Despite the fact that none of the kids who made up Meishu’s group of associates, despite Lucette of course, didn’t go outside of the academy much to do anything, let alone walk around, or even eat - they still managed to all put their heads together, and find a safe place to eat. It took them quite the while to do so, given all the scam shops nearby, but they finally decided upon the place. Although Meishu wasn’t exactly sure, he thought the name of the shop, which was written in Japanese characters that he could barely remember, was ‘ Sora’s Chinese Style Breakfast ‘. Quickly, after he said it, Kaminari confirmed him. “That’s what I think too!” she says. Meishu nods and smiles, “So, we can eat now?” he asked the group, to see if they thought that this place was self as well. In response and answer, everyone else nodded, just like Meishu did prior. Everyone, except for Lucette that is. “Do we really have to eat a foreign place?” she asked, as if she was annoyed. Meishu frowned. “Look Lucette, I don’t know what your problem is with other cultures - but you have to stop it.” he informed her. Lucette made yet another annoyed face, before mumbling under her breath. “Say what you want..” Meishu mumbled back at her, even without knowing what she had said, herself. Lucette blinked a few times at Meishu, before yawning. “Let’s just go eat.” she says, in a rude voice.
Meishu stares for a while, but then steps inside of the building. After doing so, he takes a look around him.
The building is very reminiscent of his childhood home - with Shoji walls, and sliding doors - bringing back a sense of nostalgia for him. Kaminari also felt the nostalgia as well, even though she was so young back in Japan, before they moved. So, nearly for a minute, the pair just sat there, admiring the beauty of the sight, before Meishu picked up Kaminari. “Finally, we eat!” Lucette shouted, as Meishu led the way down a hallway, which led to a screen door.
The screen door was made from thin paper, and all the kids could see the silhouette of what was inside. In the room was a girl above a pot, making food.
Suddenly, she appeared larger, before the screen door slid open.
“Ah!” shouted Cassette, as she backed away from the now opened door. Now in the entrance way, was a young lady. She had Torobin, or, Lantern Locks in her hair, and a bright face.
Kaminari looked up at the woman, and asked her “Are you Sora?”.
The woman smiled, and chuckled a bit. “No, darling.” she happily answered. “Sora is a village in the sky.” she then added. Lucette blinked, and looked back at Frankie. “Drinking much?” she quietly whispered.
“I heard that!” Kaminari shouted, before continuing her conversation with the lady, as if nothing happened.
“So, your food comes from the sky?” Kaminari then questions. The lady chuckles a bit more. “No sweety, it’s modelled after food that people would eat in the sky, though.” she answers.
A smile grows from Kaminari’s face. “How do you know what they eat!?” she exclaims. The woman sighs, a sigh of stressful movement, before walking back into the room with the pot. From within there, she removes some wooden boards from off the ground. She then hands the boards to Kaminari.
On them are drawings of Ukiyo-e style. Kaminari stares at the art for a while, taking in the nostalgia of which they bring. She then hands them back to the lady, who gives a small smile. After the lady puts the artwork back, Cassette starts to talk. First, she points to her stomach. “Hungry.” she tells the woman.
“Ah~” the woman says before scooping some rice out of the pot with her hand.
Frankie blinks at first, but then smiles, and happily sits down on the floor.
When Frankie sits down, the woman lifts her finger, and points to another. At first, Frankie was confused, but now, she understood - and made her way to the other room. Assuming that they would be eating there, the group followed after Frankie - and into the room.
On the smooth wooden floor of the room, were big and puffy, white blankets.
On their knees, the children sat atop the blankets, and stared at the papers with Ukiyo-e drawings and kanji on them that blocked the windows - making the room almost dark. Yet, there was still light, thanks to the lanterns set around the circumference of the room. In this calm environment, Cassette looked up at Meishu, with a smile on her face. Meishu smiled back, and then looked before him. The woman came in with small green pillows, and placed them in front of each of the children. Then, she exited the room once more to collect food, before entering again. On top of each pillow, she first placed a small square sheet of bamboo paper, before placing onigiri on top of that.
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Kaminari looked down at her onigiri, and blushed. Kaminari loved the way it looked, and took it in all at once. Kaminari smiled, and made a happy sound.
With the sound, all the other kids looked at her and laughed, and then, the woman did too. “Would you like more, honey?” she asked.
Kaminari nodded as a response - and so, the woman gave her sushi. When all the other kids saw that, they immediately wanted some too, except for Lucette. Lucette didn’t want any food at all. When the woman originally tried to give her onigiri, she gave it to Kaminari, and is now refusing sushi.
Meishu looked over at Lucette, from his slightly far off seating location. “Are you disliking foreign cultures again?” he asked her. Lucette closed her eyes like she often did, and stated “I’m a pure girl. Always have been, always w-” she went silent, and closed her mouth. For, Brittanica was trying to pour Japanese tea from a bamboo cup into her mouth. Lucette turned her head the other way. “I’m not taking in anything you give me, Britt.” she told her.
Remembering Lucette’s jealousy from earlier, Meishu asked, “Would you like me to feed you?”. Lucette choked and stuttered as she turned her head back, and opened her eyes. There, Meishu slowly approached, with onigiri in hand. Frankie and crew stared at the two, as their interaction went down.
Lucette tried to act like she didn’t want to eat the food, but her red face, big eyes, and stomach growl said otherwise. Finally close enough to do so, Meishu hand fed Lucette the onigiri. With rosy cheeks, Lucette felt a slight embarrassment. But, nonetheless, let Meishu continue to feed her, with less hesitation every time. After he finished feeding Lucette, with his hand wrapped around her shoulder, Meishu patted her hat, before going back to his spot.
In silence, everyone sat, until Cassette said “Bad.”.
Everyone looked at Cassette. “Bad?” Frankie asked. Cassette nodded, before exiting the room. Kaminari looked up at Cassette, and then back at the group. “I’ll get her-” she told them, before walking off, on her own, after Cassette.
As Kaminari walked away, Meishu felt a slight sadness fall over his heart - as if of sorrow and/or despair. Meishu didn’t know if it was nervousness, sadness, or what it was at all - but it made him face Lucette. With the bad feeling and worry still on his chest, he realised the source. Had he made Cassette jealous due to his affection for Lucette? That was the question he wondered to himself, as he stared at the girl, and listened.
The room was nearly silent, but the woman was making noise. Not annoying noise - it was very beautiful. She was reciting a Shigin poem that now filled Meishu’s thoughts. Thanks to the Shigin titled Fujisan, Meishu now imagined himself under Mt.Fuji back in his home state, with Cassette.
Meishu shook his head, before looking at Cassette. With her, he imagined a luxurious estate of richness.
In all of his heart and mind, Meishu didn’t exactly like royalty - but still liked Lucette more than Cassette, even if he didn’t want to admit it. But, knowing that Kaminari would move back to Japan as an adult, he wondered if he preferred to live with Lucette, or Cassette when he got older. At these thoughts, he sighed. Now, only Kaminari was left in his thoughts. Meishu began to see Kaminari reaching out to him in his head, to which he didn’t touch back - and watched her drift off.
But in the real world, where all was calm and relaxed, Kaminari stood outside, behind Cassette.
Cassette turned to look behind her, and view Kaminari. Cassette stepped closer, and gave Kaminari her coin.
Kaminari looked down at the coin, as the Shigin echoed in her head, and the wind blew. “This will help you.” Cassette told her, before slowly hugging her.
In her innocence, Kaminari hugged back.
Meanwhile, Cassette slowly lifted her arms.
Her hands were now near Kaminari’s chest. She moved them up more, to her shoulders. One last time, she lifted them - the neck - she grabbed.
Kaminari, still hushed, gave a wide eyed mouth and stare.
In the beauty of recitation, and out in the nature, on a concrete ground, with a beautiful ocean behind, Kaminari fell.
She fell down into the ocean - and did not come back up.