Page 27 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
The boys followed her in, and Akira grabbed a basket, moving off toward a case of prepared lunches. She ducked down the aisle with crunchy snacks and immediately brightened. They had new flavors! Making a few choices, she moved to the candy aisle. It was a little too early for Junzi to have released their special edition wrappers for the upcoming Star Festival. But Kimiko was pleasantly surprised to find another chocolate bar in the plum blossom sleeve. She’d buy it for Mrs. Miura, since she was planning to drop in for her promised visit over the weekend.
Kimiko glanced around to check on the boys, and Suuzu met her gaze across the store. With casual grace, he made three distinct signals—rejoin us, trust me, and … something she didn’t know how to interpret. Hurrying to his side, she said, “I missed the last one.”
“I know. It only holds meaning for the phoenix clans. Would you like to learn our ways?”
“Please!” Kimiko touched his sleeve. “What did you say?”
“At which point?” he asked solemnly.
She was used to this kind of thing from her Amaranthine tutors. They always favored hands-on lessons. Learn by doing. Emulating the tilt of his head, she flared her fingers before brushing her lips.
Suuzu’s soft whistle was complimentary. “You are a fast learner.”
Kimiko jiggled impatiently, and to her amazement, Suuzu smiled. “I asked for a bedtime story,” he said. “And in returning the gesture, you have promised one.”
That was new. Totally unique within her limited experience. She was still practicing the movement of fingers when Akira rejoined them then, swinging his bag of snacks, so she hastily moved to the counter to make her purchases.
They continued along the sidewalk, and she ripped open a bag of crisps. “Want some?”
Akira looked askance at the package. “A favorite of yours?”
“Never had it before,” she admitted, popping one into her mouth.
“Any good?” he asked suspiciously.
“Not sure yet.” She took another and smiled. “The flavor might grow on me.”
He cautiously took one and sniffed.
Suuzu lifted a hand in polite refusal. “Returning to our earlier discussion,” he said. “Who was your mentor at Ingress Academy?”
Kimiko shook her head. “Someone like me doesn’t get singled out. I wasn’t tapped for apprenticeship.”
The phoenix’s gaze sharpened. “I have seen you use a wide range of expressions, representative of dozens of clans. Many of them so nuanced, you must have seen them firsthand.”
“Oh! Well, yes. My sisters and I have had temporary tutors since we were little. From all over. None of them stayed for more than an afternoon or two, but my grandfather was good at finding more.” Kimiko wasn’t especially good at math, but two or three tutors a month over the course of a dozen or so years wasn’t hard to tabulate. “There have been quite a few. Not so many lately, though.”
Akira was counting on his fingers. “That’s like … almost four hundred teachers.”
“It sounds more impressive than it was.” Kimiko munched morosely. “When my older sister and I enrolled at Ingress, we weresofar behind everyone else. There are huge gaps in our knowledge of the basics since we tended to follow our interests instead of a set curriculum.”
Suuzu said, “Put another way, you have spent years refining an exceptionally narrow field of study across a surprisingly diverse cross-section of Amaranthine society.”
“I guess.” She scrubbed at the side of her face, which was feeling rather warm despite the winter winds. “It was the only way.”
“Hmm?”
She didn’t want to sound peevish, so she balanced her words with a hopeful posture. “Reavers of my rank hardly ever get close to an Amaranthine. We don’t attract your interest or attention. It’s not like we’re banned from approaching you, but we’re given no opportunity to do so. But I don’t have to get close to offer a greeting.” Kimiko offered signals for respect, gratitude, and a quirky tanuki blessing for a thick pelt in winter. “I never get to learn their names, but I can almost always win a smile. And that makes me happy.”
“Reavers outnumber us a hundred-to-one, in every generation.” Suuzu’s hand found hers. “And most Amaranthine prefer the security of enclaves or seclusion.”
“There aren’t enough Amaranthine to go around.” Akira seemed embarrassed. “Guess that makes me really lucky, huh?”
“To have a phoenix for a best friend?” Kimiko gave Suuzu’s hand a small squeeze. “I can’t even begin to compare.Mybest friend is a tree.”
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