Chapter 4: Act!, while in delirium (part 4)

It's a scene... perhaps strange, uncommon. The flickering light of the lampposts, the silence, the darkness of the night, and a boy with his teacher on his back, slowly walking towards my house... certainly uncommon..

—I'm glad it's not winter right now.— I say.

—Don't you like winter?, it's a season that conveys tranquility, or maybe it's spring.— Razar asks.

—It's not that I don't like it, I like snow, Christmas, making snowmen, lying on the ground to make snow angels... I mean, at this moment specifically, it would be very cold, and walking on the street at this hour, you know..—

—Ah, yeah, today the weather is on our side.—

—..Mmmh.—

I think she fell asleep..

And in the middle of the night, on a street, with a girl who's more alcohol than blood, looking for an unknown house, it happens every day..

As I keep walking to what might be her house, a car approaches us.

—Are you okay?, do you need help?.— Asks the driver.

—Mmmmh?.. I'm fine, I'm fine, we're just looking for my house..— IA says.

—Well, if you say so... but are you sure?.—

—Yes, can't you see?!, this pervert will take me safe and sound..—

..She didn't have to say it like that...

—...Alright, then, have a goodnight..— Says the driver. A middle-aged man, he had food bags on the passenger seat, a last-minute purchase.

—Did he wake you up?.— I ask.

—Yes... damn, I should've stolen his car!..—

—That would really be a crime.—

—Asuka owns the town, no one would care... but I'm glad to see there are good people nowadays... not like you, the…the..—

—The pervert?.— I finish her sentence..

—That's it, the pervert who stalks me and makes up excuses to take me with him and take advantage of me even though I'm his teacher!..—

—Hahaha.. what's up with your imagination?.— I say with a slight laugh.

—Ahhhh!…you finally laughed!, that means you're guilty!. I knew I was right, I should call the police, or the army!.—

—IA, you should control yourself more when you drink, anyone would think you're a danger in every way.— And indeed, I've laughed several times since I saw her in the park, she must be very distracted because of her condition...

—I told you I'm not drunk!, it's... the lack of light, and I can't see well..—

—Haha, what kind of excuse is that?.— I ask.

—What do you think of this?.— I stop in front of a house with the description IA gave me…

—This what?.— She asks..

—This house, it's the only one in the area without a second floor, unless I walked a long way in the opposite direction and it's not the same neighborhood.—

—This isn't my house...—

—Are you kidding?.—

—It's not my house, you pervert who's kidnapping me!...—

—....—

—What?, why aren't you saying anything?..— IA asks.

—Your name is written on the entrance, IA..—

—.....—

—...Well... now that I look at it more closely, it might be my house...—

—Might?.—

—Shut up...—

She's like a child…

I lower IA from my back and open the patio door.

A house like this, without a second floor, has its attractions even with the lights are off.

In front of the door is a green mat with black lettering that says "Welcome".

I look for the key in her briefcase, but evidently it is not there.

—Can I have the key, IA?.—

—The key?.—

—Yes, of the door, houses don't open without a key.—

—….I think I lost it.— IA searches her pockets, looking a bit disoriented..

—...Then you'll spend the night outside..—

—Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas.. as this usually happens... I always have a plan B.—

—Usually happens?, you get like this every day?.—

—I don't drink every day!, plan B is around here...—

IA moves her hand for me to follow, and swaying a bit, she leads me to the side of the house. I try to hold her gently, I'm worried she might fall..

The grass is a bit tall, it hasn't been mowed in a while, as she said she was on vacation..

—This is plan B...— IA says..

—...A doghouse?..— Upon reaching the other side, I see a small doghouse in the backyard...

—No!, that house was already here when I moved in!. Plan B is that I always leave the patio door open, just in case... just in case... Ouch!!—

Without realizing it, IA hits her face against the glass door...

—...IA...first you have to open it..—

—….I was…checking its resistance..—

—Sure...— What can I say?...

If it weren't for the fact that she's red from alcohol, I would see how embarrassed she looks..

—As I was saying... I leave this door open in case I get too wasted at Asuka's bar...—

—...…— It's hard to believe she's a teacher..

—Why isn't it opening?...— IA asks..

She's trying to open the door, but it seems she forgot it's a sliding door... and IA is trying to push it like a conventional door... it's funny and strange to watch...

—Allow me..— I say, sliding the door, it really was just unlocked.

—I almost had it!...— She says..

—Of course, you were almost there...— I play along..

We enter her house, and I look for the light switch, in an instant, the living room is illuminated.

—Dwelling, sweet dwelling, goodnight, my Razar...—

Just by walking in, IA lay down on the floor of her dining room..

—It won't be good for you to sleep on the floor, let's go to your room.—

—Pervert...—

—.....—

..It's a pretty small house so it's easy to move from one place to another, I understand why she lives here.

—..You want us to have more daughters?, not if you are a hopeless pervert.— So much alcohol must make her hallucinate...

I help her get up and take her to what I suppose is her bedroom.

I open the door, turn on the light, and I was right. IA lies down on her bed, finally, it was a more complicated feat than it seemed..

—...Don't try anything..— She says.

—I won't, I'll leave now.—

—Mmmmh, really?..—

—Yep.— I reply, seriously, honestly.

—I think it's not quite true...— She says, opening the drawer of her bedside table and… she pulls out a firearm, sliding the slide twice to load it.. and to take a bullet out of the chamber that she throws towards me... I catch it with my hand… it's... live ammunition...

—See?, I can kill you if I want to..—

She is completely drunk but her hand does not tremble at all when holding her gun…

—Why did you hug me in the park?.— She asks.

—Mmmh.. I had to do it.—

—......— IA says nothing, looks at my necklace and lowers her gun..

She looks sad..

She looks at me again and slowly closes her eyes...

She fell asleep...

I stand still for a moment, then walk over, leaving the bullet on her bedside table..

I take off her high heels and cover her with the sheets. Looking at her face, she still has "silly" written on her forehead... yet she's very pretty..

I suppose it's time to leave, who would've thought the day would end like this..

—Goodnight, IA.— I caress her cheek and turn off the light, closing the doors and leaving.

***

Beep beep beep beep

...Is that the alarm sound?..

—Mmmmh...ahhh, my head.. Why did I drink so much..?.. And no, it's not my fault for not knowing when to stop, that's Asuka's job. She probably knew this was going to happen and didn't say anything.—

—Mmh… what time is it?..—

I look at my clock...

At least I woke up on time, I don't want to be late on the second day of the year.. or any other day.

I get up with some heaviness but with the usual energy..

"Silly"… I see my reflection in the mirror as I enter the bathroom..

—I have to get rid of this from my forehead and think about how to return the favor to Henrietta.—

***

After a refreshing shower and dressing in clean clothes, I feel better. Whenever I drink too much my head hurts a bit but luckily only for the first few minutes upon waking up.. Maybe I shouldn't go to Asuka's bar for a while, it always ends the same way..

Now all that's left is to drink plenty of water and I can start the day. I think the secret was having rested all night.

—What I don't remember is how I got back, I told Asuka I would walk, then I went through the park..—

..I feel the heat consume my face...

—..I'm fired..—

I freeze in my kitchen..

—I didn't just say all that!.. he carried me all the way!.. What if someone else saw us?..there was a man in a car!..he saw me with him...—

—It's over...I'm fired.. The police are probably on their way...they'll deport me from the country if I'm not sent to prison for the rest of my life… Either way it's over..—

—Or I can ask Asuka for help and I could be a fugitive on the run from justice.…—

—.....—

—….But wait a moment.. I didn't do anything wrong.. Think, IA.. I didn't do anything, he carried me.. and then he left, right?, nothing happened at all...—

—Yes, of course, nothing happened, no one saw anything strange..—

—......—

—….I'm dead...—

—For now…. let's have breakfast, yes, breakfast and pretend that everything is fine.. I can hide under the table and hope all gets sorted out somehow...—

—Aahhh!...—

I startle at the sound of my phone…

—It's just the phone… I'm very nervous.. I need to calm down..—

Is it from the school?, I need to check the caller ID… "Kaoru"...ahh, thank goodness..

—Kaoru, good morning, it's strange that you're calling me.—

She lives right next door so she always comes directly to my house if she wants to talk..

—IA, good morning, sorry to call you at this hour, so early.. I didn't go straight to your house because I'm still loading some things in the car. I have to take lunch to my husband before he takes the bus, and I won't have time to take my daughters to school, could you do me the great favor of taking them for me?, I'll make you a cake as a thank you!.—

—Sure, don't worry Kaoru, and a cake sounds delicious, can...—

Did she hang up?..

At the same time she hangs up I hear the doorbell..

I walk to the door to turn the knob... Oh, right, it doesn't open, I lost the key yesterday..

—Kaoru, can you hear me?, I lost the key, you can come in through the patio door.—

—Alright, I'm heading there.— I barely hear her voice.

If it weren't for the patio door I'd be in big trouble since there's only one copy of the main key and I always forget to make a duplicate.

—Good morning, IA, sorry I'm in such a hurry, my husband forgot his lunch and he surely didn't realize it. His car is in the workshop until next week, I have to catch up with him as soon as possible and the school is in the opposite direction, I don't want them to think I'm a woman who leaves everything to the last minute and arrive at 1pm with his lunch..—

—Don't worry, I can take them.— Although thinking back, my car is at the school..

—Good morning Kanna, Kaede.— I caress the twins' heads. I've already gotten used to treating Kanna like a child, despite her adult appearance...

—Good morning, IA..— They greet somewhat sleepily.

—Be good with IA and do everything she says, kay?, mom has to leave quickly.—

—We'll be good girls..—

Kaoru kisses her daughters' cheeks and hugs them goodbye.

—IA, thank you, we'll see each other later.— She hugs me too and quickly rushes out of the place, she's really in a hurry..

—Well, come in, I was about to make breakfast, did you have time to eat?.— I leave the door open behind us, which leads directly to the dining room and at the same time the kitchen.

—Yes, mom made us cereal with milk.—

—Oh, that's a great breakfast, you can sit here while I prepare the food. Do you want anything to accompany me?.—

—No, it's okay, thank you.— Kaede replies.

—So adorable.—

It's easy to identify them because… you know.. They have the same hairstyle and most of the time the same clothes… but it would be impossible to mistake who is who...

I think it's good that they are here, it'll help me distract myself a bit from my... misfortune..

I take out the meat, vegetables, fruits, and eggs from the fridge to then turn on the stove.

—Do you need help, IA?— Kaede asks.

Instantly both of them come to my side.

—Oh, sure, you can prepare the salad.— I say with a smile.

—Yes, we'll help with the salad.— Kaede says.

The twins usually visit me, so it's a quite normal scene for us to spend some time together.

Generally, Kanna is very quiet despite her appearance, which makes Kaede the spokesperson for the twins. She is more lively, energetic, and her personality also becomes intense when she listens to classical music…

It turns out that one day Kaede met Henrietta, who only likes that style of music, and then she became a faithful follower of that art..

But that's not all, the twins have a deathmetal band....

—What are the ingredients?.— I ask.

—Lettuce, tomato, carrots, peas, salt, and olive oil.— Kaede replies.

—Exactly, just like always, routine is something I like, I love it.—

I glance at the clock on the pendulum, with its characteristic "tick-tack" sound, in the corner of the dining room to make sure we have time..

Yes, we're fine.

I make space on the counter and put what we need. I'll have to see how they do it, it's not the first time but I wouldn't want them to cut themselves.

I look for a small knife, the one they always use when they visit.

—Here's everything, be careful.— I say.

—Yes, first we need to wash the vegetables and fruits.— Kaede says, separating the lettuce leaves while Kanna washes the tomatoes.

I start with the meat, I'll put a little more just in case they change their minds.

Together they cut the ingredients for the salad, tomato isn't my favorite fruit but in this dish I really like it.

I take occasional glances, and they really know what they're doing, they don't seem to have any problems.

—We need some cheese for the meat, it's almost ready..— I say.

***

—Fine, it's time to serve everything. The good thing about this menu is that it's very quick, less than 10 minutes... or something like that, and it's very filling.—

We serve everything on a plate and head to the table..

—......—

..The table moves to all sides.… no comments.

—Oh, I forgot the orange juice, I guess it'll just be coffee this time..—

We sit down to start breakfast.

—Thank you, our Lord.— Say the three of us.

I check my phone and haven't received any messages saying I'm fired or something worse, it's a relief…

—If you want, you can eat with me pretty ones.—

—Thanks, IA, but the cereal was enough.— Kaede replies, they are a bit serious..

—Great then, you know, I've always thought..—

—IA.— Kaede says my name before I finish my sentence..

—Yes?.—

—Yesterday we saw you coming back late.—

—..How embarrassing...— Kanna adds..

—….I think I'll turn on the TV.— I look away searching for the remote..

—Forbidden!.— Kaede exclaims.

—Even more, we saw you coming with a boy!. Kanna and I have the obligation to watch over this neighborhood so we're always checking that there are no strangers lurking around.— She continues..

—.....—

—We offer you a confidentiality deal..— Kaede says..

I already knew her adorable personality wouldn't last long... here it comes..

—If you give us all the cookies in your house, we won't tell anyone, but if you refuse, the whole planet will know that you're inviting strangers into your house, and without being married to him!, what a shame!.. The deal is simple, the cookies for our silence.— Kaede concludes her con..

—Yes, the cookies..— Kanna repeats..

—….I think it's a fair deal..— I say..

I'm surprised they saw me, they must take their watching very seriously. It wasn't too late either, but if they keep it up they'll become high-level extortionists and end up working for someone I know even though she says she's "retired".

I know I didn't do anything wrong last night, but.. I'm embarrassed... and for some cookies, it's worth it..

—It's fine.. I accept..—

—Kanna, let's get the cookies!..—

They both get up from their chairs like negotiators from some gang... and search for their prize in the cabinets…

Kids nowadays grow up so fast, but it has a certain sweetness to it. In this case it's an innocent mischief, now that they're little girls they look very cute trying to be like mafia bosses..

—Kanna, lift me up!..— Kaede says, looking up to meet her younger sister's eyes..

Kanna takes her sister's small body and lifts her up with ease so she can reach the upper shelves in search of her treasure..

Then they return to the table with as many cookie packages as they can carry and sit back down. They look a bit red, I guess they're feeling a bit embarrassed... how adorable..

***

—It was very tasty, and it's time to go to school, right?— I say.

We wash the dishes and get ready to leave.

—Aren't you taking the cookies with you?.— I ask.

They've left them in a corner next to the door.

—Our house is locked, we can't take them, but we'll come back for the loot later... Don't you dare eat them!.— Kaede says.

—Hahah, I won't..—

—Mmmh, I'm not sure..— She adds, looking distrustful.

—Are you ready to go?.— I ask.

—Yes.. but IA..—

—What's wrong?.—

—Keep our deal a secret from our mom, or she'll surely get mad at us..—

—Okay, no one will know..— Haha.

I pat both of their heads to help them relax. So adorable..

—For now, that door is not good, I lost the key so we have to go out through the dining room again..— I say.

We pass through the patio to the street.

—And we don't have a car today either, so we'll have to walk..— I add.

—..IA…...—

—Kanna, what's wrong?, are you okay?, does something hurt?.— I ask, suddenly Kanna starts crying..

—We didn't know you were poor, we'll give you back the cookies, we don't want them...— Kanna says..

—Was that it?.. haha, no, I'm not poor. The door does work, I just lost the key somewhere last night, my lawn is tall because I was on vacation and my car is at the school because yesterday... it was a nice afternoon to walk so I came back on foot.—

Or better said, Henrietta stole my keys and I had no other choice..

—Really?..— Kaede asks.

—Really, the cookies are yours.— How adorable, Kanna hugs me, she has a lot... a lot of strength.. Kaede was about to cry, they must have thought I didn't have any money..

—Time to hurry up or we'll be late. Ah, and if you happen to see my door key on the ground, let me know.—

—Mmh!.— They both express at the same time.

We start walking down the street and I remember that last night, just in the opposite direction, Razar was carrying me..

—IA, your nose is a bit red.— Kaede says.

—I'm fine...—

—Were you thinking about your boyfriend?, you should get married already, IA.—

—...I don't have a boyfriend..— I can't tell them he's my student whom I only met yesterday..

—IA, if you're not married to that guy, then you can't bring him to your house like that, unless you're a pervert.—

—Where did you learn that word?!.— I ask..

—Mom taught us to identify threats.—

Am I a threat?..

—He's not my boyfriend, he's someone who helped me because I was... lost.. and then he left, that's all..—

—Mmmh.. suspicious.— Kaede says.

—Yes… suspicious.— Kanna repeats..

—I think the cookie count will increase..— Kaede adds..

—I'm telling the truth....—

If I lose composure with two little girls, I'll be lost when I have to talk about this with someone else..

—The park!, IA, can we play?.— Kaede asks.

—Not right now, we have to go to school, I promised your mom..—

But it's better to pass through it, maybe I'll find my key, it could have fallen when I sat down or when... Razar carried me..

—Ehhh...even just for a little while.— Kaede insists..

—You know how your mom gets when she's angry..—

—Ah...— Kaede remembered that it would not be good to deceive her mother..

We arrive at the park where now there's no one. Some children accompanied by their mothers can be seen on the streets, all the same age as Kanna and Kaede, they go to the same school.

—I was here last night.— I say.

—Playing?, aren't you too old to play at the park, IA?.—

—I wasn't playing... I was resting on one of the benches, and my key might be here. We don't have much time but while we're here, you can look for a golden-colored key. The lock on my house isn't very common so if it's on the ground, it'll be easy to see.—

—Fiiine, but I wonder what my payment will be for the extra work..— Kaede says..

—I'll pretend I didn't hear that.—

The three of us split up, I'll just quickly look where I think I was yesterday, I can't be too meticulous.

This is the bench where I sat... but there's nothing.

I keep walking, the place is accompanied by some bushes, a drinking fountain, playground equipment, and trees.

The ground is made of dirt and obviously there's some dust, also a bit of mud…

"Mikuni"..is written on the ground three times. Was she here, or is it another girl?…

Haha..I smile and bow, writing "IA" with my finger.

—Have you found anything?.— I ask.

—Noooo.— Kaede replies.

—What about you, Kanna?.—

—Mmmh.— Kanna just shakes her head from side to side without saying anything...

Looks like we had no luck.

—Let's continue then.—