Chapter 15

The Toyota’s engine roared the moment I turned the key in the ignition, filling the cabin with a scraping noise and vibrations. Still, not bad for something that had been buried under a collapsed building for a year or so.

“Be gentle with her,” the Major said through the car window and gave me a thumbs-up as I slowly rolled through the gate.

I could keep it until tomorrow morning, probably a rare privilege for most, but I didn’t really have much need for it. Or maybe…

I hadn’t driven in ages, but the roads were mostly empty, so my lack of practice didn’t really matter. I only passed a few battered buses carrying people from their workplaces back home. I guess the Major would go home with one of them. They were slow and noisy, but more often than not, the driver was willing to make a detour if your home was far from the line’s designated route. I had some vague memories from before the war that buses worked differently back then, but this current system somehow made more sense.

First, I visited Hi’Re and her family. They were surprised to see me standing in the doorway, but almost immediately, I was greeted, let inside, and offered some tea as I helped her navigate the mess of the unity retraining program and its implications. She was a doctor in her world, or at least did something similar enough that the civis believed she would qualify as a doctor if she got up to date on our methods. I smiled. The A2 class job would definitely improve their livelihood and give them a good start.

Only when I was finally done and about to leave did I realise that, from the moment I’d stepped through the door, they had treated me according to their customs without hesitation, and I had somehow gone along with it without giving it a second thought. It was so different from how Mai’Ri had been. Why? What made the difference? I wished I had an answer to those questions, but a single movie and a few articles weren’t enough to give me any clear answer. At least it was a good start.

On my way to the second place, I picked up a few people on the way, heading in the same direction as me. Almost, at least… It was a common belief that a car with a white ribbon painted on the door would stop and take you wherever you wanted, no matter what, and I didn’t want to break that tradition.

They were going to one of those new shops that didn’t require you to use a food cart to shop. One of those where you never knew what sort of goods you would find, as the supply was still pretty erratic for privately owned initiatives. So in the end, I took a detour and drove them there. Maybe I could find some flowerpots for my flat.

The shop was located in a lobby of a half-demolished office building awaiting reconstruction, and a large white ribbon was painted at the entrance. It was common knowledge that running anything as an independent unity initiative made paperwork easier, one of the countless ways the civis pushed their agenda. But this time I didn’t mind it. It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought.

I walked in with the rest, and a young Ta’al clerk gave me a cautious look, scanning my uniform, while an older woman at the desk smiled at us and said something in Japanese, bowing her head. Despite the Council's efforts to unify Earth with a single language during the war, many civilians still preferred their native language whenever they could. I smiled back and looked around.

Most of the shop floor was littered with refurbished furniture and other items salvaged from the ruins. Only a few shelves next to the counter had any newly made products, mostly food and kitchen utensils. They also had posters for ‘Town of Blooming Flowers' and flower-growing kits ready to be put on your balcony and watered every day. I sighed. I guess I should buy some for them too if I was here, and maybe also something to put on the floor in case we had tea in my flat again.

The older woman smiled when she saw my purchases.

“You must have really good friends “

I never thought about it like that, we just lived next door but…

“I do,” I said quietly and looked away, and the old woman chuckled.

“Sa’Ur”

She gestured at the young man.

“We should still have some tea left, right?”

I blinked, but before I could say anything, she leaned over and whispered,

“If you need something else from the other side, just let me know.”

Sa’Ur came out from the back and placed a heavy-looking package on the counter.

“It’s Vin’zai”

He smiled and tilted his head.

“Don’t mention it’s a gift, and make sure to offer it with both hands.”

I blinked again, but he had already left to help other customers before I could ask anything about it.

In the end, I left the shop carrying a big box of flower pots, a rug, and posters, not to mention tea, and I had spent more money than I’d done in the last half year, but I didn’t mind it.

I put my shopping in the back seat and started the engine, waiting to see if anyone wanted a lift, but it seemed I would go alone this time.

I came home late, having spent the last two hours helping Xi’Mi get his medical insurance and book a doctor’s appointment. I was tired, but somehow felt good at the same time. A strange feeling that I hoped would stay with me for longer. I took a long, hot shower, letting the water relax my tired body and was just about to open an MRE for dinner when the sliding door opened, and An’Ri ran in. I smiled and crouched down in front of her. She came even if it was late.

“Fu’Ri”

She put her forehead against mine, and we stayed like that for a few moments before she hugged me.

“Come, we saved some food for you.”