Suddenly, we start again (Toruka Story english) 2.

Chapter 19

Now he was alone with his guilty conscience toward Hiroki, Toru, and Maho. If he hadn't come here, everything would be running fine. Hiro wouldn't have to worry about any disputes, would enjoy himself, and Toru could dance with his bride and would never let her out of his sight. Eventually, the secret that was still reserved for his friend would also finally be revealed.

Taka saw himself as the cause of all these incidents, the troublemaker and the disturber.
"I'd better go home..." he muttered for the umpteenth time, but the smell of Toru's jacket again triggered the memories of his embrace. It was impossible to repress them, to banish them from his brain, because it was all so familiar, so fresh as if that damn year had never been. His fingers slid through his hair and his head sank more and more to his knees. "What the hell am I going to do? ... No matter how I act, it's always wrong ..."

"Uncle Taka san? ... Why you are so sad?" asked a thin little voice next to him, and right after that he felt a little hand on his shoulder. Ryota's daughter was standing next to him, stroking his back as if she were brushing one of her dogs. "We're playing hide and seek ... with Uncle Hichan. He's been cowering under the roses ...," she giggled. "... But we found him anyway, and he said we could spread out all over the house, he'd come looking for us in a minute." Taka gave a forced laugh.
"And you want to hide in the kitchen, Ella? Is that what I think it is?" he asked, earning a sheepish smile.
"Yes, but I don't know where and I'm afraid to be alone in the big rooms. The others wouldn't go with me. They say I'm a coward." She pursed her mouth and blinked hopefully at Takahiro. "Please uncle, ... can you hide with me? Just once." Her fingers clasped his hands and then she squatted in front of him. "Come Taka san, you don't want to be found first." She began to pull until the singer finally capitulated, stood up, and obediently walked behind her. "Do you think we should stand in there?" Her little fingers pointed to the cold storage door.
"Ella, it's awfully cold in there. Uncle Hichan might try it, he's got a lot more heat in him than I do," he indicated and she seemed to consider.
"Really? Oh yeah, you're probably right, he's sooo cool, the red uncle." The childish honesty scratched Taka's ego a little, but he agreed with her and they sat down behind the long sideboard, between two fully stocked serving carts.
"So, now we have to be quiet," she admonished the man next to her, still holding her hand over her mouth to contain the giggles.

For a while, nothing happened. Voices could be heard from outside, the matter with Maho seemed to need no further action. Still, the singer would have liked to know how she was doing. Whether everything was all right ... with her and ... the unborn. But he couldn't just leave Ella alone, leaning against him. He had to hold out anyway.
A few minutes passed, then the little girl already was unable to hold still.

"Uncle? ... Dad says he really misses spending time with you. He practices every day to get better because he is thinking you might contact him about wanting to play music together again. But ... you don't call and then he's sad ... sometimes ..." she paused and got even quieter. "You can't tell him I told, but ... sometimes he cries ... like you did earlier, Uncle." Her innocent face turned to him. "Don't you want to be on stage anymore? Wasn't it always so great?" She nudged him for an answer.
"Hmm, ... I think we're all sad about not being as young and silly as we were ten years ago, but there's more in life you know. ... More than music." He wanted to bite his tongue for that lie. 'What a crock of shit,' he thought. 'I'm the best example of that. Without music, I probably would have been lost long ago, like when I was ... an alien in space.'

"Isn't it nice when your daddy can spend a lot more time with you guys, not having to make trips, not being far away from you all the time?" With that he tried to talk his way out of it a little, to get off the subject, but Ella just looked at him in wonder.
"I don't believe you," she smirked perkily. "My dad told me something completely different about music. We listen to your songs quite often at our house." Slowly she snuggled even closer to him and when she noticed that her words had not particularly cheered up the man, she still said softly:
"I like your voice ... and in fact you too, Taka san. Couldn't you sing to me?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"But ... that might be giving us away, Ella."
"Oh you know, I don't care anyway, as long as you sing for me and ... don't be so sad anymore. The singer was still hesitating, but when the little lady next to him let her tender little voice sound', he was so touched by her attempt to cheer him up that he just had to support her. And then a familiar song could be heard ringing through the kitchen in two voices. As they did so, they laughed at each other and tried to keep in rhythm. A difficult thing, with so many lyrics.

They no longer paid attention to staying hidden, instead they sang louder and louder. It surprised them also not, when suddenly Akitoy stood before them and looked at them questioningly. His cheeks were puffed out, as if he were still trying to hold back the many words he could already babble. Taka motioned with his hands for him to join in the singing without stopping himself, and immediately another tune joined in the singing.
The children knew the words by heart, like a prayer that they dutifully recited every day before bedtime. The uncle straightened up and handed the boy two cooking spoons, which lay on the work surface as if at random, and with them a chop was instantly made. Ella was given a wire whisk to use as a microphone, and so they marched between each of the kitchen counters.

Of course, the Takuyan twins didn't take long either, miming guitars with handle pans and riding their way into the line. Now the chorus boomed all the way outside.

"But I'm not alone,
we're not alone.
Get something money can't buy.
Turn to the light, don't be fooled this time.
We are now a fun youth group ..." 

Everyone laughed and giggled boisterously, and when the leader turned to his "scouts," four pairs of enthusiastic eyes beamed at him.
"Go on, go on Uncle Mori san!!!" they shouted loudly and happily, and Akitoy drummed furiously on one of the tin buckets so that it rattled.

"What's going on!" 

a played deep voice boomed into the kitchen and the next moment Ryota's head was seen appearing. "Didn't I just hear something suspicious?" he wanted to know sternly but couldn't help laughing. The children scurried behind the sideboard at Taka's instruction, ducking and trying to hide their excitement by tightly closing their mouths with their little hands. It looked too funny, Uncle Taka among the little ones.
"Could it be that I heard my son playing the drums here?" Tomoya pushed his bandmate through the door and peered intently into the spacious kitchen. The two men immediately agreed to overlook the five "kids."

"This is really creepy," Ryota said in an anxious voice. "I could have sworn I heard something in here. But, there's no one here, or maybe you can see someone, Tomo?" "No! I don't hear or see any small or even smaller people at all," he agreed with his friend and began tapping on the brightly polished stainless steel of the sideboard. A very familiar rhythm and so insistent that a tentative drumming came from the corner in response immediately after.
"Uhh, the kitchen spirits!" the bassist tried to sound mysterious, but he fell more and more into a fit of laughter. Tomo, meanwhile, kept going and slowly they crept up to the supposed echo, which was played almost in sync. Right before they reached the "monster" they were looking for, the men stopped and made a silent sign to each other. Then they jumped around the corner with a loud scream and the children screeched away in all directions. Only the uncle still crouched in the corner in surprise and was also immediately laughed at.

"Oh, little Mori chan, are you scared?" Drawn upon Ryo, but with a twinkle in his eye, he said a little more quietly, "There's nothing wrong with Maho. She was overstressed and ... eh she's better now, ... just ..." Taka looked at him with wide eyes, stood up and came towards the two.
"What ... "only" ...?" He wanted to know.
"Well, ... Toru ... he was completely out of his mind when Takuyan revealed the secret." The singer immediately lowered his gaze to the ground, but said nothing, which made Tomoya wonder.
"Say, ... you know about this?" he asked, besides himself. He hadn't expected Taka to be informed in advance. "On the other hand, it explains your reaction. You're hiding ... as usual ..."
"Leave it Tomo, it's hard enough for him," the bassist placated his bandmate, patting the front man on the shoulder. "We should be happy for Toru. He's getting a baby on the way. A cute little innocent baby." He paused for a moment and looked around. "Just look at them," he pointed to the small crowd of children peering curiously from behind the serving trolleys. Questioning round eyes, red full cheeks, shy smiling mouths, ... "They're like little angels."
"Without wings, of course," the drummer added, beckoning them to him, gently stroking their tousled hair and bending down to them. "Shall we sing again? All together?" He grinned broadly and they only nodded artfully at first, noticing the tense situation. But then Ella took Taka's hand and handed him her hand whisk.
"Here ... you are our leader, and you get the microphone." Tentatively, the singer reached for it, and as he took the kitchen utensil in his fingers, everyone else clapped their hands.

"Yes, ... pleas! Start again!"