The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 146~♫

"Get on with it," Ueno growled, her face darkening. The time was ticking away, and she wanted to spend the last hour with Freya.

"So impatience, but oh well." He took out his phone. "What do you think? Would their popularity drop if there was an accident?"

His eyes sent shivers down her spine.

"What do you mean?"

"Just saying. You know, in the movies, there is always something huge happening in the third act." His sinister grin couldn't mean anything good.

Yesterday's firework flashed in her mind.

The missing box.

The wi-fi.

Internet access to it.

The missing puzzle piece.

"It would be a real shame..."

Ueno didn't hear his words, as she dashed towards Freya, not knowing how many seconds remained.

\\_(''>_<'')_//

Meanwhile, the Reach For The Stars booth finished another photograph, and the couple took home a perfect memory of their Sunday. Rigaku swiped the sweat off his forehead. The sun refused to give them a break, but their place at least stood in the shadows now.

His eyes scanned the area, finding Aiyoku brushing Princess. Widening his area of interest, he found Freya widely gesticulating with another woman. It seemed she was a foreigner as she had dirty blonde hair.

He put down the Polaroid camera as they were about to close in a few minutes. The horses had enough, and Satos would pick them up an hour later. He approached both of them.

"Konnichiwa, can I provide you some help?"

Freya turned, widening her eyes as if she just awoke from a dream.

"Oh my!" The woman let out her hands still moving. "My apologies! I had such a great chat that I forgot I may be in a way."

Rigaku tried to place the puzzles, but he had only a few clues. "It's alright, but can you please elaborate?"

"Of course. My name is Judy Hopps, and I'm part of the Association of Handy Hands from Great Britain." She giggled a bit as she found the name amusing. "We help, educate, and connect mute or deaf people. We have courses in around twenty cities and towns in Great Britain."

Rigaku perked his ears. New knowledge meant an alternative way for him to grow and support anybody.

"I'm a teacher of English, France, and Japanese sign language, but I got a bit rusty."

Rigaku opened his mouth to place his question, but his brain provided the answer faster. He caught his chin, lowering his head as his cogwheels whirled.

Judy noticed him, and Freya sent her way an explanation.

"That's outstanding." Rigaku released a breath after a few moments.

"Thank you. We aim to support them and provide a working place. In my homeland, the association had opened over two hundred coffee shops and small restaurants where people with a physical handicap can work too.

"Some are accessible by wheel-chaired people for both customers or employees. But healthy people can work there too. We only ask them to learn at least the basics of their national sign language for communication."

Rigaku kept nodding, excitement spreading in his body.

"That sounds fantastic! Can I help you?" He pushed up his glasses, his eyes sparkling with thousands of ideas.

"We welcome all and every help!" Judy hopped, staying true to her surname. "I'm here on vacation, but I would love to open a Handy coffee shop here. Perhaps my association could start a relationship with the Japanese one."

"I may not be of help, but I'm sure Freya-chan here could guide both of us." He gave her a wink, sending her into a blushing paradise.

Judy noticed that reddening too. Teasing between a couple was always the cutest. Freya shooed her embarrassment by forming her next thought.

"Oh, yes!" Judy exclaimed, hopping even more. "Freya-chan told me about Taiga and her kittens. I've heard cat or dog coffee shops are popular and help to create a relaxing atmosphere."

"They aren't ours, but we shall ask our"—a word friend dragged on his tongue as he still had a shade of doubts in his heart—"classmate who adopted them." His eyes trailed the said classmate.

Even his fast brain froze as he couldn't understand why Ueno's face twisted in horror. She pushed past them, diving under the stall. The moment half of her body was gone, an explosion shook with the whole stall.

Clouds of dust erupted and whistling rockets sizzled from under it, raiding the crowd on the path. Screaming people hurried away, confused about what was happening.

"Princess!" Aiyoku hugged her neck, unable to hold for much longer as the old lady neighed, letting out her shock and fear of fire.

"Rocket!" Rigaku yelled as he coughed the smoke. His hand reached forward, touching the reins, but he was too late. They flicker out of his reach.

Freya was half of the step faster, but the horse dragged her behind his dashing figure, almost tearing her figure apart.

Rigaku tried to find order among the chaos, glancing at a red figure. His eyes had almost fallen off as Ueno crawled from below. Her hands and face bled, and her cries mixed with tears.

Their eyes met for a moment. Everything stopped and silenced for the fraction of a second before she let out a banshee's cry. Only this time, it didn't announce the death, but a plea for help.

Ueno turned, dashing away, her blood dripping down. Rigaku unable to decide what to do. Helping Freya, catching up to Rocket, or following Ueno all had the top priority. The stream of rushing visitors solved it for him, pushing him onto the ground, tripping over him.

The chaos spread as Rocket and screaming people reached the Caffee. The moment the explosion occurred, Kagetsu was inside of the coffee shop, helping as the number of visitors refused to lower even before the closing hour.

The smoke got above the trees, and the raising humbug couldn't leave him indifferent. Stepping out of the shade of the building, his body froze. Rocket was heading his way like a tidal wave. His big eyes almost rolled out, and his swaying body could collapse any step now.