Chapter 6 - Morning at Mecchen House (cont.)

I looked to Nathan. He shrugged. In Jamie’s absence, I put up a bit of a fight.

“You can’t go. We may not return, and you have class, right?”

She picked up a cleaver and held it with a slight curve. “Class will be fine. I will go. I will help you along to your destination.” I wasn’t sure if I should take that as a threat. Then she turned and furiously chopped up a cucumber. Ms. Ishida was right about her abilities. She picked up a plate, balanced by one finger, and gently laid it down for the cut pieces.

We went back to work on the bento lunches. Ms. Ishida looked over my shoulder and smiled. “Nice work! By the way, your clothes will be done soon. You can have those others you selected as well. Same goes for your roommates. Oh my, those are still attached?”

I was beginning to get a little tired of everyone noticing my breast-forms. “I can’t do much about it. Miki is looking for some solvent but otherwise… Just need time, I guess.”

Nana drew closer to me. “Some are different, and it takes time. Some only require a precise application of pressure.” She placed her hand between my cleavage and pressed. Both forms plopped down my shirt and to the floor. I held them up and tested my balance. Back to normal. I looked at Nana with gratitude, but she was already carving up another cucumber. Still, I offered a gentle, “Thank you so much…”

She turned and bowed her head congenially. Reiko growled at her cooking and rubbed the pan with something flat. Ms. Ishida rushed over to assist. Reiko muttered something to Ms. Ishida, who just rubbed her shoulder. I was tempted to offer help as well but her “no” stuck in my head, so I kept helping on the bento lunches. I set the forms aside, glad they were no longer attached to me.

Jamie finally emerged from wherever he’d been hiding right when we finished the last of the bento boxes. He still had on the cat-ears. He explained he was in the bathroom and then watched a little TV. Convenient. Reiko’s gaze struck his, as she demanded, “Get over here. You’re helping me with fish.”

Wow, that was more than she’d said to me in all the time I’d known her. She snagged Jamie by the collar and gave him a pan. He gave me a look of pleading with his eyes. Ms. Ishida gave another sweatdrop-covered look.

Nana finished the last of the vegetables, then walked around the corner. She came back with a long table. She pushed it into the large, empty area on one side of the kitchen. Nathan offered to help her, but she just said, “You have done much for me. I will do this.”

Tara showed me how to wrap the bento boxes and told me which to mark to whom. I noticed I was unconsciously writing in kanji. Trippy…

Ms. Ishida set a mediating hand on Jamie and Reiko. Jamie seemed to be handling the pan decently. Reiko’s look was harsh. When Jamie finished the fish, Nana and Reiko set the table. Chopsticks, napkins, and plates.

Reiko glared at Jamie. “Next time you come around here, you’re making the meal. You think you can simply leech off hospitality? You disgust me.” She took the far side of the table. Jamie sat as far away from her as possible and rolled his colorful eyes. Nathan and I sat near him.

Mecchen residents slowly began to join us after Tara ran off to announce breakfast and put her magical outfit away. Mami was first. She seemed docile and sluggish. Miki burst in next, her hair slightly-wet. She had the solvent in her hands and a smile on her face. Her smile quickly shifted to the same look of disappointment she wore last night when she saw my forms were gone. But that look shifted again, into a look of relief.

Ms. Ishida sat nearby and offered to explain the food to us. Reiko looked over at Jamie with contempt then turned away, her eyes closed. Jamie muttered, “What’s her deal?…”

Katsumi joined us next and frowned deeply when she noticed I no longer had bumps on my chest. I did feel rather itchy and sensitive there, though nothing unreasonable for having something glued to my chest overnight. I passed the forms to her and she set them in front of her, on the table.

Jamie scratched at his chest and where Reiko had grabbed him. Katsumi sat on the other side of Ms. Ishida and announced, “Don’t think this is over, you girls. You may think I’m letting you all off easy, that’s just because you’re heading off soon. I assure you, my spirit of maiden-making will haunt and change you, no matter how far you travel!”

Reiko uttered a high, “Shh!” as she broke her disposable chopsticks. Katsumi challenged her interruption with a look, glanced back at us, and nodded once. Nana served warm tea to each of us and found a place to sit on the other side of Katsumi. Ami eventually arrived, looking quite bleary, with Sumi towing her along.

Except for Ami, everyone was dressed in the same school uniform Mami previewed. I felt Katsumi, excusing her long hair, looked more like a boy dressed in drag than I did last night when she wore the uniform.

I let out a little smirk at that thought. Katsumi narrowed her eyes at me. The moment soon passed.

Everyone uttered a quick “I receive this food”, and started eating

I bowed my head, said the same along with Nathan and Jamie, and dug into my omelet.

Excusing the nauseating taste of the natto (Jamie and Nathan didn’t like it either), it was a wonderful breakfast, especially with Ms. Ishida helping out where she could. The conversation was even better.

Ami eventually woke up more and expressed her relief at the condition of my chest. Mami even returned to her normal self, noticed me scratching at my chest, and offered to sell me a moisturizing lotion. Ami offered me plenty for free. I reminded them we were leaving in a few minutes.

Tara whimpered between bites of rice. “We have to play cards! Please! It’ll be so much fun!”

Sumi rotated her chopsticks. “The game I taught you?” Tara nodded vigorously. “Yeah! I love it!” She raised her food high.

I promised again that we would play cards before leaving. Reiko had given up communicating at all and resorted to quick glares in Jamie’s direction. He didn’t seem to be paying attention anymore.

Miki ate fast, said “Thanks for the feast!”, and had time to clean up the pans. She gave Nathan a big hug and said, “Got practice and club stuff. If I don’t see you again, it’s been an awesome time. You’re my absolute favorite challenger.” She gave a hug to me and Jamie too.

“You two are great fun. Take care of Nathan and be well.” With that, she dashed over, picked up her bento box, and ran out waving. I heard feet shuffling and a door opening and closing a second later.

Ms. Ishida added, “She’s on the school’s lacrosse team.” That clarified a few things.

Nana reiterated her intention to go with us. Jamie objected and used the same points I did, to even less effect. Eventually, he threw up his hands and agreed to let her come.

Ami finished next, with a small burp and all politeness, but promised to come back once she’d changed into her uniform. For an instant, I was tempted to go with her. Katsumi flashed me another dirty look.

The three of us were done shortly thereafter (we offered our thanks as well). Jamie cleaned up a bit, so as not to incur further wrath from Reiko. I left my natto for Tara, who consumed it eagerly. I showed Jamie the news station until Tara put it back on cartoons and went to ‘go get the card table.’ Jamie shrugged. “Doesn’t look all that weird…”

“Exactly! That’s why I’m so concerned.”

He rolled his eyes.

When Tara returned, I asked, “Are there any giant robots?”

She opened up the table with an ‘umm’ and “I think there’s a show on at three. I don’t watch it. I watch Pretty Yumeko Hime Galaxy.”

“What about magic?”

Her eyes lit up. “Yup! Yumeko has tons of spells, even some which stop time. And spells that allow her to read minds. And super-strength spells. And she can change people into other people, or even animals. But she can only do one spell per day. So, she has to be really careful. It’s so much fun. Her childhood best friend is actually magical too and he likes her, but that’s a secret from Yumeko. They both come from the same planet. Each thinks the other is actually human…”

Tara kept going with a snowballing explanation of the plot. She was getting into “Magic-users spread throughout the galaxy to oppose the Death Urge plague” when she remembered the cards. She leapt at them and shuffled furiously.

Nana walked in slowly and sat right next to me. She had a bit of rice on the lower edge of her mouth-line. I pointed it out and she touched her face. Nana remained still for so long that I worried I’d said something wrong.

“Are you alright?”

She looked at me.

“I am fine.” She cleaned her mouth with a sweeping motion.

-----

Tara’s card game went long enough for us to learn the rules and play a few rounds. The objective was to get rid of all your cards. Nothing new there. Judging by the labels of ‘rich one’ to ‘poor one,’ I was surprised that Sumi taught her the game instead of Mami.

It played rather like a more-intricate version of Hearts. Strategically deal your highest-value card. The highest card was two. That threw me off, but I was able to cope. Jamie looked utterly confused. He wound up being the ‘poor one’ each time.

Tara was ahead with Nana right behind when Ms. Ishida tapped her on the shoulder and told her the time. She slowly put the cards away and looked at each of us. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she murmured, “We just met… but…” The rest of her words were lost in sniffles.

Jamie stood and gave Tara a big hug. He didn’t say anything except, “There there…” With his ears on, the image of a crying, blond anime girl hugging a blond cat-boy was captivating enough to take a photo. And Sumi did, with her phone.

“Cheer up, Tara. Here. Take a few photos to remember them all by.” Tara’s tears quickly dried and she ran about, trying to get into every picture she could. Sumi winked at me. The unease was gone but not entirely forgotten.

Katsumi walked past with her book bag over her shoulder. She approached and asked if she could get in one of the photos.

Sumi laughed. “Aww… shy-bunnykins finally wants to get her picture taken. Does that also mean she wants to go all out, wear the bust enhancer, and have a ‘private’ photography session too?”

Katsumi stuck out her tongue. “I wouldn’t mind having a few photos so I can track these three down and get them when they least expect it. But first! I made a promise! I have selected names for the three of you in your maiden destiny! You!”

She gestured at Nathan first. He shrunk a bit.

Katsumi pursed her lips and pronounced, “Your name will be… Taketani Keiko. Evermore! Shy and cute!”

Her hand moved to Jamie. “And you… Oh, you. I have a good one for you. Minamoto Kimi. It fits you and your fate perfectly!”

She ended on me. I leaned back. She moistened her mouth-line with a pink dab of tongue. “Your name took a while to figure out. I wanted it to be perfect. Nakamori Arisu! So shall you be!” She clapped her hands three times and bowed.

Silence followed.

I spoke up, “Really… who are you trying to fool? You may play and imagine but look at the facts. Even in this world, there is no real magic. Science can’t even do the kind of things you want. There is NO WAY. Give it up. You’re just deluding yourself. Are you going to spend your WHOLE LIFE pretending you can make girls with a wave of your hand? It’s not possible. Not in this world! Not in any other!”

I regretted what I said even before I saw Katsumi’s hand sail across my face with a “SLAP” that echoed through the room. It only stung for a second.

She trembled in front of me, head down. Tears didn’t flow from her eyes. She just trembled and slowly clenched her fists. Then she flew out of the room, rumbling across the floor as she went.

I hit myself on the head. What did I know? I’d just seen a handful of TV shows. And with that, I presumed to dismiss all forms of the fantastic? I was in a world of anime! Wasn’t that something? Wasn’t that fantastic?

Tara had her arms down and close to her. Jamie and Nathan looked similarly subdued. Nana appeared unaffected.

I felt guilty. Now, I just wanted to leave.

-----

The goodbyes were low-key. Tara bounced back quickly, giving us big hugs. She accepted the cat-ears from Jamie.

Katsumi didn’t return. Ms. Ishida offered us each a bento and our clothes in a nice bag. She gave hugs too. Reiko passed a glare to Jamie but walked off to class without saying anything further. Sumi waved to each of us and told me, “Miss ya, miss your chest even more.” She winked and left.

Ami and Mami said bye and left just before us. I accepted a long hug from Ami and a friendly shake from Mami. With no further ado, we slipped our shoes on and walked out. Nana walked near us.

I felt a sudden wind tease at my hair. It curled around me with a hint of warmth. I turned to look. Ms. Ishida and Tara waved through the doorway. I looked up to the third story. I couldn’t see Katsumi, but I could feel her looking down on me.

I remembered her words. You kindle my girl-making imagination…

I sighed and didn’t look back again until we were out of sight of Mecchen House.