Chaos in Kadoma Ward – Chapter 22

Sunshine warms my skin as we walk through the open marketplace. We took the butsu three stops to get here, so it’s not that far from Rin’s neighborhood, but still far enough I never would’ve found it on my own. I’m impressed with the wide variety of goods on display. Fruits and vegetables in a million different colors weigh down carts as merchants and farmers call out to people stopping to peruse the selection.

“Many of these are from the tropical region to the south,” Rin says, walking beside me. Since it’s his day off, he’s dressed in casual clothes — black pants with a dark gray sweater on top. I like it.

When he’s dressed down, he becomes the Rin I’m beginning to know — comfortable, happy, and calm. Not as on-edge as he was on Kurai. But then, we were battling errant androids, fires, and rocket launchers.

“We brought seeds from Earth here for planting. They were genetically modified to grow in this climate, and the fruits, especially, have changed over time.”

He picks up a giant, purple fruit, examining it all over before putting it into a bag from the ones we brought with us. Adding two more to the collection, he sets them on a scale and waves his wrist over the tablet of the woman running the fruit stand.

“Those are perfect right now. Makes for a great dessert,” the woman says, winking at Rin.

“Of course. I was thinking plums with whipped cream on vanilla cake.” Rin waits to see what she thinks. She puckers her lips and sucks in a long breath.

“Ooooh, good idea.”

“Sounds delicious,” I chime in. I should be an active part of the process since my family is coming over.

“I’m sure your lady friend will love it. Plums are an aphrodisiac, so be careful!”

We head away from her before she starts cackling. I laugh and grasp Rin’s arm, hugging him to me, as he shakes his head at the woman.

“Maybe we shouldn’t start with dessert,” I say, lifting my face up to smile at him.

“Uh, yeah. We should probably save that one for last.”

On my right, heading into a covered street arcade, more food stretches out farther than I can see. Cheese stalls, bread, and fake meat vendors get more shelter from the elements inside, while fruits and vegetables are along the outside. Rin picks up corn on the cob and eggplants from two more spots before we move on.

“How are these meats and fish made? I know you said you’re all vegetarians, but this all looks so real.” I pass a fish monger who has what looks like real fish on ice for sale.

“Oh, right. Our conversation on Kurai. I don’t think I was really clear about that.” Rin clears his throat as we approach the fishmonger and ask for two bags of mussels. “Do you know the other meaning of Aka Matsuba?” He points to the Aka Matsuba crest on the wall behind the fishmonger.

It literally means ‘red pinecone,’ but I’m unaware of any other meaning. “No. There’s something else?”

“It’s a breed of koi fish. The deep red of the koi scales resembles a pinecone which is why it’s called that. Aka Matsuba is not only the name of Tamura’s corporation, but it was also the first animal it produced in bulk. These” — he waves his hand over all the fish on display — “are all products of Aka Matsuba made for consumption. The Aka Matsuba mammals are illegal to eat. I mean, they’d cost way too much to want to do that anyway, but there is a law to protect them. Fish, though, are easy to produce in large amounts.”

The fishmonger hands over two bags of black mussels and Rin pays for them.

“Huh.” There’s still so much to learn about this place. Three weeks spent in the kitchen of K&G Noodles taught me absolutely nothing. Poking around on my tablet is only marginally better. What I need to do is to ingest some kind of encyclopedia of knowledge. If only I had access to classroom materials for kids. Rin’s exasperation at my lack of understanding in the early days was well warranted.

“Can I?” I ask, taking out my tablet. I glance left and right, and there are others with their tablets out, speaking to people on the screens or reading or whatever. I don’t think I’ll look out of place if I take B-roll footage.

Rin thinks it over for a second. “Sure.”

My chest flutters with excitement at even the smallest of things that feel normal. I switch to my camera and take video footage of the fish monger helping other customers. Swooping the camera over everything on display, I capture squid, octopus, snapper, and other silver fishes I can’t identify. I was never great at knowing which fish was which when I was back home, and these are all just slightly different. Enough to make me question my terminology.

“I’m thinking pasta with mussels and eggplant, corn on the cob, and then the plums for dessert.” Rin holds up his bags for me and the camera, and I’m impressed he’s so relaxed when I’m filming him. Most people want nothing to do with the camera.

“Mmmm, I’m hungry already.” I blush as I look up from the screen and his eyes are on me. That’s what she said, am I right?

“It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep and a bath can do for a woman,” he says, his lips jerking into a sardonic smile.

I want to kiss those lips again. But obviously not in front of the fishmonger in a huge shopping arcade.

So flirting will have to do.

“A good meal and some drinks will do even more.” I tilt my head and smile lightly.

“Oh! I almost forgot drinks and the pasta.” He throws his arm over my shoulder, in that way I’ve seen couples do, and the weight of his arm makes my knees weak. “Why don’t you walk around and get some footage for your… project, and I’ll continue shopping?”

“Okay,” I say, perking up. “Meet back up over there in like fifteen to twenty minutes?” I point to the shopping arcade entrance, and he nods.

“You can ping me your location if you get turned around. Know how to do that?”

I don’t, so he shows me how to open the maps, drop my location on it, and share it with him. Easy peasy. Reminds me of something similar we have at home, but I bet the microchips we have embedded in our wrists are more accurate.

We split up, going in opposite directions, and I look around at the arcade first before determining my route. I start where I am, filming the fish monger, moving onto the man in the next stall who sells dried fish for soup stock making. Tiny silver fish are heaped into clear bags and sold to a woman next to me. I capture their polite conversation on camera as the merchant asks after the woman’s husband. A cat on a leash sits on her shoulders, and she feeds it a dried fish before walking off. Lucky cat.

Through the arcade, I record couples buying tiny kimonos for their grandkids, a man and woman with their birds purchasing hot fish cakes and eating them immediately, and a band of teenagers, their hair wild and shirts cut in a trendy attempt at fashion.

I make it all the way down one arm of the arcade and head outside to get some sun when a fruit vendor catches my eye. Piles of oranges and other citrus fruits overflow the cart and my mouth waters. I love citrus. It is my true weakness. We have a tangerine tree at home that I loved growing up. I would sit under it every day and do my homework when the weather was nice. As soon as the tangerines ripened, I would pluck them off before anyone else could get to them. I only shared them with Shintaro. Twins. You can’t escape your twin even if you want to.

I buy four oranges, knowing Rin won’t care, and think about Shintaro. What kind of behavior can I expect from him tonight? He’s ruthless when he sees someone showing attention to me. Maybe, with other people around, Rin won’t be as affectionate, though. Not that he’s super affectionate now or anything.

My thumb suffers my doubt as I chew on the skin around my nail and stare out at the expanse of people sitting on park benches and gathering under trees to stay out of the sun.

Do I want my brother and Kazuo to see that Rin is interested in me? That I’m interested in him? Would they be happy? Disappointed? Would they make fun of me?

I wish we could hide away from everyone and not care.

Looking left along an adjacent street, past a crowd of people waiting in line at a food cart, I spot Rin talking to someone in the distance. His body is blocking my view, but that’s definitely him. With the shaved head and the scar, he sticks out in the crowd. Looks like he ran into someone here.

I’m done with my filming, so I cross the walkway and head in his direction. A street vendor is selling some kind of crazy pretzel concoction that captures my attention as I walk past. I love pretzels! My head swivels to catalog all the different toppings before looking for Rin again.

The crowd around the area surges as people exit from the nearest train station. It’s lunchtime, and everyone is hungry for what’s on offer here.

People surround me as I try to spot Rin again. Ah, he’s talking to some woman, maybe someone he knows from work. She strides off, away from him, large sunglasses covering her face.

“Rin!” I call out, raising my hand up so he can see me through the crowd.

He doesn’t turn around. Hmmm, I guess I’m not loud enough.

“Rin!” I call again, jumping up and waving.

I fall into a woman and her dog, knocking the woman’s bag to the ground. “Oh no,” I cry, diving for her bag. “I’m so sorry. Let me help you.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t see you there.” She and I pick up her belongings from the ground as her dog jumps on me and licks my face.

My heart aches as I smooth out the dog’s silky fur. I had forgotten how much I missed our family menagerie, all the dogs, cats, birds, foxes, pigs, and many other animals who make the estate their home too back on Orihimé.

“What a sweet thing you are,” I coo at the dog, petting her head and scratching her ears. She circles around me twice, winding me up in her leash as her owner laughs and tries to untangle us.

“Well, look at this mess you’ve gotten into,” Rin says, approaching us. He laughs as the dog tries to jump up and kiss me again. “I heard a ruckus, and I had a feeling you’d be involved.”

He holds my arm so I can untangle from the animal. The owner and I smile and bow, I apologize again, and she’s on her way.

“Looks like I can’t avoid animals, even if they’re not mine.” I brush myself off and huff out a breath. “Did you run into someone you know?”

“Nope. But not only did I get beer and saké but I also got some handmade pasta. It’s nice when I don’t have to make it myself.”

“Oh, I…” I wave at the part of the street I saw him in just a few minutes ago. But he probably ran into someone like I did, they exchanged words, and she was off. It is rather crowded. “Never mind. It’s so busy.”

“There’s a reason for that,” Rin says, pointing down the street.

I turn and follow his gesture, pulling him with me. Another crowd of people has gathered half a block away, obstructing our view of the rest of the street. The sharp scent of incense wafts past my nose, and over the top of everyone’s heads, a portable shrine bobs along carried on the shoulders of men in black suits.

My tablet in my bag buzzes at me, so I pull it out as we approach the crowd.

“Your cooperation is required. You’ve entered an area where a newsworthy event is currently in progress. Please point your camera at the scene.”

Wow. Talk about crowd-sourced journalism. Is there a penalty if you decide not to participate?

Rin looks over my shoulder, a smirk curling his cheek. “Want to get a good shot? They often pay out to people who get the best coverage.” He sets our bags on the ground at his feet and crouches down. “Get on.”

“Really?”

“Come on. I’m sure you want to see it.” He waves to his shoulders. I swing my leg over, and he stands up, lifting me up into the air. Buzzing in the distance indicates drones are on their way to capture this ‘newsworthy’ moment, whatever it is, so I press the record button and frame my shot.

It’s a funeral procession, from what I can gather. A mishmash of Shinto practices and more modern funeral processions. The traveling shrine houses the dead one’s ashes, offerings of white flowers, oranges, and photos of the deceased surround the black lacquer box.

I suck in a quick breath when I see Buichi Tamura following behind the head priests, temple maidens, and the deceased’s family. His white bird stands out amongst the sea of black. His face is clouded with sadness, his large owl eyes red-rimmed and tired. I didn’t know he had emotions other than anger, so this is a surprise.

I let my shot linger on him for a moment before widening to include the whole procession and the people on the streets bowed as the portable shrine is carried past. Off in the distance, about six blocks away, a red torii gate sits parallel to the street, indicating the entrance to a shrine there. That must be where they’re heading.

I stop recording as the crowd breaks up and disperses. I set my hand on the top of Rin’s head, comforted by his warmth, and he reaches up to grab my hand. Squatting back down, I slide off his back and take a deep breath.

“Was that one of the Aka Matsuba employees who was killed the other day?”

Rin nods, his lips set in a grim line. “Yeah. He was Tamura’s second in command. One of the most senior board members.” He picks his bags off the ground and jerks his head at the subway station entrance. I guess we’re taking the train home.

“So Aoi Uma’s androids have been slowly failing and causing chaos in the city, and now they’re knocking off Aka Matsuba board members. Seems like they have a grand plan, and we’re about to be caught in the middle of it, no?”

Rin dips his head to cover our conversation. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

“What can we do?” I ask, ready to run into the chaos if need be. But Rin shrugs his shoulders.

“It’s five or ten levels above us, Yumi. There’s not much we can do except go home, make dinner, and spend time with our loved ones.”

He’s right, of course, but I can’t help but wonder how many revolutions started this way. A society in upheaval and rioting in the streets while all the farmers and merchants ate dinner and slept in their beds before their houses burned down around them.

I shudder at the thought as we descend the stairs and leave the crowded streets behind us.