One Ordinary Evening
ONCE we polished off the noshi ume, I reminded Kon that the big plum syrup tasting party was tomorrow. He returned home with an enthusiastic spring in his step, almost as if he were hopping up and down along the path. Switching places with him, Techi chose that moment to come back from work. After she finished changing and washing her hands, we enjoyed dinner together.
Now, it was our leisurely lounging time after the meal. I left the TV on in the background, tuning in and out to its sounds while the two of us spent a relaxing moment in the living room. I was facing the low table as I sat cross-legged, listing up our expenses today on my phone’s accounting app. That was when Techi lightly patted my legs, issuing a silent command to change positions. Dutifully, I uncrossed my legs before sitting down on my knees. She lay down on my lap with satisfaction.
She’d taken the initiative to come over and use my lap as a pillow, so I wondered whether she wanted my attention. I looked at her and tried to reach out, but immediately, she glowered at me and bared her teeth as a threat. The answer was clearly no, so I could only ignore her presence for now and focus on getting our accounts sorted.
The local autonomous government was responsible for paying Techi’s wages, but it was a relatively humble amount. Her main income came from the autumn harvest. Meanwhile, my current income was a big, fat zero—I had to wait until the autumn harvest as well. Because of that, most of the numbers I entered into the household account sheet were in the negative.
Our expenses included utilities such as electricity, gas, water, our phone line, our Internet, our mobile bills… Then our food expenses, food expenses, more food expenses, and would you believe it, even more food expenses. Techi and Kon required a high-calorie diet, while my hobby was making preserves. Naturally, that meant our expenses to do with food added up to a shocking amount. But uh, well, it’s not like we can lower the standard of our meals after everything that has happened, so I’ll just think of them as necessary expenses.
I would have to reconsider our options if our household was still operating at a net loss after selling and exporting our harvest—our chestnuts and walnuts—but my savings combined with Techi’s savings added up to quite a substantial amount, so I didn’t have to be too anxious for now. Furthermore, based on what Také had told me, the renovation costs weren’t going to be all that expensive. And it wasn’t like I was using fancy ingredients for every single meal. Yeah… We’re probably okay for now. …I think.
Such thoughts ran through my mind as I worked through the sheet, but that was when something twitched and moved near the bottom of my vision. I glanced down, and the mystery items that were twitching repeatedly turned out to be Techi’s ears. Maybe she wants to talk with me about something? Thinking that, I looked at her face, but her expression turned sour yet again. Raising the white flag of surrender in my mind, I returned to sorting out our expenses.
Upon entering the last entry for the day, I gathered all the receipts I’d spread out on the low table and stacked them up into one neat pile. Fastening them with a paperclip, I then put them away in a confectionery tin that had been repurposed as a receipt box. Even after I finished my work for the day, Techi refused to move from her spot on my lap.
Hesitantly, I called out to her. “Uh… Techi? I’ve already finished entering data into our account book, sooo…”
For some reason unknown to me, Techi let out a sigh. She picked herself off the ground reluctantly, as if to say, “You’re such a handful,” before she settled on her usual seat.
I inclined my head quizzically. “Erm, just wondering, but what were you trying to do just now?”
She shook her head with exasperation once again. “With how our work lives are, I haven’t got any chances to see you look cool and focused while you’re busy with your job. I was hoping this was my chance, but you were more organizing than working. And well… Aren’t lovers and married couples meant to cuddle and use each other’s laps as pillows?”
That response took me by surprise, and for a moment, I was speechless. I hummed in thought before I finally said, “My expression when I’m working, huh? I mean, back at my old workplace, I was basically wearing my obligatory salaryman smile most of the time. If you want to see that, I can pull it up whenever you want, but I don’t think it’s anything fun to look at.”
I paused to sort my thoughts. “As for lap pillows… Um, my impression of them is something gentler and more peaceful? At the very least, I don’t think there should be any threats involved when someone reaches out during a standard lap pillow experience…”
She raised an eyebrow. “I know about your salaryman smile thing, but it’s not like you plaster it on your face twenty-four-seven, right? I’m talking about your expression when you’re doing paperwork or typing away at your computer.” She paused and looked away with seeming nonchalance. “As for the lap pillow thing, I guess I’ll work on that from now on.”
“When I do paperwork…” I gave it some thought. “I did the majority of my work on computers, whether it be paperwork or ordering materials and stock, but I honestly can’t imagine what kind of face I was making. Most of my coworkers were either narrowing their eyes with focus or frowning grimly.” I shrugged. “I don’t think I’ll get many chances to look like that in the relaxed atmosphere of the Beastly Wilds.”
“Frowning grimly, hm?” She seemed to have an idea. “Should I take you along to the chestnut orchard when the flowers are in bloom? Maybe that stench’ll give you something to frown about.”
I shook my head profusely. “No, please spare me from unnecessary suffering, Techi. My nose isn’t as sharp as you guys’, but I think the odor will still do a number on it. And if my nose is out of commission for a while, you’ll have to brace yourself for the taste of our meals to go all over the place. With stuff like taste and flavor, I need my nose to be working if I want to get it right.”
Hearing that, Techi’s eyes widened like saucers, and she trembled with shock. The scenario of our meals becoming a chaotic lottery of flavors must have been extremely effective, because she didn’t make any further comments. With a slightly disgruntled pout, she folded her floor cushion and lay down, propping up her elbows on it and resting her face on her hands. For a while after that, she was rather docile as she quietly watched the TV.
We shared such trifling conversations and quiet almost every day after our marriage, and I wasn’t against it all. In fact, it had become a daily sweet and precious moment with Techi that I’d grown to cherish.
That said, we were still at the stage where we were getting to know each other better—at times, I feel that there was a small distance between us. But well, that was something I—no, we had to work on from now on. Our relationship was dependent on how we were going to nurture it.
Time trickled by peacefully. When I started preparing the bath by turning on the bathroom water heater, Techi headed off to fetch her towel, her nightwear, and other bathing necessities. Soon, the water heater wall panel played a melody, signaling that the water was ready.
Hearing that, Techi clamped her hand around my arm firmly and dragged me all the way to the bathroom, as if silently declaring that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. This had also become one of our routines—or perhaps calling it our cue was more accurate.
It was the end of the day, but the night had only just begun.