Tears dripped down, falling from her eyes, making their way down her cheeks like tiny rivers. She tried her best not to cry, but she just couldn’t do it. It was too hard. She hated how often she’d cried lately. Everything had gotten so stressful since moving to Irokara.
She flinched as Mulan wrapped her arms around Aoi’s shoulders. “It’s okay to miss people and be sad.”
It sounded like Mulan was saying that to herself as well. Aoi had never thought about it, but Mulan had it worse than she did. Mulan lost people she cared about too. But it wasn’t just three people. It was all of them. They were all dead. They’d been dead for a very long time.
“I’m sorry . . .” Aoi whimpered. “I’m being selfish.”
Mulan rested her chin on Aoi’s head. “You’re not being selfish. If you were, then I’d be all the more.”
“I’m still sorry though.”
“There’s no need to be. It’s okay.”
“Is everything okay?”
The sudden voice startled Aoi and Mulan.
“Dad? You’re home early.”
Mr. Arisawa stepped into the room and froze midway taking off his tie when he saw Aoi and Mulan. “What’s wrong, girls?”
Mulan released Aoi and smoothed the wrinkles out of her clothes nervously. “Sir,” she greeted him, but she didn’t answer his question. Nor did she meet his eyes. Aoi only noticed it then, but there were tears in Mulan’s brown eyes.
Aoi hadn’t stopped crying either, but she had to answer her father. He deserved an answer, if not an explanation.
“Nothing,” she said. A lie. She didn’t believe it herself. But she didn’t want to worry him.
Problem was, he still looked worried. Of course he did. His little girl and a part of their strange little family were crying, and he didn’t know why.
He walked into the pale blue room and took a seat on Aoi’s bed. “Something happened, didn’t it?”
“The girls are travelling all over Japan for break. They’re gonna go to the beach and festivals and even shopping.” Just as the tears were finally stopping, she had to go and say that. Talking about her feelings just made the tears come back.
Her dad’s expression softened. “You really miss them, don’t you?”
“Yeah, a little. But it’s nice here too.” She wiped her tears away and forced a smile.
“And you’ve made some good friends,” he added. “Though I don’t think I’ve ever officially met any of them.”
That’s right. He was always at work. The only one he met was Tatsuo, and the yankii was out cold then. Still, she had so many friends here, more than she ever expected to have. It made her feel really lucky. It was more than she deserved.
“They’re really great though.”
“I’m sure most of them are,” he said with a smile. He still didn’t like Tatsuo. Aoi hadn’t specifically mentioned that they hung out a lot, but her father may have guessed that she was spending time with people like that. She was, after all, in his hospital room back in April.
The man fell silent for a moment, then asked a question. “Would you like to go on a vacation with them?”
His words took her by surprise. “Huh?” She thought she heard him wrong.
“I have a conference in a town a few hours away. It’s only for a couple of days, but there’s a beach and a festival.” He shrugged. “It could be fun.”
So she had heard him right. And he was serious. They really could go somewhere. And a vacation sounded great. Aoi looked over at Mulan with a small smile. “Have you ever been to a beach, Hua-san?”
The woman thought for a moment. “I can’t say I have,” she admitted.
“You wanna go?” Aoi wanted to. But Mulan had no choice but to stay near the gem, and that meant going with Aoi wherever she went. She had to give Mulan a say in the matter.
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
Aoi turned to her father. “Then I’d love to go. How many people can I invite?”
There was no way everyone would fit in her dad’s car.
“Only three,” he replied.
She should have guessed.
“This number excludes spirits, I assume?” Mulan sounded concerned.
Mr. Arisawa nodded. “Of course. I can only fit three other physical people in my car.”
“The magic-powered carriage?”
Aoi laughed. She forgot Mulan was from a different time sometimes. “Yeah. That’s a car.”
The woman’s cheeks flushed. “I see.”
Aoi hadn’t meant to embarrass her. She was just surprised Mulan didn’t know. “It’s okay,” she said. “You’re still learning. I guess we hardly ever go places in one. We’re always walking.”
Still . . . Only three. That was going to be a hard choice.
Sure, she could choose Tatsuo and Momoka easily enough. She’d been friends with them for a few months now, and they were her closest friends. The third choice was harder.
“How long do I have to pick?”
“A week.”
At least that was a little time, if not as much as she would’ve liked. Hopefully she could decide by then.
Chapter 22
Aoi thought long and hard, but she finally decided. If she could only invite three friends, then there was no other option. It had to be those three.
Aoi had invited them a few days ago, and each had heartily accepted. Now, the day of the vacation had arrived. She stood by her father’s car, parked outside his office building. He was inside finishing up some business, probably on a phone call letting his fellow coworkers so they’d know he was heading out soon. Aoi tapped her foot and glanced back and forth. They weren’t here yet. Why?
“They said they’d come, right?” she asked.
Mulan nodded. “They did,” she said. “Just have patience.”
Right. She inhaled a breath, then exhaled, but she was still nervous. Her father hadn’t really met any of her friends. Only Tatsuo. And, even with him unconscious, her father didn’t like him. She wasn’t sure what her friends would think of her father or, more importantly, what he’d think of them.
Something caught the corner of her eye, and Aoi turned to see three people walking down the sidewalk.
“Tachibana-san, Nishihara-chan, Pocahontas-chan, you made it.”
The two girls approached holding hands, though it would have been more accurate to say Momoka was dragging Asagi along. Pocahontas was skipping alongside them, cheerful as ever. Their bags were on their backs, and Asagi had a small yellow purse in the crook of her left arm.
“Hope we’re not late,” Momoka said.
Asagi pulled her phone out of her purse and checked it. “We’re not. We’re right on time.”
Aoi laughed nervously. Maybe she was a little too eager.
“Have you seen Akabori-senpai?” she asked.
“Not yet, no.” Momoka shook her head. “We came straight here from my place.”
“We had a sleepover!” Pocahontas bounced up and down.
Aoi glanced behind her, in case she missed Tatsuo’s approach. No one was behind her. She frowned. Momoka smiled knowingly, though Aoi wasn’t sure just what the girl thought she knew.
“Don’t worry, Onee-chan,” she said. “Akabori-san’s definitely going to come. He wouldn’t turn this down for the world.”
Aoi wasn’t sure why Momoka was sure of that. He had been the hardest to convince for this trip, which had confused Aoi, because he was the only one who didn’t have to ask a parent for permission. Somehow, it had made his reluctance feel even worse to Aoi. But he had eventually agreed, so she might as well take Momoka’s word for it.
The trio made small talk while they waited, but Aoi wasn’t paying much attention. With each passing minute, she was more convinced he wasn’t coming. Did he not want to spend so much time away from the guys? Had he noticed her wipe her hands on her jeans?
She was relieved when she got a text from him that read, “Be there in a few.”
Momoka
nudged her. “Told ya.”
Finally, Tatsuo arrived at the office building, though the way he was dressed made Aoi suck in a breath.
All six of his piercings were in. His sleeveless shirt showed off the dragon tattoo spiraling around his left arm. His black hair was styled in his signature pompadour. Everything about him screamed yankii. He might as well have been carrying his wooden bokken.
This was not the way she wanted her dad to meet him.
“You’re late,” Asagi said.
“By like seven minutes. Cool it,” Tatsuo said. “Hey, Arisawa.”
Aoi gave a tiny wave. Dummy, why’d you do that? Heat crept up her neck.
The car lights flashed and Aoi heard the faint click as the trunk popped. She turned to see her father striding out of the office building, the key fob in hand.
“Alright girls, let’s get going.” Mr. Arisawa walked over to the girls and grabbed their bags. “You must be Tachibana-san and Nishihara-san. My daughter’s told me a lot about you.”
He placed their bags in the trunk, before turning to Tatsuo.
Immediately, he bristled. He hadn’t noticed him until that moment. That, or he hadn’t gotten a good look at him. Tatsuo also grew rigid, his teeth grit. Neither said a word. Aoi shifted her weight and hoped one would speak. No one did.
Seemed she had to be the one to break the silence. “Dad, this is Akabori-senpai. He saved me. Remember?”
He forced a smile. “I remember.”
She then looked to Tatsuo. “Dad brought us food when you were in the hospital. Remember?”
Tatsuo grinned. He finally had a reason to like her dad. “Yeah. I remember that.”
“The food was for my daughter,” Mr. Arisawa said without missing a beat.
Tatsuo’s smile vanished. “Ah.” He pushed past her father and tossed his bag in the back. He then took a window seat in the back.
“Super awkward,” Aoi heard Asagi whisper to Momoka. The girls quickly got into the car after Tatsuo.
Aoi went to follow suit, but her father gently grabbed her by the shoulder. “Is this the boy you’ve been spending so much time with, Aoi?”
She nodded hesitantly.
“We’re talking about this later. Don’t think we won’t.”
As Aoi walked to the front passenger seat, Tatsuo made eye contact with her through the tinted back window. He rolled his eyes, and she smiled a little. She couldn’t help herself.
And so the trip began, although not on as good of terms as Aoi had hoped.
Momoka and Asagi chatted in the back about summer homework and what Seiji was doing, occasionally bringing Aoi into the conversation, though that never lasted long.
Over everything was a weight—a heavy, invisible weight. Tatsuo glared at her father every now and then, and Aoi’s father glared right back at him through the rearview mirror.
Aoi sighed and leaned against the window. It was a long drive to the beach. Might as well sleep through the trip. She wouldn’t have to deal with the awkwardness that way.
She closed her eyes and dozed off.
It seemed like she’d only closed her eyes for a few moments when someone started lightly shaking her shoulder. She tried to wave the hand away. “Five more minutes,” she mumbled sleepily.
But the shaking continues. “Aoi, honey,” her father said. “We’re here.”
Here? Already? That roused her. Aoi sleepily rubbed one eye as she stepped out of the car.
Momoka giggled. “Sleep well?” she asked.
“You really passed out,” Asagi said.
Aoi smiled sheepishly. It seemed she had. Heat rose up into her cheeks. “I guess so.” She glanced at Tatsuo, wondering if he had something to say too.
But he didn’t. He was already out of the car, quietly pulling the bags out of the trunk.
“Leave my stuff in there,” Aoi’s father said. “I’ll take care of it when I get back.”
Tatsuo rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t gonna touch your stuff anyways, old man. Cool it.” He slammed the trunk shut.
Aoi flinched. “Back? Are you heading straight to the conference?”
“Afraid so, honey. There’s a key under the mat. I’ve already got one of my own.”
“Gonna be out late?”
He nodded. “Every night. I have meetings the entire weekend. Have fun, and be safe.” At those words, he glared at Tatsuo. He still didn’t trust him.
“Senpai’s a good guy, Dad. He’s rough and kind of a punk, but he really is nice.” She wished he could see that.
Momoka piped up from the backseat. “It’s true, Mr. Arisawa!”
Aoi’s father ignored the girl. “I don’t know, Aoi. Just be careful.”
She sighed. Seemed she couldn’t convince him so easily. “Okay, Dad. See you later.”
She waved at him as he drove away, before hurrying to the door mat. Her friends were standing around, waiting for her. She had to get the door open.
At least Momoka and Asagi were still happily chatting with each other. Tatsuo and Mr. Arisawa’s sour moods hadn’t seemed to faze them at all.
The beach house was a charming little place. Two stories high, the house was painted a pretty shade of white with dark blue roofs—just the kind of place Aoi would live at, given the chance. Not that she had a problem with her home in Irokara.
Aoi fumbled with the key for a few moments before she got the door open. The first floor was simply a living area and a kitchen, with what looked to be a bathroom hidden under the stairs. The bedrooms must be upstairs.
“Cute!” Momoka squealed. Pocahontas appeared by her side, instantly fascinated by the house’s collection of sea shells on the bookcase.
Asagi headed straight for the stairs, and Aoi followed. They needed to pick their rooms sooner or later.
“Wanna pick your room?” She called down to Tatsuo and Momoka.
“Yeah!” Momoka put a conch shell back on the shelf and hurried up the stairs. Tatsuo came at a slower pace, hands in his pockets.
Silent again . . . Aoi thought with a sigh.
Was he angry at her? That was the first thought to cross her mind. But why would he be? She hadn’t done anything to deserve his anger. Sure, she should have told Tatsuo and her father what to expect of the other, but she never thought things would go so badly.
The house was a lot roomier than she thought it would be, given that her father was only renting it for a work trip. But there weren’t enough rooms. There were only three, tiny bedrooms for the five of them. One was obviously for her father. The other two had queen-sized mattresses, with little room for anything else. Aoi doubted you could even fit a sleeping bag on the floor.
They’d all have to share rooms.
Heat rose to Aoi’s face as a thought crossed her mind. Would she have to share a bed with Tatsuo? She certainly couldn’t make Momoka or Asagi do something like that. But what if he slept in the nude or something? Her face grew hotter.
“Senpai, do you and I . . . do we have to share . . .?”
Tatsuo’s stoic face lit up with a violent flush. “God, Arisawa, what—no. No, I’ll sleep on the couch. Why would you—ugh.”
He stomped off down the stairs, grumbling the whole way. Momoka howled with laughter, and even Asagi laughed quietly to herself.
“It was a good try, Arisawa.” Asagi grinned. “Better luck next time.”
Aoi wanted to crawl into a hole, she was so embarrassed. She coughed. “Um—so that leaves two rooms. One of us will have to share.”
“Not to worry,” Momoka replied cheerily. “I’m sure Onee-chan needs her beauty sleep, so Tachibana-chan and I can share a room.”
“You don’t have a problem with that?” Aoi asked Asagi. Momoka had volunteered her before she could have a say in the matter.
Asagi just shrugged. “I suppose not. I certainly don’t know you well enough to share a bed with you.” She glanced down stairs suggestively.
“Good, glad that’s settled then.” With that, Aoi rushed into her roo
m and slammed the door. She could still hear Momoka’s muffled laughter.
After a car ride that long, everyone needed time to wind down. They took their bags to their rooms and took some time to relax. But, after a while, they all gathered up in the living room again, led by a shared feeling. Hunger.
Aoi’s stomach grumbled as she surveyed the kitchen, carefully avoiding Tatsuo’s eyes. “I guess we haven’t eaten anything since we left.” At least, she hadn’t. She didn’t know if they stopped at all on their way here.
Momoka rubbed her belly. “Yeah . . . We gotta get something to eat.”
“I’m sure I saw some restaurants on the way here,” Asagi said.
“Maybe we could eat here? I could cook.” Aoi offered. After how awkward the trip here had been, she wanted to do something for her friends. Maybe she could make it up to them that way.
“Need some help, Onee-chan?” Momoka asked. She was eager to help. She always was.
But it wouldn’t be the same if Aoi had help. She had to do this alone. She was the one who made things awkward, after all.
“No, I can handle it,” Aoi assured her. She headed to the kitchen and peered into cabinets. “What do you see, Hua-san?”
Her spirit took form, helping her search the cabinets without even opening the doors. She just phased through things, peeked her head inside, and saw what there was to see.
“Pots, pans, tomato sauce,” Mulan said, listing of things as she saw them.
Aoi put a box of pasta on the counter before searching the fridge. She opened the top door—the freezer—and pulled out a box. Pasta was always better with garlic bread.
But then she paused. She wasn’t sure if they’d want garlic bread, or pasta for that matter. She had to ask. “Pasta and garlic bread’s fine, right?” she asked.
“Works for me,” the girls chorused.
Tatsuo was still silent.
“Senpai?” she asked.
He just shrugged. Aoi was going to take that as an “okay.”
As she started fixing dinner, everyone gathered along the barstools to watch. Aoi felt a little awkward having an audience, but soon the smells of the kitchen made her forget her nerves. She took in the delicious tang of the tomato sauce and sizzling garlic wafting through the air, the relaxing murmur of a boiling pot, the warm smell of bread slowly baking . . . She’d always thought pasta was an underrated dish. And she had to admit, she wasn’t so bad at cooking as long as she focused. In fact, it was kind of fun.
Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1 Page 21