Transition and Restart, book six: Secrets unveiling

Chapter two, 2017, ends and beginnings, part two

They look like a couple.

"Yukio knows just about all of it, and I'll just bore Kyoko." A slight hesitation. "I'll tell you as much as you want to listen to later." Another moments hesitation. "When we're alone."

Yukio finally dared to let out the long sigh that had waited inside him. By his side Kyoko did the same.

"Now what?" he said.

They were under a canopy of bamboo before Urufu answered. "We'll get something to drink by the old school."

After that the four of them walked in silence until they had left a rice paddy behind them and crossed another narrow street. It was Noriko who eventually broke the silence just before a can of soda slammed into the bottom of the vending machine.

"Urufu. I'm curious, but did you have any siblings?"

Huh? What kind of question is that? Yukio looked down at Urufu who was busy picking up the can.

"Yeah. Two older sisters and one younger."

"And your mother, or father? Whoever is from here?"

"Yeah. My aunt."

Yukio watched a wide grin spread on Urufu's face.

Oh! Man, that's some quick thinking!

"And he or she moved to Sweden and got married in this world as well?"

"Yeah. Mom did, but I was never born here."

"And your father worked in construction?"

"How did you know?"

How could anyone not know?

Three of them burst out in laughter. Only Urufu stared back with a nonplussed expression in his face.

"That arrogance. You sure got it from your father," Noriko said, and brought another round of laughter to the three of them.

"Huh?"

"Your aunt's house. It should never have been built in Japan. Like never ever even in your dreams."

"But..."

"That it still stands and looks like it does is testimony to your father's skills. He must have been very good."

Urufu fed a few more coins to the machine and Yukio watched how he picked up drinks for all of them.

"He was. He's retired now, if he's still alive." Urufu stared back up in the direction of the alien house. "Archipelago construction. He always said it'd last longer than the neighbouring houses."

"How old is it?" Noriko asked.

Urufu scratched his head. "I wasn't born yet. Say a little over fifty years old." He grinned sheepishly. "I always thought it looked strange inside. It's very Japanese you know. Not the facade, but the inside. Dad said it had to be or it would start to rot."

Yukio shook his head in wonder. Urufu's words about change and adaption weren't his own after all. He'd inherited them. From both sides of his family given how his Japanese side had decided to erect the visual insanity further up the hillside.

"Urufu," Noriko said, "your sisters. They're alive in this world as well?"

Urufu nodded. He bent his head backwards and gulped down half his soda. "That's why this feels a little like home." The can went to his mouth again. "My aunt thinks mom is my grandmother, or at least she pretends that's what she believes." He took two steps and discarded the can into the recycling bin.