Chaos in Kadoma Ward – Chapter 35

I stand at the kitchen counter and roll the dough without trying to think or plan the days ahead. Rin is in the shower, the sound of the water pelting against the bathroom wall louder than I’m used to. Back in his apartment, we heard nothing from the neighbors or even each other walking around. It was warm and comfortable and quiet. This farmhouse is quaint and serviceable, a house like all the others in town, but it’s a far cry from what Rin had in the city. No fancy android same-day service. No tōsha. Barely regulated heat. I often need a sweater and a blanket just to sit on the couch.

Hefting the noodle dough in my hands, I trust Rin made enough for everyone who’s coming tonight. I lay it out on the floured surface and divvy the dough up into six equal portions, and then I divide those in half so each person will get two servings with their soup. The mushroom and fish stock bubbles away on the stove, making the kitchen steamy and fragrant, and my stomach grumbles. It’s time for a beer.

Reaching into the fridge, I cringe at the barren wasteland it has become. We’ve been in this house for four weeks, and during that time, Rin and I have been on a kind-of vacation. ‘Kind-of’ because it’s been relaxing except for the two intense migraines I had that left me wiped out and foggy-brained for days. Otherwise, our free time has been filled with walks in the countryside, shopping for food at the farmers’ market, drinking down by the river, and sleeping tangled up with each other. I always kept the refrigerator stocked, and now, seeing it empty reminds me we have a long trip ahead. I may never come back here.

Try not to think about it, Yumi.

I sip my beer and pull noodles. I’m getting better at this. Kotashi would have to agree that these are marginally better than the ones I started out making. Kotashi and Gina — I often think about those two, wondering where they are and how they’re coping with the unrest in Shin-Osaka. Between daily stories of citizens fighting against androids and Kiiroi Yama advancing across the city and taking charge ward by ward, the situation is grim. I have to get my updates through Atsumi and other Kiiroi Yama employees because Aoi Uma’s news network is not only highly sanitized, but some days, it doesn’t even run at all. I once went to the site and found only articles on recent celebrity gossip.

Really? I almost threw my tablet across the room.

“Looking good, Miss Minamoto,” Rin says, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. Though he’s still wet from the shower, I savor the moment. He’s warm and real, and his kisses blaze a path up my shoulder to my neck.

“Me or the noodles?”

“Both.”

I turn my head and let him kiss me on the cheek and temple. I wish I could go back in time, ten years ago, and tell the girl who cried every night that her brother stole her only love that this was what she had to look forward to. I really felt like my life was over back then. That I would never find love, never have a family of my own, and never be able to carry on the family legacy. It’s amazing how time and growth can change people.

“Look at the time. I’ll get dressed and come help you with these.”

I turn to watch him walk away, cataloging all of his scars, the way he moves, the tilt of his head.

Leaving the rest of the noodle pulling for Rin, I stir the soup stock and then set the table, keeping my eye on the front window and the path to town where the train station is. We live on a quiet road, so I know it’s my guests when the figures of four people dissolve out of the twilight.

Kazuo and Shintaro have been here before, but Atsumi and her guest are both new to our temporary home. I tense as I recognize the figure walking next to Atsumi. Yori Okamoto, CEO of Kiiroi Yama, looks to be even more formidable in person.

Anxiety I haven’t felt in a month dominates my chest. I remember when meeting officials and politicians thrilled me. I was excited to ask them questions and hear their answers, and I reveled in digging into their dirty secrets. Life is not like that anymore.

“Welcome back,” I chime, throwing my arms around Shintaro and Kazuo as they leave their shoes at the door. I bow to Atsumi, who flicks a wry smile in my direction. We have a tenuous relationship, one I don’t want to ruin now.

“Mr. Okamoto, I presume,” I say, bowing to him. “It’s good to meet you finally.”

“And you. You’ve been on my radar for some time.”

I bow again, trying to cover my ambivalence about being so close to this powerful man. I’ve seen the kinds of things Kiiroi Yama employees can do. They’re mercenaries of the highest caliber. I thought our Black Ninjas in the South of Orihimé were harsh, but these men and women put them to shame. In the last few weeks, I’ve seen footage of them climbing buildings with their own two hands, assassinating Aoi Uma board members, and breaking up hostage situations. They’re fearsome.

They’re my new allies.

I usher both Atsumi and Okamoto to the table and serve them edamame. Kazuo and Shintaro drop their bags next to the front closet.

“Watching you all show up at once makes me a little nervous,” I say, directing them both to the table. Rin appears out of the kitchen, his arms filled with beers and saké, ready to shake hands, give hugs, and say hello.

“Trust me. Narumi has too many other problems right now to go after any of you, but the data is important,” Okamoto says, accepting a beer from Rin and waiting for everyone else to get theirs. “She’ll want your data device and tablet, eventually. No one can say no to that gift for too long. But for now, she’s dealing with daily riots, our military coup, and Aka Matsuba employees who won’t follow Tamura’s orders.”

“Android Tamura,” I stress, and he nods.

“If only we hadn’t lost his body in the building explosion we could’ve revealed him for what he really is. So we’re going to let the charade play out until we can either hack it or expose it somehow. Hopefully at the right moment.” Okamoto lifts his glass and takes three long gulps.

“I have something for you, Yumi,” Atsumi says, patting the spot next to her on the table bench. She leans behind her to grab her tablet from her bag. I glance sideways at Rin, dubious. He shrugs his shoulders and elbows me, so I sit next to her.

“I’ll show you how to get to these underground forums, but they’ve absolutely exploded since Aoi Uma took over.”

“Underground forums…?” I halt as my face comes on the screen. It’s footage from my daily diary on Kurai, and on the page below are text threads talking about me. ‘Is she an alien? Where are these people from? Has the government been lying to us?’

Kazuo leans over to look as well, and a smirk curls his lips. “I told you those videos would be useful someday.”

“How… How did they get this footage?”

Atsumi smiles, and for once, it doesn’t feel like a cat’s smile before she kills her prey. “I gave it to them, of course. We’ve archived your videos. I posted them anonymously, but I left data on the files that would trace back to Kiiroi Yama. Several people have already figured it out.”

I scroll and click around the forum, my eyes landing on phrases like ‘Minamoto? I thought they were dead,’ and ‘Is this how we save our society?’ One guy says, ‘She’s hot. I’d do her.’ My face reddens, and I try to cover it up by drinking my beer and scrolling away as fast as possible.

I’m uncomfortable with the fact that my daily journals have been spread across the world, and I didn’t even give permission for them to be distributed. I look up at Rin, and his arms are crossed, his eyes narrowed. Thinking about the few entries I made where I talked about my relationship with him, I’m feeling a little sick. He probably isn’t happy about that. At least so far, only my videos from Kurai are online. Nothing from my time on Hikari.

Yet.

Atsumi takes back her tablet, satisfied with herself. “I’ll show you how to access these later.”

Standing up, I try to redirect my energy. “Time for dinner.”

Rin and I form an assembly line, and Kazuo joins us. Soup in the bowl, freshly cooked noodles, and smoked fish on top — my hands work, but my brain is a million kilometers away.

Mother’s last words to me are suddenly crystal clear. ‘You won’t do much on this mission, and I expect you to return and give me everything you learned. But should the mission fail or change, our goal is to unite these two worlds at all costs. Someday, other planets colonized by other countries during the Exodus from Earth will find us, and we have no idea what to expect. We need partners with the same goals, the same basic tenants of family and community. If these people don’t have that, we’ll have to give it to them somehow. With the empress’s cooperation, our family will lead the way. Never forget where you came from.’

I’m sure Shintaro didn’t get the same speech since he was never a part of the family business like my older brother and I were — are.

Now that the word of my existence is spreading, and the method by which is out of my hands, I need to find some control again. Do I trust Atsumi to manage my image? No, not yet, at least.

I’m quiet through dinner, staring out the window and thinking about everything ahead of me. First up is traveling to the Southern Continent and finding Shiroi Nami, and that won’t be easy either. The only way in is through the main port at Kitakyushu. And if Shiroi Nami is watching for me, then my enemies are too. I can’t just walk in, wave, shout and ask for Michio Hayashi. I’ll be killed before I even open my mouth. And the trip there will be tough. People are shipped there by boat.

Boat.

Have I mentioned I get seasick?

At least I’ll have Rin, Kazuo, and our team to help me through, but it’s going to be undercover stuff I’ve never done before. I’m so nervous about it, my stomach halts and shuts down halfway through my meal. Rin, his bowl empty, eyes mine, and I push it towards him to finish off.

“It’s been a lot of work, reformatting all the records, changing people’s names and identities, and reassigning them to work in areas that are safer, but I think we’re almost done hiding everyone from your ship, Yumi. I’m sorry to say we still haven’t found your boss or any of the other people you asked about.” Atsumi has been speaking for some time and mentioning Chiéko Mori brings me back to the conversation at hand.

“Thanks for looking. I… I believe she’s dead. I hoped for a long time that she was still alive, but it’s probably best to accept it and move forward.” I stand up and gather bowls. “Let’s have another drink or two before we leave.”

“Did you leave anything here for me to eat after you’re gone?” Shintaro asks, following me into the kitchen with the bowls. He places them on the counter and opens the fridge. “As I suspected, nothing.”

“I figured you shouldn’t slack off. Best to be up bright and early tomorrow and out to the market to get the good stuff.”

I turn to him and surprise him by giving him a big hug. “Remember our plan.”

“I wait here with my new identity, work for the local agricultural group on gene splicing, and hope our people show up before this place goes to hell in a handbasket.”

“I never understood that phrase.”

“It’s one of Dad’s from Earth. Who really understands those people, anyway?”

I let go, afraid this is the last time I’ll hug him or talk to someone who’s family.

“I’m going to sit out back with a beer for a bit.” I grab a beer from the fridge and sit out on the concrete steps that face the grasslands of Hikari. Not far from here, though, rice, wheat, and vegetables are grown in dirt, like they were on Earth hundreds of years ago. I lift my eyes to the sky and wonder which of the stars above belongs to my real home. I’m surprised I’ve never looked it up.

The back door opens, and Atsumi comes out, her beer in her hand.

I stop a sigh on my lips. I came out here for some peace.

“I hope I’m not bothering you,” she says, sitting beside me.

“Not at all,” I lie, and thankfully she can’t tell. If Rin were here, he’d roll his eyes at me.

She sips her beer and looks up at the stars too.

“You know, if someone had told me Rin would fall for an alien girl from a planet far away, I would’ve told them they were crazy. But here we are.” She raises her beer bottle, so I raise mine to knock it against hers. “I can see you’re upset about the video journals, but I knew if I asked you, you’d say no.”

“You think?”

She laughs, a little too light for my tastes. “Yes, now I’m sure. But I want you… need you…” She pauses. “I’m asking for you to make more of them. Make them every day, about everything you can think of. How we’re different, how we’re the same, what we can do to change things. Believe it or not, people are beginning to listen to you. They’re waking up. We need that.”

I look down at the step between my legs, wondering just how personal I can be. I’m used to documenting other people’s lives, not my own.

“Please.”

I blink in surprise. Atsumi doesn’t say please. She doesn’t even ask for things. She tells people what to do, and she doesn’t beg.

“Okay,” I whisper. “As long as you watch out for my brother.”

“Already done and will do. As well as watching out for you and Rin and my team on the Southern Continent.” She downs a third of her bottle. “It’s important that we get Shiroi Nami on our side. They’ve been doing the kind of work Aka Matsuba and Aoi Uma could only dream about, and they could be a powerful ally, pushing us into the next phase of our colonization and population efforts. They’re the only corporation to see an increase in birth rate since we landed, which is scary to corporations like Aoi Uma who have only dwindled and now need androids to make up the difference.”

I take in this new data and compare it to what I know already.

“What has Shiroi Nami been doing?”

Atsumi waves her hand. “It’s just rumors, but the same stuff that got them banned to Kurai in the first place.”

I have no idea what that is, and I’m sure Atsumi doesn’t want to expand on it.

“You’ll know it when you see it.” She looks behind her, and I follow. Rin is at the door, listening.

“We’ll leave in about fifteen minutes,” Atsumi says, standing up and returning inside. Rin takes her place beside me. I hand him my bottle to finish.

He raises his eyebrows, and I laugh. “I’m finishing up everything of yours today.”

I thread my arm through his and rest my head on his shoulder. “I really like it here. It’s serene and easy. Reminds me a lot of the countryside back home.”

“Yeah, it’s not bad. I kinda miss the convenience of Kadoma Ward though.”

“The walks through the parks.”

“The three in the morning crepes outside the clubs.”

“The butsu.”

“The cakes from the corner bakery.”

I squeeze his arm and laugh. “You have this thing for food, did you know that?”

“Food and sex are my two favorite things, both with you.” He pulls his arm from my grip and instead wraps it around my shoulders. “Let’s take five more minutes to be normal before we go.”

I wrap my arm around his waist and pull my hip close to his.

“I have a radical suggestion, a new plan I’ve been working on with Mr. Okamoto. One that would require you being brave and self-sufficient for an extended period of time.”

I swallow hard. “Self-sufficient?”

He nods, his lips pressed into a line.

“Hmmm, is it necessary for our survival?”

“For everyone,” he says, “and I wouldn’t ask it of you if I thought you couldn’t do it. You’re your own person now. No more contracts. No more microchip. You get to decide.”

I don’t know what this plan is, but if Rin asks me to do something, I’ll do it.

Because I trust him.

“Whatever you need,” I whisper, resting my head on my arms folded over the tops of my knees.

“And I’m going to make a promise to you right now. When we make it out of this mess, we’re going to come back here and live until your people come. So take this house, this piece of land, and imprint it on your memories for all the hard times in the coming days. Ready?”

We both sweep our eyes out over the grasses and turn to look at the little house in the countryside.

“Now close your eyes and put it there for later.”

I close my eyes and stamp it on my brain, hoping it doesn’t fade with time like my family’s estate on Orihimé has. This one needs to hold me over until the end.

When I open my eyes, Rin’s face is close, and we touch foreheads. This is how I’ll find the strength to finish off this mission. I’ll find it within myself and from those who believe in me.

Rin holds out his hand. “I’ll watch after you if you watch after me. Deal?”

“Deal.”