Page 35 of Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate
“They’re here because this is where I happened to set them down. Nobody else uses this room.”
“I get that. Kind of an overflow. Do you mind if I find them a temporary home? It’s for Juuyu’s sake.”
“Because the room needs to be empty?”
Akira crossed to a cabinet and began rearranging its contents, presumably to make room for more things. “I live with a phoenix, so I know. Crowded places make them uneasy. I want to clear this space and clean it up. That way Juuyu can relax.”
“You live with Juuyu?”
“I live with Juuyu’s brother.” Coming to her side, he pulled out his phone and flipped through photos. “Here. This is Suuzu.”
It was a selfie taken on a beach. They were posing with a man with windblown curls and laughing eyes. In the background, children in bright swimsuits played in the shallows. But the one Akira gently touched with the tip of his finger looked like a younger, leaner version of Juuyu.
“He’s my best friend.” Akira’s smile was sad. “He’ll come if he can. I know he wants to.”
“Would he sing for us?”
“Yes! You should hear him and Juuyu sing together. It’s the best.”
Fumiko asked, “And he’ll be happier if this room is empty?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re happier when he’s happy?”
Akira’s smile turned shy. “Yes. Please?”
She nodded. “We can find new places for everything.”
For the next few hours, they shifted piles. When the closet was full, Akira ferried a box up the spiral staircase to her room. Moments later, his voice carried down. “Is it okay if I go to the top?”
“Go ahead. Yes.” Climbing the stairs, she joined him on the gallery with its view of the ocean.
“This is amazing,” he said. “I want to show Suuzu.”
He snapped a picture and sent it to the one he wanted to be with. Fumiko could understand. She often wanted to show things to Zuzu. And her sister was always showing things to her. Because they were part of one another. Lives intertwined.
She noticed him enter another message and send it along. “Did you tell him that we are getting ready?”
“Oh, no. I’ll probably tell Suuzu later, when we talk. That one was for my uncle. You saw his picture. Uncle Jackie made me promise to keep in touch. Same goes for Ginkgo and Isla and Quen and … well, a bunch of friends. See? This one’s from Ginkgo.”
He showed her the message and its reply, but she couldn’t translate the characters. “Read to me?”
“Oh, sorry!” Akira read the exchange even as he added to it.
Home away from home is a lighthouse
This is the view from the top
Are you imposing on your hostess?
Maybe a little
She’s a patient lady
The kiddos want a turn
I’m foisting you off on them for a bit
