Game Plan
The past week has been trying. As I expected. A week of exams is never going to be fun, but at least it wasn’t the final exams of the year. Those are definitely going to be worse.
Another positive was the lack of trouble during the week. No-one really seemed in the mood to cause problems while they’re busy dealing with the papers set in front of them each morning. It was a relief not being pulled away from my studies after class to deal with some misbehaving student.
With the final exam now complete, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that I don’t think any of the questions that had been thrown at us had challenged me more than they were meant to. I’m confident that I’ll be pleased with the marks that I get back.
Rei had suggested that we do something to celebrate things on Sunday, but Giichi had vetoed it as he felt we should at least have one day to recover before throwing ourselves into whatever scheme Rei would cook up.
She begrudgingly accepted this as I think she was wanting to bill the committee for it, even if she didn’t need to. This meant that we would probably be doing something as a committee during the week, even if it wasn’t the day trip that Rei was aiming for.
With the exams over and the school vacation now right around the corner, we wouldn’t be seeing each other on a near daily basis for a short while.
It was a testament to how used to the flow of things I had gotten that this change would be something that I would notice.
I had been so focused on the present and making things work out for me and the others that I hadn’t really thought about how much of my life it had taken over.
It would be good to get back to my parents and friends so that we could properly catch up. The occasional phone call really wasn’t enough to cover everything I would have liked to talk about.
Even the upcoming hospital visit wasn’t going to cause me any problems when compared to all the positive things that would be accompanying it. Just one quick afternoon there, and then almost an entire week of holiday fun.
I wake up as early as usual for my morning check-in. I don’t know if it’s really necessary with the meds that I’m on, but I’m not going to stop unless Nurse tells me to.
There’s no sign of Chiharu as I get ready, but she usually tries to stay hidden away. Whether that means getting up very early or very late changes all the time. Cho and Nanami are up and preparing for the day ahead.
Nanami once again surprises me by being the one more suited to the pressure of exams. She handled it with ease, while Cho broke her usual calm demeanour by looking constantly frazzled throughout the week. She looks much better now, but there’s still the slight sign of bags under her eyes.
“Morning you two,” I say as I join them in the bathroom. “You almost recovered from all of that?”
“I managed to pull through,” Cho replies. “But the vacation can’t come soon enough. I really need that time to reset after everything we’ve been through.”
“She’s just looking for sympathy,” Nanami says with a laugh. “She’ll be all better long before the week is over.”
“Take as much time as you need,” I say. “You don’t want to crash because you went too far without a moment to breath.”
“Thank you for seeing things my way,” Cho replies. “Nanami will never understand what it’s like having an energy tank that isn’t limitless. The rest of us need to take it easy once in a while.”
“I’ll take you to see Eiko later,” Nanami says. “How about it? Will that replenish your energy?”
“It wouldn’t hurt,” Cho says with a small smile. “Would you like to come, Hatsumi?”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to,” I say. “The committee is looking to do something, so I’ll have to check in with them first. I also think you could use the time to do your own thing. I like that you’re trying to include me, but you should have that place to yourselves every so often.”
“There you go,” Nanami says. “You don’t have to worry about anyone else. Just recovering.”
“If you say so,” Cho replies. “Now, let’s get going. I need some food before we face the day.
While I’ll be giving them the afternoon to themselves, I do decide to spend some time with them before then. Just because I don’t want to intrude on that doesn't mean I have to be a stranger now.
The time passes quickly and we’re soon in class. It’s a familiar scene, but one I haven’t had at Yamaku yet. Teachers are focused on marking our exams, so the leave us to do revision. That they think any such thing would happen is foolish. We’re done with doing any work that we aren’t forced to do for now, so the class is filled with soft chatter, or students reading.
Students even switch seats so that they can talk more easily, and Kubo doesn’t seem to mind.
Maybe he thinks we deserve the break?
This is how Cho and Nanami end up discussing what seems to be their vacation plans to my right. Since they seem so engrossed in it, as well as the fact that we don’t seem to share any similarities in our plans, I stay out of it and focus on reading. It’s nice to be able to get back into a book as I haven’t had much time to read these past two weeks.
The day carries on like this and the teachers all share the same approach as Kubo did. Sometimes I read, and sometimes I talk to other students until we reach the end of the school day.
I head over to the auxiliary building as I expect that a lot of what I’ll be doing today will be found there. My first stop will be with the Nurse so that I can have my check up and go over some of the details for my upcoming hospital visit.
I have to wait this time as I wasn’t able to get ahead of everyone else on my way over. The relaxed pace of the day has taken its toll on my usual hurriedness to get this visit over and done with.
After a short wait, a boy I don’t recognize leaves the office and Nurse invites me in.
“Afternoon, Hatsumi,” he says. “Looks like you made it through your exams without too much trouble. I hope you’re doing well.”
“I’d say nothing has changed,” I respond. “But it’s your job to confirm that.”
“I suppose so,” he says. “I don’t think we need to do any checks if you’re feeling fine. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no need to change anything until we see what the hospital visit has to say.”
“It’s all booked and confirmed then?” I ask. “I don’t want to miss it or waste any of my vacation with having to rebook anything.”
“Yes, everything will be ready for you when you get there,” he replies. “Next week Tuesday will give us a better look at what’s going on with you.”
That was good news. I’ll have some time to settle in as well as more time after the tests to spend with friends. I had been worried that I’d either be doing these tests as my first or last activity of the vacation and both of those would have been unpleasant.
“It will also be good to see your family and friends again,” Nurse says. “I know that it can be easy to forget about the outside world when you can find everything you need here, but reconnecting with them is important.”
He does bring up a good point. It had been a very sudden transfer and the time leading up to it had been rather emotional. It will be nice to see them all again now that things have calmed down. I think I’ve got a grip on the present, so I’ll be able to face all that better than just before I left.
“I think it will be a great time,” I say.
“You just have to make sure that they all understand your situation,” he warns me. “You’re not the same as you were back then. You need them all to know what you can’t do, what you can’t eat, and how to handle any problems. Hopefully they won’t be too affected, but I don’t need you harming yourself so as not to inconvenience others.”
“I know what needs to be done,” I say, somewhat defensively. “I’ve had plenty of time to practice here.”
“That may be,” he says. “But I find that people tend to slip into old habits when put into familiar situations and I hope that you’ll try to not follow that trend while you’re away.”
“I’ll try my best,” I say to Nurse. “I’ll be back here in good health before you know it.”
I’m just trying to reassure him as I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about. The meds are keeping me fine, and all I’ll really have to worry about is watching my diet. That might be a little challenging, but I’m sure my parents will be able to handle it.
“Good,” Nurse says. “As long as you’re aware of it, I’m sure there won’t be any troubles. Now, how about you get going. Everything seems fine and I’ll probably be seeing your results before I next see you.”
“I’m sure you’ll know what to do with them when you do,” I say as I get up. “I’ll see you after I get back then. Provided nothing happens before them.”
“That you will,” he says as he heads over to the door. “See you then.”
I head up the stairs towards the committee office to meet with the others. The room is out of the way, but it really is a nice place to hang out. Things are much quieter here and you get a very good view of the school. You can’t see the grounds from this angle from any of the club rooms back in the main building.
As expected, I’m not the first to arrive. Giichi has had time to make his way here now that the initial rush to get out of class is over. It looks as if he’s dusting down the large collection of books he has stored here.
“Good to see you again,” I call out as I enter the room.
He looks back at me and nods before turning back to his work.
“Need to keep these in good condition,” he says as he continues dusting off the books that are within easy reach.
Looking at him work, I see that his stuff doesn’t go any lower than where he is currently working. It’s another reminder of the issues he has to deal with.
“Want some help?” I ask. “I used to do this every so often back home.”
Giichi points to a drawer of to the side that is slightly open. “If you really want to, there’s another cloth in there. I’d be grateful if you could work on some of the higher books.”
I head over to the drawer before joining Giichi at the bookshelf.
“I’m glad to see someone else care for their books,” I say. “People often just leave them to accumulate dust.”
“It helps Toru,” Giichi says. “Though I’d still do it every so often if he wasn’t here.”
I suppose that keeping the place clean is important for that reason, and I guess the office wouldn’t see the same attention as the rest of the school. It might escape attention due to it’s location.
“You could let me do some of this more often,” I say. “We’re meant to share these kinds of duties.”
“It’s not necessary though,” he replies. “You help back at the classroom while I’m kept away from all of that. It’s only right that I carry the burden of cleaning somewhere else.”
Giichi’s words remind me of just how principled he is. Sure, there are moments where he ‘interprets’ the rules, but he doesn’t want any unfair treatment. If he can’t help out the others in the class with cleaning duties, then he’s going to find somewhere else where he can make up for it.
“You can still let us know when you need the help,” I say. “Sometimes things can get out of hand.”
He nods but doesn’t say anything as he continues his work. He really does take this seriously.
We’re almost finished with this bookshelf when the other two arrive. Giichi begins to pack his things away, which I take as a cue to do the same.
As we do so, Rei speaks up.
“Let’s go have some fun,” she says. “We’ll be going on vacation soon, so we need to celebrate the end of exams before we do. We might not have time if we leave it any later either. Students like to misbehave when they think the rules have been relaxed for the last few days of school.”
Rei’s prediction must be correct as Toru nods his head in agreement. It looks like we could have our work cut out for us in the near future. I suppose it’s a good warning that, unlike the rest of the school, our work isn’t over yet.
“I hope you aren’t expecting anything too crazy,” Giichi tells her. “We can go somewhere for lunch. Maybe somewhere else as well if you restrain yourself, but it’s not going to be over the top.”
“I get it,” Rei replies. “But I still want to get out of here and do something with the three of you. It’s really taken a backseat over the past few weeks. Nothing but work, work, and more work.”
I can appreciate Rei’s feelings, even if they do seem a bit extreme. Sure, it’s nice to hang out with the others, but there’s plenty of other things that we should be focusing on besides that.
“Then let’s get going,” Giichi says. “You’re responsible for figuring it all out though. You want to get out there so desperately, you can take charge of things.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Rei says smiling. “Let’s get going.”
She’s already spinning towards the door and the rest off us have to scramble to catch up with her.
We get out the door and, as Giichi turns back to lock it, I see that she has at least waited for us now that she’s in the hall.
“We’ll be going somewhere new,” she says, looking at me. “It’s a bit more modern than everything you’re used to.”
“Ah,” Toru says. “Good enough for me. The atmosphere is nice, and the company will be a bit closer to our own age.”
“It’s your choice,” Giichi says, resigning himself to his fate.
Apparently, I was going to have to wait to see the place that everyone else had already deduced from Rei’s barebones description as none of them seemed inclined to provide any more details about our destination.
We make our way out onto the school grounds and head off out towards the town. It’s apparently going to be quite the walk as we’re soon passing most of the places that I’ve been to while at Yamaku. Taking the bus might not have been out of place had we not already missed it.
We walk for a while, mostly taking in the town as I don’t think any of the others come this far either. Rei eventually leads us off the main road and we seem to have arrived at our destination.
“The Beijing?” I ask. “Any relation to the Shanghai?”
“Only that a lot of students seem to go to both,” Toru replies. “You could say they’re competitors in that respect. Everyone prefers one or the other.”
“The Beijing is my choice,” Rei says. “It’s the other two who always take us to the Shanghai. We can’t all share the same tastes though.”
The place looks quite modern, which immediately sets it apart from it’s rival. Heading inside, I see that the interior matches what I’ve already seen. It is much smaller though which means it probably doesn’t see the same amount of traffic.
It’s very quiet as the only customers seem to be other Yamaku students. To my surprise, some of the staff seem to be as well.
I look to Rei for clarification, and she seems to understand the silent question.
“It’s cheap, so students like to come here and, since they’re aiming for a younger client base, they don’t mind hiring students who need the money,” she explains. “There are always some in need of a few more Yen, so there are always students willing to get here straight after school to put a few hours in.”
That makes sense. I haven’t really thought about the money involved in all of this before, but it can’t be cheap to come to Yamaku. Insurance may help in some cases, but I’m sure it’s still expensive. There are probably many students who don’t have any money for themselves after everything else has been paid for.
Everyone I’ve dealt with so far seems to have been well enough off not to worry about their finances, but I guess it was silly of me to think it was the same for everyone. It’s probably going to be a weird thing to think about from now on as I’m not sure how I feel about the idea that some people might be not be able to really afford a comfortable life here.
I recognize our waiter as someone also in their third year, though I don’t know their name. He looks grumpy but seems to try and change his attitude when he realizes who we are.
“Welcome to the Beijing,” he says, with a bow that I’m confident is deeper than he would usually offer. “You can choose any open booth.”
He’s already pulling four menus out from behind the table he’s standing at as Rei heads towards a window seat. We follow and, as we all sit down, the boy lays out our menu’s.
“I’ll give you some time,” he says as he steps back and heads towards the kitchen.
“Thanks, Lezard,” Rei calls after him.
“It’s fun to see him like this,” Rei says. “He’s far more miserable when he doesn’t know that one of us is around.”
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“You need to maintain your marks and have a record of good behaviour if you want to have a job while at Yamaku,” Giichi says. “The teachers handle marks; we handle the behaviour.”
“So, he doesn’t want to have his job pulled out from under him?” I ask. “Would you really do that?”
“We can’t really,” Toru says quietly. “It would take actual violations of school policy to do that but, if it gets people to behave better, we’re not going to tell them otherwise. Wouldn’t you prefer a polite waiter if given the choice?”
I suppose that’s one way to look at it, even if it’s a bit deceitful. Then again, someone shouldn’t be in customer service if they aren’t going to try and be polite. Yuuko manages well enough even if she isn’t entirely cut out for it.
“I’m glad to see that we get a menu here at least,” I say. “No more guess work over what might be arriving at your table.”
“That is a bonus of this place,” Toru replies. “But I do think there’s less on offer here.”
“We’ll never know what we’re missing at the Shanghai though,” Rei says. “So, the smaller selection doesn’t really matter.”
We all take a moment to look through the menu before Lezard returns to take our order.
There’s the normal selection of sandwiches and cakes, but I decide to settle for a salad with chicken pieces to maintain my diet, while Rei and Giichi each order spring rolls. Toru completes the list with his order of sandwiches. There’s also the cups of coffee or tea that each of us orders.
He heads away again, promising to return as soon as the food is ready.
“Which side of the fence do you fall on then?” Rei asks me. “Are you with me or Toru?”
She seems to want to know which café I prefer and I’m afraid that I’ll have to disappoint her.
“We’ll have to see what they bring out to us,” I say. “But I think I prefer my own place. You might like it too once I get you there.”
“Wish I’d won you over,” Rei says with a sigh. “These two prefer the Shanghai. Thought I might be able to even the playing field.”
“The setting is better,” Giichi says. “Confirming that he’s with Toru. I also prefer not having to deal with other students when I’m out eating.”
I somewhat agree with him on that. It’s different when it’s an actual business that they’re working in. When it was the school festival it was all in the name of fun.
“I guess I can’t win them all,” Rei says before moving on to a new topic. “How will the three of you be spending your vacation?”
“I’ll be off to see my parents for the week,” Giichi says. “Even if they’re busy, they’d like to have me around outside of work hours.”
“Same with me,” Toru says. “Parents want to get some things done as a family.”
“That’s interesting,” Rei says, but she doesn’t press any further.
I’m happy to hear that they really are trying to give fixing things a go. Maybe he’ll come back with a whole new family dynamic. Or maybe there’ll only be small changes, either would be good.
“I haven’t really decided yet,” Rei says. “My parents don’t really mind what I do. Things are good between us and they’re not going to push me to come visit them if I don’t want to. What all of you are doing might change that.”
Rei looks at me and I guess I do have to share now. I’m the last one to go.
“I’ll be visiting my family,” I say. “And my friends, as well as a trip to the hospital.”
“You’ve got a busy time ahead of you then,” Rei says. “What hospital you going to?”
I think back to the conversations I’ve had about it as I try to remember the name.
“Juntendo University Hospital,” I say.
“Wow,” Giichi replies, with noticeable surprise. “The heavy hitters are dealing with your case. Don’t know if there’s a better Neurology department in Japan.”
I haven’t looked into it, so I’m even more surprised by Giichi’s statement.
“That’s not too far from you,” Rei says to Giichi. “Maybe you could plan something.”
I wonder in what sense Rei means this. You can travel a long way in Tokyo without much time passing. Is he on a train route or is he really that close?
“I suppose so,” he says, before turning to me. “We could meet up if you wanted. You could even come over for a while. We have the space.”
“If you do, then I want to be there as well,” Rei says. “I don’t want to miss out on the fun. You’ve got so much stuff to do in Minato Ward. I don’t want to miss out on that.”
Giichi lives there?
And he has the space to have us over?
I really must have underestimated what his father does. Everyone said he was a bigtime lawyer, but I didn’t realize they meant it quite like that.
“You sure you’d want to see us?” I ask. “Wouldn’t you like to get away from all of this for a little while?”
Giichi scowls at my question.
“Even if you think I don’t enjoy company,” he says. “You must know that I’m happy to spend time with everyone here. In fact, it will probably be rather boring without someone to bring some disruption to it all.”
“Then I’ll be coming over,” Rei says, with a massive smile. “You’ll definitely find that I’ll keep you guessing. You had better be a good host though. I don’t want to find that I’ll be left to my own devices once I get there.”
With Giichi and Rei getting together over the vacation, I’d have to look into my own plans more seriously. It would be nice to see them again well away from school, but I will have to check what else I’ll be doing before committing to anything.
“We’ll see how things go,” I say. “I might have other commitments to keep so I can’t promise you anything. If I have time, then I’ll see about coming over.”
“I suppose we can’t ask for more,” Rei says. “You do have plenty of catching up to do.”
“Yes,” Giichi agrees. “But let me know if you do want to meet with us and I’ll start planning something. I’m sure Rei will expect it.”
He stares her down and she puts on a mischievous smile.
“Of course, you’ll have to plan something if we’re all getting together. It’ll be even more special then,” she says.
“I can only imagine how this will go,” Toru says, looking at the three of us. “You can’t let them overwhelm you, Hatsumi. He can’t control Rei, so you’ll have to do my job.”
“Hey,” Rei exclaims. “I don’t know what you’re going on about, but I’m perfectly capable of controlling myself.”
Toru looks very bemused at this.
“Sure,” he says. “You wouldn’t try anything funny. Like ramming a boat out on the water.”
Giichi is suddenly very interested in this.
“Do tell,” he says.
“I get it,” Rei says, before Toru continues. “I’ll be on my best behaviour. There won’t be anything to report when you get back. I’ll be downright boring.”
I find this hard to believe. The looks on everyone else’s faces says the same thing. There is no scenario in which having Rei around could be boring.
When we’ve all finished our lunch, Giichi heads off to pay and I wonder what he intends to classify these expenses as.
When he returns, we head out onto the street and head off in a random direction. No-one is really taking the lead and none of us seems ready to head back to school yet.
“It’s strange how little of this place we really see,” Toru says. “Unless there’s something special, you don’t really have to go very far from Yamaku.
He has a point. Besides the places that I went to in the first week, I’ve hardly explored this town at all. It’s almost as if we naturally stick to the quiet areas close to the school grounds.
There are plenty of small shops that aren’t really clear on what they sell unless you look inside. It seems that they cater to the locals rather than trying to pull visitors in with flashy advertising.
It must be clear that I’m trying to figure out what’s in each of them as Toru speaks up.
“You probably won’t find much around here. It’s really not aimed at younger people. Even after all this time, Yamaku hasn’t really become a part of the town. It’s its own thing up on the hill.”
He does seem to be right about that with most of the shops. The clothing is definitely aimed at the older generation and the shops that sell household utensils and appliances aren’t going to be of any interest to someone still in school.
“There is some stuff that we can do,” Rei says. “Though, it is mostly food. Unless it was set up by someone related to the school. They seem to set things up that might interest us.”
That sounds a lot like Reiko. Is that a fairly common thing that students do here?
“How many students stick around once they’re done at Yamaku?” I ask. “I thought most of them would move on.”
“They do,” Giichi says. “But sometimes a business might start here when the family wants to be close by, or the parents move here when they get older. It really is an oversized retirement home.”
Many towns like this are, but it’s interesting that some people move here rather than staying wherever they were. It is a nice place, I suppose.
“And there are the ones who want to give back,” he continues. “Teachers, nurses, instructors, or anyone else that might go into a field where they help people might try to come back to Yamaku. Help others the way they were helped.”
Plenty of schools want to get support from their alumni. If what Giichi says is true, then Yamaku is lucky that it actually happens for them.
“Is that going to be any of you?” I ask.
“No,” Rei says. “I’ll be off on my next journey once this is done.”
That’s very final from her.
“I don’t think Giichi, or I are interested in that type of work,” Toru says. “We’d rather deal with problems more than people.”
Giichi nods in agreement.
“I could have guessed that,” I say. “I don’t think I’ll have enough time to really form a connection with the place either.”
Less than half a year really isn’t enough time for Yamaku to become an important part of my life. I’m pretty sure I’ll also remember the issues that brought me here, and the friends I’ve made more than the school.
“You are one of the special cases,” Rei agrees. “It always surprises me how few people transfer in considering the reasons you’d come here. Almost everyone is in it for the full three years.”
That is strange. Though I suppose that Yamaku probably isn’t the first thing on the list for people who’ve recently found themselves in the hospital. You’d probably only find it if it was something you’d been looking for, for some time. I must have been lucky that my doctor knew about it and that there was space for me to arrive so late in the year.
“Now, how about we celebrate that with some ice cream,” she continues, pointing towards the shop just down the road. “I’m sure that will help commemorate how unique you are.”
I’m once again impressed by Rei. Her leaps in logic, her drive to make outings fun, and her desire to get as much out of every situation as possible never seem to wane.
Giichi looks at the small sign next to the shop window as we approach before giving one of his trademark nods.
“You win, Rei,” he says. “Let’s get some ice cream.”
Rei quickly heads inside, followed by a smiling Toru.
Giichi stares at me with a serious look on his face.
“I wonder if she’ll ever run out of using the new girl card to get her way,” he says, before heading in himself.
It seems that Giichi’s soft side struggles to handle Rei. That he’s bringing it to my attention is funny. As if he somehow expects me to take over the seriousness from him when it comes to controlling what we do.
He’s going to be disappointed to learn that what he wants is never going to happen. As long as he keeps giving in, we get to have more fun. I’m perfectly happy with Rei using whatever excuse she needs in order to make that happen. She hasn’t pushed it too far yet, so I doubt that it will change anytime soon.
I head inside after them. It looks to be a local shop. Not one of the chains that you find all over the place, so it will be interesting to see what they have to offer.
The tubs sitting in the refrigerated display show a modest, but diverse set of flavours to choose from. There are the regular plain flavours to choose from, but also a few more adventurous ones as well. I’ll have to decide whether to go the plain root or try something like the red bean ice cream.
Everyone is deep in thought over what to choose. It is a serious matter.
In the end, Toru steps forward and chooses yuzu as well as chocolate. It’s an interesting combination. Giichi settles on lemon and strawberry, which is equally distinct.
I decide to stick with something very simple and choose to strawberry and chocolate.
When the three of us are done, we all turn to Rei in unison. We all expect something crazy but, even then, we weren’t ready for it.
“Lemon and wasabi,” she says.
?
Rei really likes to go for the strangest things. There’s no world in which that combination makes sense to me. Sure, either would have been fine with something else, but I wouldn’t want to have what she’s chosen sitting in front of me.
“I wouldn’t expect anything else from you,” Toru says, while Giichi chooses to sit this one out.
“You’ve got to be adventurous,” Rei replies. “Just because it doesn’t make sense, doesn’t mean it won’t work out.”
I won’t be agreeing with her on this one.
“To each their own,” I say. “I’ll stick with ice cream that I know is good.”
“You’re the one who’s missing out,” she says, as she is handed her ice cream and Giichi, still not engaging in this insanity steps forward to pay.
We’re heading back the way that we came, now that we have our ice cream. It’s late enough that we would have to have turned back even if we hadn’t found the ice cream place.
I’m sure Rei wouldn’t mind us sharing our spoils, but she seems to know that she doesn’t hold any cards in this situation, so she doesn’t push for it.
Everything is much less busy than I’m used to. Shops tend to fill up later in the day as people finish work and are heading home. It’s another sign that this place operates on a different clock to the rest of the world. Kids and elders do things much earlier in the day.
“I suppose you could also get used to the lifestyle here,” Toru says.
He’s referring to the earlier conversation.
“It’s nowhere near as busy as most places its size,” he continues. “The community is probably pretty close too. If you like the small town feel in a town far bigger than it should be, then you’ll find a place here.”
“So, would you want to?” I ask. “You said differently earlier.”
“No, it’s definitely not for me,” he answers. “I might come back every so often, but I’d rather live somewhere else.”
“The occasional school re-union is the only thing that might bring me back,” Rei adds.
So, there is at least some sentimentality for Yamaku hidden away in Rei. Good to see that it’s not only about what comes next with her.
“You all need to stop focusing on these depressing thoughts,” Giichi says. “You’re not retiring yet. You’re not even out of school. Wait until you’re at least a little older before thinking about reunions and the like.”
It’s practical advice that seems to be very much needed in the current situation.
“You’ve got a holiday coming up and it sounds like everyone’s going to be very busy,” he continues. “Then you’ve got your finals to focus on. Once all of that is behind you, then you can maybe start wondering about whether or not to stay in this little town.”
“Good to know you’ve already got things planned for us when we come over,” Rei says, with an evil smile. “I can’t wait to see what you have ready for us.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Giichi says. “And you know it. Don’t try to twist my advice to suit your needs.”
He may be reprimanding her, but he seems to appreciate the way Rei can twist the things people say. It reminds me that her mind is just as sharp as his.
She just happens to focus it on different things.
We make it back to Yamaku at a decent enough time. It’s starting to get darker, but there are still plenty of students around. They’re making the most of the time they have.
“The rest of you won’t be coming with me for this trip,” Rei says to us as we stand in the courtyard. “I’m heading off to the track field.”
I’m certain that she intends to go further than that and is just omitting the incriminating evidence. The others seem to feel that way as well.
“Don’t stay out to long,” Toru says. “It may be fun, but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe.”
“I can only advise you not to break any school rules,” Giichi says. “But I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”
“I’ll be fine,” Rei says. “The evening light needs to be appreciated every once in a while. It’s only going to get darker earlier as the year goes on and it’s just not the same when you have to go in the afternoon.”
It’s obvious where she intents to go now, but the rest of us don’t try to stop her.
“See you again,” she says before she hurries off towards the track.
“I’ll be heading back to the office,” Giichi says. “There’s some more stuff that I want to get done there, and I’d like to get it done well before the end of the week.”
He really is very organised. Getting these things out of the way and leave time for any new duties that pop up.
“We’ve still got time to talk about meeting up, so you can still think about it for a while,” Giichi says. “And with Rei coming over, I’d really appreciate the assistance. She’s too much of a handful for one person to deal with.”
He’s almost pleading for help with that statement, so I suddenly feel that I really do need to make space in my calendar to save him from such a fate. Maybe I’ll get to see a bit more of what goes on in their lives as well while we’re away. It’s sure to be interesting.
Giichi says his goodbyes before heading off towards the auxiliary building. He fades away into the dying light the same way as Rei just did.
“Well, I haven’t got anywhere to be,” Toru says. “So, is there anything you still want to do?”
I can’t really think of anything.
“We could always go to the cafeteria,” I say. “I’m not really hungry, but it’s probably the best place to kill time right now.”
“Works for me,” Toru says, as he begins to walk in that direction.
Although I’ve had dinner here many times, it’s usually earlier in the day. There’s a rush period where everyone is trying to get something, and I’ve always tried to be there before that. The wait can stretch on if you’re late.
This time we’ve missed the rush. Although there are still signs of the chaos, it’s almost as quiet as if you were early. Only the plates that some of the students didn’t return indicate the chaos that we’ve missed.
Thanks to what was essentially a second lunch in town, neither of us is very hungry, so a small meal is enough to see us through the night.
Once we’re seated, I decide that I might as well try to get some more out of Toru than he’s volunteered so far. The others were a little surprised by his plans, but they aren’t as involved in his situation as I am.
“You really are giving it a go over the vacation then,” I say. “Good to see that things might be looking up for you and your family.”
“That may be the case,” Toru says with a smile. “It looks like a scolding from someone so much younger them has been a wake-up call for my parents. We’re heading to America for the week.”
“That will be fun,” I say. “I’ve never been, but I’d like to.”
“Yes, I enjoy it there too,” he says. “Though it’s definitely a holiday destination for me rather than somewhere to stay.”
“And what will you be doing there,” I ask. “Seeing anything famous?”
“I doubt that,” he says. “We’re definitely going there to deal with family issues. We’re staying in this city out in the middle of nowhere. Provo, Utah. It’s supposed to be very good for people with asthma.”
“That sounds like a good thing,” I say, genuinely happy about what seems to be progress. “They’re thinking about what will be best for you.”
“Yes, it really is refreshing,” he replies. “It was even mother who suggested it. Though, I can’t rule out the possibility that she’s just the one who brought the idea to me. I’ll have to see how things go for us once we’re there.”
“I think it will go great,” I say, encouragingly. “You’re already impressed by what’s happening and they’ve hardly had any time to work on things.”
“I suppose I should be just as hopeful as you,” Toru replies. “Now maybe we should get going. It’s getting rather late now.”
“Fair point,” I say, as the two of us head out of the cafeteria.
It's a quick walk in the fading light as we head towards our destinations.
“See you again,” I say as we reach the dorms.
“Good night,” he replies as we split off from each other.
On my own now, I make my way towards my room.
As I head up the stairs, I’m left to consider the day’s conversations as well as the plans for each of our vacations.
To me, it looks like Toru is going to have just as busy a vacation as the rest of us but, unlike any of us, I can definitely see plenty of good coming from it. I might find out some more about my condition, but the problems will still be there.
I don’t really see anything in the vacation that is that out of the ordinary for Rei and Gicchi.
It looks like Toru might to make some real progress towards solving the problems he’s been dealing with up until now. While I can hope that the rest of us can get just as much out of the time as he does, I think that Toru is going to benefit the most out of the upcoming break.
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