Previous: Fumie
"There's where I live." Fumie indicated the neat rows of houses packed closely together on the streets stretching vertically away from us, across the road where we were waiting for the light, almost in the shadow of the high-rise condominium block to our left and behind us. The afternoon sun glinted off the upper-story windows of the houses.
"They all look the same!" Teru shook her head in bemusement.
I had to agree with Teru. Modular mix-and-match construction gave some individuality to the houses within the subdivision, but there was an underlying sameness. Five-by-twelve meter rectangular plots, three-and-a-half stories, less than a meter between each house, one-meter deep micro-garden or general-use area in front of the entryway, carport area one side or the other overhung by the second floor. For all that each house presented its own distinct facade, there's not really a lot of variation possible in that tight a space.
"Wait. Is that your house? The third one in on the second street over there? The pink and gold one, with the kaki tree in front threatening to hang fruit over the fence." Teru pointed, and I leaned in to get a view over her shoulder.
"Y' migh'be ont' some'n."
"Could be." I looked over at Fumie.
She nodded. "Very good guess. We have to trim that persimmon tree twice a year."
"Give good fruit?" I asked.
"For an inner-city tree."
"There's something different about the house, the colors, the layout," Teru observed. "It makes me think of you."
"S'uh guess yer dad w's th' construction manager when this w's goin' up?"
"My mom was the project manager. The houses were constructed in modules at a factory. Dad led the team that built the module design and layout software. And then they decided to live here when they got married."
Jun nodded. "Makes sense."
Teru added, "Your dad and mom would do more with the software than the average customer working with the sales agent, I guess."
"Yeah, but I think it takes a special eye to see what they did."
The light changed and we crossed the street. Entering the subdivision, we skirted the per-hour parking lot at the end of the first street, passed the first two houses on the next, and stopped in front of the micro-garden underneath the persimmon tree. Fumie opened the gate and the front door, and aromas of udon noodles and soybeans with a simple pork and vegetable broth seasoned with cayenne and sesame oil wafted out.
Jun tested the air. "Smells good."
"Uhm." Fumie nodded. "Tada-ima," she called out as she let us in.
We filed in after her, echoing, "Tada-ima!" and adding the obligatory apology, "Shitsu-rei shimasu," as we left our shoes in the genkan and stepped up onto the inner floor, then shuffled into the carpeted first-floor kyaku-ma where we dodged the low-hanging ceiling lamp to stand between the couch and the electric piano. A computer keyboard and screen stood on a small desk in a corner, and bookshelves stood against the far wall, with books and magazines on a variety of subjects, including a selection of religious and philosophical works that I recognized.
"Ah," a deep bass voice resonated down the stairwell. "Fumie. Teru, Ryō, and Jun are with you, right?"
"Right, Dad."
"Is the kotatsu set up down there?"
The low table for the kyakuma was not in sight.
"No, ..."
"Honey, no need for formalities between friends," a contralto voice resonated from above in turn. "Bring them up here where the food is."
"Okay." Fumie indicated the stairs with her head. "Is the kitchen okay?"
The three of us nodded. "Sure." "Yeah." "Sounds great."
She led the way up the narrow stairs, Teru following. Jun nodded for me to go first, then came behind.
At the top of the stairs, Fumie moved ahead on the landing between two doors, so we could enter the kitchen first. Fumie's mother turned to greet us as we squeezed in, wiping her hands on her apron.
Her dad was tending the pot at the stove, some of the steam condensing on his brow. He stopped to nod welcomingly towards us.
"Oh, Teru. Welcome. Welcome!" Fumie's mom took Teru into a big hug, then leaned back to look her in the face. "Been so looking forward to meeting you."
I could see Teru's back stiffen as she took the hug. She ducked her head, not able to give a proper o-jigi bow between the table, the wall, and Fumie's mom. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Masamichi."
"Emari. Call me Em." She patted Teru on the back reassuringly. Teru's back remained stiff.
Looking over Teru's shoulder, Emari checked my face first, and then Jun's. She turned back to me and nodded. "Ah, Ryō."
"Mrs. Masamichi." I had room for a proper o-jigi in reply.
Then she turned again to Jun. "And Teru's wonderful big brother, Jun, who takes such good care of his little sister." There was no trace of irony or sarcasm in her voice as she separated from Teru and squeezed past me to pull Jun into a hug.
Teru turned and followed Emari with her eyes, raising her eyebrows, then gave me an inquiring look. I replied with with a small shrug.
Jun didn't miss a beat. "In 'n ideal world, in an ideal world." He returned the hug easily. "Thank ye for th' inv'tation, Ms. Masamichi."
"Em."
"Thanky', Em."
They patted each other on the back.
Jun looked at me over her shoulder with questions in his eyes. Again, there was nothing I could do but shrug quietly.
Fumie's dad shut the flame off and set the ladle down, and came over to shake our hands with a warm grin. "Seisaburō, but you guys can call me Sei. Sure glad you could come today."
The three of us returned his greetings. Now I could see Teru beginning to relax.
Emari separated from Jun and looked out the door, catching Fumie's eye. "I guess the kitchen table really isn't big enough for seven. Fu-chan, since Nats still hasn't come down, can you and Ryō set up the kotatsu in the ima?" She nodded at the door across the landing.
Fumie looked in at me. "Uhm, can I ask your help?"
I checked with Teru and she blinked and gave me a small go-ahead nod.
Jun's eyebrows were still slightly raised.
"I guess, ...," I answered a little more hesitantly than was polite.
"Thank you." Mrs. Masamichi stepped outside so I could get through.
"Your turn," I subvocalized to Jun as I squeezed past. He grimaced.
When we were up the stairs and around the corner, Fumie asked in a whisper, "So how do you and my mother know each other?"
"I wasn't aware that we did," I whispered back.
She stopped and turned to face me. "Then what was that all about?"
I shook my head. "No idea."
Still puzzled, she turned and continued up the stairs. At the 3rd floor landing, she knocked on the nearest door. "Nazoru, are you coming down to meet Teru?"
"After my team finishes this battle."
"What are you playing?" I asked through the door.
The door slid open, and a teen-aged boy about Teru's age looked at me from where he sat in front of his game machine with a headset on, one hand on the door and one on his controller. "Got company," he said into the mike. Then he turned back to his game. "Dragon's Dogma."
"Ah, yeah. Teru used to really get into that one."
"Used to?" He digested that for a minute while he attacked the on-screen beast with his teammates. "Are you Teru's big brother?"
"Nah, I'm not Jun, I'm their friend Ryō."
"Hang on," he said into the mike, and the on-screen avatars of his teammates moved into defensive formation. He turned back to examine me doubtfully for a moment, then returned to his game again. "Let's go." The on-screen battle resumed. "You're as old as Fumie," he commented, keeping his focus on the screen.
"True."
"Is that why you're not interested in Teru?"
"Natsu, ..." Fumie's voice had a warning tone.
"Heh. Nothing of the sort."
"Then why don't you go ahead put her in your family registry instead of sending her here to live?"
"Nazoru!"
"Life really is not as simple as many people think. But she's pretty much agreed to join my family when she is old enough, since you ask."
"My mother thinks you're dodging your responsibilities."
"Nazoru, really!"
"Might be. But that's between Teru and me and God. Would you rather she didn't come here to stay for a while?"
"Nah, I'm okay with it. Just wondering." He reached back without looking and slid the door shut again. "Take that, you beast!" we heard through the door. "There's the healing potion. Sorry I was a little slow."
Fumie and I retrieved the kotatsu from the middle room under the stairs, and I took the front end as we carried it down to the second floor to set it up on the tatami in the ima.
Dressers against the wall indicated that the designated living room doubled as Fumie's parents' bedroom at night.
"Kotatsu's set up," Fumie announced through the kitchen door.
"Oh, good. The udon is ready, too, let's all move into the ima. Jun, can you grab these bowls, and Teru, can you get the salad? I was just telling Teru and Jun how Sei and I know your parents, Ryō."
"I didn't know they knew you."
Teru brought the salad in and set it on the table, and Jun followed her with the bowls. Seisaburō came after with the pot and ladle.
Emari came last, carrying the rice cooker and shamoji.
"We're members of the jiko-no-tō."
The individualist party. Serious politics. Some say reactionary or ultra conservative. Some say ultra liberal. If you go far enough either right or left, you end up on the other end of the spectrum. I have sometimes participated, but have not declared myself a member.
"Your mother has worked with me on researching the hidden histories of o-mikoshi, and your father and Seisaburō have been researching the true origins of logographic characters. Why don't you sit here by me," she indicated service side, right of kami-za. "Jun can sit opposite you, and Teru can sit next to him, opposite Fumie." That put Fumie on the service side to my right. "Nats can sit next to Teru," she indicated kyakuza-right, "so they can get to know each other. He seems to think he is the glorious guest anyway."
The joke about Nazoru fell flat, and neither Fumie nor I could think of a way to cover it.
Teru's forehead creased, and she bit her lip.
I have to admit, I did not feel as awkward about all of this as I probably should have. I can't say why, except that during my two years of religious service I often found myself in really awkward social situations.
Seisaburō came to the rescue. "Sweetheart, if we aren't standing on formalities, perhaps we could let them sit where they choose."
Emari looked disconserted.
"Thank you, Sei." I quickly took Teru's hand and assumed the sub-kyaku-za position to the left of kami-za, with Teru to my left. Jun moved to kyakuza-right, around the corner from Teru.
Fumie gave her dad and us a quick smile. "I'll go get some mugi-cha and cups," she announced, heading back to the kitchen.
Seisaburō rubbed his wife's back encouragingly and took his seat at kami-za left, kneeling formally. Emari kneeled hesitantly, and Jun, Teru, and I followed suit.
Fumie brought the teapot and cups in and set them down, then kneeled around the corner from her mother and began to serve up wheat tea.
Suddenly Nazoru came crashing down the stairs, sounding like he was taking four steps at a time, and arrived at the door with a clomp.
"Hi!"
And he froze, staring at Teru.
"Nats, don't just stand there with nothing to say," Emari turned to him, smiling with returning confidence. "Go get the hashi and senbei."
He turned and walked obediently into the kitchen.
"So where should we start?" Seisaburō lifted the lid of the pot and filled a bowl. Emari lifted the lid of the rice cooker and started spooning rice into bowls with the shamoji.
"Perhaps we should clarify our situation," I suggested as I took the bowl Seisaburō handed me and passed it to Teru, who passed it to Jun.
"I think it would be wise. Too many people are assuming too many things." Seisaburō filled another bowl from the pot.
Emari handed me a bowl of rice, and I passed it on to Teru for her to pass to Jun.
"Well, Teru, Jun, and I grew up together. We lived next door to each other." I took the second bowl of udon from Seisaburō and passed it to Teru.
"So we've heard." Emari handed me another bowl of rice, and I passed that to Teru, too.
"Fumie says you know about their family connections." I accepted the bowl Seisaburō handed to me and set in front of myself.
"We do, and we understand that their parents were killed in inter-kumi arguments." Emari handed me my bowl of rice.
I reached out for Teru's hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. She squeezed back.
"That's one way t' put it, ma'am." Jun's tone was even, so I knew he was giving them the benefit of the doubt.
"Here are the o-hashi and senbei." Nazoru rushed in and set the box of chopsticks and a bowl of rice crackers on the table, then sat down cross-legged across from Teru, leaning back. "Now we can eat!"
"Natsu!" Fumie chided him.
He sat straight, then moved to a kneeling position. "Sorry."
"Oh, why don't we all relax?" Seisaburō grinned wryly and shifted to sitting cross-legged.
Everyone shifted to more relaxed sitting positions with murmurs of appreciation.
Nazoru peeked across the table at Teru, then looked back down.
Teru's grip on my hand tightened.
Then he looked back up. "Uh, hi, Teru. I'm Nats. Everyone calls me Nazoru. I mean, ..."
"Hello, Nats." Teru gave him a carefully friendly nod. I squeezed her hand again, and she squeezed back.
Nazoru turned to Jun. "And you're Jun."
"'Ight."
He turned back to Teru. "So, I hear you play Dragon's Dogma."
"I haven't had time to for a while."
"Do you want to join my team?"
"I don't have a game machine. I had to leave a lot of stuff behind when I came. And I think I'll be kind of busy with school for a while."
"Oh." Nazoru's disappointment was visible.
"Not to offer temptation," Fumie offered. "But I've got a game machine you could use anytime you think you have time." Then she shook her head. "Oh, but you won't have your avatar."
Teru smiled. "I can retrieve my avatars, if I need to." Under the table, her grip on my hand intensified.
"You can?" Nazoru was incredulous.
"Maybe I shouldn't admit that." She tilted her head and shook it with a wry smile. "Oh, but we can do it. Give me a few weeks to settle down first." She released my hand and started tracing circles on the inside of my wrist. "You could join us, Ryō?"
"Maybe. If Jun and Fumie join us, too." I tickled her palm, and she grabbed my finger.
Jun sensing what was going on under the table, smirked.
"Do you game, too, Jun?" Nazoru looked hopeful.
"Uh, sometimes. Beenawhile."
When we were twelve or so, Jun and I could watch gameplay for about a half an hour tops and name the internal game engine. Teru was never far behind us. Sometimes we competed against each other, other times we played on the same teams. We knew where to find any cheats we didn't know, but we rarely used them.
I can't say whether our grades suffered because of the gaming, but we all eventually grew tired of it by the time Jun and I were fourteen. I think I was the first to suggest we move on to other things, but I'm not sure. But neither Jun nor Teru felt it any more necessary to explain that to Nazoru than I did.
"Nazuro, you must not interfere with Teru's studies." Seisaburō's voice was firm.
"Like I say, give me at least a couple of weeks." Teru gave him a smile and a nod.
"I'm sure she has a lot to catch up with." Emari's voice was not quite as firm. "So, Teru, you were saying you three grew up together?"
"Yes, I was a bit of a tomboy, and I tagged along when Jun and Ryō did stuff. I'm sure I got in the way."
She dug a fingernail into my palm, so I refrained from correcting that last bit.
Jun did not refrain. "When we were ten, we often thought she was in the way. But in high school, we were a team."
"After their parents died, various relatives came to their house to look after them."
"And to live in the house," Teru corrected me. "Our aunt Fumiyo and uncle Nozomu took charge of us longer than anyone."
"Their last guardian was a step-stepmother named Amanoko, who was called Angel, but behaved more like an angel of the devil."
Seisaburō nodded. "We've heard that part."
Emari shook her head. "You poor child."
"Jun was able to protect me from the worst of what she tried to do."
"Before my parents split up, they were always welcome out our house, but things got really bad after my parents split up and the family moved away while I was out doing my two years of service."
"We'd like to hear about your service." Emari smiled at me.
"Sure. Sometime. I'm afraid my attempts to minister to other people were nothing spectacular, but I learned a lot of important things."
Seisaburō nodded again. "Spectacular is not what the Lord usually does."
"That was one of the things I learned." I looked at Jun, and wondered whether he'd understand. I was hoping Teru would soon understand.
"I'd liike to hear these stories, too," Jun commented with a forced casual tone.
"We do need to talk about it." Teru beat me to the reply.
Teru and I glanced at each other.
"So, Teru," Emari paused. "Should we ask you or Ryō to clear up our understanding of the relationship between you two?"
Teru grinned. I let my eyes widen before turning back to face Emari and Seisaburō to reply.
"We're married." She beat me to it.
I closed my mouth and turned back to Teru. "I've never been sure whether betrothed or married would correctly apply to the old traditions, but it would only apply if my parents had accepted the negotiations. Fumiyo may know the shikitari well, but her understanding of our scriptures is not complete. You have to be free to make the choice."
"And, in the modern and ancient world, Ryō, so do you. Even in the corrupt interpretations left in our public scriptures, a boy who has been manipulated into a situation is not required to give up his duty of choice."
I turned again to face Seisaburō in surprise.
"Ryō's parents told you about that, too?" Jun completely dropped the dialect in his surprise.
"Not the details, only that no actual coitus was claimed, and that they did not agree. Is that not correct?" Seisaburō wanted an exact answer on this, and it was his right to know, if they were going to have Teru stay with them.
Teru and I were searching each other's eyes.
"It is correct," I answered. "But, for the record, I never considered myself bound by it. Nor did I reject the idea."
I paused. "But my family and the church have supported me in my free choices. Teru has not had the church to help her up until now, much to my dismay. And her family, such as they are, are quite persistent in their efforts to impose that agreement on both of us."
Again I paused, and when I continued, my voice was rather firm. "I don't know whether I need more time to decide, but Teru needs to experience life without the obligations of the shikitari before she takes on duties and obligations she doesn't understand. And," I turned back to Seisaburō and Emari, "you both know that I am not simply speaking of old traditions about family, nor the modern social theories of the same."
Emari pursed her lips. "I'm afraid I don't understand those obligations and duties very well, myself."
Seisaburō added, "They can't be understood without experience."
I nodded. "Jun and Teru's present situation would prevent them from actually experiencing the hidden parts. This is something I've had long conversations with our Father about."
Seisaburō and Emari looked at each other. Seisaburō spoke. "You're sure of this."
"How can anyone really choose without at least some knowledge of what would result?" It seemed like a rhetorical question to me, at any rate.
"The choice in the garden, ...," Emari hesitated.
"Brought them to the knowledge they needed to make further choices. But the scriptures also fail to tell us exactly how they prepared to make the first choice or the additional choices. Or am I missing something there?"
Emari set her mouth in a displeased frown. "And if Teru chooses otherwise?"
"Each one of us, when we chose to come to this world, accepted the possibility of heartbreak."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Teru, this man you have chosen has a heart of stone."
"Ah," Teru smiled. "But you haven't seen his heart the way I have." My heart broke.
In that moment, a crack opened in certain unseen walls, and certain old whispers of doubt clamored for my attention. "You're not a decent man." "A decent man would claim her now." "A decent man would not ask her to go through more trouble than she already has." "A decent man --"
I prayed silently for help, and the voices faded away as the breach in the walls closed.
Emari humphed. "If she can say that about you, what further reassurance do you need?"
"If I have to talk about what I need, I need to know that she knows that I am not the only decent man in this world." I turned and, in the heat of my emotion, may have drilled Nazoru a bit harshly with my eyes.
"Whoah. Way too heavy for me."
Teru giggled, and I relaxed and laughed. "Thanks, Nats. Perfect answer."
He grinned, and I knew I had somehow won an ally. "Udon's getting cold," he pointed out.
Teru leaned on my shoulder, and I pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple.
Seisaburō shook himself. "Well, yes. This has gotten a bit heavy. Let's eat."
Next
Backed up at https://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2019/12/bk-sudden-roommate-10-fumies-family.html.
Initial scratch work at https://joel-rees-economics.blogspot.com/2019/12/sbk-sudden-roommate-10-fumies-family.html.
