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Happy Miniature Garden
The following day was a Saturday, and we had no school, of course. When I woke up in the morning after a hard night of sleep, I found Tsukiko-chan sleeping with her arms wide, covered by my blanket. It looks like she’s being careful of something—or someone.
How sad. She showed no signs of waking up. When I called out to her, or shook her, she kept sleeping on and on. After drawing some circles on her stomach, I slipped out of the futon. After washing my face, eating some bread, and brushing my teeth, I left the Tsutsukakushi Household. The sky had some clouds dotted here and there, but it was still beautiful weather. After taking the bus and train, I headed to A-chan’s home.
“Good morning! I’m Yokodera Youto! The always-suffering Yokodera Youto!”
“Oh my oh my, good morning. It’s great to see you this energetic so early in the morning.” Azuki Onee-san answered the door after I energetically rang the doorbell. “Did you make a promise with A-chan, by any chance? Thanks for always playing with her. But she’s still asleep, that sleepyhead. I’ll go wake her up.”
“No, it’s okay! I came here to see you two!”
“Oh…? Us ‘two’?” Azuki Onee-san tilted her head, and a giant bear appeared behind her back.
“Nu! Nu!” He slammed his bulky arms, carrying gloves and a ball.
He looked ready to play some baseball at the nearest park. I’m sorry, but that’s not what I have in mind.
“I have a favor to ask concerning Tsukasa… Tsutsukakushi-san.” I lowered my head.
For starters, I have to make these people my allies, or I can’t start the fight.
*
The early bird gets the worm, as they say. If Tsukiko-chan is the worm now, then I guess that getting up early really is worth it!
The negotiations with the Azuki Family went smoother than I expected. But our morning wasn’t done yet. I headed home to the Tsutsukakushi Family while humming, when…
“Now which one are you so infatuated with?”
I opened the door, only to find Tsukiko-chan sitting right in front of the entrance.
“I went to A-chan’s place… Um, why did you phrase it so oddly?”
“Not at all! So which child did you visit?”
“…Are you angry, by any chance?”
“Why would you think I wasn’t angry? It’s not nice to play a prank on a child.” She rubbed her stomach.
Maybe I shouldn’t have used a pen after all? Next time I’ll use some waterproof pens.
“Sorry. The thing is, I just have a fetish for playing pranks on cute girls. Also, I’ll tell you why I went to A-chan’s home, so let’s prepare for that Onee-san to come.”
“Cute… fetish… Eh? Pervert, what perverted things are you perverting…?”
“This isn’t the time to be saying that! We don’t know when that Onee-san will stop by! Time is money, and money is gold, and the world revolves around money and a golden heart!”
“Ah, is that so? That makes sense.” Tsukiko-chan ignored me just like that.
It’s rare for a girl with such strong will to actually be taken aback by what I say. I feel like there might be some kind of hints to figure out perfect communication here, but sadly I don’t have the time to think about it.
“Tsukiko-chan, we have to assist Tsukasa-san in her negotiations today and chase away that Breasts Onee-san to make sure that you and Steel-san don’t return to Italy. Isn’t that right?”
“…Breasts Onee-san?”
“Ah, that stand-in Onee-san from before. I don’t know her name, so… There’s no weird meaning to it!”
“I see.” Tsutsukakushi muttered and looked down at her five-year-old body.
Then she started calculating something on her fingers. She subtracted five from sixteen, which resulted in eleven, and for every year, she added more imaginary volume in front of her chest.
“…Tsukiko-chan, what are you doing?”
She nodded.
“Calling her Breasts Onee-san… That phrasing, could you maybe just not?”
“Ah, yeah.”
I don’t know why Tsukiko-chan is so against the term ‘Breasts Onee-san,’ but let’s just ignore that and move forward.
“So I have a secret plan to spring against that Onee-san, but the real problem is your grandparents over in Italy. Unless we don’t convince them, the same thing will happen again.”
“…That’s right.”
“That’s why we have to tell them that the two of you living here would make you the happiest. The first thing I thought of would be a phone call, but…”
Tsukiko-chan is still only five years old. Using formal language might work for any other person, but it’d be weird if she were to talk with highschool knowledge here.
“Hm…” Tsutsukakushi and I sat down, thinking. “It would have been better if this was a time period with a proper TV and phone connection. We could send them a video via the Internet.”
“Their beloved grandchildren got hooked on the Japanese atmosphere and sent them a lovey-dovey double-peace video letter…”
“Hm?”
“It’s nothing! Nothing at all!”
“I don’t really understand, but you really are a pervert.”
“So why are you calling me a pervert, then?!”
“Am I wrong?”
“You’re totally correct! So apologize! Don’t use the wrong method to arrive at the correct result!”
“The worst kind of pervert, I see.”
Just after Tsutsukakushi defeated me with flawed flawless logic, I heard footsteps coming down the hallway.
“…!”
The two of us grew silent for a brief moment and turned around.
“What are you two doing here?” It was Steel-san, looking like she was about to head out.
“Nothing, really…”
“That isn’t a useful answer. I heard you. You were whispering about something.”
“Maybe you were hearing Tsukiko-chan sleep-talking? I was surprised to see her sleeping here. I was just checking to see if she wet herself ag—Ouch!?” I tried to pull Tsukiko-chan’s skirt up, but she stepped on my foot.
I wasn’t planning on actually doing it! I’m not the one to blame! Only my head is!
“…Tsukiko has really taken a liking to you. She won’t even let me spoil her like that.” Steel-san shrugged.
It’s probably because she’s experienced enough in the future to be wary of you. Of course I couldn’t say that, so I just smiled to hide it. I averted my gaze downwards, and I saw an object in her hands with a familiar lens on it…
“…What is that?”
“John Doe made fun of me after taking a weird picture. I bought it as a toy at a sweets store, so today I’ll ridicule that woman…!”
“That’s it!” I pointed at it and Steel-san just stared at me in confusion.
*
We woke Tsukasa-san up, made her put on some proper clothes instead of her hedgehog costume, and dragged her out into the yard.
“Hey hey hey, what kind of ruckus is this? A picture? Why?”
“Now, now, now. It’s a commemorative picture!”
“Celebrating what?”
“Anything is fine! Celebrating this new day! A day where we’re all happy!” I forced a bright smile, and Tsukasa-san let out a sigh.
“Happiness just because you feel happy sure sounds off.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Since happiness is like the tip of the mountain, so once you feel that, it won’t go up any higher.”
“Hmmm?”
Tsukasa-san actually said something philosophical, only to ruin it immediately with a big yawn.
“Indeed!” The great Steel-san nodded. “I don’t like such childish acts, but Tsukiko asked for it, so I’ll do anything to help!”
Contrary to her words, she assertively dragged her mother outside the house. It seems like she’s more motivated than she led us to believe. As a side note, since she was going out to visit MaiMai’s place, she was wearing proper clothes, and her hair was washed and styled up with a ribbon—A white ribbon.
It holds the memories that the past me gave to her. It must hold some kind of important value for her. I think it’s really cute! Though she got angry at me after I said that.
“It’s not like I want to do a photoshoot, so if you don’t feel like it, then it’s all okay, but we might as well line up now that we’re here! Right? Right?”
“…Well, I guess.”
Thanks to the subconscious efforts of Steel-san, Tsukasa-san’s guard lessened. We put the pond in the garden to our backs, and succeeded in lining her up for the picture.
“Mmm…”
We had put down the toy camera, which was like an instant camera, on top of the garden lantern. The animal Tsukiko-chan stared at it and pressed a random button—or so she seemed, but actually set up a timer—or so I thought, but why have I heard the sounds of pictures being taken for a solid minute now?
“Ahh, you’re using it like a toy… Wait, it is, right? I guess that’s fine, then.” Tsukasa-san walked towards her with a troubled expression and lifted the camera up along with her daughter.
This isn’t good. She stole our precious item! Our operation ended in failure right away!
You couldn’t set it up?
I gave Tsukiko-chan a signal.
It was a type of camera I had never seen before.
She showed a dejected gesture. I see. So she’s the age when she doesn’t even know what an instant camera is… Is this what they call a generation gap?! Your father used this type of camera not too long ago! It’s the easiest way to remove any kind of evidence, after all!
I’m the one who’s sad here. Perverts like you should go die.
The second she was let down to the ground, Animal-chan attempted to crush my nose.
“Hey now, don’t fight.” Tsukasa-san watched us and beckoned Steel-san over.
“Hm?”
“Come over here. It’d be better.”
“Mm…”
The way she gently caressed her daughter’s hair made her look like a true mother, and the way Steel-san awkwardly twisted her head was a truly feminine gesture.
“Then let’s take a picture.”
“Yes!”
Tsukasa-san prepared the camera deftly and set it on the lantern. She hurried back, and pulled the three of us close to her. Everyone smiled. Anyone looking at this would surely think of it as the greatest picture ever. Probably.
*
After Steel-san left us to go bully MaiMai, we started to clean the banquet hall. We cleaned the floors with the cloths, did the same with the pillars we ran into on the way, as well as the tatami floor inside the banquet hall, throwing away all the trash inside.
“…What are you doing?” Midway through, we ran into Tsukasa-san, who gave me a concerned glance. “It’s your day off, so have some fun.”
“No, it’s fine! I feel like cleaning the house instead! Can I not?”
“No, it’s fine. You’re a good boy.” She slurped on her ciga—Wait no, candy—and shrugged. “But don’t barge in like you did yesterday.” She whispered in my ear.
I turned around, but she didn’t look at me.
“Ahahaha…” I let out a faint snicker, and sweat ran down my back.
Did she realize that I did that on purpose? How much does she even know, I wonder?
“…Senpai.” Tsutsukakushi, who had been acting like a baby, rolling around on the floor, now called out to me.
No, it’ll be fine. This warning doesn’t matter. Tsukasa-san answered her phone call, and I used this chance to slip inside the banquet hall, discussing our plans with Tsukiko-chan. The general was about to arrive.
I asked Azuki Onee-san to come here with her husband as a married couple.
‘Someone really evil came to see her! I need the strength of you two to chase them away!’
‘My… what might you be talking about?’
‘Nu?’
In the early morning, when I walked through their living room, I explained the situation as best as I could. I told them about the person trying to bring the Tsutsukakushi sisters back to Italy, and how they had doubts that Tsukasa-san would be able to raise her children properly. That’s why I needed Azuki Onee-san to come over before the stand-in did.
Tsukasa-san isn’t the only adult who lives around me. There’s a lot of other adults watching over me. All these mothers will support me.
‘I don’t want to lose my friends. I like it when Ma-chan, A-chan, and Steel-chan play together!’
Azuki Onee-san blinked several times.
‘Right… I don’t want A-chan to lose her friends.’
I seemed to have managed to convince her pretty easily. I shook her hand and thanked her several times.
‘Thanks! Please come by for sure!’
‘Yes, I promise.’
‘Nu… Nu!’
Azuki Onee-san was smiling, and the bear behind her seemed motivated.
“We have to prepare to intercept the enemy, Tsukiko-chan!” I raised my big thumb.
“Even if they come by, they don’t know Mother at all, so won’t she find out right away?” Tsukiko-chan looked outside the hallway, tilting her head in a worried manner.
You need to understand that, because we are children, we can do whatever we want. There’s no better way to do this. I asked Azuki Onee-san to understand, and the bear played along, and A-chan is in tow… nothing looks odd at all!
With everyone’s efforts combined, we can defeat the malignant evil! I tightened my fists, giving strength to the worried Tsutsukakushi. The hallways were sparkling clean, the banquet hall looked fresh, there were no more obstacles. As a final touch, I ran the dust cloth along the pillar next to me. I poured all my heart into it. There’s no way I’d let this house with so many memories of mine get ruined!
Finally, the doorbell rang, signaling that the mission was about to begin. I jumped out of the room, ran past Tsukasa-san, and opened the door.
“Hello! Thanks for co… ming…?”
The person who greeted me wasn’t who I expected.
“…Hello there, young man. Is the owner home?”
It was the stand-in with her almond eyes.
*
“…Huh?”
I took a peek behind the Breasts Onee-san, but no one else was there. Only asphalt hit by the cold sunlight. I was left unable to properly greet her. I just looked around in a daze.
“…You must be a friend of Tsukushi-san and Tsukiko-san, right. Do you remember me?” The Breasts Onee-san gave me a troubled smile.
Normally I’d comment how this expression really suited her, but I was left completely baffled.
“Ah, hey, don’t just answer the door like that!”
Tsukasa-san walked towards us behind my back, and the woman passed through the entrance. This isn’t good. This is not what was supposed to happen. I didn’t expect her to be this early. It’s like she came earlier on purpose. But I had anticipated this as well, so I decided to obstruct both of them until Azuki Onee-san and husband arrived.
In a rush, I ran inside the gate, took a shortcut through the main yard, took off my shoes, jumped onto the porch, and slid inside the banquet hall with the low dining table. Tsukiko-chan had vanished, probably taken to another room by Tsukasa-san. While I crawled along the tatami floor, the door opened.
“…What are you doing?” Tsukasa-san, who was guiding the Breast Onee-san, let out an irritated voice.
“I-I think I dropped the house key when I was cleaning before. Can I look for it?”
“You…”
I looked up at Tsukasa-san and was met with a sharp gaze. She seemed like she was choosing her words carefully. She looked at the person to her side and sighed.
“…Do that later, okay?”
“I don’t mind…He must be worried, right?” The Breasts Onee-san gave a charming smile, so I started searching around.
“Hmmm, weird… Where is it…?”
I put my fingers in between the gaps of the tatami floor, acting like I was searching around, but in reality, I was looking at the clock, taking my sweet time. Sadly, time moved on, and the doorbell remained silent.
“I wonder what happened…”
Maybe there was some kind of problem with the trains? Or maybe they couldn’t find their way here? I hope nothing happened to A-chan… Ah, maybe she was lured in by some strange man, and her family is searching for her, so maybe I can use this to—
“…That’s enough, okay?” Tsukasa-san muttered.
“Wait, I’m so close to finding it, I can feel—”
“Just come with me.”
Like a fish pulled out of the water, I dangled below Tsukasa-san’s arm and was taken out into the hallway.
The door to the banquet hall closed, and Tsukasa-san scratched her head.
“……”
She glared at me and clicked her tongue. The sharpness of her gaze hasn’t changed for a while now. Yeah, I guess she must be angry. And annoyed.
“I’m sorry! But, I need to find that key! Also, just a bit longer, and then…”
“Listen.” Tsukasa-san let out a sigh. “The people from the Azuki Family won’t be coming.” She said indifferently.
“…Eh?”
Did I mishear? They won’t be coming? Why? How does she know about A-chan anyway? There’s no way Tsukiko-chan would tell her, and I doubt Breast Onee-san was the one to tell—
“I got a call just now, and I declined.” Her sharp eyes were looking down at me.
Like she was angry, bothered—or just pitying me.
“D-Declined… Why would you do that?!”
“Don’t go getting unrelated people involved in this situation. This is our problem, and we have to take care of it. Right?”
“T-That might be true, but…! She promised to help so… Ah, did you make them angry or something!?”
“Of course not. We’re both adults after all.” She gave me a wry smile, like she remembered the contents of the phone call.
I would never understand the reason for that smile.
“It’s not like they came running here. They were ready to hear out the circumstances, so when I explained it to them, they understood. Because they are adults. Nobody would get angry at a brat like you, so don’t worry.”
“That’s a lie…”
I had full confidence that Tsukasa-san was lying. But I didn’t know what exactly it was. A child like me had no way of understanding. All I was forced to understand was the fact that Azuki Onee-san wouldn’t be coming here. Even though she nodded with that smile.
Had I been betrayed after all? Or was there never any real promise to begin with? What was that handshake worth, then? I heard a voice inside my head.
Did you really think an adult would act because some brat told them to?
“…Shut up.”
If I had to guess, then it was probably too late. Tsukiko-chan’s slap didn’t work. I only realized now that my head and body had been mixing together. I should have known that Azuki Onee-san wouldn’t stop by for such a simple reason.
“That’s not fair, not fair!” I stomped on the ground like a young boy who hadn’t gotten what I wanted for Christmas.
“Zip it already, you brat. Calm down for a second.”
Contrary to her words, she put her gentle palm on my head, but that didn’t calm me at all. But she didn’t pull her hand away. From my young vantage point, she looked bigger than I remembered, and I couldn’t even see all of her. There’s a limit for children like me.
“Just listen. I thought about it a lot, but deceiving each other is not important. This is to talk things through. Have a proper conversation on equal grounds. They treasure their grandchildren just as much as I treasure my children. They’re not the bad ones. So don’t try to find evil within them.” Tsukasa-san looked over at the tatami room with a saddened expression. “Because there is no real evil in this world.”
I’m sure her words must be correct, overwhelmingly so. Across this door, the stand-in must be waiting. The Onee-san who would always smile at me with a troubled expression. She would never complain. And yet…
“…I don’t get it!” I shook my head.
I didn’t want to hear these words coming from an adult. If you don’t fight anybody, if you don’t defeat anybody, there will be no story about saving anyone. I wanted to resolve this story with the mind, body, and world of a child.
“For crying out loud. We already came to a resolution, too.” Tsukasa-san changed the tone of her voice.
“No way…”
“It’s the truth. We came up with a condition last night.” She continued rubbing my head. “Don’t worry. Adults have their own ways of dealing with things.”
Finally, she flicked her finger against my forehead, which was my signal to end the conversation. She went back to the banquet hall, closing the door.
*
But I knew. Adults are all liars. There was no resolution at all.
‘Please, let me take care of my daughters.’
‘However…’
‘Please, I beg you…’
Looking through the opening of the door, I could see Tsukasa-san rubbing her head on the floor, like she was desperately begging. She had thrown away all pride and adult charm, ready to fight no matter what. I embraced my knees on the ground, buried my head inside my arms, and closed my eyes. I felt like the world was about to freeze over.
Suddenly, I felt something warm leaning against me.
“…We must have been too childish after all.”
Someone muttered with a quiet voice.
“I felt like this would happen. Because this world was too naive, I figured there would be a setback.”
That’s right. You knew this entire time. I was the one who didn’t. It’s my fault.
“You’re wrong.” A sigh escaped the person’s lips.
My shoulder was grabbed, and a warm sensation enwrapped my body. It was the warmth of a fellow child.
“It is my fault. We never looked at ourselves and what we could do. That’s why the fact that we averted our eyes from reality isn’t your fault alone. You don’t have to carry it on your own.”
I shook my head. I wasn’t denying what she said, I simply didn’t want to accept them. If I tried to accept them, then my chest would ache forever.
“We’ve lived in the world of children enough. We have to become adults now. And then we can do what we cannot right now.” Looking more childish than anybody, with a voice more childish than before, she spoke. “Senpai, you said that you’d borrow the strength of everyone, right? Then there should be one person you should ask more than anybody else.”
“…Yeah.”
“We took quite the detour, but there should be one person who knows. Someone who knows about the Cat God, Nee-san’s sickness, and the Tsutsukakushi Family. Right?”
“…Yeah.” I nodded towards the girl sitting next to me.
I lifted my gaze. The sky I could see from the window was blue, and so far away. Even when I opened my hand, I couldn’t hope to grasp a single cloud.
*
A few hours passed after that. I watched the Onee-san make her way home and carefully entered the banquet hall. Tsukasa-san leaned against the low dining table.
“……”
I sat next to her in silence, and Tsukasa-san opened up a bit of space for me as well. Her gaze was directed towards the yard. The scenery from this angle resembled the one you could see in the picture we took. Now it looked like a miniature garden, cut off by the sliding door.
“It was a great picture, right.” Tsukasa-san muttered.
“…Yeah, I think so as well.”
“She said that the folks in Italy would really like that picture.” Tsukasa-san lied.
“I see. I’m glad to hear that.”
I acted like I didn’t know. I definitely won’t apologize. But…
“Moron.” Tsukasa-san rubbed my head quite fiercely. “Don’t make that face. This is my job, as I told you before. It’s the joy of an adult to do something for their children.”
I am a child after all. She can’t even lie properly, and she doesn’t have the time to worry about me. And yet she seemed happy, which made me feel like crying.
“Tomorrow is Sunday. You’re gonna be playing again, right? Are you having fun staying here?”
“…Yeah, it’s great.”
I wasn’t lying this time. This kind world was so fun it’s insane, and I don’t want to waste a second of it. I don’t want to worry about anything. It’s a Neverland where everyone can enjoy their lives. I really liked this world, and I was happy.
But, just like Tsukiko-chan said, it’s time to grow up. Dreams will end one day. I have to carry the luggage I took with me to this past. I have to walk this path, no matter how tough it may be. Even if a sadder fate awaits me. We have to leave this miniature garden of happiness. So that we can become adults. I rubbed my eyes several times, and slowly opened my mouth.
“…Tsukasa-san, you said ‘Isn’t there something you need to tell me?’ earlier, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s exactly right. It is very important. You might not believe me, and you might get angry at me, but… it’s very important.”
“Mm.” She nodded and gave me a kind smile.
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