“Good work, Kisaki,” the older man said, viewing the rows of empty tables and their shining tabletops.
“Thank you, Yoshida-san,” Kisaki replied. “Is there anything else I can do?”
“Don’t you ever get tired?” he asked with a laugh. He was a short, stern-faced man, but when he smiled, it lit up his whole face, making him seem much younger than he was. “I swear, my regular busboy asks for a break every time he lifts an empty glass. Thank you for filling in for him.”
“I’m happy to be of assistance.”
Mr. Yoshida nodded, seemingly impressed with the work accomplished. “I think that’s all for today. Why don’t you take the evening off? You have a whole lifetime of work ahead of you. You might as well enjoy yourself a little while you’re still young. Besides, I believe my daughter was looking for you.”
Kisaki smiled, bowed to him, then excused herself.
“Just don’t spend your pay all at once,” he called after her. “And be mindful of boys. Pretty girls like you two are going to have to beat them off with a stick, and not all of them are going to be worth the trouble.”
She turned back, waved to her boss, then gave him a thumbs-up – a gesture Tamiko had taught her.
The concept of being the servant for a change was a novel idea, but one she hadn’t found onerous in the least. It certainly beat Shitoro’s endless hours of lessons. The work itself was easy enough. Mr. Yoshida had to have been teasing when he’d praised her just then. Surely nobody could get so easily tired doing what she had done for the past six hours.
Besides, she’d enjoyed it.
Her friend Tamiko – and Kisaki definitely considered her such, something that caused her heart to swell every time she thought of her – had spoken to Mr. Yoshida at length. He’d finally agreed to take her on for what he called odd jobs. She was intrigued by the concept, and rightfully so, it had turned out. What a wonderful thing these odd jobs were. Every morning for the past three days Kisaki had been given a different task to perform, which she dove into with great aplomb.
She’d found them simple enough, but what gave her true joy was all the humans she was able to interact with. She didn’t understand all of their actions or customs. Indeed, there was much she didn’t understand. However, so long as she accomplished what she was given to do, all seemed well, and she received praise at the end of the day.
Kisaki spent her nights with Tamiko, asking any questions she’d come up with during the day then listening to the answers her new friend gave her, learning what she could, much as she’d done during her studies. Shitoro may well have marveled at what a good student she was being. It would seem that his tireless work had not been in vain after all.
She slept in a small room with an uncomfortable bed, a mere closet compared to what she was used to, but she took it all with good cheer. That she would awake every morning to this invigorating new world, the seemingly endless ocean only minutes away, made her feel more free than she had in years.
If anything, it was only that concept – time – which confused her. Tamiko had told her that she was fifteen years of age and Mr. Yoshida was forty-five. It was that latter which worried her. His hair was thin and he appeared to tire easily. She had learned in the many hours spent studying at her desk that the lifespans of humans did not compare to that of youkai, but in practice, she found it hard to understand.
Apparently, humans had the same trouble understanding as she did, for Tamiko had laughed when Kisaki had told her that she was over seventy of her years in age. She’d thought Kisaki was joking.
“I’ll just tell my dad you’re sixteen,” she’d said.
There were many visitors to this place – the resort, as others called it – and they were seemingly of all ages, young and old. Kisaki was only now beginning to understand that Shitoro had been right. It saddened her to think that in perhaps another thirty or forty years, Mr. Yoshida might be gone. It made her even sadder to think that one day the same would be true of Tamiko.
What a cruel planet this was, to create such wonderful beings but then to pluck them away so soon.
Speaking of which, despite the days which had passed, she was still certain that it was only a matter of time before her transgressions were discovered and she was plucked away, too, except it would be back to the living death that was her chambers in the palace. Time was short, no matter which way she viewed it, and that annoyed and even angered her. Fortunately, the wonders of her surroundings helped keep those feelings at bay.
Despite wearing new and strange clothes, ones that Tamiko had been good enough to lend her so that she blended in, she kept the prizes from the start of her journey with her at all times – the crystals and the quill, even if the quill in particular sometimes worried her.
It seemed that whenever her temper flared, so too would it. It would heat up and pulse, almost as if it felt the same emotions she did, as if it were a living thing. In truth, it frightened her a little. It still rightfully belonged to her mother, though, and that made her reluctant to part ways with it. It seemed an act of utmost disrespect to do so, and she had been raised better than that.
Besides, it reminded her to keep her emotions in check, and perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing.
“Hey, Kisaki!”
All of those thoughts scattered to the wind as she looked up and saw her friend approaching from the direction of the office where Mr. Yoshida kept her busy during the day with what she called paperwork.
Kisaki bowed as her friend approached, but Tamiko laughed. “You don’t have to be so formal.”
“I enjoy being polite to my friend.”
“Well, your friend is starving for some dinner. How about you?”
“Yes, I would like some dinner. Perhaps another of those hamburgers you showed to me the other day. They were quite delicious.”
“I can’t believe you’ve never had them before. I also can’t believe you ate four. Where are you putting them all?”
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Kisaki’s understanding of Tamiko’s language had come quickly, but she was only beginning to pick up on some of the idiosyncrasies. At least she understood her friend was joking and not being literal in her question.
“I have a better idea,” Tamiko said. “Have you ever had taco rice?”
“I have had rice, but I don’t know what a taco is.”
“What did they feed you in that prison you were locked up in?”
“Many delectable dishes, but nothing like I have sampled these last few days.”
Tamiko put her arm around Kisaki’s shoulder. “Then I think you’re in for a treat.”
“Excellent,” Kisaki replied, her heart warm from the glow of friendship.
Tamiko led the way. “Let’s go!”
After a few minutes, Kisaki pulled out the strange papers covered in numbers and the faces of other humans from her pocket. “Yoshida-san gave these to me today. Said it was for a job well done. Is this normal?”
“Put those away. You don’t want to lose your week’s pay.” She let out a sighing laugh. “You really are an odd duck, you know that?”
♦ ♦ ♦
Kisaki was delighted. Not only was her friend right about dinner, but the dessert, a thick pastry called sata andagi, was equally marvelous. Best yet, when it came time to pay – for here, one seemingly paid the servants for preparing and bringing meals – Kisaki was delighted to see that the papers Mr. Yoshida had given her were able to be used for such.
This led to an after dinner walk along the beach back toward the resort, where Tamiko attempted to explain how commerce worked. It was so simple a concept, yet alien to one who had lived their entire life in a place where the lords – or lady, as in her case – of the palace commanded absolute loyalty by sheer virtue of their status. On Earth, humans worked for one another, not necessarily for a lord, but for a boss, much as she worked for Mr. Yoshida. In return for that labor, they were compensated. That compensation could then, in turn, be used to purchase the goods or services of another. So on and so on. In theory, as Tamiko explained, one could be a servant one moment but the boss the next.
Such a concept was mind-blowing, another colloquialism Kisaki had recently learned. But, as she considered it, she realized she had seen a form of that in action. Wasn’t she her mother’s heir? As such, she was ostensibly of higher social standing than her many servants. Yet Shitoro was also her guardian and tutor, which meant she was expected to obey his commands. All of this happened, of course, without the concept of pay. However, when Kisaki considered Tamiko’s words in those terms, she found it more understandable.
“You really have led a sheltered life,” Tamiko said as they walked along the beach, shoes in hand, feeling the sand between their toes. Just as quickly, she added, “I’m sorry. I forgot how things were for you. I didn’t mean... It’s just...”
“What?” Kisaki asked, curious.
“It’s wrong to joke about leading a sheltered life to someone who was, in essence, kept as a prisoner.”
“If it helps, it was a comfortable prison most days. There was no physical discomfort on my part, just a ... longing to be free.”
“I can’t imagine it,” Tamiko said. “My dad has always allowed me a lot of space. I mean, I practically have the full run of this beach whenever I want. He’s never tried to keep me locked up anywhere, except maybe when I’ve been sick.”
“How could he? You only work for him during the day. The nights are your own.”
“Weekends too,” Tamiko said with a smile. “But that’s only because school is out. He’s still my dad, though. He could ground me if he wanted to.”
Kisaki found herself confused. Tamiko had called Mr. Yoshida her dad before, but she had assumed it meant the same thing as boss. She had simply thought it was a more formal title. Kisaki had tried to call him that two days ago, but he merely smiled awkwardly at her and walked away. Now she began to wonder if it was more than that. Perhaps Mr. Yoshida was not only Tamiko’s boss, but something akin to her guardian as well. After all, Tamiko had referred to Shitoro as her stepdad at one point. Curious, she decided to ask, “What is a dad?”
“Excuse me?”
Kisaki stopped walking and turned to face the ocean, enjoying the sound of the waves lapping off shore. “What is a dad? You call Yoshida-san that. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit, but I do not entirely understand.”
“You’re kidding, right?” After a few moments, however, she said, “You’re not kidding. Wow. I have to say, of all the questions you’ve asked, that’s maybe the strangest.”
“This whole world is strange to me.”
“Ishigachi can take some getting used to for outsiders, but it’s not like this is Mars.”
“I have not been there either.”
Tamiko laughed again, but Kisaki found no rancor in her tone. She seemed to be genuinely amused. “I thought you said that Shi ... whatever his name is was your stepdad.”
“Shitoro. He is my guardian, assigned stewardship over me by my mother. I assumed perhaps Yoshida-san was yours.”
“He is, but he’s still my dad. Hold on. You know what a mother is, right?”
“Of course.”
“But not a father?”
“Father? You mean a lord?”
“No. It’s the same thing as a dad. Just a different name.”
“I believe we have already established that.”
Tamiko sat down in the sand and looked dumbfounded for a moment. She lay down, put her hands behind her head, and looked up at the stars. After a few moments, Kisaki joined her, enjoying the peaceful darkness despite knowing that somewhere up above were people likely quite angry with her.
“Where to begin?” Tamiko said at last. “A father is basically the other half of a mother.”
“Other half?”
“Figuratively. I mean, it takes a mother and a father to create a child.”
“Oh? How?”
“We are not having that talk, not tonight.”
“I’m sorry. Did I offend?”
“No, it’s just a bit of an awkward discussion.” She glanced over at Kisaki. “You’re serious, you never learned how babies get made?”
“My studies covered vast lessons on the multiverse – history, war, beings of power, even magic. There was mention of children, but they were always there. No discussion on how they got there, though.”
“Fair enough. For now, let’s just stick with the basics. Everyone has a mom and a dad, even if they aren’t around physically, like my mom.”
“Aren't around? Where is she?”
Tamiko sighed. “She died when I was a baby. Dad doesn’t talk about it much, but she was sick for a long time.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay. I never met her, so I don’t really know what I was missing. Still, every so often, I’ll go over to a friend’s house and wonder if that’s what it would have been like for me.”
“So you say everyone has a father?”
“As far as I know. Heck, chickens come from eggs and even they have daddy roosters.”
“Are they all like Yoshida-san?”
Tamiko laughed. “No. They’re all different. Heck, not all of them are even men.”
“Mothers can be fathers?” Kisaki asked, more confused than ever.
“Well, there’s always got to be a ... donor. But someone can be raised by a dad who’s also a woman.”
“I’m not sure I understand.”
“Physically, a baby has to be made by a man and a woman. But they can be raised by anyone.”
“Including a guardian?”
“Yes, although it sounds like that Shitoro creep was more a warden than stepdad. No offense, but I think your mom could have chosen someone better to marry.”
“Marry?”
“Y’know, fall in love with. Kiss, all that stuff.”
“Shitoro is loyal to my mother, but they are not married. He is her servant. Though I don’t doubt he would gladly take a spear for her, I have never seen them kiss.”
“Servant? You mean like butler?”
“He serves her, along with many other youkai.”
Tamiko sat up and stared at Kisaki for a few moments in the dark. Finally, she laughed. “You really have some imagination. But I guess maybe you needed it. All I know is if I ever meet this Shitoro loser, I’m going to kick his ass.”
“If he manages to find me, he will...”
“Oh my God, how cute!” Tamiko suddenly shouted, interrupting Kisaki. “Come on, boy. I won’t hurt you.”
Kisaki sat up and stretched, curious as to what had caught her friend’s attention. She turned in the direction Tamiko was now facing and then froze as she caught sight of what was approaching them from the trees.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a big cat,” Tamiko said, delight in her voice. “And white, too. Oh my gosh, he’s so precious!”
Kisaki stared wide-eyed as the creature neared them.
It stopped a few feet away and looked at them both, but seemed intent on glaring at her.
“Awww!” Tamiko cried, getting to her feet. “I think he likes you.”
“Quite the contrary. Right at this moment, I am most irate,” Shitoro replied. “As for you, human, you would be well advised against kicking any part of me.”