Chapter 9: Orihime Shima has a Chance Encounter

Orihime Shima

I let out a sigh as I rolled the rice and skillfully shaped it into a ball. l had been called into work at the smallest food stall that the Shima family owned. I let my mind wander as I continued to prepare the product. Technically this was against most labor laws as I was only 15, but my family got away with it due to the traditions that they have ‘ safe-kept'. These days most people got their food from dispensary stores or shipped right to their door in bulk orders and ate their meal pills based off of whatever flavor they wanted and resumed what they had been doing before almost immediately whether it be a conversation on the interwebs or interacting in the seemingly infinite realm of the VR worlds. Those that did go to our restaurants went to our main branches in the heart of Tokyo, as a show of status, and a way to meet with others in person. I wished that I could be anywhere else in that infinity except for where I was now.

But my current predicament was due to a punishment from my family for not being able to find an eligible partner for the Ballroom Dance Event hosted by the Sodomites at the expense of the ‘charitable’ Gommorah. Of course I had only failed because I had failed to find someone my mother deemed eligible. I would still be expected to perform the Shima family's customary dance, the Dengaku.

While I didn’t mind the beautiful dance, it was another duty that was forced upon me. The Dengaku was a historical Japanese celebration that was split into two different sections that accompanied one another, music and dance. The Dengaku was developed as a musical accompaniment to rice planting observances. According to the interwebs and her family's history the Dengaku was used for celebrated rice planting and was performed by villagers either at the new year or during the planting season in early summer. It was almost like a large parade and would either be very joyous or get so large that it was prone to become rowdy due the massive amount of rural populace interacting. Eventually the dances were brought into the cities and incorporated into theater, notably by the playwright and actor Kan'ami.

I shook my head and smiled bitterly to myself a little, thinking, “ If mother is ever going to be proud of me it would be because of something like that.” Just grumpily thinking about my duties to come had caused me to learn about the historical play-right Kan’ami who was from an era so far away in time I couldn't fathom how it had made its way into the interwebs. Of course arguably, Dengaku’s history with rice workers was pretty far removed from historical significance as well. As these thoughts streamlined into my head I learned another thing I didn’t know: it was about the historical instrument of Dengaku known as the sasara, a wooden percussive instrument clapper. I had not known that because all the music was pulled from historical recordings of the historical dances. I wished the dances could be recordings as well but technically they were ‘ performed’ by people. Though really most of the time, one could hardly call it a performance it might as well have been a recording. All I had to do to make myself learn the dances, for the interweb server events was look into the thoughts that my tutor had sent my way or think about learning how to do it and and the interwebs would send customary instructions to my brain. Of course this was a rare in person ball, but even then I would still be able to perform, my family had drilled the more refined theater type dancing style of Dengaku into me. Not just through the interwebs but also through hours of practice. They would do anything to make money especially if it meant increasing the clan's reputation as historical safe keepers.

Even at my age, I had unfortunately come to understand a bit of the political state of the reborn nation of Japan. Which just happened to like to see a certain amount of ‘old era Japan’ reflected in its culture. I also know that this whole Ball was in large part created to make the political parties happy, the Sodomite clan was appeasing the faction of the public that had joined together to recreate “ Japan.” The Sodomite clan was hosting to show their faction still had power and my family was performing to help show our independence and importance. In addition to this, our performance showed that our clan was essential for preserving the culture that the “ Old Japan” faction wanted. All the powers were coming together in harmony to show that each of them mattered for keeping the harmonious state the nation known as Japan had found itself in.

I hated that I knew all of this, and understood all of this and yet was still being punished. My thoughts began to rage as I stuffed octopus into the rice ball. What I didn’t understand was why I had to be in this silly stall, and why I had to be born into the family that chose to take part in the silly traditions of ancient Japan. No one else grew and harvested rice anymore. Why did it matter so much to my family but regardless here I am suffering in a hardly visited food stall because of it. Of course I understand why the Shima clan elected to continue the traditional dance; it was a marketing ploy to remind people to buy their rice balls and curry. It was truly effective, as aside from the Soma clan's wonder pill the Shima’s held a staple part of the Tokyo goods economy.

Mother had been very displeased when I hadn’t managed to secure a ‘date’ with any one of political importance. After our clan’s performance the Soma’s were helping host a Western style Ballroom couple dance, as a charity to help distribute the pill even to people who were labeled as outcasts of Japan. And that was why I was here rolling rice balls in the family's most unproductive stall.

I had been preparing the product and taking stock with no customers and I was about to pack up all my hard work and put it into storage. When the curtain to the stall flapped open, revealing a young man soaked to the bone standing in the doorway. He had his hood up and I didn’t know him. Not that I would probably recognize him if I could. Most of my interactions were with my family or my classmates, and almost all of my interactions with ‘ strangers’ were on vr or the interwebs. In these situations you could create whatever avatar you wanted for the right price. So you could be whatever you wanted to be perceived as. The young man removed his hood revealing a mess of dark hair, he appeared to be out of breath, and given the downpour of rain I wondered if something was wrong, what had caused him to be out in this weather?

: “ What is a person like you doing here?” It seemed we asked each other the same question simultaneously. He laughed and said, “ I was just out for a run after meeting with my Uncle, for a sparring session and got caught in this down-pour. This stall was the only shelter that I could find that was open around here. I have to ask what a celebrity like you Orihime is doing here?” There was a twinkle in his eye as he said this. I was shocked, “ Do I know you, or rather should I know you, oh and how do you know me?” I asked slightly flustered. He smiled and pointed to my name tag. I blushed, “ Ok well that doesn’t explain why you called me a celebrity.” He laughed and whipped his shaggy hair around like a dog. It seemed the hood hadn’t kept his hair dry. After spraying water everywhere he spoke,” I have been in the same class as you for 5 years.” I sputtered, blushing again, “ Oh I am sorry. I don’t know how I haven’t seen you before.” He shrugged and said. “ Well first off most students attend virtually through the interweb servers. As such, most people can choose to appear as whatever persona they want to be.” I nodded and said, “ Ok but.” my eyes wandered over his fit physique, and I subconsciously reached out to touch him to make sure he wasn’t an avatar trolling me. He seemed to notice what I was doing quickly and gave me a high five. I blinked for a second realizing what I had been doing. He laughed and said, “ After my first couple years I only connected to the audio and usually just listened to classes then I would disconnect unless the instructors wanted something from me. I was bullied and didn’t really fit in. My parents wanted me to go physically in person for a while thinking that was the easiest way for me to make genuine friends. But I got off to a horrible start apparently, if this rings a bell five years ago I was notorious for introducing myself, as, “Gondor short for Gon son of Duran of the clan of Aragon at your service.” He paused waiting for my reaction, I had none, though the wheels in my head were turning trying to recall if I remembered that strange introduction years ago. He continued explaining, "  These days I have been told that when I am in such fine establishments as this  it will be easier for me if I introduce myself. 'Gon, son of Eleanor, of the Clan of Soma.'"