A Little Bit of Worry

Shortly after retreating into the room to use the child’s deadly curse like a shield, Midoriko heard Ryouma take a shower before going into the other bedroom for the night. Sleep eluded her for some time, though.

What was he trying to do?! Did asking him to stay the night give him the wrong impression?! Why did he do that?! Did I lead him on?! Stupid…stupid…stupid…

Her inner-monologue tormented her until she reached the point of exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep that lasted the rest of the night. Waking up in unfamiliar rooms was becoming such a regular occurrence for her that Midoriko found herself getting used to it.

She dragged herself out of bed when she heard noises from the kitchen.

“Good morning, Midoriko-nee!” Itoko said brightly, sitting at the kitchen table. She kicked her feet back and forth while she hugged the ugly UFO catcher plushie.

“Oh. You’re finally up.” Ryouma, who was hard at work making tamagoyaki, turned around and smiled. “I’m almost finished cooking. Have a seat.”

“...Good…morning…” Midoriko hesitantly sat at the table across from Itoko. She had expected him to already be gone by the time she woke up. Not hard at work making a full Japanese breakfast in…casual clothes.

It was her first time seeing him wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. The man seemed to live in suits and yukatas—Midoriko didn’t even think he owned normal clothes.

As she stared down at the table to avoid looking at him, Ryouma began placing down plates and bowls. Rice, miso soup, tamagoyaki and…

“Natto? Did you go out and buy this?”

“What? You don’t like it?” Ryouma asked as he sat to her right.

“Not particularly…” Midoriko picked up her chopsticks. “But thanks for the food.”

“Whatever. More for me…” he mumbled, moving her bowl with the natto closer to himself. “Does that mean you’re from Kansai? You don’t really speak with an accent.”

“No. I grew up near Nagoya.” Midoriko, trying to avoid looking at him, watched Itoko sniff the natto with curiosity, only to scrunch up her nose.

“Ah, so that’s it…”

As they started eating, Ryouma’s elbow brushed against Midoriko’s, giving her chills. She was feeling hyperaware of him this morning. Enough to notice he wasn’t wearing his usual cologne—instead, the resiny smell of his curse came through stronger than ever.

His elbow bumped hers once more, causing her to flinch hard enough for him to notice.

“Um…Should we switch sides?” he asked, setting down his chopsticks.

“No need!” Midoriko said, standing up. She pushed her bowls to the spot across from him, then sat down next to Itoko.

But it was worse. Now she was forced to look directly at him unless she stared down at the food. Midoriko was stuck in the throes of internal torment as she waited for him to inevitably bring up the night before.

“Papa, I’m full.” Itoko had scarfed down the breakfast, leaving only the tiny bit of natto he’d served her.

“Why don’t you go play then?”

Ack! No! Don’t leave me alone with him! Midoriko watched Itoko scurry over to the sofa and turn on the TV.

Ryouma put down his chopsticks and folded his hands under his chin. “I’m going to be gone for a while this time.”

“Huh?” The slice of tamagoyaki she was bringing to her mouth fell from her chopsticks.

“I’m going to send Xiǎomíng here to stay with the two of you. He’s not the strongest, but he’s useful in a pinch.”

“Where are you going?”

“Russia…” he mumbled, looking away.

“Russia?!” Midoriko repeated, slamming her hands on the table. “Why?!”

“Midoriko, please calm down,” he said weakly.

“But isn’t it dangerous for you?! Why would you go there?!” She couldn’t seem to keep her voice down.

“I’ll be fine. I’m doing this for your sake–”

“F-for me?!” Midoriko stood up from the table and began collecting the dirty dishes. “I don’t remember asking for that!”

“You didn’t. But I already promised you, didn’t I?” Ryouma spoke in a hushed voice as he followed her to the kitchen sink. “I’m going to make sure those Russians can never find you again.”

She spun around to face him. “How?!”

Ryouma brushed aside her bangs in the spot where the cut was bandaged. He frowned, clicking his tongue in displeasure.

“Cut off the head of a snake, and the body will die.”

Midoriko’s blood ran cold. Does that mean he’s going to take out the entire gang?

Ryouma cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers. Midoriko felt her face instantly get hot. He sighed, then smiled.

“But it makes me happy to know you’re even a little bit worried about me, Midoriko. Please keep doing that while I’m away.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she anxiously looked toward the sofa. Midoriko exhaled in relief to see that Itoko was fully engrossed in the show she was watching on TV.

“S-sure. Fine. Just stay safe in Russia,” she said, pushing him away from her.

“I will. But when I get back…” He leaned in close enough to her ear that his breath tickled her skin. “We can pick up where we left off last night. I’ll tell you more about myself then.”

Just as Midoriko felt like she was going to explode with embarrassment, he pulled away.

Later that morning, Enishi Ryouma left. He wouldn’t return for an entire month.

***

“What are you doing?” asked Midoriko as she watched Xiǎomíng open and close a closet door for the fifth time in a row.

“I’m trying to open up a door that connects to the other house.” He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then knocked twice on the closet door. When Xiǎomíng opened it again, it was still just a bedroom closet. “Damn it!”

It had been a week since he’d joined Midoriko and Itoko in the modestly sized two-bedroom apartment in Osaka, having arrived shortly after Ryouma left. It was clear to Midoriko that the lack of space was driving him crazy. He had an entire bedroom to himself, which he holed away in most of the time, but it was admittedly difficult for him to keep the same kind of physical distance from Itoko as before.

He was understandably on edge to be around the child, but Midoriko couldn’t help but feel most of it was an overreaction on his part. She found herself constantly getting in between the two of them when they’d inevitably clash.

Midoriko rubbed her temples and sighed. “Well, good luck with that. I’m leaving for the museum, but contact me if there’s an emergency.”

Xiǎomíng just grunted in acknowledgement as he futilely tried opening the door to the other house again. His attitude rubbed her the wrong way, but she didn’t have time to argue with a teenager in the mornings after her commute time had literally doubled overnight.

She had no complaints about the apartment itself. It was quiet, clean, and near all kinds of desirable amenities—shopping, parks, cafes, and even the train station was close. But now it took her an hour each way on the best days. The only saving grace seemed to be that she was traveling opposite most people’s commutes, allowing her to enjoy slightly less-crowded rush hour trains.

She had kept the relocation private from her peers at the museum. It was only supposed to be temporary anyway, so there was no need to tell them that she’d moved. There were some things that it was reasonably professional to keep to yourself, and her living situation was one of them.

But in every workplace, there’s always someone who likes to find cracks in the walls of even the most heavily guarded people. Midoriko’s mentor, Dr. Tanaka, was one of them.

“Here you go! These used to belong to my daughter, but I hope little Itoko can use them!” She handed Midoriko a large paper bag full of children’s clothes. “There’s also some dolls and doll clothes in there for her as well!”

“Th-thank you!” Midoriko respectfully accepted the generous gift, taking a peek at the contents. “But why are you giving me these?”

“Ohoho! I feel like you’ve made me a grandmother before my own daughter, so I just wanted to help you out in my own way!” Dr. Tanaka put a hand on Midoriko’s shoulder and gave her a sympathetic smile. “You had this responsibility thrust on you so suddenly, but I can see that you’re doing your best. Miss Suwa, you’re such a kind person!”

“Well…” Midoriko felt her eye twitch as she smiled. Sure, she took it upon herself to care for the girl, but one good deed seemed to pale in comparison to all the shady shit she’d become complicit in lately.

“Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you need anything—parenting advice included!” she said with a wink before leaving the break area.

Midoriko looked at the bag she’d been given once more and couldn’t help but smile. Frilly dresses in pastels and Heisei era fashion dolls. It reminded her of the kinds of things her own mother gave her as a child.

On the train ride home that evening, Midoriko noticed a young man with a backpack constantly stealing glances at her. There was something familiar about him, but he was wearing a mask and a baseball cap, so she couldn’t quite place him in her mind.

After ensuring she wasn’t having any kind of wardrobe malfunction, Midoriko figured he must have been looking at her nearly overflowing bag of children’s items. She tried her best to shove everything into the bag and held it closed.

As she exited the train, he got off as well. Maybe he seemed familiar because they shared the same stop. Sometimes you tend to encounter the regulars when you commute every day at a certain time. Midoriko shrugged it off and made her way to the new apartment from the train station.

Walking through the neighborhood, she couldn’t help but notice the man from the train was walking a few paces behind her. If they shared the same stop, it only made sense that they lived in the same neighborhood. Still, it never hurt to be a little cautious…

As they passed a particularly reflective window, Midoriko took note of his clothes. In addition to the baseball cap and mask, he wore jeans and a raglan t-shirt with white sneakers. How non-descript…

With the man from the train still trailing behind her as she neared the apartment building, Midoriko tried to play it cool while she picked up her pace. If he was following her, she didn’t want him to know that she knew. Midoriko walked briskly to the building’s entrance and headed for the elevator.

“Come on, come on…” She stood there, slamming her finger on the call button, looking over her shoulder. When the door opened, she saw the man rounding the corner, headed in her direction.

S-s-s-stalker?! Is this what happens if you take the same exact route to and from home every day?

Midoriko looked at the stairs. The apartment was on the sixth floor of the building, so she might not be able to outrun him on the stairs. Plus, he could easily just chase her up them.

Midoriko jumped into the elevator and smashed the close door button as she heard the stalker approaching. The doors began to close, and she exhaled in relief.

Just before the elevator doors closed, a hand wedged itself between them, forcing them open again. The man in the mask stepped into the elevator next to Midoriko. He gave her a polite nod, then pressed the button for the sixth floor.