We settled down and then there wasn't anything for me to do. So I pulled out my phone and sent an email: "I'm in Asahikawa right now Akane. And I'm bored!"
A moment later, my phone sounded and an email appeared: "Asahikawa! Cool! ^-^ My parents want to eat dinner together by themselves on Christmas, so what should I do? Eat by myself? They said if I wanted to I could go eat with them, but I'd rather not interrupt their date haha."
"Go eat with Goofy!"
"Hm. Not a bad idea. I'll ask right now."
"Okay."
"Hey he said we could go eat together! With Yuuta-kun of course."
"Great! What about their mom?"
"She's working."
"On Christmas too? That sucks."
"Yeah I know right?"
"Rika! Come on!" Mom called from somewhere within the house. "Your father's going to give you a tour of the Hayashi stores here."
"Gotta go later."
Then I dashed out of the bedroom. It was about time I started getting to know more about the family
business.
I spent the day by my dad's side. I attended a long and mundane meeting and visited many Hayashi Sweets stores with him.
On Christmas Eve, our entire family took several hours to prep for the party. It was, apparently, a business party hosted by a family in the agriculture department, and everyone had to be at their best. Ugh. The party was actually a small one. Only the wealthiest families involved in cooking, baking, and, in general, the production of food, were invited. Which meant that the Funakis were also here.
It was boring. The room was pretty though, with crystal chandeliers that shone, pale blue paint, and a large Christmas tree in the corner with plenty of decorations and lights. Overall, it had quite the Christmas spirit.
People talked. I talked, a bit, but mainly just hung around my parents and enjoyed the yummy food. Finally, the party ended and we returned home. God, I can't believe we flew all the way here for such a drab event! "What did you think, Rika?" Mom asked, as we took off our winter coats.
"It was boring," I replied. Obviously that wasn't what she wanted to hear, so I continued, "But, uh, educational. I met a lot of people who I'll work with in the future. It was a good opportunity."
Mom rose one eyebrow. She knew I thought it was boring and nothing more than that. "Alright. You'll get used to these things. Go to sleep so you can get on the flight tomorrow morning."
"Yes!"
She sighed, disappointed in the discrepancy between my excitement for the party and for returning to Tokyo.
Part 57
Start from the beginning
