The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 116~♫

Old Rigaku froze, the fear paralyzing his body. This man once came to homeschool them during summer. Their father had to leave for a long business trip, leaving them in the butler's care.

At that time, the technology still evolved, and mobile phones weren't as common as they could be in ten years. The signal also got cut more often than not if one ventured deep into nature.

And the sensei acted normal and all smiley in front of others while holding an iron grip over the brothers. Telling them the test results would make their father happy upon his return. It fueled them to try their best, but that wasn't enough for the man.

"What's this?" the homeschool sensei asked, picking the book as if it was radioactive trash. He needed only one glance to figure it out. "You are wasting your time with this!"

The sensei grabbed small Rigaku by a wrist, dragging him out.

"The free time is rotting you! I'll make you learn until you vomit blood! You are meant for greatness far beyond your imagination!"

Old Rigaku watched the scene as it dimmed into shadows and feelings of helplessness. He couldn't do anything. This was already in the past. Start of the time when he stopped smiling.

The darkness enveloped him, and the book floated in front of him. He reached for it, pulling it closer. For whatever reason, this book always spoke to him. He had found it comforting reading inside like in no other.

Opening it, he listed its yellowish pages, recognizing the pictures he used to stare on for hours, creating his own stories.

'What's this?' his eyes focused on the upper corner of the backside. There was a text.

Rigaku was sure he or his brothers didn't leave it there as their father taught them to value every book.

Squinting, he read the dimmed text. 'To my children, keep dreaming, as our dreams are wings of freedom. Kazue Kamini.'

Tears spurted down his cheeks. How could he have forgotten the words their mother had left behind? All the stories had left inside him a soothing feeling as if their mother was beside him as he read them. Perhaps her words inside were the reason.

He closed the book, taking in the cover once more. Flowers climbed around the edges with birds and butterflies among the vines. The title "Our Dreams" faded and imitated handwriting with curls. In the middle, sat an oval picture in a white frame of a lotus blooming in the fall. Which was strange, but anything was possible in dreams and fairy tales.

Paying attention to the author's name, he whispered it, "Yasu Jin."

He kept staring at it. From the first time, he felt a connection with this book. Telling the stories he had read inside to his brothers. Kagetsu wasn't able to read a full story without falling asleep. And some characters confused him too.

"Peaceful God?" he asked himself, and nobody as that was the direct translation of the name. "Father had said this is a very special book he holds dear."

His eyelids turned heavy, and he blinked, rubbing his eyes. At the moment, the characters blurred, forming new letters.

"Is this—!"

His eyes shot open, and he was back in the school hall as if he had never left it.

"... I'm merely worried Rigaku-san would miss his chance to make himself a name," Mori's voice scratched Rigaku's ears as ice covered them.

Kenta clenched his fists.

"But I don't expect from a worm to understand the high literature. I've heard you write some crappy poems. What I waste of time." The Council Head's gaze could pierce steel walls.

"Mori-san"—as Rigaku spoke for the first time in a while, their eyes turned towards him—"you should go see a doctor before it gets worst."

Blinking, Mori needed a few moments to analyze the sentence. "Oh, this?" He lifted his arm, showing the scratches as he no longer needed a bandage. "It's almost healed. Thank—"

"I didn't mean that." An unreadable expression spread across Rigaku's face. One that couldn't be categorized into a happy, sad, confused, or angry one.

"Then what?" Mori shrugged his shoulders.

"It's about your mouth"—Rigaku's face imitated a lunatic's smile just moments before pushing the detonation button—"it switched place with your anus. You should go check it before it gets worse."

The first one to react was Kenta, who seconds later held his stomach, surpassing the burst of laughter. Students around them, who gathered in quite a number, had the same problem. One guy had to bang his fist against the wall.

Mori's face turned into a tomato, his muscles twisting in complex ways he could pose as a model for Oni*.

"You!"

"Yes?"

Mori clenched his jaws to their limits before he had left without a word. A murmur spread around them, and Kenta's eyes sparkled.

"Cool."

Rigaku blinked, realizing he wasn't thinking straight, he rather headed forward, finding a place without people.

"You were so cool!" Kenta repeated as he followed.

"Y-You think so?"

"Of course!" He returned the notebook. "You so kick him in the butt!" The small boy punched the air.

"You were actually more impressive."

Kenta stepped back, scratching behind his neck. "Not really. I was shaking the entire time. I'm a coward."

"Cowards don't speak their mind as you did."

Kenta blushed like crazy, avoiding Rigaku's sincere eyes. "T-Thank you. It just made me angry he made fun of your book."

"That's alright. I shall not allow people like him to poison my day." Rigaku took down his glasses, cleaning them into a handkerchief.

Kenta returned him an honest smile.

Putting his glasses back, Rigaku deeply bowed. "Sumimasen."

*Oni – Japanese ogre