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FluffandCrunch

Lilly Route: Conflict: 2-10: Tea For Two

Feb 7th, 2017
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  1. I spend some time sulking in the kitchen sipping a fresh cup of tea and letting it grow cool. My time at the Hakamichi house has hardly begun and it's already a far cry from what I had thought my summer would be like. I'm not sure whether I would prefer the isolation and boredom of Yamaku or the constant badgering I get here. I hang my head and run my fingers through my hair. I can't even say 'good morning' to Lilly without getting a dirty look from Mr. Satou or some remark about my heart. What was him laughing at the idea of me exercising about anyway? It felt weird and misplaced, like I had missed some inside joke.
  2.  
  3. Akira wasn't kidding when she warned me about her father. I just never realized I would have to take her caution so seriously. I thought her concern was unwarranted or exaggerated but I think she was being honest when she made things out to be as bad as she said they were. I had thought she was being over dramatic because of her dislike of him but I know better now. After all the advice she gave me she must be some sort of expert when it comes to avoiding her father's temper even if he treats her more like a hired employee than a daughter. It's strangely disconcerting when compared to how much careful attention he gives Lilly or how Lilly accepts, or at least is blissfully ignorant, of how her father acts when she isn't around. It seems for now I'm the special target of all his animosity. I feel like I'm trapped in a house with an ogre roaming the halls and I never know when I'm going to run into it or cross it's path.
  4.  
  5. Even worse, I'm trying to date its daughter.
  6.  
  7. Should I talk to Lilly about this? I know she loves her father, but I'm still trying to feel out their relationship. Lilly said she didn't really know how to act around them while in Scotland but she seems to be fine with her father here, almost relieved. On top of that he's an entirely different person without her around so I feel like the only chance he and I have to see eye to eye would be if Lilly was there to keep him in check and act as an intermediary. She keeps talking about the two of us getting to know each other with a fond and excited manner but I doubt Mr. Satou is planning on the same thing. He speaks to me with the same tone he would talk to a pile of trash with and I don't think he's interested in the least to get to know me better.
  8.  
  9. To be honest, I'm starting to feel the same way about him.
  10.  
  11. I hear footsteps coming from down the hall and their light tread and slow pace, as well as the tapping of a cane, assures me it's a Satou I'm happy to see. Lilly comes back into the kitchen with cane in hand, stopping at the entry and listening carefully for anyone inside. "Good morning, Lilly," I say to announce myself.
  12.  
  13. Her face lights up at the sound of my voice. "Hisao! There you are! I'm glad you're up. It's a little early for you, isn't it?"
  14. "You're one to talk."
  15. I stand and walk up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder to let her know where I am. She uses her free hand to follow up my arm to cling to me in a tight hug, pressing herself against me.
  16. At least I can count on Lilly to stay the same. Her father being here doesn't seem to have affected her at all and I'm glad I can have some sense of normality when she's around. At least being with her makes things bearable. I don't know what I would do without her.
  17.  
  18. She lifts her chin and I kiss her, she moving to grasp my chin lightly to prolong the kiss a little more than normal. "Good morning," she says. "How was your night?"
  19. "As much as expected."
  20. "Was the guest room adequate?"
  21. "It was fine, but it wasn't the room which gave me trouble."
  22. "Trouble sleeping?"
  23. "Yeah."
  24. A flicker of worry passes over her face.
  25. "It's all right," I assure her, "I expect it nowadays. How did you sleep?"
  26. "It was... all right."
  27. Both of us have the silent caveat that sleep would have been more pleasant had we been next to one another as we've gotten used too.
  28. "Something smells wonderful," she comments, changing the subject and lifting her nose daintily in the air. I note how adorable the gesture is and file it away into the 'Things I Love Her For' part of my brain.
  29. "That would be breakfast. Are you hungry?"
  30. "Famished."
  31. I lead her to the counter and she finds a chair, sitting down while I move towards the stove to get her food. I prepare it while explaining the meal and asking if there's anything more I can get her. As I should have expected she asks for tea so I freshen the pot I made earlier and set more of Jigoro's foul coffee to brew in case anyone else wants some. I can't imagine who in the house would be so masochistic as to drink it but maybe Shizune would appreciate the challenge and I suspect Akira will want a stiff drink when she wakes up. A few elapsed minutes and the food is ready and I set the plate in front of her, lightly pressing a fork and knife to the back of her hand which she takes to use.
  32.  
  33. She begins to eat slowly while I continue to prepare the tea for the two of us.
  34. "This is delicious, Hisao. Did you cook this?"
  35. I chuckle. "Oh, no, don't credit me with that stuff. Your uncle was the one who made breakfast this morning."
  36. She pauses with her fork hanging over the plate. "Did he? The two of you... met?"
  37. "Oh, yes, we met. You were right Lilly, Jigoro is... well, he is a character."
  38. She looks concerned. "That would be putting it lightly. I hope everything went all right."
  39. "Actually, it went pretty well. He seemed fairly pleasent at first. I thanked him for letting me stay here and he was very helpful. I can understand what you mean, though; he's a hard person to understand. I'm not really sure how to talk to him half the time."
  40. Lilly nods and sighs, her utensil dancing nervously in her fingers. "Yes, well, please be careful around him. My uncle has a temper and I don't want the two of you getting into any arguments. It's hard enough being in this house with him going after Shizune and Hideaki. Unlike my father, he's very confrontational. I think that is where Shizune gets it."
  41.  
  42. I look back at Lilly to see if she's being serious. 'Unlike her father'? "Speaking of your whom, where is he?"
  43.  
  44. She waves her free hand, her voice taking a slightly sharp tone. "Oh, he's being a worrier again. Some silly nonsense about me getting ready in the morning. He insisted that he help me with the stairs and then he caught Akira as she woke up and the two of them started arguing over it. I left without announcing myself, I didn't want to hear them talk to each other that way."
  45. "Do they argue a lot about you?"
  46. Lilly stops eating for a second. She holds the pose for a minute, very still. "Yes, they do."
  47.  
  48. I change the subject quickly, her obvious discomfort over the topic goading me on. "I remember your father saying that when you first came down. I was in the kitchen."
  49. The sudden change catches her off guard. "You were already up?"
  50. "Yes."
  51. She looks confused and possibly a little hurt. "Why... didn't you say something?"
  52. I occupy myself with the tea for a moment. I don't want to upset her more than she already is. "Your father and Jigoro were arguing over breakfast. I kind of got caught in the middle and was keeping silent so they wouldn't drag me any more into it. When you came down they stopped suddenly and I thought it was best to remain silent or they might start again. I would have offered to help you get ready back upstairs when he suggested it, but..."
  53.  
  54. Lilly blushes and nods playing with her food a little. "I... understand. I know things have been strange with my father around, we've both had to change our habits around one another. I promise that things will get back to normal soon. It's still only been a few days, he'll calm down and the situation will get better."
  55.  
  56. I sit down with our tea and pour both of us a cup. I take her hand into mine which makes her smile.
  57. Back to normal? I sure hope so. "Those two sure can get carried away."
  58.  
  59. Lilly shakes her head at the topic. "They certainly can. When I was young all I remember them doing was arguing and time apart has done nothing to quell their rivalry. I wish they could put their differences aside just for a little while. It must be tiring to be so prepared to argue at a moment's notice. It exhausted me whenever Shizune and I had our little disagreements, I can't imagine how taxing it must be for the two of them or what they get out of their pointless bickering. I wish they would act like real brothers for just once."
  60.  
  61. "What is it between them? Why are they so eager to attack each other?"
  62. Lilly sighs with a look of flustered confusion on her face. "I have no idea. Even living in separate countries doesn't help; when I was visiting, Father had no less than three shouting matches over the phone with my uncle."
  63. "What could they possibly have been arguing about over the phone?"
  64. "Some nonsense with a book my uncle is writing. He sent a copy to my father and he was furious at some of the things that were written about him. He called it 'libelous' and threatened my uncle with a lawsuit."
  65. "Really? What did it say?"
  66. "I have no idea and I'd rather not know. I think it has something to do with his biography."
  67. "J-Jigoro? He's a writing a biography? About who?"
  68. Lilly sighs and sets her fork down. "Himself."
  69. I blink. "I'm confused; doesn't that mean it's an autobiography?"
  70. "Not according to him. He talks about it all the time and he's been working on it for years. Apparently it's not an 'autobiography' because he is dictating it to someone he is paying to be the author."
  71. I try to hold my tongue, but I have to ask. "Are you trying to tell me that he is paying someone to write a biography that he wrote about himself?"
  72. She nods slowly, as if the action was hard to comprehend. "Yes."
  73.  
  74. I have to let that sink in for a while.
  75. That's... insane!
  76. What type of madhouse am I staying in? How did I ever end up with so many jokers in my life?
  77.  
  78. I cover my face to hide my reaction, though I know deep down it's pointless. I don't know whether to laugh or scream. I eventually side on the former since it seems more pleasant. Lilly hears me and her face turns a tinge red and I can see her barely nibble on her lip in restraint.
  79.  
  80. We both start giggling and soon I'm laughing out loud, Lilly a hand over her mouth. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" I exclaim.
  81. "Oh, goodness, thank you!," she says, the back of her hand on her cheek. "I've been waiting for someone to say the very thing! He just goes on and on explaining it, but it just doesn't make any sense. No one ever confronts him on it and I thought they were either taken in by his foolish logic or too afraid to say anything."
  82.  
  83. We laugh over breakfast and our tea and it feels purifying to be so free with Lilly.
  84.  
  85. Our laughter fades and I very nearly feel as if I should wipe a tear from my eye. "Lilly, don't take this the wrong way, but your family is insane! Shizune, Hideaki, Jigoro, even Akira; how did you end up so... normal with all of these people being related to you?"
  86.  
  87. She sighs, her laughing blush fading. "Just lucky, I imagine; though I hope you're not implying I'm rather plain. You aren't, are you?"
  88.  
  89. There's that pout, that purposeful little expression that so directly enunciates her point leaving me bewildered and caught off guard. "Not in the least. Far from it; I've never met someone as fascinating as you are."
  90.  
  91. Her mouth drops slightly but quickly regains composure, lowering her face in light of the veiled compliment. Again she blushes and she holds her hand open and I take it again into my own once more. "Still, your family is filled with characters. Your uncle just seems to be at the top of the heap. How long has he been working on this ridiculous book?"
  92. "Years! He even gave me a copy."
  93. "Well, it was nice of him to go to the effort of getting it done in braille at the very least."
  94.  
  95. Again, Lilly pouts, but this time it's slightly annoyed.
  96.  
  97. I hesitate to ask but I eventually force myself to. "He... did get you a braille copy, right?"
  98. Lilly has started to eat again but she ends up tapping her fork in a staccato beat, looking to be annoyed and trying not to show it.
  99. "No."
  100. "He gave you an actual book? With... words?"
  101. "Yes," she says, her frustration clear. "He called it an 'advance copy'. He wanted to me to, as he said, 'fact check' it. I was speechless, but I didn't know what to say. I was very young and he was very frightening to me at the time. What was I supposed to do, refuse? Tell him what I thought? How could I be capable of doing that?"
  102.  
  103. I'm trying to wrap my head around it. Jigoro actually gave Lilly a book?
  104. Words on paper?
  105. To read?
  106.  
  107. I feel insulted, even more than I did when he criticized Shizune. What a jackass! Giving a book to a blind girl to read? What an asshole! I'm not sure what I would do, but I feel like I would spit in his face for doing that and to hell with the consequences! "I can't believe he would do that."
  108.  
  109. "I doubt it was meant to ridicule or mock me. I don't think he does half the things he does on purpose. I imagine he just doesn't think about anything before doing it."
  110. "The least he could have done if reading it was so important was make it accessible to you." I smirk, thinking of something to lighten the mood. "Jigoro seems like the kind of guy who would love to record himself in an audio book."
  111.  
  112. Lilly smiles but I can her shudder at the thought of listening to her uncle narrate his life to her. "He would seem to be the kind of person who enjoys the sound of his own voice, don't you think?"
  113. "Well, he may be a jerk but at least he's a good cook."
  114.  
  115. Lilly flinches slightly, as if Jigoro might hear my term for him. I guess Lilly is just careful about what she says from both being composed and polite, as well as being worried of who might overhear her words spoken in haste without realizing they are nearby. "Yes, for all his flaws, he is an excellent cook." She listens intently for a moment. "Have you already eaten?"
  116.  
  117. The lack of the sound of a fork scraping across my plate must be telling, not to mention that my hand is occupied by holding her own. "Oh, yeah, I got that out of the way as soon as I was done running."
  118.  
  119. Lilly is about to take another dainty bite of food but drops her fork on the plate in mid-motion and I'm shocked by the alarmed look she has. "You did what?"
  120.  
  121. "I went running."
  122. "When? Where?"
  123. This is different. I've never seen Lilly react this way to something. I'm a little concerned by her outburst. "In the park behind the house this morning."
  124. "Why didn't you tell me?"
  125. The tone in her voice is upset and accusing, like I was hiding something from her. "I did say I was going to start jogging, Lilly."
  126. "That was when you were at Yamaku."
  127. "There's a nice walk up in the park. They have a lot of benches and a big circle around the pond. Lilly, what's wrong?"
  128. She laces her fingers, pulling away from my grasp. "Why did you not tell me this this morning?"
  129. "I didn't want to bother you or wake you up for something as silly as that."
  130. "It is not silly, Hisao!" she snaps. "You need to be careful! It is one thing to run at Yamaku, they have facilities, you can get medical attention quickly there. Here the best they have is the hospital and that is some time from the house. What if something had happened while you were running? While you were alone?"
  131.  
  132. I take her hand back into mine forcefully, unlacing her worried fingers. "Lilly, it's all right, calm down. I hardly ran, I just walked a few times around the pond, it was nothing major. I'm not taking any risks, I've already thought this through; I've been taking my medication, I'm not pushing myself and I'm taking it easy whenever I exercise."
  133. "It's too early, there isn't anyone in the park! What would you have done if you needed help?"
  134. "I was in contact with Hideaki, I could have called him if it was an emergency." I begin to stroke her hand, her distress growing. "Lilly, please, it's all right. I'm okay, I'm fine. I said I was going to do this earlier. Why are you so upset?"
  135.  
  136. I'm surprised by how distressed a slip of my tongue has made her. She makes it sound as if this were some sort of betrayal or I was doing something reckless and dangerous. I admit, I'm not in the best shape but with my medication keeping me within normal bounds, I can handle a little exertion to get me started for real progress. For being so careful about reminding me to take my pills while I was at Yamaku, Lilly almost seems dead set against the idea of me exercising to improve my health.
  137.  
  138. "I thought you would be waiting until we return to Yamaku to begin exercising," she says, her voice strained. "You only just got out of the hospital a few weeks ago, you should be recovering, not exerting yourself. What if something happened to you and there was no one around?"
  139.  
  140. "It isn't exerting myself, Lilly, I have to do this for my health, you know that. It's just like taking my medication."
  141. "Taking your medication doesn't come with the risk of hurting yourself." She makes a troubled whimper. "Oh, dear, I forgot to tell you to take your pills...."
  142. "I already took care of it, I'm not going to forget them while getting ready to jog." I take both of her hands into mine, reaching to her across the counter. "Lilly, please calm down. There's no reason to be this upset, I can handle a little light exercise."
  143. "Why can't you just take it easy over the summer? Then, when we go back to Yamaku, you can start there. That sounds far more sensible; it'll be safer and Ms. Ibarazaki will be there to keep tabs on you."
  144. "You and I both know that if I keep putting this off I'll never start. If I don't keep up with it right away, I'll forget all about it and get into old habits."
  145. She looks put out and still upset. "Then I'll go with you to make sure you're okay."
  146.  
  147. I don't want to say it aloud, but that wouldn't be much of a help. Even in an emergency I'm not sure to what extent Lilly could help me whether it was regarding my own needs or fetching assistance. Her own limitations, combined with my own, only complicates the issue. I hate to say it but any help Lilly could give me would likely be outmatched by a cell phone and the last thing I want to put her through is having me laying on the ground having a heart attack with her bent over me helpless to stop it. That's the last thing I want to do. Not to mention even if Lilly was capable of walking with me the whole way, it would do little for my health. We've always taken long walks together but they were slow, too slow. Traveling into town for groceries just doesn't cut it anymore, as evidenced by my condition up until this point. Even with medication I need to push myself just a little bit which is more than I can do with Lilly at my side. "I don't think that's the solution. Listen, Lilly, I'm sorry I upset you. Please, I apologize, but we both know this is something I need to do."
  148.  
  149. She squeezes my hands tight enough to sting. "I don't want you to," she says in a small voice that breaks my heart.
  150.  
  151. "Lilly," I plead, holding both of her hands and massaging her fingers, "I'm having a hard enough time getting myself up in the morning, taking my pills and going out to exercise. I've been holding myself back, I can't succeed if you're against me too. I need you to help me. I can't do this if I don't have you supporting me."
  152.  
  153. She looks suddenly very guilty over her reaction to my news. She dips her head, facing the counter and seemingly ashamed of her outburst and her words, trying to discourage me for my efforts. "I'm sorry, Hisao. I shouldn't be so selfish. I'm just worried, that's all. I don't want anything happening to you. Being away from you has been horrible, not knowing when something could go wrong. It's why I was so relieved when you were able to come here and spend the summer with me. I don't want you to be away, but neither do I want you to put yourself in a compromising situation. I worry about you. What else am I supposed to do?"
  154.  
  155. I tighten my fingers around her knuckles softly. "I know, and I'm being careful. I know you worry about me but I'm not going to ignore this part of my life anymore. This is just some light exercise, it's good for me. I'm being cautious and I'm not trying to prove anything to anyone, I'm just trying to start some good habits. I'm not going to start running marathons anytime soon, it's just a couple of slow laps around a tiny pond just outside the backyard. I'm close and I'm safe. You don't have to worry yourself over that, Lilly. I've told you before I don't want to cause you to worry about me. That's why I'm doing this, so I'll get better and you won't have to be so concerned in the future. I need to do this, for both us."
  156.  
  157. She hesitates then makes a couple quick nods in reluctant acceptance. I lean over the counter and tip her face up, kissing her. She instantly cups my cheeks, wrapping her hands in my hair and around my head, covetous and cultivating the touch between us into more.
  158.  
  159. Again I'm struck by the kiss, how needy and wanting it is. It's the kiss she would always give me before we made love, like the one last night, a kiss that leads into other things. Again though, she pulls back slowly and even more reluctantly than before.
  160.  
  161. I take her fork from where it dropped and place it carefully back in her hand. She grasps it and sighs in cautious relief before going back to eating, though from the way she picks at it, I suspect her appetite has fled.
  162.  
  163. I know Lilly is worried, I don't blame her. After everything that I've been through, what we've been through together and what I've gone through for her, it's only natural that she would be against any attempt for me to exert myself. I know Lilly would love for me to live a sedentary lifestyle alongside her but that didn't help me before while we were dating and it won't do anything for my health and life in the future. I've stood still too long to stop now. I don't want her to be upset but I need to find the right balance between meeting my own health needs and keeping her assured that I'm not exposing myself to any undue risks. For my condition to get better I need to run and exert myself at a careful pace but I need Lilly for the motivation and support to do that. I need her to be at my side, maybe not physically, but I have to know she has my back and supports me in this. I can't do it without her and I don't want her to be holding me back as much as I have been holding myself. "Are you okay?"
  164.  
  165. She nods slightly, picking at her food. "I will. I'm just worrying and being silly."
  166. "It's not silly. I'll be fine," I smile at her, "Look at it this way; when I had my last attack, I wasn't taking my pills and I was running full speed through an airport. Now, thanks to you, I've been keeping up with my medication and I'm taking it easy. I wouldn't be able to do this if I didn't have you with me, Lilly. I'm in a much better place thanks to your help."
  167.  
  168. She moves up from her plate to face me, giving me a tiny smile and a very firm little nod, accompanied with a tightening of her hand around mine. The compliment and admission of my reliance on her seems to brighten her mood considerably from the gloom that had settled over her.
  169.  
  170. Our moment is disturbed by an irate looking Akira staggering into the kitchen, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Amazingly, this early in the morning, Akira is still wearing a suit, though she's dispensed with the pinstripe jacket and seems satisfied to let her tie hang loosely, her shirt buttons open slightly. If I didn't know better, I would think she slept in it. "Good morning, Akira," I offer her in way of greeting. Lilly seems to perk up as well. "Hello, Akira."
  171.  
  172. The older Satou waves a hand, a committed gesture. "Is that cofee I smell? I could use a cup."
  173. "Yeah, right on the counter."
  174.  
  175. Akira lurches towards it, looking down into the soupy mixture. "Did uncle make this?"
  176. "It's his coffee but I'm the one who made it."
  177. Akira grimaces at the brew before her. "What the hell, I'm desperate enough." She pours herself a cup and tentatively sips it. She blanches only slightly before she begins to dump spoonfuls of sugar and creamer into the tarry substance. Looking over her work above the cup, she looks at me and Lilly and grins. "You two sleep well?"
  178.  
  179. The implications of her jibe are not missed by either me or Lilly. I'm a little lost as to a proper response but it seems Lilly picks up my slack, her face set in a serious tone. "Last night was fine. Hisao says he had some difficulty sleeping in the guest room."
  180.  
  181. Akira's face goes blank, looking between the two of us before catching on and nodding, slightly admonished. "Well, all right then."
  182. Lilly usually gets a little embarrassed or even slightly outraged when Akira jokes about the two of us sleeping together, but her sharp and pointed remark seems a touch out of place for her.
  183.  
  184. "How about you, Akira?" I ask. "How have you been dealing with the living arrangements?"
  185. She finishes with her coffee, the syrup a little paler than the midnight black elixir it started out as, and sits at the counter with us. "It's fine, I guess. It feels a little weird whenever we visit the family; we spent so much time here when we were young, it's a little nostalgic, though a lot has changed since then."
  186. Lilly nods, the wistful look on her face matching Akira's tone.
  187.  
  188. It still seems funny to me to think of Lilly and Akira living in this house with Shizune, Hideaki and Jigoro all under one roof. The way this family treats each other is so strange to me, it's utterly alien how these relationships normally play out. I imagine it was sort of tribal, with Lilly and Akira on one side of the house and the Hakamichis on the other. Maybe they even drew a line down the middle of the home with one side belonging to each portion of the family. Then again that sounds exactly like something a young Shizune would do, with big stripes of paint to mark off which sections of the house she and Lilly could claim as their own. Maybe she strung up cans and bells to keep Lilly from wandering into her section of the house; I wouldn't put it past Shizune to set a few traps in the hallways.
  189.  
  190. Lilly said that Akira and Jigoro didn't get along very well and argued often. I can imagine with how protective Akira is of Lilly and with Jigoro being so mindlessly rude and blunt, the two of them often got into arguments over his treatment of her. In fact, I bet that protectiveness extends to Hideaki as well considering how much time he and Akira spend together. I doubt Shizune needed Akira to ever back her up against her father; I'm sure Shizune is more than capable of dealing with her father's strange eccentricities.
  191.  
  192. She inherited half of them, it seems.
  193.  
  194. That brings to thought other issues; it's safe to say Akira and Jigoro don't get along because of the living arrangements Lilly needs. That might be a contributing factor in her obvious dislike of her own father.
  195.  
  196. That doesn't make sense though; if anything, Lilly's father is protective and very mindful of Lilly's needs. His concern over her using stairs alone seems to be indication of that. Maybe the similarities between Jigoro and Mr. Satou, their presence, their controlling attitude, are enough to make Akira dislike both of her male relatives. Akira always did seem to strike me as a person who would rebel against authority, whether it comes from her own father or her similarly overbearing uncle. Maybe her bias got the better of her and was the cause of many of those disagreements.
  197.  
  198. "So, Hisao," Akira asks me, "what do you think of the place so far?"
  199. "Well, it is my first day here, but I won't say it hasn't been... interesting, so far."
  200. "I bet," she grins, "Sorry about what happened yesterday. When my father and Jigoro get together, that sort of thing becomes a common occurrence. Hopefully this whole situation will resolve itself and we can all get back to life as normal."
  201.  
  202. Lilly gives a nod, but it's an uncomfortable gesture.
  203.  
  204. "I saw the two of them in action just a little while ago," I add. "Those two never waste a chance to take a shot at the other."
  205. Akira shakes her head. "No, no, they don't. It's always been like that. My father isn't one to let something like the chance to criticize someone slide without a comment."
  206.  
  207. Akira's words leave an uncomfortable aftertaste. I'm reminded that she must have just got out of an argument with her father about Lilly, another thing he and Jigoro likely have in common, though for very different motivations.
  208.  
  209. Lilly remains silent and I sip my tea.
  210.  
  211. I'm not one to claim a normal, healthy family life. My parents are very career oriented and I spent much of my childhood alone or taking care of my own needs. Still, my parents worked hard for me and we still got the chance to go to a park or spend a day at home together every so often. I find myself feeling very uncomfortable being stuck in the middle of all these personal family issues between Lilly, Akira and every member of their family.
  212.  
  213. It's a complicated and messy situation; Lilly and Shizune argue and are always at each other for one reason or another, Akira can't stand her father and uncle, while acting more of a sister to Hideaki than Shizune does, who seems to admire her uncle more than her own father, the father who treats her and her brother like wastes of space with no consideration for Shizune's condition, while Lilly's father is painfully aware of his own daughter's condition and criticizes Akira for not being the same.
  214.  
  215. It all strikes me as being so wrong and I'm stuck in the middle of it all trying to figure out a place for me to stand. I owe my loyalty to Lilly and Akira, but it puts me in an awkward position regarding their father, which just complicates matters with Jigoro and Shizune. It's like some sick game played by every member of the family and I'm joining in with only half of the rules known. If I had realized meeting Lilly's family would be so troublesome, I may have thought twice about jumping into the middle of it all.
  216.  
  217. Still, I have no right to complain; even with the difficulties of Mr. Satou being here I've been lucky enough to be offered the chance to spend the rest of the school break with Lilly. Even with all the troubles already made very clear to me, the alternative, the rest of summer alone in an abandoned campus, holds no appeal for me.
  218.  
  219. I can deal with a little family drama for Lilly's sake. I just need to keep my space and keep my head down until it's all over.
  220.  
  221. Hideaki walks into the room, out of his pajamas and now wearing his standard, gender unbiased wardrobe. "Hisao?"
  222. I give him a nod of welcome. "Good morning, Hideaki. How are you?"
  223. "I'm fine." He gives similar terse but polite greetings to Lilly and Akira, the former messing up his hair and tugging at his bow when he gets within arm's length, his face an tolerantly annoyed mask. "How was your run this morning?" he asks me.
  224. "Very good. Thanks for keeping an eye out for me."
  225. He smiles with a tone of pride. "Sure."
  226. "Yes, thank you for helping Hisao, Hideaki. I appreciate it," Lilly adds.
  227. "It was no big deal."
  228. He stands there, staring at me.
  229. "Is something wrong?" I ask.
  230. He shrugs. "My uncle asked me to tell you he'd like to talk upstairs in my father's office."
  231.  
  232. So much for keeping my head down.
  233. Akira hides her expression behind a coffee cup, but she locks eyes with me for a moment.
  234.  
  235. "Here we go," I mumble to myself.
  236.  
  237. Lilly smiles tightly and pats my hand. "Don't be so nervous. You'll be fine; he's not going to bite you."
  238. "I doubt that."
  239.  
  240. She smiles again, much lighter this times. She runs her hand up my arm to end at my cheek, lightly patting me. Then she tugs at my earlobe, pulling me into a tiny kiss. "It'll be okay. Remember what I said; he's more approachable once he gets to know you. He probably just wants to have a little talk."
  241. "Yeah, that's probably it."
  242.  
  243. I get up from the counter and finish my tea in one gulp. After some hesitation, I take Akira's coffee mug and take a bracing drink, which makes her chuckle at my expression when the liquid smashes into my tongue. "Good luck, kid; remember what I said," she adds to Lilly's advice.
  244.  
  245. I give a nod and Hideaki leads me deeper into the house and towards the belly of the beast.
  246.  
  247. ----------------------------------------
  248.  
  249. 2-11: https://pastebin.com/ZhzTA1Ji
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