“Just a while longer, okay?” the head of red hair next to me mumbles.
The alarm next to my bed blinks “7:00 AM”, its siren drilling into my skull. Rin seems to be immune to this however, her entire body snuggling against mine as she tries to catch back up with the world of sleep.
I reach over and slam the 'snooze' button on the black box, almost knocking it off of the nightstand in the process. Her head rests against my chest, her strange hobbies expanding to include 'listening to my heartbeat', so I'm unable to sit up without disturbing her.
Her soft, disheveled hair parts against my hand as I run my fingers across her scalp, gentle moans filling the silent atmosphere as I crane my fingers and scratch her head, causing a heavy sigh to roll out of her mouth.
She turns her head up at me, chin against my chest, and looks me straight in the eyes before stating “I love you” in her usual deadpan manner.
“That's an awfully nice thing to say so early in the morning.” I respond with butterflies in my stomach.
“I think.” she adds on
She lets me keep going for a few minutes before sitting up on the edge of the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes on her shoulder.
“I was having a dream about sheep.”
“Really? How many were there?” I ask without pause.
“I lost count at 42.” she answers groggily.
A chuckle escapes my mouth as I stand up, stretching.
Our usual morning routine passes by without issue – shower, getting dressed (a short celebration as I'm finally able to get them 'just right' on the first try,) breakfast, and then summer classes.
Because I have nothing else to do over summer break, I hang around in Rin's make-up classes, usually nodding off or doodling in a notebook I've started carrying around. First is history, then mathematics, then Japanese literature, and finally science, each 1-hour session passing by without incident. Being the final day of the week, she's been given a stack of homework about three inches thick to finish over the weekend.
Of course, we aren't the only ones in summer school. Those two journalism club girls from my class, plus a number of students from Lilly's and Rin's homerooms sit around, all working on different assignments, with varying levels of frustration due to the fact that most of the good teachers are gone on the beach trip.
Upon finishing the four core classes, Rin and I get to walk up the stairs and down the hall to attend make-up sessions for her favorite class, taught by the one and only...
“Just draw a portrait of Nakai and get out. I have places to be right now, I shouldn't even have to be here over summer break.” Nomiya fumes.
Rin nods and motions at me to take a pose as she readies a few pieces of paper and a brush. She places the thin white sheets on the easel and dips the brush in a small can of black paint, slathering ink onto the first one in the stack in broad strokes.
Nomiya continues ranting and raving around the room, but we've both learned to tune his arrogant ramblings out, especially after that episode between him and Rin after the art exhibition. Nomiya has since moved onto the blind boy in the art club, desperately trying to plant the seeds of fame and fortune in another unwilling teenager.
Even though her normally detached demeanor seems unfazed, she still rushes her picture, wanting to get out as fast as Nomiya. However, upon trying to turn it in, he rejects her work and tells her to restart with an almost smug expression. I take a different pose and she transfers an impression of my image onto the paper once more, only to be denied again. This happens five times before he slams her paper into his binder and makes a run for the door.
“Nakai, lock up the room when you finish wasting time. I have to go right this instant.” he yells from across the room.
“Seems like someone's still a little bitter.” I mutter as he storms out the door, still frustrated for no real reason.
Rin nods her head in agreement.
“Well, we may as well get going too, that homework isn't going to do itself, you know?”
She nods and picks her bag up, shifting her torso until it sits just right on her shoulders. However, instead of following me out of the room, she stares at the blank easel with an almost forlorn expression, her eyes darting back and forth among the blank corners as if trying to find some meaning in it.
“Last day, right?”
“Yeah, last day.” I answer.
“Good.” she replies.
I decide to leave her thoughts alone and walk with her back to my dorm room, reveling in how the school seems so empty now, with most of the students either home or on the beach trip – even Kenji's managed to make himself scarce.
I'm not sure if a boy and a girl staying in the same room is permitted under any circumstances, but we've managed to get away with it for a week now, so there doesn't seem to be too much of an issue. In fact, I think they're okay with it, because a letter addressed to her sits at the base of my door.
“Huh, that's weird. Do you always get mail?” I ask, moving the question as to who delivered the mail in the Student Council's absence to the back of my mind.
“Not usually, I get junk from the art supply place and the music stores every now and then asking me to subscribe to all kinds of magazines and membership cards, or credit card companies trying to get me to sign my soul away, but never an actual letter. At least, not recently.” she explains, eying the envelope.
We get inside my room and shut the door, depositing our things in the corner. She falls back onto my bed and raises her foot towards me, her outstretched toes receiving the thin piece of paper I pull from the envelope.
Her sea-green eyes skim across the sheet of paper wearing a rather bored expression as she reads it down.
“It's from my parents.” she says as she holds the letter out for me to take back.
“...Your parents?”
She nods.
“I've only heard about them once, and that was from Nomiya. What do they want?”
“Papa has the entire day off tomorrow and he wants to see me. I get a letter like this every couple of months, although I haven't been home since the end of last year.” she answers.
I read the letter for myself. It's only a few short paragraphs; a greeting, an explanation as to why they couldn't attend her art exhibition, and a summons to return home for a bit.
“So are you going to go?”
She nods and points at the white envelope on my desk. I open it to find not one, but two train tickets to a place I haven't heard about since a geography test many years ago.
“They live THAT far away?!”
“Yeah, I don't get to see them much because they live all the way up north.”
“Jeez, this is going to be a long trip...” I mutter.
“...Wait, why are there two tickets? Do they know about-”
“Emi's been to my house before, because I couldn't carry my bag by myself last time. They probably want to see her back too, since she and Mama get along really well.” she answers before I can finish.
“Oh. Hmmm...”
I naturally assume that I'll be taking her place, as Emi has already returned to her own home for the summer break. Out of curiosity, I look over and check the tickets to see when we d-
“RIN THE TRAIN LEAVES IN TWO HOURS!”
“Oh. Hm.” she replies, as if she hadn't even heard what I said.
“C'MON C'MON WE HAVE TO PACK!!”
**************************************
The car lurches forward as the train departs the station, gradually picking up speed. My heart pounds furiously against my sternum, almost convulsing from how hard we had to run to make it in time. Rin breathes rather heavily too as she rests in the window seat.
I take a breather before opening the compartment above our row and forcing our luggage into it. We both only managed to pack one bag each on such ridiculously short notice, although Rin decided to take her school bag with her, hopefully to work on that mountain of homework.
Content that the door is firmly closed, I sit down and lay back into the chair, ready to endure the three-hour trip. Rin stares out the window, her eyes darting back and forth across the landscape as it flashes past us.
“Whatcha thinking about?”
“Why do the forests look so different everywhere? Can't there have been one type of tree that's gotten it perfectly right and manages to survive better? Shouldn't the other trees learn from it?”
"Well, it has to do with the temperature and the amount of sunlight. A tree that works down south wouldn't work up north because its cooler."
“You need to pay more attention in science.” I add on, chiding her.
“At least I've got math down.” she returns.
“Are you sure? What's the derivative of 42x + 3?” I ask.
“42.” she replies with a blank stare. “The same as the number of sheep I saw in my dream.”
“Really? I thought that was when you lost count.”
She clenches her eyes shut, trying to remember.
“I don't know. It might be, but I specifically remember the number 42 for some reason.” she answers.
The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. Go figure.
“You sure are good at forgetting things.” I return, the sides of my mouth curving up into a grin.
She nods for the sole reason of agreeing with me. It feels good to be able to keep up with her scatterbrained way of making conversation for once.
“Hey, what are your parents like?” I ask from the top of my head.
“They're parents.”
“I mean, they're very...parenty.” she continues.
“...I see.” I reply, not quite grasping what she means.
She looks at the ceiling for a while, trying to think of something to say.
“Mama plays the piano. She's really good at it, she performs at a lot of the clubs and concert halls around town. She also taught at the school for a while, but I think she gave up on that.”
“Huh, she does sound amazing.” I reply.
“She sings too. I wish my voice was as pretty as hers.” she continues.
“What? I like your voice.” I interject.
“So does Emi, but every time I hear it I want to go mute, like that student council president girl. That's everyone's reaction to their own voice though. Emi tried to get me to do karaoke once, but she gave up and left when we listened to the recording because she sounded terrible, although I thought she sounded pretty good when she was singing so it might have just been the recording equipm-”
“Is she anything like you?” I interrupt before her train of thought can get even further derailed.
“She's...Kooky.” Rin answers after a bit of thought.
“Kooky?”
“Yeah. Cuckoo. Crazy. Eccentric. Spontaneous. Silly. Nutty. Wacky. Bo-”
“Okay, I get it. What makes her so...wild?”
“Well, wild isn't really a good word. She and papa have been married for 20 years, so I don't think wild works since that's what they use for those inappropriate commercials with the barely legal girls taking their shirts off in public places.”
“You know what I mean...”
"Oh.” she continues.
"She likes to throw parties. Fancy parties, not wild parties. Weird parties though, like when you wear those crazy masks and dress up like you're in that movie about the phantom of the opera.”
“A masquerade?”
“Yeah, that's what she calls them too.” she answers.
“Hmmm, definitely...interesting.”
“Yeah. I like having her as mama.” Rin replies with a smile.
“Can't wait to meet her. What about your Dad? Is he as...crazy?”
She thinks for a second.
“Papa's...normal.”
“And just what constitutes normal?”
“He's whatever mama isn't.” Rin replies.
I can't help but laugh at her explanation.
“He's an insurance salesman, works the day away, comes home to sleep for a few hours, and then heads off early in the morning. I think he loves his job a little too much.”
“What makes you say that?”
“He's only taken one break in the past few years, and that was to help me move in to school.” Rin answers.
“Oh. That kind of parent.”
“Well, it's not like he neglects us or anything. He makes enough money for a nice house and for us to do plenty of fun stuff whenever I'm back. And he still gets days off every now and then...”
“Had me worried for a second there.” I reply, trying to laugh it off.
“Mama calls him a big teddy bear. He's really...Huge?
Papa bear, eh?
“Is that good or bad?” I ask.
“You'll just have to see for yourself, I can't think of a way to describe him.”
“Well we're already going up to meet them, don't know how I'd go without seeing him at least once.”
“He doesn't get home til late at night most of the time. We do lots of things together when he gets time off, like go to the museum or watch sports. He's really serious about sports, always yelling at the TV when there's a golf match or something. We go out to baseball games every now and then, although I never really got into it.”
“You never struck me as a girl who would like sports.” I say, chuckling.
“That's because I'm not.” she replies.
“The only thing you really do is paint, as far as I can tell.”
“Well, it's the only thing that really interests me. There aren't many instruments that work for people like me, so I couldn't make music like mama. Papa taught me how to paint though.”
“Really? I thought he was the super-serious type.”
“Well, he is, its just one of his hobbies. When I was four years old I walked outside and saw him on the back porch painting the forest behind our house. He taught me how to pick the brush up with my toes, and I just sort of kept going after that, it was something to do that wasn't staring at the clouds, although I don't mind it too much anymore.
“That's pretty early.” I respond, unable to come up with anything more interesting to say.
“He's good at lots of things though. Portraits, landscapes, modernist and abstract stuff, everything. I'm just good at the abstract stuff.” she concedes.
“But you're an amazing artist, I'm sure you can out-do him when it comes to the style you're good at.”
Her eyes shift back and forth as if thinking of an answer.
“Maybe.”
“If he's so good at painting, why doesn't he become a professional artist?” I add on.
“He says the pay is too unstable,” she answers. “sell one painting one year and a thousand the next or something. His stuff does sell every now and then though.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
“He's an insurance salesman right now, at least, I think he's still a salesman. He might just sit at a desk and fill out papers now, since I got a letter from mama a few months ago talking about a promotion or something.”
“But anyway, I like them.”she finishes.
“Well, they're your parents, I would hope you like them.”
She nods her head in agreement.
“...Is your Dad the scary sort?”
“Only if you try to sneak into my bed or something.”
“I'll try not to do that.” I say, laughing as I imagine a grizzly bear in a business suit.
I guess any father would be protective of his daughter, no matter how eccentric she may be. Seeing as how the flashing clock at the front of the train only reads '6:10', I lay back into the cushion and prepare to sleep the rest of the way there.
Rin seems to have the same idea as she shuffles around in her chair, trying to find the best position to flop down on me from. Upon finding it, she leans over and rests her head on my shoulder.
I take off my jacket and lay it across her before wrapping one arm around her thin shoulders, unable to resist getting caught up in the moment. She doesn't seem to mind, her torso shifting into my embrace.
“Your head's comfy.” I whisper as my eyes shut, her soft hair rubbing against my cheek.
“All of you is comfy.” she retorts, her breath slowing as sleep takes hold.
***********************************
I open the chest-high gate in front of a large, two-story house, letting Rin and myself in. The grass is neatly cut and a garden with a variety of flowers runs along the front, contrasting with the plain whitewashed wood and brick making up the house's exterior. A number of solar lights glow throughout the yard, helping me down the winding concrete pathway.
I'm not sure what time it is, but its late enough for the sun to have completely sunken into the horizon.
“My key's in my bag pocket” Rin calls out to me, standing in front of the door.
Without a second thought I unzip the pouch and dig around for the keyring. Upon finding it, I flip through the four keys and randomly stick one into the handle of the door, mentally cheering for my guessing abilities when the knob turns and the door opens.
Her front door opens into a small hallway, which in turn opens into a rather large living room. The kitchen and dining room sit on the other end without separation, giving the house a rather spacious air. There isn't a single wall that doesn't have a picture of some sort hanging from it, ranging from the small abstract paintings here and there to the massive landscape on the far wall, easily twelve feet wide.
A large widescreen TV covers the wall next to the hallway, with a few large sofas facing it in a half circle, a coffee table between them. Across the room, a large dining table with eight chairs around it sits waiting for the next party. The kitchen is kept updated with plenty of modern appliances, including a refrigerator as wide as I am tall. All of the furniture in the room seems expensive, but not tacky or tasteless. The very manner in which the decorations are arranged seems artistic in itself.
The first thing that grabs my eye is the open grand piano across the room, right next to an open sliding glass door. A woman sits on the stool in front of it, her long and slender fingers tapping away on the keys, strings of notes and chords pouring into the room and filling the house.
She sways back and forth as she plays, her eyes closed in thought. Her appearance immediately reminds me of Rin – the same head of short, disheveled auburn hair, the same slenderness that makes her look almost weightless, and the same detached air about her.
“Mama, I'm back.” Rin calls out to the room.
The woman's eyes jerk open as she looks over and sees us, but the music does not stop. In fact, it transitions into a different tune as her face widens with excitement.
“The daughter returns home once more~!” she chimes with brilliant falsetto.
Even though the sheer cheesiness of the lyrics makes me cringe a little, I still can't help but admire her. Rin was right, her voice is amazing, and her piano skills are nothing to be scoffed at either.
After a few more phrases of her “Rin's back” song, she turns and leaps out of the stool, dancing across the room with her arms wide open. Her loose cloth pants and shirt sway in the breeze as she spins around, eventually enveloping the smaller version of herself in a tight hug.
“And you even brought your boyfriend home to meet us~!” she says as she picks Rin up and squeezes her.
I jump at her assertion, but I'm completely unsure of how to answer. I mean, we are pretty close, but I don't think I can call her my girlfriend yet, at least not formally, and even if-
“What's your name, young man?” the woman asks, resting her chin on top of Rin's head as she hugs her from behind.
“Uh, Hisao Nakai.” I answer shakily.
“Oh don't be so scared, there isn't a mother out there who doesn't want to meet her daughter's boyfriend~!”
She releases Rin from her embrace and runs over to me, grabbing my arms. Her hands are ridiculously tiny compared to mine, almost fragile. In fact, her entire frame seems as if it'll break if I so much as look at her wrong.
She does well to dispel this notion, however, as she grabs my hands and pulls me into a dance, either a waltz or a tango, I'm not sure. She hums her own tune, her feet sliding across the ground to its pace, my own legs dragging behind as I try to figure out what to do. Before long, she tries to start up a conversation with me.
“So, what do you do? Still in school? College? What's your major? Job prospects? How many cars do you own? Painter? Singer? Instrumentalist? Cook? Server Administrator? Mathematician? Secret Service Agent? Are you allowed to tell us if you are? How do -”
“Mama, calm down.” Rin calls out from across the room.
She doesn't listen, however, and continues listing off jobs and pulling me along with her movements.
“Still a third year in high-” I cut myself off as we almost knock over a lamp, “-school, probably going to study chemistry in college,” I try desperately to catch up with her, but only wind up slipping across the ground. “I don't even have my-” we knock against the back of the sofa “-driver's license!”
Before we have a chance to break anything, I stop and pull my hands away, grabbing onto her shoulders to steady her.
“Mrs. Tezuka, will you please-”
“Ooh, a slow dance; you're awfully daring when it comes to your girlfriend's mother~!” she sings at me.
“No, that's the thing, I don't know if we're-”
She grabs one of my hands and plants it on her waist as she takes the other, guiding me across the room at a slower, yet still frantic pace. At this point I've lost count of the number of times I've almost tripped over her or something else in the room, simply letting myself get pulled along by her rhythm.
After putting up with a few more minutes of this, I finally break away from her and fall back into the sofa, next to Rin. She continues dancing around the room, spinning and performing a number of other moves before plopping down on the recliner next to us, breathing heavily.
“Ahh, that was fun. You're a fun guy. I don't mind if you marry my daughter.” she says, still humming.
At this point I'm not even sure of what to say. I've seen her naked, slept with her, and we've even done “that” once. And even if all that hadn't happened, I'd still have strong feelings about her – but I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to tie the knot so e-
“Hm.” Rin shrugs.
My head jerks over to her, trying to comprehend what was just said.
“Marriage is too complicated though.” she adds on in a blank, almost uninterested tone.
Something inside me jumps for joy, but I still can't help but feel that they're both messing with me. At the very least, Mrs. Tezuka laughs when she sees the deep shade of crimson eclipsing my face.
“Oh please, Rin. There isn't a girl out there who doesn't want to get married~.”
“You'll have to get permission from her papa first, though.” she adds, holding her finger up.
All I can do is sigh and shake my head, one hand over my face.
“I don't think we're quite ready for marriage. I don't know if we're even dating yet.” I throw out into the open.
She clicks her tongue theatrically, chiding “ooh, that's a problem.”
She looks between us with a finger on her chin, appearing to be in thought.
“Rin, are you and Mr. Nakai here in a relationship?”
...That was rather forward.
“Well it's kind of ambiguous since we're always together but we don't really do romancey stuff like dancing in the rain or kissing under a tree on a hill as the sun sets in the distance.”
She turns to me, expecting me to pick up where she left off.
“Uh, that depends, do you want us to be?” I reply to her, trying to keep from further becoming the butt of their joke.
“I don't mind the way things are right now.”
“Wait, so are we friends right now, or are we dating?” I ask in confusion.
“Whatever works.” she answers.
“Well even if you two can't figure something out, I am still perfectly okay with this!” her mother adds with an ecstatic grin.
How can you be okay with your daughter dating a guy you've known for all of 15 minutes?!
“Uhhh, okay, then I guess we're dating now?” I conclude.
Wait, concede? I should be happy about this! Even if Rin seems to be indifferent, as if she's just going along with the joke like me.
“Now confess your love to her~!” Mrs. Tezuka continues.
“Wha-, what do you mean by that?!”
“Tell her you love her~! I won't approve of your relationship unless you're in love~!”
This woman is just having way too much fun today.
Rin looks over to me with a tired expression, her eyes beaming with expectation.
I let out a deep sigh.
“Rin...I...”
“You wha~t?” Mrs. Tezuka asks.
I mean it through and through, but I still can't believe I'm about to actually say it, in front of her mother no less!
“Rin, I...love you.” I manage to squeeze out, immediately dazed by the words that just escaped my mouth.
“I love you too, Hisao.” Rin answers without hesitation, her expression void of any emotion.
“...I think.” she adds on yet again, her eyes darting back and forth as if still trying to get a feel for the words.
“D'awwwww~.” her mother chimes as she leans back in the recliner, gripping her sides with laughter.
“Guess I better start calling everyone and breaking the news. The ceremony won't be for a while though, you two are too young to get married~.” her mother concludes.
I don't even know what to say to that. Hell, I still don't even know if she's serious or not.
“It's getting late though, I had better get dinner started before your papa gets home.” she says as she rises to her feet and heads to the kitchen.
I can't help but look over to Rin, our eyes connecting as she does the same to me. My mind is still spinning from all of the shenanigans that just took place, so any attempt to form words with my mouth falls flat on its face.
“Mama's just kooky.” Rin states, uncaring as to whether or not her mother just heard her.
“Yeah, you can say that again.” I answer.
*************************
“So my daughter brought a boy home?” the hulking man on the next sofa asks.
“Mhm!” Mrs. Tezuka answers, raising a fork to her face.
Mr. Tezuka looks around the room, not quite sure of what to think. 'A big teddy bear' actually seems like a pretty accurate way to describe him, although I'm sure if I angered him I'd have to cut the 'teddy' part out.
The 'bear' part fits perfectly, however. He has to duck under all of the doorways in the house so there's no way he's under seven feet tall. His stature is equally as humongous, one look at the arms under his white dress shirt telling me that his biceps are a little smaller than his head. His black hair is kept neat and trimmed, and his face is clear of any kind of blemish or stubble.
“And that would be this...Mr. Nakai?”
“Mhm!” she repeats, this time with a mouth full of curry.
Here I sit on the couch next to Rin, a hot plate of curry in my lap. The giant plasma screen plays a late-night version of the news at a low volume, presumably so that the man of the house can talk me out of even looking at his daughter.
“...Alright. How are you, Mr. Nakai? Did the trip go alright? The tickets we sent didn't expire, did they?”
“Um, please call me Hisao. And everything went fine, although we had to rush to the station.”
“I thought it would make it there in time, but I guess the letter showed up a day late, hmm...”
“No, don't worry about it, really!” I interject.
He nods his head and stares at the TV screen for a while, leaving us to eat in silence.
Rin's eyes jump between me and the news report, a spoon between her toes picking at the plate of curry sitting on the coffee table in front of us. The dinner was originally planned for the dining room, but it would seem that her and tables don't work too well together, so we moved a few feet across the room.
“So, still in high school, correct?” he asks.
“Yes, third year.”
“Any plans after high school?”
“University, hopefully studying chemistry.”
“Chemistry? An applied science would be better in this day and age.” he replies.
“Well, I'm still thinking of what exactly I want to do.”
“Take your time. Don't get stuck doing something you hate, even if there's money in it.” he curtly answers.
“Yeah, go for a job that you can work 14 hour days at and not have a complaint in the world about~!” Mrs. Tezuka chimes in.
Her stark laughter is met by an indifferent sigh. Just watching these two proves that opposites attract; their personalities are completely different. Even the way they dress and carry themselves contrasts with one another – Mrs. Tezuka seems to just airily skip about without a care in the world, while her husband takes carefully practiced steps with astute posture.
Could the same could be said of Rin and I? I'm not sure its so extreme, but other than a few momentous occasions every now and then, we tend to be on opposite sides when it comes to how we do things. Then there's our interests, our taste in clothing, even the music we listen to.
In any case, seeing these two gives me hope for a future with Rin, as different as we may be.
Speaking of which...
“Oh, by the way, they're dating~!”
“...Is that so?” he answers, a barely noticeable shock rippling through his body.
I can't help but brace for the incoming blow, my entire body tensing up but refusing to move.
“I'm glad. He's certainly better than some random buffoon off the streets.
Oh. That works too.
“However, that doesn't mean I'm just going to let you do whatever you want. You're smart enough to know where the line is, correct?” he turns to me and asks with an almost threatening air around him.
“Yes, sir.” I reply, my entire body frozen solid beneath his gaze.
Rin looks between us without saying a word, a spoonful of curry positioned inches away from her mouth.
“Good, glad that's settled.” he says, setting his plate on the coffee table next to Rin's.
“Now that we're done with that, what have you been up to?” he says aloud as he reaches over and ruffles Rin's head, making her already messy hair all the more so.
“Nothing, really.” she answers.
“Nothing, eh?” he replies.
“What about the exhibition? We were planning to go, but we just could not get the day off.”
“It went okay, there were a lot of weird people there. Like this one lady with a hair-lip who spent half an hour putting on makeup in the corner. Or a really short guy who kept hitting on all the girls there. Or another man who took a thousand pictures with his phone. Everyone was really loud too.”
“Well that's to be expected of you artsy types~.” Mrs. Tezuka says, chuckling at Rin and her father.
He lets out another sigh.
“That's about it.” Rin says.
“Guess it was just a boring day for you then, huh?” he says with the same calm demeanor.
“I'm going to take a shower. Mama, can you-”
“Sure, I'll be up there in a few minutes.” she answers before Rin can finish.
She grabs her bag and heads up the stairs. I remain behind with her parents, trying to watch a segment on the news about crop circles.
“Hisao, what really happened at the exhibition?” Mrs. Tezuka asks as Rin paces up the steps, her face dropping into solemnity.
It was a total disaster. But I can't say that, can I?
“Well, it went...okay.” I answer, trying to throw off their concern.
“Something happened. That girl doesn't say 'nothing' unless it's everything in the world.” she presses on.
Argh, guess I'm not getting out of this. They are her parents, anyway, I think they have a right to know.
“Uh, it went pretty badly, to say the least. She didn't take too well to the massive group of people interrogating her about her art.”
They both let out a deep sigh.
“It doesn't help that Nomiya pressured her into doing it, although I can't say I didn't have a part in it. I swear I didn't know how would turn out, I was still getting to know her an-”
“Don't worry about it,” Mr. Tezuka interrupts. “anything else?”
“Well, it just seemed like Nomiya was manipulating her, like he was trying to get points with all his art buddies, and with the owner of the exhibit.
“Yeah, there's a big surprise.” he adds on with biting sarcasm.
“She just sort of...broke down after that. Even worse is when he exploded at her the day after, calling her ungrateful and then trying to say that she's not a true artist.”
Mr. Tezuka's eyes shoot open and the sides of his mouth curve down into a scowl.
“Uhhh huh.” Mrs. Tezuka adds in, her brow furrowing.
He catches himself within an instant and steps onto the back patio with a cigarette in his hand. He pulls out a metallic lighter and brings it to his face, igniting the tip and taking a long drag.
Mrs. Tezuka, on the other hand, storms across the room and picks up a black cordless telephone, slamming the buttons on it in a practiced sequence.
“Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Nomiya.”
“Shizuka, calm down, there's a better way to handle th-”
“I DON'T CARE IF HE ISN'T ON CAMPUS AT 10 PM. GET A HOLD OF HIM THEN!”
...My first day meeting her parents and I've already sent them into a blind rage.
She clenches the phone in one hand and rests the other on her hip, her foot rapping against the ground.
Mr. Tezuka walks up behind me and grabs my shoulder.
“She gets like this from time to time, especially with Nomiya.” he whispers into my ear.
“This isn't the first time something's happened!?” I ask.
“Oh, the things we could tell you about that man.” he answers, shaking his head.
“This is the worst so far though, so don't let your imagination wander too much,” he continues, patting me on the shoulder. “Just let her vent, it'll be better in the morning” he finishes as he nudges me towards the stairs.
“...Oh, and tell Rin that mama might be a while.”
*******************************
“So you have to split the reaction into its oxidizing half and its reducing half.”
Rin sits in front of me on the bed sporting a set of green pajamas, the smell of citrus wafting into my nose from her damp hair. Her room seems rather well-kept for someone so messy – white wallpaper with a grainy pattern, one window, navy-blue carpet, and a variety of easels and racks filled with paintbrushes of every kind. A tall dresser rests against one wall, while an open closet sits in the other, its contents making my imagination run wild.
One thing that particularly jumps out at me is a long line of framed drawings across the wall, starting with idle scribbles and abstract shapes with the caption “Rin: Age 4”, gradually becoming more detailed and intricate as the row goes through “Rin: Age 5”, “Rin, Age 6”, and so on. The last photo on the wall reads “Rin: Age 17”. Compared to her earlier works, it looks much more familiar to me, almost like the mural outside of the school or the hundreds of paintings littering the art room.
Every painting is better than the one before it. From scribbles and chicken-scratch to the intricacies of her work now. She improves every day, even if every painting is about a different thing, she objectively gets better every time she picks up a brush. I guess that timeless “practice every day” anecdote works even with those who are naturally talented.
Of course, there's about 14 years of experience between us, so there's still no hope of me ever catching up to her. Not in this lifetime, at least.
However, right now we're in the world of academics, which is where I have the upper hand. A textbook lays between us with a piece of scratch paper on top of it littered with equations. The pencil held between her toes shuffles across the worksheet as she meticulously solves the practice questions I've written out for her.
“See, just like that. Now you have to balance them by adding H+ and H2O to each side to even out the number of moles of hydrogen.”
At this point her pace becomes slower as her eyes dart around the paper, trying to work out the equations. Somehow she's a math whiz and yet chemistry, which may as well be applied mathematics, is an entirely different world.
“Wait, so do I need to put three electrons on this side, or on this side?” she asks as she raises her foot up and scratches her head with the eraser end of the pencil.
“There's a zero charge on this side and a +3 on this side. Where would you need to add them to get zero on both?”
“Well if I put them on the left side, then there's a -3 on one end and a +3 on the other end, it works out.”
“See, that makes sense in a way, but not here. If you were to do that, then you'd have a +6 on one end and a -3 on the other when you add the two half equations back together.”
“So I just add a -3 to the other half too, right?” she asks, already moving her pencil to the paper.
“No, you focus on this part and balance out the charges. Zero and zero is what you're going for.”
“It has to be zero and zero? Isn't there another way it would work out?”
“Nope, only one way to do this.”
She erases her earlier work and adds the 3e- to the equation, continuing onto the other half of the problem and solving it as well.
“Why does this have to be so rigid? There's only one way to do anything, there aren't any different approaches. It's like a four-way intersection where only one lane is allowed to move, while all the other cars are either stuck there for eternity or until they find some way to go around and take the allowed route.”
“It's just the way it works, I guess. Ask the guys who worked it out a couple hundred years ago.”
“I would if I knew enough science to build a time machine.” she answers.
I chuckle as she chugs away at the next few problems, eventually getting the process into her head. From there, she moves onto the top of the stack of homework, chipping away at the packet of ionization problems.
“I understand how to do them, I just don't understand why they work this way. Why can't one make up their own rules and work to the end to get the same result?” she speaks out.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Instead of using these steps that have already been laid out, why can't you be given the answer, and just use the beginning and the end to figure out the middle part? Wouldn't that be a better test of knowledge anyway?”
“Because-”
That's actually a really tough question. I always just accepted that this is the way it had to be done, and that there was no work around. But naturally Rin's abstract way of looking at things completely flipped my way of seeing them too.
I copy the question onto an extra sheet of paper and work at it until I find the answer the traditional way. Then I place the question and the answer next to each other and think, trying out an assortment of different ideas and concepts. After 15 minutes of skipping around the possibilities in my head while Rin continues on with the work, I'm left with a 'middle part' that matches the original method.
It's because its math. 2 + 2 can't equal anything but 4. Even if you tried to tell me it also equaled 5, even if everyone in the world believed that it was 5, I would still see 2 + 2 = 4. I could agree with the notion that the answer is 5 simply to get an argument out of the way, but my head would never be able to wrap around the solution being anything other than 4.
“Maybe it's because there's only one way to do them.” she announces before I can.
“I don't understand how you can be so into this stuff.” she adds on with a bored tone.
“I don't understand it either, but then again, there's lots of things I don't understand. I guess that's why I like it so much, because my inability to understand science helps me understand the rest of the world.”
Rin tilts her head at me.
“Maybe that's why I like you so much; because I don't understand you. Maybe there's some sort of scientific practice I can use to figure out what goes on in that head of yours.”
“I hope so.” she replies, a gentle smile forming on her face.
Before we can continue on, Mr. Tezuka opens the door and points to a small clock on the wall, indicating that it is already midnight. Shortly after, he points down the hallway, presumably to the open room with my bags in it.
I take the hint and stand up, helping move Rin's work as she shuffles around on the bed, working the covers onto her torso.
“'Night, Hisao.” she calls out as I leave the room and turn the light switch off.
“Good night, Rin.” I answer back.
I pace down the hallway to the next door over and enter the room to find a very similar decorating scheme, but with much less furniture. I jump into the bed and pull the blankets over myself, not even bothering the close the curtains over the window.
It's been a pretty long day. Just this morning I was tagging along with Rin for summer classes. Now that I think about it, Rin and I have been together pretty much throughout the entire break – waking up to her, helping her get dressed, spending the day with her, even bathing together on some days, only to fall asleep with her all at the end.
You know, I think I could get used to this. Hell, I practically already have. Even if Mrs. Tezuka was joking about our getting married, I can't help but imagine a future where every day is like the past week.
I cross my arms behind my head and lay into the mattress, letting sleep slowly take hold as I daydream about all the things in store for the future.
Of course, it isn't long before the door opens and a slim figure enters, clad in a set of green short-sleeved pajams. She nudges the door closed and tip-toes over to the bed before stepping onto it bed and sitting down, legs criss-crossed.
“Helloooo.” she whispers, a vacant smile on her face.
Her green eyes gleam in the moonlight, like smooth emeralds.
“So, what brings you to my room?” I ask in an attempt to make idle conversation.
“Can't sleep. Like before the first day of school where you can't get to sleep at a decent time because you've just spent a month staying up until 4 in the morning, so you wind up sitting in bed and staring at the ceiling until 4 in the morning, then wake up really tired and wishing you'd just stayed up until 4 in the morning instead of wasting the night by staring off into space.
“I know...exactly what you mean.” I say with a heavy sigh.
“Yeah, like that.”
We stare into each other for a few minutes before she scoots forward and picks up her foot, touching my chest with her big toe. She gently taps it against my sternum, the beat not rhythmical in any way, and yet somehow familiar.
“It's like this, right?”
She continues with the seemingly random series of taps.
“Your heartbeat, I mean.”
In that second I realize what she's trying to do. I close my eyes and touch my wrist with two fingers, carefully measuring my erratic pulse. She's off by a tiny bit, but that's to be expected.
“Yeah. It's just like that.” I answer.
She nods and continues on, the drumming of her toe and the beating of my broken heart falling into rhythm; a rhythm that before tonight I would've never thought was possible.
No, my heart isn't broken anymore. I have Rin now, what else could I ever ask for?
“Hey, Rin.”
“Hm?” she says, perking up.
“I love you.” I say, without any hesitation this time.
She thinks for a bit, craning her head as if trying to process the words that just came out of my mouth. Her eyes clench shut as she thinks the statement over, picking it apart, analyzing every syllable, trying to confirm its meaning.
“I love you too.” she answers after a few minutes of thought, delivering each word with heavy weight.
The tapping of her foot stops as she runs her foot across my chest, tracing the gaping scar down my sternum through my shirt. She doesn't stop at the bottom, and instead keeps sliding down my belly, all the way to-
“Does it feel good when I do this?” she asks without breaking eye contact.
She nudges at my lower half, her big toe exploring every inch of me as I start to perk up in a different way. However, as much as I'd love to let this pan out...
“Rin, we really shouldNNHt do this with your parents right down the hallway.”
She persists; poking, prodding, and rubbing the most sensitive place of my body between her toes. It reacts much more quickly than I'd like to admit, with my body heating up from the sudden eruption of blood flow.
It actually feels amazing, to say the least – maybe just for one n-
No, Hisao. Before I can let myself be overwhelmed, I call upon the image of the grizzly bear in a business suit.
I grab her foot on impulse, not daring to let myself be pulled in. It's rough and calloused from years of wear and tear, and yet delicately smooth.
She doesn't resist, content to let me do whatever I want.
I let my thumbs glide across the bottom, taking in every curve and crevice. My thumbs press into the ball of her foot, gliding around in a circular motion.
“Mm.” Rin moans as she closes her eyes.
My hands explore every inch, getting a feel for the contours of her foot. She completely relaxes in my grip, calm sighs rolling out of her mouth as she stretches out both legs and places them in my lap. I let it drop as I take the other one into my hands, repeating the same motions, but with a little more vigor.
I switch the positioning of my hands and press into the pad of her foot, sliding inwards. She lays back and lets a sigh of satisfaction roll out of her mouth, her chest raising and lowering in calm breaths.
She likes this a whole lot more than I'd have imagined.
My fingers run between each of her toes, gripping each digit and pulling upwards. They're tiny compared to my hands, her big toe barely the width of my thumb. They feel fragile as well, like I might accidentally snap something or break something off by squeezing too hard. It doesn't help that they're so neatly kept, toenails trimmed down to perfection.
Every part of her feels delicate. Tiny feet leading into thin ankles, her small legs eclipsing in a pair of lean hips, a slim waist coupled with a modest chest and a set of astoundingly thin shoulders, all leading up to a face highlighted by those deep, emerald-green eyes. Anyone who takes just one look at Rin would easily miss the amazing beauty that surrounds her.
It's corny to say something like that, and yet I mean every word of it.
And then there's her feet again. Everything about them is paradoxical. Rough, yet smooth. Firm, yet soft and squishy. It's almost appealing, in its own weird way. I've never considered myself to be attracted to feet in any way, and yet here I am getting all worked up just by being touched by them, thoughts bordering on poetry racing through my mind as they lie here in my hands.
After a few more minutes of this; she pulls back and waddles over before laying into me. I fall back onto the bed and relax as Rin adjusts her body to my side, keeping her head against my chest, ear to my heartbeat. Without speaking another word, her breath calms and she drifts into slumber, eyelids closing over her sparkling green eyes like a curtain dropping over a completed play.
I pull the blanket over both of us and wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to myself. Her skin is warm and soft, always a pleasant contrast to the rough sheets laying across the bed. Before long, I find myself being pulled into the world of dreams as well.
Maybe I'll meet her there.
*****************************************
“Might I ask what you're doing with my daughter, young man?”
I can feel myself becoming increasingly conscious, and yet the overwhelming enmity filling the room keeps me from moving even the slightest inch. I don't even dare to open my eyes.
“I really hate to do this, but you have five minutes to stand up and explain why y-”
“Oh leave them alone Touya.” a female voice from around the corner chimes in.
“Absolutely not. Two teenagers can not be allowed to sleep in the same bed.”
“Oh please, we were the exact same way and you know that. Besides, she's 18, she can make her own decisions.”
“We were like that after three years of being together. They've been dating all of 16 hours according to what you told me last night.”
“Well we certainly hadn't been together for three years when you first proposed to me, that only took a month. And then only two months before before our first time.”
“Two months is longer than 16 hours. Regardless, just because we did it does not make it okay for them.” he returns in a stern manner.
“It doesn't matter either way. Time isn't an accurate measure of the bonds of love~.” she replies in a sing-song voice.
“But-”
“Just leave them be. It's not like they're having sex or anything.” she plainly interrupts.
“And you told me you approved of him last night anyway. Don't tell me you're going to change your mind just because they decided to sleep in the same bed.” she continues.
He lets out a heavy sigh. However, his footsteps indicate that he's moving over here, instead of out of the room like his wife requests.
“If ever I find out about you two having sex before you're married, bad things will happen.” he whispers.
“Very bad things.” he repeats as his footsteps draw away from the bed.
At this, my eyes jerk open in terror.
As soon as I'm certain that he's well out of range, I shake Rin's shoulder.
“Just five more minutes...”
“At this rate I'll be dead in five minutes.” I answer, my heart thumping as if to dash its insides out against my sternum.
“Papa wouldn't hurt a fly. Calm down.” she answers as her tired green eyes meet my terrified gaze.
The pain in my chest recedes given a little time, but the foreboding sound of his voice still echoes through my head.
“Rin, he doesn't...know, right?” I ask.
“About what?” she replies, nuzzling her head against me in an attempt to get back to sleep.
“About...”
I cut myself off.
“You know what, forget about it. I highly doubt she'd ever bring it up in the first place.
“Mm.” she replies.
“Oh, and don't tell Papa you ruined me for marriage. He'd kill you.” she mutters before falling back into rest.
"I would not dream of it." I answer, my heart skipping a beat.
I can't help but wonder what it's like to be mauled by a bear in a business suit as I fall into the same blissful darkness as the girl lying on top of me.