Chapter 10
“I
really like your apartment!” I told her.
“You do? Thanks! It’s just a 1K, that’s code for tiny and
overpriced, but the location is great and it’s mine. I love it!
“When did you move out of the ryokan?”
“The second I was old enough to sign a lease. Best
decision I’ve ever made. No late night room service, no annoying tourists
calling up at four in the morning. I adore that apartment! I wonder if it knows.
I’m going to get it something nice today. A new doormat or something.”
“I watched that DVD at your place, it was very strange.”
“You did WHAT?!”
“I’m sorry, Yumi!”
“I’ sure it’ll be fine. Just be very cautious –“
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You have to be cautious about everything here Nancy,”
she said, mysteriously.
“Your grandmother seems a little hesitant to talk to me.”
“That’s the shocker of the decade, she’s hesitant to talk
to herself.”
“What does Takae think of you working here?”
“It’s a phase. I’ll snap out of it. Like I’ve been hypnotized,
and one day someone says the right words and snaps their finger and I’ll go –
Hello I am Yumi, one job running ryokan please. She’s old school like that.
Thinks the fun parts of life are a phase, and the nasty parts are the bee’s
knees.”
“What do you think of Rentaro?”
“Other than that he should get a job at the nerd statue
factory as their primary model – he’s a good time. What do you think of
Rentaro?” She asked me.
“There’s something a little weird about him.”
“Yeah, that weird thing about him is his personality. That
kid is his own special kind of neurotic. Always has been. But he’s my fake
little brother, so I’m used to it. Until someone brings it up I forget how he
must seem when you first meet him.”
“What do you mean by ‘fake little brother’?”
“He first moved in next door when I was seven and Miwako
was five. He followed us around day and night. One day when he was being a real
pain to Miwako, she just snapped and punched him, hard. It was bad news. My
mother saw, after that we had to be nice to him no matter what – at least when
she was in sight. Eventually he grew on us… especially Miwako.”
“I met your sister Miwako. You two seem pretty close.”
“That doesn’t sound like the impression you’d get by
having a chat with Miwako. What are you trying to ask?”
“Miwako seemed a little upset about the ryokan. Do you
know anything about that?”
“That’s more her area of expertise. I’ve never been the
go to girl for the ryokan. That place is the definition of repetitive. Guest
come in, guests come out. It’s brain breakingly tedious. I don’t know how
Miwako puts up with it.”
“So you don’t want to take over the ryokan?”
“Not even for a second. I mean, I don’t even get the
whole tradition thing. You want to go to the past, get a time machine. I’m not
for living in the past. Have you ever read a history book? The past is where we
keep all of the terrible things that happened.”
“I don’t understand, if you’re supposed to be the one
taking over the ryokan, why is Miwako the one working there?”
“Ugh, Nancy-chan, don’t get all everyone else on me. If I
had known I was supposed to run that place when I grew up , I would have taken
a pass on the whole first born thing, trust me.”
“If Miwako left the ryokan, who would run it?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. Why do you care so much
about it anyway?”
“I’m just sort of naturally curious.”
“I’d backburner that curiosity as long as you’re staying
at the ryokan, if I were you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Try not to find out, okay Nancy? You seem nice.”
“Well, does Miwako like working at the ryokan?”
“Well yeah? Why else would she be there day in and day
out. What that girl needs is to spend some time out here. A few weeks with me
and my friends would be enough to shake her up and get her to have some fun for
once.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” I said.
“See you later!” said Yumi.
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