Help Line
: : :
Chapter 5I dug my fingers into my neck as it pulled, a knot formed in the night from sleeping funny. My lips were bowed in a frown as I locked the door to my room, but kept everything on me anyway, not entirely sure about leaving my computer and cables over the day. I didn't know who else had the key to my room or the code to the safe.
The woman at the desk gave a slight wave as I walked out the door, two hours before I had to go to the soba shop for my papers. My heels dug into my feet and I took a turn towards a store I had spotted while searching for a hotel yesterday.
A young man 'bouncily' greeted me from behind the register and I nodded slightly before walking down the isles of shoeboxes, bright yellow tags showing price reductions and one-off sales. Apparently the store, some kind of warehouse outlet, was closing down and they needed to flush their stock; I was more than willing to participate as I found a pair of black flats. Their original tag said ¥3732.12 - my eyes blinked and I read $49.99 - but something must have happened, be it damage or return, and now they were selling for ¥969.80, or $12.99.
I wasn't mad.
It even had a panel that covered my ankle and draped in place, budget-ASOS really pulled through here for me. I held back tears as I pulled off my heels back in my room and slipped on the flats, abandoning the heels under my bed as I pranced about.
"Oh, I'll never let us part," I sobbed, all bent up as I balanced on one foot and hugged the other, swaying dangerously until I stumbled into the bed.
I laid there for a bit, feeling for the first time in a while like I might just have this under control. A complete lie, of course, but I'd take any sort of illusion at this point. With a happy sigh I sat up and stretched my arms up high into the air, trying to pull out any tension knots that had formed these past couple of days.
My phone buzzed loudly on the pillow and I reached for it, reading that I had half an hour before I had to get to the soba store. For the first time in three days, I wasn't dreading the walk and I grabbed my messenger bag and headed out.
The wind tugged on my umbrella and at my shirt, thoroughly chilling me, and I made a mental note that a jacket was among the next things I needed to buy if the coming days were going to be spent roughing it. I breathed hot air into my palms and kept my head high, reading the signs of shops to make sure I didn't skip past the soba shop.
"Mary-san."
I blinked and turned around, lips thinning when I saw a young boy with black hair and sharp eyes standing behind me. He was the same one from the soba shop yesterday and was donned with a bright yellow raincoat, a cartoon bird's face printed on the hood.
"Hibari-san," I responded, turning fully to face the child. "Good morning."
"Good morning," the boy uttered, raising his chin once acknowledged. He seemed to preen under my gaze and I took a moment to glance around, wondering if his father would be somewhere on the scene. Apparently not.
"Much business this morning?" I asked, still being heavily scrutinised under the child's attention.
Hibari gained a gleam in his eye, the little yellow bird rain jacket crinkling loudly, "I am doing the morning patrol. I have been entrusted with them."
"Oh, I see," I said slowly, nodding even though I had no idea what he meant. "But to be...patrolling even in this weather. Very diligent."
There was that gleam again and the boy puffed out his yellow-clad chest, little gum-boots scuffing the ground as he brought them together and stood straight.
"Be wary of your health, however," I warned as an icy blast went through, noticing his nose going red. "It will do no one any good if Namimori's morning patrol officer became ill."
"Of course," he nodded, very serious.
"Good," I hummed, nodding in echo. Then a crack of thunder rumbled in the sky and I thinned my lips. "How about you head inside? "
Hibari blinked at me before he took three large steps forward and joined me under my umbrella. He stared up at me as I slowly buffered what he had done, glancing around to the stores that he could have chosen from rather than my flimsy umbrella.
"...Would you like me to take you somewhere?" I asked, before looking at my watch. "I have a meeting in ten minutes, regrettably."
"I'll come too," he decided, then pursed his lips for a moment and reiterated, "I will join you."
I blinked. "Can your patrol path be diverted?" Meaning: are you meant to be somewhere?
"A new path will broaden my mental map of Namimori."
Ah, yes. His mental map. Of course, how could I be so foolish?
"Very well," I relented as another icy breeze blasted through the streets. I really needed to get this boy out of the rain. "I need to return to yesterday's soba shop. You are familiar with it?"
"Of course," he announced and fell in step with me as I began to walk.
Hibari's little yellow gumboots thonked on the wet path as we passed by the little shops that lined Namimori's main shopping street. Clothes boutiques and local produce stores quiet with the monsoon season weather as the rain pelted at what I felt to be a 45° angle.
My flimsy little umbrella wouldn't last long in this weather, it had nearly been torn from my hands well over ten times during my depositing in this town. I was surprised it had held up as long as it had, I just hoped I'd be back home before I needed to invest in a more sturdy design.
The little stores were closed tight against the rain, the families and independents that owned them no doubt curled up at home in front of the heater or under their blankets. It made me envious but I only sighed and rightened my posture.
"Here we are," I hummed finally seeing the shop's soba sign appear from around the corner. "And right on time."
I opened the sliding door that had been closed against the rain and gestured for Hibari to step in first, the boy lowering his bright yellow birdy hood as he narrowed his eyes about the shop.
"Ma'am?" I called, closing the door behind me. "It's Mary Smith, I'm here for the documents."
There was a throaty cough before the old woman hobbled out of some hidden alcove. Under her arm was a rather healthily stocked folder, and she squinted at me before all but tossing it at me.
"It's all sorted now, Mary-san. The bill will be emailed to you by tonight. Good luck to you."
And then I was out of the shop.
I blinked and stared at the now-closed door, before a sense of dread that I had been stomping down this whole time finally wriggled its way up to my throat.
The bill. How much does it cost to get your legal papers? The folder felt full, so even if they were only $20 each, that could accumulate quickly.
But I needed my papers. Even if it carved out a frightening chunk of my funds, I was worse than a sitting duck here in Namimori.
"Where are you going now, Mary-san?" Hibari asked me, peering up from my side.
I turned my attention away from the folder and looked down to the child. His yellow raincoat was reflecting loudly in the puddles around us.
The brightness of the colour made me feel a little better in the drab weather, and I tucked my folder safely away into my messenger bag, zipping it up.
"I think...I'll go to a cafe and get something warm," I decided, "Care to join me, Hibari-san? Or is your patrol urgent?"
"I can take another detour," he agreed quickly, and ducked under my umbrella.
"Then we're off," I smiled.
: : :
The little Hibari across the booth was happily chewing on a warm cheese and bacon roll. He had adamantly refused all the sweets that the cashier had offered, claiming to dislike 'sweet things!'
I was quietly slurping on a milkshake, hoping the sugar would artificially raise my serotonin levels.
"Mary-san," I blinked and looked to the yellow-clad boy who peered up at me, crumbs clinging to the corners of his lips. "What is your business in Namimori?"
I took another long drink and tried to pull on some sort of logical answer, before smiling thinly as I responded, "Just...looking around, Hibari-san."
Hibari stared at me for a long moment, before he took a slow bite of his bun.
"How long will you be in Namimori?" he asked as we sat together in the warm atmosphere, the rain pelting against the glass windows.
"As long as I need to be, I suppose," I answered, stirring my milkshake with my straw. "And what of you, Hibari-san? You've spent a while with me, when are you expected to finish your rounds?"
The boy blinked then checked the clock hanging over the register; 12:13pm. He made a soft noise and pursed his lips for a moment.
"I should return soon."
"A wise decision," I nodded, trying to get this child to go home while there was a storm. "Is there anywhere you would like me to accompany you?"
You're not gonna get, like, swiped on your way home right? There are creepy dudes around.
"I do not need a guide," Hibari huffed and got to his feet, yellow booties thunking on the ground.
"...Okay then," I accepted, not trying to push and land myself in the creeper zone. "Travel safe."
"You too, Mary-san."
The sound of his boots faded out the door as the bell above jangled, and I was left sitting in the cafe with only a handful of people. I sighed and leant back in my chair, taking a moment to recuperate, before I finished off my drink and stood from my chair.
I grasped my wallet and stood at the counter, giving the young man behind it a brief smile, "I'd like to pay, please."
"Oh," he blinked, looking confused and glanced around. "Sorry, ma'am, your bill was already paid for."
"Pardon?"
"Well, uh, he was the boy's father so I thought that you were all..." he made an uncomfortable and apologetic expression as he tried to explain and I immediately felt guilty for putting him on the spot.
"I'd just take the generosity, ma'am," another worker suggested, sticking their head out of what I imagined to be the kitchen. "Not everyday a man takes your bill."
"Uh, but..." I paused to let out a breath, before stitching a smile onto my face and nodded. "Thank you then, and if you see him again tell him I'm grateful."
The young man nodded and I walked out, deciding to put that interaction in a box to the left for later pondering. I was beginning to wonder if I was leaving too much to think about later…
Shaking my head to break the train of thought, I made my way back to my hotel room, keeping a stranglehold on my umbrella. I groaned as I hooked the plastic bag containing my dripping umbrella on the back of the door handle and sank down onto my bed.
The ceiling light flickered overhead in the grey darkness of the room, sheets of rain coming down outside and blotting out the sunshine. I laid like that for a while, just staring at the off-white, exposed bulb, quieting my racing mind. How much time passed like that, I wasn't sure, but the rain didn't let up and the light still flickered even as I finally urged myself to move.
I had a slight headache, and I was tired. Both originated from, what I could only imagine to be, a mixture of stress and that I hadn't eaten anything sustaining in roughly eighteen hours. I had tried to make the milkshake last.
I bent down as I reached for my messenger bag, pulling out both a notebook and my computer and went about setting them up in front of me on the bed. As my laptop booted up, I made a header on a new page in the book: To Do List.
To Do List
- Refill water bottle
- Read through papers
- Open a bank account - can do online?
- Organise work with Boss
- Get food - non-perishable, nut bars?
- Try contacts again
- Start looking for next accommodation
Looking down at the list, I smiled hesitantly and reached for my bag again. Opening it up, I reached down until I found the pocket that usually was reserved for those old, brick flip phones. Inside I found a little box and pulled it out, opening it to see a pair of seashell earrings. They were your classic conch shell, only a couple centimetres large, and the gold that lines the edges was beginning to fade off, but my mother had given them to me years ago, whispering about how her mother had given them to her too.
My smile turned fragile as I used the reflection of my sleeping screen to help slide the earrings into place, with each click, hearing my mother murmur to me the message that came with them.
"She loves you, and she misses you. Good luck."
Where that message had come from I had no idea. My mother was always one for dramatics though, my cousins and I often joked that, come her passing (we all had knocked wood), she would leave us with a half-finished book and a box of secrets that revealed a hidden life. Just to be more mysterious than she actually was.
I sniffled suddenly, before taking a deep breath and rubbing my eyes. Finish the list first. Just have to finish the list first, then I'll have some time to come undone.
My earrings weighed on my lobes and I couldn't help but feel a little bit better. They were something concrete, something physical. They proved that my family existed. That I wasn't going crazy, that this was something real - and thus, something I could handle.
I shook myself out and got to my feet, grabbing my water bottle from the floor. I walked into the tiny bathroom, shimmying past the toilet to reach the sink. With a bit of persuasion, I got the tap running and popped the lid of the bottle, watching the water fill it up. I waited until I was satisfied and then shut everything off.
I took a sip as I sat back down and reached for the list, taking up my pen.
To Do List
- Refill water bottle
- Read through papers
- Open a bank account - can do online?
- Organise work with Boss
- Get food - non-perishable, nut bars?
- Try contacts again
- Start looking for next accommodation
Look, I'm making progress already.
: : :
I sighed as I leant back into the thin pillow of my hotel room and listened to the sound of rain outside the window. Now and then a cold rush of air would slither into the room and chill across my cheek, probably the only reason I would remember to take a sip of water and stave off hunger for another hour.
I had read the papers front to back and made sure to understand it all, even the jargonistic ramble that seemed to purely exist to catch people out. My search history was riddled with random phrases and terms, and by now I had a rough estimate of how much all these sheets of paper would cost.
Anywhere from seven to nine hundred dollars.
I took another long drink and tried to pretend I was drowning my sorrows to the bottom of the bottle. A quick glance at another tab showed me how much money I'd have left after this payment: just barely skirting at three thousand Australian. Not terrible, but not great when I wasn't making any income. Things piled up, and even small payments equalled a big bill in the end.
All I could do at the moment was thank whatever deity was watching out for me that I had withdrawn so much just three days before...this had happened. Of course, I was hoping to spoil my cousins with it, so many birthdays to put money away for.
I took off my glasses and rubbed my face, feeling groggy and gross. I hadn't done a lot today, and it was cool, but I felt like I was sweating and I smelt like that specific sweat that smells like caramelised onions, or cheese and bacon pie. And it wasn't appetizing when it was coming from my pits.
I grabbed my list and quickly clicked the pen. Hunching over the notebook, I scrawled in another to-do step between 'papers' and 'account'.
To Do List
- Refill water bottle
- Read through papers
- Take a shower
- Open a bank account - can do online?
- Organise work with Boss
- Get food - non-perishable, nut bars?
- Try contacts again
- Start looking for next accommodation
The showerhead spat water down at me as I stood under its assault, hair tied up to keep it out of the way. I wasn't in the mood to sit and dry my hair, it was just too long to deal with right now. I rubbed my face and squirted a nice dollop of the free coconut-scented body wash into my hand. It smelt cheap, like imitation coconut, but even that was better than caramelised onion/cheese and bacon sweat.
I hummed and drew things in the condensation on the tile wall, letting the hot water some down on my shoulders. It felt so good after walking around in the rain, and when I saw the light reflect off my earrings onto the wall, my smile became just that little less forced.
To Do List
- Refill water bottle
- Read through papers
- Take a shower
- Open a bank account - can do online?
- Organise work with Boss
- Get food - non-perishable, nut bars?
- Try contacts again
- Start looking for next accommodation
My shirt was hanging off the end of the bed and airing out alongside my pants as I sat on the bed in my undergarments, towel hanging around my neck. I was scrolling through the instructions for opening a bank account online, and the more I read the less likely it was that I could do so. There were two problems: The seal - or Hanko - and place of residency.
For the seal, yes, I could use a signature, however, as I dove deeper into the concept of the seal I came to understand that I would very likely need to get one if I was going to survive here. I couldn't keep living out of motels, and if I was going to get some sort of rent deal, I'd most likely need a Hanko, even if it's just a backup. I'd rather have it now than have to order it when I really needed it in the moment. I sighed and massaged my eyes, before coming to a decision. I'd get my bank details out of the way and then I'd order the Hanko. Maybe I'd talk about it with Boss first, though, just to see how often Hanko's were really used or if I could save that fifty dollars for a week's worth of food.
Place of residency was the problem I couldn't get around with a Western alternative. I'd need documents that proved a permanent address, such as phone or utility bills, and since I was currently homeless… That wasn't looking too great at the moment.
I'd need to rent an apartment. That was something I had been hoping to avoid. So desperately, I had been hoping that I'd get out of here in days, a week max, that one of the calls would connect and my mother and father would be booking me a ticket home on the next plane. That they'd be waiting for me at the airport and I'd eat kyay oh when I got home and I'd sleep in my own bed and hug my body pillow and talk to my friends and-
I took a shaking breath and pulled my knees to my chest, my eyes feeling hot and my throat stinging. I buried my face in my knees and tried to keep a hold of myself, knowing these walls were paper thin, and the last thing I needed was a noise complaint that would get me kicked out.
Another long drink from my bottle cleared my throat and halted my breath long enough to stabilize me a bit. I cleared my throat and sniffled, before editing the list and checking what I had to do next.
To Do List
- Refill water bottle
- Read through papers
- Take a shower
- Open a bank account - can do online? [Postpone]
- Order Hanko - talk to Boss [Postpone]
- Organise work with Boss
- Get food - non-perishable, nut bars?
- Try contacts again
- Start looking for next accommodation
Digging through my bag, I pulled out the card Boss had handed me yesterday and dialled the number. A grimace filled my expression as the dial tone rumbled in my ear, a terrible anxiety rising at the mere thought of hosting a phone call...but God, I really didn't have a choice here.
"This is TakeSushi, how can I help you?" Boss asked through the phone.
I fisted the paper in my hand and injected silicone joy into my voice as I responded, "Hi Boss, it's Mary from yesterday. I've got all my papers in order and was wondering when you'd want me to come around?"
"Oh! Hello Mary-san," Boss greeted, a more sincere happiness coming to his sound. "Sounds like you're starting to have ends meet, that's good. Now let's see…" There was the sound of Boss moving around his shop, the voices of patrons fading and the click of a computer replacing it. "Do you think you can come in at ten-thirty tomorrow morning? It'll give us time to settle you in before the lunch rush kicks up."
"Yes! Yes, I can definitely do that," I answered quickly, slapping around for the computer to touch-type down '10:30AM DO NOT BE LATE'. "...Thanks, Boss. Really, thank you."
"No problem, Mary-san," Boss assured softly.
"Huh?! Is that Mary-san!? Lemme talk to her, tou-san!"
"Takeshi-kun, no this is the work pho- hey!"
"Hi Mary-san!" Yamamoto shouted after a loud scuffle.
I blinked, before a smile came across my face and I responded, "Hello there, sporty bean. You doing well?"
"Yes! Tou-san and I watched the game last night! The Samurai's won!"
"Wow, I think you'll need to sit me down one day and tell me about baseball, bean. It seems so fun."
"Yeah! We should! Come over, Mary-san!"
"Okay, that's enough, give it back you little menace," Boss called, jovially, from the background and Yamamoto's whining was just audible as the phone was passed between hands again. "Sorry about that, Mary-san."
"No problem," I hummed, the smile audible in my voice. Then I shifted a bit and uttered out a hesitant, "uh, Boss, do...do you think I could discuss some stuff with you tomorrow? I'm trying to settle in and, well, there's some stuff like Hanko that I don't get and...I mean, if you're too busy, I totally understand so-"
"Of course, Mary-san," Boss assured, and it might have been the tone of his voice that caused it, but I felt the muscles in my body slowly unknot. "Bring your papers in tomorrow, Mary-san, and we can go through them together over your break. And anything else you've got concerns about."
"Thank you," I said again, trying to convey to the man just how grateful I was because Jesus Christ-
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mary-san. You'll be okay for tonight?"
"Y-yeah, I've got a room at a hotel for the next couple days," I nodded, despite how he couldn't see me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Boss. At 10:30."
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye-bye, Mary-san!"
I let out a breath as the phone went dead, hands falling to my side as I flopped onto the bed with a new layer of exhaustion. God, I was tired...but I was hungry too. I needed to get up and start getting food for myself, otherwise, I'd have no energy to work tomorrow.
To Do List
- Refill water bottle
- Read through papers
- Take a shower
- Open a bank account - can do online? [Postpone]
- Order hanko - talk to Boss [Postpone]
- Organise work with Boss
- Get food - non-perishable, nut bars?
- Try contacts again
- Start looking for next accommodation
I stared at the list and with a dramatic groan, I hauled myself to my feet and got ready to go out, packing up my computer and cables all into my bag, not leaving anything valuable behind in this suspiciously cheap room. The rain was still pelting the sidewalk when I stepped out of the hotel, and a quick glance at my watch told me it was only three o'clock, despite how gloomy and dark it was.
"I hope that Hibari-san kid made it home okay," I murmured to myself as I popped up my umbrella and headed towards the neon lights of a 24/7 convenience store.
I grabbed up a small basket as I stepped through the sliding doors and began towards the snack and health foods sections, trying to remember the tips I had read online. Peanut butter was filling and it didn't go off easy, oats were good too if I could find those sachet packs for oatmeal, and the nutbars of course. I should buy just a small amount for now, and then see what I can do after I get paid by Boss.
With a plan, if shaky, in mind, I grabbed two boxes of nut and grain bars from the shelf. Then as I continued to snoop, the realisation dawned on me that I was in Japan, and some of the food items I was used to would not be in the corner store of a sleepy town like this. Mentally crossing oats and peanut butter off the list, I grabbed a large bag of twenty individual instant ramen packs which were on sale. I tossed a jar of apricot jam into the basket and decided to wander the store to see if I could spot anything that might inspire an idea. I grabbed a bread bun, I would pair it with the jam for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow.
"Oh my gosh!"
I jumped and swung around in surprise as someone approached me, a woman that was only fleetingly familiar entering my space with a wide smile.
"It's you! Mary-san right? I'm Tsu-kun's mother!"
I blinked before my brain kicked into gear and I turned to her properly, "Sawada-san, I remember you! How are you? How's Tsuna-san?"
"I've been doing well, and Tsu-kun's been talking about you non-stop," the woman gushed, a hand coming to her cheek as she cooed to herself about her son. "He's really taken with you, Mary-san."
"Really," I laughed, "Tsuna-san's a great kid too, you've done a great job raising him."
The Sawada woman flushed with bashful pride and giggled brightly. Then she looked down at her own basket, a small pile of school snacks and some dairy products crammed inside.
"Mary-san are you free this evening?" she asked eagerly, leaning forward.
"Well, yes," I admitted, "I don't really have anywhere to be tonight."
"Wonderful! Then why don't you come over for dinner? I'm sure Tsu-kun would love to see you again."
I blinked and awkwardly fiddled with my glasses, shifting my feet underneath me. "I don't want to cause any inconvenience, and it's already getting close to dinner time you'll barely have time to prepare-"
"Uh-uh," Sawada tutted, wagging her finger at me. "You said, Mary-san, last time I saw you that you'd come some other time. Well now is some other time, you're not getting out of it now!"
She said this in a teasing way, but the look in her happily smiling face told me that this invitation was about as optional as shackles. I glanced at my basket, cheap foods that would fill but not satisfy littering the insides sparsely. Maybe, one last warm dinner before I rough it.
"Well, I would like to see Tsuna-san again, and he did say you were a wonderful cook," I buckled, and saw the woman's smile stretch further. "So if you don't mind me being a burden for the evening-"
"Absolutely! Have you got everything, Mary-san? I'm just about done, myself," Sawada rambled and didn't even give me time to answer as she dragged me to the counter and in a whirlwind paid and had shoved me out of the store.
I had barely time to realise we were already in the rain again, umbrella above our heads, before it dawned on me that Sawada had paid for both our baskets. I wheezed a bit and went scrambling for my wallet, but every time I tried to offer the woman money she would get distracted or begin a tangent in the conversation.
"So, how has Namimori been treating you?"
"I've been fine here, but Sawada-san please-"
"And I see you've got yourself some new shoes! I saw the sale going on, so many at such a reasonable price, I had to remind myself that I already had enough."
"Yes, they're much better than the heels, but I've got enough to pay-"
"And this weather, gosh. I suppose it's good for the plants though. Making the children restless, mind you."
"Sawada-san, please-"
"And here we are!" The woman cheered, and I thinned my lips as I widened my eyes, deciding to keep the guilty and panicked screaming an internal affair. Sawada seemed to not notice how my feet were rather grounded to the pathway as she pushed the exterior gate open and sashayed up to her door, keying it open with the call of "Tsu-kun! We have a surprise guest!" bellowing down the hall.
I shook myself off and, with a great wince, walked into the Sawada house. The warmth of the place was immediate, and only then did I realise how painfully cold my hands were, the joints of my fingers aching around the handle of the tote shopping bag.
"Tsu-kun!" Sawada called again, putting her shopping on the kitchen island.
I walked around and helped the mother put away her milk and creams while she restocked the pantry before we heard the tentative creak of stairs. I crouched and urged the cream to sit on a heartily stocked shelf, before standing up and closing the door.
"MARY-SAN!"
An ''ooft' of surprise was knocked out of me as a weight hit me in the thigh, and nearly made me stumble. I grabbed the fridge door and looked down to see the fluffy hair of one Tsunayoshi Sawada as he straightened himself, having slipped on the wooden floors in his socks. The little boy grinned up at me from behind his hands as he held his nose after crashing into me.
"Hello, little bean," I greeted with a laugh, crouching down to reach his height and take a look at the slightly pink nose. "How have you been? Your mum said you missed me."
If his nose was pink his face went red at the mention of his mother relaying his reactions to me. He smiled at me through the embarrassment and bounced on his heels a bit, before looking to his mother who was grinning at us from behind half a cabbage.
"Mary-san's going to be having dinner with us tonight, Tsu-kun," she cooed, "So why don't you show her around the house? Show her your room?"
"Y-yeah!" Tsuna smiled and then turned to me. His little hands came up and both wrapped around my own one before he tugged me out of the kitchen. "Have you been okay, Mary-san?" He asked me as we began up the stairs, his hand still wrapped around four of my fingers as he led the way.
"Yes," I smiled, deciding not to think about the list with so many [Postponed]s on it. "I've been fine. And what about you? Your little bump made you forget my question."
"I'm fine! It's been raining, so I played games on the computer!" Tsuna said, nearly stumbling on the last step if I hadn't held him up until he regained his bearings.
"Really? What kind of games?"
Tsuna eagerly rambled on about some polygon-looking Final Fantasy character as we passed by both a bathroom and a bedroom, before he introduced me to his own dwellings. I felt a moment of softness when I saw a blue, wooden fish hanging from a nail in the door with the name Tsuna engraved in it.
The door creaked open and I gave a soft huff at the state of the room. A pair of pants were crawling out of the drawers and a shirt was hanging off the end of the bed, socks littered about in mismatched piles and far too many random pieces of paper spilled across the floor.
"I was gonna clean it up," Tsuna murmured, scratching his cheek feebly.
"It's fine, Tsuna-san," I assured, "I came out of the blue, so you didn't have time to prepare. But this isn't too bad, pretty much every kid's room is like this at some point. More than once."
The humour in my voice seemed to calm Tsuna down and he smiled sheepishly as he ran into his room and dug out a wrinkled piece of paper. He clutched the paper until it crinkled under his nails.
I waited, watching him stare down at the paper with an expression of confliction on his face. I waited a bit more, before kneeling down on the carpet and smiled as I said, "Is there something you want to show me, bean?"
Tsuna jumped before yanking the paper to his chest, eyes casting around the room hesitantly. Then he made a noise in the back of his throat and slowly inched his way back to me, posture curved and skittish.
I blinked as the paper was shoved into my face, too close to make out more than a red blur.
"What's this?" I asked, gently taking the paper and fixing my glasses.
A bright red robot was drawn on the sheet, made out of rectangles and squares with a metal crab claw for a left hand and a nubbly hand with too many fingers on the right. It had an antenna sticking out of its head, topped by a bright red ball that had waves emitting from it like a receptor, and written in block letters across its chest were the large numbers 27. Surrounding the robot were the tall rectangles of city blocks, and inside were the vagu shapes of people, who were calling for help, and celebrating the arrival of Robot 27.
"Is this your rescue robot, Tsuna-san?" I asked, barely capping the tone of complete fondness that tried to slip out.
The little boy nodded his head as he played with his hands nervously, bending his fingers this way and that as one of his feet rocked onto its toes behind him.
"It's very good," I praised readily, "The bright red would definitely be the correct colour for this robot. Like a fire engine, people would know it's there to help. Why don't you walk me through it, you smart little bean, what's the claw for?"
"For...for picking up stuff that fell on people!" Tsuna told me, his cheeks all pink and an excited gleam to his eye. "If they're stuck then I can lift it off them! A-and it can cut through anything, so if they're trapped in a building I can just cut through the wall and get them out!"
"Brilliant! That would come so in handy," I gasped and he came forward so he could point at places in his drawing.
"This hand is normal so it can grab people without hurting them."
"So it's made of something soft?" I asked, peering at the appendage.
"Yeah! And the antenna hears radio signals so I can get called for rescues!"
"Who can call you? The police? The president?"
"Anyone! Even aliens!" Tsuna exclaimed like he had been bottling that up for ages.
We moved back downstairs after the grand tour of Tsuna's bedroom and the young boy hopped up on the couch next to me, still happily rambling about the adventures he would go on as Robot 27, and all the friends he would make. I smiled and listened, enjoying the simple yet ever-evolving journeys Tsuna went on within the recesses of his own imagination, and enjoying the exuberance he expressed with each word, eyes wide and grin unfading.
"Dinner's ready!" Sawada called from the kitchen, and I stood up quickly to help the woman set the table. "I hope you like curry udon, Mary-san."
"Never tried it," I admitted, peering into the bowl she handed me, carrying two more to the table herself. "It smells amazing though."
"It's good, I assure you," the woman smiled, and Tsuna pottered up with a large jug of water which his mother quickly took off his hands.
I ate the generous meal eagerly, the flavour unfamiliar but very enjoyable. And after nearly four days of unsatisfying boxed meals and chewing on my own tongue it was a welcome change that my stomach and pallet celebrated. Tsuna got a giggle from the hot soup steaming up my glasses and rendering me blind for a moment.
"So, Mary-san," Sawada began after a good drink of water. "How long are you staying in Namimori?"
I paused bringing a spoon of broth to my lips at the question, feeling my stomach drop out from under me at the reminder. To my side, I saw Tsuna's head turn to me, his eyes wide with a familiar, strange gleam to them.
"I'm not sure," I answered honestly, "I'm looking to start settling down around here, though. I've just got a job, first day tomorrow."
"Oh, how exciting!" Sawada cheered, clapping her hands. "Be sure to tell us when you've chosen a place, we'll help you move in, won't we Tsu-kun?"
"Yeah!"
I managed to smile at the family as they continued their dinner, and finished off my own bowl with a satisfied sigh. I helped Sawada clean up, Tsuna zipping between our legs with a broom and carrying spoons and forks to the sink.
It wasn't long before the Sawada mother shooed me out of the kitchen with the exclamation that 'guests shouldn't clean!' and Tsuna tugged me back to the living room where he set up a train track, showing me each part of the system and gleaming at the praise I responded with. Tsuna leant across my lap to grab another handful of track pieces and created a twist that went under and then over a bridge.
We watched the train go round and round and round, the sound of Sawada cleaning up in the kitchen. I huffed and looked to Tsuna, before biting my tongue to hide my smile when I saw his head nodding as he started to drift off. He yawned wide, and I heard the hallway groan as Sawada came out, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Aww, look at him," she cooed, and I dropped my eyes down to see Tsuna's head drop onto my lap, completely dead to the world. "He must have tired himself out. He really does like you, Mary-san."
I smiled a bit and carefully placed my hand on the boy's shoulder, an overwhelming fondness blooming as he wriggled around sluggishly to get comfortable. I swallowed the coo that wrangled my chest, but his mother held no such reservations and bounced a bit on the spot.
Sawada came over and sat on the couch behind us, her jaw settling in her hands as she rested her elbows on her knees. She hummed as she gazed down at her son, the faintest of smile lines etching the roundness of her face.
"What kind of position do you have at work Mary-san?" she asked gently, keeping her voice low so as to not wake the sleeping boy.
"I'm not sure yet," I said, "But I think I'll just be casual as a start, I don't think Boss would want an untrained employee as a full-timer."
"Maybe you'll be permanent part-time," Sawada smiled, so very optimistic. "Other than work, will you be very busy from here on?"
I blinked and thought about all the bills I needed to pay, all the apartments I'd need to inspect for rent, all the documents I'd need to prepare for. Then I opened my mouth and admitted, "No, not really."
Because it wouldn't be, between bouts of work and documents, each only lasting a maximum of eight hours at a time...I'd have days on my hands of just sitting in stasis.
"Well," Sawada continued, tilting her head to face me. "What would you think about helping me out and babysitting my Tsu-kun now and then?"
"Pardon?"
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, Tsu-kun really likes you Mary-san. I've never seen him this at ease with anyone other than me before. And," she gained a soft smile, "A little bit of pocket money is always nice, right? You'll be doing me a service, so of course, I'll be paying you."
I stared, stunned. This woman was letting me, a complete stranger, into her house, unsupervised, with her nine-year-old son. Granted, yes, that was usually how nannies work but still. Nannies usually had some sort of credential, like a Working with Children's check!
"Since Tsu-kun was born I haven't really had time to myself," Sawada continued, slumping back into the couch with a great huff. "Yes, since he's gone to school I get those seven hours, but I spend so much of that time cleaning and cooking that I have no time to meet anyone or have hobbies. I love Tsu-kun with all my heart, but gosh, I need a social life!"
She gave a light laugh at the end of her short rant, and then brushed her hair out of her face.
"Of course, I don't mean to pressure you. You're just new to the area and I'm sure you've got a lot to do so..."
I shifted a bit before stilling when Tsuna made a noise, the boy curling up and rubbing his cheek into my pants. I smiled a bit and pet his arm soothingly. Getting paid to hang out with Tsuna? It...wasn't a bad deal.
"If you don't mind leaving your kid with me then I'd be happy to. Tsuna-san's a great kid."
Sawada's face lit up like a firework and she clasped her hands together in delight, sitting up on the couch.
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, "Why don't we exchange numbers, and you can give me a call when you get an idea about your availability."
The woman leant around to the stand at the side of the couch and pulled out a note pad with a pen. She clicked it loudly and scrawled down her number, before handing it to me, urging me to rip out the page and then write my own on a new one.
The hour rolled on and I spent more time talking to the mother- 'oh, please, Mary-san, call me Nana' - until the clock read six o'clock. Tsuna was still curled up next to me, his head perched upon my thigh fat and his cheek all squished up, leaving Nana to coo about her 'growing boy'.
"His father's a tall man, you know. I hope Tsu-kun gets his genes, though, having my baby always be small would be wonderful too."
I blinked at the mention of a father. 'Is a tall man'. Present tense; the father currently exists. I smiled and decided not to pry, this was only our second meeting and I decided to wait until Nana chose to offer up more information about the topic. If she wanted to at all, it was really none of my business the whereabouts of Tsuna's father.
"Tsuna-san does seem to be very tired, he yawns whenever I see him," I agreed, taking a moment to tug at the boy's shirt that had twisted around him in his sleep. "But young boy's growth spurts are usually around twelve to fifteen, he's still got a couple of years to go."
"Mm, maybe I need to cook more nutritious food to give him more energy?" Nana hummed, tilting her head a bit. "I should see if I can look up some recipes."
When it came time to go, I carefully slid out from under Tsuna, however, barely made it to the other side of the living room before the boy rolled over and squinted at the world through bleary eyes. He gave a squeaky yawn before stumbling to his feet and padding across the hardwood floors, hands reaching blindly until his little fingers grabbed mine, the other rubbing his face to try and wake himself up.
Nana looked like she was about to go into cardiac arrest, clutching her chest and leaning heavily against the wall.
"Where're you going?" Tsuna grumbled, head drooping onto my arm.
"It's time for me to go, bean," I told him, and he made what could only be defined as the sound of a 'wrong answer' buzzer from the back of his throat.
"Mary-san has work tomorrow, Tsu-kun," Nana explained gently, crouching down next to her son and urging him into her arms. He went willingly, but took my hand with him. "Oh, sweetie," she laughed.
"I'll come see you again soon, okay?" I said.
"You promise?" He asked, peering up at me through another yawn.
"I promise, bean," I assured him, and could only smile when I felt him fumble to link our pinkies together.
: : :
To Do List
- Refill water bottle
- Read through papers
- Take a shower
- Open a bank account - can do online? [Postpone]
- Order hanko - talk to Boss [Postpone]
- Organise work with Boss
- Get food - non-perishable, nut bars?
- Try contacts again
- Start looking for next accommodation
I sighed and put my To Do List on the floor beside where my computer was charging. Inside the mini-fridge, tucked in the corner, was a little tupperware container, full of fried rice, that Nana had shoved into my hands before I could refuse, along with my refilled bottle of water and the bread I had bought earlier today. The thought made a weak smile come to my face; the Sawada family was strange but...so very nice. Almost too accommodating, but still so very nice.
I let out a grumble and fell back onto the bed, plucking off my glasses and leaving them on the pillow. My back hurt for some reason, and the blisters on my feet were only starting to heel under reapplied bandaids.
Reaching out, I slapped around on the bed until I found my phone and dragged it back to me with my nails hooked around the case. Opening it up, I accessed the Contacts section and pulled out the note Nana had given to me. I quickly typed it in and saved it under 'Sawada Nana'; the third of my contacts that had once been packed with every branch of Smith and their companions.
I'd need to start looking into rental apartments around the area soon. I was under no illusion that I was going to get any sort of 'good' apartment either. I'd need a place that wouldn't want to look at my credit score - something that I didn't have - nor would raise too high an eyebrow at my pathetic income. I'll just have to upgrade the screws on the door locks and put in some security measures - both bought and homemade.
Thoughts ran around my head until an ache began to form in my temples and I covered my eyes with my hands. For a moment I wished I could go back to the Sawada house and just sit on the floor with a napping Tsuna, maybe hide in a booth at TakeSushi while Yamamoto ranted and raved about the latest baseball legends. Hell, I'd even sit through another snack with that odd little bean Hibari.
I paused and looked at the ceiling through my fingers. My To Do List was nearly complete, with only one more item left that could realistically be done. I had made a lot of progress today...Compared to this morning, I was feeling a lot better.