Ride on Time

Chapter 49

Mitsuo dressed up in a traditional kimono and looked at himself in the mirror, adjusting his hair. He smiled at his reflection and left the room.
The house smelled great, the scent of toasting mochi filling the air. Mitsuo followed his nose to the kitchen where Akiko was preparing the ozoni, fully dressed in a kimono of her own.
"Hi, Mom," Mitsuo greeted.
"Hello, Mitsu," Akiko greeted without turning around. "Can you help me arrange the Osechi Ryori?"
"Sure," Mitsuo sat down at the kitchen table and started on it. "Where's Dad?"
"Still changing," Akiko said, stirring the Ozoni. "Apparently, he got his obi muddled up."
"How?" Mitsuo asked, amused.
Akiko shrugged. "Beats me."
Hiroshi soon came in, all dressed, and ended up helping Mitsuo arrange the boxes. Akiko was soon done with the Osechi and they started eating.
"One of the best things about Oshogatsu is the mochi," Mitsuo said, pointing his chopsticks at his bowl. "I miss this every year."
Hiroshi nodded in agreement. "Agreed. I feel like Ozoni should become a part of everyday cuisine."
"Maybe I'll make some more some other time during the year," Akiko chuckled. "But you guys have to help me make the mochi."
"Or we can buy the readymade one," Hiroshi suggested.
"It's not as tasty as the one made at home, Hiro-kun," Akiko pointed out. "Look at this texture. Amazing, right?"
Mitsuo nodded. "Yeah. Your mochi is the best."

***

Everyone woke up later than usual, especially Shree. She staggered out of the room, realising that she was the only one still asleep, and made her way to the living room. Her brother was playing video games at the tv while her mother was in the shower. Her grandmother was brushing her teeth at the kitchen sink.
"Morning-morning itself you playing ah?" Shree yawned as she sat down on the couch. She turned to the tv screen and frowned at whatever he was playing. "What's that? Why is it running around like that?"
"Space ninja," Vasu said, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Looks like Yoshimitsu," Shree smirked. "With the same kinda suit, like sotong."
She watched for a few more minutes before making her way to the bathroom.

"What's for lunch again?" Shree asked over breakfast. "You guys never plan."
"Apple pie," Chandrika said. "And you're making it."
Shree's eyes widened in surprise. "What?!"

***

"When are you leaving for Malaysia again?" Akiko asked, reshuffling the deck of Karuta after a few rounds.
"On the tenth," Mitsuo said. "Midnight."
"Midnight?!" Hiroshi exclaimed sin surprise. "That's so late! Why?"
"So that I can reach on time and not night," Mitsuo shrugged. "I wanna be there before noon."
"How long is this flight?" Akiko frowned.
"Around seven hours," Mitsuo replied. "I don't think I can sleep since... well, the trip to Kansai itself takes like an hour and and a half and I have to be there at eleven."
Hiroshi sighed. "Want me to drop you?"
"What business do you have in Malaysia anyway?" Akiko cut in.
Mitsuo shrugged. "Just want the experience. Also... I wanna gather info for a new book."
"What book are you working on?" Hiroshi asked, interested.
"One that takes place in Malaysia," Mitsuo shrugged. "It hasn't started yet, but I wanna start on one. And for that, I need an inside experience."
"I see..." Akiko nodded, setting the deck of Karuta down before clasping her hands together in front of her chin. "So this is why you were interested in those books..."
Mitsuo sighed in defeat. "Yes... I wanna know what Malaysia is like!" He blurted out. "I wanna know how they live in harmony with such diversity."
There was silence at his outburst.
"Okay..." Hiroshi nodded. "I'll drop you off at Kansai, then."
"And I'll wake you up before eleven if you sleep," Akiko nodded. "And better sleep earlier so that you feel fresher."
"Thank you!" Mitsuo said gratefully, bowing slightly. "This means so much to me, my dream trip."
"Have you readied your visa?" Akiko asked, pushing the deck of Karuta aside.
Mitsuo nodded. "Everything is set. Got my passport too." He hesitated a little, moistening his lips with his tongue. "You guys wanna come too? I can get everything ready for you too."
Hiroshi smirked. "Well, you're not the only one travelling here. Your Mom and I are going to Fukuoka for some business."
"Oh." Mitsuo uttered.
"On the same day," Akiko nodded.
"Oh..." Mitsuo nodded in surprise.
"Yeah..." Hiroshi decided to change the subject. "So, have you packed?"
"Dad, there's still ten days more," Mitsuo pointed out.
"Nine," Akiko corrected. "You've gotten everything, right?"
"I have to double-check on that one," Mitsuo admitted.
Hiroshi snorted. "Aki-chan, better help him. You know how he's gonna leave something behind. Remember what he did when we went to Okinawa?"
Mitsuo turned away sheepishly. He insisted that there was no need to bring soap since he was bringing a large bottle that would be enough for everyone, only to find it missing when they reached the resort. It was a good thing that the resort provided soap and shampoo in every bathroom and during room service.
When they got home, they found the large bottle of soap lying on the living room couch.
"Yeah..." Mitsuo chuckled. "Better double check."

***

Shree sat at the dining table, a roll of clear matte cellophane, tape, and a pair of scissors in front of her. She unrolled the cellophane and placed her copy of Timeless Love on it. She made a rough measurement and cut out the piece before neatly wrapping the cover of the book so that it would last long and not get ruined very easily.
After that, she opened the book to see when it was published. To her surprise, it was very new, only published in mid 2022. She would say that it was this year, but it no longer was 2022.
"Wah, very new lah, this book," Shree observed, closing it with a snap.
"When they publish?" Chandrika asked, doing something in the kitchen.
"June," Shree remarked. "Quite new. I'm surprised it arrived here."
Chandrika nodded. "Japanese ah?"
"Yeah, I think," Shree said, looking at the cover of the book, a flaming heart behind a vintage stopwatch. "The writer's name is Mitsuo Tadao."
"Mizuya Tak Ada?" Chandrika asked.
Shree groaned. "Mom, why do you always have to butcher everything?"
Chandrika grinned. "What was it? Mizusha Tado?"
"Mitsuo Tadao," Shree sighed. "You know what, forget it."
Chandrika started laughing. Shree got up and put the all the stationery away in her room before going to the living room to play video games with Vasu instead.

-sotong means squid. I'm not making fun of Yoshimitsu because his suit was made to look like a squid in the first place.
-tak ada means don't have, or not here lol.