glanced up at the train's information screen as the automated announcement played. Arriving at: Narita Yukawa. Narita Yukawa. KS43. "But your family…"
"Hm? Oh. No, nothing bad happened. Haru is just busy with after-school lessons, and Kanae is picking her up. And you know my dad." She nodded. At least it was just bad timing, nothing more.
"Kanae doesn't trust Haru to walk home? She's ten years old, I think. That's old enough."
"It… I think it's habit."
"Habit? Really?"
"Mm. They don't always let kids walk home on their own in Canada. They say it's not safe. Besides, Haru's still only nine. She'll turn ten this year. Soon, actually, in February."
Yuuka looked shaken. "Is Canada that unsafe for children?"
"No, they're just very nervous." The doors closed. Next station: Imba Nihon-idai. "Something about not wanting to get sued for negligence." He opened his eyes, turned to her, and remarked, "By the way, apologies for not messaging more often. It… it slipped my mind a lot." He let out a huff of amusement. "I truly am a terrible person."
"You really are. But at least you're my terrible person."
The journey back to Oshiage station seemed to take no time at all. Tokyo was about as cool as Vancouver had been. He hardly needed to change his layers. He just needed a bath.
"Are you coming up with me, Yuuka?"
She shook her head. "I have to help mom clean up the bakery tonight."
"Alright." It was a bit disappointing. "Then, I'll see you with the others tomorrow." They had scheduled to meet in the Segawa residence for a Christmas reunion, although Kazuhiko wouldn't be there. It was as close to a complete reunion as they would get until summer.
"Yeah. See you!" Yuuka waved and turned to walk south. Ryuta watched her leave. Falcomon had been busy as well. It seemed it had just about adjusted to its new life here. He pulled his bags along and passed the security desk.
"Huh. Odd." It seemed the security desk no longer had staff up front. Interesting. Perhaps they were merely out for a break. No matter. He continued up to the residence and unlocked the door, then walked in. "I'm back!" he called out.
Excited thudding of footsteps was quickly followed by an equally excited shriek. "Ryuuuutaaaa!" Haru gave her brother a tight hug. "Welcome home!"
"Thanks." Had she matured already in just those four months? She wasn't a pre-teen just yet. Puberty wasn't supposed to kick in for a few years more. He figured it was just because he hadn't seen her in a while.
"Amedramon?"
The pillar of light next to Ryuta formed into the familiar shape of a dragon. "Haru!" It stood up on its hind legs and hugged her as well.
"Aahhh! I missed you so much!" Haru's face was fearlessly pressed right up against Amedramon's snout, forehead mere centimetres away from its snout horn. "Isn't Vancouver beautiful?"
"It is!"
"Haru," asked Ryuta, "where's mom?"
"Getting food," Haru replied. Ryuta raised an eyebrow but said nothing more and went on to put his bags in his bedroom. Kanae likely just ran out of time. He glanced at the unfinished model on his desk. He had forgotten to finish this before leaving. He would have a week, though. He could finish it before he left. As he unpacked, he called out, "how long until they come home?"
"I don't know," Haru replied. Amedramon curled up in an armchair.
"Guess I'll take a bath first. I feel incredibly nasty."
Kazuhiko sighed with relief. Boxing Day was busier than he had expected here despite the gentle drizzle. The centre of London had been packed with revellers enjoying the festivities and the Tube had been nearly impossible to get on. Despite all that, he had still managed to get Monodramon out briefly that day, although a lot of curious children – and adults – had given him stares from across the park.
"I'm going to go shower, Monodramon," he said as the door closed behind them.
"Okay." Monodramon sat down on the mattress and poked away at its Tamer's phone.
• • • • • • •
Sumida Tamers
Segawa Takaharu
Hey Ryuta, you remembered to get something for our reunion, right?
December 25 23:37
Koyama Ryuta
Of course
December 25 23:38
Tokuda Satsuki
So did I
I'll bring it when we meet up?
December 25 23:38
Segawa Takaharu
Sure!
December 25 23:39
Ishida Yuuka
Should I make something? It's a bit early though…
I guess I can make it the night before
December 25 23:40
Segawa Takaharu
You don't have to! But if you want to, sure
December 25 23:40
Ishida Yuuka
Wait… Asuka, are you allowed sweets?
You're still in playing season, after all
December 25 23:41
Nagatomo Asuka
wwww don't worry
it's just the one-time w
nobody will know
December 25 23:42
Ishida Yuuka
w
Okay, then I'll see what I can do
December 25 23:42
Shimizu Kazuhiko
Ryuta Takaharu WHAT EVEN IS BOXING DAY?!
[photo: King's Cross Station]
WHAAAT
17:32
I'M JUST TRYNA HAVE DINNER WITH FRIENDS! wwww
[photo: restaurant, south London]
17:42
Koyama Ryuta
Oh, have fun
There should be some decent sales
17:53
Shimizu Kazuhiko
Dude what time is it in Japan
Why are you up so late wwwwww
17:54
Koyama Ryuta
It's not that bad
17:53
Shimizu Kazuhiko
Do you even sleep ww
17:54
Koyama Ryuta
Usually, yes
17:53
Shimizu Kazuhiko
Usually? w
17:53
• • • • • • •
Just as Monodramon was about to send something silly to the group chat under the guise of Kazuhiko, the phone went off. Takaharu was calling for a video call. "Hey Takaharu!" Monodramon exclaimed as it picked up the call.
"Monodramon?! Oh, hey. Where's Kazuhiko?" The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon in Japan. Takaharu was visible on the screen, nodding as he was walking around his apartment back in Sumida, wearing pyjamas.
"Showering. He might be a few more minutes. What's up?"
"Nothing much, just checking in, heh. The photos he sent looked about right."
The sound of water stopped. "What is Boxing Day about, anyway?" Monodramon asked. "Kazuhiko didn't know."
"Uh…" Takaharu stayed in thought for a long while, then shrugged. "To be honest, I have no idea either. I don't know if anyone knows."
"Takaharu, England is incredible during Christmas and Boxing Day," Kazuhiko commented, hair only partially dried, as he emerged from the apartment's washroom.
"Oxford Circus was packed!" added Monodramon, handing Kazuhiko's phone back to him.
"Of course!" Takaharu replied. "It's the West, after all."
Kazuhiko said, "But there were also church bells ringing everywhere on Saturday. I thought there were going to be choral songs out on the street!"
"You know, Canada doesn't do that much anymore, but England might still."
"What? I had no idea they celebrated so differently."
"Mmhm. Years of separation will do that. Anyway, did you do anything special?"
"Yeah! The dorm had a secret gift exchange. I got this cute keychain from the Greenwich Observatory," Kazuhiko replied, holding up a spinning trinket.
Izumi popped into frame on her way to the kitchen. "Heeey!" she waved.
Kazuhiko waved back. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine! Senior high is no joke though, ugh," she moaned.
Takaharu snickered. "Just you wait for university."
"Ahh, please don't scare me with that…"
Kazuhiko waved Takaharu's teasing away. "Izumi, it's fine. You'll be able to handle it."
Izumi pouted and put her hands on her hips. "See, Takaharu? I'll be okay." She went out of view to the stovetop. Satsuki and Yuuka were coming later, so they were having something light instead. She went to get a pot.
"Whatcha making, Izumi?" asked Kazuhiko.
"Just a bit of somen," she said as Takaharu turned his phone's camera to her.
Kazuhiko sighed. As much as discovering all the new Hispanic and other worldly cuisines around him was fun and exciting, he did miss home quite a lot, and what he could find here just wasn't as good. He imagined Satsuki had a much easier time of it in the States, especially in Los Angeles. "Now you're making me wish I had come back this winter. Oh well."
"Still planning on returning in July?" Takaharu asked.
"Yeah, nothing changed. I still have a lot to see around here. Turns out even between terms, I still have some studying to do."
"Really?!"
"Well…" Kazuhiko sheepishly grinned, "it's more like I want to do it."
Takaharu grimaced in horror. "You want to study?"
"I'm enjoying myself!"
"What's wrong with you?" Kazuhiko burst out laughing. Takaharu shook his head. He'd never understood why people like Kazuhiko, Satsuki, or Ryuta could willingly throw themselves at schoolwork.
"Besides, there are some ideas I've had sitting in my scraps, and it would be a waste if they just stayed ideas, so I've been doing some basic design work on them."
"Good for you then," Takaharu remarked. "I hope Monodramon isn't bored out of its mind."
Kazuhiko glanced over at the purple dragon Digimon, who was playing something on his tablet. "It's alright, I guess. We go somewhere new every week. Aish… I'm starting to run out of places nearby though." He yawned.
"Oops! Sorry, I forgot, it's late over there," Takaharu apologized.
"It's fine! I'm just tired from dodging people today." Kazuhiko laughed the apology away. "I normally sleep late, but maybe not tonight. Is Lomamon up yet?"
Takaharu peered into his bedroom. Lomamon was still passed out, one hand dangling off the mattress, mouth wide open. He snorted and pointed the phone camera at it.
"I see," Kazuhiko laughed. "Well, say hi to it for me. Enjoy lunch!"
"I will!"
Just as they cut the call, the doorbell rang. Takaharu padded over to answer it. "Hey, Satsuki! Oh, Gabumon too." She was wearing relatively simple clothes along with her backpack, probably since there could be some splash from oil or sauce. After all, she was making lunch for them today. She had insisted on it.
She and Gabumon were holding grocery bags. "Good morning." She popped her shoes off en route to the kitchen and hefted the bags onto the countertop. "Hi, Izumi." Izumi waved with her fingers as she was holding chopsticks and had a mouth full of noodles.
"This all for lunch?" Takaharu asked as he pulled out packages from the bags. Most of them seemed to have no label, as if they hadn't been purchased from a store.
"Yeah."
He whistled as he picked up an impressively marbled package of beef. The bone was still in. "How much did this cost?"
Satsuki shrugged. "I have no idea, my parents let me have it."
Suddenly the lack of labels made sense. "So lucky," Takaharu muttered as he continued searching through the bags. "Your house must have so much restaurant-quality food in it."
"About that," Satsuki replied, "not really."
"Wait, what?!"
She shrugged. "They're not going to cook at home and at work. We've had countless konbini meals. Besides, the stuff they order for the restaurants stays there, normally. They just let me have this because there was excess in the fridges and the winter break is coming up."
"I see." Satsuki was already getting familiar with the Segawa apartment's kitchen. "Oh, the pots and such are all over there." Takaharu pointed at some cabinet doors. "Knives there, and if you need bowls, they're all over the place."
"Thanks." While Satsuki went looking for work materials, Gabumon padded over to Takaharu's room.
"Lomamon, it's mid-morning." Gabumon nudged the sleeping Digimon.
"Hnh… wha? Oh…" it muttered with one eye open. "Gabu… g'morn…" Lomamon yawned and stretched out. "Who else is here?"
"Just us so far."
"Mkay… wake me when they come." Lomamon went back to sleep.
Gabumon made a face of bewilderment. "Agh, forget it," it muttered to itself. There was no hope trying to get Lomamon awake.
Takaharu watched with curiosity from the apartment's dining table, along with Izumi, as Satsuki began preparing vegetables with Gabumon's assistance. "So, I heard you were switching schools?" asked Izumi. She still had some winter homework to deal with and had a workbook open.
"I'm hoping to. They haven't responded yet."
Tailmon hopped off the couch where it had been snoozing itself and walked around Takaharu's feet, meowing incessantly. "Oi, what do you want?" he asked. It looked up at him and meowed again. He reached a hand down. It swatted at his fingers. "Right then." He got up and reached for a cat toy on a string. It leapt back and forth as he waved it around, then pounced on the dangling plush mouse. Takaharu tugged it away, and it went chasing after it.
"But I heard it was really remote."
"It's not too bad," she sighed, "but I am starting to think maybe I should have gone to the one in New York. It's a bit closer to the city." She drizzled some oil over the chopped vegetables as Gabumon slid some carrots in.
"Hey, do you have any spices by any chance?" asked Gabumon.
"Not a lot, they're all in the second drawer," replied Takaharu, still playing with the cat. He was impressed that it was this spry and active for being so old. Maybe this was just one of the better days. It was starting to have some hip issues, after all.
Gabumon pulled it open to show Satsuki, who was still mixing the oil in. She took a look and went through some of the bottles. There were very few spices there: some flaked red pepper, shichimi, Chinese five spice, cinnamon, and a few other mixed spices that looked like they hadn't been used much. It was a normal cabinet for a household often too busy to make complex meals at home. "Shichimi will have to do," she remarked, and pulled out the small aluminium canister. She gave it a sniff just to make sure it wasn't too old. At least it had some strength left in it.
The doorbell rang again. Izumi went to get the door since Takaharu was still occupied with Tailmon. It was Ryuta and Yuuka. Yuuka was holding a bag with a box in it, while Ryuta was wearing his usual messenger bag. Falcomon and Amedramon were there as well. "Hey!"
Izumi asked, "Are you all going to arrive in the open? Did nobody notice?"
"Don't worry about it, it's only a brief moment," assured Falcomon. It was holding a box of its own, which it passed to Gabumon, who put it up on the countertop along with the box that Yuuka had been carrying.
"Hey." Ryuta pulled up a chair opposite Takaharu. Amedramon snuck off.
"Hey." The two of them watched Tailmon hop back and forth as it tried to get its paws on the bobbing mouse toy.
Yuuka leaned against the back of Ryuta's chair and watched curiously. Satsuki looked up from her work and gave them a sly grin, then returned to her work.
"She looks healthy," Yuuka commented.
"Oh, thanks! We take good care of her." Tailmon mrowled and leapt onto the toy, then proudly strutted about with it in her teeth. "Good job, Tailmon." Takaharu patted her on the head. "So, Ryuta, how was Canada?"
He shrugged. "It was alright."
"Just alright?" Takaharu asked with a slight smile and a raised eyebrow. "Did you not go explore or anything?"
"I did, a bit."
"Just a bit!" Takaharu laughed. "Ryuta-"
"I had to be responsible, you know." He sighed. "Besides, it's not that new to me." Yuuka gave him a look that he didn't notice. "I can do more exploring after the next term is over."
"Alright, then." An electric kettle switched off as steam jetted from its vent. Takaharu got up. "Coffee or tea, everyone?"
"Coffee, thanks." "Me too." "Tea for me." "Same." "Coffee!"
Takaharu busied himself with preparing drinks while Yuuka intently watched Satsuki move about the kitchen with interest. There was a refined and practised exactness with how she sliced through a rolled-up bunch of herbs.
Lomamon emerged from Takaharu's bedroom sitting on Amedramon's back. "Good morning everyone!"
Falcomon looked up at a clock on the wall. "Lomamon, it's nearly noon."
"Still the morning!" It stuck its tongue out at the feathered Digimon. It just sighed and rolled its eyes. "What's in the boxes?" the raccoon-like Digimon asked.
"Some pastries." The sound of sizzling emanated from the stovetop.
"Nice!" It stepped up onto a stool and reached for the box.
Just before Lomamon could get its paws all over the box of baked goods, Falcomon pointed out, "Shouldn't we wait for Asuka and Hawkmon to get here before opening that up?"
"Bleh, who needs to wait on slowpokes anyway?" it commented, unaware that the comment made Izumi and Takaharu giggle. Reprimanded, though, it slunk back down and sat next to Yuuka.
Amedramon sniffed the air. When they had come in, the place had smelled of roasting vegetables, and now the scent of beef was enveloping the apartment. It put its paws up on the countertop and looked around. Satsuki had two timers clipped to her apron, a towel wrapped around a waistbelt, another timer on her phone, something in the oven, three things on the stovetop, an ice bath, and a few more tools.
Gabumon stood up on a chair next to Amedramon. "Impressive, isn't it?" Amedramon just stared silently in wonder.
Takaharu asked, "Satsuki, you sure you don't need help? This seems looks like a lot of work for one person."
"I'm more scared of someone cutting or burning themselves, to be honest." A timer went off. She silenced it and switched off a burner, squeezed a cut lemon and some chopped herbs into the pot, stirred the contents, then put the lid back on and turned the burner all the way down.
"Not even Yuuka? I mean, both of you work in kitchens."
Satsuki snorted and went to attend to the steak sitting on a grill pan, basting it with rosemary butter, while Yuuka put her mug down firmly. "Takaharu?"
"Yeh?"
"Just because we both work in a kitchen, it doesn't mean we're both good at the same thing." Yuuka waved at Satsuki's timers. "You see all this?" She shook her head. "This is terrifying to me."
"But-"
"Takaharu, I'm literally useless making regular meals!"
"Wha?!"
"I'm pretty sure even Ryuta is better than me at that!" Ryuta narrowed his eyes at her. He wasn't so sure of that, yet.
The doorbell rang again. Takaharu got up to open the door before Yuuka could explain exactly why the two of them had completely different skill sets. A streak of red hair in a green jacket zipped past him. "Satsuki!" Asuka yelled and grabbed her from behind.
"Oi!" She was carrying a glass of white wine and spilled some, fortunately right into the pot she was adding it to. The alcohol sizzled and evaporated almost immediately.
"Whoops!" Asuka backed off. "I missed you a lot!"
"I can tell," Satsuki remarked. She continued pouring the rest in. A gust of steam rose from the pot of rice. She gave it a hardy mix and continued to attend to it with a jug of stock.
Hawkmon and Gabumon embraced briefly. "Was Los Angeles as pleasant as Satsuki said it was?" Hawkmon asked. "I saw some photos and it really does look beautiful and warm!"
"For sure!" Gabumon sat down on a sofa next to Hawkmon. "The city was vast, but it still felt like a cozy place, somehow. There weren't nearly as many towers as there are here."
Lomamon suddenly scrambled to the countertop. "I call first dibs!" Hawkmon and the other Digimon blinked and gave each other glances as it went through the boxes of pastries. "Ahhh, Yuuka," it lilted, "why do these all look so beautiful?" It stared wide-eyed at the baked goods, a touch of drool hanging from the corner of its mouth.
Yuuka carefully swallowed a sip of coffee. "I try my hardest."
Asuka peered over Lomamon's shoulders. "Hey, that black sesame one is mine." She looked up. "Yuuka, what even is that called?"
"Paris-Brest." She had clearly been working on her French pronunciation. Asuka just stared at her dumbfounded for a moment, then tried to quietly replicate the sound. The sound of sizzling stopped as Satsuki moved the steak over to a resting plate and turned her attention to a simmering sauce and a pot of hot oil. Izumi was busy filling Tailmon's food dish, while Ryuta was absent-mindedly rubbing a very happy Amedramon's snout. Falcomon, Gabumon, and Hawkmon had elected to help get the table ready now that it seemed that Satsuki was about done, while Takaharu figured out cups for later.
"Sure, let's go with that," Asuka finally managed to say. Hawkmon hovered over her briefly to get a look at the boxes for itself. There was a box of cake slices and another of flaky pastries. Satsuki moved a plate of sliced shallots into the hot oil and poked them around for several seconds, then immediately scooped them back out and onto a wire rack.
The others watched from the table. Asuka finally settled herself down enough to lean against the counter. Ryuta got up. "Seems we're just about ready."
"Just about," replied Satsuki, fishing the fries back out of the hot oil. They also went onto the wire rack, followed by another batch. "Help me plate up."
"Sure." Ryuta lifted a lid of a pot that had been sitting around for a while. "Where did you get all this from?"
"Wherever Dad gets his stuff from. Hey, one sec." Satsuki got a clean fork out and pierced one of the butter beans in the pot and tasted it. "Good enough." She set the fork back down. "Beans down, then shallots on top. Steak goes with the roasted veg in the oven. This risotto is on its own." She pointed at a pot of rice that was sitting on a warm spot.
"Got it." Ryuta went looking for a serving plate that was large enough to fit the prime rib. "Takaharu?"
He looked up from his conversation with the others. "Uhh, maybe two doors to your left?" Ryuta shuffled over and looked up at the cabinet, then pulled out the ceramic dishes. A waft of oil, basil, and lemon zest tickled his nose as he poured out the pot's contents. Satsuki sidestepped, holding tongs, while Ryuta pulled the sheets of slightly charred vegetables out of the oven and onto another serving plate, then hefted the prime rib steak on top. Satsuki took the resting plate for herself and poured the juice into a small saucepan, then pulled a small box out of a bag she had taken with her.
"So, even you're not immune to using stock cubes, huh?"
Satsuki laughed. "If I had another hour then maybe I would have made my own." She whisked in the powder into the liquid, then poured in another bit of wine. None of them were of age just yet, though for herself it didn't matter. Gaku had already let her sample a bit last year. The bottle she'd brought was only for cooking, though there was still half a bottle left. She figured she could just take it home if the Segawas didn't drink European wine. "But I got a bit lazy. We'll be fine. I'm not serving the Prime Minister."
Ryuta carried the two serving plates to the dinner table. The others stared wide-eyed at them. "Incredible," whispered Takaharu.
"Oh, Ryuta, while you're at it, think you can help me put together a salsa?"
"Salsa? Sure."
A batch of fries emerged from the oil, which Satsuki killed the heat on, and moved all of them to a bowl, then tossed in pinches of salt and some other spices. As she tossed the fried potatoes, she said, "Just dice those green tomato-looking things finely and then same with the red onions and herbs there." She was looking over at a pile of things on the countertop. They really were tomato-like in appearance but were bright green and firm to the touch.
"Are these unripe tomatoes?" he asked.
"Nope, they're tomatillos."
"How did you get your hands on these all the way over here?" Ryuta wondered.
She laughed. "I pestered Dad for them when I was still over in Los Angeles, and he kindly offered to find a source. We've been experimenting with them since."
"Huh." Ryuta picked up the knife resting on the chopping board and began to work through the fruits as best he could. Despite his focus, the pieces turned out a bit oddly sized.
Satsuki laid out the fries on a folded sheet of parchment in a bowl. "Ah, don't worry too much about the weird sizes." Job done, she watched with interest as Ryuta struggled with the onion. "Three fingers on top. Tuck your thumb in. Knuckles forward so you don't cut yourself."
"Right." Ryuta corrected his finger posture and continued slicing. "And the other way?"
"Yep."
Ryuta finished dicing the onion and transferred it to the bowl with the tomatillos in them. "You want to finish the herbs?"
"You're doing fine. I'll get a lime sliced." Satsuki washed the citrus and zested the green skin into the bowl while Ryuta tore off the parsley leaves, like he had seen her do earlier, and cut through them as finely as possible. He transferred the green leaves into the bowl. Satsuki gave it a good mix and took it to the table along with the bowl of fries. She placed it down on the table next to the other two plates and sat down with a huff.
"This is incredible, Satsuki!" "How on earth did you do all that today?" "Seriously, this is a lot of food."
"It's not my first time cooking for a group."
"Wait, really?" Asuka was incredulous.
"I've cooked for some family friends before university. Actually, while I'm here, I'm also planning on working part time. The practice will do me some good, I hope."
"Wow." Satsuki began carving the steak while the bowl of risotto was passed around. "Doesn't your dad run a French restaurant?"
"He does, but none of this is French." She passed a slice to a grateful Hawkmon's plate. "It's kind of Latin American, kind of Italian, you know, America." Despite going around the whole table, the bowl of risotto still had some rice left in it.
"So, you learned all that just from being there for a few months?"
"Yep. Los Angeles is a real melting pot of culture." She finished carving the steak, allowing everyone else to get into the roasted vegetables. "How is everything?"
Takaharu had a face full of steak and just gave her the okay hand so that he didn't have to talk with a full mouth. Yuuka replied, "It's absolutely delicious, Satsuki." Ryuta and Izumi just nodded in agreement while Amedramon stared curiously at the small pieces of tomatillo.
Falcomon elbowed Gabumon gently. "Is this what you get to eat every weekend?"
It laughed nervously. "Not always, but when they do cook, it's always high quality."
"Ah… you wouldn't mind if we came over from time to time, right?" Falcomon asked as innocently as it possibly could. Yuuka's shoulders shook with mirth.
Lomamon reached over and grabbed another helping of fries straight off the plate. "You should invite us to the restaurants when you're working, Satsuki!"
Satsuki paused with fork between plate and her mouth, steak glistening with demi-glace. "Lomamon… Takaharu, would you be willing to pay something like thirty thousand yen a person?"
"What?!" Takaharu exclaimed. "What kind of…" he sighed. "I should have expected that, shouldn't I? Ginza, was it?" Satsuki nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much." He tapped his fingers against the table. "Maybe for dad's birthday. I'll ask."
Amedramon set its fork down. "Ryuta, when are we going to give those out?"
"Oh, those." Ryuta swallowed a bite of beans and washed it down with a sip of water. "After lunch, I guess."
"Yeah, just stack them up in the sink. I can wash them after," Takaharu volunteered. "Izumi, you have schoolwork to do after, right?"
"I do, but not much. I know there's a lot to wash, though. I can help if you need it."
"Thanks!" Takaharu got up and got water running while the others rested contentedly at the table. The boxes of baked goods were mostly emptied of their contents with just a few brioche breads left for the elder Segawas when they returned. Falcomon and Hawkmon sighed and leaned on each other while Lomamon was already falling asleep again at the table. Amedramon rested its bony head on the wood surface and stared up at Gabumon sitting opposite it.
Ryuta was still finishing his selection, a slice of Basque cheesecake with strawberry compote. Yuuka yawned and stretched. Her plate was dotted with a few crumbs of what had been an almond croissant. Satsuki brushed her hair aside and slumped in her chair. All that moving about and focus had sucked a good deal of energy out of her. Working in a kitchen full time was certainly going to be more of a challenge than she expected. Up to now, she'd only had to work on small tasks here and there – never actually run a whole course herself.
Asuka leaned forward and raised a finger, then booped Amedramon on the snout. It stuck its tongue out. "Too bad Kazuhiko and Monodramon weren't here for this," Asuka commented.
"I hope they're not feeling left out," Gabumon replied.
"Me too."
Ryuta wiped his mouth with a corner of a tissue and neatly folded it under his plate, then got up to fetch his bag. "Right, time to give out some things."
Asuka sat straight up, seemingly the only one at the table still awake enough to move. Hawkmon's eyes were drifting shut, while Falcomon was seemingly asleep along with Lomamon. Even Yuuka had difficulty concentrating. "You brought something back from Canada?"
"Of course."
"It's not like you were on vacation, though."
He shrugged. "It felt right to do. Besides," he remarked, glancing over at Satsuki as he hefted some small packages from his bag, "Christmas was just a few days ago."
Asuka stared at the four small boxes Ryuta brought to the table. He placed them down in front of himself and handed one tagged with her name to her. She smirked. "Is it maple syrup?"
"Not even close," he replied with a wry smile.
"Heh, I'll find out soon enough. Thank you!"
Satsuki bowed slightly as she received the box. They were all plain white and very nondescript, which only intrigued her more. "Thanks, Ryuta."
Yuuka grinned as she put hers away into her bag. She figured she probably knew what it was, just by the texts he'd sent a few days before his exams, but she didn't want to spoil anything.
Ryuta looked over the counter. Takaharu was still washing some pots. There was just about enough room for everything to be laid out to dry. Takaharu checked over his shoulder. "Hey, you can leave it on the table for me, it's fine."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, course I'm sure! If we'd put up a tree, I would have said to leave it under there, but we didn't."
Satsuki got up to get some bags of her own. "My turn, I think." She went to her backpack that was leaned against a sofa's leg.
Yuuka looked up. "Did you really bring back something from Los Angeles?"
"I did!" The items Satsuki produced were bagged neatly. "Takaharu?"
"Ah, yeah, just on the table too, thanks." He yelped as he nearly fumbled a plate in the sink. "Man, how does Mom do this every day?"
Satsuki laughed, "You don't cook for yourself at all?"
"Why would I? There's no need."
Satsuki glanced over at Yuuka and Ryuta, then Asuka, who piped up, "Hey, I rarely do, too."
"What, how? Don't you have restrictive meal plans as a footballer?" Takaharu asked.
Asuka shrugged. "Ji-min takes care of it all."
Satsuki grinned. "You should pay her."
"I – what?!"
"She's become your second mother," Satsuki snarked.
"H-hey, I've made my own food! Twice, even! I bet you haven't!"
Satsuki sighed sadly. She wasn't wrong; she had no need to. If UCLA had one thing going for it, they had high quality cafeterias. Perhaps that would change soon enough.
"Ha! See?" Asuka pointed with an accusing finger, "you can't even say you have. What does that make me? A functional adult." She crossed her arms and grinned smugly. "That's right, I'm more well-adjusted than the whole lot of you." She flicked her short red-striped hair with pride and peered around her audience.
Hawkmon mumbled, "You set off the fire alarm."
"Shhh! We don't talk about that!"