エリ

Miri is convinced that her parents haven't noticed, often too busy with the customers inside the restaurant to notice anything that might be happening outside on the street, but she has because if there's something she likes to do it is to observe around; not always to draw conclusions by herself but to be able to obtain details from others. She is not a nosy person but likes to listen to others.

And she definitely cannot ignore the fact that the same car is parked four steps from the cafe again at the same time as the last three days before and, for a moment, she thinks that maybe is just a great coincidence, maybe the planets have aligned in such a way that this kind of situation is happening at that very moment by the third time in a row and perhaps, she tells herself, there is definitely nothing strange or dangerous in the stranger who is watching the restaurant but precisely, today, her parents are away, the restaurant is closed to the public, and the island is experiencing a heat wave. Miri wonders if the man who is leaning against the closed door of the passenger seat feels any hint of heat or suffocation since he is fully dressed in a suit, immaculate from top to bottom and she can even deduce, although it is impossible to see from where she is sitting, he wears a multi-million yen watch on her wrist.

But, if there is something that his parents have taught her during all these years, is being brave in any situation, go head-on and not be a coward. She decides that had enough of watching from a distance, getting up like from the chair she was sit to clarify his doubts once and for all, after all if he was a murderer he wouldn't dare to kill her right in the middle of the street in the afternoon, would he? In any case, she needs a pretext to be able to approach that person who has been observing in silence for three days now and, perhaps, watering the plants at the entrance is her best excuse.

"Excuse me, today the cafe is closed. Are you waiting for someone?" The man seems surprised, maybe he didn't expect anyone to say anything to him, just as Miri purses her lips in a fine line when she doesn't have an answer, so she tries again "If you're looking for the cafe owners, they're not here right now, they will come back later. Can I help you with something?” And for a moment she wonders if the man speaks japanese because he remains silent again, just looking at her with a look that reflects many things.

Regret, doubt, fear.

"I just..." And he seems to doubt his own words, Miri continues to watch him very attentively with the watering can in both hands "I just came to deliver something" And for the first time she sees that in one of his hands there is an envelope "But no matter, I’ll take my leave now”

"Delivering things to their addressee is always important" The teenager intervenes, this time giving him a wide smile showing her teeth "In any case, come in please, it must not be very comfortable waiting out here"

"It's not necessary" The man gives a look at the envelope, squeezing it a little with his fingers, and then rests his eyes on her again.

"Allow me to insist" Miri is persuasive on many occasions and, although this has led to more than one problem on some occasions, she does not regret being like that "It's noon and it's 38 degrees celsius, just allow me to make your wait a bit more comfortable”

And she smiles victoriously again when she sees him finally agree with a nod of his head, following her into the café.

“Do you work here, young lady?” Miri still finds it strange to put a voice to a face she has been seeing for the last three days, perhaps because she did not expect that such a tired voice could come out of that face, which seemed somewhat intimidating.

"Not exactly" She doesn't work per se, she simply helps her parents at times when there are a lot of customers, she helps clean or receive orders from suppliers when they have to go out "I'm the owners' daughter, my name is Miri Unasaka ” And in other circumstances, perhaps she would have made a courtesy bow but this time she prefers to stretch out his arm to shake her with the other “My parents opened this restaurant here in Okinawa ten years ago after we moved from Tokyo”

She doesn't know exactly how many seconds she has her arm in that position but she smiles somewhat relieved when, finally, he reciprocates the handshake.

"I am Shigeki"

She tries to find for something inside her memories in case she has ever heard that name; conversations from his parents, some comments from his uncle Kyutaro, she even tries to remember his mother's voice, increasingly diffused among her thoughts but ends up giving up when he realizes that it is not anyone who has come across her, it is simply a stranger . So why does she feel that familiar look? Why do those eyes that seem to want to tell a million stories make her heart sink?

"It's a pleasure, Shigeki-san" And she immediately gestures for him to sit at the table that, until a few minutes ago, she was occupying herself quickly tidying and removing all the objects with a somewhat embarrassed giggle; photographs, notebooks, a couple of books and many colored pens "I'm going to serve you something cool to drink and, before you refuse again, I'll insist one more time" She was already bringing two glasses with ice and a pitcher of cold tea and, after pouring him a glass, decides that it is best to sit in the chair opposite him resting his chin on the palm of her hand "May I ask who is that envelope for, if possible?”

The silence that forms is not uncomfortable, both of them looking at the infinite ocean through the the window.

"I have..." But he is quick to correct "I had a son, he stopped being my son a long time ago, I have made many unforgivable mistakes during most part of my life and I suppose that when he decided to deattach himself from me, from what I represented, he felt as if he just woken up of a long nightmare. I did terrible things to him but when I was able to realize that it was too late, always too late”

For a few seconds the only thing that can be heard is the sound of ice cubes hitting the glass as Miri stirs her drink fighting the urge to cry, her soul heavy with sorrow.

“I have lived trusting blindly the wrong ideals, looking all my life for a life that I believed there was no other choice but to accept because, when I had the opportunity to fight and cut that miserable faith, I didn’t do it as I should have, I believed that there was no escape from that destiny, I dragged everyone with me, I got rid of all those things that I considered that could hinder my purpose, sinking me more and more in the darkness” Shigeki pinched the bridge of his nose and then Miri could really see the marks of age on the man, the wrinkles prominent, the scars and those eyes so empty, so sad "I have never sought redemption because I don't deserve it, there is no happy ending for me, but I wanted that, at least, he could have this-"

"Papa Rei always says that running away is for cowards" Miri decides to intervene, looking him very seriously in the eye "He always says that problems must be faced head-on so as not to have regrets later, I don't believe in happy endings either, but I do believe that the people can change as long as there is a real will to do so" And again she decides to look out the window with a smile, the street is deserted but she can hear, in the distance, the voices of people on the beach. "Maybe you should explain to him that, maybe he won’t understand it and there is a possibility that he might not forgive you but, at least, you will be able to take a that weight off your soul. Don't you have other family or friends who can help you?”

The only initial response is a long, weary sigh. A rotten soul is condemned to stay alone.

“I burnt all those ties that forced me to have feelings a long time ago.”

Miri tilts her head to the side, pensive.

"Then maybe it's time to start rebuilding them again, don't you think, Shigeki-san?" And with a soft movement of her head she points to the board that decorates one of the walls next to them "All the people who appear in those photographs are important to me, they are my family, we are not linked by blood but it does not matter because our bond it is much stronger than that, they are people who will be there for me if I fall, to help me get up again and walk with me, I believe that it is not too late for you to create that with the people you consider important”

Again the silence that felt like a whole conversation, a million of untold words, of explanations. 

"I don't think that's possible with me, young lady, I’m simple chained to my destiny” And that's when he decides to get up to look at that well-placed board, his eyes checking every picture but paying special attention to one of Rei and Miri sleeping peacefully in the other's arms. Miri sees it again in those eyes, that expression, the longing for something that has been lost forever.

“You're running away again!" And perhaps her tone was sounding too effusive for a stranger with whom he had only exchanged a few words "If you don't try you will never know, the past cannot be erased and wounds never disappear but we have the ability to write our own present and our future, don't be a coward." And for the first time she is able to catch a glimpse of a smile, just the curves of the corners of his mouth curve.

And the conversation is interrupted by the shrill melody on Miri's phone.

"Excuse me a moment!" And Miri rushes behind the bar searching the shelves for her cell phone as the tone continues to play. A banal conversation with a classmate that barely lasts a minute "Excuse me for the wait, Shigeki-san, I needed to-"

There was no one, she was alone in the cafe once more as if what she had just experienced was only a product of her imagination; the glass half empty, the chair placed in place, the complete silence. On the table the envelope but, this time, on top of it was note written on the run.

Why was the corridor so damn long? And why the more he tried to run the slower he seemed to move? It made him feel that he run a marathon only to arrive to the last door, where the desperate cries were echoing. 

There was blood everywhere. 

The paper on the walls was completely stained with scarlet drops, the wooden floor was full of bloody puddles and the smell, the stench, was so strong he felt suffocated and tried to suppress the urge to throw up. No matter where he tried to look, everything was red, deep red. 

You have brought this on yourself, you can't escape your fate.

“Rei! Where are you?! REI!!” Kazuki was shaking at this point and his voice sounded so panicked, so broken. He backed up a couple of steps as he raised his hands to his face, covering it up in horror, breathing in and out with difficulty, his body shaking violently. “For fuck’s sake wha— REI!!!” 

You are condemned to lose everything you love, the circle will always repeat itself. 

Behind him laid Rei’s lifeless body, his eyes still open, staring directly at him. piercing his soul  An open wound from a deep cut in his throat, two bullet shots on his chest, one of them next to his heart. 

"This can't be possible... this isn't happening..." He let out a desperate laugh kneeling next to him and shaking him up, at some point he started sobbing uncontrollably “Rei please…” 

You think you deserve to be happy now? Fool. 

“Papa… it hurts… i’m scared…” Kazuki turned his head completely terrified, he could recognize that voice anywhere and if there was something he didn't want no matter what, it was to hear it there. Miri’s eyes were full of tears and her tiny hands were pressing her abdomen, blood, there was blood covering them “Papa…?

He wasn’t quick enough, not even while he rushed to her side, taking her tiny body between his arms and caressing her hair with one blood stained hand “Please don’t do this to me… please, please… stay here with me…” His voice was like a broken record, repeating the same words like a mantra with his lips on top of her head over and over again. He wanted to scream from the bottom of his lungs, he wanted to let all the pain out. 

Her body went lifeless while he was rocking her gently back and forth but even then, no sound came from his throat even if he wanted to, his hapinnes was slipping through his fingers once again.

This is what you deserve. 

“Kazuki!!” He was drenched in sweat and shivering profusely, his body shaking while Rei was straddling him with both hands on his face, trying to wake him up “Damn it, Kazuki, wake up!!” He tried again raising his voice, anxious. 

Kazuki opened his eyes letting out a pained scream and although he seemed awake his vision was still blurred with tears, his teeth clenched in pure agony “Rei…” And he grabbed his shoulders, digging his fingers into the skin to make sure he was real, that he was alive. He couldn’t stop trembling, the voice resonated inside his brain again and again with such force that made him wonder if he was still dreaming “You’re alive… you are here… you are….” His clothes were drenched in sweat but he felt cold, so cold "It felt so real... everything was so vivid... so..."

“It was a nightmare” Rei’s fingers kept caressing the older’s cheeks and when he felt his breathing slowly begin to steady he pulled him into his chest  “Whatever the fuck that was… it was not real…” And he pursed his lips in a thin line as Kazuki still looked at him with a mix of anxiety and horror “You’re fine…”

“Th-there was blood everywhere and you… and Miri…” He felt his body tense again along with  an unpleasant tingling in his hands and started sobbing against the younger’s chest “I feel so pathetic…” then, a wave of nausea came suddenly so he pushed Rei off the bed and rushed to the bathroom to throw up, emptying his stomach into the toilet bowl as if he were really going to die. A new layer of sweat formed on his forehead and a few drops fell to the ground as he sat on the bathroom floor with his head leaning against the wall, breathing heavily once again. 

“What are you doing?” Miri was at the bathroom door rubbing her eyes half asleep, she blinked a few times trying to adjust to the bathroom’s light and then looked at Rei “Is papa Kazuki sick?” She saw Rei nod and then lifted her arms so Rei could lift her, leaning her head on his shoulder, yawning “If you’re sick papa Rei and I will take care of you, don’t worry, papa”

Kazuki felt like crying.

“I’m gonna tuck her in again, give me a minute” The older blew a kiss to his daughter with a weak smile and nodded at his partner. When he saw them disappear down the corridor he tried to steady himself resting his hands on the sink so he could rinse his mouth looking himself at the mirror; he was pale and haggard and for the first time in years he felt extremely broken and vulnerable. 

You can’t escape. 

“Rei, wait!” Kazuki was calling him from the bathroom door still distressed, Miri had already fallen asleep again in his arms and was snoring lightly “Can… can she sleep with us tonight?” Usually he was the one who insisted always that Miri slept in his room to avoid picking up an habit. 

If someone had told Kazuki twenty years ago that he would be at this very moment bitting his nails and fingers from nervousness due to his teenage daughter's strange behavior he would have laughed out loud and called that same person crazy and stupid, he would probably have shot that person in the head too and, after that, he would have turned around to go to the nearest casino to finish betting everything he had left in his wallet.

But the fact is that he was practically throwing up all his worries at Kyutaro who was looking at him with both eyebrows raised and his arms crossed over his chest trying to intervene in the conversation that, little by little, was turning into an endless monologuefrom Kazuki’s side. Rei was trying not to huff or roll his eyes too much as he kept busying himself mixing the coffee with the spoon.

“I tell you that something is off with Miri, Kyu-chan! Her behaviour is so weird lately! She comes home very late, she gets flustered for everything we ask her and makes excuses that most of time don’t make any sense!” He was convinced that, at this point, he was going to start tearing his hair out of anxiety "Two nights ago she told me that she had a student council meeting" And then he hit the stool with both hands while shouting again in despair "Miri is not even a member of the student council!" And then silence for a few seconds while his face started to twist  into a grimace of absolute terror “What if she’s being harassed?!”

Kyutaro had gone back to his work drying the glasses to store them on the shelf behind him but he couldn’t avoid the loud snort that came from his lips at what he heard, he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and then glared at him slightly annoyed "If you’re here looking for my opinion on the matter I think you should trust Miri more, she's already a teenager and you should stop worrying like this or you're really going to have a heart attack" He gave a quick look to Rei who kept listening without saying a word “If Miri was in danger I’m very sure she would have asked for help” He put his glasses again and got back to work "I have customers to attend to, I can't keep listening to your meaningless paranoia”

"By the way, Kyutaro-san" It was the first time he had heard Rei speak since the two of them had entered the café "I feel like there are more customers lately, aren't here too many students?" There were several tables occupied with students from different schools since not all of them were wearing the same uniform and it seemed that they were looking for something although all of them seemed served.

“I don't know what you're talking about.” He waved his hand trying to dismiss the comment while he started to grind some coffee beans giving them another glare narrowing his eyes in the process. “Now, get out of here, I’m busy"

Kyutaro counted to ten once the cafe door closed behind them and only then he sighed in relief. "You can come out now, Miri-chan, they left"

Miri came from behind the warehouse door with a slightly embarrassed smile as she fiddled with her fingers, then she put her palms together in a form of apology and leaned her torso forward in a bow “I knew they would end coming here, I’m really sorry uncle Kyu”

"I don't blame them, they're your parents and they're worried" Miri turned to put back the black apron she was wearing under what she called her work uniform; black pants with a dark brown shirt, her hair was tied up in a messy bun with bangs and she put a black headband. Kyutaro put two coffees and one milkshake in a tray while Miri got behind the bar stool “You should tell them the truth, they’ll find out sooner or later”

Miri pouted looking at the ground a little embarrassed “They would interrogate me and ask why do I need the money… besides I like working here” She shook her head several times and turned on her heels ready to flee from that conversation, earning another defeated sigh from the cafe’s owner.

She had really learned quickly and very efficiently to do the basic tasks at the cafe, basically she was in charge of sweeping and mopping the floors, making simple drinks and taking them to the tables and picking them up later, Kyutaro allowed her to do her homework or study while they weren’t many customers although that, during the last days that was quite complicated since the cafe had begun to fill up with "Miri’s admirers" or “Miri’s flies” as Kyutaro liked to call them; students from other schools that came just to talk to her and although she took her compliments with a polite smile, Kyutaro was always making sure that no one got the idea of going overboard with her.

Miri was the closest thing he got as a niece after all and he knew several ways to make a dead body disappear.

As the hours passed, the cafe began to empty little by little and by half past seven the last two customers left, defeated as they couldn't get Miri's number, finally leaving the two of them alone. Miri changed the door’s sign to closed but she didn't lock the door and, while she was busy finishing cleaning the last tables at the back of the cafe, the bell sounded causing Miri to walk to the entrance in a hurry, someone had entered.

"I'm so sorry but the cafe is-" She stopped on the spot completely paralyzed and with a completely surprised face.

"I knew it" The look that Kazuki was giving her was like a predatory animal that had its prey cornered after chasing it for a long time “I must say you almost got me completely fooled, if it wasn’t for a bunch of jerks drooling over you at the end of the street when we left" He was angry, so angry. 

"They call you the barista princess" Rei walked in too, shrugging and also looked at Miri "Kind, nice, attentive, always smiling…” His gaze hardened as he looked at Kyutaro "I think we need an explanation"

“Well?” Kazuki raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, looking directly into her daughter's eyes.

Miri sighed in defeat, there was no point in continuing to try to hide something that was already discovered, she took the risk without caring about the consequences of her actions and now she needed to expose herself so she walked behind the bar to get her school bag, opened it and rummaged through it until she found two small boxes wrapped in gift paper, leaving one on Rei's palm and the other on Kazuki's, then she cleared her throat, blushed looking at the ground and bit her lower lip. "The thing is that I had been thinking about wanting to give you both a gift for a long time but I couldn't think of something that could be significant and after thinking about it a lot I decided to do it myself..."

Rei opened the box first finding a pendant, it was something round with a symbol inside "Is this a kamon?" And he saw Miri nod sheepishly as she took out the exact same pendant she kept hidden under her shirt with the same symbol.

"You know that kamon are like seals that have been used throughout history to indicate one's family lineage, bloodline, ancestry, and status since ancient times, right?” She listed all the things with his fingers. "But one of the things that kamon are most associated with is family" Miri cleared her throat again and rubbed her face with her hands, completely embarassed. "The design was drawn by me and I looked for a place where they could make it, it wasn't easy and it was expensive, so I I started looking for a part-time job to cover the expenses but after buying them I realized that I liked working here so…”

“But Miri…” Kazuki's voice sounded so broken that he was sure he was going to start crying at any moment, no trace of angrinness anymore “With your allowance you could-”

"That was exactly what I didn't want to do!” She exclaimed in exasperation "I didn't want to give you something with money that you gave me, I wanted it to be with my effort, I know that lying is wrong but I really wanted it to give you guys a surprise... I wanted you to know that it makes me very happy to know that I have parents like you and I wanted to thank you for all the work and effort you have done for so long" And after saying that he bowed slightly "I'm so sorry I lied" Then he looked at Kyutaro with an embarrassed smile "And I'm sorry I got you into this, uncle Kyu”

Kazuki's arms were suddenly surrounding her in a crushing hug and she began to hear his uncontrolled sobs, Miri rolled her eyes but laughed out loud as she hugged him back, patting his back, Rei placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed slightly with a smile in his face.

"Forgive us for doubting you, the gift is beautiful and we love you so much” Which made her shake her head gently without erasing her smile, Kazuki kept muttering things while crying and was unable to tear himself away from her daughter making Rei sigh “Kazuki, let Miri go now, you're going to choke her, plus, we have to go home”

"It's been a precious family moment but I'd like to close the cafe and go home" Kyutaro had already taken off his apron and was gathering his things so he could finish cleaning up, close up and leave. "I'm sure you're tired, Miri, go home now, I'll see you tomorrow" Miri nodded and when she managed to break the hug with his father she ran to the back of the cafe to change her clothes, leaving the three men alone, that's when he looked at Kazuki with a defiant smile. "I still can't believe you couldn't trust your own daughter." Rei tried to hold back a snort, covering his lips with the back of his hand.

“Look…” And Kazuki's voice turned so deep that he could feel the vibrations in his own chest “If I hear any guy calling my baby a barista princess I’m gonna choke him to dead with my own bare hands, okay?