It was a painful journey from the school to Yuuko’s shop. The sun was already beginning to disappear into the horizon as Watanuki hobbled his way to his workplace, holding his much sorer left arm. He didn’t bother to clean up the mess in the sports equipment room. Let some other lackey to do the work. He wasn’t in the mood or physical shape to clean after his other classmates who had their turn using the baseball equipment. He had a job to do, though he wasn’t sure if he was fit to complete it. Even his arms were sore as it is from Doumeki’s tantrums.
“You’re late, Watanuki.”
Watanuki flinched at the unconcerned voice that came from the other side of the sliding door of her smoking room. He wasn’t in a mood for arguments.
“Sunimase, Yuuko-san. Something came up in school. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Go take a bath.”
“What do you want for din…Nani?”
“Go take a bath, Watanuki, then come in here. I assume you know where the bathroom is.”
Watanuki didn’t expect Yuuko’s order of the day. Usually she would put up that cute smiley face or call out delightfully from her smoking room for Watanuki to make insane, impossible sake-complementary cuisines that sometimes he had to refer to a pocket cookbook to figure out what she wanted. This time Yuuko sounded like as if it was a matter of life and death, and he wasn’t even on a mission. Yet there was no figuring out the witch. You may as well know her for all your life and she still keeps you guessing. Might as well go in and face the music.
Quietly, he made his way to the bathroom to clean himself. Trust the witch to be into aesthetics when he saw that it was one of those traditional bathtubs made out of wood where you have to heat the water with firewood. It was filled to the brim and steaming perfectly, as if expecting Watanuki to come in and inviting the boy in with its bubbly noise it made. He took off his ragged clothes, stepped inside the bath and scrubbed himself from head to toe, trying to get rid of the smell of sex on him. He couldn’t believe he lost his virginity in a way he had hardly expected to be. He had never felt so dirty before in his entire life. It was worse than being hit by a whole bus load of spirits or being dumped with garbage by a garbage truck, if he ever had been dumped with stinky trash before. He scrubbed so hard and so desperately that his skin stung at the touch. If he hadn’t paid attention, he would’ve scrubbed himself raw to the point of bleeding.
After being done with his bath, he was surprised to be held on each hand by Maru and Moru (I hope I got their names right) as soon as he got out of the bathroom and was led gently towards Yuuko’s smoking room all the way towards the dressing board veil where Yuuko often stood behind to change clothes while he waited hand and foot on the other side with her sake ready. The witch, who was lounging on her oriental couch as usual, watched silently and smoked her pipe without a word. Mokona was waiting behind the board veil, sitting beside a huge black box that had a gold carving of two dragons spitting fire at each other. Maru and Moru sat him down beside Mokona and took off his bathrobes, stripping him bare. Watanuki felt a little awkward at first, but remembering that they were used to helping their mistress dress and watching her naked all the time, he relaxed a little as he let the two girls and the small black ball of fur help him with his wounds.
“If it is any consolation to you, Watanuki, he wasn’t being possessed by spirits or anything. His feelings were real.”
Watanuki flinched, not because of the medicine applied to his bruises, but by Yuuko’s remark. He should’ve known that the witch would know what happened to him without even having to witness the situation or have a first glance at his condition. Or else why the sudden red carpet treatment? But how could she know what was going through his mind on trying to rationalize Doumeki’s sudden actions?
“Hitsuzen, Watanuki. It isn’t the best way to describe it, but it’s a fact.”
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion,” Watanuki muttered grudgingly.
“Of course not. I would never imply that,” Yuuko replied in a half-smiley tone. “I’m just thinking out loud. Anyway, you should’ve been nicer to Doumeki-kun. He’s had it as bad as you did.”
“Are you saying that whatever happened to me is my fault?!” Watanuki was enraged. How dare she accuse him of something that stone-faced boy did?
“I wouldn’t say it’s entirely your fault. Besides, like the expert says, ‘No matter how provocative or seductive someone may be, if anyone lay a finger on that someone and makes the first move, then the person making the first move would be the one at fault’. But honestly, Watanuki, think about the things he had done for you. Think of the arm he almost sacrificed when you’re on the Angel-san case. Think of the 10 long hours him digging and waiting for you under the pouring rain when the ame-warashi asked for your help. Think about the little return he asks from you for such big favours he did you. He never asked for more, and yet you go around yelling and screaming and complaining like you don’t appreciate him or anything. Even calm and collected guys like him get hurt, you know.”
“Are you saying that I deserve this? Are you saying that the pain I just went through is nothing compared to his?”
“Pain is not an option, Watanuki. It’s how you deal with it that’s important, and you are not dealing it right.”
Watanuki fell silent as Maru and Moru finish up with the last bandages on his torso. He knew Yuuko was right in a way. Doumeki had been enduring most of the beatings when they were sent on missions, and he had not uttered a single word of pain or discontent about it. He had said nothing more than a passive ‘Aho’ or ‘Hm’ or ‘Urusai’ to every single rant and rave he made at him, and never even bothered to fight back whenever he argued with him because he knew fighting would only make matters worse and that action speaks louder than words. Even when he refused to thank him for his efforts during missions, he just brushed it away without forcing the issue. All he wanted was an extra bento for lunch. That’s all he asked for. He never required him to do anything that was beyond his cooking skill range and never asked him for payment of silver and gold of some sort, and he never blackmailed him or bargained with him to do his bidding. Just a lousy bento and they’re even.
He knew that. He knew all that. But still…
“You can have the day off today and tomorrow, Watanuki. Go home and take a rest. Just help me make a call to any restaurant and order a take-out for us before you leave.”
“Hai,” Watanuki said as he got up slowly. Maru and Moru gave him a set of new clothes to wear while they disposed of the ragged ones. He had no idea where the girls got clothes that fit his size and all, and he probably didn’t want to know it either. It can very well be one of those payments Yuuko collected for a wish granted. He wore it without any protests and picked up his school bag. He dialed the number of one of those well-known sushi restaurants and ordered bento for four before heading towards the door.
“Watanuki.”
The boy stopped in his tracks, not facing Yuuko who was standing three feet behind him and bracing himself for anything the witch had to say.
“Think about what I said.”
Watanuki’s heart ached at her words. He had expected her to say something nice like ‘Be careful on your way back’ or ‘Do you need Mokona to follow you home’ or ‘You can spend the night here if you want’, but then again, a kind word from Yuuko was wishful thinking. He nodded wordlessly and made his way out of the door and into the streets, turning left towards his home.
He barely paid heed to the tears that accompanied him all the way back to his apartment.
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