Page 70 of Fumiko and the Finicky Nestmate
They passed a bus that had been plastered with a campaign poster, reminding folks that there was an Amaranthine candidate running for president. Argent and Michael often discussed how much the United States would change if Cyril Sunfletch won his way into the White House.
A billboard promoted the final season of Pure Instinct, the crime-fighting drama whose popularity had skyrocketed thanks to an openly Amaranthine actress. Another channel was hyping a lineup that included Dare Together and Crossing America. Alongside Between Friends, a new daytime talk show hosted by a beaming Amaranthine duo.
It was progress. But Juuyu would probably insist that Suuzu disguise himself as a human before he’d let them tour around.
The trolly poked along, stopping at every corner, but they finally reached the Amory, and Akira stepped off. He and Tabi-oji hadn’t set an exact time or place, but Akira decided to wait inside.
If Sinder was stationed at a table, he was out of sight. Or maybe he was in some kind of team meeting. Colt should be around, too, but the only Amaranthine in the lobby was Tuft, who was doing his ambassadorial part for the In-between. Akira drifted close enough to confirm that his sign was still in place … and to offer the lynx a silent greeting.
The slight inclination of his head cheered Akira immensely.
He wandered over toward the lunch counter and scanned the names of sandwiches on the menu board. One of the workers smiled and waved him over. “Any questions?”
“Umm … no. I like the names.”
“Great, huh? We have nutritional information for all of them. Say, would you like the menu in another language?”
Akira asked, “Do you have Japanese?”
“Of course!” She passed him a menu card with the shop’s logo on it. “You can have this. We do catering, so if you’re throwing a party, keep us in mind!”
“May I have two?” Akira wanted to bring one home to share with the family. “Thank you very much. I’m waiting for a friend before I order.”
“No rush. Whenever you’re ready.”
While he’d gotten the gist of most of the English descriptions, it was nice to have the assorted toppings and sauces demystified. He could kind of see how they’d tried to match up the sandwiches to their namesakes.
The Elderbough was piled high with sliced meat, served au jus with a side of fries. Plausible. By contrast, the Mossberne involved falafel in a pita with cucumber relish and tahini sauce. Akira had to wonder if people were more comfortable thinking that dragons were vegetarian. Because he’d seen the trays of food Jacques brought upstairs when Lapis first woke from his long sleeps, and rare steaks figured prominently on his menu.
But the real kicker was the Mettlebright. Argent’s name had been added to the kind of katsu sandwiches that were typical at lunch counters back home. Thin pork cutlets, shaved cabbage, and tonkotsu sauce on white bread with the crusts removed. Served in a box with a side of pickled vegetables. They were Jacques’ favorite. A guilty pleasure, he called them.
To be fair, they were a family favorite, as well. Argent, Ginkgo, and Michael would make platters of them, enough to feed the whole enclave, whenever they decided that Sansa and Sonnet needed the evening off.
Akira wanted one. Or maybe he just wanted them.
He couldn’t ever remember being homesick before.
Pulling out his phone, he sent texts until the telltale clack of wood on stone alerted him to Tabi-oji’s approach. The man was dressed in the same manner, and it hit Akira that it was the first time they’d been standing next to each other. If not for the centimeters he gained by his geta, Tabi-oji and Akira would have been about the same height.
“You made it!”
The man offered a slight bow, then considered the menu board. “Is this what you would like to eat?”
“Sure. The food’s good. I tried three of these sandwiches yesterday.”
Tabi-oji’s eyebrows shot up. “I am surprised by your appetite.”
Akira laughed. “I shared with a friend.”
The man hummed, and his attention strayed back to the menu. “I am not used to these kinds of things. Choose something and share with me?”
“That works. Do you have a preference?”
“You would like to try something new, yes?”
That was appealing. “It’d be fun to work through the whole menu. Will you be here long enough?”
“I could be.”
