World Men à la Mode

Chapter Fifty-eight - Ghibli

~IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE  - Voting for the next story has begun! Voting options are in the Author's Note at the end!~

        "Do you ever wonder if plants get lonely?"

        "Ami? Have you gone off the deep end?"

        "Have I what?"

        "Gone off the deep end? Lost your marbles? Become a basket case? Must I take you to the looney bin?"

        Amilia squinted at you. "Are you saying I'm crazy?"

        "Well, with a question like that this early in the morning, I couldn't help but ponder if you were all there."

        "I'm one hundred percent with it! I promise! It's just a silly little thought that popped into my head."

        "Alright... But to answer your question, no, I don't think about it plants get lonely. Plants don't have brains, unless you count the nuclei in their cells, so therefore they cannot feel pain."

        "But they do release enzymes when you cut them as a sort of distress signal!"

        "You've got me there... But I still don't think they'd feel lonely."

        "Alright. I just wasn't sure if somebody else ever thought about it."

        "I didn't until you brought it up."

        Amilia nodded and continued to comb out her hair. You, on the other hand, rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up and complete your morning routine. Once finished, you made sure your luggage was in order for the flight you had later that night before heading down for breakfast. You had a rather large meal since Kiku suggested a light snack for lunch given he had a grand farewell meal planned for dinner.

        After the conclusion of breakfast, the group headed out to the bus with your luggage and carry-ons that would double as your day bags. You started you day at Sensō-ji, temple to the goddess of mercy. You snapped pictures as Kiku talked about the history behind the temple and led the group around. Your next stop was at Hamarikyu Gardens, former Imperial gardens that had since been open to the public. Here you were granted free time after getting a quick tour. You spent most of your time on a bench, simply enjoying how tranquil it all seemed.

        When it was time to leave, Kiku walked the group to a pedestrian area with a small supermarket to pick up a snack and have more free time to check out the shops. You grabbed a bagged snack, then headed to check out one of the stores that sold porcelain. You ended up purchasing a small hand painted tea set and paid for it to be shipped home immediately. You then ventured to a craft store and picked up a few supplies for a project you wanted to work on at home and also had those shipped back to the states. Your free time was cut short when Kiku went to find you and your friends, saying that he wanted to take you to visit Harajuku Cat Street before the second to last stop of the day.

        Your final activity of the day was touring through the Ghibli Museum, a museum dedicated to the famed Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. You were ecstatic to be there. Studio Ghibli had created some of your favorite childhood movies and to be able to see how some were made was a dream come true. That and you were able to stand in front of a replica of the Catbus from "My Neighbor Totoro", which is where you had taken your picture with Kiku.

        After taking your time with the tour and watching an exclusive Studio Ghibli short film in the theater there, the group was taken to a fancy restaurant for dinner. Kiku hadn't been kidding when he said dinner was going to be a grand one. There were multiple courses, all of which were delicious, the flavors dancing across your taste buds. By the end of the extravagant meal, you were stuffed, barely able to finish your dessert. You trudged your way through the airport after Kiku saw you off. He had given you his contact information upon your request when you found out your shared love for Studio Ghibli. You slept most of the flight to your next destination, Sydney, Australia, dreaming of hopefully not being tormented by the various creatures that could potentially kill you there.