Pragmatic Flower

Everyone likes coffee. Except the people who don’t.

I still didn't make my coffee. I used to have an assistant sometimes do this for me. But I always liked doing it more by myself. Making someone else make your coffee is very, very, very lame.

I drink my coffee black. Black as a night without any added things. Why do everyone put so much things in their coffee. Are they even drinking coffee at that point. Why even call it a coffee if you are putting like 5 cups of sugar and 3 tea bags. What are we doing here. Also why would you bother someone with an explanation of how you drink it, make it, and then for that person to struggle through it like your slave? Is having assistants different than having slaves?

For me, I make my own coffee, especially now when I need to take care of Layla. It is a short break from the all-day job of taking care of a child. Akari is now Prime Minister. She made it and made it so quick.

But sometimes I miss her and want her to be home more. But I get it. It's her dream. She fulfilled her dream, and I am here to support it. I didn't, sadly, fulfill my dream of being a big, big basketball star. My movies are doing great, and I am a star in the acting world. I made it big, so no point in complaining. Playing basketball some days or a day in the weekend is all I need. With time passing, I guess my dream changed. My dream is this. My reality is my dream. Blessed with the happiest life in the world, this can only be described as a dream coming true.

When you are acting and playing other people, you try to understand their character. You try to become that character that someone else envisioned.

I envisioned myself to be a basketball star, but I never played that role in my own life. I never truly went for it, but I don't regret it. I didn't force it. If you force it, is it really a dream? I guess it is okay not to know.

My pretty Layla, you can do whatever you want, just like me. Dream big, do great stuff, just like Mum and Dad.

Still, this is so unreal that I am a father. I didn't expect it to happen ever. My mother probably didn't either. My father, well... he can't see me now. He can't see that I made it, actually. I know he would care, and that hurts me the most. Even though I hate him for so many things, I know he would be happy and proud. That is making me sad. Such a guy is proud of me. Such a guy is my father, an addict. A label that he chose to exploit the most.

People will label you as easy as saying hello. But why would you help them with just sticking sticky notes "I am alcoholic" all over you? When he was sober, his eyes had soul, the soul that I could recognize.

Layla, I will be here for you and do the best I can... I know you still can't understand me, but I hope one day you will understand all of these better than me.

Akari was having a big speech, and she quoted in the House of Parliament, she quoted anime. What is happening? My wife, the Prime Minister of Japan, is dropping quotes from my favorite anime live in front of the most important people in Japan.

I think more people will start doing it now. It will catch up to people. Soon everyone will do it. Maybe all people could just start speaking in anime quotes all the time. Or just the House of Parliament of Japan. The language in there should be anime language. Toma Shirakawa declares it, and everyone is clapping happily about it. I can see it clear as day. That's a really good idea.

"Waaaah! Waaaah! Waaaah!"

Oh, Layla, don't cry, don't cry. Daddy is here.

"Waaaah!"

"Okay, look, look. I am a famous actor jumping imaginary cars over and blasting enemy robots. Pew, pew, pew!"

"Hehe hehe hehe." Layla laughed.

Akari was having a speech about economics and, as always, presenting numbers happily as ever.

The media and public were always against her. Even now, some media would bash Akari and her family without almost any reason.

Akari was already numb to it. She learned early on that in the world of politics, you can't care about other people's opinions. Media attacked her for so many things, but all of those things were just life.

Some reporters understood that life is a maze full of obstacles. Akari would often get questions from this nice gentleman that was kind of new, but it felt he was here a million ages.

She would always answer his questions, not because he would ask easy questions, but because he was fair. The questions would come from this slow guy with stains of coffee or something on his shirt. He always had stains. He must work a lot. Also, that newspaper had deep history with Akari, from hating on her to defending her in recent times. She grew attached to them.

Akari had big plans, and only the future can tell if she will deliver on it. She was at ease knowing that on her side she had the numbers advantage. All the plans, all the calculations, would be fine. Even if something was not fine, the world would not end.

One anything-but-humble guy, Sachiko, had a feeling that Akari would make it and deliver. That is why he resigned from his position and gave full support to her when she was able to work again.

Tired of being the bad guy, Sachiko realized that he likes to act, of all other things. Toma got him some small roles in ads.

Sachiko was over the moon for getting these roles. Ex-Prime Minister was acting in some cheap, second-rate ads. But they were doing great, and he got more and more offers to do ads.

His colorful suits became his staple, and they were now representing his happiness and his good mood. He didn't think he deserved all this, but he didn't think he didn't deserve it either.

In Sachiko, there were always these two sides, one with killer instinct and one softer one. He was always the bad guy to himself, and he has to live with it. But the arrogance, ego, or something in him didn't care about other people's opinion of him. He didn't care if other people thought he did a good or bad job. He is happy and sad only by his standards.

Sachiko stepped in wearing his orange suit and never-before-seen crimson blue shoes, with nice lemon-orange socks, onto the set for an ad recording.

Akari arrived home after a long day at work and picked up Layla. They were so cute together.

Back in the day, Akari asked, "Do you remember us meeting in this small dark alley with old stairs leading to the noodle shop?"

"Of course I remember. How could I forget?"

"That must have been fate. There is something so cinematic and magical about that."

I smiled. "Look at my little Prime Minister talking about magic. I thought you only do science and facts and stuff like that."

"Ha ha," Akari chuckled. "True. I don't think there is such a thing as fate. It must have been just how things work. Through science and facts, we met and fallen in love."

"I could have not said it better myself."

Akari was just going around the room with the baby in her arms. "You know, Toma, it was stupid of me to think the name Layla would be a bad idea. I love it now."

"I know it's a foreign name, and maybe it is not perfect for Japan. But that name means a lot to me. There is even this song that I love."

Toma reached to the gramophone and put a vinyl on. Soft music filled the room of one small, happy, crazy, rich, famous, pragmatic, impulsive, calm, strategic, funny, and unfunny at the same time couple. The room was not just filled with soft notes of great music but also with this love that could maybe be explained through a lot of facts and numbers, but I would like to see anyone try and do that. Probably even Akari Asahina and Toma Shirakawa together couldn't scientifically prove their love, and trust me, they will try to do so somewhere in the future thanks to Akari's sense of having fun. She likes the games and having a type of fun that not many people like.

Toma liked when they would sometimes play these mathematical games, even though he would lose almost every single time in them. He was still competitive.

"Toma, we've been through so much together, but tomorrow you need to get ready for it again." Akari said quietly with this fake serious look on her face. 

Toma sighed. "What did I forget? What is it tomorrow? More war with media? More strategy? More planning? Do I need to go and pick something, sign something up? Why do people need to sign so much paper? I signed one. Is that not enough? Just make it one signature, not 50 pages, three copies of one page, and sign every page and come every other day to sign another thing and so on and on."

"No, no, Toma. It is even worse than that."

"Oh God." Toma escalated with fear in his happy voice.

"Yes."

"NO."

"Yes."

"No."

"Come on, Toma. She loves you. You know that. She talks a little much, but it will be great."

"Okay, okay. I was just joking. I love your mum as well."

"Ha ha ha," Akari laughed, but quietly, not to disturb the baby in her hands.

"Toma," Akari whispered quietly.

"Yes?"

"I think next to you I was able to bloom also I am a little bit hungry."

"I will go and grab us some noodles from the old guy."

"YEEY!"