We both stood and stared at the burnt shell of the café we’d lunched at just the other day. It must have been a big blaze. The walls were black and we could see in the front where the wall toward the street had caved in. We were both shaken, but Shiomi more than me. The bright look on her face had drained away, leaving it ashen.
I took her arm to lead her away, but she shrugged me off, saying, “Don’t touch me, I’m cursed!”
“Then I am too,” I said and took her arm again. “Come on, I remember a sushi place back the way we came.”
She didn’t resist this time and followed docilely. It was a bit like when I pulled her away from Mikawa, but this time she came willingly.
By the time we reached the restaurant, she was more herself. At one point, I’d tried dropping her arm, but she held on, saying, “Please.” I was secure in my role as “White Knight-sama,”
The restaurant was a nice place run by an older couple. I glanced at the menu, but it had been a rough day and I didn’t want to think, so I decided on chirashi. Let them pick the sushi. When I looked over at Shiomi, her menu lay on the table untouched.
“Don’t you want any?” I asked.
“I’ll just have what you order.”
“You can have whatever you want. Don’t worry about the cost. Please, it’s my treat. I don’t know how Mikawa did things, but I want you to enjoy yourself.”
“No, I want to. I want to have whatever you are having. That would make me happy.”
I remembered back at the ramen shop, and she had done the same thing. It seemed odd to me, but I wouldn’t force her.
“And you can have something to drink,” she added. “Don’t worry about me. I don’t mind.”
“You alright Shiomi?” She was acting strange.
“As good as I ever am. The ramen shop burning shook me up.”
Right, the ramen shop. I needed to find out what had happened. I had a bad feeling.
As soon as we ordered, I got out my phone to look for news about the fire and I didn’t like what I found. It said some Yankii bikers had taken over the place, trashed, and burned it. The owner and two regulars had disappeared. The authorities said they would soon apprehend the criminals, but I doubted that. Not unless they traveled to Muko. That made at least four dead or missing, including the priest, who had gotten caught in the wake of Mikawa’s destruction.
“Learn anything?” Shiomi asked.
“Yeah, a cooking fire got out of control. Some folks are in the hospital but should recover.” I hoped the lie was believable. Shiomi had enough weighing her down without my adding to it. “Shiomi, you don’t have to worry about it. You… We weren’t responsible.”
Our food arrived at that moment. I had been worried about the quality of fish this far from the coast, but it looked fresh. I popped a piece of hamachi in my mouth and then noticed Shiomi hadn’t touched her food and was just looking at me. Her behavior was making me nervous. I was used to Tomo who just chowed down. But I couldn’t figure out what was going on in Shiomi’s head.
“Is it good?” she asked.
“Very, you should…”
I didn’t need to finish because she started eating. That was a relief.
After a few bites, she stopped, putting down her chopsticks. “Ume, could you call me Shishi?”
“Sure, why? I thought you hated that name.”
“I did. Shishi was a silly girl who got bullied a lot, but I trust you to treat me right. It just seems right that you should call me that. Special.”
She paused and then seemed to decide that more of an explanation was necessary. “Shiomi is a drab, miserable girl who works in a konbini and has given up on the world. I don’t want to be plain old Shiomi and I can’t be Fukitsu. Maybe I’m not making sense, but Fukitsu is gone. She died the day I walked out on my unit. Shishi is where I started. I want to start again. You at least see me as interesting, so I would like to start again with you.”
“Then Shishi it is. You’ll forgive me if I prefer being called Ume. Even Tomo calls me that.”
“No problem,” she responded and went back to eating with a radiant look on her face.
“Shishi, Shishi,” I mentally drew out the sounds in my head.
My luck seemed to have turned. I could call her Shishi. That was a big step forward with someone with as many trust issues as Shiomi; I mean, Shishi had… And starting over wasn’t a bad idea.
“Shishi,” I silently repeated once more. That went beyond obligation. It meant there was something deeper; I hoped. “Sure, let’s start again,” I mentally continued. I’d settle for loyalty now and in time, maybe there would be more. “Shishi and Ume.”
I looked over and found her happily eating, a smile on her face. Whatever weirdness was going on with the food seemed to be over. I liked how she looked when she was happy. If a meal and a few kind words were all it took, then I could look forward to many more smiles. I wondered if she would like to take me to an idol club. Tomo and I hadn’t been to a club in a long time and Shiom… Shishi would probably love it. Or would it be too painful?
That was if we were still alive and could afford it. Mikawa probably wouldn’t have much trouble picking off a couple of homeless NEETs. Where was this good fortune Hanayome-shin was supposed to bring? My family fortune had been bleeding away, and I lived in a mouse house, one that I might not be able to afford soon.
With an effort, I pushed away the feeling of impending doom, financial and otherwise, and held onto the warmth of Shishi’s smile.
The meal was over too soon, and we wandered around Numata. There wasn’t much in the town, but the weather had turned warm. More luck.
I wanted to hold her hand, but the opportunity never seemed to come up. It was like being in high school again or what I imagined it would have been like if you had a crush back then. I suddenly imagined walking hand in hand with Shishi under spring sakura. Maybe by spring, I could convince her she wanted to be with me, not out of debt but from affection.
A little before seventeen-hundred-hour we arrived back at the auto shop. Indeed, our luck continued to hold. The car was ready when we arrived. The bill made me wince, but we were on the road with plenty of time to reach home before dark.
Home; Tomo, Shishi, and me. Not to forget Hanayome-shin and Mikawa.
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Note:
Shishi and Ume. A pair of disaster lesbians if there ever were one. Shishi probably doesn’t think it’s her place to spell out how she feels and Ume has gone down a random rabbit hole. This may take a while, but at least they had a pleasant date.
I will be off grid for a month, so new episodes will be delayed until I am back.
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Story by Nara Moore
Twitter/X:@nara_moore
Mastodon: sakurajima.moe
WordPress: Josei Yuri and Paranormal Romance
Art by Mai-sensei
Twitter: @Maiisheree
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