Chapter 18
It had been a long morning at Enterprise Car Rental. The cold rains of April made every leap in and out the parked cars feel drawn out as one unlucky placement of my foot inside a puddle by the service center parking lot soaked through the toe of my right shoe and made the rest of the day feel like I was stepping in mush. Thankfully, I had my music and my phone to keep me calm since no one cared if you wore headphones at work as long as you did your job. The only caveat was that drivers had to keep up an average quota of twelve to fourteen cars per hour- which wasn't nearly as bad as the cleaners who were more time sensitive and had more duties to deal with. It was forgiven if it was a particularly slow day, but unless it was a holiday or a lull in specific times of the day between airline flights, it wasn't likely that would get too many of them. I preferred it that way most days. A lot less time standing around, appearing like you weren't working while you were on your phone trying to kill time. Plus, I wouldn't have to make awkward small talk with the other drivers and cleaners that lingered with names I could barely remember. An exception came towards the tail-end of my shift, standing at the edge of the gas station waiting for a freshly cleaned car to take back to the parking garage with Bluetooth earbuds blasting a mixture of R&B, Pop, and show-tunes in her ears.
"You heading up towards the terminal for lunch?" my sister asked, eying the black lunchbox swinging in my hands.
"Yep. Wanna head up together?"
"Sure." Both of us climbed into the first car that pulled up in front of us, a black Nissan Versa, and instinctively made quick adjustments to our seats to accommodate our long legs. The interior was clean but the upholstery had a sickeningly sweet scent of of cornstarch and aerosol cleaners. Someone must have been vaping in the car while they cleaned again. Running yet another car through the car-wash, I whipped out my phone to figure out what I wanted to read or listen to while carefully toeing the brake with my foot. Most of my playlists contained audio-books, ASMRs, or podcasts about writer techniques- video essays on YouTube that broke down film or television shows and analyzed what made them compelling. My current predicament was that I had to write a first date and needed to figure out what it was about the characters that made them catch feelings for each other but in a superhero setting. But for whatever reason, I just wasn't feeling it today. It was one of my more anxious moods where I felt so keyed up that anything I did with it would be done at full-force one hundred percent or not at all- a good mood to have when a project needed to get done but a terrible beast when I was unable to properly vent it. Normally I would have used it to fully immerse myself in a new TV show or return to a classic favorite and dive headfirst into that for months, but nothing wanted to stick and new pathways forward seemed to be dogging me at every turn. Guess I had to hope that idle distraction would steer me towards a more constructive outlet.
Finished with the car-wash, I decided to settle on listening to Thrawn for the third time and fiddled around anxiously with the gate-pass that hung from the lanyard around my neck. A key-chain bearing an almost exact likeness to my mystery hero, the main instigator of my plight, swung freely as I raised the pass towards the censor while Jo-Elle messed around with the Bluetooth settings of the car. Thirty seconds in and I was already bored, pausing the audio-book in the middle of an epic star-ship battle involving space pirates. Even the talented, melodious voice of Marc Thompson was unable to calm the torrent and turmoil of my mind, the dissatisfaction leaving me feeling more restless than ever. My eyes flickered towards the Patre0n notification at the top of my phone, alerting me to another message in my inbox from SmallMight39 congratulating me about the exciting update. I smiled at the notification but was too preoccupied to go over it now, setting my phone down on the console and saving it to read for later.
Victorious in linking up her phone to the car, Jo-Elle sang along with her playlist like she was trying to teach a seminar, gesturing wildly in beat with the music as she locked eyes with me. I hummed sporadically and bopped my head along with her in time with the music as she waved her arms in the air, waiting for the lyrics that I knew as she danced her seat to lazy R&B beats about Cuco tripping on 'shrooms. The mini dance party ended the moment people began staring in the parking garage as I immediately turned down the volume like drivers were supposed to when leaving a car for a customer- there had been one too many complaints of customers being startled by radios being turned all the way up, since the cleaners often did this to hear the music while the worked -and reset the Bluetooth before expertly backing up into the closest free Compact Car labelled spot. Jo-Elle giggled at my reaction as we made our way towards the terminal, pretending like we hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.
Traffic was light this afternoon, only having a handful of people since most didn't fly out on Saturdays compared to the Sunday or Thursday night crowds. Everything outside of the airport shutdown for three hours for lunch- quite an adjustment from a thirty minute lunch break we were used to -which was why Jo-Elle and I usually waited towards the end of our shift to eat and just went home afterwards.
I took a seat at our usual bar seats and plugged my phone into one the charging ports, letting out a soft sigh of relief to see that my phone would just narrowly avoid death by dead battery another day. "Ugh I am so done with all of this cold weather," I whined as I shook the dripping duck umbrella at my side before wrapping it back up.
"The rain's not so bad. Anything's better than winter with all the ice and snow," my sister sat down her caramel macchiato and a paper bag filled with scones before shaking the water off her raincoat with a violent flourish before placing it behind her seat. The food inside the airport was much too expensive to eat every week, but on occasion we indulged in some Starbucks.
"Oh god, yes!" I said through a mouthful of blueberry scone. "That had to be the longest winter ever. I never thought I'd ever see the day where I don't have to double layer my Jeans with fleece pajama bottoms. I was like a tick ready to pop!" Nothing was more miserable than crawling into a car that had been sitting outside overnight after a snowstorm. Not only did you have to scrape the ice off the windshield, but the heater did nothing but blow cold air on you right up until you had to get back outside of the car again to repeat steps one through three. You did this until you either ran out of cars or you were lucky enough to be assigned to do down-and-backs from the parking garage. Other than that, the only respite was clocking out. "Anyways, what took you so long? I didn't think the line to Starbucks was that long."
"I had to give someone directions," Jo-Elle explained, taking her seat next to me with a hot cup of coffee in her hands, while I had been snapping up pokestop items located at said food vendor. Since we wore official lanyards that mandated us as airport employees, we often got pulled over by passengers for inquiries, mostly by Americans who were surprised to see us speaking Japanese so fluently. "I don't know why you don't just work as a translator. You're so much better at it than I am."
"And have to talk to people all the time and deal with social backlash for minor spelling errors? No thanks. You couldn't pay me enough to be something like that." Despite all my minor complaints, working at Enterprise Car Rental had been one of the more comfortable aspects of moving to Japan. It helped that we had already previously worked at Enterprise when we had lived in the states, only transferring locations rather than reapplying. The Haneda International Airport was also a comfort, as it appealed more to international people, so a lot of things like stores and restaurants were in English. There were a few snafus and awkward translations that my sister and I would snicker at, like YUM GO YUM and BATHROOMS HEAR, but other than that it was like our own personal sanctuary from the massive Asian invasion.
Once we had finished our scones, both of us opened up our lunch boxes. They were matching black bags with our initials on them that had been gifts from our cousin Bethany's wedding as a thank-you for being a part of the wedding party. It had been Jo-Elle's third time being a bridesmaid, while I was lucky enough to be saddled with the entertainment for the wedding procession, something that had been somewhat embarrassing to explain every time someone asked about why I was considered part of the wedding but not in the wedding photos. Everyone in my family knew that I had no real tolerance for fancy occasions like weddings since the very thought of even being forced in an uncomfortable dress and wearing make-up that took hours to put on made my skin crawl, but not being asked at the same time was isolating. Being a bridesmaid was almost a right of passage for young women, a bonding moment to show which cousins actually liked you versus tolerated you, not to mention it was a supposedly a common area to meet men- at least according to all the rom-com flicks I watched over the years for research.
Out of all the cousins, Bethany had been the first to marry their significant other and had known them the shortest amount of time. She was also more anxious and body-conscious than I was, and yet she had managed to find and marry a guy before I had, all while pursuing a medical career in pharmaceuticals. What did she have that I didn't?
A flat stomach, a short stature, and no mental disorders, my mind answered glumly. That returning thought layered another block on my anxious mind, a void that I tried to fill with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had made the night before. The stickiness of the crunchy peanut butter felt particularly thick and hard to swallow as I downed a long swig from one of the endless packs of water-bottles Enterprise had for the staff.
"So how's the whole app dating thing going?" I asked Jo-Elle, not taking my eyes away from my current goal of catching a Nidorina. Normally, Jo-Elle kept her dating life to herself, mainly due to our overbearing yet well-meaning conservative mother, but if I asked, she would answer honestly.
"It's okay, I guess. Kinda hard to get any good matches when you're five ten and don't speak fluent Japanese."
"Amen, sista," I took another long swig from my water bottle like I was kicking back a shot and nibbled one of the leftover 'stolen' pieces of chocolate I had filched from the MRI facility. "You still have that one translator app, right?"
"Yeah, but it's awkward to have to keep using it in real time. I'm trying to keep up with my Japanese language learning. You, on the other hand, would be great at it."
"No I wouldn't."
"Of course you would! The little Japanese otaku girl that you are, men should be breaking down your door. I mean, this is your homeland, your dojo, your area of expertise to shine!" Jo-Elle exclaimed, gesturing to the empty candy wrapper I was already instinctively folding into origami. I gave her a self-deprecating laugh that was a bit louder than I intended and put the finished paper crane down. "Ha, you would think, huh? I wish it was that easy."
"I'm telling you, let me set you up. You'd do way better on here than I would. You can actually speak Japanese without having to always check your phone for the right translation and repeat everything back."
"Nah, no thanks. I don't think people around here are really my type, plus I don't really trust the whole online thing. Guys on those apps are so thirsty, always wanting to cuddle after barely knowing anything about us- at least the ones that reached out to me did," I frowned. "Didn't you also have that one guy who basically said he wanted to feed you so that your butt would get bigger?"
"Yeah, he was a creep," Jo-Elle admitted, her face pinched up like she had bitten into a lemon in a way that made me want to laugh.
"I mean, as comforting as it is to know that not all men want skinny women, a fattening fetish isn't exactly what I had in mind."
"Exactly! There's liking a woman for who she is and then there's acting out an unhealthy fantasy," Jo-Elle explained. "But what about that one person you're friends with online, SmallMight something? The one that you're always going on about. You ever going to meet them in real life?"
"I dunno, maybe?" I shrugged, wrapping my hands over the tops of my arms in an effort to ease the discomfort that gnawed at the back of my mind. "It's easier to deal with people when they're on the other side of a screen. Less chances of me accidentally saying something stupid that will offend them or something and having to deal with awkward pauses."
"True, but you'll never know until you try. Plus, what if it turns out that they're a boy? You could totally date them! You're already practically best friends already."
"What? No way! They're way too talkative for a boy, and besides, talking with them over the internet sporadically over them liking updates when it's convenient for me is hardly calling us best friends. I don't even know their real name."
"But you've known them for so long. You can't tell me you don't know anything about them."
"I guess... I mean, I know that they live in Musutafu, and that they like katsudon and All Might, and that they're Quirkless and that they can be really deep when they talk about stuff-" I began listing before noticing the growing smirk on Jo-Elle's face, "-but that's hardly saying that I know them personally!"
"Uh huh. Aren't you the one who's always going on about all their cool theories and Quirk applications?"
"Only because it's cool and helps my comic," I pouted before subtly locking my phone and covering it with my hand, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing that my online friend was currently racking up my inbox. How had the conversation been turned this direction?
"Okay then, what about your lightsaber class guys? They might be pretty cool and they're into Star Wars like you. Perfect nerdy match!"
"I guess... but I don't know. All of them are shorter than me and work dead-end jobs or are NEETs. I don't want to be the person who solely carries the relationship. I'd like to be a bigger mess when it comes to emotional baggage, thank you very much."
"You shouldn't judge someone on their appearance, plus a job can be a temporary thing. I mean, you worked all of those different jobs, and you never stuck around them."
"I know, but there's a difference between building up your resume and settling for dead-end jobs that will take you with no prior education or experience."
"Speaking of which, you ever find those kanji books of yours?" she asked, her innocuous question unintentionally stabbing me with the blunt sting of failure.
"No, but I'm going to try and find them later after work," I sighed. "Not today though, 'cause I'm too tired, but like maybe tomorrow before lightsaber practice."
"Okay but don't forget you also have to take everything to the laundromat tomorrow."
"I know, I know. This isn't my first rodeo."
"And hey, just a head's up- and I'm not saying this to stress you out-" Jo-Elle said carefully, "-but Mom wants you to go with her to the rescheduled oncology appointment next week."
I rolled my head back and let out an aggravated sigh. "Aww man! Again?" Since the appointment had been rescheduled, I had assumed that I had gotten away with skipping out as acting translator. Apparently this was not the case.
"Don't you give me that. It's your turn," Jo-Elle frowned, "I know you don't like asking Masako for time off, but you gotta stop letting that control your life."
"That's easy for you to say. Your bosses love you. You don't have to deal with passive aggressive bullshit and emotional mind-games," I grumbled through my hands, resting my head on the counter as the ball of stress just appeared to keep tightening.
"I know we have different situations with how we deal with things and that you're not the greatest people person, but I promise that the more you work on your social skills, the better it gets."
"Yeah, right..." I scoffed while I absentmindedly fiddling with my key-chain, the smooth bumps acting as a calming stimulus towards my fingertips.
"Don't be mad," Jo-Elle cooed with an over-exaggerated pout before suddenly wrapping her arms around my head. My body froze from the unexpected contact, unable to process that my sister had actually hugged me. Willingly.
"Whaaaat are you doing?"
"Hugging you."
"Who are you and what have you done with my sister, foul demon?" I said with a deadpanned tone, though I was unable to officially sell it as a smile crept its way onto my face. She simply laughed and said, "I can't hug you?"
"People can hug me, but you don't. What's your game, Blake?"
"You just seemed to be a little stressed out and I wanted to make you feel better. Come on, don't be mad, Miss Grumpy Gus," she said before uttering the few words that changed everything. "'When life gets you down, you know whatcha gotta do?'"
"'I don't want to know whatcha gotta do,'" I quoted back to her almost on instinct.
"'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming. Just keep swim-ming, swim-ming, swim-ming~'" she sang, reciting one of the most quoted and annoying songs in our household while she swayed with me in her arms.
"Jo-Elle, stop."
"'Ha ah ha ho hohoho I love to swwwwwwiiiiiiiiiimmmmm~" she sang louder, causing me to push her away in embarrassment.
"We are in public!"
"'Wheenn you waaaaaaaaant to swim you-'"
"Shut up! It's not funny!" I tried to scowl, but my face kept morphing into a smile as snicker escaped past my lips. Damn her and her stupid ability to make me laugh even when I was trying to be serious.
"Okay, okay, sorry! I'll stop. But hey, you know what will cheer you up?" She said before pulling out her phone. I rolled my eyes and gave her a tired smirk.
"Not another Brittany Broski video."
She shook her head. "No no, I promise this one's good. Guess what I found on Tik Tok?"
"Let me guess... another Shoto video?"
"No- well, yes, but guess who he's with?" She held up a video clip showing a clip involving one of her favorite pro-heroes. He wore a long black coat with a high collar, a change from his usual navy blue jumpsuit, and was dishing out fire and ice attacks at multiple attack droids. I perked up, noticing that Ground Zero was also in the video, though I wasn't a fan of the new industrial looking gauntlets that he wore while he propelled himself in the air with his explosions like he was dancing on a high-wire. However, flying through the air next to him was a pro-hero I didn't expect to see. Clad in heavy duty mech armor dyed black and green with an emblem of the World Hero Association on his right arm, was my mint bunny superhero. My jaw dropped.
"No freaking way!" I gasped as I watched the hero deliver multiple punches to armored battle droid while Shoto shot wave after wave of ice paths and fireballs. He wasn't wearing the cowl that gave him more lapin in appearance, letting curls of wild dark green hair fly through the air as he gripped the black respirator over his mouth, but there was no mistaking it. It was him. "Where did you find this?!"
"I don't know. It's been floating around on the internet for awhile now, but it and a bunch of other videos like it were on this one chick's Tik Tok page, some anime schoolgirl looking chick with a username I can't translate. You want me to send you the link to her profile?"
"Yes please!" I exclaimed, unable to contain myself or tear my eyes away from the screen as it looped back, repeating the same fight over and over. His emerald green eyes sparkled in the firelight, his determined expression illuminated further by the green sparks of energy that licked off of his costume. He was gorgeous. Man, I really needed to get on Tik Tok...
"Alright, I'd let you watch it again, but I gotta get going."
"You're not sticking around?" I blinked, confused as to why Jo-Elle didn't stay to finish her coffee like usual.
"Nah, I gotta head back to the studio. Plus, I have a date right afterwards, so I gotta look my best."
"Okay, well, be safe. Don't get kidnapped and sold into white slavery," I said jokingly while at the same time serious as the grave. It was sort of my 'break-a-leg' comment. If I said something along the lines of something serious and made light of it, it would create some sort of protective spell that would keep things like that away from her. "Hey, Jo-Elle?"
"Yeah?"
"I know I don't say it enough, but... thanks for coming here with me to help out with Mom and, you know, putting up with both of us."
She stopped putting on her coat and gave me a slight smile. "Of course. No way I could just leave you guys alone like that. You'd both kill each other without me to mediate." I smiled somberly at the comment, knowing that I didn't have the same sentiment if the roles had been reversed. "Besides, who wouldn't turn down a free trip to Japan? Plus, it's not like we can never go back."
It was true. Mom was only here on a trial basis, so everything was a bit uncertain. She could either be here for five more years or the rest of her life. It was kind of hard to predict and plan your own death.
"Right. Anyways, be sure to text me when you're going out. I'll send you an emergency text to check in with a fake emergency if you need to bail."
"Will do. Later, gator."
"After-while, crocodile." I watched her retreating silhouette for a few moments, not wanting to appear too eager. However the instant I was positive she was gone, I clicked on the link that had been sent to me via text message and went back to the video. Once I had downloaded Tik Tok, of course.
Author's Note: References today include Timothy Zahn's "Thrawn," Finding Nemo, and the third unnamed My Hero Academia movie (yes, that is where the armored Deku comes from).
