“Ah, it’s in English this time. Let’s see... ‘I’m coming to your town right now.’ When he says ‘right now,’ do you think he means today?”
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“What's he coming here for?”
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“Wait. It also says, ‘I’m bringing a present for Ren.’ Did you tell Bud that you were coming here?”
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“No. I didn’t tell anyone that I was at your place. Not even Yuri.”
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“How did he know?”
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“He’s got good instincts.”
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Kazutaka paced around the room, wondering if he should meet Bud at the station, what he should do about tea and snacks, if Fuwa-san was coming along, and how he would communicate with Bud without being able to speak English. Then the phone rang again.
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“Hello, this is Yui. Huh? Yeah, I’m all better now. Perfect. Uh-huh. Okay. Come on over. Your mother’s coming as well? Okay. Got it. Looking forward to seeing you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka put the phone down.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Sorry, Ren. A student is coming with her mother. They need career counseling.”
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“Should I leave?”
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“No, please stay. If Bud comes while they're here, I need you to talk with him.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Then there was another phone call.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hello, this is Yui. Oh, Takuya-kun’s mother. What can I do for you? Oh, about the interview the other day? Did the school say anything? This is regarding a school recommendation? Uh-huh. Well... I see. Oh, don’t worry. There’s nothing to cry about. Um, Takuya-kun has locked himself in his room? Okay. I’ll send him a friendly text message on his cell phone. Call me again if there are any new developments.”
✦ ✦ ✦
When Kazutaka finished the call, the phone rang again. It was as though someone had been waiting for that precise moment.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Hello, this is Yui. Oh, Mr. Kobayashi. Yes, this is about a parent-teacher conference schedule. Oh, yes. Everyone’s times are set. Shall I fax you the schedule? Is tomorrow okay? I've got it.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka smiled as he put down the phone. He told Ren that it was always like this if Kazutaka missed school.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So, the phone just keeps ringing like this?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Yeah. I was absent for a week. Right now, the children are probably spreading the word, ‘Mr. Yui is feeling well now.’ So, in a little while, a whole bunch of e-mails will start storming in.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Just as Kazutaka predicted, e-mails started coming in every five minutes. The phone rang between times. Kazutaka had to call someone occasionally, too. It was all quite hectic.
✦ ✦ ✦
Ren didn’t have any time to rest while he was working at the factory. But Kazutaka was now just as busy. Thirty minutes later, Ren took the cell phone from Kazutaka, turned it off, and threw it into the closet. Ren also turned on the answering machine for Kazutaka’s home phone.
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“What are you doing, Ren?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“I’m kissing you.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Kazutaka burst out laughing. He responded understandingly to Ren’s selfish emotional needs.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Shall I change the outgoing message on my answering machine?”
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“How would you change it?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“To saying, ‘Hello this is Yui,’” Kazutaka pretended to pick up a phone receiver. “We are kissing right now and I can’t come to the phone for a while. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message, and I’ll call you back...”