Monomyth: Taro Arai's Story [Update: 14/7/15]
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 10:54 pm
Chapter Twenty-Four: Reform in a Tea Cup
We went back to Ritsu’s room without much more of a fuss. She showered while I put her wet clothes in the laundry. We cuddled up on her bed and, eventually, she fell asleep. Not much chance of that for me. I don’t know how long I was lying there being spooned by my emotional fragile girlfriend before I cautiously lift her arm from across my chest and get off the bed. She squirms under the covers as I close the door behind me.
The dorms are eerily quiet as I make my way to the dimly lit common room. The TV is on and a lone figure sits snoozing on the sofa. I place the blanket over Miki and make myself a cup of tea, Molly-style. Might as well try it out. I guess I was making too much noise because I rouse the girl from her slumber.
“Couldn’t sleep?” A drowsy Miki asks from behind me.
“Neither could you it seems. Well, obviously you could but you’re down here instead of in bed…” I ramble idly with barely any energy.
“Hoping to catch you if you decided to make a quick exit. Fair play to you for sticking around.”
“I don’t abandon the people I care about…”
“I know, but that shitstorm earlier would scare anyone.” Miki responds. She’s not wrong. One person in particular comes to mind.
“Shit… How’s Molly?”
“Shaken but she’ll bounce back.” I wince at Miki’s words, as she steps up to me and leans with her back to the counter, wrapped in the blanket.
“I’ll apologise to her in the morning… I’m sorry for making you worry too.” I give her a forlorn look and she shakes her head.
“Don’t worry about it. I was more surprised than anything. I never thought I’d hear Ritsu be so… spiteful.” Miki ponders. “I heard enough to get why she was pissed. You know how my Mom left me and my Dad, so I understand… But the way she spoke to you and Molly…”
“Please don’t punch my girlfriend.” I offer a weak smile and Miki snorts.
“No promises.”
“Just not the face, that’s one of my favourite parts.”
“I’m not even going to ask…” She smiles a little and shakes her head.
She replaces the blanket and pats me on the back before heading upstairs. “Get some sleep, big guy.”
“G’night, Miki.”
I finish making my tea and head back to Ritsu’s room. To my surprise, she’s awake.
“Where were you?” She asks quietly.
“I couldn’t sleep so I went to make a drink. Do you want me to go make you one?” I ask and she shakes her head.
I place my mug on the nightstand and cuddle up with Ritsu again. We sit quietly for a long time, the silence is thick and only broken by intermittent sniffles and the sipping of tea. It’s pretty good, actually. I could get used to having it regularly.
“That doesn’t smell like coffee.” Ritsu states, peering at the mug through the darkness.
“It’s tea, would you like some?” I offer the mug and she cautiously takes it in both hands. She sniffs the brew before sipping it. She tilts her head in thought before smiling.
“That’s pretty nice. Maybe a little too sweet though.” It’s nice to see her smile again.
“I’m still getting the hang of it. I only learned to make it in the past couple days…”
Ritsu takes another sip before handing the mug back and nestling into my side again.
“I missed you, Taro…”
“Missed you too, Ritsu.” I place the mug down and stroke her arm.
“…That was our first fight.” She sighs.
“It had much less table-throwing and bruises then I thought.” I joke, hoping to keep the mood light. “Though you got me pretty good in the chest…” I rub the spot on my chest, which is still a little sore. Ritsu places her hand over mine and looks up at me.
“Sorry…”
“I’ve had worse.” I plant a kiss on her forehead.
“I’ve got some apologising to do tomorrow.” She grimly admits.
“Yeah but if you explain what happened, I’m sure Molly will understand.”
“I was a real bitch though… She didn’t deserve the awful things I said…”
“It’ll work out…” I smile, pulling her closer and closing my eyes.
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I wake up with a familiar weight on my torso, Ritsu had decided to use me as a body pillow and was sleeping peacefully. I smile and stroke her hair, causing her to stir.
“Whu’ time is it?” She mumbles, squirming and stretching on top of me.
“About 10:15, give or take.”
“Can we stay here all day? You’re really comfy…” She smiles half-jokingly. I poke her nose and she scrunches her face up.
“No can do. We’ve got things to see and people to do.” I smirk a little.
“You’ve been hanging around Akio too much…” She pouts.
“When Hana starts saying it, then you should be worried.” I joke and she laughs. We lie there for a few minutes more before Ritsu pats my belly and jumps out of bed.
“Right! You go shower and change and I’ll put on my war face.”
“War face?” I ask with a certain amount of trepidation.
“I really fucked up yesterday and said some awful things I’m not proud of. I have some serious apologising to do so I’m going all out!” She pounds her chest twice and points at me. Nice to see her confidence back. Let’s do it!
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Well, that confidence didn’t last long… I awkwardly watch the sobbing mess that is Ritsu and Molly hugging, on their knees a few feet from me. I feel like I’m intruding. Like trying to jump on a merry-go-round that’s already spinning.
I can’t understand a word they’re saying either. It just sounds like wailing but apparently they understand each other perfectly. I look down to the redhead beside me who looks a little emotional herself.
“Fuuka, can you translate? I don’t think they teach “Crying Girl Communication” as an elective here.” I joke a little, more to make me feel less tense than anything.
“It’s going well. It’s mostly been apologies. Joking threats. Derisive comments about your manhood.”
“Wait, what?” I look and she has a wicked grin. It’s good Akio never got together with her, they’re probably siblings…
The crying stops and they laugh and eventually get back on their feet turning to Fuuka and myself.
“No cat fight?” I raise my eyebrows expectantly.
“No, we sniff buried the hatchet.” Molly smiles a little.
“Thank you for not doing it literally.” I bow to Molly and she laughs. I’m being serious.
“Great! Nobody died, c’mon, Molls! We still have shopping to do. You promised to make us all katsu curry!” Fuuka rolls back and forth impatiently.
“And we’ve got a date with a Shanghai latte!” Ritsu cheerily announces, hooking her arm around mine.
“{They’ve got your toiling in the kitchen again? Do you need a hand}?” I ask Molly in English.
“{Sure you’re not looking for an invite}?” She eyes me shrewdly and I laugh.
“{I think I owe you a meal. Both for the other night and for being so forgiving}.”
“{Don’t worry about it! Watch yourself though, mate! She ever catches you actually cheating and she’ll have your bollocks in a vice}!” She laughs and wanders off with Fuuka. I shake my head and turn to Ritsu who is narrowing her eyes at me.
“What was that about?” Ritsu asks.
“Trying to wrangle an invite for some katsu curry.” I grin and her face softens.
“Man, I haven’t had katsu curry in so long!” Ritsu looks a little disappointed.
“You should ask your new best friend, she’s quite good at it!” I laugh and receive a jab in the ribs for my levity.
“You’re buying the first round, jerk!”
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We while away the afternoon in the Shanghai. I’m no Miss Tsunemori but I do my best to have a productive conversation with Ritsu about her family. It’s emotional but she has the chance to vent and that can only be good for her. We eventually move on to lighter fare, like Class 3-3’s newest couple and my new appreciation for British tea.
The sun is soon setting when we reach the dorms hand in hand. We’ve spent every moment together since Ritsu came back but I think Ritsu has other ideas about what that means.
“So, my place or yours?” She coyly smiles.
“Why, Miss Tainaka! Are you propositioning me?” I raise an eyebrow as I pull her in close for a kiss.
“I am and I think you’re going to accept…” She presses herself against me, her hands snaking around my neck.
“And why is that?” I probably would anyway, but I have to play along.
“Because, Mr Arai…” She presses herself against me and whispers into my ear. “The beds here are much sturdier than the one you had at home.”
My eyes go wide and Ritsu leads me by the hand toward her room.
We went back to Ritsu’s room without much more of a fuss. She showered while I put her wet clothes in the laundry. We cuddled up on her bed and, eventually, she fell asleep. Not much chance of that for me. I don’t know how long I was lying there being spooned by my emotional fragile girlfriend before I cautiously lift her arm from across my chest and get off the bed. She squirms under the covers as I close the door behind me.
The dorms are eerily quiet as I make my way to the dimly lit common room. The TV is on and a lone figure sits snoozing on the sofa. I place the blanket over Miki and make myself a cup of tea, Molly-style. Might as well try it out. I guess I was making too much noise because I rouse the girl from her slumber.
“Couldn’t sleep?” A drowsy Miki asks from behind me.
“Neither could you it seems. Well, obviously you could but you’re down here instead of in bed…” I ramble idly with barely any energy.
“Hoping to catch you if you decided to make a quick exit. Fair play to you for sticking around.”
“I don’t abandon the people I care about…”
“I know, but that shitstorm earlier would scare anyone.” Miki responds. She’s not wrong. One person in particular comes to mind.
“Shit… How’s Molly?”
“Shaken but she’ll bounce back.” I wince at Miki’s words, as she steps up to me and leans with her back to the counter, wrapped in the blanket.
“I’ll apologise to her in the morning… I’m sorry for making you worry too.” I give her a forlorn look and she shakes her head.
“Don’t worry about it. I was more surprised than anything. I never thought I’d hear Ritsu be so… spiteful.” Miki ponders. “I heard enough to get why she was pissed. You know how my Mom left me and my Dad, so I understand… But the way she spoke to you and Molly…”
“Please don’t punch my girlfriend.” I offer a weak smile and Miki snorts.
“No promises.”
“Just not the face, that’s one of my favourite parts.”
“I’m not even going to ask…” She smiles a little and shakes her head.
She replaces the blanket and pats me on the back before heading upstairs. “Get some sleep, big guy.”
“G’night, Miki.”
I finish making my tea and head back to Ritsu’s room. To my surprise, she’s awake.
“Where were you?” She asks quietly.
“I couldn’t sleep so I went to make a drink. Do you want me to go make you one?” I ask and she shakes her head.
I place my mug on the nightstand and cuddle up with Ritsu again. We sit quietly for a long time, the silence is thick and only broken by intermittent sniffles and the sipping of tea. It’s pretty good, actually. I could get used to having it regularly.
“That doesn’t smell like coffee.” Ritsu states, peering at the mug through the darkness.
“It’s tea, would you like some?” I offer the mug and she cautiously takes it in both hands. She sniffs the brew before sipping it. She tilts her head in thought before smiling.
“That’s pretty nice. Maybe a little too sweet though.” It’s nice to see her smile again.
“I’m still getting the hang of it. I only learned to make it in the past couple days…”
Ritsu takes another sip before handing the mug back and nestling into my side again.
“I missed you, Taro…”
“Missed you too, Ritsu.” I place the mug down and stroke her arm.
“…That was our first fight.” She sighs.
“It had much less table-throwing and bruises then I thought.” I joke, hoping to keep the mood light. “Though you got me pretty good in the chest…” I rub the spot on my chest, which is still a little sore. Ritsu places her hand over mine and looks up at me.
“Sorry…”
“I’ve had worse.” I plant a kiss on her forehead.
“I’ve got some apologising to do tomorrow.” She grimly admits.
“Yeah but if you explain what happened, I’m sure Molly will understand.”
“I was a real bitch though… She didn’t deserve the awful things I said…”
“It’ll work out…” I smile, pulling her closer and closing my eyes.
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I wake up with a familiar weight on my torso, Ritsu had decided to use me as a body pillow and was sleeping peacefully. I smile and stroke her hair, causing her to stir.
“Whu’ time is it?” She mumbles, squirming and stretching on top of me.
“About 10:15, give or take.”
“Can we stay here all day? You’re really comfy…” She smiles half-jokingly. I poke her nose and she scrunches her face up.
“No can do. We’ve got things to see and people to do.” I smirk a little.
“You’ve been hanging around Akio too much…” She pouts.
“When Hana starts saying it, then you should be worried.” I joke and she laughs. We lie there for a few minutes more before Ritsu pats my belly and jumps out of bed.
“Right! You go shower and change and I’ll put on my war face.”
“War face?” I ask with a certain amount of trepidation.
“I really fucked up yesterday and said some awful things I’m not proud of. I have some serious apologising to do so I’m going all out!” She pounds her chest twice and points at me. Nice to see her confidence back. Let’s do it!
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Well, that confidence didn’t last long… I awkwardly watch the sobbing mess that is Ritsu and Molly hugging, on their knees a few feet from me. I feel like I’m intruding. Like trying to jump on a merry-go-round that’s already spinning.
I can’t understand a word they’re saying either. It just sounds like wailing but apparently they understand each other perfectly. I look down to the redhead beside me who looks a little emotional herself.
“Fuuka, can you translate? I don’t think they teach “Crying Girl Communication” as an elective here.” I joke a little, more to make me feel less tense than anything.
“It’s going well. It’s mostly been apologies. Joking threats. Derisive comments about your manhood.”
“Wait, what?” I look and she has a wicked grin. It’s good Akio never got together with her, they’re probably siblings…
The crying stops and they laugh and eventually get back on their feet turning to Fuuka and myself.
“No cat fight?” I raise my eyebrows expectantly.
“No, we sniff buried the hatchet.” Molly smiles a little.
“Thank you for not doing it literally.” I bow to Molly and she laughs. I’m being serious.
“Great! Nobody died, c’mon, Molls! We still have shopping to do. You promised to make us all katsu curry!” Fuuka rolls back and forth impatiently.
“And we’ve got a date with a Shanghai latte!” Ritsu cheerily announces, hooking her arm around mine.
“{They’ve got your toiling in the kitchen again? Do you need a hand}?” I ask Molly in English.
“{Sure you’re not looking for an invite}?” She eyes me shrewdly and I laugh.
“{I think I owe you a meal. Both for the other night and for being so forgiving}.”
“{Don’t worry about it! Watch yourself though, mate! She ever catches you actually cheating and she’ll have your bollocks in a vice}!” She laughs and wanders off with Fuuka. I shake my head and turn to Ritsu who is narrowing her eyes at me.
“What was that about?” Ritsu asks.
“Trying to wrangle an invite for some katsu curry.” I grin and her face softens.
“Man, I haven’t had katsu curry in so long!” Ritsu looks a little disappointed.
“You should ask your new best friend, she’s quite good at it!” I laugh and receive a jab in the ribs for my levity.
“You’re buying the first round, jerk!”
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We while away the afternoon in the Shanghai. I’m no Miss Tsunemori but I do my best to have a productive conversation with Ritsu about her family. It’s emotional but she has the chance to vent and that can only be good for her. We eventually move on to lighter fare, like Class 3-3’s newest couple and my new appreciation for British tea.
The sun is soon setting when we reach the dorms hand in hand. We’ve spent every moment together since Ritsu came back but I think Ritsu has other ideas about what that means.
“So, my place or yours?” She coyly smiles.
“Why, Miss Tainaka! Are you propositioning me?” I raise an eyebrow as I pull her in close for a kiss.
“I am and I think you’re going to accept…” She presses herself against me, her hands snaking around my neck.
“And why is that?” I probably would anyway, but I have to play along.
“Because, Mr Arai…” She presses herself against me and whispers into my ear. “The beds here are much sturdier than the one you had at home.”
My eyes go wide and Ritsu leads me by the hand toward her room.
Hopefully you'll like what's going to be coming up in the next few chapters!
At the very least a shared one between two rooms. That's what the art assets always implied anyway. 
