The last sip left, and so did the sweetness that had me craving for it, a sendoff, melancholic I was for the last bit
It still gave me a fond aftertaste
Putting the can in the bin, satisfied with my purchase, I head back home
Pleased as I stride, taking different turns for some I haven't laid eyes on in a while, nostalgic as always
.
.
.
"I'm home"
30 minutes, it took
*Meow*
Said the sloth
With looks of near disbelief shot at him
"It's already been an hour and you're still at the same spot?"
*Meow*
"What a sloth"
*Meow*
"Yeah you're right, I'm not one to talk"
Shoes at the door, and so they were replaced
Japan is such a clean country
Walking up to the living room, opening the lights for the dim room
Attempting to lounge around yet again, he stopped
*Sniff*
He had already noticed
"I smell"
A further survey and he has also noticed
He was sweating buckets
That and the fact is that
"I haven't taken a bath ever since coming here"
Almost 2 days
His body, drained yesterday, had not allowed him to do anything besides sleeping, after all:
15 hours of flight, yet only 5 spent to slumber
He wanted to, but he couldn't in the taxi
His reunion with his family almost gave him an actual headache
"A bath sounds nice"
He thought
"Kamakura-san, I'll be taking a bath, ok?"
*Meow*
As if felines could communicate
Lumbering his way, his steps make him close his distance
And so he enters, preparing his bath, and to return to the living room
And to the fridge, he opens, taking out a bottle, water
MAX was his lifeline, yet sometimes sweetness can be a poison
And so, from the long jog, dehydration, and the necessities of the body
He chugs down
*Glug*
*Glug*
*Glug*
*Glug*
*Sigh*
Footsteps still sore, he reaches for somewhere else
He returns to his room
Cabinet, open
And clothes taken
He marches back down
5 minutes has passed since he prepared his bath, and reentering, he is hit with nostalgia
*Splash**Splash*
His body is rinsed with a quick shower
With that he dips himself onto the tub
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"
He squeals
A feeling of refreshment, essentially purging him of all fatigue
"Nothing beats this"
He thought so, comparing all forms of bathing to the one he has right now
Lax and unmoving, nothing else could distract him, as thoughts were his only past time
(Looks like Japan, or rather Chiba, stayed almost the same)
Most of his neighbors' were still there
Most of where he normally goes to
The people themselves
The way of life
(Well, the technology did get a tiny upgrade, but other than that, nothing)
(Well, not like it's a bad thing)
(What else?)
(Kamakura-san is a little bigger than I remember)
(Did they spoil him?)
(Did she spoil him?)
(Knowing her, she definitely would)
(I'm surprised they're still working, Komachi already has a job, I thought they would've immediately retired)
(Those two really are married, to their jobs)
(About Komachi, oh dear, she finally has a job)
(They grow up so fast)
(Wait, I don't have children?)
(I don't, yet I already sound like an old man, Is it that feeling?)
(Indeed, Komachi is my precious little sister, its natural)
(Haaah, Komachi, you're now an adult huh)
(Wait...does she smoke?)
(I'm a little worried)
(Does she drink?)
(I'm not gonna allow a vulnerable Komachi be surrounded by any pests, mark my words)
A brotherly trait rekindled
("I even had a few boys come up to me, confessing")
(Vulnerable or not, I'm still not allowing any pests to get anywhere near her)
(Should I go visit her?)
(Nah, she might actually be busy)
(She might even have her own "Problem children" to deal with)
(Hehe...)
(But for now, what should I do?)
(Go back out again?)
(It's still a little early)
(Maybe later?)
(What should I do outside?)
*Grrrrrrrrrrr*
As if his own body wanted to answer
(Now I do have things to get)
(Let's see how Chiba's been)
And 20 minutes after, and out of the tub he goes
Drying up and dressing
A casual jacket
Casual pants
Casual shoes
With a watch in wrist, gazing at it were the owners eyes
11:30 AM
(Time to get some lunch)
"I'll be off, see you later Kamakura-san"
The cat found a new position to base itself
*Meow*
And out he went
The zenith of the sun had not yet come, and for that, outside was still not hell
Off he went, a depart from the suburbs and introduced to the urban towers
Walking and walking
Half an hour passed and yet he still walks
Walking, it is transportation, almost primary to the Japanese, yet even still, none has as much zest as him
No sense of fatigue showed on him
Not even the heat disturbed him
Was he in a good mood?
Excited for food, that everything else seemed unimportant to his eyes?
It mattered not since he continued
Walking and walking
And along the way, various encounters came to him
Various places of his memories, shops of old that still stand to this day, and new ones erupted
Suddenly, he halts
And there he stares, above him
The monorail that he's had a fair share of experiences
("I look forward to this year")
(Again?)
Suddenly, he moves again
(What to eat, what to eat)
More walking
And his attention, it was caught
(Let's go with something traditional)
串や 幸のとり (Kushi ya kō no tori)
Entering in, and the atmosphere entered his body
The feel of it all, only in Japan
The smoke of meat, glistening oil, somewhat a hot atmosphere, yet, that wasn't a bother, with the air-con
"Welcome" (いらっしゃい)
What greeted me was a cook from his station
A Yakitori restaurant, something I'm not overly familiar, yet not alien either
Taking a seat in the corner, he calls for a waiter
"Hello, what can I get for you?"
"Can I have a bowl of unagi and some beer?"
"Understood, please wait until the order is ready"
Fairly, the populous
A few young people scattered or by group, with some elders enjoying their food, their drinks
The scent of grilled meat overruling any other, even flooding themselves all the way to his nose
Peaceful yet busy, this place perfectly represents its country
The teens discussing the trends, the uncles relaxed and satisfied
(I wonder if I'll be like them some day)
"Thank you for waiting"
A fairly large bowl appeared, on top of it lied the delicious eel that I've almost never eaten
(It was expensive after all)
Came with the glass of beer
As if it's not enough, the aroma directly rising to his nose presented the dish as savory
No hesitation, no waiting needed
"Thank you for the food"
A bite in, and several flavors, the mouth has detected
From a glanced, he looked to be unaffected, yet deep inside, his mouth was in euphoria
A grab of the handle, and a chug of the beer
*Puhhaah*
The universal act done by all of Japan
(The perfect mix)
No word escaped, yet it looked obvious of his enjoyment
No time wasted and a new bite given after the last
His attention, all focused on his meal
.
.
.
15 minutes have passed, and he, now satisfied
Unadon "Unagi rice bowl": 4,000 Yen
2 Glasses of beer: 700 Yen
"Please come again"
Paying the bill, he now heads out
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
*Step*
Again
Walking and walking
1:16 PM
By now the sun had reached its peak, beaming down its heat
It might be a wise decision to search for shade
He continued walking, until the heat had finally won over him and the pain and irritation, he felt
Changing his direction, he closes to a nearby mall
*Sigh* (It's hot, ridiculously hot)
(It'll be hard going anywhere)
(Well since we've got nothing to do, might as well do something here)
Into the mall he entered
Nothing seemed interesting, no reason to shop, no desire to shop, no desire at all
Until...
(Movie?)
Coming across the theatre section, he seemed to have at least given it some thought
(I haven't seen anything in literal ages)
(It'll be good to waste time, but what to pick?)
The Ads called posters gave him options
(Horror?)
(Not into it)
(Comedy?)
(Nah, I'd just look like a creep)
(Drama?)
(.......)
(Action?)
(Yeah, let's go with that)
Nothing in hand, blindly, entering the theatre
The feel of it all felt somewhat different, even though he's experienced this in the past, even though nothing has changed
Taking his seat, unmoving, he now became
His eyes still locking on the same thing
Almost like a statue
Even after the movie had started, still unchanging
Inside this space, loud, a bright screen shining down
Halfway in and still nothing
20 minutes left in the movie, yet still nothing
[Hey! I wanna say something]
[What?]
[In case something happens, in case we never meet again, I just wanna get it out]
[I love you!]
Finally, he moved, in the form of an irk
(Uhhh, what was that about?)
He himself does not know
He just continued watching
.
.
.
.
.
(Nnnnnnnnn, that was a good 2 hours)
Stretching his near numb body, he had finished viewing
But did he actually pay attention?
Stepping out the room, his agenda, what's next?
A look at his watch and
4:13 PM
(It's already 4?)
(Well, what to do?)
(Oh)
A light bulb pops
(Let's buy some groceries)
By groceries he meant
(Oh yeah, I've missed you too)
In his hand is
Cup ramen
(The cup ramen from outside doesn't really feel like this cup ramen)
For some reason, his taste buds really were picky, biased even
(Lots of places can't really serve good authentic food over there, maybe except for CoCo Ichiban?)
(But...well, CoCo Ichiban is the same anywhere else)
He continued his peruse
Shopping and shopping, while not actually taking anything
To the beverage section
(Should I get some beer?)
His intention changes when
(*Gasp*)
(Max!)
Located right beside the beers, there lays his nicotine
Dozens of cans all lined up, it was beautiful
Instinct and urges, with such abundance, he let off all restraint
.
.
.
A basket in hand, a few cans of beer, but fat with ramen and coffee
2 people in front of him, inside he feels glee
The register came, it was now his turn
An egregious amount the employee register thought
Yet she did her job, what a good worker
.
.
.
.
.
5: 43 PM
(Just in time)
He walked and walked, only a little more
The precincts of houses, he now reached
Slothful as he walked, a day such as this could truly drain him
(What will Komachi make, I wonder?)
(Is it gonna be Pork donburi like last night?)
(Is it gonna be traditional?)
(Uwaah, I'm a little excited)
(Komachi, do well to feed your brother)
The night, the moon, now slowly eating the sun away
A silent man, walking alone, with a small grin in his face, fortunately, patrol time has not come
He just continues walking, and then
"I'm home"
The sound of the door opening, and he appears, the lights, they are not there, and with a flick, they now light the room
*Meow*
The only one that stayed now greeted him home
"Were you lonely?"
*Meow*
"Guess not"
Groceries in hand, he moves to the refrigerator
Putting it all in
Then to the pantry, inside goes the ramen
"Anyway, Komachi will be home right? In 50 minutes?"
(Guess I'll take a second one)
More subtle, yet still he knows, proper hygiene would be good
*Splash*
*Splash*
(Haaaaaah, I'm tired)
His second groan of the day
He kept thinking, thinking of many things
He finished his shower, out the bath he went
In his blue pajama jumpsuit
He lies down on the sofa
Gaming and gaming
.
.
.
20 minutes after, and the doorbell rings