To Hell And Back

On the shifting plains of a border realm, in the heart of a conjured city, two figures walked the winding streets in silence. The hunched gray man let his stocky companion absorb the sights without distraction – the sorcerer had plenty to untangle. The buildings here appeared to be in better condition than the ones that came before – still showing signs of decay, but maintaining much more of their former veneer. Yet, despite being less tarnished, these streets seemed warped and fused, constantly bringing dissonance into the flow of Matsumura’s recollection. Houses that were supposed to be blocks apart stared at each other from across the street, walk-through alleyways ran into dead ends, circular turn-arounds branched in new directions. Regardless, short man did make sense of what was going on. The city was huge. Unlike his modest hometown, he couldn’t possibly remember it in its entirety, and now the parts he did recall lumped together, creating this bizarre condensation of his former habitat. The wave of returning memories was not as overwhelming as the first time, but hardly any more structured, compelling Matsumura to scan his surroundings with certain intent. He wished to find something to grab onto – a tangible grounding point. ‘Oh, this is where I was buying my shirts!’ he livened up, stopping by a dusty storefront. The graphics on the glass largely peeled off, only distantly resembling scissors, needles and coils of thread, while the name of the store degraded beyond recognition. The man put his hand on the large window and swiped some of the dust off. ‘Heh… It’s not just a mirage after all…’ he affirmed out loud and took a peek inside. Save for a few bare shelves and incomplete mannequins, the store was empty, with only a scattering of tiny particles drifting slowly in the intruding ray of light. Matsumura sighed disappointedly, blowing a small, suffocating cloud off the storefront, coughed and waved his arms in front of his face, stepping away. ‘Not… ehem… not a lot to see inside though,’ sorcerer said, clapping the dust off his palm. ‘Then it must have not been important to you,’ suggested gray stranger. ‘Places of significance retain more… grip. More vibrancy, more longevity. Echoes of the past cling to them. You have seen some of them on our way here – all around, sinking into the soil. A single lamppost could outlast this entire city, if that is where you have met your first love.’ Giving that insight a bit of thought, stocky man caught some embarrassed blush onto his cheeks. ‘It would not be a lamppost, heh-heh…’ he chuckled, rubbing his neck, before pulling the conversation away from the topic. ‘But how should I find such special places if I don’t remember them yet? I mean, right now, everything is… kinda… you know.’ ‘Hold on to the thread you were unravelling, magic-user Matsumura,’ advised the old man. ‘Make connections to what you have already brought forth.’ ‘Just “Matsumura” is fine,’ sorcerer offered with a sheepish smile, feeling like this strange companionship was already awkward enough. ‘Let’s track down my job then. That’s why I moved here, after all…’ He cast a sweeping glance around this chimera of a neighborhood, struggling to ascertain even the overall part of the city it was supposed to be in. ‘I, ehm… I doubt we’ll find it easily though…’ he admitted, with the usual whiff of apology in his voice. ‘With everything being higgledy-piggledy like that, I mean…’ ‘If it is important to you, it will make itself seen,’ assured him the gray man. ‘Walk where your feet carry you, and you will reach it.’ With no concrete ideas of his own, pudgy sorcerer could only follow that advice and walk on. Just as before, the sights of the decaying city kept bringing back an assortment of little remembrances from different times of his life. Perhaps, he was indeed a creature of habit, if so many were connected to same places. Only, it wasn’t helping. What was supposed to be a chronicle was steadily becoming noise, and Matsumura sought to reign it in. ‘When I first came here, it was, you know… a lot,’ he resumed his tale from before. ‘Kinda scary. Sato-san couldn’t pick me up at the train station that day – there would have to be someone else. So, I was to go straight ahead from the main exit, to meet a girl in a yellow dress by the star-shaped fountain on a big square. A simple instruction, I thought – easy to follow. But, eh-heh… that’s not accounting for distances.’ Swayed by a ghost memory, Matsumura looked back, attempting to reorient himself against the train station, but that impressive building has long disappeared from sight, shouldered off the skyline by its taller brethren. He had to carry on without aid. ‘Back home, that description would mean I’d see the fountain right from the station steps. Here though…’ the man wrinkled his cheeks, fighting an emerging grin – amused by his own past simplicity. ‘Here, I could hardly see the street, with all the people just… flowing everywhere. To them, it must have looked like I was half-asleep, while I couldn’t understand why everyone was in such a hurry. Everything was so different and new and captivating – I couldn’t stop gawking around. Meanwhile, that square with a fountain just… wouldn’t appear…’ Sorcerer shivered, remembering vividly the sinking feeling he tried to escape that day. ‘At some point, a sort of… Idunno… worry creeped in – that I’ve been going in the wrong direction. That, maybe, I exited the station on the wrong side, or, you know, got turned around in all the bustle. I just couldn’t comprehend one road stretching on for so long, and, truth be told, despair was already hanging over me, when, heh-heh… at last, I did reach it. I don’t even know how to describe that first impression. It wasn’t a square to me – more like a… a paved field.’ With timing too perfect to be a coincidence, the two companions’ journey caught up with the tale, as they stepped from under an archway and found themselves on a paved square. Not at all living up to Matsumura’s description, it was crammed between huddling houses, and the fountain in the middle was no more than a cracked basin with rusted pipes protruding from its center. The man knew that this place was always grander in his memory than it could possibly be in reality – that he’d never be as impressed by it than on that day – and now that idea swung all the way in the other direction. Approaching the fountain, sorcerer put his arm on the railing running between the points of the star, forming the enclosing circle. Rough from corrosion, it was warm to the touch, same as on that sunny day, and, despite weathered basin being completely dry, the man could faintly catch the smell of spray in the air. For a moment, Matsumura even thought he could hear dissonant grumble of countless footsteps and low, unintelligible murmur of a crowd, but the illusion vanished as soon as he tried to home in on it. ‘Here, right at the center, she was waiting for me…’ the man continued with quiet warmth. ‘Hana-chan – my future boss’s daughter. Well, future ex-boss’s I should say… She was quite gorgeous, but worked as waitress at that same diner, and volunteered to meet the new guy on her day off. Seeing her was such a relief, I can’t even begin to tell you… She couldn’t help but laugh at my fish-out-of-water look, and then treated me to my first ever hotdog on the way over. It was a… memorable day, that’s for sure, heh-heh-heh…’ Resisting the wish to linger in a moment, sorcerer looked around the compressed square and pointed his now rust-covered hand towards its corner, where, between two rows of houses, a narrow road went deeper into the city. ‘Now it’s this way, I think.’ For a while, despite the steady stream of memories, the journey continued in silence – for one reason or the other, Matsumura kept his latest insights to himself. The same ambiguous smile returned to his face as when he recognized a place he never thought he’d see again. His gray follower refrained from probing – instead, keeping a scrutinizing eye on the man’s pace, his posture, the unconscious motions of his puffy fingers. Perhaps, he didn’t need to ask questions to come closer to the answers he sought. It wasn’t long before two companions were standing in front of a small diner tucked between two office buildings – though, it didn’t look like it belonged in its surroundings. For one, it maintained its appearance better than most its neighbors – looking aged and abandoned, but not falling into disrepair. More damningly, its summer terrace spilled out across the sidewalk and onto the street, coming a lick short of the dividing line. “Hearty Eats” said bold letters on its front. For reasons not fully known even to him, Matsumura didn’t hurry to enter the joint, nor even to take a peek through the windows. His eyes waded slowly over the simple exterior, but it wasn’t hard to tell that his mind was somewhere else. ‘Not going to come inside?’ asked the gray man, after allowing his companion some time to drift in the currents. ‘Oh, I…’ jumped the sorcerer, coming out of his thoughts, and tugged at his collar, as if his necktie suddenly became too tight. ‘No… No, I think, we can move on. It was just where I worked for a time. I lived further down the street – let’s see how that place held up.’ ‘As you wish,’ did not object the stranger, and the travelers continued on their way. ‘At first, Sato-san lent me a room at her place,’ picked up his tale Matsumura, leaving the diner behind. ‘She said I could stay for as long as I needed, but I didn’t want to impose, of course, and started looking for a new place right away. I was expecting to find a modest apartment – small and affordable, just to have a place to rest my head at, you know?’ Sorcerer glanced at his gray follower, hoping to glean if the problem of lodgings was something familiar to him, but clarity remained unattained. ‘Anyway…’ he continued, before his companion could catch on to his curiosity, ‘while I was checking my options, one landlady mentioned there was another way: I could rent a decent apartment, if I didn’t mind sharing it with a roommate. She even had someone in mind who also was looking for a cheaper deal that summer – a perfect opportunity, she said. I think, she was way, way more enthusiastic about the whole thing than I was. Her horoscope foretold a fateful arrangement that morning, you see…’ With another quick, probing look, pudgy man attempted to gauge, what attitude his companion held towards superstition, but, yet again, there was nothing to read on the gray man’s wrinkly face – as unmoving and absent as the tone of his voice. Not wanting to further risk harrowing eye contact, Matsumura could only go on with his story. ‘And, um…’ he grinned, feeling slight embarrassment over upcoming confession, ‘to no one’s surprise, I couldn’t say “no”, so it was settled. It was all good though! The place was nice, and we quickly found common language with that other guy. Maeda was his name. He was a bit older – worked as a bank… something, somewhere in the business district. He was probably underemployed on that position – I’m sure, the guy could run circles around his peers. Heck, around his seniors, too!’ Hearing himself, Matsumura suddenly felt like he may have gotten a bit over-excited. Or, maybe… over-protective? Either way, he could afford dialing it down. ‘I mean, probably… It seemed that way to me, anyhow,’ the man clarified. ‘When he talked about his job, it was all mumbo-jumbo to my ears, but he was passionate about breaking out of his margins – realizing his full potential, you know? He read all those different publications, attended seminars and the like. I… respected that. Admired even. Maybe envied a little, too. I, myself… Well, I was made from different dough. Not that I thought about it, of course…’ The journey continued, and so did the story. Years prior, at the “Hearty Eats” diner of the magic-user realm, a workday was coming to an end. Inside, last few customers were finishing their orders, relaxing in their seats, as evening light poured through the windows, giving the interior an air of calm and warmth. At the back, in the employee area, a young man of short stature was washing the dishes, scrubbing and rinsing plates and cutlery, before giving them a short puff of smoke out of the tip of his finger and putting them away. Today was a busy day, and his movements were now slowed down with fatigue. Even reserving his smoke usage to one little waft per item, young man was nearing his limits. He was ready for his shift to end quite a while ago, yet, just as he was about to finish the remaining batch, a young girl with a butterfly-shaped mask walked in, carrying more on a tray. ‘Last ones for today, Matsumura-kun!’ she chirped, putting the tray on the counter by the sinks. ‘You better hurry up – your friend is here.’ ‘Right. Thanks, Hana-chan,’ young man replied, hiding his exhaustion behind a smile. The girl would not be fooled. She shook her head and rolled up her sleeves, stepping to the struggling employee’s side. ‘Sa-ame as ever,’ she scolded softly. ‘Not a peep when you could use a hand. Lemme help, before you keeled over.’ ‘No, no, Hana-chan, you don’t have to…’ tried to object young sorcerer, but the girl stopped him with just a hint of a frown. ‘Refusing help you could clearly use is not stoic or charitable, Matsumura-kun,’ she proclaimed with unflinching firmness. ‘And there isn’t anyone to impress.’ ‘Oh… Okay…’ conceded the tired lad, seeing that Hana would not budge. Having divided the remaining dishes, the two got to finishing the work, and, not wanting to create a weary mood, Matsumura rummaged in his noggin for a conversation starter. He didn’t come up with much. For as long as he worked in “Hearty Eats”, he was mainly trapped back here, while Hana fluttered between the interior and the terrace, and neither took the initiative in bridging the gap off the clock. Matsumura – out of shyness, while his ever so radiant colleague – the daughter of his boss and a cherished member of a sizeable flock of friends… Well, the stumpy dishwasher from “a little town over that-a-way” had a pretty concrete guess on that account as well. Whether he was right or wrong, to this day, the two remained strangers in all but name. ‘Aren’t you tired yourself?’ young man probed cautiously, rinsing a batch of forks. ‘You’ve been out there all day too, you know.’ ‘A little…’ didn’t deny the girl. ‘But I’m the next owner in line, so it’s on me to look after the staff. Especially the stubborn lot that doesn’t take breaks…’ ‘Wanna stick with family business then?’ steered past the final comment Matsumura. ‘I couldn’t have guessed.’ ‘And why not?’ responded Hana with weird haste. ‘Papa already did all the heavy lifting, and I’m learning management directly from him. It should go swell.’ ‘I… see,’ acknowledged young sorcerer, trying to recall if there was anything off in what he said. ‘I just thought a stunning girl like you wouldn’t be wanting for grander opportunities, you know.’ As soon as the last word left Matsumura’s mouth, he realized he may have made too bold of a jump and went red as radish, teasing a laugh out of his colleague. ‘Why thank you, ha-ha!’ she affected being embarrassed, with another plate in hand. ‘I’ve been scouted for “grander opportunities” once or twice, yes.’ ‘Why didn’t you go?’ young man hurried to move the conversation forward. ‘I mean, you’d have success for sure…’ ‘Thought about it,’ shrugged the girl. ‘Curious how traveling around the world would feel like. Living in vogue, hearing my name on strangers’ lips… Same as anyone, I guess,’ she recalled, without a hint of regret in her voice. ‘But I’m holding on to my roots. I grew up around here, know a bunch of people, have plans and all. Don’t wanna give it up. I’m down with simple happiness.’ Hana peeked at her co-worker, who already finished his half and was now snatching cups and saucers from her side. He seemed satisfied with her explanation well enough – or maybe didn’t care either way. After a moment of hesitation, the girl went a step further. ‘Besides…’ she shared, in the same open tone, but just that little bit quieter. ‘Papa would always say: “Shame on the parent whose child’s biggest dream is to be seen”. I think… I just didn’t want to be taken for such child. Papa’s girl that I am…’ What was meant to come out nonchalantly couldn’t avoid betraying vulnerability, and, for some time, the room was taken over by the sounds of running faucets and clinking of glass. Though, of course, it could not continue forever. ‘I, um… That’s…’ muttered Matsumura, putting the last saucer on the rack and turning off the water, not really sure where to go with what he heard – his eyes darting to Hana and back. ‘Oh, hey, you have a stain!’ While, perhaps, a little opportune, this was not a mere distraction. Indeed, on the bright surface of Hana’s uniform there was a fresh, ugly smear of gravy, likely put there by a dirty tray. ‘Aw, blazes…’ the girl bit her lip, stretching the stained section of cloth to have a proper look. ‘And I just had it washed…’ ‘It’s fine,’ comforted her Matsumura, grabbing a leftover paper napkin off the counter. ‘Lemme help.’ Putting the napkin near the blot, young man poured some smoke over the greasy substance – his motions swift and efficient from abundant practice. Dark cloud seeped deep into the cloth, gently and thoroughly breaking the foodstuff off the threads and carrying it onto the paper, and, in just a few moments, the uniform was pristine once again. ‘Here, all done,’ reported the sorcerer, throwing the napkin in the bin. ‘Thank you,’ beamed Hana. ‘You’re always such a darling…’ Embarrassed with praise, Matsumura turned his face away – seemingly focused on untying his apron, while, in his head, searching for a suitable diversion, but the city girl saw right through his trick. With a mischievous smile, she reached forward and wrapped her arms around young man’s neck. ‘Wait, wait, wh- Hana-chan…’ stuttered blushing sorcerer, caught completely off-guard, but the girl just grabbed the strap of his apron and hoisted it off. ‘Your shift is over, magic man,’ she informed amusedly. ‘Go pick up your friend. He’s waiting on the terrace.’ In a minute, Matsumura was out the front door, a bit light-headed from exhaustion and all the embarrassment, to be greeted by a slim young man sitting at one of the summer tables – his friend and roommate, Maeda. With his blond hair, blue eyes and impeccable tidiness, he tended to look quite dashing, though it was sometimes spoiled by his tendency to drift off into his thoughts, at which times his features would become stern and rigid, with detached coldness to his gaze. He did however seem to have a soft spot for Matsumura, always livening up a little whenever the two would reconvene. ‘Evening, busy bee!’ he smiled, standing up. ‘Long day today?’ ‘You’ve no idea…’ moaned short sorcerer. ‘How was that seminar of yours?’ ‘Went pretty well,’ nodded the blonde with contentment. ‘Probably the last one I’ll attend for now.’ ‘Home then? No detours, pleaseandthankyou.’ ‘Yeah, fair enough. Let’s go.’ The two friends left the terrace and headed down the street – at first, in silence. However, Maeda kept shooting quick glances at his tired pal, clearly weighing something up in his mind. ‘Listen…’ he finally decided. ‘I understand it may not be the best time, but I wanted to give you a heads up. That guy I was telling you about – the one with fancy background – we kinda struck an understanding. We talked after the seminar, and he’ll drop by tonight. Is that alright with you?’ ‘Umm…’ hummed Matsumura, tardily processing the whos and the whats of the question. ‘He’ll drop by either way, no?’ ‘Well, yeah…’ agreed Maeda guiltily. ‘I was just hoping we’d… Well… I should have said something in advance, sorry.’ ‘Nah, it’s fine,’ hurried to reassure him his friend. ‘It’s your apartment too – you can invite whoever you like.’ ‘Thanks. I’m glad you understand,’ said the blonde with relief, but that wasn’t the end of it. ‘It’s just… He’s a bit fussy about appearances – everything has to be “presentable” with him… So, can you… sorta… not come apart at home, as you usually do? While he’s there, I mean.’ Fully accepting the validity of that description, Matsumura laughed with light self-irony, trusting in that his friend was not judging. ‘Eh-heh, am I that bad?’ ‘You’re fine, just… You’ll do that, okay?’ ‘Okay, okay…’ By the time the street lamps turned on for the night, young men reached the apartment complex they lived at, ducked into the inner yard, and, two flights of stairs later, now stood in front of their flat. With his usual deftness, blonde sorcerer unlocked the door and ceremoniously invited his friend inside. ‘After you, my esteemed associate,’ he offered with a theatrical gesture, though his tone sounded convincingly genuine. ‘Many thanks, my esteemed… ehm… buddy,’ attempted to mirror him Matsumura, coming in. ‘Alright, he should arrive in about half an hour,’ clarified Maeda, closing the door behind them. ‘I know you want to rest, but just hold on until then, okay?’ ‘Goodness, I get it, stop fussing,’ lightly chided tired sorcerer, getting in front of the mirror. Right now, he’d give anything for the permission to take his shirt off, unbuckle his belt and just drop into a chair in a heap. Then move onto dinner. Eventually. Instead, he had to unroll his sleeves, button up his collar, tuck his shirt in and brush his hair, as if he was about to attend a social event. Maeda was a natural at this. Owing to his occupation, even without cleansing magic, he made it a point to always look sharp. Matsumura, meanwhile, thanks to his stumpy build and rounded countenance, even on his best day, tended to look like a bumpkin in clean clothes. Or maybe it was that naïve look in his eyes that older people in his hometown used to call charming. Be as it may, he did what he could to look “presentable” and postponed his evening relaxation for half an hour. Then for half an hour more, as the promised guest didn’t hurry to show up. Indeed, Maeda already started getting fidgety, when two friends finally heard a rather forceful knock on the door. ‘So you found the place,’ said the blonde sorcerer, letting a well-dressed man and the scent of his expensive cologne inside. ‘What a depressing hovel you have to dwell in,’ replied the visitor, fishing a few papers out of the inner pocket of his coat. ‘No wonder you want out.’ ‘Good evening. W- welcome,’ greeted him Matsumura, somewhat thrown off by the apparent lack of care for introductions. Unhelpfully, the stranger did not seem to be of a courteous mind. ‘Who’s that?’ he asked abruptly, as if young man was an unexpected intruder. ‘That’s Matsumura,’ explained Maeda, now also sounding a bit on edge. ‘I told you about him.’ The man sized the short sorcerer up, with an expression of vague recollection. ‘Doesn’t look like much,’ he announced his verdict. ‘He’s reliable,’ countered the blonde. ‘You can trust him.’ The stranger huffed, giving Maeda a skeptical look. ‘Trust is a commodity I spend at my own discretion,’ he informed the young man and handed him the papers. ‘Here. Commit this to memory, then we can work on the rest.’ Not wasting a moment, the blonde took the papers with one hand, while already pouring smoke out the other. Dark cloud swirled in the air, gradually taking a more rectangular shape, forming finer parts, manifesting colors – becoming closer and closer to a small wooden bureau. As soon as the process finished, Maeda opened the uppermost compartment containing neatly stacked folders and slid the papers amidst those. Then, with a practiced flick of his hand, he closed the bureau, and it popped, vanishing without a trace. ‘Done,’ he reported with cold victory in his voice. ‘Anything else?’ ‘Ho-o…’ drawn the man, raising an eyebrow, but then a glint of suspicion appeared in his eye. ‘Say then, what’s Daliah’s share in “ArcanaTech”?’ ‘30%, directly,’ replied Maeda without a moment’s pause. ‘But she’s holding Yamazaru by the balls, so, realistically, it’s 47%.’ ‘Impressive, impressive,’ the visitor clapped his hands, clearly satisfied with this test, then gave the young man a rather unceremonious knock on the shoulder, making him sway. ‘I can see we’ll be getting some fast results going forward. Alright, alright, I’ll gather more and we’ll talk further,’ he stated, then glanced towards silent Matsumura. ‘One on one.’ Without saying anything else, the man turned around and left the apartment. ‘Ehm… Thanks for… visiting…’ mumbled Matsumura towards the closing door. ‘Yeah…’ exhaled Maeda, shutting the lock. ‘He’s, um… He requires some getting used to.’ Young man turned to face Matsumura, and, for a moment, the exhausted sorcerer could see restless anticipation in his friend’s eyes. Whatever was in those papers, a promise of more sent Maeda’s mind places. Though, when the blonde caught his roommate’s confounded look, anticipation gave way to ashamed remorse. ‘Sorry you had to go through all this without warning,’ he apologized, grimacing with guilt. ‘That’s not how I pictured this. I didn’t expect you to have a long day, and him to…’ the sorcerer paused in search of appropriate words, but, after tellingly long silence, sighed and cut the excuses. ‘Tell you what – you humored me without complaint, and one good turn deserves another. Plop in the chair, and I’ll take care of dinner, okay? Don’t sweat a single other thing tonight.’ ‘Deal,’ gladly agreed Matsumura, unbuttoning his collar. ‘I’d say it’s no biggie, you know, but I’m about to start coming apart in every sense.’ With that settled, young magic-user could finally remove the shackles of social expectations and deposit his tired body into the welcoming embrace of an old armchair, while, in the kitchen, Maeda wasted no time in putting together a meal of redemption. Before long, the recuperating sorcerer could catch an alluring smell flowing through the air and felt the weight of exhaustion getting somewhat lighter for it. His roommate learned to be self-sufficient at a young age, and his cooking skills were nothing to shake a stick at, so, before too long, Matsumura’s stomach openly voted to conduct reconnaissance, and sorcerer found no arguments against that. Thus, he pulled himself out of the chair’s soft grip and headed for the kitchen. ‘Had some rest?’ intercepted him Maeda, stirring something in a pot. ‘It’s almost ready, slide in.’ Only glad to acquiesce, Matsumura obediently took his usual seat behind the table, trying to find a topic for a conversation, so he didn’t have to just sit there like a hatchling with an open mouth. Today’s visit was an easy pick. ‘So, what kind of project do you have with… ehm…’ he realized the visitor didn’t even introduce himself. ‘Jiro,’ finished his sentence tonight’s cook, taking out the bowls and cutlery. ‘Can’t say we have a project yet, but it seems we could very soon.’ ‘He wants you as, like, a, um… a market analyst or something?’ ‘Something like that…’ answered Maeda elusively. ‘I was hoping I’d get a chance to properly introduce you two. I think there could be a place for you as well on this team. Well, there’s no team yet, but… You get what I’m saying.’ ‘Wh- Wait, what?’ jumped Matsumura, suddenly feeling like someone forgot to put ground under his feet. ‘How did I get into this?’ At the sound of this overt distress, Maeda froze, ladle in hand, and shot an alarmed look over his shoulder. Apparently, this wasn’t the reaction he’d envision. ‘Uh… W- well, I’m not saying anything concrete,’ stammered the blonde, turning away and pulling the pot off the heat. ‘Just figured you’d also want to be in on the… Was hoping, actually… And, again, there’s nothing tangible just yet, don’t get me wrong.’ ‘It’s fine, it’s fine, I was just surprised,’ hurried to put his mind at ease Matsumura, settling down. ‘I’m already working full time, you know.’ ‘Yes, I know,’ agreed Maeda, filling a bowl with rich, thick stew. ‘But are you planning to always work there? Wash dishes and unload deliveries? I mean, nothing against honest labor, but…’ A sudden thought struck the blonde sorcerer, and, putting the bowl in front of his friend, he locked eyes with him. ‘Or is there something brewing between you and that hottie waiter girl?’ he asked with a devilish grin. ‘What?! No!’ fussed Matsumura, for the third time today filling up with red. ‘We’re just working together!’ ‘O-oh…’ hummed Maeda, returning to the pot. ‘All that time together, and still nothing?’ ‘She’s my boss’s daughter, in case you’re not aware,’ defended young man, but then realized that his much more confident roommate would poke holes in this argument anyway. ‘I mean, isn’t it obvious? Have you seen her? Have you seen her friends? I’m surprised she’s even working at a diner at all…’ ‘Yeah, what’s up with that?’ pondered the blonde. ‘Solid footing, impressive looks, friends from all the right environments… She should be shooting to the top, not serving food to middle class.’ No stranger to the same ideas, Matsumura thought back to his exchange with Hana this evening – to how the girl had all her arguments on the ready, yet hesitated to divulge her reasoning in full. In a way, it made sense. With her circle of friends, no doubt she had to hear her decision questioned before – more than once, surely, and young man felt compelled to defend his co-worker’s choice. ‘Well, she said to me today she wanted to stay where her roots are,’ he tried to explain in Hana’s stead. ‘I don’t see anything wrong with that, you know…’ ‘Is that so?’ mused the cook, placing rice and condiments on the table. ‘You see, my esteemed buddy, I think that’s your biggest weakness – you seem to always favor retreating to home base. You gotta challenge yourself more, or you’ll never get anywhere.’ ‘Well, what can I do?’ shrugged short sorcerer. ‘I can’t help feeling comfortable with what I’m used to.’ A part of him knew it was not the precise truth, but it wasn’t a lie either, and tonight in particular Matsumura didn’t feel it in him to get into the weeds of his deeper motivations. ‘I see… Leave yourself no choice then,’ advised the blonde, pouring drinks into glasses. ‘If you wanna move forward, then cut off your own ways of retreat. Clinging to what feels familiar will do you no good.’ Finally, having brought the last bits to the table, young man sat down across from his friend. Contrasting starkly with his usual confidence, a strangely pensive expression came onto his face. ‘Though, look who’s talking…’ he smirked with self-irony. ‘You know, back in the day, when I was apartment-hunting, and the landlady brought this whole deal with shared rent, I thought I’d turn it down. Wasn’t looking for company. But then – and here’s the dumb part – then she mentioned your name. It reminded me of the place where I was born, in the mountains, and, wouldn’t you know it – that swayed me. Silly reason for such a decision, right?’ ‘So you’re not from around here either?’ realized Matsumura. ‘I would have never guessed.’ ‘Well… I’ve spent more time in this city than back home,’ elaborated Maeda. ‘May as well be local. It just so happened there was no real space for my… well… “brainy talents”… to shine out there, so my folks sent me here for education and early apprenticeship. I was eight or nine, I think. Would only come back for holidays once in a while – rarer still near graduation. It worked out rather well, all things considered. Had to punch above my weight to compete with the local kids – mostly from well-off families, as you’d expect – but here I am after all.’ Not that long ago having to bid his own goodbyes, Matsumura could sense some sort of newfound kinship with his usually reserved friend. ‘You must have missed your home, moving away like that…’ he sympathized. ‘In the first years, yes,’ agreed Maeda, nodding slightly. ‘Then it, sort of… Well, it didn’t vanish, but… I don’t know… Hard to word. Dulled, I think. My parents missed me badly though. Must have felt lonely, too. They eventually decided to have another child, so I have a sister somewhere out there.’ ‘Somewhere… out there?’ repeated Matsumura, confused by the phrasing. ‘Oh… I keep swinging past the point, sorry,’ sped up the blonde, pushing out the difficult part all in one go. ‘Thing is, both my parents died around the time I fully graduated, so, for a while, I craved some solid ground under my feet, because there was no going back home anymore, and then I heard your name, and it felt like a sliver of that old time, and here we are. The end.’ He caught his breath, as an awkward period of silence seized the room. Perhaps, the topic went further than either sorcerer expected, but someone had to push towards a resolution. ‘I… didn’t know. I’m sorry,’ gave his belated condolences Matsumura. ‘But what about your sister?’ ‘I’ve been informed she was adopted by good people, so she should be okay,’ assured the blonde. ‘Better than with me, anyway. I’m terrible with kids.’ ‘Don’t you keep in touch with her?’ Matsumura hesitantly probed, feeling like he might be treading where he wasn’t invited. Maeda didn’t reply right away, and it was hard to tell whether he was thinking or simply waiting for the question to expire. After a few long seconds, he spoke – this time, with regained confidence. ‘I honestly don’t think it would work out,’ he calmly affirmed. ‘Right now, she’s still just a baby. I’m all tied up here, and, by the time I can expect more freedom, she’ll be all grown up – raised by different people, in different circumstances. Sure, I could visit once in a blue moon, but what would that accomplish? Just remind her again and again that there is someone out there who is supposed to be a part of her family, but who she can’t be with? Same for me, too. Staying out entirely is just… kinder, in a way. Like, we’ve never even seen each other in the first place… I mean, I hope she has a good life. Of course. But, I’m afraid, all we’d ever be is a couple of strangers that look somewhat alike. Really, it’s best this way.’ Concluding his reasoning, Maeda clapped his hands on his thighs and shook the mood off. ‘But enough of heavy talk – the food is getting cold! Hurry up and dig in!’ ‘Your wish is my command, heh-heh!’ chuckled Matsumura, relieved that the gloomy cloud left the room, and pulled his bowl closer. ‘Compliments to the chef!’ A short time later, one blissed out sorcerer sat at the table, resting his head on his palm, eyes closed in sated stupor, while the other finished his tonight’s resolution by the sink, washing the dishes. Once again, the blonde couldn’t keep himself from throwing quick looks over his shoulder, deliberating. It didn’t take long for him to be done, and, having closed the faucet, young man turned to his friend, leaning against the kitchen counter. ‘Feeling better now?’ he probed softly. ‘Much,’ replied Matsumura, without opening his eyes. ‘If you ever tire of banking, come to our place. You’ll do great.’ Maeda smiled and shook his head. ‘I was actually about to say the opposite. I mean, I don’t want to sound pushy, but… You think about what I said earlier, alright?’ Sorcerer at the table opened his eyes as much as his current state allowed. ‘About that team-up? Idunno…’ ‘Well, you were planning to do something with your life eventually anyway, right?’ cautiously persisted the blonde. ‘Something other than menial labor all day long, so you could afford half an apartment?’ ‘If you put it that way… I guess,’ agreed the sleepy lad. ‘I just can’t imagine how I’d contribute.’ ‘I can,’ took his turn Maeda. ‘In a few ways, actually.’ ‘What, you’ve been thinking about it?’ ‘I have, yes.’ ‘Why?’ Blonde sorcerer stepped away from his perch and returned to his seat across from Matsumura. In the light of recent upset, he puckered his lips, choosing the right words. ‘I… would like to have someone like you by my side in this endeavor.’ ‘Why?’ repeated his question Matsumura. ‘I mean, it’s your territory. I just clean stuff.’ Clearly having not expected needing to “sell” the idea, Maeda made a vague gesture in the air, showing that his reasoning is not very well defined. ‘You see, our world tends to judge one’s worth purely on…’ he stopped and sighed, scrapping that approach. ‘Look, if I am to be completely honest here – you’re my pal. I know you. You come from a humble place, you pull your weight in the world without complaint. So I like you and I trust you. And the thing is, I can’t say the same about Jiro. I don’t know him for very long, and, truth be told, one on one, I don’t think I could stand him for very long…’ ‘Why… work with him then?’ asked the short lad, straightening up and putting his arm down, as something about this conversation urged him to try and be awake. ‘Well… He’s my ticket in,’ explained Maeda, looking away, as if embarrassed. ‘He is from “high society”. He knows how it works. Knows people, knows approaches. If I stick by long enough – see enough, learn enough – I’m sure I can gain a foothold for myself. Make connections.’ ‘What about your job?’ further questioned Matsumura. ‘Do you even have time for things on the side?’ ‘Probably not,’ admitted the blonde. ‘But, if things go well, I’m not staying there.’ ‘Isn’t it risky? You said yourself: you don’t trust Jiro… ehm… -san…’ ‘The risk is there, yes,’ agreed Maeda, ‘but I’ve been around “elite” long enough to know his game. You see, everything he has was given to him – he didn’t have to earn a thing in his life. If he wished, he could just cruise on, without lifting a finger. But he wants more. He wants to play at a bigger table, and for that he needs to prove he’s not just a pampered heir – that he has some potential. That takes effort.’ ‘So… he’s looking for help?’ ‘He’s looking for an easy ride,’ frowned young man, with harsh, icy gleam appearing in his eyes. ‘He’s looking for people like us. Hungry people. Hard workers. Someone to do all the boring, scrupulous stuff and feel oh so grateful for it, while he exploits his family’s reputation to get someone’s ear at a fancy party, drunk on his own ambitions.’ Listening to his friend, Matsumura wasn’t sure if he was making arguments for or against his own plan. It didn’t make a lot of sense to him, but he knew Maeda was smart. He must have seen the whole thing very differently. ‘I’m… I’m not sure we’re seeing the same picture here…’ he muttered, but then hurried to point out that his opinion wasn’t final. ‘I mean, I have mashed potatoes for a brain right now, so…’ ‘Of course. I understand,’ assured him his blonde friend. ‘I… Again, I’m only bringing this up for consideration. It’s just…’ He fidgeted uncomfortably. The amount of openness he’s shown tonight was indeed uncharacteristic for him. ‘It’s just… When I think that the rest of my life will be a glacial crawl from a nobody to maybe somebody’s assistant’s assistant – that I’ll always be leashed to someone else’s ambitions, while being acutely aware of my own, I… hah…’ Young man couldn’t hold back a chuckle, but it wasn’t a happy one. ‘Maybe, I just set myself up early on,’ he resumed after regaining control. ‘Thought myself special – thought that being ahead of my peers would amount to something. That persistent work was all it takes. Turns out, you need something very, very different…’ He looked his friend in the eye – trustingly, almost pleadingly. ‘I realize what I’m talking about sounds like a reckless venture, but you know me – I’m not a gambler. I just want to make something of myself, Matsumura. Will you help me?’ At this moment, short sorcerer felt especially clearly that he was not made of stone. ‘Fine, fine…’ he caved. ‘I’ll think about it – promise. When I actually can think…’ ‘Thank you,’ smiled Maeda, with relief and gratitude brightening his gaze. ‘I’ll do all I can to make your decision an easy one.’ And so, it was decided.