Balloon Lady

I picked at my rice, my eyes lingering on Little Shit as he tore into his third melon bread of the morning. The plastic didn't stand a chance against his enthusiasm, shredding into confetti that rained down onto our worn tatami.

The Balloon Lady - Lieutenant Something from some division I was too busy mourning my crushed Tokyo dreams to remember - sat perfectly still in the corner. Her rigid seiza posture made my legs ache just looking at her. Beside her, the earth-colored balloon swayed with each breath.

First order of business: figuring out a way to ditch her. If Balloon Lady stuck to me like glue 24/7, she'd definitely find out about my part-time job at KaiKool. And if she let it slip to Gran Gran, especially that I was saving up for Tokyo, Gran Gran would explode. Goodbye freedom, hello Gran Gran prison.

The silence stretched on, broken only by chopsticks clinking against bowls and Little Shit's happy munching. Gran Gran cleared her throat.

"Young Lady, you need to eat some breakfast! Come, come, there's plenty of rice."

Balloon Lady didn't even twitch. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Hmph! This is exactly why you're so flat-chested. No husband will want you like that. Not like my Ryūka here - she takes after her mother's side."

"Oh my God, Gran Gran!"

"What?" Gran Gran scoffed, waving her chopsticks. "I'm just stating facts. Look at Young Lady here - flat as a board. No wonder she joined the army instead of finding a nice husband."

I slammed my bowl down, making Little Shit jump, but I didn't care - I could already see a lecture forming on Gran Gran's lips, and it was way too early in the morning for one of those.

"I need to head out early. Got this new morning club thing at school." I lied.

"Club?" Gran Gran's chopsticks froze midway to her mouth. "What club? You better not be wasting time when you should be studying!"

"It's, ugh, performance arts."

"Performance arts?" Gran Gran's eyes narrowed. "No good university wants to see 'performance arts' on applications! You should join the mathematics club like your cousin Haruka."

"But Haruka got caught cheating last semester!"

"He still got better grades than you! And look at him now - studying engineering at Shibue University while you waste time playing dress-up!"

I grabbed my bag, practically sprinting for the volcanic stairs. "Gotta go! Don't want to be late!"

"Ryūka!-"

But I was already bolting down the makeshift volcanic steps, my school bag bouncing against my back. A familiar weight landed on my back as Little Shit launched himself after me with an excited squeak. Behind us, Balloon Lady's footsteps followed in perfect rhythm.

"Sorry about Gran Gran!" I called over my shoulder once we were safely out of earshot. "She's been extra cranky since the Daimen incident. Something about kaiju ruining property values and her retirement plans."

"It's fine." Balloon Lady's voice remained steady, unbothered.

I glanced over my shoulder again, watching Balloon Lady trail behind us. The gap between us was so wide, even the Furnace Kaiju could've squeezed through.

"Hey!" I spun around this time, walking backwards. "You don't have to stay that far back! It's weirding me out."

Little Shit tilted his head at my words, then peeked around my head at Balloon Lady.

"If you're scared of Little Shit, don't be! The worst he'll do is make tiny volcanos when he's hangry. Which, okay, happens a lot, but still!"

After a moment's pause, Balloon Lady closed the distance between us with measured steps. 

"I was simply maintaining optimal surveillance distance," she stated flatly.

"Well, makes it a pain in the ass to actually have a conversation."

Little Shit chirped in agreement, reaching out to poke at the balloon floating by Balloon Lady's head. The balloon drifted just out of his reach, which only made him more determined to catch it.

"Very well." A hint of something - maybe amusement? - crossed her face as she watched Little Shit flail at the balloon.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Having her march behind us like a prison guard was seriously stressing me out. She was still tailing me, but this was marginally better.

I hopped over a chunk of concrete, using Little Shit's tail for balance. The streets had basically turned into the world's worst (or best?) obstacle course since the kaiju started showing up - craters to leap over, debris to dodge, buildings with massive bites taken out of them. Honestly? Morning walks had never been this fun before the whole Daimen incident.

Balloon Lady, of course, stuck to what remained of the sidewalk. Even when faced with a completely destroyed section, she'd backtrack to find the nearest crosswalk.

"You know, there's no cars around," I called out as she made another detour. "You can just walk through."

She didn't respond, just kept marching along her proper path. This was going to be a problem. How was I supposed to ditch someone this... stubborn?

Something also didn't add up. Why would someone like her accept a glorified babysitting job? Shouldn't she be out there fighting kaiju or something?

"Hey, ugh-"

"Lieutenant Himuro. Or Sae is fine."

"Right, Sae... Why did you take this job anyway? Seems kind of beneath your pay grade."

"I chose this assignment. There are... personal reasons."

"Personal reasons? Like what?"

"Much like how you chose to work at KaiKool to save money for Tokyo."

Little Shit must have felt me tense up because he started making concerned squeaks.

"How did you-" I spun around so fast I nearly tripped over a piece of debris. "Please don't tell Gran Gran! She'll kill me then use my corpse as an example for my cousins!"

The corner of Sae's mouth twitched upward. It wasn't quite a smile, but on her stoic face it might as well have been a full-on grin.

"Your secret is safe. I get what it’s like to have dreams that others might not approve of."

"Yeah, right. How do I know you won't slip up during one of Gran Gran's interrogations? That woman could make the pope confess."

Sae extended her right hand, palm up. "Then let's make it official."

"Huh?"

She traced a circle in her palm with her left index finger, then made three quick taps in the center. The balloon floating beside her bobbed in sync with each tap. Her face remained dead serious as she completed whatever ritual this was. "Your turn."

I stared at Sae's outstretched hand. Was this really happening? First, the ancient magic pact with Little Shit's parent, and now one with Lieutenant Stick-Up-Her-Butt?

"You can't be serious."

"I am always serious." Yet there was that almost-smile again, tugging at the corner of her mouth.

The balloon bobbed impatiently, as if urging me to get on with it.

"Fine." I sighed, extending my hand. "But if Gran Gran finds out about my part-time job, I'm blaming your ancient kaiju ritual for failing."

I mimicked Sae's movements - circle, three taps. Little Shit joined in, poking my palm with his tiny claw in perfect sync.

"The pact is complete." Sae nodded solemnly, but her eyes sparkled with something that looked suspiciously like mischief.

"Where did you even learn something this childish?"

"A friend taught me." Her voice softened slightly. The balloon bobbed in response, doing lazy loops around her head.

"You know what? You're not as scary as you look, Balloon Lady." The nickname slipped out before I could stop it.

But Sae didn't seem to mind. If anything, her almost-smile grew a little more real. The morning sun caught the edges of her perfectly pressed uniform, and for a moment, she looked less like my government-assigned watchdog and more like the cool older sister I'd never had.