DRAGON: First Link

31.0: Party

"You're late..." naka dekwatrong puna ni Oba sakin pagkalabas ko ng kwarto. Jeez, as the one who has the most in sense of time, she strict when it comes to being late or being tardy. Rational reasoning doesn't work against her; like this:

"Uh, Filipino time?" I scratched my head.

"There is no such thing as Filipino time because you're half-Jap, half-English, hime."

See?

"Ugh, Sumemasen desu, I haven't notice that it was getting late, Oba-san. Honto ni, there was a surprise attack at our base, and I have to defe—" Di ko na natapos dahil binatukan na niya ko ng pagkalakas-lakas. "Oba-san, ittai!!"

"That's for getting out of the game late. Now go to the kitchen, the visitors are coming in a full 30 minutes." Mother went and started towards Chiro's gaming door. "I've already boiled down the meat, to shorten your cooking time."

"Oba-san, arigatou!! Labyu!!" tumakbo na agad ako pababa sa kusina, just in time to hear Chiro's screams of agony. But wait...

Visitors?

Since when did we have visitors on my parents' birthday dinner?

"Pro-tip: always be on time. Especially when you SO's the one who's in charge with your sched." Joichiro quickly flashed his knife and started to rinse the boiled meat. "Shio, mince the onions, the garlic, and those peppers there. Let see them suffer. Mwahahaha."

"You're crazy as ever when it comes to this." I muttered, loud enough for him to hear. We cooked in silence for about thirty minutes, with the sounds of kitchenware the only thing anyone can hear.

"Nga pala, Oyaji, sinong bisita?" I simply asked.

"Ahh, your Grandpa and two of my friends." He winked at me, before focusing in dressing a plate. "Probably your friends too, but I can't contact them. 'Di naman sila nagbibigay ng contact info eh."

"As if." I sighed while cutting the lettuce before passing it to him. "Nobody wants to share their contact numbers to someone whose identity they barely knew. Heck, I don't even know where you are when you're not at home."

"Hidoii."

"Seriously, though. Happy birthday."

"Sh-shio..."

"Hoi!! Visitors are already here!! Come fast, and be ready with the food!! You're already behind by 17 minutes!!" Mother's voice boomed out from the kitchen door.

Chiro flinched. "Okay, giri-giri, but still on time. No need to get angry no??"

"Congratulations." Oba beamed at us with visible appreciation, then her gaze darkened. "Now serve it!"

Chiro and I both sighed.

"I wonder why I love that woman." He said.

"I wonder why for all these years you never understood that woman."

"Hidoii!!"

Handa na lahat ang nasa lamesa. There was really an abundance of food. What the hell, Pasko lang ang peg? Not that I mind though. I've been raised in a family which considers December as a cold month with long nights, perfect for doing more work inside the kitchen. Opo, hindi po kami nagce-celebrate ng Christmas. Well, there's Joichiro who believes in the many gods of Japan, and both Mother and White Lolo are atheists...

"Heh, I thought you live much grander than I, hime." A voice so familiar to me said. I looked at the speaker. "I am so much disappointed that you let Chiro-sama live here."