The American Dream, Part 3
After Asuna collected her mail from the letterbox, she, Kirito and Yui get inside the elevator and head up to the tenth floor. When they arrived, Asuna escorts Kirito and Yui to the right end of the hallway where her apartment is. She inserts the key into the doorknob and turns it to unlock the main door. She opens it and stands aside to allow Kirito and Yui to step into her home.
"Here we are." Asuna said as Kirito and Yui step forward and look around the interior of her apartment. "It's not much, but it's home."
Both Kirito and Yui stay still and silent for a few moments, causing Asuna to ask in concern, "Guys?"
"This…" Yui said as she and Kirito lower their heads.
"Is…" Kirito murmured. Asuna frown for a brief moment before Yui and Kirito suddenly lift their heads up and thrust their fists up into the air.
"GREAT!" Both of them shouted enthusiastically before they turn to each other and pull themselves into a tight embrace. Asuna elicits a sigh of relief as she smiles at them. After breaking away from their hug, Kirito and Yui turn back to Asuna and bow to her. "Arigatou, Asuna!"
"You're welcome. Make yourselves familiar with your new surroundings." Asuna replied. Kirito and Yui nod their heads to her before they turn back to the living area and the latter rushes over to the two-seater sofa. The short girl sits down on the left seat of the sofa and giggles as she briefly bounces up and down on its soft cushion. She picks up the remote from the coffee table in front of her and turns on the TV. Yui immediately smiles and widens her eyes in awe as the TV is currently showing a documentary of sea animals living in the Pacific Ocean.
Meanwhile, after putting down her handbag on the long rectangular-shaped counter that separates the kitchen from the dining and living areas, Asuna walks into the kitchen and looks down at the envelope in her hand. It is addressed to her by Lennon & Shannon Incorporated, one of the businesses in Chicago she had sent an application to. After taking a deep breath, Asuna slowly tears open the envelope, removes the letter, and unfolds it. Her eyes softened and her shoulders drooped as she silently reads what is written on the letter inside her head.
'Dear Asuna Yuuki. Thank you for interviewing with us for the position of Customer Service Assistant at Lennon & Shannon Incorporated. Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that our team did not choose you for further consideration. We appreciate your time and effort, and we wish you good luck and best endeavours in your job search.'
Asuna lets her arms hang limply at her sides for a moment before she folds the letter and throws it and the envelope into a nearby trash bin on her right. She turns to the photo of her and her mother on the kitchen wall and gazes sadly at it.
"I'm sorry, mother." Asuna said barely above a whisper.
"Something the matter?" Kirito suddenly spoke up as he stands right beside her. Asuna yelps in shock and turns to him with her eyes wide.
"Oh, Kirito!" Asuna places her hand on her chest and chuckled. "N-nothing. Just…trying to think of what we should eat."
"Well…" Kirito rubs his chin. "I'm thinking we could eat some spaghetti and create that same tomato sauce we made together again."
"Sure. Why not?" Asuna shrugged and smiled at him.
"Asuna!" Yui called out to her, causing Asuna and Kirito to turn their heads and see her pointing at the Blu-Ray disc player and the row of movie cases placed inside the shelves underneath the TV. "What are those?"
"Oh. Those are a Blu-Ray disc player and a collection of movies kindly donated to me by a former neighbour." Asuna responded. "After his wife died, he donated them to me before moving out of here."
"That's very sweet of him." Kirito said.
Asuna nods her head to him. "And I hope he has since been able to move on."
"Can you show me how it works?" Yui asked Asuna.
"Sure thing." Asuna replied to her before turning back to Kirito. "Give me a minute."
"No need to rush." Kirito smirked. He watches Asuna leaves the kitchen and head over to the living area to attend to his foster daughter. She and Yui walk over to the TV and kneel down to take a look at the entire library of movies that they have in the shelves.
"Which movie would you like to watch?" Asuna asked as Yui momentarily looks through the titles on the sides of the movie cases.
"How about Star Wars? The title alone sounds interesting, and there are nine of them!" Yui said.
"Sure thing. And I strongly recommend watching A New Hope first." Asuna said.
"Okay!" Yui said excitedly. Asuna carefully pulls the movie case for Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope out of the shelf and opens it to reveal the disc inside. After taking out the disc and putting the empty case aside, Asuna presses a button on the disc player to open the tray. Yui reacts in awe as she watches Asuna carefully placed the disc on the tray and inserts it into the player.
"Amazing." Yui uttered.
"You've never seen how a disc player works before?" Asuna asked.
"No." Yui shakes her head. "What happened to the disc anyway? Did the player ate it?"
"No, it didn't." Asuna chuckled. "It's spinning the disc around inside it to play the movie."
"Cool." Yui commented.
"Now pass me the remote and sit back on the sofa." Asuna instructed. Yui obliged as she hands over the remote to Asuna and quickly goes back to the sofa. Asuna gets up and uses the remote to switch the TV to video mode, revealing the main menu of the film. Yui drops her jaw and widens her eyes upon seeing the film's title card and hearing its iconic orchestral music.
Kirito simply smiled and chuckled as he watches his foster daughter being fascinated by Earth's technology and getting along with their new roommate.
While Yui had her eyes glued to the television because of how amazing and entertaining the movie is, Kirito and Asuna are busy cooking spaghetti and the same tomato sauce they made earlier at the kitchen. They also enjoy conversing with each other as they worked. Kirito also noticed the picture frame hung on the kitchen wall and Asuna briefly tells him that the woman beside her is her mother. Although he would like to know more about her mother, Kirito decides to stay silent and focus on their cooking for now.
When they are done, they place three plates of their food onto the dining table and Kirito calls Yui to come over and have their late dinner with them. Yui pauses the movie with the remote and goes over to the dining table to sit beside Kirito. Asuna sits at the other side of the table, and they all close their eyes and place their hands together.
"Itadakimasu!" Asuna cheered. She looks up and sees Kirito and Yui staring at her in confusion. "It's something we say before we eat back in my country."
"Where are you originally from?" Yui asked.
"Tokyo, Japan." Asuna said. Kirito and Yui smile and nod their heads as they recognized the name of her city and country. The three of them spend the next ten minutes eating their food together. Yui had her eyes widened and her cheeks puffed out as she ate the whole time.
"The food tastes delicious!" Yui commented after putting her cutlery down and gently pushing her now empty plate away from her. "You're a real cook, Asuna!"
"Thanks! I'm glad you like it." Asuna smiled at her.
"If only Addie could cook her food just as good as you." Kirito said to Asuna. "I wonder why she couldn't take one ounce of advice from others every once in a while."
"So do I. How did she even end up like this in the first place?" Yui inquired.
"Well, Addie did ever once share with me some information about herself and Teddie while we were working." Asuna said, causing Kirito and Yui to stare at her with intrigue. "Addie developed a passion for cooking ever since she watched several cooking shows on television when she was a kid. She really wanted to be the next Julia Child and Gordon Ramsay. So, after she married Teddie, her husband helped her open a restaurant here in Chicago in 2020. Things were alright for them for a while, until just two weeks after the opening, a famous internet celebrity food critic made a scathing video review about their food. Of course, thanks to his fame and credibility, his review spread across the country like wildfire, causing many people living in Illinois to come to the restaurant and try the food for themselves. They later post the same negative opinions about their food on social media, and the image of Addie's Baking Company was damaged ever since. Over time, Addie and Teddie grew more embittered due the continuing negativity surrounding them. They began to see everyone around them as a potential troll, and since uphold the mentality that the customer is not always right."
"If Addie and Teddie are so resentful towards everyone, why did you and Eugeo still want to work for them?" Kirito asked.
"You think we really want to? We only chose to work for them until we could find a better job out there. But times are tough these days, and no matter how crazy your current boss is, you do what you got to do to survive. That's life, right?" Asuna chuckled half-heartedly.
"Why did you travel all the way from Japan to stay here in America, Asuna?" Yui asked.
Asuna stays silent for a moment before responding, "Let's just say things still aren't going well for me and my mother back in Japan. So, she wants me to move here to the American Midwest at the meantime and continue staying after my university graduation."
"Fair enough." Kirito said as he and Yui nod their heads to her.
"What about you two? I believe it's time you tell me more about yourselves." Asuna said.
"Well…" Yui said nervously. But when she felt Kirito placing his hand on her shoulder, Yui turns to her foster father and sees him bowing his head to her.
Kirito turns back to Asuna and said, "Asuna Yuuki, Yui and I will explain everything about us, and our home world."
For the next twelve minutes, Kirito and Yui reveal and explain to Asuna that they are from a world far away across the universe known as Earth Land, and they were born and lived in a town that was once isolated from the rest of the world named Mizuho because of a legendary power they possessed. About three years and seven months ago, a former researcher who turned into a dark mage named Cornelia Corningston successfully created a machine that could transport people between worlds. While under the influence of a dark guild leader named Mard Geer Tartaros, Cornelia used her machine to transport thousands of people from other worlds, including Earth, and brainwashed them with a magical orb to form an army of her own known as the Abbey. Once she formed a sizable army, she and her master declare war on Fiore to take her revenge on the very society who turned against her despite her knowledge and accomplishments. The war lasted for three months, and it would have dragged on for much longer if it weren't for the help of the Mizuhans, led by Kirito himself, who formed an alliance with the mages and knights of Fiore late in the war. Thanks to the legendary power that Kirito, Yui and their people possessed from a sacred beast known as Volt, Mard Geer was defeated, Cornelia was apprehended, and all the people who were once captured and brainwashed by them return safely to their own worlds through her machine. Today, the machine is now in possession of the Magic Council of Earth Land, and it is being used as a form of transportation for people of Earth Land to travel between different worlds. To most people, they would either think Kirito and Yui are spouting nonsense or telling some Tolkienian-style fantasy story. But after the display Asuna had witnessed from Kirito back at the restaurant, she believes everything her new roommates have told her. Kirito and Yui also display some of their magic to her by swinging their fingers down through the air to bring up a menu in front of them, much to her amazement. They both press a button on their menus and their clothes magically change to their trademark black leather coat and white dress respectively.
"That's amazing." Asuna uttered with her eyes wide.
"Honestly, with the exception of the people who were transported into our world before the war, we shouldn't be revealing much of this information to anyone living in Earth." Kirito said to Asuna. "So, promise us that you will keep all of this a secret as much as possible."
"The people of this world aren't ready to know much of Earth Land yet." Yui added.
Asuna pursed her lips and solemnly bows her head to them. "In exchange for saving my life earlier, I promise I will."
"Arigatou!" Kirito and Yui both said cheerfully to her. Asuna stares blankly at them for a moment before she giggled.
After finishing their dinner and cleaning the plates and cutlery, Kirito and Asuna join Yui in watching the rest of the movie at the living area. Both Kirito and Yui are fascinated by the visual effects and designs of the aliens, robots, vehicles, and different worlds in the movie, and they asked Asuna if these were all done by magic. Asuna laughed and explained to them that the costumes and vehicle designs in the film were made by hand, while the locations and visual effects are done by a mixture of matte painting, clever camera work, blue screen, puppeteering, rotoscoping and actual explosions. Kirito and Yui are both amazed by how the humans of Earth were still able to create such fascinating entertainment even without the use of magic.
Immediately after the movie ends, Yui hangs her head and dozes off. Kirito holds up his finger in front of his lips, quietly telling Asuna to remain silent. Asuna nods her head and gets up while Kirito gently carries his foster daughter off his lap. As he slowly stands up, he places Yui on the other side of the sofa and sets her down in a lying position. He brings up his menu and presses some buttons to summon a pillow under her head and neck, and a warm blanket over her body. He gently strokes her hair as Yui began snoring. He and Asuna quietly back away from her before letting out heavy sighs.
"I hope you don't mind her taking up your sofa tonight." Kirito said to Asuna.
"It's okay. I'm more concerned about where you will be sleeping. Unfortunately, I only have a single bed in my room." Asuna said.
"Not to worry. I brought a futon with me so I can sleep on the floor of the living area tonight. Besides, Yui usually needs my company too." Kirito said.
"I see. Very well then, have a good night's rest and I'll see you both in the morning." Asuna said, walking past Kirito and making her way to her bedroom.
"Wait." Kirito said, causing Asuna to stop and turn back to him.
"What is it?" Asuna asked. Kirito quietly makes a solemn bow to her.
"Arigatou." He said to her with gratitude. "You helped provide a warm place for me and Yui to sleep through the cold nights. We are in your debt."
Asuna smiled and bows back to him. "You're welcome. The main reason why I let you both stay in my apartment is because you and Yui sort of remind me of myself."
"How so?" Kirito asked.
"Even though my mother gave me a decent amount of money before sending me here to Chicago to further my studies, I struggled to find a place that is affordable to me for at least a year. Luckily, I was able to live in the university's dormitory thanks to a fellow student who is willing to share her room with me. To make it up to her, I did a part-time job at a nearby supermarket outside school to help pay the rental fee. After that, the next three years of university actually went pretty well for me. And after graduation, thanks to my mother who sent me more money at the end of every month, I was able to afford this apartment and keep up with the monthly bills and rent." Asuna's eyes softened. "I guess you could say I wouldn't be able to continue pursuing the American dream today if it weren't for the help of my roommate and my mother."
"This is why you should always cherish the people who love and care for you. They are the people who help remind you that hope does exist." Kirito said with a warm smile. Asuna chuckled and nods her head approvingly.
"I guess you are right." Asuna said. "Sleep well tonight, Kirito."
"You too, Asuna." Kirito said. He continued standing there as he watches Asuna turn to her right and walk over to the door of her bedroom. She opens the door and closes it behind her after stepping in.
Kirito cannot help but continue smiling after getting to know more about Asuna. With her as their roommate, it would seem their new lives in America feel a little more comfortable now.
The next day, Asuna, Kirito and Yui return to work at Addie's Baking Company and reunite with Eugeo and their bosses. Shortly after getting into their uniforms, a delivery truck from a local wholesale distributor arrived outside the restaurant, and Addie orders Kirito and Yui to go out to the carpark and bring in the ingredients they have ordered from them.
Kirito and Yui each push a trolley and go over to the back of the truck where a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, and freckles on her cheeks is standing in front of it. The woman helps place the wooden crates of ingredients onto their trolleys before she grabs a clipboard and a pen and holds them up to Kirito. He takes the pen, and the woman places her finger on the area above the line at the bottom of the paper.
"Just sign here, please." The woman said. Kirito signs his signature above the line and hands the pen back to her. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, ma'am." Kirito said.
"I've never seen you two before. Are you new employees at Addie's Baking Company?" The woman asked them.
"Yup. We just started working here yesterday." Yui replied to her. The woman looks around for a moment before leaning close to them.
"Were you aware of the image and reputation of this restaurant before deciding to work here?" The woman asked.
"Unfortunately, no." Kirito said. "We only finally realize what is going on here during our first day of work."
The woman sighed. "Bummer. If only you did."
"But not all is bad though. Thankfully, our co-workers are nice and friendly to communicate and work with." Yui said while Kirito nods his head in agreement.
"Really?" The woman arches an eyebrow. "Does Asuna Yuuki still work here?"
"Yes." Kirito said. "How do you know about Asuna?"
"Asuna Yuuki used to be my co-worker." The woman admitted, causing Kirito and Yui to widen their eyes.
"You used to work here at this restaurant?" Yui asked in surprise.
"That's right. I only ever worked here as a waitress for a month during last December." The woman said.
"What was your experience like?" Kirito inquired.
"Oh boy, it was a bumpy ride. In the month that I was there, Teddie was always having a hard time recording customers' orders, and Addie has an even harder time getting the food out of the kitchen. And every time I try to tell Teddie what each table ordered, he and Addie would just yell at me to shut up and do my own job as a waitress, even though that's the whole point of being one." The woman explained.
"Why did you eventually leave?" Yui asked.
"I was eventually fired on the spot one night when I told Addie that she accidentally cooked fish and chips for one of the diners instead of salmon, and she just threw a fit of rage and tell me to never come back here." The woman said.
"And what did Asuna do during that moment?" Kirito asked.
"Nothing." The woman said flatly as she narrows her eyes. Kirito and Yui gape their mouths open as the woman looks down at the ground. "She didn't even say a word to defend me that night and just quietly let Addie fire me. I thought we were friends both inside and outside work. But when I really needed her the most, she did nothing for me in return."
There was a moment of silence between them until another woman lowers the driver seat window of the delivery truck and calls out to her co-worker, "Hey! Are you done? We have to go to our next destination."
"Oh, yes I am!" The woman turned and cried to her. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Keiko!"
"And we shouldn't keep Addie and Teddie waiting too." Kirito said.
"Yeah, you shouldn't." The woman said as she looks back at Kirito and Yui. "It was nice talking to the both of you though."
"Likewise. My name is Kazuto Kirigaya by the way." Kirito said.
"And I'm Yui." Yui added.
"And I'm Lady Gaga." The woman said. Kirito and Yui stare at her in confusion for a moment before the woman laughed. "Just kidding. My name is Rika Shinozaki. See ya!"
"Bye!" Kirito and Yui responded as they all wave their hands at each other. Rika quickly closes and locks the back doors and rushes over to the right side of the front of the truck. As she gets inside the passenger seat, Kirito and Yui also turn around with their trolleys and push the crates of ingredients over to the back of the restaurant.
"What's a Lady Gaga anyway?" Yui asked. Kirito shrugs his shoulders in response.
As they push their trolleys, Kirito's look of confusion turns into one of worriedness. Admittingly, he did feel a bit crushed after learning from Rika that Asuna did nothing to help her on the night she was fired, especially when he knows deep down, she can be a kind and caring person. It seems obvious that Asuna is unable to speak up because of Addie and Teddie's aggressive behaviour towards her, but if she continues refusing to do so, she is only destroying herself in the process. Kirito knows he cannot stay idle. He must help her before she loses everything around her.
He and Yui soon arrive at the back of the restaurant where Asuna is waiting for them at the backdoor. She places the stopper underneath the door and she, Yui and Kirito help carry all the crates into the storeroom. After placing all the ingredients onto the correct shelves, Yui goes out to the dining area to join Eugeo in cleaning the floor, tables, and chairs, while Asuna and Kirito bring the now empty wooden crates to the dumpster at the back of the restaurant.
"Whew. We finally got this done." Kirito said as he neatly places the crates beside the dumpster and stack them on top of each other.
"And now it's time for us to do some actual cooking in the kitchen." Asuna said, wiping her hands onto her apron before turning around. "Let's go, Kirito."
"Wait." Kirito said, causing her to stop.
"What is it?" Asuna asked as she turned back to him.
"I have to know, why are you so afraid of speaking up to Addie and Teddie when you know what they are doing in their restaurant is wrong?" Kirito asked.
"Do we have to talk about this now?" Asuna asked. Kirito nods his head. "We can always talk about it after work."
As soon as Asuna turns around again and tries to go over to the kitchen backdoor, Kirito uses his electricity to swiftly run past her and place himself in front of her path. He folds his arms and gives her a stern frown. Asuna lets out a heavy sigh and murmured, "It's not that I'm afraid to speak up to them. If I do, they will only just ignore or fire me, and I sure don't want the latter to happen. I need to keep this job until I can find a better one out there."
"But how long will it take? I'm not saying that you won't, but by the time you do, your mental state will probably become as damaged as them." Kirito said concernedly. After Asuna lowers her head, Kirito places his hand on her shoulder. "Asuna, you clearly have passion and knowledge for cooking. Unlike Addie and Teddie, you want people to really enjoy what you make. I don't want you to be controlled by someone who does not seem to have the capacity for change. You have to stand up for yourself."
Asuna contemplated for a few moments. She is fully aware that Kirito is telling her the honest truth. But as soon as she remembered what happened to her and her mother years ago, she looks back up at him with a disheartened frown.
"I'm sorry, Kirito. In this world, fighting for what you want is never easy. And sometimes, you will never get what you want at all. You can only rely on fate." Asuna said grimly. Kirito simply gapes his mouth open.
Suddenly, the kitchen backdoor swings open, revealing a livid Addie Brassington standing at the doorway.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?! GET BACK TO WORK!"
"Coming!" Asuna shouted to her before looking back at Kirito. "I'm sorry."
Without saying another word, Asuna hastily walks past Kirito and makes her way back into the kitchen. Kirito gave a heavy sigh before he turns around and follows her from behind.
Later that night, the restaurant is packed with diners. Once again, most of them are losing their patience in waiting for their food to arrive, while those who were lucky to receive their food felt disgusted or unsatisfied with them.
One diner complained to Eugeo that the tomato sauce on his spaghetti tastes weird, and he demands the chef to redo the food for him. Eugeo takes the plate of spaghetti from him and walks over to the front counter where behind it, Teddie is pouring some wine into an empty glass while Yui is standing behind the cash register doing nothing right now.
"Teddie, a word please." Eugeo said as he places the plate of spaghetti on top of the cake chiller.
"Aye yai yai!" Teddie grumbled as he places the glass and wine bottle down and walks over to the younger waiter. "What is it, Eugeo?!"
"Customer at Table 7 complained the tomato sauce on his spaghetti tastes weird and requests the chef to redo it. Can you tell Addie that?" Eugeo said.
"Yeah yeah sure. Sheesh." Teddie muttered, grabbing the plate, and walking into the kitchen.
"What is it now?" Addie asked, stopping her work on the pepperoni pizza as soon as she sees her husband stepping into the kitchen and walking over to the right metal table at the centre of the kitchen.
"Um, nothing wrong, my love." Teddie said nervously as he places the spaghetti down on the table.
"Then why are you here?" Addie asked, looking like she is about to lose her cool.
"Let me guess. There is something wrong with the sauce?" Kirito asked Teddie flatly.
"WHAT?!" Addie screamed hysterically at Kirito.
"Kirito!" Teddie scolded.
"That's ridiculous! Everyone knows my tomato sauce is good! Unless YOU did something wrong with it!" Addie yelled, jabbing her finger accusingly at Kirito.
"Exactly! You are the saucier! It's your responsibility!" Teddie shouted at Kirito in agreement.
"Oh, I cooked the sauce perfectly fine, you two." Kirito said calmly to them, causing Addie to roll her eyes. "But you know what could make our sauce better? Actually using the one Asuna and I made together today!"
"Fine! No more tomato sauce for our spaghetti for the rest of the night then!" Addie bellowed. "I mean God, why does even my own saucier think I'm doing a bad job here? Sheesh!"
As Addie grabs the plate of spaghetti and throws all its contents into the trash compactor, Kirito turns to Asuna who remain silent and focus on chopping the vegetables at her workstation the whole time.
"Stop standing there! Get back to work!" Teddie shouted at Kirito before leaving the kitchen. Kirito sighs disappointingly at Asuna before he turns around and continues working on the macaroni at the stoves.
A few seconds later, Addie places the pepperoni pizza onto the kitchen window and rings her bell.
"Yui, order for Table 9." Addie said to Yui.
"Understood." Yui grabs the pizza and turns around to walk over to the cake chiller. "Eugeo!" After hearing his name, Eugeo rushes over to the cake chiller to grab the dish from Yui. "Order for Table 9."
"Are you sure?" Eugeo asked in concern.
"Yes, I'm sure!" Addie snapped at Eugeo through the kitchen window.
"Okay." Eugeo said to her before he turns around and walks away.
Addie suddenly walks out of the kitchen and said to her husband who just return from giving the glass of wine to one of the diners, "Teddie, can you please ask Eugeo to go home? I don't want that kind of attitude from him here in my restaurant."
As they overheard her, Kirito, Yui and Asuna pause their work and look flabbergasted at the restaurant owners.
"What did he do?" Teddie asked.
"He insulted me by asking 'Are you sure?', as if I'm some kind of idiot." Addie said.
"No!" Yui cried. "That's not what-"
"Shut up, Yui!" Teddie scolded her.
"No! I didn't insult her!" Eugeo protested as he rushes over to the cake chiller after giving the pizza to the diners at Table 9. "I was just-"
"Yes, you did!" Addie yelled as she points her finger accusingly at the waiter. "You said 'Are you sure' to me!"
"That's because more than one table ordered a pepperoni pizza tonight! I have to give it to the table that ordered it first before the others!" Eugeo explained.
"Addie, can you please calm down?" Kirito asked as he hastily walks over to the kitchen window and tries to reason with his boss.
"No! I'm not listening to you anymore after the way you talked to me." Addie said flatly to Kirito.
"But-"
"No buts!" Addie snapped at him before looking back at Eugeo with a cold glare. "Just go, Eugeo. Get out of here."
"But Addie-" Eugeo tried pleading to her before Addie shouted at the top of her lungs once more.
"LOOK AT ASUNA!" Addie now points her finger at a horrified Asuna. "Does she think that I was wrong about you insulting me?! If I was, she would have said something by now!"
"Addie!" Kirito cried to her but was completely ignored.
"LOOK!" Addie shouted again, her finger trembling with rage.
All eyes are now landed on Asuna as Eugeo, Kirito, Yui, Addie and Teddie turn their heads to her. Asuna gasps softly as she is stunned by the responsibility of giving the deciding vote of Eugeo's employment that was suddenly bestowed upon her.
"Asuna, please tell her she was wrong." Eugeo said pleadingly to her. "You heard it clearly, didn't you?"
Asuna's heart pounded as she takes a moment to glance at the current expressions on everyone's faces. The pleading eyes from Eugeo, Kirito and Yui trying to urge her to do the right thing, the stern frown from Teddie, and the malevolent and wide-eyed glare from Addie as if she is ready to literally shoot daggers onto her chest if she does not side with her.
Asuna thought worriedly to herself. She clearly heard Eugeo asking Addie if she had said the correct table number in a polite and concerned manner. He just wanted to know if he is giving the pizza to the earliest diner and nothing more. But she thought about what would happen if she said the truth. If she didn't, Eugeo will lose his job. But if she did, Eugeo and herself will lose their jobs. And if she does lose her job, she will have a hard time trying to find a new one that can keep her financially stable, and she won't be able to pay not only the next monthly rent but also other basic needs.
"Well?!" Addie screamed impatiently at her.
'Say it…please say the truth.' A calm voice inside Asuna's head whispered to her.
"I….I…I…" Asuna struggled in vain.
'Please! Just say that your friend is innocent!'
"I…I don't know…" Asuna lowers her head in defeat. Eugeo, Kirito and Yui gasp in shock by her response.
'I'm ashamed of you.' The voice said sadly as it faded away.
"See?!" Addie yelled back at Eugeo. "You have always been nothing but a poisonous viper ever since your first day of work here, and I will never accept that kind of attitude in my restaurant." She points her finger to the restaurant doors. "Now go! LEAVE!"
There were a few seconds of dead silence after Addie lets out her bellow of rage. But rather than continuing to fight for his innocence, Eugeo breaks the silence with a sniffle.
"I guess so…" Eugeo whimpered. Asuna looks back up at her now former co-worker, and to her absolute horror, she sees Eugeo taking a gulp and closing his eyes to let his tears roll freely down his cheeks. "I-I guess all the times we had together…w-was nothing…but a façade, huh Asuna?"
"Eugeo…" Asuna uttered, realizing what she had done.
"Oh my God, are you seriously crying?" Addie rolls her eyes. "Suck it up! You're a grown man for God's sake!"
"I'm leaving." Eugeo said to Addie as he wipes away his tears.
"Good!" Addie shouted.
"I'm leaving and I'm never coming back here!" Eugeo roared back at her. Addie and Teddie scoff as Eugeo turns around and storms his way to the restaurant doors.
"Eugeo! Wait!" Yui cried dishearteningly.
"Eugeo!" Kirito called out to him, but he had already reached the exit.
"Don't let the door hit you on the way out." Addie said mockingly as Eugeo pushes the doors open and leaves the building.
Teddie snorted and shrugs his shoulders. "I'm glad he's gone."
"Me too. What a relief." Addie said irritably before turning to Kirito and Asuna who are both still appalled at what just happened. "What? You guys never seen someone getting fired before? It's all part of a business. Get used to it. Now work!"
Kirito and Asuna glance at each other, the latter fell silent upon seeing the former's cold glare towards her. Although he did not say a word, the look on his face is enough to show how disappointed he is with her for not taking his advice. He quietly turns around and walks back to the stoves to continue his work.
"Pfft. Are you sure? What an annoying piece of crap." Addie muttered as she walks back into the kitchen and begins her work on the next order at her workstation.
Asuna quietly turns back to her own workstation and continues chopping the vegetables, trying her best to hold back her tears and muffle her sobs.
When dinner service was over, Kirito, Yui and Asuna quietly change back into their casual clothes and make their way back to their apartment. None of them said a single word throughout the journey home as they are all stewed silently in their misery over what happened tonight.
After stepping into their apartment, Asuna closes and locks the door behind her before turning back to Kirito and Yui who are both in front of her with their heads down and their shoulders drooped.
"Kirito? Yui?" Asuna murmured.
"I'm sorry, Asuna. I was wrong about you." Kirito said flatly without making eye contact with her. Asuna gasps and widens her eyes. "It seems you don't have the capacity for change either."
Yui suddenly buries her face in her hands and began to sob over the loss of her friend and co-worker.
"E-Eugeo…h-he…he didn't deserve this…" Yui whimpered. Kirito quietly walks over to his foster daughter, wraps his arms around her and places his chin on top of her head to try and comfort her.
As she watches the display of inconsolable grief in front of her, Asuna grits her teeth and places her hand on where her heart is as tears began pooling in her eyes. What has she done? All of this is happening because of her cowardice and selfishness. Not only did she fail to stand up to Addie and Teddie, not only did she got Eugeo fired, but now she had also broken the hearts of the people who believed in her. Kirito is right. She has no desire to fight for change, which makes her no different than the couple she had disdain for.
Overwhelmed with guilt and shame, Asuna whirled about, unlocks the door, and rushes out of her home.
For fifteen minutes, Asuna howls and wails in despair at the rooftop of the apartment building while standing behind and placing her hands on the parapet. Her harsh cries echoed throughout the night.
She couldn't believe herself. She had turned her back on Eugeo, and she had no one to blame but herself. Although she had seen many former co-workers come and go during the four months she was at Addie's Baking Company, some of them even only worked there for a single week, Eugeo is one of the few she had the closest friendship with, mainly because of his kind personality and happy demeanour. They enjoyed talking to each other during work, and before Kirito and Yui came along, he is the only one who could make her time in the restaurant feel a little calmer. But now, he is gone, and it is all her fault. She had not only betrayed his trust, but also broke his heart. She is despicable.
Asuna never wanted to do this to him. She never intended this to happen. She thought that after the incident that happened to her mother which greatly affected their lives, she swore to herself that she would never make the same mistake as her. That is why she did the exact opposite of what she did. But by doing so, she ended up losing something precious to her as well. For that, she deserved the blame for what happened to Eugeo.
But what about Kirito and Yui? They both view her as their friend and are extremely grateful towards her for offering them a place to live in. But now, they are both equally disappointed with her for what she did today, and they may never trust her again afterwards. She had not only lost Eugeo as her friend, but also Kirito and Yui as well. Perhaps she is doomed to share the same fate as her mother after all. After what she did, she would never be allowed to make another friend again.
"Asuna?"
Asuna lifts her head up in surprise upon hearing Yui's gentle voice. She turns around and wipes away her tears to see both Yui and Kirito standing at the doorway of the rooftop access.
"Y-Yui? K-Kirito?" Asuna sputtered. "H-How did you two find me here?"
"Yui always secretly leaves a temporary aura around the person important to us, so we'll always know where they go off to." Kirito said before closing the door behind him. Asuna hangs her head in shame as he and Yui walk over to her.
"Kirito…I…I'm sorry…f-for remaining silent." Asuna murmured. "A-And Yui…I-I'm sorry…for not helping Eugeo."
Yui suddenly wraps her arms around Asuna and gave her a tight embrace, causing the distressed woman to look down at her in bewilderment.
"It's okay, Asuna. We are here for you." Yui said softly to her.
"H-H-How? How can you…f-forgive me…s-so easily?" Asuna stammered.
"Because I know you were afraid back then. Papa told me everything." Yui replied before she releases her and backs away a few seconds later.
"Asuna, sometimes you may let us down. But no matter what, we'll always be by your side." Kirito said as he wraps his arm around Yui's shoulders. His foster daughter nods her head to Asuna in agreement.
Asuna stares silently at her roommates for a few moments before finally deciding to tell them the unabridged truth.
"Kirito, Yui…there's a reason why my mother sent me to Chicago." Asuna paused for a moment before beginning her explanation. "It's because…back in Japan, she stood up to a former co-worker who was harassing others within her company, which eventually led to his firing. Things went back to normal for her and the company for a while, but to everyone's shock and horror, the former co-worker came back with a vengeance. He made several allegations to a local tabloid that the company's boss has been committing fraud behind his employees' backs and had secret business ties with a yakuza clan. The story hit everyone in the company on a personal level, to the point that their image deteriorated along with their boss. Eventually, the company laid off many employees including my mother in order to get by. And since then, my mother blamed herself for the downfall of her former company, and the firing of many of her former co-workers which she once viewed as her friends. She grew afraid of showing herself in public and she never found a new job for months. She eventually did though, but one that is not near the same calibre as her previous company. The whole fiasco affected me too as our family's finances decline after my mother's firing. She had a hard time raising me while all of this is going on, and that is why just two months after I've graduated from my senior year, she sent me to Chicago, believing it's best for me to live outside of Japan for a while until she could sort things out. Of course, to this day, it didn't improve much. That is why I wanted to work hard here in America so that one day, I can give my mother a reason to smile and think positively again. That is why I didn't stand up for Eugeo, because I was afraid of making the same mistake as her." Asuna momentarily bites down on her lower lip. "Little did I know, it would end up giving me the same pain that she felt."
"I'm glad you told us the truth, Asuna. About what is going through your head during that moment and why you are afraid to stand up to Addie and Teddie." Kirito said. "But even still, you can't keep yourself hostage to two people who are slowly tearing you apart. You must help yourself. I know you're better than them."
"I don't know if I can do it." Asuna said sadly.
"Asuna, our hometown of Mizuho was isolated from the rest of Earth Land for generations." Kirito explained to her. "We always thought if we stay quiet and keep out of external affairs, we can live in peace and stability for the rest of our lives. But we overestimated ourselves. One day, our summoner failed to form a pact with the sacred beast to keep our possession of its magic. Because of it, we were vulnerable to monsters who try to invade our home for nine years. And when the Abbey reveal themselves and declare war on all of Fiore, we nearly fell into their hands and could have had our freedom stripped away from us. Thankfully, that tragedy never happened because of the help of Fairy Tail and their allies. And it is also thanks to them, our summoner finally succeeded in doing what she failed nine years ago. She renewed our pact with Volt, and we finally regain its magic that has helped and protected us. Since then, we realized that despite our power and isolation, we are still just as vulnerable to outside threats as every other town in Fiore. We are no different than them after all, and who knows how many towns out there also went through the same painful experience as we did. That is why we finally form an alliance with the guilds and the Magic Council to save our kingdom from Cornelia and Mard Geer. Of course, our decision wasn't perfect. Many of my people died during the fight. But they can rest peacefully, knowing that our sacrifices were not in vain. And when the war is over, we shared our magic and knowledge with the rest of Fiore and Earth Land so that no one would have to go through what we had experienced."
Yui nods her head before she gently grabs Asuna's hand and gives her a reassuring smile.
"When you help someone, you should never care about what is going to happen next. It's not about doing what's good for you. It's about doing what is right." Yui said.
Asuna stares blankly at Yui for a moment until she could feel fresh tears forming in her eyes again. Kirito walks over to Asuna and briefly places his hand on her shoulder before all three quietly wrap their arms around each other and pull themselves into a warm embrace.
Later that night, as everyone prepares to go to sleep, Yui lies herself on the sofa while Kirito places the blanket over her. Asuna stood by and watch with a weak smile as Kirito gently strokes Yui's hair.
"Goodnight, Yui." Kirito whispered to his foster daughter.
"Goodnight, Papa." Yui replied softly with a blissful smile before she closes her eyes and dozes off. Kirito turns around and smiles at Asuna.
"Thank you for everything you and Yui said to me." Asuna said, bowing her head to him. "I feel a little calmer now."
"You're welcome." Kirito bows back to her. "And I promise you. We will face Addie and Teddie together…if you are willing to help yourself." Asuna nodded to him. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Asuna replied before Kirito goes around the sofa and lies himself down on his futon on the floor. He gets himself underneath the sheets and closes his eyes. Asuna walks off and makes her way to her bedroom. But as soon as she reaches the door, she turns to the kitchen and decides to go over there for a while.
When she arrived, she stares at the picture frame hung on the kitchen wall. As she gazed sadly at her mother in the photo, she cannot help but be reminded of how much they suffer after her firing. Asuna could still remember as a young girl that her mother used to strive to become a diligent and hardworking member of society, but still shows compassion towards her family and the people around her, which is why she admires her so much. But when she stood up against a harasser within her company, the harsh reality soon steps in to remind her that not everyone is rewarded handsomely for helping others. Since then, her mother always wore a look of sorrow, guilt, and defeat, realizing that she had harmed so many people she cared about in the process, and Asuna felt her heart torn every time she sees her sulking in her depression whenever she comes home from work or have their meals together.
"Mother…" Asuna murmured sadly. But suddenly, her pensive frown turns into a determined scowl.
No. She cannot let the depressing outcome of her mother's actions get into her head. Despite the consequences she faced for her actions, she ultimately still did the right thing in standing up to a man who was hurting the lives of her co-workers in the first place. And after what happened to Eugeo tonight, she is now fully determined to do the same thing she did. She will stand up to the aggressive, uncaring, and delusional owners of Addie's Baking Company and make them realize that they have stayed inside their fantasy world long enough. And if Addie and Teddie still refuse to listen to anything they have to say and just fire them anyway, so be it. Even if they lose their jobs and their actions could possibly affect their search in getting a new and better one, at least they can keep their heads up knowing that the Brassingtons were a lost cause anyway.
Asuna clenches her fists tightly. Kirito and Yui are right. She has been a hostage to Addie and Teddie for the last four months now. And tomorrow, regardless of the outcome, she is going to do the right thing.
Sovereign: I would like to thank Allfather-Ford, LayLay lives, AquaBluey, and EBDB for reviewing, and YOIKERS for favoriting and following. Thank you!
It's great to be back, everyone. ^^
And also, to EBDB, you can check out my profile if you want an explanation to all your questions. :)
Chapter Revised on 13th January 2022 (Thanks, LayLay lives!)
