Vol 1 Chapter 1.4 (1/2)

Chapter 1 - The woman warrior dances in the night - Part 4

Cla.s.ses end at 6 in the evening. Even though it's past summer solstice, the sun's still high and it's too bright to call it ”evening”. And it's hot.

I walked on my way home, my body smelly and drenched in sweat from club activities. My typical, singly detached house is on the corner of a residential district 15 minutes by foot from school. While it is comparable with the old traditional houses of s.h.i.+rais.h.i.+-cho, there are numerous new houses in Nanaobi. Our house, like most houses, was built by my father in 3 years with funds from a 30-year loan.

”I'm home--”

The smell of curry greeted me as I entered the entrance hall.

”I'm home. Is it curry for dinner?”

As I entered the living room, Mom's voice from the kitchen greeted me again.

”Welcome home. You're just in time. Please help me with dinner preparations. Ah, wash your hands before that. Take out the laundry, too.”

”Ha-i.”

I took my sports bag to the bathroom. Opening it, I took out my dirty tennis gear. As I threw them into the was.h.i.+ng machine, the words ”Ah-, table tennis ...”

Right now, I'm a rookie tennis player, but I was an active table tennis player in middle school. I had intended to continue playing table tennis in high school also, but the table tennis club was dissolved before I could enter high school, so I moved to the tennis club. I enjoy tennis as a game, but there are times I miss the ping-pong ball. That's it for my side story.

”Mya-”

As I did my laundry, something purred at my feet. Mi-ko, a Siamese tabby, approached my s.h.i.+ns.

”I'm home, Mi-ko. Have you been a good cat?”

Crouching, I held her just like holding a woman on both sides. As I kissed the cat just like kissing a maiden, Mi-ko too licked my lips with her rough tongue. What a cute cat.

Carrying Mi-ko, I returned to the living room.