Chapter 5
Leaving the park behind, we round a corner and continue a short way down a street before Ibarazaki pulls me towards a bakery. The front windows have something… eclectic on them.
Not bad, but does that fit a bakery? I catch Tezuka also making her way there, though she isn’t paying any attention to where she’s walking.
I glance over Ibarazaki again as we enter the shop. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as a baker’s daughter. If your dad’s a nurse, how’s he run a bakery also?”
She meets my gaze, a mix of annoyance and a devilish smile on her face. “Oh no, my mom runs the shop; she makes healthy alternatives to the normal sweets you see at most bakeries, not to mention her bread is downright amazing.” I see a young lady manning the register. She looks like an older, darker haired Ibarazaki, so I assume she’s an older sister that helps out. “My step-dad was the nurse at my high school, but I knew him before then. He may be a pun-making jackass, but he knows his stuff.”
The young woman at the register runs over. “Emi, what happened? You leave this morning alone and come back with a boy? I know you’re impatient, but this is a little fast even for you.” The lady grabs my left arm, helping her ‘sister’ take me into the back.
“No Mom,”
Mom? “he had a heart episode in the park. He insists he’s fine, but I thought nurse could give him a looksie to make sure he’s alright. He still upstairs?” Ibarazaki’s supposed mother seems surprised, but simply nods before leading me to a chair for me to sit.
“So, mysterious young man, is what my daughter says true? Or is this a scheme just to find out where she lives?” Despite her jovial tone, she tells Tezuka to keep an eye on me in case anything happens. The odd, auburn haired maiden does exactly as asked, showing an amount of focus I thought impossible. Reaching into a bag nearby, Mrs. Ibarazaki pulls out a water bottle and hands it to me.
Her assertion, however, does not help my heart to calm down. With a nod, I take the water bottle and take a sip. “N-no, I really do have issues with my heart. Arrhythmia. I found out about it a year and a half ago and so far it is well under control, but I still have to be careful not to overexert myself.”
I hear metal on wood along with another set of steps coming down the stairs. The short girl and a lavender-haired man with a stern look, her father I presume, round the corner. The man holds a black bag and comes directly to me to, I assume, look me over. His eyes are very narrow, so I can’t quite tell where he’s looking, but he pulls out a stethoscope. “This the boy Emi?” Before he gets a response, I begin taking off my shirt, my desire to know if I’m dying or not overcoming my embarrassment. He looks surprised, but says nothing.
“That’s him.” I see a look of guilt creep onto my metal-legged acquaintance. “I didn’t think his condition would cause a problem when I…
flirted with him.”
Seriously? One day out of my first relationship, and I’ve already got a girl showing interest?
It takes her a moment, as well as Tezuka, to notice the scar on my chest. I catch Ibarazaki’s mother hiding a gasp, but the supposed nurse doesn’t react, “Don’t beat yourself up, there’s no way you could have known.” He places the cold metal on my chest, instructing me to breathe normally. After a routine I’ve become used to over the last year or so, a too-wide grin is plastered on his face. “Looks like it’s nothing serious. You should be fine, but I shouldn’t have to tell you to take it easy the rest of the day.” One of his eyes opens, looking at me directly. “This little ray of sunshine doesn’t hold back. I hope you’re ready if just a little bit of flirting sets you off.” Following an insidious chuckle, I can’t help but show how done I am with this teasing.
“I can’t say she isn’t cute, but I just got dumped. I’m not looking for anything right now…” My pain is exceedingly obvious in my voice. ‘Emi’ looks even more crestfallen now, her mother looking just as nervous. Tezuka is unfazed; somehow, I’m not surprised.
‘Nurse,’ however, doesn’t change, simply putting a hand on my shoulder. “Then it’s good you've come across this drop of sunlight. I can’t think of a better person to pull you out of this funk, assuming you want the help.” He stands, gathering his bag and heading for the door. “With that, I should head to work. Good luck Nakai. Name’s Goro, but I’ll let my wife finish introductions; I’m behind schedule as it is.” With a small wave, he strides out of the store.
As I put my shirt back on, the embarrassment finally manifesting, Ibarazaki bounds up. “I’m so sorry Nakai. Please, stick around for lunch, it’s the least I can do to make up for this.” She gives me a look nothing could have prepared me for.
Oh no. God, why would you weaponize cuteness like this. On her face are puppy dog eyes so demoralizing, so disarming, she might get me to commit murder just to remove it from her face.
“F-fine! I don’t even know what I’d do with my day anyways. Stop making that face!” Her trump card is immediately replaced by an equally joyous one, punctuated by a return of her bouncing.
“Good! Hey mom, mind if I make lunch today? I’m gonna have to run to the store,” Her mother looks a little lost, but quickly lights up herself.
“Go right ahead honey, Rin and I can keep him company until then. Don’t worry about it Emi,” she chuckles lightly, watching her daughter blast off through the store. “Have you had breakfast yet Nakai? If nothing else, I’d like to give you one of our most popular sweets. I believe they are referred to as {cinnamon rolls} in America.”
I tell her I have, but I couldn’t possibly refuse her kindness. “Great! Rin, could you go collect those? I’ll leave the icing to you as well.” Tezuka nods, finally removing her gaze from me. She heads back out into the front, and I find myself curious as to how she’ll do this…
“Uhh, how is she supposed to do that without arms?” She giggles before responding.
“Oh, Rin is quite resourceful. She helps out quite a bit around here; she also makes all of the name plates for our sweets. The work on the front windows is her’s as well!” Images of telepathy and using her arms to ‘finger paint’ come to mind, but I shake my head to get rid of the image.
She probably uses her feet, like she did to scratch her head earlier.
Satisfied that my curiosity has been sated, she continues. “How rude of me, I haven’t even introduced myself or my husband. I’m Ibarazaki Meiko and my husband is Itō Goro. Emi is from my first marriage…” Her face clouds over for a moment before she continues, “But enough about me. I heard Emi and Goro refer to you as Nakai but it’s only proper to let you introduce yourself.”
First marriage? Ibarazaki mentioned ‘nurse’ was her step-father, so it shouldn’t surprise me. Probably best if I don’t push it though. “Nakai Hisao, it’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Ibarazaki.”
“Please, Meiko is fine. Hearing Mrs. Ibarazaki makes me feel so old.”
Tezuka sticks her head in for a moment. “Preparing them upstairs. Emi and you always tell me to eat at a table anyway.” With that, she disappears, and I hear her going up the steps.
Meiko lets out yet another laugh. “Rin is always an odd one. Head on upstairs Hisao, I’ll close the shop for a bit so we can talk a bit before lunch.”
I watch her walk back out front before standing up myself. I stretch out, assessing just how tired I am.
Should have enough for lunch and to get back home. Heading upstairs carefully, I’m greeted by the smell of cinnamon and sugar. Tezuka is wearing a sock, which has a separate pouch for her big toe, to grab a plate from the microwave, setting it on a table nearby. There are several plates there, all with a spiral cake on them. After she removes the sock, I watch Tezuka sit on the table, grabbing a bag of some sort between her feet, squeezing it’s contents onto each dish. Once she sets it down, she hops off, pulls out a drawer, and grabs a few forks with her mouth, setting them by each plate.
At some point during all this, she somehow noticed me. “Like watching girls do stuff they’re bad at?” She hops back on the table, grabbing one of the forks, and flicks her head to invite me to the table. Soon after I sit down, Meiko comes from the stairwell.
“You’re getting faster at this Rin, I’m impressed!” Tezuka simply nods, beginning the task of stabbing her pastry. I finally notice a cloth bag on the floor and a plastic container on the counter, along with a cinnamon covered spoon sitting next to it. Quite impressive for a girl with no arms.
“Gotta earn my keep somehow,” finally getting a piece of pastry on her fork, she brings it up to her mouth using her foot. She looks quite content with the taste.
Picking up my fork to dig in, Meiko sits at the other chair. “So Hisao, tell me about yourself.”
***
“Rin claims to be at least half-pirate since she has no arms, but that isn’t how it works. She doesn’t even have hooks! At least I have the peg legs.”
By the time Meiko has finished questioning me, Emi has returned to make lunch. Even Rin has a few questions, as odd as they were. They seem like non-sequiturs but, after considering it for a bit, I realize what she asked is only a few steps removed from the discussion at hand. She basically asks how I see the world, but she always uses strange descriptors like ‘color’ when referring to people. Emi’s blue, Meiko is sunflower yellow, and I’m apparently green, though I’m not sure how confident she is in that assessment. She also mentions Goro being a weird mix of colors, uncertain which one was true.
After lunch, Emi offers to walk me back to my apartment, claiming it is for my safety, but I’m pretty sure she also wants to know where I live. She changed into more normal looking legs, her knee-high socks making them almost look normal.
“No, I can see where she’s coming from. She may not have the hooks, but your legs are way too advanced to be called ‘peg legs.’” The elf is not amused.
“Don’t you start that! When it comes down to it, Rin has no desire to be a pirate. I think she just says that to annoy me.” The grumpiness in her voice is undercut by the broad smile on her face.
“You really care about Rin, don’t you?” Her eyes look at me incredulously.
“Of course I do! I spent two years with her as my next door dorm mate and helped her through a lot. Nomiya, an art teacher at Yamaku, practically forced her to do an exhibit she didn’t want to do. Asshole caused her to break down, too.” By the fury in her eyes, I can tell she’s serious. “Besides, despite how she acts, she’s given me some great insight on things I’ve struggled with. I can’t understand it half the time - she called me an albatross once, whatever that means - but I know she cares.”
As we round the last corner to my apartment complex, I begin to wave goodbye to Emi. “See y-”
“Oh no you don’t, you said you live on the third floor. I’m walking you to your front door mister.” She bounds up with a little more effort than earlier. “You ain’t dying on me today Hisao!”
Hanging my head in defeat, my tiredness becomes apparent. “Look, Emi, I’m grateful for what you’ve done today, but I’m not sure I can handle bringing a girl home the day after breaking up.” As we begin climbing the stairs I look towards her expecting a blush - only to be met by a devilish grin.
“Hisao, in addition to studying sports science, I also have training in first aid and physical therapy. Other people would be worried, but I know enough to push you to the edge and get you to enjoy it.” A wink compliments her sultry tone.
…
I am in way over my head. “Fine, but since you’ve already seen me with my shirt off, I feel you should return the favor.”
And yet I push anyways.
Fortunately, this managed to get my short companion to blush all the way to her ears. After a short moment, she sighs in defeat. “Damn Hisao, I didn’t think you could follow that up. You win, no hanky-panky on the first date.”
… Wait.
Confusion covers my face as I look towards her, her grin back in full force. “Date? How is causing a heart flutter the start of a date?”
“I made you lunch, and you’ve already met my parents..” My confusion deepens, supported by my face going red. Her laugh suggests it had the desired effect. “Don’t worry Hisao, I’m just kidding! As my mom said, something like this would be fast even for me.”
As we reach my apartment door, the scrunching of her face says she’s commiting my apartment to memory. “First date or not, don’t expect me to invite you in. I need to rest, and you won’t help with that.”
“Nope! I wouldn’t. No resistance from me today, but my offer to help still stands. I can’t do anything extreme, considering I don’t have a degree nor access to your medical history, but I can whip up a diet plan and help you beef up your exercise routine. My step-dad can help too, though he won’t always be home.” With a wave she turns back towards the stairs. “See ya later Hisao! You’ve got my number once you decide.”
I watch her almost sprint down the stairs before unlocking my door and going inside. Emi is definitely energetic.
If nothing else, Mai will be pleased to hear about her offer.
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. I'm anxious to see who's in Misha's circle in this 'verse.
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