At last, the field trip. Even though it was still boring enrichment stuff, Chie was just glad to get out of a classroom setting. And even better, Yukiko got permission to go with them! Even if the trip sucked and was boring, she at least had Yukiko to fall back on.
Everyone was told to change into blue striped cotton kimono and the girls to braid their hair up, and the day was spent planting new plants and tidying up the mountains. Chie was kept to the girls, so she hung around Yukiko, who seemed fascinated by everything and asked her questions about her classmates.
"Honestly, I don't spend enough time with them to really know much." She shrugged after most questions, speaking the truth. She only really hung around Yosuke, and then Yu, and never ventured out of that circle. Why should she?
"Still, everyone seems interesting!" Yukiko smiled.
Once dinner rolled around, the girls were all told to come up with a meal to cook for their group, though a few boys hung around to help. The food was cooked on big fires out on the field, while dinner was served under a tent.
"Let's make noodles! Like soba! Should be easy enough." Yukiko suggested, already heading for the table that held ingredients. Chie stayed behind, making sure the pot was warm enough. Earlier she got a pail of water from the stream that ran through the mountains and the water was currently bubbling neatly in the pot.
She secretly hoped Yukiko would be the one to handle most of the cooking, as Chie was too impatient and bad with measurements to be much help. Her parents scolded her for that too, slapping her when she jumped around and left the food on too long, burning it. Most of the time, she was too impatient and served the food too soon, resulting in undercooked or raw dishes she got slapped for too. She squirmed uncomfortably.
"I changed my mind! I found some eggs. Let's make oyako udon!" Yukiko smiled as she ran over, her arms full of ingredients. "There's chicken in it, but I'll just make my portion without it." She poured the udon noodles into the pot and used the small slab given to cut up the chicken and onions, humming to herself as she did so.
Chie just sighed as she watched, cracking the eggs over the pot.
"I hope this will be filling for the boys!" Yukiko said.
Chie cracked two of them too hard and broke the shells, watching them fall into the soup. "Whatever, it's healthy! A bit of shell never hurt anyone! Besides, boys are boys, they'll eat anything." Chie reassured her. "We were all working hard today." She stirred the noodles. "Besides, I don't really care what they think. Especially Hanamura-kun! He'll just complain about whatever we make!"
Yukiko giggled.
Once the food was done, the two girls poured it into four separate bowls and cracked another egg on top, Yukiko sprinkling greens on top as well. They smiled at each other and walked over to Yu and Yosuke, holding out their dishes. "Dinner is served!"
"What is it?" Yu asked, getting out his chopsticks. Yukiko placed the bowl in front of him.
"Oyako udon!"
Yosuke immediately began eating his, slurping it all up. Chie ate hers fast too, eating the chicken first. She winced at the taste, thinking it tasted sour, and could taste the crunch of the shells but ignored that. Was meat supposed to be sour? Maybe they boiled it weirdly. The broth was savory sweet, so that was good at least.
"Why is this so crunchy?" Yosuke asked, pulling out half an eggshell from his mouth. "Disgusting! Did you just throw an entire egg in there without cracking it?!"
"No! I cracked it! It's just a small eggshell, it doesn't hurt you! It's good for your health!" Chie shot back.
At that moment, Yukiko opened her mouth to say something, but started choking instead, coughing loudly and punching at her chest in desperation. The others stared at her in worry, watching as she gagged and her food flew out of her mouth, landing on the table with a wet splat. They could make out mostly noodles and a large eggshell piece.
"It's good for your health if you don't swallow them whole!" Chie weakly protested. Yukiko wiped her mouth off.
"This was my first time making the dish, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out."
"It's good, minus the eggshells." Yosuke huffed.
Chie frowned and pinched Yosuke's thigh as he sat across from her, making him yelp.
"Don't be so rude!" She punched his elbow for good measure.
"Uh, it does taste a little weird though. The meat is sour." Yu pointed out. There was still broth in his bowl, but he pushed it away.
"Does it? Hm." Yukiko blinked. "I made mine without chicken."
"Time for bed! Dinner is over now, so I better see everyone getting ready for bed and closing up their tents!" King Moron walked by, his steps heavy. "It's time for the adults to have their night!"
Chie blew air out of her nose and put up her bowl, heading into her tent with Yukiko. It would be for the best if they didn't incur his wrath, though Chie still longed to explore the campsite. The mountains called to her with their fresh air and the streams begged her to play in them. It seemed almost criminal they only got to spend an afternoon there when there was so much to see.
Their only other tentmate was a Chinese girl who had a blank stare and despite the dress code wore a long ribbon and necklace, both covered in symbols Chie couldn't recognize. She eyed the two when they walked in and set out their own cots.
"Uh, hi?" She still tried to be friendly. The girl blinked. "We won't bother you."
Yukiko sat on her cot, hugging her knees. "Your teacher is very…interesting."
"What did he say to you?" Chie asked, curious yet nervous. King Moron was tough on pretty much everyone and had no qualms about yelling at the girls.
"Just that..I should think about going to school for real and not waste my time whoring around in town."
Chie sighed. "He could've been nicer about it, but he's kinda right. You should come to school!"
"But my parents…" She trailed off.
It always went back to them, didn't it? Even with Yukiko having a fun time, they'd still make up some story about why she was more important to the inn. Why couldn't she spend at least the remainder of the year in school and be normal?
"Do you want some?" The Chinese girl offered a bag of seaweed to them.
"I'm not hungry," Yukiko shook her head.
"I prefer meat." Chie said. The Chinese girl stared at them before shrugging and stuffing her face. She wasn't sure if it was because the smell was strong or the girl was just being gross, but Chie felt her stomach coil and turn sour. She held it nervously. "Uh, maybe we should start getting ready for bed."
"Let me in!" Kanji suddenly threw open the tent, making the three girls scream. "Stop it, stop it! It's just me!"
"Sir Kanji?!" Yukiko blinked, relaxing. "What are you doing here?! I thought we were in trouble!"
"Wait, you were here this whole time?" Chie asked in disbelief. She never saw him once the entire day.
"Yeah, Ma thought if I went on this trip it would help me socialize better. Anyway, move!" He scooted into the tent and closed the flaps, looking around. He noticed the Chinese girl and said something to her, and she lit up and began talking energetically to him. They sat down together in one corner and talked away.
"Love at first sight." Chie hung her head. "But wait, don't you have another tent? Why are you in here?"
"Because Yosuke-dono and Yu-dono are botherin' me! Yosuke-dono was suggesting stuff I didn't like!" He huffed. "Like I don't like girls. Got sick of it so I came here to people I know would respect me!" Kanji cracked his knuckles. "Plus, they're sick. I don't like being 'round sick people so I came here."
Wait, they were sick?! Her stomach chose to flip right then and growl sickly, causing her to burp lowly.
"Don't tell me you got sick too! I ain't got nowhere else to go!"
Chie started to say something in response before the crunch of grass distracted her. She peeked out of the tent and saw the silhouette of King Moron walking around. Her breath caught in her throat and she waved her hands to the others. "King Moron is coming! Act like you're asleep! Shut up!" She whisper-yelled.
Yukiko and the Chinese girl looked at each other and threw all of the blankets onto Kanji, laying down on either side and hiding underneath them as well. Chie crawled into her own cot and held her breath, her heart pounding. Her stomach twisted violently and forced her to curl up in the fetal position, closing her eyes and begging the pain to stop.
"Ish anybody still awake? They shouldn't be! I dun wanna shee nobody awake! Shlackers!" King Moron slurred, pausing in front of their tent. "Awake in there?"
The Chinese girl said something Chie couldn't understand, earning a scoff regardless from King Moron.
"Ah, that you, diner girl? Whatever. You all look the shame to me." He walked off, still mumbling drunkenly to himself, and everyone crawled out from under their blankets, breathing a collective sigh of relief.
"I thought I was done for!" Kanji gasped. "Guess he ain't as smart as he thinks he is."
"He's drunk, so he's nicer actually." The Chinese girl said. "Believe it or not."
"Still, we should try to get some actual sleep. It's getting late," Yukiko suggested, and the others nodded.
"What did you say to him?" Chie couldn't help asking the Chinese girl as they rearranged their cots.
"I just said 'I am in here!' in Chinese." She shrugged. "Should I have been rude?"
"He wouldn't have known either way." She then pulled her blankets over herself and untied her braid, letting her orange hair cascade around her, trying to fall asleep. Her stomach growled and churned and she moaned under her breath, wondering what could possibly be wrong with her.
The next morning, everyone ate a simple breakfast of miso and vegetables before being turned loose, the boys instantly wanting to check out the river. Chie had a fairly miserable night, being kept up with her stomach, gas, and feeling way too hot, but she could still explore. What else would be the point of the trip otherwise?
"Why don't we try to climb up higher in the mountains? That would be fun!" Chie suggested instead.
"Sure, sure, maybe, but river first!" Yosuke waved her away and took off for the river, which was a clear stream connected to a flowing waterfall. She came there just last night to get water for cooking. "Isn't it great?!"
"It's beautiful," Yu nodded in agreement. Yukiko kneeled by the side and folded her hands in her lap, just watching. "Rinsing off here would be a good idea too. Last night we couldn't sleep, we were…doing things not appropriate for girls to hear."
"Oh, shut up! We get diarrhea too, you know!" Chie huffed.
"Oh right, Sir Kanji did say you were sick." Yukiko remembered. "Sick from what?"
"Who knows? Maybe that meat? It tasted bad." Yu suggested.
"And it was sitting out without a cover….."
"You guys should totally join us!" Yosuke announced, running back over to them. He then started stripping without care, making Chie blush heavily and look away.
"Come on, can't you have some decency?!"
Yu pulled off his kimono too and jumped into the water, making her groan.
"Why are you guys like this…"
"It's kinda cold…!" Yu shivered before diving down below.
"You know, you can join us too. Just strip naked and get in!" Yosuke winked.
"Ewww! No way!" Chie shoved him into the water, creating a big splash. Yukiko giggled and walked towards the water, holding up the hem of her kimono. "Wait, are you taking them up on their offer?!"
"No, I'm just going to wade."
That seemed like a decent idea. Chie pulled up her hem too, revealing her muscular legs, before she was stopped by the sound of choking and splashing. "Huh? What's that sound?" She looked over and saw King Moron in the distance, throwing up loudly into the water, with the mess floating towards them. She screamed and jumped away. "Ewww! There's puke in the water!"
"What?" Yukiko asked in confusion.
"Ewww! Are you serious?!" Yu and Yosuke jumped out of the water too.
"I'll never feel clean!" Yosuke lamented, desperately trying to pull on his kimono.
Yukiko joined them, looking around. "I had fun! If your school does any other field trips, I'd love to come!"
"It was boring, and we got sick on top of it." Chie toyed with her braid, twirling it around in her hand. "I'm glad you had fun though!"
"It's the furthest I've been away from home, and the longest! I just hope the other ones don't involve puke."
"At this school? I make no promises." Yosuke chimed in, making them laugh.
After she returned home, Yukiko felt like walking on air. She loved getting to see Chie's classmates and help the community, as well as get out of the house and experience more of life in general. Still, it couldn't last, and the moment she returned home, it was time for more work and artsy stuff. She had to compose several new poems when she woke up the next morning, air out the new bedding, and get changed into a new kimono for the summer, then clean up after the previous guests and give alcohol to the current ones. She was kept on her feet all day with little opportunity to truly unwind after how overwhelming the field trip was.
She also wasn't a fan of summer kimono, thinking the colors were too bland and dark for her liking, but it must be done, to change into a new furisode. Yukiko chose it this time, settling on a light grey kimono made from light cotton with one layer, trimmed in violet with the pattern of water lilies. Her obi matched in a lighter violet, the same pattern running through it. Her kanzashi was a black comb and hair pin that gracefully stuck out of her hair, a grey water pattern to prevent the comb from getting entirely lost in her black hair bun.
When she was sweeping the floor, she paused upon hearing a message come to her mentally from Yu.
Yosuke-kun's birthday is tomorrow! We should do something special to celebrate!
Oh! A party! She smiled at the thought.
We could just go to Junes and buy him something sweet. Kanji chimed in. Yukiko couldn't see it, but she just knew that Yu nodded.
That's a great idea!
Yukiko hadn't actually celebrated any birthdays before, not even hers. The closest would be an acknowledgement every New Year that she was one year older. Chie's parents didn't like giving her parties either, so she never had any. Over the years Yukiko would still try to make up for it in some way, but she also was clueless on what to do. Having a party like this with her other friends would be nice.
She finished her sweeping and tried to think of what to do for the party, what Yosuke would like. He was tricky, that was for sure. Would he want a present? But she didn't have time to make him something!
The group all decided Junes would be the best location, as it was basically the only location in town that could hold a group and had food. Yukiko arrived first, picking a spot in the food area and standing by it, waiting for the others to arrive.
"You guys took my suggestion? Nice," Kanji nodded in approval. He wore a navy kimono that was tied loosely around his waist and a grey haori, keeping it simple like her. "I got to admit, I ain't good at this party thing."
"Me neither!"
Chie arrived next, wearing a dark green furisode patterned with summery grass. Her obi was a lighter shade of green and had the images of more grass and also morning glories, bright blue splotches in an otherwise green sea. She wore her green ribbon tied neatly around her ponytail like a bow, leaving her hair to fall down her back, and instead of her usual cameo necklace of a dancer, she wore a long thick string with a brown charm at the end in the shape of a taiko drum. "I think we should decide what sweet to buy for him. I don't think he wants traditional tea stuff." She winced.
"But does Junes even sell that weird Western crap? What do they eat there…cake? Right? That the word?" Kanji asked. "We can get him a cake!"
"What about cookies? Easy and simple!" Yu arrived last, with Marie in tow. Yukiko's heart skipped a beat when she stared at the girl, despite trying to calm it. She didn't change her clothes at all and still carried a scowl, looking around. "We could get twelve chocolate ones for two coins, easy."
"And something to drink, right? It's too hot to not." Marie plopped herself down on one of the benches, not kneeling or fidgeting, sitting still like she was born to sit in a Western style. Yukiko sat across from her, folding her hands into her lap. The bench was still hard and pressed into her, forcing her to squirm to get comfortable.
Yu had also changed the least, wearing a grey suit and white jacket in a lighter fabric, but otherwise no real difference from how he dressed in the spring. The only other major difference was him wearing a grey cap in place of his black brimmed hat.
"What do you think Hanamura-kun would like?" Chie wondered. "Milk? You eat cookies with milk, right?"
"Milk is harder to come by in the summer. Spoils faster. So probably not," Yu got a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Wait, I got something!" She ran off in excitement, her ponytail flying behind her like a flag. Yu and Kanji walked off to buy the cookies, leaving Yukiko and Marie alone to listen to the bustle of the store.
"How have you been?" Yukiko asked nicely to be polite.
Marie shrugged. "Dunno. Bored, mostly. I don't get to do anything back home. Just sit in the dark and hunch over a table."
She smiled nervously. And she thought Chie had rough parents.
"I write, sometimes. That's fun, I guess." She shrugged again. Yukiko perked up.
"Oh really? I do too! What sorts of things do you write? I do a lot of classical poetry. Haiku and waka, mainly."
"Poems. Random stuff."
Yukiko didn't want to admit it, but this conversation was going nowhere. Still, she wanted to try. "Poems about what? I usually write about Chinese motifs. Like the firebird. We have a lot in common with their culture and I find that really interesting!"
"Mermaids."
"Oh, like ningyo?"
Marie shrugged just as Yosuke ran over to the table, flustered.
"What happened?! What's the issue?! Yu-kun just sent me a mind message that something urgent had happened!" He also wore a light suit very much like Yu, with grey striped pants and no vest, instead a buttoned jacket. His hat was a black brimmed one, so in a weird way he and Yu had basically swapped hats.
"Uh-" Yukiko began before the other three arrived, cheering loudly.
"Happy Birthday!" They shouted, clapping.
"Everyone?" He asked in disbelief as Yu set a box of cookies down on the table.
"It's your birthday and so I suggested we do a little something to celebrate!"
"Let's drink!" Chie gave everyone a bottle of cola and they all broke the tops off, clinking them together and drinking. "Happy birthday!"
"Wow…" Yosuke sat down on a bench in disbelief. "You guys really did all this for me?"
"Of course! You're our friend!" Kanji said.
Yu unwrapped the box and handed everyone a cookie. Yukiko looked at hers, curious, running it all over in her hands. It was a brown one with chocolate baked in, tough. She took a bite and felt the chocolate and salt wedge in-between her teeth.
"The only bad thing is….I wish we didn't do it in Junes." He said, making the others laugh.
"It's the only place in town big enough for something like this!" Chie pouted. She took another sip of her cola.
"I'd never miss the birthday party of a friend. Never ever. Back home I'd write those dates out weeks in advance." Yu said.
"So you're going to do this for all of us?!" Yukiko asked in disbelief.
Yu nodded. "I'm going to try my best to."
She sat back on the bench and took some sips of her cola, finding the drink far too sugary and heavy for her liking. Everyone else talked around her happily, polishing off their own drinks and letting Yosuke take the box of cookies home. Everyone got to clap him on the back if male or hug him if female, wishing him well and a happy birthday again. Yukiko couldn't stop smiling, feeling elated from the good cheer in the air. She knew Chie's birthday was next, unless Yu or Marie had a birthday inbetween that she didn't know about. Either way, she was excited.
Kanji and Chie had already left as well, and Yu was nowhere to be seen, leaving her and Marie again.
"Did you have fun?"
"I guess." Marie shrugged. "It was too noisy for me."
"But you still decided to come," She reminded her gently.
"Yeah," Her focus shifted instead to a young boy crying over the fact he wanted cola too, but his mother wouldn't give him any. "Do you think I was like that as a kid?" Marie asked suddenly, startling Yukiko.
"Huh?!"
"There's just…so much I don't know or can't remember. Like, Yu-kun tells me about school a lot, but what even is school? I've never been, but he says it's fun."
"We're similar there,I've never been either! And it does look fun!"
Marie just sighed. "I'm leaving."
Yukiko pouted, but still considered it an achievement Marie felt so talkative and willing to open up in the first place. The party was just that infective, she supposed.
Yukiko still kept her ears open as she worked at the inn for any news, aggressively checking every magazine and newspaper she found, prowling through photos and paintings the best she could, wondering if and when a new target might show up. So far though, no such luck. She did her work dutifully and kept listening, sighing throughout the night and the morning when she was unable to come up with anything useful. She was to meet with the others and Kanji after school, right after she served meals.
The guests who asked for her service were foreigners from America, she tested the word on her tongue. Unlike other foreigners, they kept to themselves the previous night and morning, but insisted she stay behind as they ate lunch, making a grotesque mess she couldn't help wincing at.
"Wipe that ugly look off your face. I thought Oriental girls were nicer." One man sucked the meat off the bones and tossed them back onto the plate.
"I got a nicer image for you. That famous opera singer? The Innocent Lark?" The other man drank from his beer.
"I saw her shortly before I was told to come here. Only one show but you'll never forget that voice of hers. She's so young yet it can carry throughout the whole room."
"Word says she's visiting relatives here in town."
"Seriously?! We should pay her a visit then."
"Orient girl, I want more beer!"
Yukiko figured that was the end of their conversation, but she didn't mind. This was information! Information she could tell the others later! She waited on them patiently, then all but ran from the inn to the best of her ability, her kimono preventing her from making long strides. She managed to take her time and joined the group on the roof, where they nodded at her.
"I'm still not sure how all this works. And I don't think I'm useful anyway. Nobody talks when they come to the shop unless it's about prices or materials." Kanji explained. "Unless it's vital for ya to know today some man fought with Ma for ten minutes because she didn't have the right silk for his daughter's Shichi-Go-San kimono. Seriously?! That's still months away! And she's three anyway!"
The others laughed.
"We were in school all day so we heard nothing of note." Chie sighed.
"Speak for yourselves! I happen to know that the famous Risette is coming here to live with family! Supposedly she's taking a break from the stage. Isn't that amazing?!" Yosuke gushed. "We should get her to sign stuff! I have a few posters in mind..!" He pulled some rolled-up pieces of paper out of his jacket, spreading them out on the ground.
The first one was a drawing of a brown-haired girl dressed in a yellow dress layered with lace and an off-shoulder top tied in the front, with a long yellow veil and shawl wrapping her up. Her hair was up in an elaborate updo. She was staring off at something in the distance, an innocent look on her face. "This was her as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro!" He pointed to the foreign text that Yukiko was sure only he could read. The second one had her with her hair partially down and wearing a green gown with a full skirt, blue, green, and yellow feathers in her hair and around the length of the skirt. This time, she was posed with her hands together, leaning forward with her mouth open. "Papagena in The Magic Flute!"
The third was another drawing of her in an airy dress in a very pale pink and flowers in her bun, posed with one leg up in the air and a distant expression on her face. "The Sylph in La Sylphide, and Farfella in Le Papillon!" The fourth one had her in a very similar costume, except with more embroidery on the top and she was instead posed sitting, fiddling with her earrings. "It's hard to believe she's so young when she's done so much, right?!"
"She's like a fairy." Yu said, eyeing the drawings. "Almost too ethereal to exist."
"That's what all her fans say. When she dances, supposedly she's so light her feet don't even touch the ground!"
"How do you know all this?" Chie chimed in.
"Dad has Western business associates and they love this stuff over there. He told me about all her performances."
"I don't get the praise. It's just singing and dancing," Kanji shrugged. Yukiko just continued to stare at the pictures until Yosuke rolled them back up. "She's not even that pretty!"
"Okay, weird stuff you like aside, if she's in the news and coming back here, you know what that means, right…?" Chie trailed off. The others nodded.
"I asked Mother about it before I left. Her family owns the tofu shop we buy from sometimes, Marukyu Tofu." Yukiko said. "It's raining tonight, let's check and see,"
"But there's a chance she won't be! She's really famous, and the only connection she even has is one time Mrs. Yamano edited an article about her for the town magazine." Yosuke said. "Tomorrow, we go see her, so get plenty of rest tonight!"
"But, there's a chance she will be!" Yu reminded him. "Best to check either way."
"I know, I know. I just can't believe a real idol is coming here! The star of both the opera and ballet world! How lucky are we?!"
And, true to their word that night, like any other, Yukiko sorted through the house looking for a photograph. She had already removed her stack of potential suitors so she needed something else, eventually settling on her old one from 1879, when she was photographed at her Shichi-Go-San festival at the age of seven. The picture was brown and black and featured Yukiko with her hair up in a tight bun, wearing a furisode that was incredibly formal, made of silk and patterned with cranes, holding her small bag of toys. She had her hands folded politely in front of her and a demure smile, looking straight at the cameraman with awe in her eyes. Far off in the distance was the temple they held it at, the torii gates just a few feet away from behind her. She scanned the photograph, looking for anything unusual, and then she saw it.
A shadowy figure of a girl she couldn't recognize with her hair in a twist and a flouncy skirt, bent over. No matter how hard she tried, her eyes kept getting drawn to the shadow's legs and ankles, both fully on display in the image. She hadn't ever seen so much exposed leg before.
It had to be Rise, nobody else.
It's her! Kujikawa-san! Chie yelled in their heads.
Now we have even more of a reason to check on her! Yosuke said in excitement.
Hey!
It's a good idea. Yukiko soothed them. Just like we did for Sir Kanji.
Yeah, we always gotta stay one step ahead! Kanji chimed in, not wanting to feel left out.
Tomorrow, they'd know for sure. She hoped they truly could stay one step ahead of the culprit.
-Waka is old Japanese poetry written in 5-7-7 format, a bit like haiku's being written 5-7-5.
I labored over this chapter for some time purely because of the cooking scene. Originally I was just going to make their badness more realistic before I actually ended up writing the first draft with them being super good. Heresy, I know. Back then, women were expected to be good cooks, anything less meant being a mockery to their servants and having no good matches as men refused to marry women who were unable to do domestic housework. Were there poor chefs in history? Oh absolutely, but they tend to be recorded less. In my many years, I've devoured historical fiction. Nowadays, however, a lot of people seem to turn their noses up at how history actually was and turn so many dramas into 2010's prom aesthetic boards. I've read books that knowingly get so much wrong just because they think the audience won't relate to characters who dress in huge hats and corsets, then make everyone quirky with modern values. I have a huge laundry list of books that don't know or care to be accurate, misrepresenting history and spreading false images to people who don't know better.
At the end of the day, historical accuracy means more to me than canon. Yes, while I did ultimately go with a happy medium regarding their cooking for this story, I still needed to say my piece. History forever takes precedence. I just hope you'll keep this in mind going forward, that while I still try to be accurate and true to the characters and plot, history always comes first here. I'm not here to spread false images of history or the people in it, even in a universe where a supernatural realm exists.