Headaches from Snow cones or Nerds

“Does everyone have a snow cone?”

Ms. Hiyori was handing out spoons to the motley crew now seated inside of her convenience store. Captain Kawakami was giving a spoonful of it to a monkey made of clouds perched upon his shoulder. Marco Frederic was just as cute as the rumors; he had a little knitted scarf and hat. Little monkey cheeks fluffy and pillowy, puffed up delighted at the treat.

 Vice-Captain Kirigaya declined, but chose a popsicle instead. Daichi and Keisuke both went for green tea flavor. At the disappointment of Ms. Hiyori no one tried her guava sparkle. Okame was enjoying cotton-candy flavor with all of the toppings.

I couldn’t eat right now.

“Please stop staring at me Rei.”

“I’ve been dreaming about this, for four years. I’m a little excited.”

“If you make a big deal out of it, I’ll go back inside forever.”

“As if Daichi and I would let that happen.”

Daichi shoveled more snow-cone in his mouth.

“You let me sit inside a house for two years. Neither of us is going back inside for more than sleep.”

“Do you hear him. You are outside now. It’s an outside day. You’re an outside boy now.”

“Please can we just eat in peace.”

“Nope, we get to say whatever we want, because we’re your best friends and you left us alone, so you have to take it.”

“You’re not my friend, you’re just a sister.”

“Which means you really have to take all my insults.”

“Can I insult him too!”

Captain Kawakami raised his hand like he was in school.

“These two started working at the MaMA, then when I started working they both disappeared. I had Sukimoto as my boss. What do I get?”

“Sure you can insult him too.”

“I’m going to go back inside forever.”

I could see Kei was smiling with his eyes though. We were finally eating together at Ms. Hiyori’s. Keisuke had even paid for it, she tried to refuse but Keisuke said it was a special day and he needed to pay.

“So aren’t people going to come after us.”

“Yeah, that’s us.”

Vice-captain Kirigaya said as she coolly ate her sweet treat.

“But we kind of agree with what you did to Sukimoto, and unless the Kawaguchi’s want to press charges, you really didn’t do too much illegal.”

She looked at Daichi.

“Do you want to press charges?”

“Nah I’m good, I’ll just have Keisuke pay me back. I know he’s got it.”

Keisuke didn’t seem worried. He looked at me with a solemn face.

“I am good for it. I’ve been consulting and betting on underground monster fights since I became a shut-in.”

He never was worried about rent, or having to leave his house. Getting everything delivered couldn’t have been cheap. That was another thing we didn’t talk about; I was always prepared for him to ask me for money but that never happened. I even asked mom once if she was supporting him and she denied it.

“What about Sukimoto’s circle aren’t they going to come after us.”

“Oh definitely, that’s also why we’re here. Tell ‘em Asaka.”

“We’ve come to collect you. You all can hide out at my place for a few days while we get this under wraps. The MaMA is in the midst of a power struggle. The anti-monster group led by Sukimoto, and the pro-monster group led by Chihiro.”

Keisuke and Daichi, choked on their snow cones.

“You?!”

“Yeah me, and you two left me alone to stop these crazy jerks. I mean who could want to get rid of Marco Frederic!”

I couldn’t imagine this guy leading anyone, but his heart was in the right place. He definitely didn't have any hidden agendas. I guess you could follow a guy like that.

“So what happened to the Arch Joke Monster you were working with?”

I had a lump in my throat.

“Hyottoko, he used his fifth spell to trap Sukimoto in some kind of joke world. They just disappeared through this giant red door.”

“Wow, I didn’t think it would come to that. Sukimoto always has tricks up his sleeves, but Hyottoko should be back by now. I hope he’s alright.”

Keisuke was playing with his food as he said it. He looked worried.

“When did you and him get so close.”

Kei wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“Kei, you met him yesterday right?”

“I have one more secret to tell you.”

I was going to hurt him. I was going to break his legs, and put him back inside forever. I was going to put him in a box, right next to my dad.

“Kei if this isn’t the last one. You’re going to be inside again but this time the way Daichi was. I know a ball and chain, eager for a new job.”

Daichi looked at him and nodded, Kei raised his eyebrow but I could tell he knew I meant it.

“It wasn’t a coincidence that Hyottoko showed up at your rank up evaluation.”

“What?”

Captain Kawakami, Vice-captain and myself said it at the same time. We stared him down.

“If you don’t hurt him, I will.”

I knew I liked Asaka, I hoped she would let me call her by her first name one day. Vice Captain was a mouthful.

“I’d been communicating with Hyottoko for about a year now, via radio. I’ve been helping him find other S rank Essences. I was also the one who told him about the Laugh monster that was recently captured in Tokyo.”

He pointed at Okame with his spoon.

“Kei, he’s wanted in like five cities.”

Keisuke shrugged.

“That’s their problem. I also told him to hitch a ride into the MaMA on you, because your essence sense is low, and since you use it on your own earrings your usually thick with residue anyway.”

“You didn’t tell me this.”

“To be fair, I wasn’t telling you a bunch of stuff at the time.”

I got up, with the intent to hurt him. He flinched.

“That’s in the past though, I’m outside now. I’m an outside boy. All the secrets are out!”

“They better be.”

I sat back down.

“What do we do about this flower of epiphanies?”

Daichi’s essence clumped around him and he brought out a flower. It looked like a lily or an orchid but was iridescent and gleamed blues, pinks, and purples like a gemstone would.

“I still don’t have my fourth epiphany, so I can’t use it.”

“Using the flower is tricky. I still don’t have my fourth epiphany either; it might be a while till I get to the summit of my fifth.”

He looked at me, with a terrible look.

“Rei’s actually the closest, her fifth may help with our dad. But with everything going on, that may have to wait. Chihiro didn’t you reach the summit?”

Sukimoto looked up, and casually waved off the idea with his hands.

“I did have my fifth. Anything I see in the clouds comes to life and giant beast of clouds will roam the skies, controlling the weather for miles.”

He said that too casually, less than ten people had awakened their fifth chant, but probably less than a thousand in the world had reached the summit. You must be very honest with yourself. Reckon with what you liked most in the world, and how you would change that. At least according to Keisuke, but that shut-in couldn’t even get his second until a couple years ago. Oh man I couldn’t call him that anymore.

Asaka jabbed her Captain in the ribs.

“He’s been trying to break into it for the last year. It would help if he didn’t drink so much.”

“I don’t drink that much; I go home and meditate. I play with Marco Frederic, and then I meditate some more. Bragging about working hard is lame.”

“No it’s not!”

Daichi and Keisuke said at the same time, then looked at each other. The best friends still alike after all this time apart. They both ate more of their snow cones, red with embarrassment. Kei talked with his mouthful.

“No pressure Rei, but just give it some thought. We’ll all do our best to help you. Maybe I’ll get lucky with one of my spells, with Daichi to help again it may not be too long till I get my fourth. So don’t put pressure on yourself. You’ve done enough.”

I was thinking about it though. The final chant was something every hunter thought of. I hadn’t had too much time to sit with my feelings and ideas but could I really bring someone back from the dead, or put someone’s personality into an object. That all sounded creepy, and I didn’t know if I could be okay with that. I missed my father terribly and I knew Kei did too, but could I bear the weight of something so powerful. I could bring objects to life, I could give them the gift of consciousness and movement, and the final epiphany did have the power to do most anything. Maybe a world without essence did have its perks, essence made everything much more complicated.

“What would happen if I ate the flower!”

Okame raised her hand just as she had seen Captain Kawakami do it. Marco Frederic was now in her lap, covered in sprinkles. Keisuke and Daichi, both put their hands on their chin seriously considering the thought.

“She is an elite rank monster.”

“And that’s the equivalent of a human with their fourth epiphany.”

“Are monsters capable of reaching a summit.”

“They don’t have epiphanies.”

“They rank up by absorbing essence.”

“No one has seen an elite rank monster evolve in person.”

“They just appear.”

“It could work, in theory.”

“We need to ask Hyottoko how his evolution occurred when he gets back.”

These nerds were really too much sometimes. It was a lot of theory for a convenience store conversation. It was nice to see Keisuke so full of life, this was the longest conversation we’d had in a while.

We all sat in silence a little bit, this was the perfect time for Hyottoko to make a grand entrance.

We sat some more. Okame turned around in her seat looking out the window. I was waiting for a piece of junk food to starting growing and burst into confetti. Or may appear out from under Marco Frederic’s little hat.

Nothing.

Vice Captain Kirigaya stood up.

“We better get going.”