Chapter 12_A Day Off

Tomiko had initially planned to just take off practice, but when she woke up the next morning she didn't feel like going to school. She wasn't sure how she could face Aio after what she said yesterday. She wasn't proud of what she said, but she didn't feel like apologizing either.

She was a little concerned her dad would say something. He failed to notice, even though she left her shoes at the door. Tomiko thought about hiding them to make it more likely he wouldn't see, but once again, part of her wanted him to.

It was an hour and a half later than her normal routine before she got out of bed. She tried falling back asleep after her alarm but couldn’t. Sort of drifting off in between shifting to a more comfortable position. After multiple failed attempts to get more rest, she sluggishly got ready for the day. Her morning routine consisted much less than the average high school girl. Less makeup, none in fact, no hair styling, and of course no perfume. She found perfume to be a waste of money.

Once she was ready for the day, she was finally confronted with the question of what she wanted to do with it. She still planned on meeting up with Chimon, but nothing else. It was so strange to be out of school while school was happening. She sort of sat and let it sink in for a bit.

It made sense for her to try to be productive. That would make up for the lost time at school. However, she was hard pressed to find something she felt motivated to do.

At first, she thought about cleaning the apartment. It was already very messy from the last time she cleaned, even the parts she couldn't clean withstanding. But, if she spent too much time cleaning, it could make it too obvious she had skipped school.

Eventually, Tomiko came to the idea of actually opening her video game console. She had bought it so long ago and still hadn't bothered to touch it since bringing it home. It seemed like the right thing to do. Maybe making good on her promise would make it easier for her to talk to Aio.

Tomiko went to her room and pulled out the bag of stuff she had gotten from the mall. She reviewed the contents and was a little surprised by everything inside. Not that she had forgotten what she had purchased. It all just seemed like a lot to keep for entertainment.

She first opened the console itself. There was a start-up guide, but she mostly just looked it over for where the start button was and winged it from there. After getting halfway through the account set-up, she remembered she needed to put the screen protector on before using it too much.

With much care, because she remembered how important it was to Aio to do it right, she lined up the glass screen and slowly laid it down onto the console. The representative at the store gave very detailed instructions on how to apply. Their instructions also matched what Aio had said, so Tomiko didn't bother reading the application guide that came with the screen protector.

Some dust must have gotten in while she was applying the screen, because there were three air bubbles in between the glass. Each was no bigger than a needle head, so Tomiko wasn't bothered by it.

After everything was unwrapped, she got started with the game Aio had talked so much about. Tomiko decided to wait to play the game pre downloaded for later.

The whole experience felt very new to Tomiko, yet somehow nostalgic. It felt like a birthday gift. Her parents could never afford to give her anything too expensive, but it was very reminiscent of having a shiny new toy and being excited about the new possibilities to have fun. It had been a while since she had felt this way.

At the same time however, something was keeping Tomiko from truly enjoying herself. A lingering emotion hung around. She felt she didn't deserve to be enjoying the experience. There was something else she should be doing. Going to school for sure, but also something else. If only she could figure it out so she could fully enjoy the game.

Tomiko was noticing some of the aspects of the game she remembered from Aio’s conversations. She couldn’t anticipate anything before it happened, but more so she could recall it faintly after it happened in the game. It did make her feel a little more connected with her friend. That was mostly what she was hoping for by playing today.

Hours passed. Tomiko kept watch on the clock, as she was only partly invested in the events of the game. Well, that and she didn't want to let Chimon down after telling him she would be early to the meeting. She wouldn’t ever admit it.

The time to head out to the alley passed much quicker than Tomiko thought it would. It seemed she was having fun after all. She thought about the events of the game as she walked over.

Once again, Chimon could be found in the dumpster within the terrarium he had created for himself.

Tomiko was in a better mood, so she only lightly kicked the side of the bin.

“Gah! Oh, it’s you. Hey Tomiko,” Chimon said. He didn't do a full stand. Probably just jumped a little in his seat.

“Wow. Don’t be too excited. You ready to start?”

“Give me a sec to finish up, I’m almost finished with this boss.” He replied.

Tomiko liked that he didn't just say yes and continue playing. That’s how it felt before when he would spend time saving. Although, now she knew how quick it took to save and exit a game, she was more patient.

Back in the other world on the beach, Tomiko got frustrated with the tome. She had gotten it to fire a spell on the first try, but it was very difficult to aim. She always thought her depth perception and hand eye coordination were above average, but this was bringing back every suppressed memory supporting the contrary. Missing the bin when tossing paper, failing to hit targets at festivals, and being terrible at rubber band wars. All coming back to haunt her as she tried over and over to blast the crabs

Tomiko was also not too pleased with the fighting style she had to implement to be effective. She had to wait for the enemy to be close enough for her bad aim to land a hit, but far away enough so the enemy couldn't hit her. This meant she was essentially walking slowly away from the crabs as they approached. It was frustrating, yet boring at the same time.

Chimon insisted she wasn't doing a bad job, but the numbers couldn't lie. She was taking much longer to defeat crabs than when she was using the hammer.

Tomiko gave it a good hour of practice, before being too frustrated and asked for her hammer back. She took down a few more crabs, to get back into the groove, and then they continued forward along the key island formation.

There were more crabs as they went along, but among them were different types than what they had been fighting on the main beach. Some took more hits, some were faster, and one type could blast a bubble cannon from its claw. Tomiko wasn't sure how a crab could evolve to get a projectile attack, but there was also magic in this world so she didn't give it too much thought.

Overall, it was a fairly productive day. Another win for Tomiko. However, it didn't make her any more confident about trying to go to school.

Tomiko knew she couldn't keep skipping school. Her grades were already on the edge. She just wasn't ready to face Aio yet. It wouldn't prevent it from happening, as she would soon find out.

It started with knocks at the apartment door. Tomiko ran through her head a list of possible candidates. After crossing off Rin from her list, the only other option was Aio or her dad.

She debated whether or not to pretend she wasn't home, but the thought of disappointing Aio further was hurting her physically, so she went to open the door. She put her shoes on first, because there was no way she was going to let either of them see how she lived.

When looking through the front door eyehole, Tomiko saw Aio waiting outside. It was better than if Aio’s dad was there, but it was still an interaction she wasn't looking forward to. Maybe this is how her dad feels when Rin comes over to scold him.

Tomiko’s hand reached for the door. It pulled itself back a couple of times, resisting the urge to be considerate. She gripped the doorknob, took a deep breath. Then, Tomiko twisted the doorknob, swung the door open, sidestepped outside, and quickly closed the door behind herself. She wanted there to be no confusion. Aio wouldn't be coming in.

Now she was outside with Aio. Her eyes were red and puffy. Aio looked up and tried to say something, but was interrupted by her own urge to hug her friend.

Tomiko was very confused. This wasn't the criticism she was expecting.

“Thank goodness you’re alright!” Aio said with a shaky voice. “I was so worried when you never responded.”

“I… had a lot to do today.”

That was already more than Tomiko wanted to admit, but she felt compelled to give some sort of explanation, or excuse, something to justify the pain Aio was feeling.

“I-I know you’ve never been the best at responding to texts, but after what happened yesterday, I thought something terrible might have happened.” Aio continued, her voice cracking trying to get out her feelings.

Tomiko struggled to think of what horrible things Aio thought could have happened.

“You’re overreacting. I’m fine. There is nothing to worry about” Tomiko said. Her delivery was cold, lacking the emotion to make it believable. It was a lie after all, but one she was saying to herself just as much as to Aio.

“I… I… I want you to know I’m always here for you, please don’t shut me out!” Aio begged. Her tears started to seep through Tomiko’s shirt onto her shoulder.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Tomiko said.

“I… I…” Aio trailed, thinking of how to uncomplicate her feelings.

“I don’t need you to do this. I’ll be fine.” Tomiko said.

Tomiko felt like she was losing ground. She was spending more effort guarding her own emotions instead of trying to de-escalate Aio’s. She wanted to. She didn't like seeing Aio hurting, but she was more afraid of showing herself to be vulnerable. She couldn't even imagine how it would look.

Fortunately for Tomiko, Aio seemed to be able to get a hold of her emotions on her own. It took a minute, but Aio’s crying died down.

“I know, you’re a strong person. Not sure why I was so worried. I guess… I just have a tendency of assuming the worst. There are so many stories that I hear around the school.” Aio explained.

Tomiko wasn't convinced. Aio was constantly giving people the benefit of the doubt.

“Look,” Tomiko said as sternly as she could muster, “I’m not happy with what I did yesterday. It was wrong for me to yell at your dad. I respect his instruction. I’m just not used to receiving criticism.”

She continued to feel robotic. The words she had thought about saying were coming out. Her spun narrative was allowing her to avoid the issues she didn't want to talk about.

“Tomiko,” Aio said softly, “it’s not criticism, it’s concern.”

Tomiko didn't want to hear that.

“You worry too much. I just needed a little break from school. I’ll be back again tomorrow.”

Aio perked up.

“You promise! You’ll be back tomorrow!”

“Y-yeah,” Tomiko said, realizing a little too late her mistake.

“Good”

Aio smiled at Tomiko and gave her another hug. This time a lot warmer.

“I’m holding you to it, otherwise I’ll tell the school you’re eloping.” Aio said with a devious chuckle.

“Yeah right. Nobody would believe you.” Tomiko said back, playing into the joke.

“By the way, is your dad home? Daddy just wanted to run something by him.”

“N-no. He’s been working late shifts at his job”

“Oh… I see.”

There was a bit of tense air between the two of them. Both of them wanted yet didn't want to further discuss the last comment.

“Well. If you need something I’m a call away. And I really do mean it when I say you’re welcome to come over anytime.” Aio said.

“I know. I’ve never doubted it.”

And with that, Aio walked across the street where her dad was parked. Tomiko watched as they seemed to discuss something for a minute, before driving away. Tomiko was alone again.

It somehow felt as though everything was resolved, while at the same time nothing had really changed.

#

The happenings on her day off made Tomiko feel a bit refreshed and ready for returning to school. The week was almost over, but that had nothing to do with her mood. Part of last night's conversation finally sunk in. Aio was a great friend.

Tomiko may have had her reservations, and mostly connected out of desperation and convenience, but she was happy to have her close.

Both of them talked about the game Tomiko spent a good portion of the previous day playing. Aio was very lively and happy to be sharing. She had shared her opinions before, but it had more weight knowing the recipient understood.

Or, at least Tomiko was working with more information. Aio had played through the game four times already, and by the sound of it, Tomiko was barely over a tenth. Still, Tomiko had more to say than just nodding along. She wasn't saying much more, but both found it noticeable.

The good mood carried Tomiko throughout the day. It was easier to focus in class. She was able to ignore the boys’ annoying behavior. She even managed to get only mildly jealous when another girl in class talked to Aio during their conversation.

To celebrate the good day, Tomiko went to the store during lunch to get a bento box. She was so bold as to even try one she hadn't had before.

Eventually practice came along. Her confidence wavered a bit when she saw the coach. Tomiko felt a sudden gut punch after realizing she never apologized to him. It lifted just as quickly though when he waved over at her with a smile.

Tomiko let a smile slip through back at him, but turned away and put back on her distant face. She felt an immense relief inside.

He let her run, or he didn't say anything about it to her, which was as good as an approval to Tomiko.

After the run, a surprise protein bar hit Tomiko in the shoulder. She managed to catch it, and quickly identified it was the coach who had tossed it. A bit insulting, but Tomiko figured he meant well by it. He was too far away to shout anything without others hearing. She was hesitant to call him out on it anyway, since they had just patched up the issue.

Tomiko was getting ready to walk away, but it seemed he had more to say. He jogged up to Tomiko, with Aio not too far behind. She was a little flustered wondering what he was going to bring up. Hopefully not what she was thinking about.

“I want you to let me know how it tastes? That’s the kind I enjoy, but it may not be sweet enough for you kids.” He pulled out another protein bar and handed it to Aio as she caught up.

He was clever, but Tomiko saw what he was doing. He thought it was possible Tomiko would take it home and not eat it, so this was his way of working it into a conversation instead.

Tomiko unwrapped the bar and ate it with Aio. It was a bit dry because of all the granola. She could see bits sticking to the outside of Aio’s mouth. Tomiko tried not to laugh as she might spit out her own. That would be very disrespectful.

“So…” Aio’s dad said, his arms slightly outstretched like he was ready to catch a compliment.

“It’s alright. A bit tricky to eat while you're short on breath.” Tomiko answered.

He looked over at his daughter, who was clearly struggling with the experience.

“Haha! I suppose you're right!” He let out with a hearty laugh. “I guess that means I’ll need to find a different one you like.”

Tomiko was a little disappointed at how quickly he turned the situation around on her. She was hoping he could take it as a ‘I don’t like this’ and stop giving her food, but he had something planned for whatever the feedback was.

Aio’s dad then proceeded to rough up Tomiko’s hair. It didn't mess it up too much because she had her hair tied back. Still, it made her feel like a child. She felt a little annoyed by the gesture, a little embarrassed too, but another thought flickered ‘If only’.

He seemed to have forgotten her head would be a bit sweaty after a run, as he looked down at his hand with an expression reading ‘why did I just do that’. He rebounded quickly though, and wiped it off on Aio’s shoulder.

“Stop!” Aio said in defiance. “Use your own shirt as a rag.”

“But then I would have to wash this one. You already have to wash yours, but I can still get away with wearing this one tomorrow.”

“Eww. That’s not funny”

He let out another hearty laugh at his daughter’s disapproval.

Tomiko took the time to walk away from the dad humor comedy act.

Next was portal diving with Chimon. Tomiko liked returning back to her schedule. It wasn't perfect, but it was familiar.

Chimon popped out fully from the dumpster because Tomiko swung with a lot of effort at the side. No real reason for the extra effort. No hands above the head this time, so he was getting a little less frightened each time. It somehow made Tomiko feel she was doing him a service by keeping at it.

“You’re not as frightened.” Tomiko snickered, “I guess I’m roughening you up, maybe in a year or two you’ll stop being so jumpy.”

Tomiko smiled at him. Mostly to mock, but that was Tomiko’s brand of humor.

“I really hope you stop before then,” Chimon said.

“Whatever. Let’s get started.”

They continued to follow the key like islands through the ocean pass. They had gotten to the point on the route where large stretches would need to be swam. Or at least Tomiko thought. She was fully ready to switch into something easier to swim in when Chimon piped up to say something.

“That won’t be necessary!”

“Ugh. Do we need to have this conversation again?” Tomiko said.

“Oh. No. It has nothing to do with that. It's just we got potions now which will allow you to sink to the bottom of the sea floor. Otherwise you will get attacked on the surface with no way to defend yourself.”

“Wait. How? Won’t I drown?”

“The potion also allows you to breath underwater”

“Will I grow gross gills?” She said as she clasped the sides of her neck.

“Nope. But you will turn slightly more blue while it's active.”

“Oh. Weird.”

Tomiko chugged the potion Chimon gave her. Like everything else in this world, it lacked taste. Although, for this potion it was probably a good thing. The liquid was a dark seaweed green color with odd white and black lumps. Overall not very appetizing.

Walking underwater was a strange experience. It was as though she was heavier, but didn't feel any greater pull to the ground from gravity. Her movement wasn't slowed down nearly as much as she expected. It may have had something to do with her not feeling wet either. She was fully submerged, but her hair wasn't clinging together or losing volume. It was as though the water was moving out of her way as she moved, but at such a close scale it wasn't detectable.

While Tomiko was able to walk just fine, she did notice a drastic change in her running speed. Like the water needed to take some time before fully moving out of her way. It was like… loading. Something she was more familiar with and able to describe now that she had worked a little bit with games.

Although, the comparison would mean the portal was like stepping into a computer. If all molecules of water were individual assets, it would make sense to take time to process something moving through it. However, this contradicted what she knew about the portal world. Not that she was keeping up with the scientific studies being done on them.

“Say Chimon?” Tomiko said in a questioning tone.

“Yeah?”

“Are portals… like… virtual?”

“What would make you think that?” Chimon sounded a bit puzzled.

“Well… It almost feels like the water is… loading as I move through it.” Tomiko said, trying to put her thought process into words.

“That’s an interesting theory, but I highly doubt it. The running consensus is that the portals are tears of an intelligent, extra dimensional creature used to travel.”

“Sounds pretty far-fetched.”

“It is, but it would explain why a majority of the portals lead to an actual place, rather than the empty void of space. It could also explain why we are not observing any portals beyond our stratosphere.”

“I guess that it is pretty odd they are moving with the earth.” Tomiko added, realizing how weird it was for the first time.

“Right. It just doesn’t make sense for something that can’t be influenced by any outside force we are aware of, not even gravity, would rotate with the earth as it flies through space.”

“I don’t really care how or why. They are here now and we have to live with them.”

Chimon was going to say more, but the last comment from Tomiko made it seem like she wasn't interested in discussing the topic further.

Tomiko could go back to her sword since the enemies in the area were fish. It seemed like all of the slash damage resistant crabs were only on the beach.

“Ugh, I hate water levels,” Chimon said, trying to make conversation.

“I don’t care.” Tomiko said defensively, mostly to cover the fact she wasn't familiar enough with video games to encounter a ‘water level’.

“Ope, sorry.” Chimon said.

“It’s nothing to apologize for. I just don’t have an opinion either way.

“Oh. Then why didn't you say so?”

Tomiko didn't have a response, so the two of them just went silent aside from combat communication.

They had gotten to be very efficient in combat, but outside of battle they were still basically strangers. Tomiko mostly wanted to keep it that way. It was her idea of professionalism.

They made plenty of progress, but still hadn't made it to the other side of the pass, but hiked back up to the top on an island for a break.

“We need to stop here while we’re still on land. It will end poorly if we spawn underwater.” Chimon said.

“Understood,” Tomiko replied.

They wrapped up their adventure and went their separate ways.

It was the weekend, and Tomiko had dedicated the day to cleaning the apartment. Her studying would have to wait on the back burner again as she worked to make her living space livable.

That night she had planned to reward herself by playing more of her game, but something would get in the way.

Her father had been out of the house all day, but he was dropped off by one of his drinking buddies. He staggered through the door.

It looked like he had spent the day drinking.

Tomiko was in the kitchen cooking dinner. She was glad she decided to start prepping enough for both of them.

He rounded the corner. A big, dopey, open smile stretched across his face. But it didn't last. As soon as his eyes met Tomiko’s in the kitchen, it slowly disappeared. He was no longer in his happy place, and reality was crashing in around him. It was too much for him to take.

Tomiko got nervous. He walked over to her, his steps heavy. He got a foot in front of her and stopped. He had something to say.

“Where is Honoka?”

“She’s not home.”

“Where’s my wife?”

“Mom is not home.”

He dropped a paper bag and something broke inside.

“She’s not coming back.”

…

He lowered his head and started crying. Wiping his dirty hands all over his face as he manually tried to stop the tears.

“You… you probably hate me… don’t you.” He managed to say.

“No, I don’t” Tomiko replied, knowing from experience it was the best response.

“B-but… but I’ve been such a bad parent.” His head managed to lower even further.

“I need to focus, or dinner will burn.”

Reluctantly, Tomiko watched as her dad fell down to his knees. His hands now held him off the ground as he hunched over and wept onto the floor.

Tomiko took the still not ready food off the burner before kneeling down to give him a hug.

‘Why is he still like this?’ Tomiko thought while she comforted him. He was so weak for not moving on.

“You’re fine. These things take time. It will get better. You’ve been able to go back to work recently. That’s something.”

“I… I… was fired yesterday Tomiko. Fired. F-I-R-E-D. They thought I was a liability. Because I am. I’m not complete without my Honoka.

Tomiko was speechless.

A whirlwind of emotions arose in her head. Too many to identify. So many things she wanted to say, to shout, to cry back. But just as quickly she snuffed it out. It wasn't going to help to be emotional. She had to focus on saying the right thing.

“You can get a different one. You always hated it there anyway. Now you have time to search for a better one.

…

Her father slowly stopped crying. The drips on his face were beginning to dry. He lifted his head.

“Right. You know what, you're right. I can get a better one. Thanks sweety.”

He got up from the ground and started to stumble out of the kitchen toward his room.

“I’m going to rest a bit before eating, you can start without me.”

Tomiko finished cooking and left a plate on the table for him. She only had about three spoonfuls before deciding to call it a night.